Emalene Hickman 0803198 Assessment Blog 2

The main strategy of devising used within the process and performance module is Robert Lepage’s RSVP model. “’RSVP’ stands for ‘Resource, Score, Valuaction and Performance’. In devising theatre, the resource is the stimulus for the performance…The score is the material that arises from the research… Valuaction is the process of evaluating, selecting and organising the collected material…Performance is the testing out in practice” (Allain & Harvie, 2006, Pg.51).
The Resourcing of this piece started like many others; as Oddey 1994 states: “Devised theatre can start from anything” (pg.1) and is often used “to communicate and express particular interests or concerns” (pg.12). The original resource could be seen as the ‘genre’ physical theatre, as the cast worked vigorously to learn and develop skills in this area. The second level of ‘concern’ which was chosen to be explored in the piece is domestic violence. “1 in 4 women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime – many of these on a number of occasions” (Women’s Aid. (2010) Available at: http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic_violence_topic.asp?section=0001000100220036§ionTitle=Statistics). We explored these themes meticulously through play sessions and improvisations.
The group have used a delineated approach to the creation of the material and ‘scored’ several sections as an ensemble and in smaller groups. The sections are created in a seemingly random order, created independently and strung together later once in the ‘Valuaction’ stage. The piece, now in the ‘valuaction’ stage, is beginning to take shape as the ensemble work together to develop the plot further. This allows for a better development of character as the actors approach each scene individually and their progression as a character becomes more natural. This also allows the ensemble to create a combined energy as characters come together rather than a group of people placed together without personal aims. The ‘performance’ part of this production is yet to be completed as the ‘valuaction’ stage is still in progress.


At the start of the creative process the ensemble created a very naturalistic scene whereby characters were developed through communication. In this scene I was particularly quiet, making no attempt to talk to anyone and ignoring those who tried to talk to me. My character is withdrawn, unsure and extremely shy. However, as the process moved on I was in a situation where I was getting ready to go out, drinking and partying with my friends. In this scene my character developed to be more outspoken due to alcohol consumption. ‘The woman’ is being pressurised by a group of friends to please her man and wear what she knows he likes. I felt as though I would be more inclined to encourage somebody to be their own person and this came through in my character. We then created another ensemble section incorporating falls and catches. In this scene I began to feel very vulnerable again, the character traits from the first scene unintentionally coming back to my person. This suggests to me that the bedroom scene is indeed ‘out-of-character’ due to the influences of alcohol.
In the final ensemble routine we perform slow choreographed duets. In this section we stare blankly into the audience, by this point I feel so emotionally drained that it is physically impossible to express any emotion. Yet, the blankness of the face does transpose to the audience as they see someone who has given up.


My Character has a very closed physicality, I spend a lot of time sat down with my knees clenched closely to my chest. If and when I move I do so very slowly and rarely make eye contact with other characters. I give my weight into the floor a lot; I see the floor as a magnet, my body giving in to the gravity 90 per cent of the time with moments of sheer power to separate from the force, before immediately being dragged back down.
The idea of Stanislavski and method acting is in the forefront of my mind when creating my character. Whyman states that: ‘The three bases of the system [are]: activeness, truth of passions and the subconscious’ (2008, Pg.39). ‘Activeness’ suggests to me external awareness, the physical embodiment of an internal emotion. For example, nervousness portrayed with a lowered head, hunched shoulders and flitting eye contact. ‘Truth of Passions’ implies that an actor must be true to themselves when creating a character. Also, the ‘subconscious’ is relevant when building a character as improvisation often reveals a heightened version of an aspect of the actors own personality. For example, the shy withdrawn qualities of my adolescence are extremely evident in my character.
One particular movement that has become a key gesture for my character is incessant fiddling. I am wearing a long, flowing halter-neck top that has a long train down the back. I pull the train over my shoulder and pull the end through my fingers in varying speeds. Sometimes extremely slowly, gripping the train tightly, other times quickly, repeating it over and over again. A different time I barely move the hands, just rubbing a finger back and forth, whilst staring intently at action on stage.


Bibliography
Allain, P & Harvie, J. (2006) The Routledge Companion to Theatre and Performance. USA. Routledge.

Oddey, A. (1994) Devising theatre: a practical and theoretical handbook. London. Routledge

Whyman, R. (2008) The Stanislavsky System of Acting. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Women’s Aid. (2010) Statistics [online] [Accessed on: 22/03/2010] Available at: http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic_violence_topic.asp?section=0001000100220036§ionTitle=Statistics.