In preparation for our performance proposal presentation next week I am trying to bring together all our ideas, but no piece of paper seems big enough, so I will commit them to the endless world of cyber space.
After seeing a short piece at the BAC on saturday night as part of the End of the World event, I am thinking about the simplicity of storytelling - the use of humour to engage the audience and a silence at the end which gave real poignancy. Text was projected into a black box - at times only one or two words. It was kept simple and unpretentious....."You'll be ok"....."Don't Worry". A personal story of an isolated explorer, we connected with him as a 'storyteller' told us about his life. I am thinking more and more about the dramaturg being the storyteller. Leading the audience around the garden - not in a forceful way, but gently, giving them fragments of a story, simple words.
I am soon to see Kneehigh's 'A Matter of Life and Death' at the NT and am reflecting on the use of music to bring an earthy quality to a performance. The combination of traditional music and touching lyrics to enhance the story. Can we use this in the garden? I have something in mind.....
Kneehigh are also not afraid to bring the personal and semi-autobiographical to their work - Emma Rice dedicates their current show to her grandfather and the handbells are rung on stage for him. Why should we shy away from this? A member of the family at Southside has provided much inspiration....a woman who would not leave when all around her was collapsing, sons fighting in the war, bombs directly hitting her house - but she stayed for her beloved garden.
No comments:
Post a Comment