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What physical theatre techniques did we use in our performance?

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What physical theatre techniques did we use in our performance?

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We used various different physical theatre techniques throughout our piece to help us tell a story. For example, we used chair duets which we learnt in one of our workshops. We tested out numerous ways we could show emotion to the audience. It was really helpful that we learnt different techniques in the workshop which helped us to come up with a fluent chair duet. We employed mime which helped the audience to envision what was to come next. The physical techniques were very useful. Focussing on the physical aspects in this performance meant that I found it easier to learn my lines because I understood what action was meant for each line.

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We experimented using various different lifts. We didn't feel comfortable with some of the lifts and thought they might go wrong and detract from our performance. The time we invested in practicing our lifts helped us to feel more comfortable whilst performing. This helped the lift compliment the performance and appear seamless. The lift we chose to use and worked on together helped build atmosphere and allowed us show the relationships between each of the characters. The lift we used entailed supporting a falling character helped us to emphasise the trust in the relationship between the characters.

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I found the student resource pack on the Frantic Assembly really helpful when preparing our performance. The pack went into great detail on the history of the original production and how it came to be. Scott Graham goes into great detail about the creative process involved and kept a very detailed diary of the rehearsals and training involved. He also provides in depth background into the various characters and the inspiration for each of them. I was interested to read the questionnaire which was used for the production. According to Graham, the questionnaire contained "some loaded questions directly related to the themes we want to explore and it has some seemingly innocuous questions that also subtly lead us to that darker place."  The aim of the questionnaire was to provide the cast with a bit of fun but also served to unearth the darker side of our characters. I thought this was a fantastic idea.
https://www.franticassembly.co.uk/productions/pool-no-water
pool (no water) Resource Pack | Frantic Assembly

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pool (no water) Resource Pack | Frantic Assembly

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A comprehensive guide to pool (no water) for students (aged 16+), teachers and arts educationalists. Written by Scott Graham.

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Grid for PA Level 3 LA A Criterion Logbooks Ella Baker

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•movement to create meaning
•metaphors
•minimal and creative dialogue
•vocal dynamics
•mime
•rhythm

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Mime – Mime can be expressed as a stylised movement but it also has the potential to be less exaggerated and comparatively realistic. For example, some mime performances create an atmosphere for the audience about imaginary everyday objects which are not actually there. It is possible to mime actually using an real object as a prop. Masks or costumes are often used for effect and to emphasise movement as the website theatreinparis.com explains, "The Japanese Noh tradition of masked theatre, in particular, would go onto influence many contemporary French theorists of mime." A History of Mime, the most oh so French of art forms (theatreinparis.com)

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Ask anyone to picture the most quintessential of French people and they'll instantly describe a man with a moustache, in a stripy t-shirt and a beret. Many will add white face paint, white gloves and heavy black makeup to the mix. The image they have in their mind is of a traditional French mime artist, so integral a feature of the country's cultural heritage that it has become something of a national symbol. Mime - or the acting out of a story using gesture but no speech - definitely hit the big time in France but where did this peculiar performance style come from? Who were the Frenchman that made it their own? And what does mime look like today? Read on for the story behind an art form as French as fine wine...

A Global Art form: The Origins of Mime

Today mime might mean French people in face paint, but the genre actually has its origins in the theatres of Ancient Greece. Back then things were very different: mimes were simply dramatisations, often of scenes of daily life, relying on elaborate movement and gesture but also incorporating speech and some song. Meanwhile, variations of the practice also found their way into ancient aboriginal, Indian, and Japanese theatrical heritages, all of which feature performances that blend music and dance with a narrative told through stylised gesture and facial expression. The Japanese Noh tradition of masked theatre, in particular, would go onto influence many contemporary French theorists of mime.

Mime As We Know It: From Italy to France

Things really got started when the Romans invaded Greece and brought a long theatrical tradition back to Italy. Mime got absorbed into the hugely popular Commedia dell'arte genre that flourished in Europe from the 16th right up until the late 18th century. This distinctive brand of acrobatics, masked performance, and exaggerated comedy centred on a collection of fixed character types, playing out sketches and scenarios from daily life. A travelling troupe of street performers brought Commedia dell'arte with them to France in 1576, where the form proved even more popular than it had been in its native Italy.

But what does all this have to do with modern day mime? In 1816, the Italian theatrical style underwent a distinctly French makeover at the hands of one Jean Gaspard Deburau. Along with a theatrical troupe largely made up of his own offspring, Deburau was hired by Parisian theatre, the Théâtre des Funambules, to perform comedy and acrobatic acts. But the showman had other ideas in mind. Donning white face paint and a droopy buttoned suit, Duburau took to the stage as Pierrot, a lovable and lovesick character made famous in Italian theatre. Performing as Pierrot until his death in 1846, the actor's endearing persona and exaggerated facial expressions delighted audiences - without him uttering a single word! Deburau had created the modern day mime act.

An Oh So French Trademark

Deburau is credited as the father of mime but down the years the genre has been sustained by a long line of chalk-faced Frenchman. On Deburau's death, actor Paul Legrand succeeded him as the new Pierrot at Théâtre des Funambules, giving the character the more tearful, sentimental dimension we still see in many mime acts today. Ever faithful to the winning white face paint, Legrand did away with his predecessor's bulky outfit and often chose to perform in his ordinary clothes (beret and breton stripe anyone?). Then, in the 20th century, French theatrical practitioners like Jacques Lecoq and Étienne Decroux were central in developing mime as a formal artistic genre. Both writers published detailed theoretical explorations of the subject.

Last but not least, perhaps the most well-known French mime artist in recent years was Marcel Marceau, whose performances of his persona, "Bip the Clown" achieved international acclaim. Marceau even put his mime act to heroically good use, while working for the French Resistance during the Second World War. Performing silently as Bip, the mime kept groups of Jewish children quiet for hours as they escaped across the border from occupied France into Switzerland.

Movies Before Talkies: Mime and Motion Picture

As a child, Marceau trained himself in the art of mime while watching movies - Charlie Chaplin movies, to be specific. In an age before 'talkies' and the introduction of sound to film, technological restrictions meant that mime reigned on the big screen. Actors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton became the new inheritors of an ancient tradition, albeit without the face paint. They adopted the craft of their miming predecessors, telling a story through body language and gesture alone. Back in France, the iconic actor and filmmaker, Jacques Tati first made his name performing as a mime artist. He would go onto incorporate the art form into many of his films, whose humour more often comes from expertly choreographed visual gags than dialogue.

Flash to the Present: Mime Today

Since its roots in 15th century Italy, mime has been tied to street performance and busking. Today you can find mime artists performing to crowds of onlookers in various cities around the world. But the genre continues to be a favourite with audiences at the theatre as well. Having hit the big time during a stint on America's Got Talent, comedian Sam Wills, or better known as Tape Face, has toured the world with his hilarious contemporary mime act. With a strip of tape on his mouth and a whole lot of heart, Tape Face can send his audience into stitches without uttering a word. Back in France, Pierric Tentorey is the newest addition to the French Miming Hall of Fame. Nominated Magic World Champion back in 2015, Pierric's sell-out show, Man Framed on White, blends magic and mime to hilarious effect. And you can catch both shows in Paris in 2019! Why not grab tickets for the most contemporary examples of France's very favourite artform...

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A History of Mime, the most oh so French of art forms

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Ask anyone to picture the most quintessential of French people and they'll instantly describe a man with a moustache, in a stripy t-shirt and a beret. Many will add white face paint, white gloves and heavy black makeup to the mix.

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Gesture – Gestures when used effectively can define a character. Gestures do not have to be large and it is possible for small gestures to create an emotional impact on the audience. An example of a small gesture would be laying a flower on a grave. This is a simple and small gesture but conveys a lot of meaning to the audience.

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Status – The status of characters can be conveyed using their positioning on stage, by the physical distance between them, strength of contact, tone or voice or a combination of all of these. The posture and interaction of the performers can also be indicators of the status of the characters. In contemporary dance the status of the characters can be reflected in the way the move to the music.

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Movement - Movement is key to Physical Theatre. Every movement needs to be rehearsed with precision. The actors need to be in control and understand their bodies to deliver an effective and convincing performance. The fact that the script is either limited or non-existent as in mime means that the movement and expressions of the performer is paramount to a successful audience experience. It is really important for Physical Theatre actors to stay fit both physically and mentally.

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Not moving/Stillness – Immobility can have a very strong effect on the audience. This is particularly true if the stage is full of characters moving and they or even just one of them suddenly stop. Where movement of the performers is key as in physical theatre not moving can help the audience gather their thoughts and absorb what has been going on. It also gives the audience a chance to think why everything has stopped and what might happen next.

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Dance work – The workshops and research have taught me not to be afraid to include dance in my future work. Dance can be a really effective way of establishing characters or meaning. Dance can also bring a light hearted or serious element to the production depending on the dance. A dance between two people could demonstrate romance but if they do not appear to dance well together it could warn the audience that all is not right or as it seems between the two characters.

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Motif – Motifs are the repeated use of a movement pattern which conveys meaning to the audience and reminds them of the central theme of the work. This could be achieved in a number of ways for example repeated gestures or expressions by the performers.

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DV8 Physical Theatre

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Dear Friends,
Lloyd Newson has retired and consequently,DV8 Physical Theatre has come to an end.

We would like to thank our audiences, friends, presenters, co-commissioners and funders (especially Arts Council England), who have supported DV8's work since 1986. Most importantly we would like to acknowledge our remarkable artists, technical teams, administrative staff and Board members; to whom we will forever be indebted.

DV8's award winning films (Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men, Strange Fish, Enter Achilles and The Cost of Living) are now available via Digital Theatre and Digital Theatre Plus.

DV8's Archive materials from the 1980s onwards are available at the Theatre Collection, University of Bristol.

Collage images include photographs by Anthony Crickmay, Mark Douet, Hugo Glendinning, Peter Jay, Jane Joyce, Eleni Leoussi, Oliver Manzi, Gergoe Nagy, Matt Nettheim, Jimmy Pozarik, Kris Rozental, Jiri Volek and Robert Workman.

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DV8 and the work of Lloyd Newson - information on the current productions, tours and films.

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Write them out

Run lines repeatedly with someone

Test yourself

Use a mnemonic device

Learn the cue lines

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How I found Learning lines for 'Pool (no water)'

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How I found Learning lines for 'Pool (no water)'

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I found that running the lines when we were rehearsing for ‘Pool (no water)’ the most helpful and effective for me. We went through the lines we struggled with the most and I was able to get an insight into how the other actors portrayed their characters. This helped me visualise the actual performance. ‘Pool no water’ is a fast paced play which meant it was especially important for us to be fully on top of our lines. I found running the lines the best technique to use because this helped us to understand each other's characters and co-ordinate our stage direction. During the first run, we to listened to the words and this enabled us to absorb the scrip and bring it’s meaning and nuances to life on the stage.

I spent a lot of time practicing my lines at home imagining the other characters and also getting friends to read the lines of the other characters for me.

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The technical rehearsals helped us to ensure that all the technical and design worked together. They also help to confirm that all cues are clear and we could work effectively with the technicians. We also gave and received feedback on our performances. We were able to learn from and improve our final performance as the result.

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Physical Theatre is a type of theatrical performance where physical movement is the primary method of storytelling. This is in contrast to text in a play or music and lyrics in an opera or musical. Also, physical theatre may incorporate other techniques such as mime, gesture and modern dance to create performance pieces. There are many variations as the physical theatre genre covers a broad range of work. According to BBC Bitesize "essentially Physical theatre is anything that puts the human body at the centre of the storytelling process.". The nature of Physical theatre - Physical theatre - GCSE Drama Revision - BBC Bitesize

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At its simplest, you could define Physical theatre as a form of theatre that puts emphasis on movement rather than dialogue. But remember there are a huge number of variations as the genre covers a broad range of work. But essentially Physical theatre is anything that puts the human body at the centre of the storytelling process. As a result it's often abstract in style, using movement in a stylised and representational way. With the expression of ideas choreographed through movement, such performers use very little or no dialogue at all.

DV8 are arguably among the main practitioners of Physical theatre as a 'full' art form. They focus on looking at the dramatic potential that can be unlocked from movement. Their work is often described as existing at a crossroads where dance, sound and drama meet. DV8 are well known for using Physical theatre to explore complex aspects of human relationships and social or cultural issues.

In DV8's production, Can We Talk About This? the director and performers used Physical theatre to express extremely complicated and delicate political and social issues. The main theme of the production looked at multiculturalism , separatism and militant Islam . Words and bodywork were combined to express what's sometimes difficult to put into words alone.

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The nature of Physical theatre - Physical theatre - GCSE Drama Revision - WJEC - BBC Bitesize

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Learn about combining dialogue and physical movement, innovation and techniques such as mime and gesture when discussing Physical theatre for GCSE Drama.

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I describe three characteristics of physical theatre below:

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I describe three characteristics of physical theatre below:

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A frequently used form of audience participation is where the performance seeks to tear down the separation between audience and performers by extending the boundaries of the traditional stage and using the whole space of the theatre as performance space. Another audience participation technique adopted by theatre companies is Bertolt Brecht’s “breaking the fourth wall” technique where performers directly address the audience through movement and/or encouraging audiences to interact with the actors. Both of these techniques are effective because they makes the audience feel part of the action and can help bring the story or message to life. There is a risk that the audience may not react as expected so it is important to rehearse different scenarios when seeking to include audience participation in your production.

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Wikipedia defines devised performance also known as a collective creation as "a method of theatre-making in which the script or (if it is a predominantly physical work) performance score originates from collaborative, often improvisatory work by a performing ensemble". Some physical theatre artists find inspiration from elements of plays or other spoken word performances. Devised performances emphasize and use the power of improvisation and collaboration and often employ text to ignite the action. For example, Frantic Assembly uses features of works by William Shakespeare and others in their productions to help set the scene. I have learnt that it is really important to ensure that you are confident that the devised element adds to the effectiveness of the performance and that the physical work doesn’t just seem random or out of place. You need to keep the audience attention to the message you are seeking to convey and should not allow any devised element to detract from this.

Devised theatre - Wikipedia

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Devised theatre - frequently called collective creation - is a method of theatre-making in which the script or (if it is a predominantly physical work) performance score originates from collaborative, often improvisatory work by a performing ensemble. The ensemble is typically made up of actors, but other categories of theatre practitioner may also be central to this process of generative collaboration, such as visual artists, composers, and choreographers; indeed, in many instances, the contributions of collaborating artists may transcend professional specialization. This process is similar to that of commedia dell'arte and street theatre. It also shares some common principles with improvisational theatre; however, in devising, improvisation is typically confined to the creation process: by the time a devised piece is presented to the public, it usually has a fixed, or partly fixed form. Historically, devised theatre is also strongly aligned with physical theatre, due at least in part to the fact that training in such physical performance forms as commedia, mime, and clown tends to produce an actor-creator with much to contribute to the creation of original work.

Devising methods vary: collaborating groups tend to develop distinct methodologies based upon the backgrounds and talents of their members. Work creation may, for instance, begin with an image, a plot, a theme, a character, historical documents, an entire novel or a single line as a point of departure; a devised work may be text based or entirely physical; it maybe politically engaged, purely aesthetic, a docudrama, a melodrama, a performative ritual, a fairytale; it may follow a linear narrative structure, or emerge from the aesthetics of montage or collage; it may be, indeed, entirely devoid of live performers (see Designers' Theatre). In short, devised theatre exists on a stylistic spectrum as broad as that of theatre generally, and devising methods must vary not only in relation to the group, but in relation to the nature (style, form, content, purpose) of the project.

For this reason, devising methods are often associated with the companies in which they evolved, and devising training for theatre makers is often associated with particular directors and companies: for instance, Viewpoints and Suzuki (the core methods of the SITI company); techniques developed by Jerzy Grotowski; the physical and vocal training of the Gardzienice Center for Theatre Practices in Poland; Lecoq technique. A growing body of writing on devising process has emerged from the practical research of collectives (see for example, The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre, Anne Bogart's The Viewpoints Book, and Jacques Lecoq's The Moving Body: Teaching Creative Theatre), and a number of theatre programs in the US and England have added devising courses, and in some cases, devising programs to their theatre curricula, leading to a widening circulation of devising techniques, and arguably a growing number (and prominence) of devising companies.

Nonetheless, some frequently employed approaches and principles can be identified, especially: use of improvisation; reliance on physically expressive performance styles; a lengthy development process; a period of accrual and excess as a basis for a subsequent period of selection, editing and refining. The creative process may or may not involve a director (often functioning as a facilitator of group creativity at the outset, and an "outside eye" and editor later into the process), as well as a writer or writers working either alongside the creative ensemble in the rehearsal room, or collecting the material generated and turning it into a script subsequently.

The history of collaboratively devised performance is as old as the theatre: we see prototypes of contemporary devising practice in ancient and modern mime, in circus arts and clowning, in commedia dell'arte; some cultural traditions, indeed, have always created performance through predominantly collectivist methods (theatre scholar and performance maker Nia Witherspoon, for instance, has argued that the very term "collective creation," with its implicit dichotomy of self vs. other, is inherently eurocentric).

Theatre historians Kathryn Syssoyeva and Scott Proudfit have argued that the modern, European tradition of collective creation follows rapidly upon the emergence of directing as a profession, and unfolds in three overlapping waves (marked by distinctive processual, aesthetic, and political characteristics): 1900-1945, 1945-1985, and 1985 to the present. Elements of collective devising appear in the work of European directors at least as early as 1905, beginning with early experiments facilitated by such directors and groups as Vsevolod Meyerhold and Evgeny Vakhtangov (Russia), Jacques Copeau and the Copiaus, and Michel Saint-Denis and the Compagnie des Quinze (France), Reduta (Poland), and Erwin Piscator (Germany). The 1930s saw a proliferation of collective creation methods, influenced in part by the rise of the labor movement, and with it, workers' theatre in the US and Europe; World War II and the politics of the Cold War in capitalist states brought a temporary halt to that flowering.

Nonetheless, by the post-war period, a number of theatre practitioners and ensembles, including Bertolt Brecht and the Berliner Ensemble, Judith Malina and The Living Theatre, Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop, Jerzy Grotowski and the Theatre of 13 Rows, and Peter Brook, had begun actively experimenting with collaborative methods that engaged and/or trained performers as actor-creators. The period from '68 and on into the 1970s witnessed an explosion of collective creation practices in the Americas and Europe (East and West); as in the 1930s, this wave of interest in collectivism and collaboration in art was deeply influenced by contemporaneous political developments, such as the rise of the New Left. Among the many companies and theatre artists who contributed to the development of collective devising in the second half of the twentieth century, major European and North American figures include Ariane Mnouchkine and Theatre du Soleil, and Jacques Lecoq in France; Robert Lepage in Quebec; R.G. Davis and the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Joseph Chaikin and the Open Theater, Luiz Valdez and the Teatro Campesino, Ruth Maleczech, Joanne Akalaitis, Lee Breuer and the Mabou Mines; Richard Schechner and the Performance Group; and Elizabeth LeCompte and the Wooster Group in the US; the Gardzienice Center for Theatre Practices in Poland; the Work Center of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards in Italy; the Odin Teatret in Denmark.

The rise of collective creation in theatrical performance between 1900 and the 70s at times paralleled, at times intersected with related developments in modern dance, French mime (beginning with the pioneering work of Suzanne Bing and the Copiaus), performance art and documentary theatre.

Beginning from the mid-1980s, with the emergence of a new generation of ensembles and collectives, and increased dissemination of devising models and training methods through theatre festivals, training workshops, and college courses, a shift occurred, away from the more political drivers fueling much collective creation during the civil rights era, and toward more decidedly aesthetic and economic drivers; this is the period in which such practices come to be more expressly associated with the term "Devising." The many prominent companies currently devising in the US and England include: SITI Company, Mabou Mines, Wooster Group, Pig Iron, The TEAM, Elevator Repair Service, Ghost Road, Double Edge Theatre, The Rude Mechs, The Neo-Futurists, Nature Theatre of Oklahoma, Tectonic Theatre Project, Complicité, Told by an Idiot, Improbable, Frantic Assembly, Shunt, Kneehigh.

Bicat, Tina; Baldwin, Chris (2002). Devised and Collaborative Theatre. Crowood. ISBN 1-86126-524-7.

Britton, John (2013). Encountering Ensemble. Methuen Drama. ISBN 978-1408152003.

Barba, Eugenio and Nicola Savarese (1997). A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415053082

Milling, Jane and Deirdre Hedding (2015). Devising Performance: A Critical History. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1137426772

Oddey, Alison (1994). Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-04900-8.

Radosavljević, Duška (2013). Theatre-Making: Interplay Between Text and Performance in the 21st Century. ISBN 978-0-230-34310-8

Robinson, Davis (2015). A Practical guide to Ensemble Devising. Routledge. ISBN 978-1137461551

Syssoyeva, Kathryn Mederos and Scott Proudfit, Ed. (2013). A History of Collective Creation. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1137331298; Collective Creation in Contemporary Performance. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-331267.

Syssoyeva, Kathryn Mederos and Scott Proudfit, Ed. (2016). Women, Collective Creation and Devised Performance. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-60327-2.

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Devised theatre - frequently called collective creation - is a method of theatre-making in which the script or (if it is a predominantly physical work) performance score originates from collaborative, often improvisatory work by a performing ensemble.

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Physical movement is central to physical theatre. However, the genre also adopts elements from other contemporary performance and theatre disciplines. For example, according to Masterclass.com "Actor and director Steven Berkoff’s practice of “total theatre” incorporates dance pieces, improvisation, and the actors’ physical skills to create innovative productions, while the UK theatre company Complicité incorporates visual art in the form of film projections into their award-winning plays.
" Physical Theatre: 3 Types of Physical Theatre - 2022 - MasterClass

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Mime is the art and practice of using body movements to create reality and is usually performed without the performer speaking or making a noise. The word mime comes from the Greek work mimesis which means to imitate an activity. Mime requires exceptional body control and emphasised dramatic movement. There are many different styles of mime for example silent acting and French classical mime. Mime requires a lot of practice and training because it can be complex and often demands a higher level of communication between the performer and the audience. Both theatrical clowning and mime involve physical movement and highly trained practitioners to deliver them successfully. According to MasterClass.com "Many of physical theatre’s leading proponents studied these disciplines, including Steven Berkoff, who received physical training at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France, and actor Étienne Decroux, who developed a variation on the traditional mime art form called "corporeal mime.”

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Both physical theatre and contemporary dance theatre focus on the idea of storytelling through physical movement. Many physical theatre productions use contemporary dance to enhance the audience experience and create excitement in their productions. Dv8 Physical Theatre is an example of a company that effectively experiments with using contemporary dance as a form of physical theatre.

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Spotify – Secrets - song by Astron

https://open.spotify.com/track/4vKfeLftDJXcbaZyA6ftvZ?si=6yTFUED1Q9W57KRvUAo_rA

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We used this music in our performance until the line “And it was meant. We meant it then. Nothing hidden then.” And after that line, we immediately faded out to no music for dramatic effect. We chose the track because of its ambient sound which helped to create a calm atmosphere for the audience. We did not want music throughout just in case it detracted from our performance in any way.

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Dance, physical theatre, dialogue, soundscapes and music.
Dv8 Physical Theatre has received funding from Arts Council England and the British Council.
Lloyd Newson has led Dv8 Physical Theatre since 1986. Newson's work has had a dynamic impact and influence on contemporary dance and theatre. It is hard to pigeon hole Newson's work because is cuts across dance, text, theatre and film. More recently he has been investigating the relationship between verbatim text and movement as a priority.

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What is Dv8 physical theatre known for ?

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What is Dv8 physical theatre known for ?

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DV8 Physical Theatre's work centres around taking risks, aesthetically and physically. Dv8 as its name suggests is about breaking down the barriers between dance, theatre and personal politics. Its number one aim is to communicate ideas and feelings clearly and in an unpretentious way.

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I liked how Dv8 took risks and broke down the barriers between dance and theatre. This encouraged me to think more deeply about the physical aspects of my performances and to seek to apply what I have learnt in each performance. I am also keen to explore using dance and other physical theatre skills to enhance any characters that I may portray in the future.

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About Gecko — Gecko (geckotheatre.com)

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Gecko is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed physical theatre company, led by Artistic Director Amit Lahav. Founded in 2001, the company has created 7 critically acclaimed shows, 2 Associate Shows and 2 films. Gecko is currently creating their eighth stage production, commissioned by the National Theatre, exploring themes of racism, family, migration, and home.

As an artist-led organisation, we invest a high proportion of revenue in our work, and it is this artistic product that drives all conversations and decisions. The length of creative process and longevity of a production means that work in development carries enormous significance in all aspects of the company. The creation process is incredibly rigorous to ensure the high quality demanded by Gecko; testing, learning, evaluating, and refining throughout. Through experimentation, craft and collaboration, Amit has created an organic process that highlights the power and intangible value of imagination, allowing our diverse freelance team of devising performers, creatives, and technicians to work alongside Amit and to bring their own skills, background, experiences and culture into the creation of our work. This devising process oscillates between intense periods of experimentation, reflection and technical development in and out of the rehearsal studio.

The Gecko identity is based on a deep interest in human beings and their extraordinary and challenging journeys to express feelings and emotions in society. Our work is made by and for people from a multitude of cultures in an attempt to represent everyone, regardless of age, gender and background. We use multiple languages in our work and tell universal stories through movement and emotion, sound, lighting and set design, allowing people from all backgrounds and nationalities to access our work.

Our work is inspired by our audiences and explores and reflects issues relevant to a modern diverse society; we want to speak directly to the individual and for them to engage fully with the content. We want to remove barriers to this engagement for as many people and cultures as possible. We want audiences to experience a unique, high quality theatrical experience.

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Gecko is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed physical theatre company, led by Artistic Director Amit Lahav . Founded in 2001, the company has created 7 critically acclaimed shows, 2 Associate Shows and 2 films. Gecko is currently creating their eighth stage production, commissioned by the National Theatre, exploring themes of racism, family, migration, and home.

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Mime
No words
Award-winning physical theatre company since 2001. Gecko is well known for exploring themes of racism, family, migration, and home. It is artist-led.

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I found the workshops really helpful as they allowed us to understand and practice numerous Physical Theatre skills such as lifting, carrying, building shape and using physical objects and balance. We were able to experiment and bring these skills to our planning, rehearsals and performances. We were also encouraged to explore different skills involving movement such as travelling, jumping and landing.

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The Frantic Method is about the performers' approach to movement. We took a moment back to its simplest truth and built on it from there.

The method entails using basic and simple building blocks so that performers like me are empowered to find and create complex work through a process that is safe, fun and enlightening. We learnt how our bodies tell stories and how to be more physically aware so we can use our bodies to enhance our performances.

"They should think of this movement as liberating, rather than frightening" - Frantic Assembly

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Gecko's style is holistic, meaning that all its parts exist as a whole. There are five main devices which they employ all operating at the same level – choreography, lighting, sound, design and 'performing style' (of each performer). These all have equal responsibility and importance in the way the performers tell the story.

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The chair duet workshop helped me to explore and experiment  with different movements. The idea of 'chair duets' is to build a story through movement and ultimately create a working scene from it. This workshop helped us naturally develop our play by adding meaning to the movement throughout our production.

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The Round by and through workshop helped to put 3 individual movements into one piece to covey a emotion towards the audience.

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Clear the Space - YouTube
This video shows a group of students using the Clear the Space technique.

"I wanted to develop a language that felt accessible and honest. I wanted to share a process that would take people past their perceived limitations." - Scott Graham, Artistic Director of Frantic Assembly

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I learnt that devising your own work, experimenting and finding new ways to move in performance are essential.

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We used the following scenarios as the basis of our workshop and learning:

Childhood bedroom

Cafe

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The Lecoq technique centres on the performers' movement and physicality.  The technique involves using the entire body, balancing the whole space and working as a collective. Synchronising movement with the other actors is key focus and this helps performers to create a natural rhythm. Performers are encouraged to concentrate on the natural tensions within their bodies, to seek to fall into the rhythm of the group and being alert to the space. The theory is that it is possible to free the performer's body to move more freely and instinctively if the technique is employed. The key to the technique is to open yourself up to play which enables the performer to understand what reactions their body naturally possesses. The allows the performer to free up from movements that could be perceived to be clichéd. Performers are encouraged to listen physically and appreciate their connection in the space and work together as an ensemble.

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I liked how Gecko used no words and the whole performance was physical. This emphasised the importance of movement in performance. Their movement appeared stronger and sharper than many performers I have seen which helped them to tell the story and provide meaning. I will keep an open mind to using mime skills in my future performances. I realised how powerful movement without words can be for conveying a narrative, moods and emotions.

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Dramaonlinelibrary.com contains a good synopsis of the polo of 'Pool (no water)' and sets the scene as follows "A famous artist invites her old friends out to her luxurious home and new swimming pool. For one night only, the group is back together, pretending to be bohemian and carefree even though they’re all older now and the rest of them don’t have pools. But a horrific accident puts an end to the nostalgia, and puts their host into a coma."

Drama Online - pool (no water) (dramaonlinelibrary.com)
https://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/playtext-overview?docid=do-9781408167670&tocid=do-9781408167670-div-00000062

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Hypnotic and razor-sharp, pool (no water) tears up the ideals of friendship and art, exposing a deep vein of envy. The lines of the script are not assigned to particular characters or parts, but reveal a seething collective experience of guilt and jealousy. A famous artist invites

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Video I watched to get an idea of physical theatre techniques they used 

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Video I watched to get an idea of physical theatre techniques they used 

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pool (no water) Trailer - YouTube
This Trailer for Pool (no water) provided us with ideas and inspiration for movements we used in our performance.

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About | Frantic Assembly

https://www.franticassembly.co.uk/about

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Can you be terrified and fearless? That is how we started Frantic Assembly. From a reckless leap into the unknown 25 years ago, Frantic Assembly has develo

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Frantic Assembly use movement to represent the characters' relationships with each other.

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The Frantic Method is all about focussing on movement from the basics up. It involves a series of tasks, each broken down into building blocks. This is designed to establish progress in the movements used by performers from the simplest discoveries. Performers are encouraged to take a moment back to its simplest form and build from there.

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I admired the way that Frantic assembly exaggerated their movement so the audience had a clear understanding of the relationships of the different characters. They also worked well together as a collective ensemble.

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In our production ‘Pool (no water)’ we used minimal set and relied on the versatility and skill of us as performers to create atmoshpere. The only props we used were chairs. As this was a Physical Theatre production the audience experience is strongly influenced by expressions so our acting style was heightened and is very physical. We used mime and physical movement as well as strong dialogue and scripting. We considered using some images but we didn't in the end because we felt that they detracted from our performance. The lighting and set were simple for the same reasons.

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Christina Care explains in this website article that "Lecoq himself believed in the importance of freedom and creativity from his students, giving an actor the confidence to creatively express themselves, rather than being bogged down by stringent rules.".

Acting Techniques: Lecoq with Sam Hardie (spotlight.com)
https://www.spotlight.com/news-and-advice/tips-and-advice/acting-techniques-lecoq-with-sam-hardie/

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Starting out with Lecoq as an actor
By Christina Care
One of the great techniques for actors, Jacques Lecoq's method focuses on physicality and movement. Lecoq himself believed in the importance of freedom and creativity from his students, giving an actor the confidence to creatively express themselves, rather than being bogged down by stringent rules.

With notable students including Isla Fisher, Sacha Baron Cohen, Geoffrey Rush, Steven Berkoff and Yasmina Reza, it's a technique that can help inspire your next devised work, or serve as a starting point for getting into a role. While there's no strict 'method' to doing Lecoq correctly, he did have a few ideas about how to loosen the body in order to facilitate more play! Sam Hardie offered members a workshop during this November's Open House to explore Lecoq techniques and use them as a starting point for devising new work.

Using body tension, tempo and rhythm

Lecoq is about engaging the whole body, balancing the entire space and working as a collective with your fellow actors.

Warm ups include walking through a space as an ensemble, learning to instinctively stop and start movements together and responding with equal and opposite actions.

Moving in sync with a group of other performers will lead into a natural rhythm, and Sam emphasised the need to show care for each other and the space you're inhabiting. By focusing on the natural tensions within your body, falling into the rhythm of the ensemble and paying attention to the space, you can free the body to move more freely and instinctively - it's all about opening yourself up to play, to see what reactions your body naturally have, freeing up from movements that might seem cliché or habitual.

Energising the space

In the workshop, Sam focused on ways to energise the space - considering shape and colour in the way we physically respond to space around us. "The objects can do a lot for us," she reminded, highlighting the fact that a huge budget may not be necessary for carrying off a new work.

Keeping details like texture or light quality in mind when responding to an imagined space will affect movement, allowing one actor to convey quite a lot just by moving through a space. By owning the space as a group, the interactions between actors is also freed up to enable much more natural reactions and responses between performers.

Trying not to self-police

Allow opportunities to react and respond to the elements around you to drive movement. The body makes natural shapes - especially in groups, where three people form a triangle, four people a square, and five or more a circle. Moving beyond habitual response into play and free movement, highlighting imagination and creativity, is where Lecoq gets the most interesting and helpful, particularly when it comes to devising new work. Freeing yourself from 'right' and 'wrong' is essential:

By relieving yourself of the inner critic and simply moving in a rhythmic way, ideas around 'right' or 'wrong' movements can fade into the background. Naturalism, creativity and play become the most important factors, inspiring individual and group creativity!
Thank you to Sam Hardie for running our Open House session on Lecoq. While there's a lot more detail on this technique to explore, we hope this gives you a starting point to go and discover more...See more advice for creating new work, or check out more from our Open House.

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Acting Techniques: Lecoq with Sam Hardie

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By Christina Care One of the great techniques for actors, Jacques Lecoq's method focuses on physicality and movement. Lecoq himself believed in the importance of freedom and creativity from his students, giving an actor the confidence to creatively express themselves, rather than being bogged down by stringent rules.

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I watched this YouTube video of a year 11 performance to get ideas for our our production.

Pool (No Water) - MFG Creative Arts Evening - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIgZvczfd6I

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Pool (No Water) - MFG Creative Arts Evening