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In the first week of our drama class, we were introduced to an act called Hymn Hands. This act can be used to portray different emotions towards the audience and can also be conveyed to them. During this performance, I was working with Meng. At first, we didn't really understand the concept. However, as we took advice from other people in the class, we started to understand it and we've made great progress from the start.

In the second class, we were introduced to a new topic that had potentially made hymn hands more interesting. This new topic was called 'Building Blocks'. Building Blocks was to create new perspectives in each performance. This was created by having a different angle of view and leveling.

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Artistic Intention

In my physical theater performance, I want to find new ways to conquer my introverted life as a student. Performing infront of the class was first was very nerve-racking. However, as I progressed through, I realised it wasnt that bad at all. It was rather fun and exciting. It gives a new sense of emotion whenever I perform as I learned how my body can show my emotions and feelings as well. The usage of body language really emphasized my overall acting skills. It partly improved many aspects of my life as well.

Creating a Physical Theatre Performance.

To create this performance, I can start by figuring out how my body language can enhance my emotions to the audience. I can try to feel the flow of the song used in each performace to emphasize my emotions during the performances. The usage of body language can show many different emotions such as happy, sad, extroverted, and many more.

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This week in class, we learned how further to enhance a part of our performance regarding building blocks. Chair duets is where you sit facing forward on a chair and you place your hand on or move your partners. For this performance, we aim to make it so that it goes smoothly into the particular move on your partner, as if it is a rough move it will look weird to the audience. The main focus was to create a scene without a storyline behind it. At first when it was introduced to us, me and my partner had difficulties finding solutions to our moves as it was still rough and new to us. However, as we progressed through we learned that if we try to create our own moves by our head, it wouldn't look as smooth as if we did it naturally. So, we tried to do it naturally as we progressed through each of our moves and somewhat it worked really well for me and my partner.

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Frantic Assembly Focussed Questions for PJ Ai

Some Process Journal Ideas For Frantic Assembly Techniques and Processes

1. Outline the key principles underpinning Frantic Assembly's approach to physical theatre. How do these differ from more traditional theatre techniques?

2. Discuss Frantic Assembly's use of repetitive movement sequences, such as "chair duets", to build tension and emotion on stage. Provide an example from a production you have studied.

3. Analyse how Frantic Assembly integrates text, music and lighting into their physical theatre work. How do these production elements complement the movement-based storytelling?

4. Describe the collaborative process Frantic Assembly uses to develop new physical theatre pieces. How do they work with writers, composers and designers?

5. Choose a specific Frantic Assembly production you have studied in depth. Discuss how the company used their physicality-based approach to explore a particular theme or social issue.

6. Imagine you are directing a new Frantic Assembly-inspired physical theatre piece. Explain how you would work with your ensemble to devise movement sequences that convey a sense of vulnerability, risk and intimacy.

7. What are the key challenges in training actors to perform Frantic Assembly's highly physical and demanding choreography? How would you support your ensemble in developing the necessary technique and stamina?

8. Discuss how Frantic Assembly's physical theatre techniques could be adapted for site-specific or immersive performances. Provide an example of how you might integrate these approaches into a nontraditional theatre setting.

9. Looking to the future, how do you think Frantic Assembly's physical theatre style might evolve or influence other contemporary performance forms? Speculate on potential new directions for the company's work.

10. Reflecting on your own practical work in class, how would you develop your physical theatre skills and techniques further, building on the approaches you have studied from Frantic Assembly?

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During this drama unit, I can clearly observe how my artistic development has progressed through live theater performances. I decided to learn drama because I wanted to improve my confidence and communication abilities. It was initially much more difficult for me to express feelings and ideas nonverbally than it is now, but I am able to do so by studying Frantic assembly techniques and activities like round by through and chair duets. These exercises encouraged me to work on my body language and facial expressions, which I find difficult because I often act out of character. I am able to improve these skills with peer feedback and consistent practice, but I am still looking to improve them going forward. In addition to giving me a huge boost in confidence, performing in front of an audience also helped me get over my stage fear. To add to that, teamwork and collaboration is widely used for drama performances such as group sequencing specifically. I have alternated between being a cooperative team member and taking on leadership roles within the group. I noticed by reflection that I do better in a group setting than alone because of the difficulties I encountered when performing alone and coming up with a plot for the individual performance. I get past this issue by getting ideas for my props from my peers and asking feedback from many of them, including Ms. Nicole. Even though I found it difficult to perform alone, I now see the value of this exercise as, as the sole performer, I have complete creative control over the performance's tempo and style without needing to rely on a teammate or groupmate.

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What Are Your Intentions

Why are you doing this piece?

What do you want to communicate to your audience? Why?

What ideas explored throughout the unit and your individual research do you intend to further explore in developing your performance concept to a point of realisation?

What message/theme do you want to convey when presenting this piece?

What is the main message/theme you wish to communicate in your performance?

What lasting impact do you want your performance to have on your audience?

What problems do you want to discuss and illustrate when performing this piece?

Why do you think it is important to communicate this me

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Example Intention

Artistic Intention

In my physical theatre performance, I want to explore the idea that creating art helps me discover who I really am. Through movement, I’ll try to show how my body can express feelings and thoughts that I might not always put into words. This process is not just about putting on a show for others—it’s about learning more about myself. By letting my body tell the story, I hope to reveal emotions and ideas that usually stay hidden inside me.

Creating a Physical Theatre Performance

To create this performance, I’ll start by experimenting with movement, using improvisation to see how my body reacts to different emotions and themes. I won’t rely on dialogue; instead, I’ll focus on how my body can communicate. By working with others, I’ll discover how my movements connect with theirs and how that can bring new meaning to what I’m trying to express.

This process will push me to be vulnerable and present in every moment. It’s not just about performing for an audience—it’s about understanding myself better through my body. I hope that by the end of this journey, both I and the audience will experience something deeper, something that words alone can’t explain.

Questions To Consider Answering In Your Intention

What specific emotions do you plan to explore through your movement?

How do you envision the audience's reaction to your performance?

What challenges do you anticipate in this creative process?

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We learned about round by through, another frenzied assembly method, this week. You go around a portion of your partner's body in a round motion. Standing parallel to your partner is called "by," and passing through a passageway that your spouse has made is called "through." We initially encounter challenges when we are unsure of how to make a path for our companion to follow. We tried it till we established a routine after consulting our colleagues for guidance. In addition, we learned about lifts during the session. We were encouraged to do lifts even though that wasn't the lesson's main goal. Me and Ratanak decided to include lifts in our routine but at first we faced a lot of difficulties because we weren't able to lift one another. But after relaxing our body and being comfortable while only focusing on the core strength we were able to include some simple lifts.

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Introduction

For our final performance piece Li meng, Ratanak, and I decided to create a performance based on our life as a child where it was full of joy and fun.

How do you feel about your overall performance?

Looking back, it took us over three lessons to finish this performance. We were all able to agree on the plot after various group discussions, but we were all receptive to new ideas and enhancements. As a team member, I believe that because we all listen and follow ideas well, our group was able to communicate well and function as a unit.

Question: What was the process to finalize this performance?

At first, Meng wanted to do a performance about how love first started between two people that are separated and how the spark between them slowly came back. However, through numeral discussions with our groups, we decided not to do that as we believe that most of our performance that we've made were only about couples and love. So, we decided to create a performance where it shows what we've experienced as a child, making new friends, discovering new emotions and many more.

What difficulties did I face?

I faced numerous difficulties throughout the drama class. One for example, not being able to speak up as I am an introverted person who does not like to speak. However, as i progressed, I slowly gained more confidence in talking to people and even up until the point I start to perform with people that I am not friends with which created a new aspect of my life.