-
What is ‘Devised Theatre’?
https://thisstage.la/2019/11/devised-theatre/
Josh Orlando
-
Devised theatre is a free-formed style in which all the members of the creative group work collectively and collaboratively, to design a performance completely from scratch.
-
There is no script involved prior to the devising process, but rather the script gets written along the way.
-
The goal of devising is to develop something new.
-
The process allows the group to begin testing out the kind of stories they want to tell, and how exactly they want to tell them.
-
There are less conventional restrictions through the creative process such as time, rehearsal structure, and written text.
-
Devised theatre has become a medium in which theatre artists can communicate with the audience members around the kind of political issues that impact shared communities.
-
This can be a very liberating form of theatre- making for both artists and audiences alike.
-
Artist are using the techniques from devised theatre to respond to socio political movements taking place in the world today.
-
WHAT IS DEVISED THEATRE?
https://thetheatretimes.com/what-is-devised-theatre/
-
Vanessa Graica in the article “The paradox of devised theatre on the Twenty-first century stage” states that it is “theatre that begins without a script”. The script gets “written” as the rehearsal process takes place through a series of “ improvisations and collaborations”.
-
This process has become popular over the last few decades.
-
Those who are interested in the freedom to make their own work and explore subjects without the time, content and other possible restrictions that accompany other types of theatrical processes tend to flock this genre of theatre.
-
Lots of theatres are using the techniques of devised theatre to address social issues, create moments of revisionist history and deconstruct dramatics( or other forms of) literature.
-
It has become a strong tool in creating conversations within an audience.
​
The nest section of this has been given to me from the group in the class I am working with.
​
Frantic Assembly:
https://www.franticassembly.co.uk/about
-
Frantic assembly has developed into one of the UK’s most successful and best loved theatre companies.
-
Their ambition is that we continue to learn and remain committed to making brave and bold theatre.
-
At times it is physically dynamic and brutal. At others it’s proudly tender and fragile.
-
Frantic assembly has alway been about more than just work on stage.
-
It is about the ethos of collaboration, of empowerment, of the constant decisive to improve. It is about telling a story in a voice we don’t always hear and about finding talent in places we don’t always look.
​
-
The company is led by artistic director and co-founder Scott Graham.
-
There productions include:
-
I think we are alone
-
The unreturning
-
Fatherland
-
Things I know to be true
-
Stockholm
-
Othello
-
Beautiful Burnout
-
Love song
-
The believers
-
They have commissioned and collaborated with writers such as Sally Abbott, Anna Jordan, Simon Stephens, Andrew Bovell, Mark Ravenhill, Abi Morgan and Bryony Leary.
-
Their distinct creative approach has influenced contemporary theatre- making and foregrounded the use of movement directors and choreographers in new dramatic work. It has inspired writers to embrace new creative processes and opened up actors and dancers to new techniques. This is a matter of great pride as we continue it differently.
-
They also collaborate on other productions and provide the movement direction on the award- winning National Theatre of Great Britain production The curious incident of the dog in the night-time as well as for other projects such as the BAFTA nominated British/American TV series humans ( AMC, channel 4 & Kudos).
-
They tour extensively across the UK, and have worked in over 40 countries world- wide collaborating with some of today’s most inspiring artists.
-
There flagship programme Ignition is an innovative, free vocational training programme for young people, particularly targeting thoses with little previous experience of, or access to, the arts. Ignition has unlocking creative potential is young people across the UK for over 10 years and aims to make the future of British theatre better, fairer and younger.
​
​
Below are videos from frantic assembly:
The national theatre
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/about-the-national-theatre
-
At the National Theatre, they make world- class theatre that is entertaining and inspiring. And we make it for everyone.
-
They aim to reach the widest possible audience, to be open, inclusive and diverse, and as national as possible. They stage a broad range of productions in London and tour extensively across the UK. Our international activities put some of the nation’s leading artists on the world stage, with productions playing on Broadway and touring across the globe.
-
They invest in the future of theatre by developing talent, creating bold new work and building audiences, partnering with a range of theatre and theatre companies.
-
Their extensive nationwide learning and participation programme supports creative education for young people through performances and writing programmes like connections, new views and let’s play. In London, their programme of talks, events and workshops opens up theatre to people of all ages.
-
They create ambitious new works of participatory theatre through their Public Acts programme, building on sustained partnerships with theatres and community organisations across the UK who share their vision of theatre as a force for change.
-
They extend their reach through digital programmes including National Theatre Live, witch broadcast some of the best British theatre to over 2,500 venues in 65 countries, the national theatre collection witch makes recordings of shows available to UK schools and the global education sector, and now our streaming platform national theatre at home.
​
​
Below are a few videos from the National Theatre:
Peeping Tom:
https://www.peepingtom.be/en/about-peeping-tom/the-company/
-
Peeping Tom is a Belgian dance theatre company, founded by Gabriela Carrio and Franck Chariter. With Eurudine De Beul, who would become a frequent collaborator at the company. They created a first location project that took place in a trailer home, caravana ( 1999).
-
Everything in peeping tom’s work starts from a hyperrealist setting. The space feels familiar, such as a garden, a living room and a basement in the fire trilogy ( Le Jardin,2002; Le salon, 2004; Le Sous Sol, 2007).
-
The creators then break open this realism. They create an unstable universe that defies the logic of time, space and mood. You become the witness- or rather, the voyeur? - of what usually remains hidden and unsaid. Isolation leads to an unconscious would of nightmares, fears and desires, witch the creator deftly use to shed light on the dark side of the characters or community.
DV8 Physical theatre:
-
DV8 physical theatre’s work is about taking risks, aesthetically and physically, about breaking down the barriers between dance, theatre and personal politics and above all communicating ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously.
-
Led by Loyd Newson, DV8 was formed in 1986 by an independent collective of dancers who had become frustrated and disillusioned with the preoccupations and directions of most dancers.
-
It has now produced sixteen highly acclaimed dance pieces and which have toured internationally, and four award- winning films for television.
-
Since 1987, DV8 has commissioned set designers and living composers for its works, helping investigate the relationship between body, architecture and music.
-
The focus of the creative approach is on reinventing dance with meaning, particularly where this has been lost through formalised techniques.
-
Thematically, DV8 insists on the importance of challenging our preconceptions of what dance can, and should, address.
Stanislavski’s Methods
https://www.city-academy.com/news/what-is-stanislavski-technique/
-
Konstantin Stanislavski was born in 1893, he was a Russian actor, director and theatre practitioner.
-
The technique stems from his theatre practice and is still used by actors all over the world.
-
The method is an actor training system made up of various different techniques designed to allow actors to create believable characters and help them to really put themselves in the place of a character.
-
Understanding the world of your character is absolutely vital to creating a believable performance; Stanislavski used this idea to create “given circumstances”. The first step towards doing this is going through the play and writing down all the facts about your character you can find.
-
Once you’ve found out everything you can about your given circumstances, you should have lots of material to help you understand your character.
-
Stanislavski describes “ The Magic If” as being able to imagine a character’s given circumstances enough to understand what that character might do in any situation that comes up. So when something happens to your character in the play you can understand how they would respond because you know so much about the world they exist in.
Panto
http://thelaughingstock.ca/what-is-panto/
-
In the UK a pantomime, or “panto” as it is usually affectionately called,is a form of interactive theatre, performed around the christmas season for the entertainment of millions of families.
-
Many of the stories are based on popular, even if slightly skewed, fairy Tales. Children love to see their favourite stories and characters played out on stage, they particularly enjoy the physical comedy and over the top characters.
-
The adults certainly get enough innuendo and double entendre of the “nudge- nudge”, “wink - wink” variety to keep the rolling in the aisles.
-
Panto is guaranteed to give the whole family a rolicking good time.
-
To the uninitiated, however, the humor, insane plot and the cast with extremely silly character names may leave you absolutely confused to what on earth is going on. It is difficult to describe in words what panto is all about.
-
The origins of pantomime date back to the middle ages. Panto blends the traditions of the Italian commedia dell'arte with British “old time” music halls. “Commedia Dell'arte” was travelling street entertainment, which came from Italy in the 16th century. It was a very energetic type of theatre that used dance, music, tumbling , acrobatics and slapstick comedy, the troupes performed in fairs and market places. Often the tropes were made up of family members who would inherit their characters, costumes, masks and stories from their parents and grandparents.
-
Audience participation is probably the most important aspect of British pantomime tradition. Even the most serious and mature members of the audience, suddenly become uninhibited in their enthusiasm to join in. The audience is actively encouraged to cheer and clap for the hero, and boo the villain whenever he or she enters. Heckling is also encouraged and can lead to some hilarious ad- libs from the cast.
-
For example:
Ugly Sister: “I'm much prettier than cinderella”
Audience: “ oh no you’re not!”
Ugly Sister: “ oh yes I am!”
Audience: “ oh no you’re not!”
-
This happens frequently with a variety of lines throughout the show and it is up to the actors to decide how long to keep it going before they go back to the script.
-
The panto plot is very simple: A girl, who is actually a girl playing the part of a boy( the hero), is the son of a man, who is actually playing the part of a women (the dame), will fall in love with a girl who is playing the part of a girl ( the heroine). The girl dressed as the boy with sometimes be assisted by one or two men ( or it could be women) dressed up as a cow, or a horse, or any other animals that the script twitter dreams up.
Oxygen
ttp://thelaughingstock.ca/what-is-panto/
-
Oxygen is an urban/contemporary dance crew based in the netherlands.
-
The crew has been very and outside europe with highlights such as winning the Duch TV show dance as one and receiving a golden buzzer in the french version of got talent.
-
Recently they competed in the biggest world championships in LA and they won the upper division.
-
Oxygen is known for their outstanding creativity and for the choice of combining dance with visual illusion effects.
-
Their choreographies are renewing, innovating and eye- catching.
-
Every show they perform is unique, surprising and for sure never boring.
-
Oxygen will always deliver high quality dance with a great entertainment value.
This next section is the actors/ actresses that the group have said they like or inspire to be.
Alan Rickman
Helena Bonham Carter
Johnny Depp
David Tennant
Gary Oldman
Dylan O,brian
Chris Evans
Chris Hemsworth
