Childrens theatre - lesson 27th September 2016

Main objectives of the lesson

• To develop our storytelling skills
• To understand the importance of storytelling
• To deliver and expand on the story for performance
• To relate our skills/stores to childrens theatre

Storytelling: Is the act of transferring information either verbally or physically through text to another individual or group. Using many techniques such as: Voice changes, gestures,music,facts,fiction etc.

Forms of storytelling

• TV - Drama/soaps/news/documentaries/adverts
• Music Lyrics/videos
• Books
• Films
• Plays
• Artwork
• Poetry
• People
• Adverts

In the beginning of the lesson we came up with personal definitions of what we thought storytelling meant and what techniques factors they may or may not use. Then we had to think of 3 stories that we had already heard today. Whether it was directly from someone or whether we had overheard a conversation. We spoke back to the group about them and discussed a few in detail. This was to warm us up to the idea that stories are all around us and how we may not notice everything consciously but rather subconsciously.

Next, we got into groups and went through a day over the weekend. Listing things we did, and at what time we did them. Our group then asked us questions relating to our 'day story' in order to find out more details in order to make the story more engaging and factual. Giving it a better basis and content.

Once we had listened to everyone in the group we then combined the most interesting parts from each of our stories and put them into one giant story. Our group decided to take a very physical approach to the task and become objects ourselves aswell as creating sound effects. For example, Charlotte became an alarm clock. Harry was a light and Saphire was a TV. This added humour into our piece which we thought was appropriate and would suit Childrens theatre. This is because it creates a lighter tone in the piece and relaxes the audience.

When telling a story:

• Basic details
• Questioning
• Establishing
• Combine stories
• Add voice + movement
• 5 Sense

Childrens theatre - fairytale

Once upon a time there was a lonely widow and her son Jack. Jack was a young boy who spent his days playing imaginary games and thinking about how life would be if he had all the money in the world.

On a crisp, cold November morning the widow went up to jack whilst he was cleaning out the cow pen in the old broken wooden barn and told him that they needed to sell her in order to get some money for food. Jacks face fell and he looked to the ground where dirt and stray pieces of hay were laying. He shuffled his feet looked back into his mother’s eyes and nodded with a sad smile. Jacks mother left with a swift glide and the squeak of the door signalled her exit. Jack lent on the cold wooden fence and looked into the warm brown eyes of his fellow companion. He didn’t want to say goodbye but he knew that times were hard already and if they kept her they would get a lot harder. Jack put on his jacket, grabbed some rope that was draped over a wooden beam and tied it round the cows neck. He took one last moment sighing deeply as he did before he left the barn to begin his journey.

The sun was nowhere in sight and the clouds covered it like a blanket of snow. The bitter wind nipped at Jacks skin and ruffled his hair. The only sounds which could be heard were the scuffing of his shoes and the clipperty-clop of the cow’s hooves. As he walked along the dirt track, worn in my carts and horses. He came across an old man. This old man was tall, wore a long thick black coat and had a peculiar smile etched on his face.                                                                                                                                                                                         “Hey young fellow, what are you up to?” The old man asked cheerily bending down slightly.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

“I’m off to sell my cow sir” The old man’s eyes lit up and he reached into his pocket.                                                                                                               

“How would you like to sell her for these five beans?” Jack frowned at what he saw in the man’s hand and brushed it aside.                                                                                                                                                                           

“No, thank you sir. I best be on my way” Jack slightly pushed past the old man followed by his cow. The old man was a little taken back but kept the smile plain in his face.                                                                                

“These aren’t just any beans my boy. These are…..magic beans” Jack stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder at the old man.                                                                                                                                    

“Magic beans? Why should I believe you?” Jack questioned looking at the man suspiciously. The man straightened up.                                                                                                                                                                               “From these beans a giant beanstalk will grow and reach up to the sky. If this does not happen I will give you your cow back” Jack pondered for a moment but gladly took the magic beans.

Jack went home and showed his mother the magic beans. She was beyond furious. She shouted at Jack and in the process threw the so called magic beans out the window and sent Jack to his room. Overnight the beans had begun to sprout and at a pace too.

The next morning Jack woke up and looked out his window at the cool morning sun. Jack was stunned. There in front of him was a giant green beanstalk. Jack tried to see the very top but he couldn’t. Jack became very excited. Once dressed he rushed downstairs, put on his shoes and began to climb the beanstalk.

Once at the top Jack came across a giant castle with a giant door. Jack walked up and knocked. No answer. Instead of waiting or coming back later Jack decided he would slide underneath the door and enter the castle. Jack was mind blown by everything. He was so surprised at how big everything was compared to him. Suddenly the floor began to shake violently and loud thumping started to occur from down the hall. Jack ran for cover underneath a nearby table.                                                                              

“Fee fie fo fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman” Jack stayed hidden and waited for the giant to move. Jack had never seen something like that in all his life. Once the giant was far enough away Jack crept out of his hiding place and went to leave. That was until he spotted something glinting in the sunlight. Jack moved closing. It was a sack of gold coins. Jacks had a smile which ran from ear to ear. Jack took the gold coins and ran out the castle and down the beanstalk.

Once on the ground Jack showed his mother the golden coins. She was so happy but shocked at the same time.

Jack went up again to the giant castle in the sky to collect more gold coins. Whilst he was searching for coins he came across a goose. He stopped and stared at the goose for a minute until suddenly it laid a golden egg. Jack was astonished. He stood for a moment before deciding that he would take the goose back to his mother so that it could lay them golden eggs every day. Sure enough Jack went down showed his mother the goose that lays golden eggs and again she was surprised.

The next day Jack again climbed up the beanstalk to the castle and entered inside. Jack was quietly creeping when he heard a monstrous snore. The giant was asleep. Jack took this opportunity to explore the castle as he had previously not been able to. As Jack was wondering the halls he could hear the most beautiful music he had ever heard. He followed the melody down the corridors and into a room with dark red curtains and a single round table. On this round table was a golden harp sweetly singing its glorious tunes. Jack was entranced. He graceful glided up to the table, climbed up and stood in front of the harp. Jack could not take his eyes off it as it was playing so wonderfully. He thought to himself that he should take this back for his mother so that they would have beautiful music to listen to. As Jack picked up the harp, the music stopped and it began to scream.                                             

“Help Master! A boy is stealing me!” Suddenly there was a loud thud and quickening footsteps. Jack began to panic and quickly jumped down the table harp in hand. He had no time to wait. Jack ran as fast as he could down the corridors and out the door. The giant however, wasn’t so far behind.

Jack began to furiously scramble down the beanstalk trying to keep hold of the harp and stay away from the giant. Once jack had reached the bottom he put down the harp and ran into the barn. He frantically looked around for anything to help him. He had to get rid of the giant but he didn’t know how. Suddenly in the corner of his eye he spotted an axe hanging on the wall. He ran over picked it up and ran back outside side. He glanced up at the beanstalk to find that the giant was already a third of the way down. Jack used all his strength and hacked at the base of the beanstalk. Swinging and hacking. Hacking and swinging. Until there was an ear-splinting thunderous crack. Jack looked up to see the beanstalk slowly start to sway. Then lean over and fall. There was another thunderous thump which sounded the fall of the beanstalk and the death of the giant. Jack sighed with relief, picked up the harp and went inside to show his mother and to tell her that everything was going to be okay from now on. And they all lived happily ever after.

Dance - lesson 2 - Gestures - 23rd September 2016

In todays lesson we explored 'gestures' and the connotations behind them. For example whether they are positive or negative. We did this by first creating  a mind-map of gestures which we use in our every day lives. We then discussed these as a group. For example, what they meant or when we'd use them, and then added them to our map if we didn't have them.


After this we then got into pairs and devised a dance piece which was heavily influenced by gestures. The stimulus for the dance/movement piece was 'meeting/friend greeting' etc.

We initially wanted to have an aggressive meeting but didn't want it to seem to violent. Therefore we thought of a structure. For example, we don't meet on great terms. Then as it progresses we try to see eye-to-eye and sort out our differences. Eventually, it ends like it started with an aggressive movement as we cant see past our differences and don't change how we feel.  

Our piece starts with a 'windmill' action ending with two backhand slaps. This is a very aggressive movement and suggests that this is not a friendly meeting. At multiple points during our performance our movements are in unison and are the same. However, they may either be in the opposite direction or of an mirror image. This suggests that we try to get along but cant seem to meet in the middle and are still set in our ways. This is shown when we hold hands but lean away from each other and where we cross paths towards the end of our piece. Our movements are very strong and sharp throughout creating a tense and bold atmosphere.

WWW.
I think the structure of our dance was good as it started and ended with the same emotion - aggression. Started and finished with very elaborate and strong movements. For example, beginning with the backhand slaps and ending with the fast arm swing. I also think that our synchronisation was particularly good as we stayed in time with not only the music but with each other. Meaning that the dance progressed and moved at the same speed making it look far more polished than if it wasn't. I also think our use of Indian hand gestures and the fact we managed to incorporate them into our piece was good. For example, we used the hand gesture Alapadma. This shows that we took into account our stimulus as well as our overall inspiration - 'Faultline'. Meaning our piece was linked to traditional Indian dance as well as modern day gestures.

EBI

Personally, I feel as though I need to continue to work on my extension of my arms when doing certain moves. For example the second move we perform I need to extend my arms out straighter and longer in order to make it seem more fluid and strong. I feel as though I also need to work more slightly on my special awareness in order to make sure I have enough room around me to successfully perform certain moves. For example, when we enter our end move I am a little to close to my partner meaning I have little room to move my arm. If I take a larger step I will have more room in order to make it a stronger more powerful swing. We could also play around with speed and dynamics a little more in order to vary movement phrases, making it visually more interesting.

We then brought together all our movement phrases as a class and took parts from different people in order to create a whole new phrase altogether. (still in progress)

Childrens theatre - lesson 2 - crisis on the Island

In todays lesson we were put into two groups and had to act out a crisis on the Island. One group was for the crisis trying to make it worse/succeed. The other group were against it and trying to help prevent it.

Basis of scene - For the crisis
Gathered to a group meeting. Discussing how to get off the island away from the other people. Came to the conclusion of 'sinking' the island. There was a 'plug' to the island in  which we would pull in order for it to sink. We did this but it only sank half(?) of the island. When we reached the other side we realised we sank the wrong part and were still with the other residents.

What worked if performed to a younger audience?

During our performance we used elements of humour throughout in order to make it interesting and engaging to younger audiences. For example, we did the classic 'run the opposite direction to where you're supposed to go'. We also over exaggerated certain gestures in order to hopefully make it humorous. For example, breathing in and looking hopeful then dropping and quietly muttering shaking our heads. By doing this we are giving hope then taking it away, in a way in which is not bad but is slightly subtle but known. We believed this could be humorous as its the idea of we were going to say we had a solution and had ideas but really we were just there because we were called and didn't really have anything to input. We also used very simplistic language during our piece. For example, when answering questions we kept it very brief and very short. For example, when answering about how we should sink the island we had answers such as: "flowers" "swim" and "the plerg". This is to ensure children wouldn't get confused and wouldn't get bored with waffle-y dialogue. Also with 'The Plerg' we made sure our reactions were big and visible as well as when replying making it higher and confused. We felt that this was a well used and known technique when performing/producing content for children and would gain the audiences attention as the pitches in our voices would have changed quickly and drastically. In our performance we also had limited props which meant our staging was simplistic and we had to use certain props/staging for multiple things. This meant we and the audience would have to use imagination in order to make sense of what we were doing. We felt that this was good as it got to exercise the creative side to the audience and ourselves and would encourage them to get involved/lost in our story.

What would need to be developed?

I feel as though in our piece what would need to be developed would be our interaction with the audience. We would either need to physically involve them/immerse them in our performance or break them fourth wall in order to have their input. This would make it more engaging for the audience and more enjoyable as they would be taking part rather than just sat watching a piece of drama. We also need to structure the narrative better and possibly add a few more details into the story. For example, suggest why we don't like the other residents and why we want to get off the Island so bad. Therefore, understanding the narrative better and making it more believeable. Personally, I feel as though I need to work on my character, Alix Caser. For example, I need to give them more elaborate characteristics or emphasise certain traits in order to make them more suitable for childrens theatre. As, at the moment they are very realistic and seem to be more for an older audience. I also feel that we could experiment with our staging a little more or make it a little more structured. As, we didn't really move anything which meant we were in a very closed space and therefore didn't seem to travel around the space much. I feel that if our staging was slightly more sparse we would have more space to do elaborate and exiting gestures and possibly progress the narrative.

The Other Group

I feel that the other group were strong in terms of characterisation. You could tell instantly the traits of each character and what distinguished them from one another. They held strong presence and you could tell the relationships between certain characters. I felt that this would be good for children's theatre as strong characterisation is key when interesting and captivating a younger audience.

I feel as though narrative may be a possible thing to develop as we only really saw a discussion about the crisis. We didn't see a resolution or progression in movement. I also feel that like ours, interaction would need to be developed. Whether that's breaking the fourth wall or physical audience participation.

Childrens Theatre (lesson 2) - venues and companies

Tell Tale Hearts - theatre company

"Tell Tale Hearts devise and deliver participatory touring theatre productions exclusively for primary children and younger years in schools, theatres and community venues" - http://www.telltalehearts.co.uk/about/

"Combining installation, performance, music, projection and puppetry we put children at the heart of our highly visual productions. Through a unique mix of creativity and interactivity we aim to give children the opportunity to experience a magical and multi-sensory world of theatre in different environments" - http://www.telltalehearts.co.uk/about/

Tell Tale Hearts theatre company use a variety of techniques and approaches in order to make their productions unique and engaging for children. Such as: puppetry and music. This makes it surreal for the audience and create a multi-sensorial environment.  They tend to perform productions that are well known by children themselves. Such as: fairy tales or adaptations of films aimed at kids. For example, they are currently doing: Snow White and Inside Out. This means that children are more likely to enjoy a piece of theatre if they can connect with a memory or a piece of knowledge they possess.

Hullabaloo Theatre - theatre company - http://www.theatrehullabaloo.org.uk/about-theatre-hullabaloo/

"Theatre Hullabaloo is a pioneering organisation that’s all about making, touring & promoting theatre for young audiences, aged 0 – 16 years old, because we believe that they are the most important audience of all.

We create pioneering work which puts the young person at the heart of the creative process.

Our work is driven by the belief that young audiences have an entitlement to theatre of the highest quality which inspires the imagination and challenges the mind." -http://www.theatrehullabaloo.org.uk/our-shows/

Hullabaloo theatre company understand the importance of theatre for younger audiences and how it impacts them. They understand how from 0-6 years is the most crucial time in a childs life as it is the time when they are most influenced by creative atmospheres. Therefore, they try to adapt existing stories into productions or create new pieces all together. This subconsciously introduces the idea of creativity to the child. They also understand the hardships of growing up and therefore try to incorporate mature themes into their productions in a way in which children will understand. They are also a registered charity.


Production Houses -
National Theatre - Based in London is an example of a 'Production House' as they produce and perform their own plays. For example, when it comes to children's theatre they host a number of different workshops for different age groups. Such as: A programme for year 1 students known as 'Theatre First'. Where they get to experience different aspects of theatre and eventually build up to a performance which they do at The National itself.

Trestle -North of London, south of Luton. "Trestle is a mask and physical theatre company, with a highly regarded arts education programme. As a charity, our mission is to engage children, young people and adults in creative activity, which aims to enhance the cultural quality of their experiences." - http://www.trestle.org.uk/about-trestle/

Trestle are highly regarded and one of the leading providers for teacher training, participations programmes and school workshops in the UK. Trestle tend to do a lot of adaptations of known stories and tell them in their own way. Involving physical theatre and puppetry. This creates a unique style of theatre and entices many different audiences for different reasons. Trestle have also worked with 'Unicorn Theatre' on multiple projects such as 'The birthday of the Infanata' and 'The Snow Queen' - which was directed by Trestle. Trestle target all age groups from young children all the way up to adults.

Childrens Theatre (lesson 1) - Creating characters and a world

In this lesson we discussed as a group what it meant when a piece of theatre is classed as 'Children's theatre'. What aspects were different and what factors were engaged or changed.

Here is what we decided 'Children's Theatre' entailed:

• Comedy - This is usually portrayed through 'over the top' acting and emphasising little moments such as an agreement or disagreement and making facial expressions more visible.
• Five senses - Touch, taste, see, hear and smell. By engaging with these senses it makes the performance multi-sensorial and immerses the child completely in the performance.
• Morals - Usually the aim of a piece of theatre is how to overcome a particular problem or issue. For children's theatre this is usually to do with acceptance and/or discrimination in a lighter tone to which they understand. This is important as it teaches them important lessons but in a fun, active environment.
• Simpler Language - Language used needs be simpler and easy to understand for all ages. This is because they are still learning and know basic forms of language. As well as using simpler language, actors tend to talk slower and clearer in order for the child to understand.
• Audience Participation - Involving the child in different ways such as: breaking the fourth wall encourages children to engage with the performance and also makes it more interesting for them. It also helps to immerse the child in the performance and take them into another world where they can relax and have fun.
• Enthusiasm/positivity -  Actors need be enthusiastic and positive when performing to children in order to encourage them to participate with the performance. This can also help some members of the audience relax and build confidence. Having a positive atmosphere reflects on the child's mood and therefore would make it more enjoyable for them.
• Elaborate staging - Such as oversized props or sets. This helps to create a world in which the child can get lost in the story.
• Bright colours and colourful lighting - This intrigues the child and adds to their attention span if there is lots to look at. Bright colours usually creates positive emotions and a positive atmosphere.
• Multi-media - this is the use of music, projections, films and pictures in order to help tell the story. By using more than one form of media it makes it more visually and aurally engaging.

After this we then created another world. Specifically an Island. We started off with the basic things you would need in order to live and then we added more imaginative possibly surreal structures.

Each of then created an individual character and talked about where they live, where they went and who they associated with.

My Character:

Name: Alix Caser

Age: 19

Occupation: Traveller

Where do they live: They aren't homeless but they prefer to camp out every night in a new location in order to understand the Island and also to meet new people along the way.

Where do they work: They spend some of their free days helping out at Wonder World as they are such a sociable person that they can talk to anyone. They like to walk about and find new places. They like to sit by 'Glitter River' and sketch scenic pictures. They associate with Flutter and Holly Glitz and get along well with them. Alix has a very positive approach to situations and tries to keep a positive atmosphere wherever they may be and with whoever they are with. They don't have many friends but it doesn't bother them too much.

Here is a picture with all the residence on:

Dance lesson 1 - 15th September 2016. Unit 50: Movement in Perfromance

Unit 50: Movement in Performance - Dance

What is a stimulus?

·         A starting point for ideas, phrases, movements etc.

·         A starting point.

·         Something to react to.

Types of Stimuli

·         Visual – Picture/photo

·         Text   -   Book, song lyrics, poems, script

·         Aural  - Music, sound effects, dialogues

·         Concept/theme – Hate/War/Black history month

                                                                                                                                        

Initial stages of our dance inspired by Shobana Jeyasingh. Based on Indian dancing called Bharatanatyam. We can tell this from the use of elaborate hand gestures. Our main influence is the piece ‘Faultline’ which contains themes alongside: gangs, aggression, violence, rebellion, belonging etc.

WWW - In our group performance I felt as though our formations were interesting and dynamic in      order to make it visually engaging. For example, we started facing on a diagonal in the formation of a diamond. We then managed to keep this formation throughout our entire piece only changing at the end where we run off different ways. For example, I am at the far point of the diamond and I run forward past Megan who was the first/front point of our diamond. I felt that this was successful because we didn’t break our formation during performance and therefore presented a strong initial opening. Also in our group performance we found that when we were in time with each other our unison was on point, and therefore was a strong aspect for us and a good start to our piece.  

EBI – Personally, I feel as though I need to work on my fluidity when dancing and extension of my arms and legs when performing in order to create a more convincing portrayal of themes. Such as: aggression, gang culture and violence. For example, when we do jump spins or fast arm movements I tend to pull my arms in and create speed rather than outstretch and slow down. This is clear when I go into my jumps as I tend to land and finish that movement before other people meaning that I am out of time with the others and therefore move onto the next movement phase before the others. Therefore, this is a crucial point where I need to extend. If I fully extend my limbs I feel as though this will then improve the quality of my dancing and help me relax into dance and perform more fluidly.

Even though parts of our piece were in time with each other not everything was. Therefore, we plan to progress through this and work on moving together by figuring out an 8 count beat(?) where we will constantly be counting and therefore be able to come in at the same time to improve our synchronisation. This will also help us create pace so we are constantly moving forward rather than staying on a specific move for too long.