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On Nov 4th I had my face to face interview with Steve Small and Jessica Chalmers of Strange Town at Out of the Blue Drill Hall.

I felt really confident going into the interview, having already a base knowledge of Strange Town and having been to the location before. I was able to introduce myself in really warm and confident way and have a chat with members of the team that I already knew. I felt really relaxed.

Having done a good few interviews in my life I knew what to expect and what sort of questions would be coming my way. I was confident in my own beliefs and what I wanted to do. Through classes I have established that I have a clear idea what I want to do with my work and how I want to do it. What I realised I need to do better at is adapting this to the questions they are asking, being more prepared. I feel a lot better after I have written things down and this can imprint on my memory and make feel more confident. For my next interview I am going to do exactly that, write down the most likely questions that will be asked and prepare for them.

I talked pretty fast and I talk with my hands. This is down to adrenaline and a slight bit of panic. It's like I need it to help get the answer out and I need to get it out as quickly as possible otherwise I'll forget it. I have gotten a lot better with streamlining my thoughts but this still needs more work. My preparation would also help a lot here.

Overall, I thought it went really well. I came across good and confident and bubbly but there were a couple of things that I wish I said but I didn't. For next time I'm going to do a bit more prep so I am able to streamline my thoughts and hit all the key points that I want to hit.

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Working with SYT was my most favourable placement and after hearing that I was unsuccessful in applying for Strange Town, I felt the stakes become much higher.

As stated in my previous reflection, I wanted to make sure that I was prepared. The questions I had been asked from Strange Town were pretty standard so I copied the ones that came up and drafted answers that I could morph to fit with any question that came up. I should have done this sooner as it would have been more helpful to read over them a few more times before going into it. Since I felt like I didn't know them and the added pressure of this was my favourite I became really nervous. I also was kicked out the room I found to do my interview in and became flustered to find one in 15 minutes but luckily I found one very easily and was able to set up and breathe.

The interview itself was a breeze. I had questions prepared when she asked what I wanted to learn and was able to be very clear about what I wanted. This means that she could place me where she thought best and it means that I can get the most out of my placement. For the rest of the interview it was a matter of sorting dates and from then it felt like I had already got it, which made me feel very confident.

I got the placement and was very very chuffed with myself.

I am very excited to begin to work with SYT and I'm going to do my very best to  show myself in the best light possible. With so many different programmes and opportunities it's definitely a place where I can see myself working post-graduation. Throughout my placement I will be professional and positive - I can't wait to get started.

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Attached below is the cover letter used for Strange Town.

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Attached below is the cover letter used for Scottish Youth Theatre.

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Attached below is the CV used to apply for both positions (Pre-Clara's notes).

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Attached below is the cover letter used to apply for Scottish Youth Theatre.

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On Tuesday the 12th February I met with Mhari Reilly, Creative Producer of SYT and discussed the ins and the outs of my placement. I had a lovely day at SYT, was good to be out of Granton for the day and exploring a new potential place of employment. I had left plenty of time for myself to find the building and arrived 10 minutes early so I would have a chance to settle in and get me notes in order.
We started with a tour of the building, I hadn't done any research into the building itself, which I should've probably done, so I surprised by how many spaces they had and how nice they were. Mhari also explained how the building once was a sheriff's building and some of the studios were holding cells. I found this really cool but Mhari highlighted that this sometimes brought a weird pre-determined energy into the room. It's interesting but does make sense how this could have been a factor and it's a point that I will hold on to when I look into renovated spaces that hold history and how we could use it or how we will get rid of it.
I also found that they take pride in their space, keeping it clean and tidy. Being responsible for your own dishes and taking care to disregard your waste in an appropriate fashion, e.g. recycle, etc.
We then had our first meeting where we were broken down the history and what's actually going on with SYT at the moment. This was extremely helpful for gathering what we need for context and having a much better understanding of the establishment we are working with. What I did discover was a lot of gaps in my knowledge. I think we've been learning a lot this year but I need to get better and gathering names of people in the industry and what they're doing and why that's important. I made sure I noted down all names and phrases that I was unsure of and I will be doing research into them whilst also doing a wider search to find other individuals that would be good to know about.
We then had lunch and came back for a quick catch up with Mhari, making sure any unanswered questions were answered and that we had more in depth look into how our placement would be running. I got my dates secured and found out which director I would be working with during the course of the weekend. I can't reveal who it is just yet, as it has not been officially announced but it's a director that I have researched before and I am already very knowledgeable about. It has made me really excited because it is someone who I really see myself wanting to work with more.
The more I look at this placement the more beneficial for me it becomes. I have already started to learn throughout this process I will learn so much more. I just need to stay on top of my research, note down names I don't recognise and ask questions, getting as much from the experience as I possibly can.

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Attached below is the powerpoint presentation used in Applied Theatre assessment.

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Attached below are the notes used alongside the powerpoint.

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Hua Dan is project that was set up in Beijing, China by Caroline Watson. It born out of the fact there was a huge surge of migration from the rural parts of China to the cities. This was due to the want to find work, to work in factories and on construction sites and send money back to families. A lot of these people were woman.

Hua Dan was set up to empower migrant woman who work in factories and to deal with the issues that they use. A main point they touch on is the use of Boal's forum theatre. Through research of this I have finally understood the possibility of forum theatre. It's a concept I always found dangerous and unpredictable. But the way Caroline talks of it, with such passion and belief it has made me finally understand what's it about. As well as the context that she uses it in.

She describes situations where there is conflict between the woman there and their families back home. One was between a husband and his wife and by putting the woman in his shoes they were able to break down the communication and build it back up. It empowered her to take control of the situation and go find another way of talking and they did and it worked.

Another situation was a young woman who was getting forced into going back home to find a man to marry. Through exercises they discovered her real dream was to become a primary school teacher but she didn't have any of the qualifications to make this dream a reality. So what they did was they trained her essentially to be teaching artist. To use her passion for teaching and for drama to teach young children.

There work is inspiring, the use of teaching artistry to empower woman and give them the tools to achieve their dream but also make a living through this as well.

In doing research and watching videos it has broke down forum theatre in a way that makes so much sense to me. In terms of my placement I can see putting the people in situations where they are talking to politicians, finding solutions to the problems they are facing. Maybe talking to people who don't understand the importance of climate change and saving the environment.

I can see as a way of helping them articulating their points and trying to work out exactly what needs to said to change people's minds. They can think through solutions and try them and see if it works. It could end up then, when thinking about performance, creating a successful duologue or monologue.

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Website:

Hua-dan.org. (2019). Hua Dan | Unfolding creative potential through theatre. [online] Available at: http://hua-dan.org/ [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].

Watson, C. (2019). How our theatre workshops are empowering migrant women in China. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2015/nov/20/how-our-theatre-workshops-are-empowering-migrant-women-in-china#img-1 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].

Video:

TEDx Talks (2019). Theater For Personal & Social Transformation | Caroline Watson | TEDxINSEADSingapore. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGP8Q30aDF4&feature=emb_title [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].

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Forcedentertainment.com. (2019). The Travels | Forced Entertainment. [online] Available at: https://www.forcedentertainment.com/projects/the-travels/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2019].

Mermikides, A. (2010) 'Forced Entertainment - The Travels (2002) - The anti-theatrical director', in Harvie, J and Lavender, A. (ed.) Making contemporary theatre. Altrincham Street, Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp.101-120.

Schleper, 'Off the Route' pg 186

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http://transformativestudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/environmental-justice-and-augusto-boal2.pdf

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PROJECT PITCH AND COMMUNITY PROFILE FEEDBACK

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Starting to read Making Contemporary Theatre I have began to gather a clear image in my head as to how Forced Entertainment works. The books explores their journey through the creation of their show 'The Travels'.

A quote from their website describing the show, "Through the summer of 2002, members of Forced Entertainment undertook a series of journeys, each travelling alone to locations in the UK to complete tasks determined only partially in advance. These tasks — to get their fortune told, to find locations for an imaginary film, to ask tricky questions, to visit streets chosen simply for their names —presented the beginnings of a mapping process aimed not so much at the contemporary UK, but through it to something else — a landscape of ideas, narratives and bad dreams."

They have several phases when it comes to creating their work. In this case they went through a process of 'live games' that they played. This was a huge range of games and ideas that focused a lot on the fiction, or "virtual reality". One game that stuck with me when looking into this was a game where one person posed an emergency and the other person in reply with bad advice e.g. "How can I get back with my girlfriend"?, "Kill her dad.". From what I gather this is a time for them to try as many diverse and unusual ideas as possible then discuss afterwards. They never force anything with these games, they should start naturally from stimulus that someone has brought in. They explore an idea till they decide that the commitment is lost and they discuss why. They don't ever throw anything completely away however, the idea may not fit this project so they save it for a possible future use. In this case the game was played for only one day and was decided that the tone wasn't right for what they wanted to do and the company were becoming bored of it. So they move on and they keep going and going. They work on this stage for a month. And after this point they have nothing concrete in place.

They take a break and come back in September, their show happening in August. And although they have nothing it doesn't panic them, "Its status means that individuals are not under outside pressure to make premature decisions." Meaning that again they make choices naturally and nothing is forced. Within this time period a discussion happens that leads them to talk on fortune telling, from there it becomes a series of prediction games. From there they are tasked with writing about 'towns and cities where you know the name and flavour of it, but you've never been'. When performing these they found a spark of something that they quite liked, all the stories depicted people alone in a strange place in which they had never been. It made them vulnerable and almost child-like, which they liked.

And like that their system has been naturally created, they visit streets randomly in the UK and they come back to the group and share their findings. A nice quote from the book and eventually in the play, "So often the feeling that yesterday, or even five minutes ago might have been a better time to arrive. That maybe yesterday there were lovers on Love Street where it cuts through Science Park, but that for now there are only gardeners."

Elements of the fortune telling are also introduced into the show. Each performer at this stage as authorship of their own section and the things they have written. There is no central author. Later in the process the parts are scattered to others, performers not necessarily reading what they wrote.

Within the book in references Anke Schleper's idea of 'poetic space', essentially is the thing between documentation and fiction. Possible more investigation, reference Schleper, 'Off the Route' pg 186.

Etchells comments on his style in terms on the company's authorship is 'radio porridge' - lol.

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"Boal asserts that theatre always plays a political role, whatever its overt context might be." - Frances Babbage

THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED

'created for and by the people'
'a celebration in which all could participate freely' (1979, Boal)

in forum theatre Boal is, "inviting spectators to become the protagonist." Babbage

"For him[Boal], 'political' implies not a specific position or set of attitudes but the fact of contentedness to the system by which a society is organised and governed" Babbage

CARDBOARD CITIZENS

Adrian Jackson, founder of Cardboard Citizens is a direct English translator of some of Boal's books.

"Going... Going... Gone..." is a piece created by Cardboard Citizens that used forum theatre to create it's piece.

Each performance offers the audience a chance to see an opportunity for change, questions asked and the audience are forced to think of the answers. They are forced to ask themselves what the characters could have done differently and how they could have changed the situation. - Babbage

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I believe it’s important to consider protest because it’s seen as a very big symbol of change. And that I believe is what political theatre is about.

Adrian Jackson says, “we are choosing to use theatre because we believe that the performance itself has a power to motivate, it shifts people’s thinking, to create affect and act as a catalyst for the change process.” (Jackson, 2009)

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Since I will be working with performers, I feel I can take use there skills to add another layer, “using the skills of an actor to foster trust, build collaboration and allow risk taking.” (Nicholson, 2014)

I’m asking the participants to think personally about themselves politically and ensuring them that they will not be judged for it. Within this environment it means that they will takes risks themselves and fully involve themselves in the task.

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Today was my chance to have a go at trying out my workshop on my peers. As the group I will be leading are a group of 18-25 year olds, from performance backgrounds so using our class felt like it would a good indicator as to how my actual workshop would be received.

Having had no indication as of yet as to what I will be doing for my placement I made the decision to try my best and put together my own workshop.  I knew that my host was extremely busy and that I was capable of making some calculated choices about what I could do. I decided to construct something that would engage them politically, not working towards creating anything to disrupt what Melanie's creating process might be - almost just warm up for their minds and start thinking about their political views.

Overall, I think the session was really useful. Seeing the stages worked up in front of me made me realise that some flowed better than others. For example, it made sense to me on paper that I could separate the two tempo/rhythms exercises as one would call back to the other. However, the second exercise didn't seem like a good one to finish and I think made sense coming straight after the warm up.

I need to engage more with my participants. I was self-conscious about coming across as too patronising but in that I sort of forgot to be friendly. I will smile more, ask the participants more to reflect and be more relate-able. I think I don't think I'm intimidating in the slightest and because of this I compensate to be more serious, especially with my peers. But I don't need to be like that, as long as I'm a decent human being and I'm able to command a room. I don't need to be so serious.

I have chosen to be more reflective throughout, choosing to reflect after the individuals have read out their signs the first time. It gives me a chance to check in with the group, to being their own reflection process and consider how they feel connecting to the political material.

Overall, I will engage with the group more and allow them to communicate with the group more, sharing ideas and opinions. I will be confident and find the enjoyment of doing the workshop. If I enjoy it and invest in the participants.

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The second morning started with the usual check-in process. And focus exercises.

Then it went on to one of the ensemble members to lead a physical warm-up which Mel had broached the day before. We had lots of discussion throughout the weekend about this idea of shifting the power. Mel believes strongly in shifting the hierarchy in the process. In this context this can be difficult because their is still that idea that an older director, who has more experience than those who are performing. It can be difficult to come out of that already predetermined structure.

However the ensemble is still an applied theatre context and it is the voices of the participants that will be telling the story. Mel recognises that this must be implemented in every step of the process. Hence, encouraging the participants to take lead in workshops that they considered to be a strength of theirs. It makes them feel empowered and they can control the narrative of the day.

This has influenced me to play with power and the hierarchy in a workshop setting. It also allows me to have time to think things through. And consider any changes that need to made given any thing that has happened in the room. I like this because it does give you a chance to step back or join for once. I think it can be difficult to judge things from constantly just leading. Having a chance to breathe will make me a more effective facilitator.

Then leading my ensemble workshop I started with frustration circle. My main piece of feedback that I received regarding this section was to notice that when the exercise is done isn't necessarily when the rest of the group will be ready to move on. The group that I had were really keen and wanted to keep pushing and keep challenging themselves further. I did notice them go through it really quickly but hadn't prepared a way for it to be moved to the next level. Applied Theatre is about progress and doing things that are really going to connect and maybe challenge the group. Hence, the reason for me needing it to make it harder for them.

Next came the floor pattern exercise, the purpose being for participants to start building the awareness of its space and its capacity. They were then encouraged in groups to work together to create these patterns. A piece of feedback that I received during this game was to invite play more. An individual believed that this would have lead to become more exploratory quicker. I thought this was really useful to help build my practice. I think fun and play should be invited into any context especially applied theatre. With play and fun becomes more possibility, the participants become more free and relaxed and trust builds. Through them naturally discovering that play was the key they broke a barrier that allowed them to discover more about the shapes they were making. It encourages them to see the exercise as their own. In applied theatre you need to be prepared for the exercises to not go as you expect them to but how the participants want it go. Whatever is engaging and whatever they are exploring and developing is the right thing.

Next I explored the idea of weight. It was important for me to introduce their own weight into a exercise before they start working with others. The day before one of the participants had expressed feeling uneasy with the idea of trusting her weight with someone else. This part was for them to understand their own capabilities and how they could use their weight. I got some really good feedback from the participants following this, feeling as if they became a lot more comfortable in themselves before trusting other people.

Next was the counter-balance exercise where they found a partner to work with. Here they were now making solid connections with each other and building that ensemble feeling. Knowing how challenging this could potentially be for some people I was very clear that they were to talk to each other ensure they were comfortable and communicate with one another. I set simple but effective points to move from and also "outs" for people who would be struggling with the exercise. I encouraged them to push themselves but in this context the participants needed to feel safe. They needed to point to go back to that wasn't constant pushing so they could relax and feel comfortable. E.g. Those who weren't quite comfortable trusting others with their weight could remain in the "base", holding the others weight whilst the other remained the "flyer".

Then it was a case of putting everything together into a improvise sequence. I applied the same challenge that had been given to them earlier to keep finding the impulses. This seems like a common theme from the weekend. A challenge that had been given to them on the first day. It had been flagged as something that they should be striving for. It naturally fitted in with the idea of contact improv so it added a good progression from the other bits they had worked on. They were to think about everything they had considered so far and build upon their ensemble practice to connect with one another and create movement. After each phase they were to challenge themselves and follow through with a new impulse. This exercise had them constantly looking out for each other and connecting. They were trusting each other which is essential for the build of the ensemble.

Again, the feedback that I received was to think again about timings, they were really invested in playing with movement more and could have played with everything for a lot longer. Again then I could've had a lot more time to reflect and talk about things before moving on.

I am however really happy with the level of engagement and enthusiasm that I got from participants. I helped build upon their skills as an ensemble and their physical theatre skills. I am really happy that I got the feedback that I was really warm and made everyone feel really safe throughout the workshop. The end goal was a big leap from where they began and I was able to achieve a lot in a very short amount of time.

My next steps will be to develop on these ideas further and linking ensemble with applied theatre and building a community. I believe ensemble practice and applied theatre have a lot of similarities and the two components could be used to build one up. Things like making eye contact and having small bits of physical connections can build trust in a group. It's important to trust the facilitator but a mutual trust across all participants is necessary also.

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Coming into the placement I was extremely nervous, naturally. But I had the urge to channel that nervousness into excitement and use the adrenaline to engage with the participants.

Mel started off the morning with a check-in. In terms of Applied Theatre I believe this to be important as it allows the facilitator to notice what the balance is in the room. It is also encouraged that other participants to look out for those who are feeling low in the room and will need support from others. Having a good sense of community and who you will be sharing your time with is hugely beneficial to facilitator and participants a like.

From there there was simple focus exercise that Mel lead which had several layers to it. This links forward to some feedback that I received with my workshops. She starts of simple(ish), something that the group could potentially pick up quick and once that stage is achieved she can offer them a new challenge. A point that I picked up on is that I need to know when the group is done, not when I am done. Even though the allocated time may be up the group may not be ready to stop. This is about judging the keen-ness of the group and how willing they are to dive into things. In this case my group was wanting to explore so they wanted more time with exercises.

Then it was time for me to lead the workshop. I started with my political engagement one. Throughout I established a calm and open atmosphere that felt safe. I kept a smile on my face was always open to questions. Creating this atmosphere is key within Applied Theatre, they need to feel like they are safe and that the opinions they share will not be judged.

The Marching exercise unified the group as one and allowed the previously envisioned protest to become embodied within them. The marching collectively means that they are all together and there is no one exposed. For me this was important to slowly lower them into the idea of sharing their politics which can be daunting. I think this exercise worked really well with the group. They were coming together as a community and all were engaged in the rhythm. The rhythm sped up and slowed down a few times and a point of feedback I received was that I could have benefited from having a better distinguished sound that established the beat of the march. Evaluating on this I could have used a song to keep the rhythm but this could have imposed ideas of where they were and what their feelings were through this. But maybe using something of a different pitch to keep them all in rhythm and all as a collective.

Then came more immersion of the protest through the warm up and into the second rhythm section, incorporating the inner tempo-rhythm. With the knowledge that all participants were from performance backgrounds, I felt using terms that they recognised was a chance to show that I wasn't patronising them. I was aware of the skill level in the room and what terms they would know.

Making the signs was a chance for them focus on themselves and what they believe to be important. This exercise was perfect for the group as the whole project is about creating the story that they want to make. Within the room there are 20 "cast members" who are all wanting to have their own input into the show. This allowed them to have a chance to have their say by having their own piece of paper to write their agenda. It can often get loud in the room with everyone wanting to put in their input. This gives everyone a chance, particular those who are experience low energy on that day, a chance to have their input and be heard. We talked as a group about some days the participants feel like bystanders. This is down to feeling tired, feeling low and can often lead to frustration and people feeling more low, feeling as if they haven't contributed enough. With exercises like this in can be away of releasing some of that pressure since they are having a chance to personally contribute.

The next step was to bring the participants together and work on playing with the volume of the text and distance in relation to others. Beforehand the participants had a chance to say their signs allowed all together. This was again to allow them to venture deeper and deeper into the idea of the protesting. For me this was important as there was a mix of those who had been to a protest and those who hadn't. For me it was important that imagination and personal opinions came into the building of a protest. Speaking allowed their issues and angers lets what is now bubbling in their bodies have an outlet. There is almost a release of tension with the spoken word. It was chance to empower them in the views that they have and make them feel real and important.

Splitting the group in two, from the group watching two were in charge of volume and distance. This was my way of taking myself out of that leader position and giving the power to someone else. In this work it is important for you, as the facilitator/director to not feel as if you are an authoritative person. The power should be spread equally. This show in the work Mel was doing so more reflection on this later. A piece of feedback I received on this section was that I should've gave set actions for those in control to do. It became humorous for them to perform, they made it completely their own and was having fun with it. This was nice to watch but took eyes away from what the real exercise was and what the point was. So for me I need to work on what the balance is when stepping back letting others lead and still allowing the others in the room to have their say and opportunity to do the exercise to the full ability.

Overall, I was doing too much in too little time. I had sacrifice points for reflection so we could get through all the activities we had planned. I didn't expect the group to be as keen as they were. But given the context it is something I should have considered. In reality I had a full morning worth of exploring I could have done with the group.
I had a set plan that I had to stick to and 30 mins seems so much l need to consider my content and my context and how long the participants will take to work through. If they go through too quickly or get bored have more things to add in to keep them engaged and challenge them bit by bit.

However, I do think I brought a really good dynamic to the group. I was clear with instructions and the exercises that I picked allowed them to really engage and add their own personal touch to the workshop. This for me was an original and perfect example of my praxis. Choosing activities that blended the theory that I explored and the methodologies I had seen practised and made it my own.  The originality  allowed the participants to have to preconceptions of what was expected of them. This was a chance for the participants to challenge them selves, stepping away from how they think you create theatre into something new. Using their imaginations and personal opinions to construct a piece of theatre that resonated personally with them.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EWybS5xB5BLnIGXhm8qr5PQ2eKtGcfib/view?usp=sharing