*The white drapes were placed at a slightly wider angle than what I had imagined as I wanted the drapes to closely fit around the grass and the performance space to enhance the idea that the performance is based on memories (an interior world).  However, I preferred the slightly wider angle we created in comparison to the sharp diagonal that could also have been created.  This was to work around the rigging and width of the drapes as a lot of them weren’t very wide, so couldn’t reach as far across as I thought.  Being on such a sharp angle would have affected the way the lights projected into the space and would have been hard for the audience to see in terms of sight lines in relation to the way the audience were positioned in the space.

Nicholls, N. (2014) Creation of My Set.

Nicholls, N. (2014) Creation of My Set.

*The projection of ‘the place in which I was performing/playing as a child’ was smaller and positioned higher up on the drapes, but this was to accommodate lighting and to prevent shadows appearing from the light of the projector.  Maybe if it was performed in a more compact space, I could have had the projection a little bigger, to the floor for example, because my initial intention was to have it blending in with the grass on the stage to blur and connect the reality of the live performance with the ‘frozen in time’ world of the picture.  With a large projection I could also have thought about potentially using floor lighting to evade any problems with clashing light…

*I originally wanted the fairy lights, which were strung down the sides of the projection, to be hung from the rigging.  However, I didn’t have enough and so not only would they have looked lost, but they would also have proved problematic in terms of the position of the other lights that were needed throughout the performance and again, may have clashed with the light emanating from the projector.  I feel that they worked better down the sides of the drapes, I just feel I could have placed more down the sides of all the other drapes to create more light that I felt was needed toward the end of the show, especially as at this point, the fairy lights were my only source of lighting.

*The lights in the rigging were made up of 6 fresnel’s and a spotlight.  2 were pink, 2 were blue and 2 were orange.  What I particularly liked about the lighting was that, for each colour, there was a lighter and a darker shade so that in the space it created a softer effect in the centre, getting darker towards the edges so it wasn’t too harsh against the other colours of the grass, the stones and the water, complimenting each other rather nicely.  In terms of the heart gobo effect, which my friend very kindly made for me especially for my show, it was larger than I had imagined but I liked the effect it created.  It looked as if it was spilling out of the water and so when I created the heart shape with my hands it was like I was bringing the heart to life, enhanced by the red glow that was cast onto my hands simultaneously.

*The programming of the lights and sound, in comparison to creating the set, was nice and simple!

How it all started…

An image that came to mind – a green field, flowers, a girl in a white dress, the countryside.

Led to…

Bearing this in mind, I was able to draw out useful performative elements – bringing the outside inside, ethereality, a performance that is fun and peaceful.

Led to…

A child playing in the field – the memories and experiences of childhood.

Led to…

A performance that is sensory and stimulates a feeling or an emotion prescribed to a particular object.  E.g. a rose= love.  My monologue was episodic in structure, based around the hide and seek framing device to allow the memories to filter in to disrupt my game and which followed the pattern as to the way we think, written almost as a stream of consciousness and in the way I remember my experiences.

Led to…

The telling of that experience as a story – blurring the boundary for the audience as to whether they believe the piece is autobiographical or not.  Predominantly, it is, but I’ve developed the performance material in a way that, despite that fact that I refer to the stories in the first person, they are relatable, an experience that the majority of the audience will have also experienced (or something similar) in their own lives.

Led to…

Lots of colours – bright – a wonderland, stepping onto the border between reality and fantasy – making the ordinary, extraordinary! The lighting highlighted when there was a change in state, with the pink and blue representative of two particular memories, the orange serving as the basis throughout the performance (a sunny day) the near blackout at the end (with the only light at the end coming from the fairy lights) representing end of day and the fact that she is waking up from her own imagination, has ‘found herself’ in the process and has been on her journey of discovery.

Led to…

The set – fully embodying the idea of the ‘theatrical’, very decorative.  Something artificial versus something that’s real – the combination of both in my performance, with the grass now being fake and the gravel being real, almost strengthens the idea that she is using her imagination, solely from what she is surrounded by, to create these tales of fantasy.

The crunch of the gravel beneath my feet in the dark…a sense of isolation and being alone…

Staring into “the water’s reflection” (Nicholls, 2014) making me aware of my sense of self…

Led to…

Props – I think the hardest thing for me throughout this process has been in achieving the image that I initially imagined.  My work in progress forced me to acknowledge this realisation.  In all honesty, I feel a little disappointed that I’m no longer using real lawn but for me, it were the practicalities in getting and maintaining the lawn that were proving to be difficult.  However, there is a beauty that lies in the idea that I can play with the resources I have to make them appear as if they are something more than they are, relating to the concept and the basis of my show.  In accepting that there is an alternative if Plan A doesn’t always go to plan.  Before show day, the only prop left to now purchase will be a small bouquet of roses, but I will get those the day before the show so they are nice and fresh for the performance, slightly easier and less risky than buying 3 or 4 rolls of fresh turf the day before!

Led to…

Music – The song playing as the audience enter is called “Shine Your Way’ by Owl City and Yuna, created for the Dreamworks movie, The Croods.  I thought this song was particularly suited for the start of the show, as both the song and the movie follow the dreams of a young girl for an adventure which parallels the journey of my performance, my finding my way through my various memories and experiences.  The song that marks the end of the show is called “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” by Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana about a girl with a double identity and that, despite the fact that she leads two very different lives, she knows where she’s from.  This mirrors my performance in that, towards the end of the show I express, “all I wanted was my family, my home” (Nicholls, 2014).  Not forgetting of course S Club 7’s “Reach” that features in the show which was not only a song I used to listen to as a child, but at the point in the show in which it plays, aims to show a ‘seizing of the moment’, a journey into an unexplored and unknown land.  The happiness in these three songs contrasts against “Goodbye” by Avril Lavigne.  I use the first minute of this song underneath speech, in which the lyrics present the feelings felt from a break up, supporting the story that I am simultaneously telling to the audience.  It also represents how a particular moment can remind us of something else, the breaking of the rose signifying the remembrance of this song and its lyrics and the poignancy of their meaning at such a time.

Reference:

Nicholls, N. (2014) My Solo Performance: A Place of Escape. [script] Lincoln: University of Lincoln.

On 04/05/14 I had a rehearsal that was, essentially, a work in progress.  I invited a few friends to come and see my show in the space with a few of the props.  Their feedback was as follows:

*More sincerity and honesty when it comes to performing the child-like self – to give even more the impression that she is lost in her own world – make it obvious when I am playing the younger version of myself and when it’s actually just me.  To make more obvious the game of hide and seek to show that she is dipping in and out of her childhood memories and reflecting on those experiences.  I could use the game of hide and seek to represent the older self playing with my younger siblings, the experiences and memories I dip into portrayed through my younger self.

* Swapping the blue sheet for actual water and use the water a little more.  In terms of aesthetic, the blue sheet wasn’t as effective as I hoped it would be.  I guess this is because, other than the rose that I throw into the ‘water’, I don’t use it at any other time during the performance. I’m thinking, to try to incorporate the water a little more, that I may change a little of the text in the final episode of the monologue in which I can brush my hand in the water rather than give the illusion that I’m inside a tent. This way I can also focus more on the stars that will be presented through the fairy lights strung in the beams above.

*Use a smaller space. Performing it in the space, the props that I did use, didn’t fill the space as much as I hoped and so it looked a little lost.  One of the ways to overcome this would just be to bring in the performance and occupy a tinier space.  This would enhance the idea that everything within her tiny environment is spurring of the memories she has and the performance can then be more intimate.  I’m thinking of having the drapes at angles which frame the edges of the performance, with the audience sitting on a mixture of bean bags and chairs as if they are peering into her world. See picture below. I have also bought another grass carpet and have now purchased some stones as ideally, I don’t want any of the grey floor to be seen.

The main thing is to keep rehearsing to iron out the creases!

The stage layout is almost like a sun…

Nicholls, N. (2014) Stage Layout.

To pull back the drapes to see into the secret garden beyond…

*****

An idea to incorporate the water more – create a love heart in the water using stones.

Nicholls, N. (2014) Heart in Water.

This however, took too long.  I like the idea of creating a heart as it relates directly to the moment as to when I’m talking about my family, but I’m going to need to do something that takes less time.  I need to do something that takes less than 30secs to accommodate the transition of one voiceover into the next and allow myself to ‘go to sleep’, so it is efficient and therefore, more effective.

I have very nearly collected all of the props I need for my performance.  The only one that remains unsolved, as yet, is the lawn.  The problem I’m having at the moment is actually getting hold of some!  I’ve looked in the local B&Q and Homebase and they don’t have any as yet.  I will go back within the next week or so just to see if they’ve brought some out as part of their Spring/Summer stock (maybe I visited the shops too early).  If there is some, my next task will be to check the price (make sure it’s within reason) and then work out when I need to purchase the lawn.  I can’t buy it too early as I don’t want the grass to turn brown before the performance.  Being rolled up however, it might be able to survive if I bought it a week before the show.  I would then have to figure out how I’m going to get the lawn from said shop to my house or straight to the theatre as the lawn is breakable and heavy and I do not drive a car.  This proves problematic as, because the local stores to do not have any, it means I will have to travel further out, but to do so, I would need a car.  The other option would be to buy it the day before in a friend or family member’s car, and take it straight to the studio, but then I risk the store not having any lawn in stock.  Also, looking at Homebase’ website, it informs me that I can only purchase turf in bundles which are very expensive, with prices starting at around £139!

From working through this dilemma, I believe my best option would be to contact the store (wherever that may be in the local area), tell them the purpose of needing the lawn (only need a small amount), pay and arrange for the lawn to be delivered straight to the theatre the day before the show and only roll it out on the day of the show so it will still be fresh.

As a back up plan however, I have purchased an Artificial Grass Carpet for £6.99 at Aldi, so if getting my hands on some real lawn fails, at least I still have grass! :

Aldi (2014) Artificial Grass Carpet.

The other idea that I’ve also been thinking about of late, is what photo to use for the projection.  I’ve only ever thought that it’d be a picture of a field, but what field has sparked many different questions as I want the photo to have a real purpose and significant meaning to the piece.  My first thought was to just have a look on google images but a lot of the photos I found looked photoshopped which is not my desired effect, particularly as I’m focusing so hard on having real grass in the show.  Then I thought about using one of my own photos, one that I have taken, which then spurred me to think about when the photo was taken, possibly using a photo of a field where I would have played as a child.  This would link strongly to my piece as it focuses on the dreams and memories of childhood.  I found the following:

Webster, M. (2012) Old John Tower in Bradgate Park.

What I really like about this image is that there is a tinge of blue sky at the top which will, in the studio, almost blend in with the top of the ceiling to make the last episode of my piece (when I focus on the sky) look as if I am actually lying down in this field.  The point of view also looks as if I could have taken the photo and could have been in the field (which I have visited, just when I was younger and didn’t own a camera!)  Having been to Bradgate Park, it evokes a feeling of remembrance which makes this image more personal and equally makes me feel certain that this is the image I want to use.

There was also the option of this photo as what is striking about this image is the vividness and intensity of the purple of the flowers.

Webster’s Wildshots (2012b) Charnwood Forest.

This would also fit into my show as the first section of my piece deals with a flower and so it would give the idea that the projected backdrop is almost blending into the reality of the field/lawn on which I am sat.  However, what prevented me from choosing this design is the fact that it is not an open space (a sense of freedom and happiness), the trees in this image evoking instead, feelings of  entrapment and danger and could almost have a dark and shadowy element to it that could change the dynamic of my piece which is most definitely not my intention.

References:

Aldi (2014) Artificial Grass Carpet. [online] Available from https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/sunday-27th-april/product-detail/ps/p/artificial-grass-carpet/[Accessed 27 April 2014].

Homebase (2014) Garden Turf and Artificial Grass. [online] Available from http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/garden/turf-and-artificial-grass/classic-fresh-turf—40-rolls-305171 [Accessed 27 April 2014].

Webster, M. (2012a) Old John Tower in Bradgate Park. [online] Leicestersire: Bradgate Park. Available from http://www.awao38.dsl.pipex.com/focf/photos.html [Accessed 26 April 2014].

Webster’s Wildshots (2012b) A Rainy Spring with the Bluebells. [blog entry] 25 May. Leicestershire: Charnwood Forest. Available from http://websterswildshots.com/wordpress/category/natural-history/[Accessed 26 April 2014].

The Younger versus The Older Self.

Fantasy versus Reality.

Throughout my performance process, I’ve been influenced a lot by the use of space and aesthetics used in music videos.  The above video plays with the dreamlike reality/fantasy world that I aim to create in my show, with the flowers and the transitioning from one world to another being of extreme importance in my piece to create and enhance this vision.  In the video this is achieved as it almost follows the journey from childhood to adulthood, with her child-like self breaking through into the adult world, leaving behind her childhood and her dreams (although in my show I hang on to them!)

This is the video to the song Dream by Priscilla Ahn whose lyrics I have taken and incorporated into my performance by reading them rather than singing them.  This will form one of the voiceovers within the piece.

References:

BNLGUSA (2008) Priscilla Ahn – Dream (Official Video) [online video] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKfDwChOoHI [Accessed 7 May 2014].

KatyPerryVEVO (2012) Katy Perry – Wide Awake.  [online video] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0BWlvnBmIE [Accessed 21 April 2014].