Lorraine came back down today with the costumes and they all fit beautifully…even Richie’s. I went shopping for the last bits of costume and props and I think we are all set, chalk and all. A fellow research student, Charly has kindly posted an advert for the show on the council’s intra net for me so I hope that will generate some more interest. After she did this, I had a really interesting e-mail from a gentleman called Richard Ryan, which read as follows:
Hello Joanna,
Are you performing any time other than this weekend? Would like to be able to see it - I'm responsible for putting new work on at The Railway Inn (very limited space). If not, perhaps a DVD? Or a chat?
Cheers
Richard Richard Ryan Events & Promotions Assistant Arts Service, Hampshire County Council Mottisfont Court High Street Winchester SO23 8ZF
Tel: 01962 846019 Fax: 01962 841644
I thought that this was very interesting and replied as follows:
Hi Richard
Thank you for your e-mail. It would be lovely to have a chat! We are taking Siren Song to Camden People's Theatre, London on the 3rd July 07, so you would have an opportunity to catch it there, if not I would be really happy to get you a copy of the DVD once it is all put together.
Warm wishes
Joanna Bucknall
I am hoping that this might be the start of some possible opportunities for the future.
Today was actually supposed to be a day off for the performers but because yesterday presented quite a few issues with words and structure, I have had to call a rehearsal today as well. (Luckily I did book a space for us just in case I needed a space to finish off props or any last minute one to ones…..good job really). We did a four hour session today and ran the entire thing through twice. The first time went reasonably well but still had issues with text and structure. The second run was fantastic; Nikki, Debs and Rich were on fire! It was just great, the worked as an ensemble to tell their stories and deliver their text, they really invested in the participation improvs and used a good range of the toolkit…even remembered their texts….fucking hey….that is more like it…that is what I need to see.
Tomorrow we are going to have a full dress rehearsal and we will run it twice again. It will not be in the actual space but at least we have a proper studio to work in, that is something. It will be the first time that we get to run it through will all of the props, costumes and music. Lorraine will be coming to help out with make up and dressing, then she will be audience for us. I am obviously hoping that both dress rehearsals will go as well as the second run today. I have asked the performers to try and persuade a couple of peeps to come along and act as audience for us, because we really need to actually try out that input. I want the performers to get a chance to work with participants from outside of the process before the opening night really. It will give them an idea of what to expect. I have tried to be an objective audience member for them in our sessions but I am not at all, I can’t be. So fingers crossed.
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Makers Diary: Concerns
Olu has a family emergency and cannot come to the performances…I am not happy but what can I do.
I e-mailed Kerry at Camden our copy and publicity, which was this:
SIREN SONG
In 3 Parts
Synopsis
‘She was a woman. The kind of woman who wears suits good suits…..’
Siren Song….in 3 Parts is a devised theatre project that seeks to explore the concepts of woman and trauma. It examines the audience’s experiences of what these concepts mean for them through a task-driven, participatory aesthetic. Blending some of the principles of playback theatre and a postmodernist performance ethic to generate a unique and provocative theatre intervention. The performance is constructed through a series of tasks and games that ensure a completely unique experience each time it is encountered.
The event unfolds in 3 sections each one offering up a plethora of stories, partial and shifting. Like a tangled web, each delicate thread weaving and working its way through the next. We give you an inch in the hope that you will take a mile…..we pass you the rope to see what you will hang on it…….we give you our bare house in which to make a home……
‘We wear our dreams on our sleeves, right next to our hearts……….’
Come play with us….
The Company
Vertical Exchange was founded by Joanna Bucknall and Nigel Tuttle in 2005. Joanna is the Performance Artistic Director of the performance group; she has a background in theatre, performance and drama and is responsible for the performative aspects of the company. Nigel is the Media Artistic Director; he has a background in video production and is responsible for the video and media aspects of the company. Joanna and Nigel collaborate to produce a range of different projects, from installations to devised theatre works. Joanna and Nigel are the only permanent members of VEX and they work with a range of performers, artists and creative practitioners for each project that they undertake.
Siren Song Collaborators
Written & Directed by Joanna Bucknall
Scored by Joe Harris (With additional track by Richard Haddlesey)
Costume by Lorraine Bucknall
Props & Documentation Nigel Tuttle
Artwork & Publicity Kirsty Mills
Siren Song Performers
HIM Richard Haddlesey
SHE Nikki Denny
HER Debbie McGregor
I also included a couple of pics, sketches, postcards and the logo.
We had a full day of rehearsals today and I am totally knackered now..shit there is still so much to bloody sort out. Any way, I know it was a really long day but we REALLY needed it. I banned scripts and paper from today’s session with no exceptions and I made them struggle regardless…cruel I know but I needed to make a point….tomorrow is our last rehearsal. We rehearsed everything and started to put together the entire structure, combining all of the elements that we have prepared. We included the musical chairs section and the re-dressing section. Rich suggested that after the text he should just slip away from the space leaving the two girls to dress, as he did not feel that after the journey of the performance that he could put the dress back on or even present himself at all. I am going to run with this, if that is how he feels and his personae has developed then we need to run with that and whatever that suggests to the audience. Debbie and Nikki are there with the words when they concentrate but I am now deeply concerned about rich and his texts. All we can do now is just keep running it and running it.
It is very late and I have a lot to do tomorrow….so off to be d for me now.
I e-mailed Kerry at Camden our copy and publicity, which was this:
SIREN SONG
In 3 Parts
Synopsis
‘She was a woman. The kind of woman who wears suits good suits…..’
Siren Song….in 3 Parts is a devised theatre project that seeks to explore the concepts of woman and trauma. It examines the audience’s experiences of what these concepts mean for them through a task-driven, participatory aesthetic. Blending some of the principles of playback theatre and a postmodernist performance ethic to generate a unique and provocative theatre intervention. The performance is constructed through a series of tasks and games that ensure a completely unique experience each time it is encountered.
The event unfolds in 3 sections each one offering up a plethora of stories, partial and shifting. Like a tangled web, each delicate thread weaving and working its way through the next. We give you an inch in the hope that you will take a mile…..we pass you the rope to see what you will hang on it…….we give you our bare house in which to make a home……
‘We wear our dreams on our sleeves, right next to our hearts……….’
Come play with us….
The Company
Vertical Exchange was founded by Joanna Bucknall and Nigel Tuttle in 2005. Joanna is the Performance Artistic Director of the performance group; she has a background in theatre, performance and drama and is responsible for the performative aspects of the company. Nigel is the Media Artistic Director; he has a background in video production and is responsible for the video and media aspects of the company. Joanna and Nigel collaborate to produce a range of different projects, from installations to devised theatre works. Joanna and Nigel are the only permanent members of VEX and they work with a range of performers, artists and creative practitioners for each project that they undertake.
Siren Song Collaborators
Written & Directed by Joanna Bucknall
Scored by Joe Harris (With additional track by Richard Haddlesey)
Costume by Lorraine Bucknall
Props & Documentation Nigel Tuttle
Artwork & Publicity Kirsty Mills
Siren Song Performers
HIM Richard Haddlesey
SHE Nikki Denny
HER Debbie McGregor
I also included a couple of pics, sketches, postcards and the logo.
We had a full day of rehearsals today and I am totally knackered now..shit there is still so much to bloody sort out. Any way, I know it was a really long day but we REALLY needed it. I banned scripts and paper from today’s session with no exceptions and I made them struggle regardless…cruel I know but I needed to make a point….tomorrow is our last rehearsal. We rehearsed everything and started to put together the entire structure, combining all of the elements that we have prepared. We included the musical chairs section and the re-dressing section. Rich suggested that after the text he should just slip away from the space leaving the two girls to dress, as he did not feel that after the journey of the performance that he could put the dress back on or even present himself at all. I am going to run with this, if that is how he feels and his personae has developed then we need to run with that and whatever that suggests to the audience. Debbie and Nikki are there with the words when they concentrate but I am now deeply concerned about rich and his texts. All we can do now is just keep running it and running it.
It is very late and I have a lot to do tomorrow….so off to be d for me now.
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Makers Diary: Rehearsal
We spent today’s rehearsal working on Nikki and Richie’s entrance. We also worked through the really tricky blocking at the end of the moon text between the two of them…..Nikki took her kit off for the first time and it was fine. I am glad that it is out of the way and out there…I think she feels much better about it now as well. She has decided that for the Winchester performances she will keep her pants on and just go topless but will go all the way for Camden. I am more than happy with that decision if she is. I am not even going to discuss the off book issue..lets just say it is still is an issue.
Nikki really needs to go away and have a think about her relationship with the opening text and the final section of the moon text..they still feel flat and read. I know she has a personal relationship with the material and I want her to really work on drawing that out and exposing it during her performance and delivery.
Nikki really needs to go away and have a think about her relationship with the opening text and the final section of the moon text..they still feel flat and read. I know she has a personal relationship with the material and I want her to really work on drawing that out and exposing it during her performance and delivery.
Makers Diary: Housekeeping Issues
We now have all of the rooms booked for our final rehearsal schedule. We now have our event permit…..and dah dad ah…wait for it 3, yes 3 requests for tickets…..HURRAH..our first punters.
Monday, 4 June 2007
Makers Diary: More Improv
Once Nikki arrived this afternoon, we went through all of the texts-when they concentrate and invest, it is really fantastic but they really do need to get OFF BOOK!!!!! Things are not going to really come together until they get those damn bits of scrubby paper out of their hands and fixed in their heads.
We spent a couple of hours working on the participation toolkit-today was the best it has been so far and they did explore some interesting ideas and improvisations but they still need to push them harder and further. They rely too much on naturalism and need to explore the other modes of expression too. Also if they opt for naturalism it needs to be convincing and have a level of sincerity to it at the moment it is more like melodrama than naturalism. I am still going to need them to be truthful if they choose this mode of expression. Nikki works really well in this way and when she is not led astray by Rich produces really exciting work. Debs seems unsure of herself and seem to hang back and hold back-just a case of confidence. Rich relies as ever on comedy and smut to pull laughs rather than attempting to explore what he is offered.
OH MY GOSH I can’t believe how little time we have left to get this right!
We spent a couple of hours working on the participation toolkit-today was the best it has been so far and they did explore some interesting ideas and improvisations but they still need to push them harder and further. They rely too much on naturalism and need to explore the other modes of expression too. Also if they opt for naturalism it needs to be convincing and have a level of sincerity to it at the moment it is more like melodrama than naturalism. I am still going to need them to be truthful if they choose this mode of expression. Nikki works really well in this way and when she is not led astray by Rich produces really exciting work. Debs seems unsure of herself and seem to hang back and hold back-just a case of confidence. Rich relies as ever on comedy and smut to pull laughs rather than attempting to explore what he is offered.
OH MY GOSH I can’t believe how little time we have left to get this right!
Makers Diary: Rehearsals
This morning Rich and Debs ran through their section of the moon text and their section of the rape text. They both also did their entrances. Rich really seems to be relishing his opening part of the moon text and I can’t wait to see how he pushes it and adapts it to the different audiences every night. He seems so confident in this section of the performance and actually seemed to know his text today..hurrah. Richie and Debs have a really electric energy between them when they get it right; they just need to get off-book for that section of the text. The choreography is looking really smooth now. The entrances are now starting to come together and if they keep heading this way, they will really set up the themes and their personas.
Makers Diary: Housekeeping..again
I e-mailed invitations to all of the drama and performing arts students this morning, so hopefully that will generate some interest for audience. I am starting to get really concerned about the lack of requests for tickets or bookings. If we do not have an audience then we do not have any work!!
I have e-mailed the SU president to ask for permission to poster and flyer the SU bars. I did go in to the office yesterday but the people that I needed to see were not there. I will get poster put up around the rest of campus and halls today though. I also e-mailed our next lot of room bookings and space requirements too. What a bust bee I am. The chalkboards are now cut and painted, we have 40 of them.
I have e-mailed the SU president to ask for permission to poster and flyer the SU bars. I did go in to the office yesterday but the people that I needed to see were not there. I will get poster put up around the rest of campus and halls today though. I also e-mailed our next lot of room bookings and space requirements too. What a bust bee I am. The chalkboards are now cut and painted, we have 40 of them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
