I was the designated leader of the first rehearsal for POSTSCRIPT. Having had a previous ‘Ideas Session’, I selected a few things that we wanted to try out and experiment with. There was a focus on the use of props and the presence of these props in the space. I chose props to bring to the rehearsal and these included: a rose; wine glass; wine bottle; scarf; a painting; a knife; pen; paper and a jewellery stand in the shape of a woman. Each of these props could be used in a variety of settings to tell many stories but also allowed for individual interpretation depending on the placing and use of the prop within a moment.
We played games with a set number of props being chosen to create a ‘freeze’ moment or image, individually and in pairs. This then progressed to include movement or to change from one still image to another. The most interesting moments that were created through this exercise were ones that were filled with ambiguity or the possibility of many different interpretations. This happened in particular happened with the framed painting (of a couple dancing) when it was held in front of a face. Daisy and myself did this at different points and both had a different effect and meaning. At one point Pablo sat down and took the pen drawing a line down his face and body as if he was splitting in two, then Rick immediately repeated the action once Pablo had finished. Although a very simple action which was obviously being repeated there was something uncertain in it, which created an interesting tension for the performer and the spectator.
When working in pairs Pablo and Daisy were using the scarf and created a ‘scene’ where Pablo was sat on the chair and Daisy on his knee and both of their faces were wrapped up in the scarf. It was eerie yet subtle. Daisy and I then tried it with Rick and Pablo directing us to escape from the scarf which ended up with me and Daisy finding each other under the scarf saying ‘Hello…hello’ and screaming on the discovery of the other. As a performer it was exhilarating as it happened purely by chance and for Rick and Pablo watching it was completely unexpected.
In the last exercise in the rehearsal all the props were placed to one side of a table and then we took it in turns to sit down at the table and use the props to tell a story but we were not allowed to speak. Each of the four stories were completely different and there seemed to be a contrast between a few small moments connected and a fluid constant change in the movement of objects to create an epic. After each story we all said what we thought it had been about and what was exciting was the variety of interpretations we took from each one. What this kind of work allows for is the audience to create their own narrative that comes from watching the detail versus the abstract use of the props. We all agreed that these ‘scenes’ were like six word stories, but in silence (Ernest Hemingway’s six word story is the most famous: 'For sale: baby shoes, never worn.'). The small and intimate nature of these stories, which I think would work well at the tables in Bramley’s, created energy and captivated each of us. When we come back to work on material generated through these initial rehearsals this is something we really want to play with and see how we can develop and develop this way of story telling.
We played games with a set number of props being chosen to create a ‘freeze’ moment or image, individually and in pairs. This then progressed to include movement or to change from one still image to another. The most interesting moments that were created through this exercise were ones that were filled with ambiguity or the possibility of many different interpretations. This happened in particular happened with the framed painting (of a couple dancing) when it was held in front of a face. Daisy and myself did this at different points and both had a different effect and meaning. At one point Pablo sat down and took the pen drawing a line down his face and body as if he was splitting in two, then Rick immediately repeated the action once Pablo had finished. Although a very simple action which was obviously being repeated there was something uncertain in it, which created an interesting tension for the performer and the spectator.
When working in pairs Pablo and Daisy were using the scarf and created a ‘scene’ where Pablo was sat on the chair and Daisy on his knee and both of their faces were wrapped up in the scarf. It was eerie yet subtle. Daisy and I then tried it with Rick and Pablo directing us to escape from the scarf which ended up with me and Daisy finding each other under the scarf saying ‘Hello…hello’ and screaming on the discovery of the other. As a performer it was exhilarating as it happened purely by chance and for Rick and Pablo watching it was completely unexpected.
In the last exercise in the rehearsal all the props were placed to one side of a table and then we took it in turns to sit down at the table and use the props to tell a story but we were not allowed to speak. Each of the four stories were completely different and there seemed to be a contrast between a few small moments connected and a fluid constant change in the movement of objects to create an epic. After each story we all said what we thought it had been about and what was exciting was the variety of interpretations we took from each one. What this kind of work allows for is the audience to create their own narrative that comes from watching the detail versus the abstract use of the props. We all agreed that these ‘scenes’ were like six word stories, but in silence (Ernest Hemingway’s six word story is the most famous: 'For sale: baby shoes, never worn.'). The small and intimate nature of these stories, which I think would work well at the tables in Bramley’s, created energy and captivated each of us. When we come back to work on material generated through these initial rehearsals this is something we really want to play with and see how we can develop and develop this way of story telling.
