I had so much fun performing in Exit This Way as I had never performed in a postdramatic or meta-physical show before. Postdramatic theatre “focuses on the deconstruction of a dramatic character … [it] also examines new work in its relation to the breakdown of dramatic conventions” (Lehmann, 2010, 1). Our show was postdramatic as we did not have investable characters. When I became Rosie the audience visually witnessed the change of me being Emily and then becoming Rosie by putting on a coat. The audience could not believe I was Rosie as I had just been myself seconds before. Our show was based on blurring the lines between process and product. In the performance we constantly broke the fourth wall as to highlight that escapism is something you can only do for short sections of time. This could be witnessed when I as Emily told Laura’s fairy-tale. It began as a lovely story with beautiful imagery and viscerally stunning but ended abruptly when Hannah and I broke away from the imagery to give the harsh reality.
Once Upon a Time (Odonnell, 2017)
Laura in her Castle (Odonnell, 2017)
They took her far far away (Odonnell, 2017)
My favourite scene to perform in was the fantasy section. Show night was the first night I did not laugh the whole way through it. I was having the best time on that stage. When devising and rehearsing that scene I was slightly worried that the audience wouldn’t get our sense of humour. Oh how I was wrong! Hearing the laughs from the audience added a new dimension to the performance due to the fact that the comedy was amplified by the energy.
When a Damsel is in Distress (Odonnell, 2017)
I can’t see (Odonnell, 2017)
Woah! It’s Cheryl the Alien (Odonnell, 2017)
What made our performance successful was the connection the company had together on stage. Our show was by no means perfect and had its mistakes but it didn’t matter. It added to the comedy but also I knew that the other members of Fragment on stage with me had my back. Although we weren’t an improvisation group we could improvise on the spot to cover for a fellow actor when an issue arrived. This made our performance live and real in the moment.
The future of Fragment Theatre Company is feasible but would need some changes. To be able to tour around England we would need to downscale our set as it would be too expensive to hire and transport scaffolding from venue to venue. This would not be a problem as we can adapt more towards the DIY theatre aesthetic which can already be seen within the props for our show. I would also choose to market our show with a new poster which promoted us a comedy.
Props Day (Jarrold, 2017)
The making of George (Jarrold, 2017)
Ben working hard! (Jarrold, 2017)
Working in Fragment Theatre Company has been an absolute pleasure. I have worked with nine talented people and learnt so much about myself and theatre from them. Now to look forward to the future. This is not goodbye Fragment Theatre Company but a see you later!
Fragment Theatre Company (Odonnell, 2017)
Works Cited:
Jarrold, R. (2017) Ben working hard!
Jarrold, R. (2017) Props day.
Jarrold, R. (2017) The making of George.
Lehmann, H. (2010). Postdramatic theatre. 1st edition. London: Routledge.
Odonnell, S. (2017) Fragment Theatre Company Lincoln: SO Photography.
Odonnell, S. (2017) I can’t see! Lincoln: SO Photography.
Odonnell, S. (2017) Laura in her castle! Lincoln: SO Photography.
Odonnell, S. (2017) Once upon a time. Lincoln: SO Photography.
Odonnell, S. (2017) They took her far far away. Lincoln: SO Photography.
Odonnell, S. (2017) When a damsel is in distress. Lincoln: SO Photography.
Odonnell, S. (2017) Woah! It’s Cheryl the alien. Lincoln: SO Photography.
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