Convener: Peter Cant
Participants: MARK TREZONA, DANIEL COPELAND, SHARON SEAGER, GREG WHEAD, Allen O'Leary, Griet Sponhove, Kate Woolmer, Catriona James, Martyn Duffy
Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:
A walk in Plymouth
Walk through mindnight until noon
6 km ramble – noticing what you noticed. Coridoors and light
To make a performance that encapsulates the city at night – a sense of all those lives, machine noise, invisibility.
It sounds like poetry
MARINA AMBROMOVICH made a piece in 80s / 90s started with her lover one at each end of the GREAT WALL OF CHINA and walked to meet in the middle
By the time they met their relationship had gone kaput they knew they had to end it
The walkl in Plymouth mapped the China Wall onto Plymouth by a scale of??? 600:?
Guides took us on the route.
Road signs are pointless when there’s no traffic.
With all that stage lighting from the streetlamps.
The experience of the city through the sounds but also continuing the history and building on that
Start and then have others add experience. Collective memory.
Trusting the city sound
Sound like smell
Short circuits language/ words
Give people time to create their own emotions
An invitation to stop and stare. To wait.
The intense theatricality of contrasting space with sounds that don’t belong there.
The lady who records dolphins above and below water
Beating the bounds – They go around the boundary of the parish, to honour boundaries, to repeat
Time being defined by distance. Something primal.
Ramblers vs performance.
Walks: The London loop
It doesn’t have to be time bound?
Do it on separate tracks?
JUXTAPOSITION
One track at a time, a collection of pieces, that can start at any point, forming a symphony.
A character. A lost soul. Who could be our guide.
Sounds and smell circumvent our response to words.
If you use words to make suggestions you need to allow space. As you make a trail you leave something – people should make non verbal contributions.
Will you look at a map?
How people could contribute sounds during the wwalk. Not necessarily words? And that could be added for the next opnes.
Messages left by opther walkers / participants. Leave messages in chalk on the pavement.
Graffiti Tags. An hourglass symbol
A hermit
The hermit
Moments in which you could confront the city with fresh eyes.
To re-engage Stop and hear and see the layers on layers on layers.
Moments to STOP
But how do you bookend these moments of silence?
They liked the connection with the real wold. The car playing music ‘just for me’
Break walls. You think its ion your head?
Which takes it away from being… ??
Just the experience of walking that walk is RICH
Don’t load it up so full. Don’t cram it.
From the moment it starts, thoughts and imagionation get stirred up.
Breathing in moments. Allow them to land for us.
By looking at a square
Hearing of the events that happened elsewhere, in Yugoslavia, a square in Goldsmiths became that other square. I could see a grey empty square but I was described a student setting himself on fire.
THE EGG TIMER ON THE BENCH. Some minutes just to listen
The group ended with everyone listening to the sounds.
Everyone was so generous helping us with our project, listening, responding, nodding, thinking the thoughts in real time.
Thank you so much
Ps. Beware of the lady who told us she’s recording your conversations on the tube. She will make an entire theatre piece about you and you will end up sending her your pants in the mail
Showing posts with label form. Show all posts
Showing posts with label form. Show all posts
Friday, 5 February 2010
Thursday, 4 February 2010
054 Live Music In Theatre
Convener: Beccy Owen
Participants: Mary O’connor, Annie Rigby, Loren O’Dair, Sandra Yee, Laoise Davidson, Natalie Queril, Anne O’Brien, Sara Perka, Rob Dixon,
Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:
I’m a singer/songwriter/composer/poet based in the North east and I’m currently developing a solo theatre piece that will incorporate music. Having not inhabited the ‘theatre world’ as much as the regional/national music scene, I wanted a conversation about Live Music in Theatre in general, to explore various issues and to be given recommendations for innovative and exciting theatre that’s already happening.
If anyone wants to get in touch with any ideas, reflections or to work together, please email fairysnuff at gmail.com. My website is www.beccyowen.com
Summary:
Parallel between accompanying silent film – music/musician becomes another voice or character.
Working with actors and song – can be barriers to singing, even in trained actors. Whole generation of people who culturally, and largely via education system, grew to believe that singing was a specialism occupied by the few, not accessible to all. This is shifting now, but still work to be done.
What is the underlying fear for people? Being revealed, fear of unknown/failure. People tend to ‘get in the way’ of themselves – singing is about getting out of the way. About letting go and not holding on
Audiences who go see opera already made leap and have expectation re: music’s involvement in the piece.
Naturalism – not so overt. Can be more unstable.
Back to film parallels and the role of soundtracks. One rule – if don’t’ notice the music, job done. Another way – music integral to the meaning and interpretation i.e. ‘There Will Be Blood’ – first 15 mins no speaking, music continues to penetrate and permeate throughout. Facebook group ‘I judge a film by it’s soundtrack’
Very exciting when respect between two crafts – music and acting – apparent.
Questions that arose:
• How conscious do you want the music to be?
• How visible/present are the musicians?
• Tendency to directors to feel they have to be ‘musicians’ to have a voice? Explored idea that all can find a vocabulary, and that characterization may help in terms of asking what you want i.e. from actors who are going to sing ‘what voice will serve the piece, how can actors be helped to find this voice?’ go back to character, research musical styles/heritage.
• Songs enhancing the action or integral to moving it?
• When making theatre, how often break into song in the piece? Judge by what the song is serving. Is it a play with songs or a musical?
• Working to a formulae i.e. in ‘musical’ or subverting/outside - Brecht – anti music. Punk approach, Shockheaded Peter, Sweeny Todd
• How inject feeling of a gig, that kind of rousing, undulating energy, into theatre piece?
• How resist the formula when writing musical(s)/musical theatre? Rehearsal room can support = leaving space for musicians to be part of exploration/devising.
• Using audience participation to create live music – possibility for wildness. What do you allow in? Very interesting question
Conclusions/recommendations:
Music synthesised with action in inspiring, surprising or interesting ways:
Porgy and Bess
Spring Awakening
Lorca’s 13 songs (various versions cited – some effective, some less so)
Tom Bancroft Kidsamonium’ – Wildness that is permitted. Improvising to movement. ‘
The Lost Voice (South Bank)– female beatboxing, live sound effects. Vibrations used.
Marvin Hamnish – Cabaret show. Made songs from lines from the audience.
Trevor Griffiths ‘A New World’, about Tom Payne
Cinderella (few years ago) Hammersmith – Norwegian Ice Musician. On stage but separate from action. Interval was the ball – musician became purely for audience
Mask of the Red Death – Cabaret bar in middle. Audience members of the cast. Areas of building different bands in. Segued into gig at end. Seamlessness between situations.
1,000 Revolutions Per Moment – KX. 24th April. Segues gig at end.
Knee High – had a phase of making exciting synthesised theatre. Playing with losing control. Musician as renegade. i.e. Cymbeline at Northern Stage, musician’s played on roof of building.
Chumbawumba – wanted to be part of company. Red Ladder theatre.
The Worcester Group
Romeo and Juliet – Mercury – Dirty Street Tango Orchestra. Dir. Ed Hughes. Opening 3 weeks time.
Orchestra del Sol – very versatile mobile or static. Pieces have theatrical stories in them.
8th Feb – meeting of panel of musical directors, organised by Musical Theatre Matters. Held in The Stag, Victoria. Role, trends, what’s happening.
Participants: Mary O’connor, Annie Rigby, Loren O’Dair, Sandra Yee, Laoise Davidson, Natalie Queril, Anne O’Brien, Sara Perka, Rob Dixon,
Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:
I’m a singer/songwriter/composer/poet based in the North east and I’m currently developing a solo theatre piece that will incorporate music. Having not inhabited the ‘theatre world’ as much as the regional/national music scene, I wanted a conversation about Live Music in Theatre in general, to explore various issues and to be given recommendations for innovative and exciting theatre that’s already happening.
If anyone wants to get in touch with any ideas, reflections or to work together, please email fairysnuff at gmail.com. My website is www.beccyowen.com
Summary:
Parallel between accompanying silent film – music/musician becomes another voice or character.
Working with actors and song – can be barriers to singing, even in trained actors. Whole generation of people who culturally, and largely via education system, grew to believe that singing was a specialism occupied by the few, not accessible to all. This is shifting now, but still work to be done.
What is the underlying fear for people? Being revealed, fear of unknown/failure. People tend to ‘get in the way’ of themselves – singing is about getting out of the way. About letting go and not holding on
Audiences who go see opera already made leap and have expectation re: music’s involvement in the piece.
Naturalism – not so overt. Can be more unstable.
Back to film parallels and the role of soundtracks. One rule – if don’t’ notice the music, job done. Another way – music integral to the meaning and interpretation i.e. ‘There Will Be Blood’ – first 15 mins no speaking, music continues to penetrate and permeate throughout. Facebook group ‘I judge a film by it’s soundtrack’
Very exciting when respect between two crafts – music and acting – apparent.
Questions that arose:
• How conscious do you want the music to be?
• How visible/present are the musicians?
• Tendency to directors to feel they have to be ‘musicians’ to have a voice? Explored idea that all can find a vocabulary, and that characterization may help in terms of asking what you want i.e. from actors who are going to sing ‘what voice will serve the piece, how can actors be helped to find this voice?’ go back to character, research musical styles/heritage.
• Songs enhancing the action or integral to moving it?
• When making theatre, how often break into song in the piece? Judge by what the song is serving. Is it a play with songs or a musical?
• Working to a formulae i.e. in ‘musical’ or subverting/outside - Brecht – anti music. Punk approach, Shockheaded Peter, Sweeny Todd
• How inject feeling of a gig, that kind of rousing, undulating energy, into theatre piece?
• How resist the formula when writing musical(s)/musical theatre? Rehearsal room can support = leaving space for musicians to be part of exploration/devising.
• Using audience participation to create live music – possibility for wildness. What do you allow in? Very interesting question
Conclusions/recommendations:
Music synthesised with action in inspiring, surprising or interesting ways:
Porgy and Bess
Spring Awakening
Lorca’s 13 songs (various versions cited – some effective, some less so)
Tom Bancroft Kidsamonium’ – Wildness that is permitted. Improvising to movement. ‘
The Lost Voice (South Bank)– female beatboxing, live sound effects. Vibrations used.
Marvin Hamnish – Cabaret show. Made songs from lines from the audience.
Trevor Griffiths ‘A New World’, about Tom Payne
Cinderella (few years ago) Hammersmith – Norwegian Ice Musician. On stage but separate from action. Interval was the ball – musician became purely for audience
Mask of the Red Death – Cabaret bar in middle. Audience members of the cast. Areas of building different bands in. Segued into gig at end. Seamlessness between situations.
1,000 Revolutions Per Moment – KX. 24th April. Segues gig at end.
Knee High – had a phase of making exciting synthesised theatre. Playing with losing control. Musician as renegade. i.e. Cymbeline at Northern Stage, musician’s played on roof of building.
Chumbawumba – wanted to be part of company. Red Ladder theatre.
The Worcester Group
Romeo and Juliet – Mercury – Dirty Street Tango Orchestra. Dir. Ed Hughes. Opening 3 weeks time.
Orchestra del Sol – very versatile mobile or static. Pieces have theatrical stories in them.
8th Feb – meeting of panel of musical directors, organised by Musical Theatre Matters. Held in The Stag, Victoria. Role, trends, what’s happening.
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