TaPS MASTER CLASS RESOURCE PACK: Devising and physicality.
By Frantic Assembly
October 2014, London TaPS
Devising & Physicality Masterclass TaPS October 2014 The most important part to take away from the workshop is not the creative end point we might have reached in the session but the means by which we got there. It is the understanding of the process that is valuable. Here are a few reminders to help you as you explore our process in your own work as theatre makers. Introduction to Frantic Assembly Frantic Assembly is one of the UK’s leading contemporary theatre companies, producing thrilling, energetic and uncompromising theatre, constantly attracting new audiences. In collaboration with a wide variety of artists, Frantic Assembly continues to create new work that places equal emphasis on movement, design, music and text. Since its formation in 1994 Frantic Assembly has toured extensively throughout the UK and abroad, establishing a reputation for excellence with work which combines striking physicality and the best new writing. In addition to its productions Frantic Assembly is deeply committed to its extensive Learn and Train programme which has run since 1996 and now serves over 6,000 participants each year reaching every county of England and throughout the UK and across the world. In addition, Frantic Assembly also run the highly successful Ignition programme aimed at bringing raw male talent into the sector, much in the same way its founding artistic directors were drawn into and encouraged to develop within theatre. Devising and Collaborative Theatre Making One of the most common presumptions is that devising excludes the presence of a writer or script. This has certainly not been the case in our work. A successful production for us will be one where it is hard to distinguish which came first between, say, words and movement or movement and music. This is achieved in a rehearsal room where the creative team (directors, performers, writer, sound, video, lighting and set designers) act as one unit, sitting in front of the same scene or image or moment and all feeding into the process not just as, say, lighting designer but as a potential audience member and a Frantic theatre maker. We have found it desirable to have as many of our creative team as possible at these development sessions. They see ideas as they are formed but more importantly it invites them to make sure their roles are not passive or reactive. They are not lighting or designing ‘our’ world. We should be making this world together. Their vision, experience and expertise are invaluable. They should be commenting on the physical and influencing the text. This should be a mutual flow of energy and ideas. The practice of sharing is critical to the working dynamic. Openness is essential. We believe it sits at the heart of our understanding and practice of devising theatre. A rigid sense of what theatre should be will always be the enemy of devised theatre. The ‘what might be’ is essential. © Frantic Assembly October 2014 !
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DON’T hold your breath when attempting particularly difficult physical movement– you need it. Breath out during exertion. DON’T, when working with jumps, create all that energy running through the space only to jump off both feet together in order to launch into the air – you just wasted a perfectly good run-­‐up. DON’T stand stock still facing the audience unless that really is what you mean to do. DON’T stand back to back, link arms and lift one another by tilting forward – it doesn’t mean anything. Honest. DON’T treat movement any differently to text – they should operate under the same rules. A spoken sentence gets us from one point to another, is progressive, repeats only when necessary and has consequences. There is no reason why movement should not do this also. DON’T allow language to become strange when combined with movement. If you close your eyes and listen to a scene where you have combined language and physicality and the language has strange rhythms and inflections you have just committed a grave sin. Start again. DON’T look out above the audience as soon as you begin to move. They’re still there. DON’T always aim for the end point when creating physical work. When directing, don’t be afraid of withholding information to support this practice. A love duet might have started out as a fight duet that got slower and slower and vice versa. This is how interesting material gets made. DON’T be afraid of breaking every one of these rules if it is absolutely right for the show you want to make! We have! DON’T make your show in ‘a Frantic style.’ This won’t work for either of us. DON’T make excuses for your cultural inspirations. Be it Cocteau or Kylie, if it speaks to you, you’re all good… You will notice a lack of Dos! There is no right way of doing things. Instead we suggest some things you might like to think about: • Building Blocks – we will keep banging on about the importance of these in our devising. • Making choreography using clearly defined limitations. • Making choreography and then testing it. Workshop the story. • Music and audience manipulation. • Movement and storytelling. • Articulating the unsaid – when physicality can suggest a repressed subtext. • Text vs. movement (and what comes first?). • Is movement the best way to tell this story? • Making theatre from non-­‐theatrical inspiration. • Who is your audience likely to be? Consider the relation between your work and your prospective audience – thematically, formally, spatially, and economically. • Have you looked at your work from anywhere other than the prime audience location? Watch it from behind! From above, from the side! Do it now before it is too late! © Frantic Assembly October 2014 • Could this piece of work be made by anybody or is there some quality within that is unique to you? • What have you learnt? What were the mistakes you nearly made? Do not forget them! They can be incredibly helpful in the future. • Remember chaos makes unison more surprising and more powerful. They both refresh the other. Try to find the balance that complements both. • Get your headphones on. Turn your track up and just watch the world choreograph itself in front of you. It will be surprising, complex and dynamic. It might well be inspirational. BIBLIGOGRAPHY Frantic Assembly Book of Devising by Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett, published by Routledge. We have a number of free resource packs that can be downloaded from our website including A Guide To Frantic Assembly and one for every production. Each of these also contains a bibliography of inspiration. www.franticassembly.co.uk/resources There are also lots of videos and interviews with the cast and company for our current and previous productions on our website: www.franticassembly.co.uk/productions Watch our Guide to Lifting Techniques. This is a private link just for people who have taken part in a workshop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szw3wamzhYc&list=UUPbp_cWFH4mMgEspqg6Nxug Youtube channel including playlists and videos from productions and examples of devising techniques such as Chair Duets: https://www.youtube.com/user/franticassembly Digital Theatre -­‐ Watch our production of Lovesong filmed by Digital Theatre: http://www.digitaltheatre.com/production/details/lovesong/play We deliver workshops, residencies and training in schools, colleges and universities across the world bringing Frantic Assembly directly into the classroom. For more information www.franticassembly.co.uk/learn Keep in touch with what Frantic are doing with our Facebook page (Frantic Assembly), twitter (@franticassembly) and newsletter (www.franticassembly.co.uk/subscribe). © Frantic Assembly October 2014