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tatewellingss · 3 years

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Week Eight

What is hegemony and provide an example of it at work in contemporary society?

Hegemony can be described as the sole reason for implementing social hierarchy amongst groups, through the normalised and social pressures put within society. Hegemonic structures put into place the “social rules” which allow some groups to be marginalised with society, not through choice, but through the core social pressures and norms within society at the time (Snyder-Young, 2013). For example, hegemony can present itself within contemporary society through the means of pressure of oppression. An example that I myself have experienced is the enforcement of ‘toxic masculinity’ and the pressures men may face when not appearing too “athletic” or “manly”. Of course, hegemony affects all corners of society, however the dominating societal pressure for men to not being able to show emotion or have more feminine interests, can lead to a marginalisation of this narrative and can lead to societal discourse.

Describe a time when you have been so affected by a performance that it motivated you to take some action

In my first year of university, as part of an assignment, I went to watch a performance of Ntozake Shange’s ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide’ in Bristol. As someone that was studying the play beforehand, to watch the play come alive and focus in on the poems being performed and characterised, it made me think about the themes being touched on and Shange’s aims for the play. I came away from the performance feeling moved and began to reflect on my female friend’s experiences being women and later reflecting on the experiences of my friends of colour. Both elements was not something myself could relate to, however when I began listening to my friends and educating myself, the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, resonated with the things I have been educating myself on and ways to move forward.

What area(s) or issues(s) concerning contemporary social justice are you interested in using theatre to explore and why?

For myself, I would really like to focus on male body image. I think in times where the idea of ‘toxic masculinity’ in a patriarchy-heavy influenced society is so normalised, its important to recognise all areas of society that are affected. I know for myself, growing up I wasn’t the most sporty or masculine, which lead to me to hide certain aspects of my personality that I didn’t feel comfortable sharing. In addition to this, I grew up experiencing seeing famous movie stars and male models that all had huge muscles with amazing six packs. Most recently, Rhianna’s FENTY Beauty Runway Show included male plus-size models and was the most inclusive a fashion show has ever been. However, I didn’t see anyone that looked liked me. I think as much as inclusivity has improved, I know my relationship with food in the past hasn’t been the most healthy with it only being improved recently, therefore leading to male body image being a very personal but, also important topic for me to further explore.

References

Snyder-Young, Dani. Theatre of Good Intentions : Challenges and Hopes for Theatre and Social Change. Houndmills, Basingtoke, Hampshire ; New York, Ny, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

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tatewellingss · 3 years

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Week Seven

Describe in your words what is meant by oppositional theatre and consider why documentary theatre might be a useful technique for social engagement?

Oppositional theatre is a non-traditional style of theatre that is centred around the concept of conveying a political or social message within the environment that the theatre is in. The fundamental basis of oppositional theatre is to bring about a political ideology or social critique at the forefront of the work, however this may come as controversial amongst some countries, such as the Far East, South America and parts of Europe (Paget, 2009). A miniscule example of oppositional theatre can be seen in the US, and some in Britain, critiquing the government’s response on warfare and theatre pieces surrounding these political debates have been influenced by this, such as ‘Meanwhile in Baghdad’ and ‘Life After Bush’ (Soloski, 2008). In terms of documentary theatre, the techniques that are held at the core of documentary theatre is the use of physical source material, such as newspapers, government reports and journal entries. In relation to oppositional theatre, this can be of use, especially when deriving a piece from political ideology basis; these physical source materials can be useful in using it as a stimulus, or physical representations used within the piece.

What do you think might be some of the tensions involved in creating this type of work?

In terms of tension within the creation of oppositional theatre, it can easily emerge when relating the messages being conveyed within the piece, to outer political struggles. Paget (2009) describes the use of oppositional theatre as ‘weapons in ongoing political struggles’, therefore suggesting the outer influence that rebellious theatre can have on a naturalistic conforming world of theatre, especially when much of the theatre is heavily involved in giving marginalised groups a voice they may not have been empowered to use before. In terms of development however, oppositional theatre can be approached in an appropriate way, which will offer an insightful social message, but also in the most ethically and impactful way.

Define privilege and consider what ‘privilege’ you have in life?

Privilege to me, is about the ranking of advantage certain people have over others. This can be due to a number of social factors, whether it be gender, race, sexuality or disability, certain others obtain more power and wider social acceptance, simply due to their own personal circumstances. The placement of your own privilege allows access to things not available to others, simply based on your own characteristics. For example, the adoption of children was only made available to heterosexual couples until 2002, this in an example of heterosexual privilege over the LGBT+ community, until it was broken. Although examples such as this have shown vast improvements, a lot of privilege remains underground and can’t be fought simply by passing a law, but instead must be recognised and changed.

When referring to my own privilege, I am very lucky. I was born in a first-world country, immediately opening my life to the choice of education, occupation and freedom of wearing what I want, doing what I want and being who I am. However, I’m also a part of the LGBT+ community, therefore some of the wide acceptance and normativity heterosexual couples gain, I as a gay man, haven’t always been able to experience. Thankfully in 2021, times have been more accepting than ever, and LGBT+ people are being recognised and established as necessities, especially within England. If I were a gay man in a different country, then my privilege may be further reduced, therefore making me feel very lucky when reflecting on my position as a gay man within a first-world country.

References

Paget, Derek. “The ‘Broken Tradition’ of Documentary Theatre and Its Continued Powers of Endurance.” Get Real: Documentary Theatre Past and Present, by and , Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, pp. 224–239.

Soloski, Alexis. “Alexis Soloski: Oppositional Political Theatre Isn’t Dead in the US.” The Guardian, 12 Dec. 2008, www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2008/dec/12/political-theatre-america. Accessed 6 Apr. 2021.

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tatewellingss · 3 years

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Week Six

Describe in your own words what Ackroyd means by ‘call and response’ in relation to socially engaged art/performance.

‘Call and response’ theatre is mainly rooted in the relationship between the artist themselves and the audience, whether that be in relation to aiming their piece to a certain community. When regarding relation of this to outer social responses, ‘call and response’ is important in moralising messages in relation to both political and socio-economic factors. The dynamic between the artist and audience can reflect changes needed within society, by highlighting conversations that are of importance at the time, whether that be political or spiritual. The artist’s reaction to audience reaction is building blocks for social change and political conversation.

What do you think about the ethics of Invisible Theatre

Ethically, Invisible Theatre has its pros and cons. I do think that Invisible Theatre can have its benefits, such as gaining aspects into honest reactions from the audience as its not expected and on the spot. However, ethically, there is no consent involved. This can lead to me questioning; if audience members are of a nervous disposition or prone to anxiety-induced situations, Invisible Theatre can become a catalyst for things going wrong, which may allow room for both the actors and audience members themselves to feel either uncomfortable or ethically immoral.

With reference to Avile’s play El Yunque is in the Laundromat, why does Ackroyd say that it ‘lacked the mechanism for the audience to respond’?

By lacking ‘the mechanism for the audience to respond’, Ackroyd is referring to the challenges Avile faced when developing El Yungue. Ackroyd’s focus in on audience reaction, by stating how most of the audience members were in their daily ongoing in the laundromat, by describing the audiences reactions as both ‘low-level curiosity and momentary puzzlement’ (Cohen-Cruz, 2012). Ackroyd’s criticism is centred in realising Avile’s reference to building on Boal, by wanting to portray Puerto Rican lives; however, the setting and lack of problem-solving leads to a heightened sense of awkwardness that the performance seemed to experience. Due to the outwardly setting, along with lack of explanation and development, it didn’t allow the audience to fully respond in the way Avile wanted to, leading to Ackroyd’s criticisms.

References

Cohen-Cruz, J. (2012) Engaging performance: theatre as call and response. (s.l.): Routledge

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tatewellingss · 3 years

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Week Five: The Case Study

Who are the company and what are their aims?

The company I have chosen for my case study to look at is Mandala Theatre. They have been an established touring theatre company, based in Oxford, since 2015. One of their standout aims stated on their website is “to make visceral theatre using social justice as a creative catalyst”; by using their theatre company as a basis for working within diverse and economic backgrounds in order to transform communities that may not have direct access to social justice theatre. They also state how they want to “bring new and previously unheard stories to mainstream audiences”, which allows new stories and a fight for social change to occur within these communities that they aim to connect with as a theatre company. (Mandala Theatre, nd.)

What has been said about them?

As a company, they have been hailed as provoking, with their production ‘Castaways’ being one of three plays that have been specially commissoned by the company. The company also recieved grants from Arts Council England, Oxford City Council and the Ragdoll Foundation, in order to put on their productions (Oxford Mail, 2018). The production itself was hailed as ‘compelling’ and ‘thought-provoking’ (Lewis, 2018), which resonated with audiences, especially when relating the plays themes to the outer societal messages that the company try to convey within their projects. ‘Castaways’ is a magnified example of Mandala Theatre at their best, with the project touring round the country with the aim to resonate with younger audience members; through both the performance itself and workshops (Mandala Theatre, nd.)

Who is their audience(s)?

Based on past projects, in addition to the company’s aims itself, they tend to base a lot of their work around the topics surrounding young people and economically-challenged and diverse communities (Mandala Theatre, nd.), in hopes to connect with theses communities through socially just theatre and create a conversation surrounding topics in their plays; such as class divisions and refugees. The companies three part-programme ‘Place, Identity and Belonging’ marries theatre and academic research together, which then helps feed the companies findings into government policy, which may be the source of the positive relationship Mandala Theatre has with funding from the council.

Aesthetic: the style of events they create

A common consensus amongst each project that Mandala Theatre Company have carried out, is the high element of research amongst each piece. Mandala state how in-depth research is carried out for one year before staging the piece itself. In terms of aesthetic, the companies projects are all character focused, with different stories being followed within each performance; leading to a focus on a different social issue that is touched upon or developed through the research carried out before. ‘Castaways’ follows three separate characters that are all connected differently to their heritage and ethnic background; in relation to radicalisation. This play was part two of their ‘Place, Identity and Belonging’ three-part project, which will eventually lead onto focusing in on outer-social issues and working with government policy on what needs to change.

Ethics: the risks, trust, sharing and caring of participants

Ethically, Mandala Theatre Company hold emphasis on the research they do before any major project. Research takes place for a whole year before the project is even staged, as well as working in workshops with young people who may struggle with topics being touched upon. With socially-aware theatre piece, Mandala Theatre Company are looking at ethically sensitive topics, meaning there is always a risk of offensive being offered , but with the right approach and research to intertwine with this, the pay off would be just as great.

References

Lewis, J (2018) Review: Castaways at The Old Fire Station Oxford - ‘A compelling story of alienation and trust’. [online] Available at: <https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/leisure/16287096.review-castaways-old-fire-station-oxford---a-compelling-story-alienation-lost-trust/> [Accessed 09 March 2021].

Mandalatheatre.co.uk. (n,d.) [online] Available at: <https://www.mandalatheatre.co.uk/mandala-theatre> [Accessed 09 March 2021].

Oxford Mail (2018) Oxford's Mandala theatre company takes diversity drama on UK tour. [online] Available at: <https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/16167086.oxfords-mandala-theatre-company-takes-diversity-drama-uk-tour/> [Accessed 09 March 2021].

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tatewellingss · 3 years

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Week Three

If ‘Social justice is about making society function better – providing the support and tools to help turn lives around’ (UK Gov.co.uk), how well do you think the UK is achieving this today? What role can drama or theatre play in this?

When analysing the approach of tackling social justice within the UK today, it becomes apparent that many examples exist. For example, many scholars have described the work on improving social justice especially in educational settings, as well as, young offender and rape prevention programmes (Gallagher, 2016). When conducting my own further research, an example of theatre companies themselves providing an area of developing social change through the form of theatre is Mandala Theatre Company. Their project ‘Castaways’ focused in on ethnic minority issues within young people and wars with Syria and Iraq (Mandala Theatre, 2017). This theatre company is a magnified example of how theatre companies are using the arts medium of theatre to tackle and address social issues to young people, to bring about awareness and get them talking about issues being expressed.

From a personal standpoint, throughout school I watched a lot of theatre companies coming into my school to help address controversial topics that could be performed rather than just given in a traditional PSHE lesson. Another example that has stuck with me is; when my grandad was battling dementia in a nursing home, they had frequent drama groups come in to perform and bring theatre to them as a lot of patients were immobile; and this sometimes became the highlight of the patients, and sometimes carers, week.

Of course Mandala Theatre and my own personal experiences are a small fraction of how the UK in general is achieving social justice. Most recently, Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 have been gaining less and less coverage within mainstream media, when the height of relevance was last summer (Baggs, 2020). This begins to question if social justice can ever be entirely achieved? The role of theatre can be argued as a main form of bringing about awareness, whether that be through working in schools, care homes and prisons; or even bringing about awareness through mainstream media, such as ‘It’s a Sin’ on Channel 4, which brought awareness about the 1980′s AIDS crisis and attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community (Mangan, 2021). We can see theatre as vital to bringing about connection amongst characters and linking them with socially damaging topics, therefore allowing topics regarding social improvements to resonate more with audience members.

2. Gallagher states that some of the young people that they studied seemed to have internalised robust neoliberal messages, taking full responsibility for their social and economic struggles. In what ways do you think this might apply to you in the context of your life and your third level study of drama?

As a twenty-year old gay man, its taken myself a long time to 100% feel comfortable in saying that, and I only feel that right now I am fully myself in what I wear, what I say, who I’m friends with and what my interests openly are. My personal social struggle of coming to terms with my sexuality mainly derived from the underlayer of homophobia I felt from other people. Growing up in England can be tough, especially with the ‘stiff upper lip’ and neoliberal opinions some may have, and being gay sort of goes against this. I guess for a long time, I really supressed my own personality, not just due to my sexuality; but also for my appearance, my desperation to be popular but also be what I thought my parents wanted me to be. I think Gallagher (2016) is correct in suggesting young people have this internalised ‘failure’ narrative in their brain, which is something I can completely relate to.

Since an early age, I have loved performing. It wasn’t until I went to a Performing Arts School at fourteen, that I felt comfortable enough to come out. Little by little, people accepted me, my family accepted me, and became who I am today, which is unapologetically myself. Gallagher’s (2016) suggestion of internal neoliberal views on oneself is accurate to say the least. As young people, we become hyper aware of the outer opinions of other people and are constantly bombarded with anxieties surrounding what we should be seen as, which is completely unattainable. As someone that is in their third level of study in drama, it becomes more relevant to myself than ever. I think the outlet of creativity I have within drama helps excel me in the balance of my academic second half of my degree, with being an Education major; but, it also helps provide me with an improvement with group work, social skills and also developing fresh perspectives on social issues that I may have no experience in the past.

3. Describe in your own words what ecological thinking means?

Ecological thinking relates to the relationship we have within ourselves and relating this to the outer-world. As we develop in the world, our opinions are formed through social attitudes and concepts that are derived. When linking this to theatre, it can become hyper-important to recognise that when viewing certain theatre performances, it can change the views and opinions within our brain and lead us to reflect and question the values and social issues raised within the performance. Ecological thinking is all about recognising ourselves within the world and how we can change this through theatre in order to gain a more socially just world.

4. Can you think of when you first became aware of or interested in social justice? Are there any specific things you do in your life that contribute to the notion of a just society for all?

I think my awareness in social justice has only recently been brought to the forefront of my mind. Being a student these past three years has opened my eyes to a glimpse of adulthood and how certain people are automatically given more on the basis of their race, gender, sexuality or disability. As a white gay man, I am automatically privileged in the wider LGBTQ+ community as these are the type of gay men you mostly see on in mainstream media. However, I have also faced homophobia in my past three years of university, and some of it unfortunately remains internalised in myself at times. After having slurs thrown at me on a night-out once by someone of my own age, it really began to form in my brain how we can’t box the whole of my generation into being ‘politically correct’ as issues surrounding sexuality are still so prevalent as they once were.

This began to shape my own interest in social justice, and I started to follow some LGBTQ+ ally pages on social media and begin talking in forums surrounding issues in the gay community that we still face. An example I can think of is last summer, I kept seeing how the government still didn’t allow gay men to donate blood, due to prejudice surrounding HIV/AIDS still remaining. Fortunately, after signing petitions and educating my friends and family on the matter, in 2021 the law in England changed so that gay men could now donate blood, however only if they have been in a long term relationship. I’ve also shared petitions and links to the government’s stance on conversion therapy, as unfortunately it is still legalised, with social media being used as the new medium for them to try and convert gay men. The Conservative government have stated they’re still trying for this to change, however Boris Johnson PM voted against gay marriage and for adoption, leading to me question how long it’ll take for this to happen.

For myself, I know the only way to combat social injustice is to talk about it and educate family and friends that may not be as socially aware of such topics. I think I will always been interested in social justice, due to the experiences I myself have faced, and until I see someone who accurately represents me as a young gay men within British politics.

References

Baggs, M. (2020) Black Lives Matter in the UK: 'We're still not being heard'. [online] BBC News. Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-53812576> [Accessed 5 March 2021].

Gallagher, K. (2016) ‘Responsible Art and Unequal Societies: Towards a Theory of Drama and the Justice Agenda’, in Freebody, K. and Finneran, M. (ed.) Drama and Social Justice: Theory, Research and Practice in International Contexts. London, New York: Routledge, pp. 53-66.

Mandalatheatre.co.uk. (2017) Past Projects. [online] Available at: <https://www.mandalatheatre.co.uk/mandala-theatre> [Accessed 5 March 2021].

Mangan, L. (2021) It's a Sin review – Russell T Davies has created a masterpiece of poignancy. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jan/22/its-a-sin-review-russell-t-davies-queer-as-folk-aids-channel-4> [Accessed 5 March 2021].

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tatewellingss · 3 years

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Week Two

1. What are the differences between the medical and social model? Can you give one example?

The medical model of disability solely focuses on the disability itself, and the hindrance this can cause; while the social model focuses on how the limitations of disabilities is in the organisation of society itself (Hadley, 2014). A brief example of the model is if a person in a wheelchair would want to access a building; the social model would allow a ramp for them to enter the premises. In contrast, the medical model wouldn’t have a ramp accessible therefore limiting them from gaining access into the building.

2. What do you feel about non-disabled actors playing disabled characters?

Personally, within modern-day theatre and media, there is so much new accessible avenues for disabled actors to audition for roles; meaning I feel that if a non-disabled person was playing someone with a disability, it would be a very risky move; in terms of getting the emotion, symptoms and awareness right. I don’t think it should be completely shut off as some non-disabled actors may get it as authentic as they can, however I do feel a more enriched performance would come from someone with that disability itself. When watching Crip Tales (2020) first episode, Audition, it just sets precedent of the equalised passion that disabled actors have on par to non-disabled actors. Very recently, Eastenders introduced the character of ‘Frankie’ who was played by deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis. She speaks about how the introduction of her character is hoping to normalise deafness within mainstream media (McCreesh, 2021). As a viewer of Eastenders myself, I felt her performance didn’t take anything away from the emotion of the character and instead opened my eyes into normalising disabled actors and integrating them within popular mainstream media.

3. What repeated stereotypes and tropes can you see in the films listed?

After watching both assigned films CripTales (2020) and Crip Camp (2020), it became apparent of the stereotypes that are often placed upon those with disabilities. Episode 1 of CripTales (2020) in particular, Audition, illuminated the efforts that disabled actors must overcome when taking part in any audition. He mentions how he doesn’t want to be seen as “disabled and difficult”, which can often place an underlying view of how disabled actors are perceived within the business. During Crip Camp (2020), it was apparent that the civil rights movement regarding disabled people in America, was one of force and power. The independence of disabled people that came across within this film was something that couldn’t be ignored, and furthermore supported this ideal of a social model of disability (Hadley, 2014), which arguably we should all be striving for; disabled or not.

References

BoB (2020) CripTales: Audition. 3rd November. Available at: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/1743AC48?bcast=133150996 (Accessed: 28th February 2021).

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, (2020) Directed by James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham. [Feature Film]. United States of America: Higher Ground Productions.

Hadley, B. (2014) Disability, public space performance and spectatorship: unconscious performers. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

McCreesh, L. (2021) EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis reveals show will further explore Frankie's deaf identity. [online] Digital Spy. Available at: <https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/a35374224/eastenders-rose-ayling-ellis-frankie-deaf-explored/#:~:text=EastEnders%20star%20Rose%20Ayling%2DEllis%20has%20revealed%20the%20show%20will,care%20home%20as%20a%20boy.> [Accessed 28 February 2021].

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tatewellingss · 3 years

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Week One

1. Define in your own words the difference between 'aesthetic' theatre and 'social theatre'.

Personally, the differences between both ‘aesthetic’ and ‘social’ theatre derives from purpose and delivery. My own understanding of ‘social theatre’ is attempting to challenge social agenda; either that by offering commentary on social standings, or offering different perspectives on social structures that are already in place. ‘Social theatre’ tends to take place in the more “avantgarde”, with performances taking place in a range of locations; such as prisons, nursing homes and schools, in addition to having the audience being placed upon as ‘participants’ leading to my own understanding of social theatre having a more interactive element to it. ‘Aesthetic theatre’ is more commonly mainstream, with the traditional Broadway and West End shows placing all energy onto the ‘look’ of a show, and deriving its purpose solely on entertainment value, rather than analysing societal constructs that ‘social theatre’ aims to do.

2. Describe a piece of theatre/performance you have seen that ascribes to the notion of 'social' theatre.

A stand-out example that I have witnessed as an audience member is a Theatre in Education group coming into my secondary school and offering an immersive theatrical experience into terrorism and the signs of radicalisation. This topic was of prevalence at the time, with countless lessons of PSHE being offered on the signs of someone being radicalised and how to stop it. The theatre group offering this immersive outlet, really allowed not only for myself as a secondary school pupil another perspective of radicalisation and the importance of it at the time, but also in which ways Theatre in Education performance groups can immerse secondary school pupils in topics that may be challenging to visualise in a traditional educational form.

3. What stood out to you in the Ted Talk? Why do you think theatre is a suitable medium for social change?

When watching the TED talk, it became apparent as to how much impact the play surrounding the Holocaust had on her; therefore leading her to question her own reflection on how theatre can impact her own social position on hard-hitting issues. The way the speaker spoke was one of passion; this stood out to me the most, as the personal reflection and change that looking into plays had on her as a person, not only led to her deriving her own research; but doing a TED talk surrounding the topic itself. Theatre is a suitable medium for social change, due to the escapism aspect of theatre. Audience members can immerse themselves into characters and plot so much, that it offers a magnified version of the outer-topics being explored by the play/playwright itself. Theatre allows audience members to come out of a performance and relate this to topics explored; leading to their own judgement being formed and opinions forming, or even changing, in a socially troubling time.

Self Reflection: Why are you taking this module and what do you hope to gain and contribute?

Throughout my degree, the route of drama therapy and forming the links between drama and the psychology of a person has been one of high interest for me. Not only does theatre offer itself as a medium for social change, but I feel it can offer itself through personal change; whether than be in therapy, or taking part in a show, or simply being an audience member. I hope to gain an insight into theatre’s wider power within this module; the impact theatre may have on societal issues and the contribution that theatre may have on impacting social change in outer-communities.

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tatewellingss · 4 years

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‘The Glory’

Our Vision

As a group, our performance is loosely based on the themes introduced within the play ‘Pornography’ written by Simon Stephens, which was first performed at the Edinbrugh Fringe Festival in 2008 and later performed in The Tricycle theatre in London and The Birmingham REP Theatre (Billington, 2009). When first coming up with ideas for our play, we wanted to focus on a specific theme that was first developed in ‘Pornography’ but, build upon this more. Our overarching theme was to question our audience and make them think about how fear can lead to isolation. We developed this theme through our performance by having five separate monologues that are all singular, where each character is speaking on their own experience related to the bombing that takes place within our play and how their fear of either the attack itself, or how society perceives them, can lead to further isolation. However, we then decided to juxtapose this theme by having a group scene at the end, which allowed us to play around with various dynamics surrounding a group skype call where all five characters come together and try to speak on their own experience. This then leads to Caitlyn’s final monologue, where she is the most isolated of all the characters, which we felt could lead to the audiences’ own thoughts of isolation that stems from fear, if it is ever inescapable? We further played upon this theme by addressing issues that could be explored surrounding the theme we wanted, such as themes addressed within our stimulus play ‘Pornography’, such as terrorism, however we also wanted to bring in our own experiences by focusing heavily on sexuality within our performance. Both of these issues captivated our imagination the most, by offering us the most expansion to play with based on the play we read, but it also allowed us room to expand into different avenues of interest, therefore explaining our choice of using sexuality as a prevalent issue within our performance.

After discussing our theme and possible issues that we were going to integrate within our concept, we began to develop creative choices regarding our own vision as a group. Regarding the visuals of our performance, we wanted to make it as realistic as possible due to not being able to physically perform as a group, leading us to explore a video diary concept for all of our characters, in addition to a realistic skype call at the end. This led to us working on our monologues, however trying to develop them into a fluid piece. For example, me and Lauren used sections from the same monogloue within the play ‘Pornography’ however, twisted certain parts of our monogloue to fit in better with our character’s narrative, as both our characters went throught the same challenges of not being able to accept who they were; but had different reactions in dealing with it. After establishing the vision of our performance, we discussed the ideas of various techniques we wanted to explore in using our performance. The main approach we decided to go down with our dramatic performances was that of naturalism, as this approach helped slot in well with our realistic visual aspects such as video diaries and a skype call. Building on this approach, we started to think in depth about our character’s and the allegories they are hiding within. For myself, my character has this inner battle with his sexuality, which leads him to bombing the gay bar within our play. With this being my character’s allegory, I wanted to portray this through subtle facial expressions and slowing down of my monologue towards the end which gives the audience the impression of him not telling the whole truth.

Research

Beginning our research stemmed from reading the play itself. ‘Pornography’ details the events surrounding the 7/7 bombings, an illuminating this across a set of characters, whom are all going through their own situations. Simon Stephens, the author, speaks about the “objectification of people” leading him to title the play Pornography, with him later describing the alienation of human beings within British society, which leads to certain situations within the play taking place; such as the bombings and incestious relationsips taking place (TheatreVoice, 2008). Later, Stephens describes the variety of change amongst different versions of the play he himself had seen, detailing the expansive creative room for the play itself, allowing both actors and directors to challenge themselves creatively and openly brainstorm new ways of approaching the text, due to the lack of names for the characters, in addition to the traditional aspects of any play (TheatreVoice, 2008). Building upon Stephen's description of his process when writing the play, we further delved into videos available of past productions of the play, in addition to reviews. The alienation of characters that Stephens previously mentions is brought to the stage in The Tricycle Theatre’s production of the play in 2009, this production is praised for its the production company rightfully encapsulating the “people in the mass rather than as individuals fulfilling” (Billington, 2009). These early forms of research began to form an idea of the theme ideas we wanted to explore with our creative piece stemming from Pornography as a stimulus.

In addition to research within the author and play itself, we wanted to grasp the severe nature of the 7/7 bombings situation that Pornography refrences too. We first gathered some background on the situation, by exploring a timeline of the events that took place on July 7th 2005 (CNN, 2019). After the initial background sourcing of information, we wanted to gain a grasp on the after effect of an event like that taking place, as we felt this research could later justify creative routes that we may go down within our own piece regarding a similar situation. Descriptions of people involved in the bombings detailed an insightful look into how people have felt after the attack took place, by some describing their feelings as “overwhelmed” (BBC, 2015), which helped build character arcs for characters in our performance that are directly affected by the attack such as Ruby’s character. Further analysis of interviews regarding survivors after the 7/7 bombings began to further support our own development of character monologues and acting approaches wihtin our performance. Survivors have described the attack as having an “emotional impact” on those around them, with them being more worried about how friends and families are being directly affected by their experience within the attack (Conner, 2015). This gave more source material for building not only character profiles within our play, but also allowed us to explore family dynamics between the characters, which is primarily shown through mine, Eve and Milly’s characters. In addition to creating a background knowledge of the bombing, we also looked into examples of other theatre companies, such as ‘Blast Theory’ which is a company that allows audiences to experience their pieces through innovative technology and digital uses, which helped us draw some inspiration regarding our own piece which was to be done digitally.

Rehearsal Process

When it came to our rehearsal process, we had a very unique experience with managing this, by not being able to physically perform or rehearse together due to the country being in lockdown. This presented us with a chance to develop our own methods of rehearsing and adapting to this unique scenario, leading us to a series of creative ideas and breakthroughs that were beyond anything any of us had managed before. For example, within our process, we toyed around the idea of acting like we were on a train and cutting the scenes in order to match this, in addition to wanting to list people’s names that were involved in the 7/7 bombings. However, we felt that this lacked continuity, especially when our play later involved a bombing that was based on the 7/7 bombing, which would’ve risked our piece not making any sense. Due to unique circumstances, a lot of difficulties arose with physical limitations of rehearsing, the main one being the inability to gain constructive feedback as quickly as we would like, as we weren’t able to physically watch each other perform and offer constructive criticism. Another difficulty we faced was the restriction of ideas due to physicality being limited so much, this meant that we as a company had to think more outside of the box, and develop ideas beyond the physical stage and instead, what will look more visually pleasing on screen as an audience member. To combat this, we creatively came to the decision to have our performance as realistic as we could make it, by having each of us film our own monologues in a “video diary” style, which then fed into our final group scene of being in a Zoom call, which acted as a support group for people struggling with the aftermath of the bombing.

Attached is a picture of one of many of the group meetings we had during the process. We called twice a week as a group, one where we discussed ideas with Craig, our teacher, and another as we developed our piece even further. This enabled us as a group to really challenge each other's ideas and mimic a normal rehearsal process as possible. Building on research, we developed secondary research we carried out into what would be later moulded into our final piece. Research into the 7/7 bombings and the catalyst it was for how many people dealt with situations became a shift of focus for us as a group, however we also looked into the sexuality aspect of discrimination within the country. The two blends of these issues that we discussed as a group, helped highlight the direction our piece was going in, which later shifted our bombing issue in the play, to a hateful attack onto a gay bar, which brought about a whole new set of issues to explore. As a company, we felt that my appearance hindered any religious or racial aspect to be added onto our bombing, which is why we felt more comfortable when shifting in a sexuality focused route.

Evaluation

When evaluating the experience of curating this performance, I feel that even when highlighting key moments of success within the process, in contrast to this, we did have many challenges when developing a final product. Technical issues arose in the sense of using Skype to record our group scene at the end, with having audio issues and the video not being the best result, leading us to use Zoom for the group scene instead. Adding onto this, we had challenges as a group when deciding what sort of visual editing we wanted for our final piece, as an idea we had was to have music within the background of the piece. This became a challenge however, as we felt this would change the pace of the video and drown us out as actors, which lead us to not having music within our piece. One piece of editing we did decide on was the title screens within our final product, which counted down the days until the attack as the monologues progressed, which allowed us to gain more contextual knowledge of our characters state as well as gaining more insight for the audience into the time scale of our piece and make it easy to piece it together. Looking at what we’d do differently is very challenging, as we were in unique circumstances when forming our piece together. I think as a group, we did collectively agree that we’d like to see an altered version of our piece on a physical stage, just so we could visually see how we’d adapt to it. I think one thing that would influence more creative choices for our piece would be a higher use of developed research, which would allow our characters to become more connected and richer in nature. Looking at this experience as a whole, I think this performance challenged me as a theatre maker, as it not only forced me to think outside the box, but also opened my mind beyond the stage and allowed me to develop a piece solely relying on technology and digital aspects.

References

BBC News. 2015. 7/7 Attacks: What Happened That Day?. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33253598?fbclid=IwAR0u_GFGQPsB7C9I7gMa7ikpX1gFxKK_kU9P6f2Roh4T4S2XaaciP4s8y1U> [Accessed 2 June 2020].

Billington, M., 2009. Pornography | Theatre Review. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/aug/07/michael-billington-review-pornography> [Accessed 1 June 2020].

Blast Theory. 2020. Blast Theory -. [online] Available at: <https://www.blasttheory.co.uk/> [Accessed 2 June 2020].

Conner, M., 2015. Life After 7 July Attacks: Survivors Tell Their Stories. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/21/life-after-7-july-attacks-london-survivors-stories?fbclid=IwAR2g7fQbk7Pil2nvUGF3RNH2y1CsL0qkjGe9_PwoRCoRQvGtwutZMIhrzks> [Accessed 3 June 2020].

Library, C., 2019. July 7 2005 London Bombings Fast Facts. [online] CNN. Available at: <https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/06/world/europe/july-7-2005-london-bombings-fast-facts/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2r-8T-fOp-YDVDFBGt1pYrLhU1qhhMpi-Db4-VH1rsJXKYDFPuhE7JY90> [Accessed 2 June 2020].

TheatreVoice. 2008. Playwright Simon Stephens On Pornography | Theatrevoice. [online] Available at: <http://www.theatrevoice.com/audio/playwright-simon-stephens-on-pornography/> [Accessed 2 June 2020].

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tatewellingss · 5 years

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Flourishing by Maureen Gaffney

‘how to achieve a deeper sense of well-being, meaning and purpose - even when facing adversity‘

What is the magic ratio of positivity and negativity and what does it mean in the context of flourishing?

This theory of the ratio between positive and negative thoughts all stemmed from John Gottman, who was one of the leading researchers into marriage during the 1980s. He started to question how come some marriages are happier than others and began snowballing this theory of ratios to determine this. The ratio he came up with was 5:1, which mean that with every stress and negative thought there had to be five times the amount of positive actions to help balance out the negativity, and if it went lower than the ratio, this would lead to an unhappy marriage or divorce. In the context of flourishing, this is all about the co-operation and interactions between groups of people and how they overcome the challenges of stress and how to cope with it and what will help them progress or flourish as a pair/group.

How might this be applicable to ensemble group work?

The application of this ratio to ensemble work is so important in helping the progression and success of the group. To ensure a group is a successful, you need to focus more on the positive attributes of the group and how this is essential in terms of making a group thrive and succeed. Much like the example and study of marriages in terms of this ratio, its all about teamwork and positive contributions to help improve moral within an ensemble and eventually this will cancel out any negative actions that were there previous, so I think this idea of positives outweighing the negatives is important when applying the ratio theory to ensemble work.

Of the groups that you have been in so far on this module, which one came closest to flourishing and why?

I felt one of the standout groups that I have been in so far that has even come close to flourishing is 100% the devising group I was in for the ‘Silent Walk’ piece as I felt that we all shared ideas and co-operated well and after that inital confusion of ideas and struggle to find anything worth performing, I was really glad with what we came up with and the finished product. In relation to this, I felt that the inner workings of this group in particular compared to the other groups that I was in, is that everyone contributed the same amount and we were all agreed on the vision and what we wanted to come across during and after the piece. I felt that this group flourished due to the positive ideas and attitudes we had towards each other, in contrast to my other two groups that I have been in; where both groups have had one person either taken ill or not really participate which made it really hard to curate something and adapt to it, therefore leading these groups to not have a much stronger aspect to it, unlike the ‘Silent Walk’ group where we all contributed and adapted to each others strengths and ideas.

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