Bits and Bobs

Howdy! Ok, I've got lots of little bits of information to distribute...

Wednesday's Rehearsal
This went very well, we did a warm-up, watched people's scenes and worked on them. I think we generated a lot of good ideas and everyone was really focused.

One of the ideas I am excited about is the 'ripples of gesture' idea. We were talking about how to incorporate more gestures into the piece and came up with the idea that while other people/groups are doing their scenes, and a moment of homesickness is felt/spoken about, or one of the actors does the homesickness gesture, the rest of the perfomers can choose to do the gesture as well, so that it ripples about the space. This shouldn't be compulsory or synchronised, as some people will think certain moments epitomise homesickness, whereas others will not. Also, I keep thinking about gesture sequences - perhaps all the performers have 2 or 3 homesickness gestures that they can put together to form gesture sequences? A new gesture that we were using in connection to travelling which worked really well was 'the back-pack' (pretending you're hitching a back-pack up that's on your shoulder). We were also discussing the idea that Phillipa is the only performer who doesn't gesture becuase she is the liar. I'm not sure if this is too obvious a move for SC, but I think it would be interesting to play around with. Perhaps she has a gesture that demonstrates lying...

We gave individual feedback about the scenes on Wednesday, but one thing I will say is that in general everyone was too familiar and warm. The characters don't know each other, they're in a liminal space. While they're friendly and chatty, the reality is that there's this awkwardness, tension, uncertainty. The audience need to feel slightly on edge, so we need more awkward pauses, slower dialogue, nervous gestures. Also, I hope that some did their homework (!) and started a conversation with a stranger in a liminal space this weekend - useful AND amusing!

Rehearsal spaces and times for next week are:

Monday 6th, 5-7 Mirror Room.
Wednesday 8th, 5-7 Noh Theatre.
Thursday 9th, 3:30-5 Mirror Room.
Saturday 11th, 9-11 Studio Theatre. It is ESSENTIAL that EVERYONE attend this rehearsal. This is the only chance we will have to rehearse in the studio theatre and have a full tech run-through.

A final reminder that everyone should know their lines for Monday (for the individual scenes) and bring their slinkies if they have them.

Thanks guys!

Alice Hansen

Suspect Culture Questions....

Hello. Dan, I was wondering if you could answer some questions that I have after our rehearsal on wed and from doing some more research on Suspect Culture.... Certainly - my replies are in bold.

1. How do Suspect Culture deal with lines once they have been given a script by David? are they set in stone or do they have the ability to sort of mush them around? I think it depends on the project. I know that Airport and Timeless changed a great deal after the first draft had appeared. I suspect - though I don't know - that Casanova and Mainstream changed much less. Some of the texts, like Mainstream, contain a great deal of space for making crucial decisions about casting and staging (as does Homesick, I guess). At the stage you are at - only a week or so away from performance - I guess they wouldn't be doing all that much 'mushing' about of the text, but if things ain't working, they gotta be fixed...
2. Going along with that idea, how text-based are their shows? are there bits of script that just outline improvisation on stage? Do the actors depend on the script for guidance, or is it more like our script where so much of it comes from their workshops that it's almost like the script relies on the actors for guidance? Again, boringly, I suspect that it depends on the project. The scripts almost always emerge out of a process of devising, workshopping, improvisation, discussion, so by the time the text appears it has caught some of the devising work. The clearest example of this is the script for Lament which you found difficult to read, precisely because you had to have been through the devising process to understand some of the references.
3. I assume that our workshop process follows along the same lines as their workshops, and I was wondering how much improvisation they do. It seems like we just sat and discussed more than we actually did 'improv games'. I guess our Sunday morning sequences and the migration dance were all improvisations, but they seem less physical and verbal than a lot of the more game like exercises that other groups use.... I am not sure. I think Suspect Culture are not a company that are afraid of sitting around talking about ideas. Some of the gestural work (which was key to the work from One Way Street to, I guess, Mainstream) would have emerged from physical improvisations, and they often do something very like the mapping exercise we began the course with.

Ok, don't know if any of those really made a whole lot of sense, or how much they will help us in the long run, but i was just curious and though there is an astonishing amount written about S.C. i thought Dan might be the best place to turn! no, not being sarcastic at all.

BTW - thought wed went really well. thanks guys! and if everyone who has one could bring in their slinky on Monday that would be fabulous!

Lauren Abend

Monday

I'm going to be in the Studio Theatre for the first hour of the class, overseeing the lighting plots for the seven Contemporary Theatremaking shows. Could Lauren and/or Alice come and find me at 9.30 (probably in the Studio) to get the Boilerhouse key?

Obviously, you can use class time as you wish. I'll join you at 11.15ish. But I would like to see a run towards the end of the class, but with time afterwards for discussion. So can we say that you'll be ready to put together a run (even if it's very ragged) of the whole thing at 12.15? It'll be useful to judge if the show's too long - which I suspect it is - and to decide what to cut. So, people, be prepared for scenes you're in going.

Did someone book rehearsal space for next week at the meeting yesterday?

Dan Rebellato

Here's What I've Done So Far

Hi guys, sorry for the needy blog, thanks for the responses though. I thought I'd let you know what I've done. I'm mainly using a powerpoint presentation as it can do fade ins and outs of images at different parts of the screen. Here's my order:

• Opening migration dance: first footage of Annie talking about her old home, then Kelly talking about how her friends and family make her think of home, then Julia saying things in Italian (hopefully not rude, as I can't tell, I'm sure it's not tho….), then Philippa's fake testimony of living on a cloud and being brought up on a pirate ship!!!
• Home: as a lot is said about fires in this scene I have three beautiful images of a fire close up which fade in and out of each other to be screened throughout
• Barriers: it starts with the close up of a foreign departures board, sorry guys couldn't find a picture of the board at waterloo, which you all look at for a moment or two, then it says "all trains cancelled, sorry for any inconvenience caused" which stays up throughout the scene
• All the next scenes up until 'the perfect home' I have a light blue background with images of stations, signs, etc., fading in and out at different parts of the screen.
• A perfect home: Philippa's highly unrealistic dream home! Which I think you make images of homes in front of.
• The scene in the toilet will have what Annie suggested in the background, a ladies toilet close up with people going in and out throughout, maybe at speed
• The gypsy speech will have two images of projected travelling homes to be ironic and keeping in with Philippa's Volvo Estate idea
• Then back to the toilet, hopefully on a loop
• Costa coffee: images of Starbucks and McDonalds
• Huddling together: a recurring image of the same fire from the very beginning as a home image AND an image of warmth
• Sorry Alice, the idea of images of people with a line between them is far too hard to create, I have tried and it looks rubbish! So throughout the ticket office queue I'll prob have footage of people but with no sound up until the end of the second Costa Coffee.
• There will be nothing throughout the station concourse with people saying they can't go home any more to emphasise the scene.
• End migration dance: footage of people simply staring at the camera saying nothing, then black.
• END

Sam Wood

slinky central! well.. actually slinky workshop!

hi everyone

I really thought our rehearsal went rather well on Wednesday! I enjoyed it, anyway. But, I was thinking about the SLINKY WORKSHOP thing, and maybe, just an idea, while walking around (migrating) in between scenes (what we talked about yesterday) we could have slinkies holding us together, connecting us to one another so that when we returned to the scene, we would be pulled together by the slinkies?

I really have no idea if this would work but i think its a nice use of the slinky. Either way, I am all for the slinky workshop, cause you never know, we might find a fantabulous way of using them!

And linking it to SC, of course!

Dana Karic

Sam you poor chicken

Here are a few ideas which I think I've mention to you before but I don't know if you've taken them in!

1. Just filming the door of a girls' toilet, maybe in the union, one day or evening so that it can be played, maybe double speed, in the background just to suggest the setting. I don't know if you have to get consent though so maybe next lesson we can walk in and out of the toilets for a bit! It's kind of like in One Two where they film people.
2. And for the station setting just film (or photograph) the board in Waterloo station, it would look awesome along the back wall. For when the trains are cancelled there's an old board with nothing on it which you could substitute, or just use paint to colour in all the screens black and paste in the word 'CANCELLED'.
3. Maybe have some footage of Tommy's (or just a photo) to use in the bar scene, it could just be posted on the back wall again.
4. Oh and for Costa Coffee a photo of Café Jules! Amazing!
5. Ok so I can't think of any more sets! What have you got so far?

Annie Rook

Help!

Hi guys,

It would be nice to get some input from you regarding my media tasks, ideas, anything! I feel really isolated dudes!

Sam Wood

Some Suggestions for Music

I was wondering about the soundtrack (musical background)... what we are looking for is probably "ambient"… and best of all: instrumental music instead of vocals. When choosing the suitable music we also need to think in terms of "minimalism" so to speak. I'm thinking about simple mono sounds accompanied by adequate rhythm to match each scene. I have some ideas regarding the music and I am going to give my suggestions to Claire. Classical music is also worth considering- I'd suggest Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin's Polonaise or (as he himself was longing for his homeland).

Anyway, we should decide between the two options. (Mixing both of them could also be interesting?) Although difficult and "risky" however… such presentation is also feasible. (What do you think?)

Ania Nieczuja-Ostrowska

Music for Stations

Just a quick music idea. Brian Eno did a series of ambient music records, including Music for Airports, The Plateaux of Mirror, On Land, Discreet Music.He's toying with muzak and 'background sound' but trying to capture volumes of space, I think. They might create an interesting absorptive atmosphere and provide a suitable background for what you're doing.

If you're on a computer with sound, you can hear short samples on Amazon. They're also on iTunes.

Dan Rebellato

Recap

Hi guys! Everything seems to be going well! I just wanted to note a few things that we talked about so that you guys can keep them in mind when you are rehearsing. Remember that we are trying to keep the acting as realistic as possible. Even though the movement may be stylized at times and even though people may be lying or acting on some crazy ideas (I think all I have
to say is snail...) remember that the acting should seem real. You do not think that your actions are strange and if you are lying, think about why you lie. In Airport the woman was a compulsive liar - Philippa maybe you could think of some reasons why you might be lying so that you can make sure it all stays realistic....so that's just some stuff to remember with the
acting. I remember thinking that Nia did a good job making it seem perfectly
natural to be speaking to Dana even though she was being answered in another
language.

As far as the idea that we do not have to be looking at each other in order to be talking to each other, it is a nice thing that we can work with, but I want to make sure that if/when we do this there are reasons for it. The characters in Timeless had reasons for not looking/sitting with each other - you can tell becuase they move around and there is clearly a purpose in that. If you guys notice times when it seems appropriate for that kind of blocking in your rehearsals please remember it and tell us Wed night. We will also look through the script and think about places that might work. I don't want us to use it as a crutch though if we find places that are just
difficult to block.

Let's see....I can't think of too much else right now. I think we all got a lot out of watching the video the other day. Good luck with rehearsals and if you have any questions or anything you can always call/text/email....oh the joys of modern communication! hehe.

Lauren Abend

Responses

Bonjour suspect culturettes,

Lots of very good ideas here and worth underlining.

Kelly's idea of having people dispersed across the stage but having a conversation as if they're next to each other is excellent. Just the sort of thing to pursue. Annie's suggestion is good too. You might find it hard to get hold of the tall table and chairs but there would be nothing wrong with using some chairs as long as the group could source them and don't call on the technical staff for assistance (it's a very busy point of term).

I like Ania's suggestion for fairly harsh white light on the character. It seems to suit the starkness of the scenes and the playing style you're developing. I think Nia's suggestions that you work more on gestures and also think about lip-synching to the video material is good. (Sam, I wondered if you thought there could be more 'interview' material, maybe even just silent, just shots of performers looking into the camera, in the final migration dance. Just a thought.)

The rucksack is a good idea, and visually very clear. I would gently suggest, though, that no one gets too hung up on character and through-line. Of the shows we've seen, Timeless is an exception in its focus on individual character. Most other shows break character up and that feels to me at least the spirit of the show you've been putting together. The emphasis should be less on internal character work and more on an externalising performance skill: claiming the audience's attention, creating a sense of situation, relationship, action, attitude in your tone of voice, stance. The 'scenes' are very very short so you have to do this quickly and economically. It's not about producing rich, nuanced character, but understanding your place within the rhythm of the whole show - which is where the complexity and nuance will be found.

Kim, Radiohead seems to me a good steer for the music. Particularly Kid A which is more 'experimental' and less obviously songlike. Things without audible/obvious lyrics are good, because then they don't interfere with the performers' words. Nick Powell's music for Suspect Culture is usually fairly 'ambient' in style, sometimes digitally broken down and treated, interspersed with found sound. I've suggested the Charlie Rich song for the final sequence partly because it worked so nicely in the random accident of trying it in the class, but also it recalls the effect in Lament of having all that dirtied-down very urban digital sound which is then replaced by the 'warmth' and 'humanity' of the solo piano playing. It's a kind of rediscovery of emotional and, well, soul for those final moments.

My last thought is that you should keep open to the thought that the lines could be switched around. There are possible other connections between the different situations that could be emphasised nicely through some smart casting decisions. Watching what I saw on Monday, I wondered about the logic of having someone speak in two different languages within a single 'scene'. It may be okay, but it's potentially puzzling.

I think a slinky workshop would be a valuable use of half an hour.

Dan Rebellato

I've Been Thinking...

...mainly about Blogging! And of course Suspect Culture!

As Kelly mention, in Timeless the characters are separated across the stage, and they sit at tables, showing a bar, just like our bar scenes... is anybody thinking what I'm thinking? We use a tall table and some chairs on the set? I don't know if that's possible but I thought it might make our set a little less sparse and would give us something to work with.

The other thing I've been thinking about is costume, being costume lady, and I love everyone's idea of having something everyday on top of our PJ's. My girl character seems to be an independent travelling type so I was thinking of wearing a small, but very full rucksack on my back (symbolising the whole home on your back, snail type thing!). So I've been looking through the script thinking of things that would suit other characters. Phil definitely needs something to present the idea of a liar, the fur (or expensive if no one has fur) coat is mentioned in the script but maybe big expensive jewellery as well. Did anyone have any ideas for their character(s)?

Plus Lauren wanted us to think of more homesick gestures and thinking back to the discussions we had about how it felt to feel homesick, maybe holding the stomach and bending over slightly, would show the sick feeling some people described. Or as Ian does in Timeless, using his rubbing the back of his neck gesture, showing discomfort (I just wrote uncomfortableness!). I think that means its time for me to stop talking!

Annie Rook

Timeless

Just letting Kim know, we are meeting at 10 on Wednesday in the Founders meeting room, the same place we were today.

The main factor I noticed from Timeless was the way that all the actors were positioned on stage. They were all talking as if sitting on one small today but in fact they were spread out over two tables at either side of the stage, facing the audience. They were still talking to the space where the character would have been and this really worked well. I think we could incorporate this into our piece because were were having some trouble moving people around to be in the same section on stage. It showed how two or more people can have a obvious conversation even when sat at different ends of the stage. It also gives the audience a better perspective on things as they can see every expression clearly.

Kelly Barton

Lighting!

I have this idea of the lighting being reminiscent of a doctor's surgery room - with the stage being very metallic-white and sleek. That way the change between certain scenes would be distinguished by the projections on the back wall (video images).

On Wednesday Sam, Claire and I are meeting at Crosslands to merge our technical ideas. From speaking to Chris, I have got the idea that lighting has to be kept simple which actually fits/ reflects Suspect Culture's conventions. What I have been told is that we can have one spot light, some "general cover" that is some basic lighting all over stage.

There are two days before Wednesday and I am keen to hear any suggestions from you. If anybody has some really good ideas on lighting - just post it on a blog and I will consider your ideas and discuss it with Sam and Claire.

And I would like to thank Kim who agreed to swap the roles with me and gave me this possibility to be in charge of lighting.

Ania Nieczuja-Ostrowska

Nia's thought of the Day!

What a productive day we had today folks! It finally felt like all the random ideas and quirky little things we had come up with had finally come together in the form of Dan's super script! I think now our main challange is to really make this performance what we like to call Suspectcultureish! The video watching sesh today really helped and I think that we really took a lot away from it with plenty of ideas that need incorporating in our piece...I think Lauren was going to post most of this and I don't want to steal her thunder! (Plus I'm sure she will make a lot more sense than my babble!) but I think basically we need to work on gestures - big time! We already have the touching our throat gesture which I feel could be used a lot more in the piece... without overdoing it though!... maybe at the end of the migration dance when we all arrive at university? as this is where I think all of us have felt homesick. I think that we also need to start working with the sound and media asap (Claire power!! Sam power!!) and Suspect Culture appear to integrate this totally into their work, like doing their gestures in time to the music and lip-synching alongside the projections... what else... ooo yes... stage space... are we using props at all? maybe a few stools or something? might jazz things up a bit! the stage sometimes to me looks a bit cluttered... Some things I like with a lot of people, like the migration dance, but others I feel need maybe not less people but maybe less people doing things all at once!... does that make sense?!... anyway I've rambled on for way too long now and I'm sure you're all bored of reading this! keep up the good work guys!

Nia Johnston

Radiohead and Questions

Just a quick response to today's rehearsal and suspect culture viewing session. I have just been listening to Kid A again (I know, could be verging on obsessive now!) but was just thinking how brilliantly 'Everything in its right place' fits with the migration dance. The lyrics really seem to make sense and the freaky electronic sound sort of fits with the crazy suspect culture kids! Also, Claire…check out 'the national anthem' as it has no lyrics yet the music is incredible and possibly could be used elsewhere. Oh and 'how to disappear completely' very chilling and moving, especially the lyrics 'I'm not here, is this really happening?' could be linked with homesickness?! Happy listening! I really loved the idea of overshadowing the dialogue in points with music, just like Suspect Culture do in Timeless.

Also just a quick note to make sure that I have my personal rehearsal times in my little head all sorted…Phils - are we meeting tomorrow after Practical Skills still? And the 5 of us (Kelly, Phil, me, Rachel, Julia) are we meeting 10am on Wednesday to rehearse? Didn’t quite catch where we are meeting so if you could send me a text then that would be fab!

Anyway that's it from me but see you all Wednesday if not before!

Kim Varvell

Class: Week Nine

You received the first draft of the script and worked on some preliminary distribution of the lines. I came in at the end and was pleased by what I saw. I look forward to further responses on the blog.

Quick note: there's a missing word in the weird 'mathematics' speech that Philippa was doing. The sentence in the middle should read:

"A jigsaw might weigh about 50 grams. So it would probably contain about 3 x
10²⁵ molecules"

(Not that this will make the speech any easier to understand, learn or say. Tee hee.)

It looks like it's running a little long, so be prepared for the thought that things might have to go or change.

Dan Rebellato

Company Policy

After reading Lauren's blog, I went and checked out their main site and a few reviews. The main thing that I picked out was their company policy.

"The company develops highly original performance projects from concepts through workshop to presentation on stage. It aims to produce innovative theatre that is both accessible and develops the form".

I think that it pretty much sums up what our group has been doing too. Through workshops in class we are molding together an innovative performance that is "accessible" to almost everyone. There is no doubt in my mind that at one point in every body's life, they have felt a tinge of nostalgia for home....Therefore, everyone can relate to it in some way. It also develops "the form" in the sense that you can take away so much from the concepts in this play...

Congratulations peeps!!

Julia Angeli