What is Performance?

What is the 'Point'

This blog was created so that i could explore, analysis and learn about different performances. 

Throughout my blog i have learned that most types of performances can be classified as a performance. However i no longer believe that the question is "What is performance" as that is a very broad question to ask. However to simplify and more confidently justify that question you need to rather ask "why isn't it a performance".

What could a performance include for it to be classed as a performance?

- A story/message to tell

- Actors

- Something that people can relate to

- A target destination

So in retrospect a performance is a way to communicate and bring together a community or even different cultures. A performance makes you feel something/ want something/ aspire to be/do something. A performance makes an impact no matter how small or big, it allows people to choose the path they want and shows different situations that can be related to. 

An analysis of the performances was necessary for my blog as it allowed me to further develop my thinking for each of the performances i saw or researched. An analysis allows you to see where the performances come on the performance scale between post dramatic and dramatic being the basics of the scale. It then allows you to further depict whether a performance has a purpose. 

Learning about different performances can lead to ideas being created for future work and gives an aspiring actor something to work towards. Learning about different pieces of work can open your mind to so many new techniques and give you the means to do something better then already has been done. 

So what I'm trying to say is that all of these simply ideas and notions come from a performance. A performance is a thought provoker. It gives people hope, dreams, ideas, inspirations. A performance isn't just something that you just see once. It is something that stays with you even when you don't think about it. Your later actions may happen because you have been influenced or provoked to do something different. 

What is performance? A question posed but never truly answered. 

Bibliography

Bibliography

- Desagazan. O, 2015. Transfiguration. [online] Available at: <http://www.olivierdesagazan.com/performancetransfiguraiton> [Accessed 11 October 2016]

- D.T, 2014. Alice in Wonderland. [online] Available at: <http://www.derbytheatre.co.uk/alice-wonderland> [Accessed 20 December 2016]

- Weeks.T, 2016. Curve theatre/Shakespeare, his wife and the dog. [online] Available at: <http://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/shakespeare-his-wife-and-his-dog/> [Accessed 11 October 2016]

- Kirby.M, 1972. On Acting and Not-Acting. [pdf] The MIT Press. Available at: <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1144724> [Accessed 11 October 2016]

- Editors. 2016. H.P. Lovecraft Biography. [online] Available at: <http://biography.com/people/hp-lovecraft-40102#synopsis> [Accessed 4 January]

- Norris.B, 2014. The hitchhikers guide to the family. [online] Available at: <http://thehitchhikersguidetothefamily.com/about/> [Accessed 17 October 2016]

- Price.J, 2015. Joe Price lighting. [online] Available at: <http://www.joepricelighting.co.uk/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-family> [Accessed 17 October 2016]

- Hall.J. and Productions, H, 2016. It's growing on me 2008. [online] Available at: <http://www.hetainpatel.com/projects/its-growing-on-me-2008-2/> [Accessed 7 December 2016]

- Hall.J. and Production, H, 2017. Letter to Peter Parker 2015. [online] Available at: <http://www.hetainpatel.com/projects/letter-to-peter-parker-2015/> [Accessed 7 December 2016]

- Independent, 2010. Ursula Martinez: Naked ambition. The Independent, [online] Available at: <http://www.independent.co.uk/ursula-martinez-naked-ambition-1879678.html> [Accessed 3 January 2017]

- K,D. 1998. Loveraft quotations. [online] Available at: <http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/quotes.aspx> [Accessed 4 January]

- Mvaneijgen. 2015. Jakop Ahlbom. [online] available at: <http://jakopahlbom.nl/jakop-ahlbom/?lang=en> [Accessed 4 January]

- Merlin,B (2007) The complete Stanislavsky Toolkit, London: Nick Hern Books Limited

- Martinez,U. 2014. Performance artist. [online] Available at: <http://www.ursulamartinez.com/index.html> [Accessed 3 January 2017]

- Route 202. 2016. Route 202. [online] Available at: <http://www.facebook.com/TheRoute202/?fref=ts> [Accessed 3 January]

- Sprinkler,A. 2003. A public cervix Announcement. [online] Available at: <http://anniesprinkle.org/a-public-cervix-anouncement/> [Accessed 3 January 2017]

- Willian,J, and Profile,V. 2011. Devising 2 Logbook 1:Forced entertainment. [online] Available at: <http://joshuawilliamsdevising2logbook.blogspot.co.uk> [Accessed 14 November 2016]

Rehearsals

Warm up Exercises

The key to a successful and productive rehearsal is to conduct warm ups that engage the performers and get them focused and ready for a day of hard work in rehearsals. 

I found that if we started a rehearsal for 'The sound of heavy rain' with a warm up the class was more productive than if we didn't do one because we were then ready and prepared to do the work and put the effort into the rehearsals. 

For a vocal warm up we do:

Kumala

Kumala is derived from an ancient native African song  and also a popular campfire song and has been used as a vocal warm up since. 

Lyrics are:

Fe, 

Fe Fi, 

Vista,

Kumala Kumala Kumala Vista,  

ohohohohoh la Vista,

Eni minie deca-inie you are the one a minie,

Yip diddly dotum dotum dodo serotum dotum.

We start in a circle a steadily clap. The lecturer sings each line to us and then we repeat it. This continues throughout the song. Each time we repeat the song we clap faster, increasing the pace of which the song is sung. On the third time that the song is repeated the speed is considerably faster than the first time, therefore we work harder to make sure our diction is still clear and that we are still loud enough. Variations of the song can be found on youtube and all over the internet. You can also change the way you keep in time and also add dynamics to the song to further warm up the vocals. 

This is a fun and effective warm up that is definitely a class favourite. 

Cat and Mouse

Cat and Mouse game is also a class favourite and gets the body warmed up as it is a physical game. When everyone i still tired and have no energy the moment we play this game people wake up and are fully engaged and get into the groove of being energetic. 

The game is simple, there are two people that start of as the cat and the mouse. The rest of the group get into pairs and link arms in different spaces in the rehearsal space. 

Once the game has started the mouse must run away from the cat and avoid getting caught, if the mouse is caught then the roles of cat and mouse swap. (the mouse becomes the cat and cat becomes mouse) To avoid getting caught the mouse can link arms with a pair, then the person on the other side of the pair then becomes the mouse and so on and so forth. 

This game seems complex but once played a few times its very quick and easy to follow. It involves running around and thinking strategically. Health and safety is a big thing with this game so always check surroundings. 

Classic warm up game that is very effective with teenagers.

Stretches

Of course in rehearsals we attempt different movements and are often experimenting with our bodies in many ways therefore if attempting dance choreography especially, stretching is an important part of the warm up process and should never be skipped out as injuries can occur if the correct stretches aren't practised beforehand. 

At least 15 minutes of stretching after a rehearsal is also good practice as it reduces the risk of having muscle pain after a hard days rehearsing. 

 

Voir

Voir 

'Voir' is a live art performance created by third year university students in which i had the opportunity to be involved with. 

The performance was based on different types of victims and how situations like the following occur  everyday.

- Domestic Violence

- Sexual Abuse

- Paedophilia  

- Public Humiliation

- Exploitation

The performance was a type of social experiment to see how people reacted to the different situations that were being shown. 7 audience members were allowed to view the entire installation and each of the situations were in small confined spaces and were covered in blackout curtain with a small peep hole on one side so that only one audience member could view the different section at a time. 

The audience members also have a partially naked usher to guide them around the individual instillations, placing added pressure onto the members of the audience to further see how they would react to the different situations. 

Putting blackout material onto the individual pods

The stripped individual installation pods

The reasoning behind the performance was to make people aware of what they see around them. It was also to send the message that 'if you see something, say something'. The simple message and simple idea of this performance made a large impact on the audience as it was also performed in complete silence and with dark lighting to create a calm atmosphere. 

The performance was executed well and was overall a poignant performance that left viewers speechless. The performance type was a combination of media  and live performance. The performance wasn't 'acting' as such but it was more the movement and idea of a character. making the performance more realistic to life and in some cases maybe relatable. 

The thing that attracted me most about this performance was the idea of making the audience feel uncomfortable and think about what they would do if they saw these situations in real life. It was great to be apart of and also opened my mind up to what other types of performances there are and how a simple idea could make the most impact and create a powerful message. 

"Nothing is hidden if you look close enough"

A final message from the Route 202 company

Solo Artist 4

Jakop Ahlbom

Jakop Ahlbom is a swedish performer and specialises in horror theatre. He graduated in 1998 and was  recognised for his great talent at choreographing and poetry.  

Jakop Ahlbom

'Jakop Ahlbom's work revolves around people's often strained relationship with themselves and the world around them'. (Ahlbom, 2015) Ahlbom's work meant that it could be related to the audience and therefore attracted audience members from around the world. The genre of his work suggests that he incorporates the internal frustrations that people have with themselves and he has the ability to portray these feelings well through the genre of Horror. 'They cross boundaries of the everyday and step, willingly or unconsciously, into a world in a world that eludes all conventions as we know them.'  (Ahlbom, 2015)  Ahlbom is seen to vastly explore the obstacles that naturally exist and he experiments with the individual boundaries that people face everyday. His work combines the natural and un-natural world to create a 'dreamlike reality' (Ahlbom, 2015)

                  'Horror'

Ahlbom was very much into his horror films in his younger years and was fascinated by the special effects and the suspense that horrors create. He was inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft who said 'The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear. And the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.' (Lovecraft, 1925) Therefore the basis that Ahlbom created the performance 'Horror' was 'How should you deal with a traumatic past? Should you face up to it so you can get on with your life? and how does a victim deal with a sense of guilt?' (Ahlbom, 2014)

The performance has a sense of "How do you put the past behind you when it, in a way, is a big part of yourself?" This piece makes you think about what you should take with you into the future, and it also explores how the past can haunt you both mentally and physically. 

Ahlbom wanted to create the same special effects used in cinematic horror and recreate it on the stage in-front of live audiences, this in its self is a great challenge but Ahlbom wanted to achieve an equally scary and thrilling experience for the audience as they do watching a screen horror. 

Ahlbom was greatly fascinated by the different aspects of horror, this includes that slap stick and the surreal imagery. Therefore, when watching these types of performances by Ahlbom they contains black humour to add more depth and to create a different and unique sense of horror. 

Ahlbom creates performances that relate to audiences like many other artists and performers that are spoken about everyday. Meaning that many of the relatable performances we see today are proper performances and can be classed as so. 

Solo Artist 3

Ursula Martinez

Ursula Martinez is based in London and is  a Writer, Performer and also is a cult cabaret diva.

She is considered as a post modernist performance and is very much a performer associated with experimental theatre. She has worked with companies such as Forcer Entertainment and glee club with whom she developed her skills with. 

As she got older she progressed further and began performing as a solo performer. She performed in London clubs and cabarets , through this she became popular and quickly made a name for herself. 

Ursula Martinez is known best for her performance of

'Hanky Panky' 

' One of the most inventive striptease routines ever devised' - The Daily Telegraph

Hanky Panky is a one woman show performance involving a small red handkerchief and herself dressed in a business suit. 

It is a 5 minute performance choreographed magic show, each time the handkerchief disappears Martinez removes an item of clothing slowing undressing throughout the performance until she is fully naked. Finally the finished performance ends with her taking the handkerchief out from her female sex organ as a show stopping finish. 

Martinez has travelled the world with this performance including Hong kong, Madrid, Sydney and Budapest. She has also made special appearances at Tate modern and also at Stage parties. 

A Family Outing 

A Family outing involved Martinez and her parents. The performance was a type of game show and saw her posing questions to her parents about real family life. Questions included her asking them about what they thought of her being a lesbian. The show was comedic and well presented and also highlighted what a true relationship is like, it was pure and straight to the point. 

' The result was achingly funny, but more remarkable still, Martinez managed to slip in profound questions about family relationships and the nature of theatre among the hilarity.' - The Independent

Martinez performs because she has an ambition. She wants people to see the truth and what different relationships are like. It means that she opens up to the audience and lets them in by putting herself on stage naked, meaning that nothing is hidden from the audience. She herself is the performer and doesn't need anything else to keep the audience engaged. She is a performer and an artist. 

Solo Artist 2

Annie Sprinkle

'I'm an artist, sexologist, ecosexual, author, lecturer, educator and thespian.' (Sprinkle.A, 2002)

Annie Sprinkle used to be a sex worker in NYC and was involved in the business for 20 years until she discovered performing along side sex and she strived to make sex beautiful. She is also the first porn star to earn a Ph.D and her work is studied at high end universities internationally. 

Annie Sprinkle went through three stages of her life under different names. Her original name was Ellen Steinberg.  She believed that 'Ellen' was 'Excruciatingly shy, afraid of men and sex, boring and is a nobody' This persona of Annie was Annie in her younger days before she became a sex worker.

Annie felt that during her younger years she was very much a recluse and that any part of the sexual world she would stay away from it. However when she turned 18 she became sexually aware and began to grow with curiosity. She began working as a popcorn seller at a theatre in NYC until she was witness for the prosecution of an obscenity trial. She then worked in a massage salon for two months where she discovered that she was in the early stages of the prostitution business before it was taken to the streets. This was when Annie began to find her way to being a successful sexologist and artist.

A Public Cervix Announcement

A public Cervix Announcement was when Annie decided that everyone should know about the cervix and that everyone needs to have the pleasure of seeing a mystical thing as a cervix. 

Annie toured round several countries with this performance to enlighten anyone who came to see her cervix. ' Audiences who stood in line by the hundreds in over a dozen countries' (A,Sprinkle,1990)

Annie brought a new type of performance to the theatres and she brought a new confidence that audiences hadn't really seen before on live stage. Her performances were very open and had very interesting motivations behind them. She believed that the human body should be explored and embraced rather than hidden and not spoken about. 

Dirty Sexecology- 25 Ways to Make Love to the Earth

This piece is in collaboration with her partner Elizabeth Stephens. They now do collaborative performances together to show that they are powerful together and that together they are open as ecosexual which means that they openly discuss how some of their findings of nature turn them on. 

During this presentation Beth sings about the destruction of earth and how it is being destroyed while Annie is dancing ballet while nude. 

The purpose of the presentation is to establish the environment as sexy and fun. It teaches people how to talk dirty to plants it opens the audiences eyes to how the earth could be treated.

Reviews

'sexuality's spiritual leader' - The Globe and Mail

'sprinkles overall effect is surprisingly sweet and refreshingly mature' - San Francisco Bay Guardian

Alice in Wonderland

Derby Theatres' Alice in Wonderland

On the 21st December a performance of Alice and wonderland was held at Derby Theatre. It is a new adaption of the book by Lewis carroll that has been edited by Mike Kenny and directed by Sarah Brigham. 

The story of Alice in Wonderland is widely known and is a popular children's book, Cartoon and Major motion picture.  With a cast of 27 the performance of Alice in Wonderland was a great new, and inventive way of telling the story of Alice.

The cast were actor musicians and the performance contained original songs of which were well written and composed beautifully. The use of instruments through the performance showed a great deal of skill and complimented the different personalities of the individual characters. 

Alice in Wonderland Rehearsal

Stanislavski mentioned that the performance process is equally as important as the performance its self. This is because without the rehearsal where can a well put together show be produced and worked on?
This rehearsal photo of the cast shows the individual instruments used and also shows part of the set which in the show is movable and becomes a big part of telling the story.

Alice in Wonderland First Half

The start of the performance is very different to a story and is also related to modern life. The performance is set during exam season for Alice and her friends. Who turn out to be different characters of the famous story. This shows tat the performance has been adapted for an older audience and that Alice is no longer just for younger children, but for young adults and older adults. This was an enjoyable difference in the story and also engaged me as an audience member more as i could relate to it.

Alice in Wonderland Tweedel dum/Tweedel Dee

Costumes for the performance contributed to the colour scheme of the entire story. The costumes helped to create the individual characters and were unique to the different personalities that we saw throughout the duration of the performance. 'Costume Continuum' (Kirby, 1972, p4) is about how we interpret a costume in day to day life and whether it makes it a costume or whether a costume being worn signifies acting or a performance. However in Alice in Wonderland the costumes are clear and vibrant and enable the actors to truly become their character. Creating an amazing scene for audience members to look at especially when emerged in strobe lights and coloured gels.


The most known feature of the Alice in Wonderland stories is that Alice grows and shrinks throughout her travels. This is done in different ways depending on the performance type. In this particular version Alice is played by 4 different people. The main Alice is the same actress throughout however, when Alice eats/drinks something the other actresses come into the performance. All of the 4 performers are slightly shorter than the other and therefore create the different stages of Alice's size changes. This was a comedic part of the performance each time as the different performers don't look alike and also played parts all together. It was nice to see younger performers acting alongside older and more experienced performers.

"an energetic, funny and exuberant performance that delivers on pretty much every level"
(The reviews Hub)

The performance overall was very well put together and kept the audience engaged throughout. There was always something going on and it was a great show to see as a theatre production. The characters were all very well portrayed with lots of energy which was nice to see that the performers were enjoying themselves. The performance may have been a fictional performance but the type of acting was definitely high up on the scale of the acting and not acting continuum.

(Majority of photos and illustrations for Derby Theatre pages are taken by Robert Day and Steve Gresty)

Michael Kirby

On Acting and Non Acting

'Acting means to feign, to simulate, to represent, to impersonate. As happenings demonstrated, not all performing is acting.' (Kirby, 1972. p3)

This opening quote from Kirbys' On Acting and Non Acting best sums up the meaning of performance. Although the question of 'What is Performance' isn't answered the statement its self is very true. Not all performing is acting, which means that there may just be a clear definition of what performance is. Kirby was interested in the theory of performance as well as performing himself. Kirby almost found a way to depict what was performance and what was art.

Many would argue that art is performance and some disagree. The individual interpretation of what performance is will differ between ages, culture, personal preference, and social background. However Kirby placed a basis on how to tell what was acting and not acting. 'Where the performer does nothing to feign, simulate, impersonate' (Kirby, 1972. p3) So not acting means the performer was themselves and had no means or intention to be someone/something different or in a different place. Hence this is not acting if we were to follow the basic difference that Kirby pointed out.

As described in a previous blog Kirby had 5 main stages of acting that he wrote about in his written works.
These are commonly known as:
- Non-Matrixed Performing
- Non-Matrixed Representation
- Received Acting
- Simple Acting
- Complex Acting

These stages meant that one could follow the basic steps and find out what a performance was and where it fell on the Acting/Not acting continuum. This allowed people to discover for themselves what individual 'Performances' were.