When we visited New York we attended a theatre conference called ISTA where
several schools came together to learn about theatre and being a part of an ensemble. We
were split into different ensembles which gave us the opportunity to meet and work with
new people. I was put in Sherry Sutton’s ensemble. I already knew Sherry Sutton because
she had come to our school to teach a workshop for our Theatre class on ‘Isms’ (e.g.
expressionism, symbolism, Dadaism etc.). One of the key things I learned being in
Sherry’s ensemble was physical theatre. The act of having a process and a way to justify
every choice an actor makes when performing in the theatre. This process can be related
to the process of character building in Beauty and the Beast. Specifically for members of
the chorus who don’t necessarily have characters written for them. We have to spend
some time to inquire knowledge in order to build a character on our own.
The purpose of physical theatre is to be able to justify and follow guidelines for every choice a
performer makes in the theatre. As you can see in figure 1, Sherry had a table for us to follow that
presenting guidelines for this process. The function of this table is to go in order from left to right when
developing a character. We were to first choose a Laban movement, then a focus and finally a state of
tension. We did several exercises/activities in our workshops on developing knowledge of this technique.
The categories (Laban, Focus and State of tension) were separated and we learned the specifics of each
separately. After doing this, we were to choose one of each category and create a character. Although
physical theatre seems very limited in terms of options, the limitations of each option are endless. For
example, one could portray the state of tension ‘alert’ in many different ways. It could be portrayed
commedicaly, in fear, in tiredness etc. When physical theatre was first introduced to us, I was very
skeptical because I felt as if I was limited in terms of what I could do for my character. All of a sudden
rules were introduced, which in theatre, were very unfamiliar to me. However, as we began learning
about them, they started to make sense. Character development has become a lot easier with the help of
these guidelines. Sherry Sutton often said that we are no longer at the stage where we can portray a
character and not be able to justify our choices. As IB Theatre students, we have to be able to justify
every choice we make as characters and tasks become more and more complex.
This concept of physical theatre ties into the process we take when developing
characters for the school plays. This process is helpful whilst developing any character.
However, it is especially useful for chorus members who don’t necessarily have ‘named’
characters. As chorus members, it is our job to create our own character that fits in with
what we’re doing. Therefore, the guidelines that Sherry Sutton provided for us, presents
themselves to be a useful tool. Depending on the character we want to be, we choose a
Laban movement and a focus point. Then depending on the scene and the state of tension
of that scene, we apply our character traits to create a well-developed character.
In theatre class we are always told to justify what we do, and with the process of
physical theatre, we are now able to do so. Originally when we were told to justify our
decisions, most of us weren’t sure what to say. Our decisions were made out of instinct
and were often unjustifiable. However, once presented with this table, everything made
sense. We are now able to create characters and make choices that we can justify because
we now know where we are getting our ideas from.
As well as this concept of physical theatre, nothing can really be accomplished
without the help of your ensemble. While learning different aspects of theatre, we were
frequently reminded of the importance of ensemble to allow everything to function
correctly. Sherry Sutton always told us that in order for a scene to work, you have to give
your ensemble members something to work with. She said to never say no to a member
of your ensemble, whether it was in a performance or planning for a performance. Saying
no shuts down any hope of developing a scene of or allowing your group to inquire
further. We don’t have to necessarily agree with everything, however, we can say ‘yes
and’. The ‘and’ is to add something to your ensemble members idea that will, in your
opinion, improve and develop it further. This idea is relevant when considering anything
to do with ensemble work. When on stage performing a scene, if you’re shutting down
everything your ensemble member is giving to you, you are making it very difficult to
create a good/interesting scene. You are not giving you or your partner anything to work
with. If you were to for example, create an argument, or say something other than a
rejection, something interesting may come out of it.
As shown above, the ISTA conference was a very useful and productive
experience. We learned concepts and ideas about theatre that we were able to bring back
and apply to our IB Theatre class. For example, the use of physical theatre has helped us
in terms of character development and has given us insight as to what Mr. Warren is
talking about when he questions and tells us to explain further/justify our ideas. This is
not only relevant for class activities, but also for the school plays and chorus roles. We
also learned that the ensemble is the key to making any process/form of theatre function
properly. We have to be open and give our ensemble members something to work with.
By rejecting everything our ensemble members give us, we are turning away any
opportunity to create an interesting scene/process. Hopefully, these techniques will help
us receive better results whilst performing and being graded in the IB.
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