Mark and the Marked: Week Two
MONDAY: Gear Change
Material Covered:
- Warmup- yoga (JN)
- Noises of sorrow, including pity and self-pity, noises of joy, including lust, aggression and nostalgia
- Section 1 setting:
- This is the place
- Clicks Game
- Objects Game
- This is the place
Quote of the day: 'From tiny fart to custard pie’ (Joel)
Who was I today?
- Faker- trying to conjure something profound for the video
- Clown- failing, and finding it funny
- Movement Director- staging, clarity of physicality
- Teacher- lots of imparting principles- age difference?
- Director- selecting and rejecting, building through-line, also building familiarity and confidence for the cast
Hysterical video recording today, with nothing to respond to. Looking for ‘profound’ metaphors: ‘the spanner of double-takes’
The giggles are coming! (LW)
I'm now conscious not of the question, but of answering the question with an actual answer (ZA) - Just do what I do, just don't think, and just start talking (JN)
'The spanner of double-takes?' you just hear shit fall out of your mouth! (KW)
Discussions on making the shift from playing to constructing and setting the show:
Just thinking and letting the body follow- doing less
One-word thoughts and commentary- collective thoughts
Technical detail- reversals, extreme changes in emotion (from Laban) and tension
Stillness- stopping to think, showing thinking
Journal extracts from group discussion: 21/02/22
The giggles are coming! (LW)
I'm now conscious not of the question, but of answering the question with an actual answer (ZA) - Just do what I do, just don't think, and just start talking (JN)
'The spanner of double-takes?' you just hear shit fall out of your mouth! (KW)
Discussions on making the shift from playing to constructing and setting the show:
Just thinking and letting the body follow- doing less
One-word thoughts and commentary- collective thoughts
Technical detail- reversals, extreme changes in emotion (from Laban) and tension
Stillness- stopping to think, showing thinking
Journal extracts from group discussion: 21/02/22
Reflective Observations:
Shifting to setting material is a different side of clowning from last week, more technique- easier for actors? It has more of a feel of a script.
There are minor gear changes between set and unset game stages – ‘hold this idea until…’ Is there greater tension in these moments? More watching each other? Or do I only see that because I know what’s happening?
We laugh more and more in interviews as we relax together- laughter coming from a combination of being comfortable with each other and awkwardness at the slightly staged nature of doing a daily diary.
We're finding the illogical logic in building sequences. Could I find that in abstract movement? Do we need a narrative frame? Is all dance illogical logic? (See reflections on this from The Conversation improv from the 2022 Clowndance Summer Course)
Shifting to setting material is a different side of clowning from last week, more technique- easier for actors? It has more of a feel of a script.
There are minor gear changes between set and unset game stages – ‘hold this idea until…’ Is there greater tension in these moments? More watching each other? Or do I only see that because I know what’s happening?
We laugh more and more in interviews as we relax together- laughter coming from a combination of being comfortable with each other and awkwardness at the slightly staged nature of doing a daily diary.
We're finding the illogical logic in building sequences. Could I find that in abstract movement? Do we need a narrative frame? Is all dance illogical logic? (See reflections on this from The Conversation improv from the 2022 Clowndance Summer Course)
TUESDAY: Paint and hair
Material Covered:
- Warmup- cardio and yoga (LW)
- Recapping sections 1-4
- Birthday cake (for Pip) worked into the action of a section, as a surprise
- Working detail of Pow Swish Boom, creating a chart of moves
- Shaving Joel's head
- Visitors: Molly Hemsley, (performer and Box Clever Administrator) observing
Quote of the day: 'I'm a big fan of making a mess on stage' (Kitty)
Who was I today?
- Older generation- less fitness, more terminology!
- Lecturer- discussions on the role of the director in devising
- Editor/choreographer- finding the compositional rhythm of Pow Swish Boom
- Colleague- bringing birthday cake for Pip
- Designer- hair aesthetics
- Chief clown- creator of running jokes; ‘eggies, eggies, eggies!’
We're filling an empty space- leaving the physical traces of a show
Haircuts- does a physical transformation support/empower character/clown incarnation?
Notating a section: Lucy and Kitty used charts, Joel and Zaki wrote it out beat by beat. Do movement trained performers/makers think in charts or diagrams more readily than text-trained actors?
Journal extracts from group discussion: 22/02/22
Haircuts- does a physical transformation support/empower character/clown incarnation?
Notating a section: Lucy and Kitty used charts, Joel and Zaki wrote it out beat by beat. Do movement trained performers/makers think in charts or diagrams more readily than text-trained actors?
Journal extracts from group discussion: 22/02/22
Reflective Observations:
We are creating visual metaphors from paint- there's a possible clever actor/stupid clown tension.
Lots of bonding happening:
Joel instantly re-instigating play and joy, as soon as we pause the action when running darker sections. It's like tennis doubles players touching hands between each point.
We have started to echo each others’ accents and vocal quality.
We all took part in cutting Joel's hair, and Lucy then offered to shave some of hers off too- more bonding.
Looking back at the video, it’s clearly hurting, but Joel isn’t saying anything-why? Not wanting to upset us? Director/actor hierarchy? Politeness? Suffering for art?
Am I too gentle, too safe, to go to properly dark places? Is that OK? Can I push performers far enough to challenge and do justice to negative emotions? OR do we fetishize pain? (See Blog: Bonding, Needs and Boss Clowns).
We are creating visual metaphors from paint- there's a possible clever actor/stupid clown tension.
Lots of bonding happening:
Joel instantly re-instigating play and joy, as soon as we pause the action when running darker sections. It's like tennis doubles players touching hands between each point.
We have started to echo each others’ accents and vocal quality.
We all took part in cutting Joel's hair, and Lucy then offered to shave some of hers off too- more bonding.
Looking back at the video, it’s clearly hurting, but Joel isn’t saying anything-why? Not wanting to upset us? Director/actor hierarchy? Politeness? Suffering for art?
Am I too gentle, too safe, to go to properly dark places? Is that OK? Can I push performers far enough to challenge and do justice to negative emotions? OR do we fetishize pain? (See Blog: Bonding, Needs and Boss Clowns).
WEDNESDAY: Music
Material Covered:
- Warmup- running and planks and a Ska dance party (KW), Vocal (JN)
- Clarifying sections
- Leapfrog
- Floor Face
- Working sections with music
- Piggy/Dark Piggy
- Healing
- Working through the section with text, trimming script, setting staging
- Visitors: Jack Blakey, (show composer) collaborating
Quote of the day: 'Technical magic... an iPad' (Jack)
Who was I today?
- Director- Staging text, listening to vocal delivery, asking for more specific action
- Collaborator- Jack bringing musical ideas and past tour experience
- Worker- upholding Equity breaks
- Movement Director- Staging clarifications in Piggy
There's a resistance to changing something once we’ve found it through devising- Jack bringing a new rhythm to Dark Piggy, Miles (in a previous version of this show) always drawing the face with eyebrows.
Is there a fear of losing the magic? Are we attempting to give an arbitrary choice more weight?
BUT- Cutting text felt liberating!
We're looking for honesty, even if it’s not quite truth. We’re not 'in the playground' (the line we cut) so the lie jars, however simple it is.
We're making movement to support imagery, feel and message in the text- movement becomes secondary, subservient. That's a big shift in this process. The text paints mental pictures
Journal extracts from group discussion: 23/02/22
Is there a fear of losing the magic? Are we attempting to give an arbitrary choice more weight?
BUT- Cutting text felt liberating!
We're looking for honesty, even if it’s not quite truth. We’re not 'in the playground' (the line we cut) so the lie jars, however simple it is.
We're making movement to support imagery, feel and message in the text- movement becomes secondary, subservient. That's a big shift in this process. The text paints mental pictures
Journal extracts from group discussion: 23/02/22
Reflective Observations:
Jack (who I know well and have worked with before) was an incomer to the process today which shifted the group dynamic. There was a sense of he + me + we. Jack's presence re-formalised, and professionalised the chat- a visiting grownup. This in turn made me feel like more of a grownup- Boss Clown or Mama Clown?
Fitting games to music is placing play within a framework. Working with rhythm is still playful but more internal. Watching the cast I can see both serious faces and pleasure- a sense of being moved by the music.
The cast's movement qualities are becoming clearer and more differentiated, both from each other and in different moments. Zaki has great contrasts- a delicacy of touch with the iPad- a step back from his full clown body, but still heightened. There's a lovely muscularity of play from Lucy, perhaps coming from her combat training. Are there helpful shared principles between combat and slapstick? Joel is finding the purest, most innocent clown physicality, particularly in the latter scenes. The shaved head adds to his vulnerability and makes his focus really clear.
Jack (who I know well and have worked with before) was an incomer to the process today which shifted the group dynamic. There was a sense of he + me + we. Jack's presence re-formalised, and professionalised the chat- a visiting grownup. This in turn made me feel like more of a grownup- Boss Clown or Mama Clown?
Fitting games to music is placing play within a framework. Working with rhythm is still playful but more internal. Watching the cast I can see both serious faces and pleasure- a sense of being moved by the music.
The cast's movement qualities are becoming clearer and more differentiated, both from each other and in different moments. Zaki has great contrasts- a delicacy of touch with the iPad- a step back from his full clown body, but still heightened. There's a lovely muscularity of play from Lucy, perhaps coming from her combat training. Are there helpful shared principles between combat and slapstick? Joel is finding the purest, most innocent clown physicality, particularly in the latter scenes. The shaved head adds to his vulnerability and makes his focus really clear.
THURSDAY: Audience interaction
Material Covered:
- Warmup- Joe Wicks PE (ZA)
- Tech run, setting levels with Jack
- Run
- Visitors: Jack Blakey (show composer) collaborating and Emily Orme (movement director and Box Clever collaborator) observing
Quote of the day: 'We're all in here together- let's play!' (Lucy)
Who was I today?
- Director- noting, clarifying, correcting, making the cast feel ready
- Movement Director/Choreographer- sharpening timings and spacing
- Host- Observers in the working space- we work differently with other practitioners watching (Emily)
- Mentor/teacher- to cast, but also to Emily, with whom I have an existing mentor/mentee relationship
Zaki’s warmup was in time with the music- Musical Theatre roots showing!
It’s all about the audience- not being patronising in the interactions
Finding climaxes- creating suspension and tension (ZA)
Working with the tape- being interested makes you interesting (LW)
‘Taking a shit onstage’- acknowledging mistakes makes everyone more comfortable, and makes the audience like you more (JN)
Tech doesn’t feel like making art, but it’s giving the precision which allows the anarchy
Journal extracts from group discussion: 24/02/22
It’s all about the audience- not being patronising in the interactions
Finding climaxes- creating suspension and tension (ZA)
Working with the tape- being interested makes you interesting (LW)
‘Taking a shit onstage’- acknowledging mistakes makes everyone more comfortable, and makes the audience like you more (JN)
Tech doesn’t feel like making art, but it’s giving the precision which allows the anarchy
Journal extracts from group discussion: 24/02/22
Reflective Observations:
There's an enjoyable optical illusion of mimed action and foley- movement to sound, but disconnected. We see it in the robot and saxophone moments in Objects and the horn honk in Pow Swish Boom.
We're taking and giving focus- through one performer to another, like in a pas de deux. Particularly in Dark Piggy, when we need to indicate to the audience member who to throw the cloth to, without it being apparent that we're attempting to manipulate their choice.
Shifting from non-verbal performance to text at the end gives the performers voices. That makes them more specific- their accents, ages, genders, are more apparent. This might play differently in London schools, where the cast sound like the kids, than in rural Lincolnshire. Does having an accent that isn't that of the audience help a clown? Lots of clowns routinely work in a second language.
More bonding through play and humour today, perhaps ramped up a little to counteract the more analytical tech work. We were including Pip (production manager) gently in the Clownsquad while filming and in the runs. I was delivering silly notes in a formal ‘director’ voice- ‘they took no time at all to sit down because they did a slidey bumshuffle’.
There's an enjoyable optical illusion of mimed action and foley- movement to sound, but disconnected. We see it in the robot and saxophone moments in Objects and the horn honk in Pow Swish Boom.
We're taking and giving focus- through one performer to another, like in a pas de deux. Particularly in Dark Piggy, when we need to indicate to the audience member who to throw the cloth to, without it being apparent that we're attempting to manipulate their choice.
Shifting from non-verbal performance to text at the end gives the performers voices. That makes them more specific- their accents, ages, genders, are more apparent. This might play differently in London schools, where the cast sound like the kids, than in rural Lincolnshire. Does having an accent that isn't that of the audience help a clown? Lots of clowns routinely work in a second language.
More bonding through play and humour today, perhaps ramped up a little to counteract the more analytical tech work. We were including Pip (production manager) gently in the Clownsquad while filming and in the runs. I was delivering silly notes in a formal ‘director’ voice- ‘they took no time at all to sit down because they did a slidey bumshuffle’.
FRIDAY: Ready to tour
Material Covered:
- Dress run with small invited audience
- Notes
- Pack-up
- Visitors: Jack Blakey (show composer) noting, Molly Hemsley (performer and Box Clever Administrator), Wayne Walker-Allen, Heather Owen, Rufus Walker (Kitty's family) observing
Quote of the day: 'I saw a Box Clever show at school and thought- I could do that' (Joel)
Who was I today?
- Director- noting, clarifying, correcting, making the cast feel ready
- Movement Director/Choreographer- sharpening timings and spacing
- Parent- watching for Rufus’s reaction, wanting him to be a good audience member and wanting him to like it.
- Colleague- preparing, supporting, stepping back to hand over
- Audience- I found it moving to watch today!
This has been a really fun, joyful project. Clear brief, the right support, no unhelpful interference, almost no text.
I’ve felt confident and secure... an enjoyable combo of feeling expert but silly and playful.
There’s been no tension- does that make good work? Is it too safe?
Journal extract- personal reflections on the final day of rehearsals: 25/02/22
I’ve felt confident and secure... an enjoyable combo of feeling expert but silly and playful.
There’s been no tension- does that make good work? Is it too safe?
Journal extract- personal reflections on the final day of rehearsals: 25/02/22
Reflective Observations:
The cast were becoming a touring company today, making a shift into professional mode, where they take the lead.
I think and hope they will take something of the playful energy of this rehearsal process with them on tour. I saw glimpses of it today as they did cod-serious infotainment narration as Pip was filming the get-in. Is clown an extension of the natural state of silliness that actors work in? Do all actors do that?
This is work as well as art- thinking about all the extra duties that this young cast have on tour- just the three of them. Schools' touring is utterly vital, brilliant, soul-enriching work, but there's no glamour and very little industry recognition. Will that ever change?
The cast were becoming a touring company today, making a shift into professional mode, where they take the lead.
I think and hope they will take something of the playful energy of this rehearsal process with them on tour. I saw glimpses of it today as they did cod-serious infotainment narration as Pip was filming the get-in. Is clown an extension of the natural state of silliness that actors work in? Do all actors do that?
This is work as well as art- thinking about all the extra duties that this young cast have on tour- just the three of them. Schools' touring is utterly vital, brilliant, soul-enriching work, but there's no glamour and very little industry recognition. Will that ever change?
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