Devised Theatre Response

“Plans are simply the servants of good intuition.” (page 23)

I really enjoy this short little tidbit because I think it is succinct and entirely true. In terms of our piece, planning is only a rough outline for a possible path. But the truth is that we understand these stories to sincere depth, so the immersion of our hearts and guts into these stories will guide us more than anything. We know what we want to say (at least personally) and our intuition will guide us in the courses that pay homage to that.

“While the performance team is at the center of the director’s attention, from this point forward he cannot afford to forget an invisible, yet curial, ingredient in the recipe: the audience! Before weaving all the parts together, the devising director…must work to ensure that the series of action, which constitute the story, are constructed in such a way as to provoke, amuse and intrigue an audience.” (page 25)

While not specifically applying to our project, I think that this refers to a danger that all performances pieces have – and that is becoming too self-indulgent. I don’t think that we have entirely had this issue, but it is something that we should watch out for. It is very easy to get caught up in what looks cool, what would be fun for us, or how we can use the piece to personally express ourselves. While these things can be good….the biggest focus should be on what we want the audience to feel, experience and see? What do we want to show them? Not “what do we want to do?”

“Another demand for the parameters is that they must be open to variation. i.e. these parameters can be reconstructed into different forms. This is the primary factor for the set’s flexibility. The actors will use the props parameters in rehearsal to form and reform the shape of the space. The constant alteration of position, and combinations of the different elements of the set, will create the various scenic contexts for the work. The basic elements may be realistic of abstract in style and in shape, but they must all have the dramatic potential to be changed within seconds to a new shape.” (page 41)

I think that this applies in depth to our project. Personally, I think it is imperative to use your objects and environment to create your space – not let them be visually still, like a painting. And I think that the use of our artifacts and the spaces on the vertical units is what we are using to “create the various scenic contexts for the work.”