Class: Week Eight

Today was a very practical class, also the point where control of the project handed over from me to you.

You began by going over some of the stick/sheet images and briefly discussing Mainstream. You seem to have clarified how you would like the whole project to go and had some good ideas for combining gestural and verbal language. Those of you with technical responsibilities had mostly given thought to how your responsibility might be carried out.

Rachael volunteered to act as Stage Manager. Kim and Anna swapped jobs (see amended Cast and Crew list).

I brought in some sample texts, mainly to try out different kinds of speech, dialogue, voices, and juxtapositions. My feelings were that:

• The group is able to carry off a wide range of performance texts.
• Monologue work can create a serious dip in energy.
• The fragmented style works very well but it would be good to create more concrete, grounded situations to allow the audience 'in' a little more
• The fragmented style requires the performers to demand the attention of the audience more swiftly and determinedly; you have to claim the audience's attention and switch them to focus on what you were doing, or else you'll be halfway through your sequence and their attention and the theatrical atmosphere will still be hanging over from the previous section.
• The 'I can't go home any more' sequence worked very nicely. I think with Suspect Culture that minimalism is a good standing principle; don't clutter sequences, choose one or two small movements.

I shall present some bits of script by Wednesday and a full first draft on Monday. You're meeting today at 5.00 in Crosslands to plan rehearsals, technical deadlines and other meetings.

Dan Rebellato