EASTER BREAK!!

Hi All,

Hope you are enjoying your freedom!

Well done again for the great shows - we are ploughing through your grades and feedback for the practical element, don't forget to think about what themes you will address in the infographic which we will be making once you come back for the summer term - and make sure that you reference the assessment criteria on the brief for this!

You will also need to get your unit 2b essays ready to hand in on Blackboard for Friday the 17th April, no later than 1600h.

We are looking forward to all the great new work you'll be making for your unit 6 projects, and of course there is the second year Fringe performance ( as well as all the other great stuff on in Brighton) to eagerly anticipate!

Keep an eye on Worthing theatre's programme which has some good stuff coming - particularly from Vamos, and Rhum & Clay in April.

All the best,

Lisa & Vanessa

Show reviews from audience members

From the matinee performance, this comment from the Head of Department:

Great devising, fantastic costumes and make-up and set and lighting .

Thanks to all the students please.

From the first evening performance, this comment from an audience member:

If I tried to sum up this production in a single word it would have to be Metamorphosis. 

The theatre space is transformed into the sky and trees, then an office, then a nightclub in Ibiza and back again with an inventive use of set, lighting and props. 

The cast are people, made it be birds, observing people and people observing birds. Who start as squawking running and dancing and slowly changing to more conventional means of communication both verbal and written text. Reflecting on the circle of life, the natural and man made constraints that restrict our freedoms and those of the caged birds. The make up was stunning and the costumes were inventive with layered like plumage. 

Theatre gives you this freedom to be someone or something else to invent and reinvent your character and the views and emotions of those watching.

Rara Avis was in fact a rare bird in itself Rare, beautiful, original and made me stop and stare.

Well done

Well done all, really enjoyed tonight's show. I'm really sorry can't watch the other two performances, would have loved to. Some lovely work and that ending still ringing in my ears.

Have a brilliant time tomorrow

RARA AVIS - Cast Call Sheet - Tuesday 24th March

Hello All,

I have just created this call sheet below for Tuesday 24th March, so you are aware of what is happening.

Your call tommorow, will be at 10am in the Northbrook Theatre.

RARA AVIS

Cast Call Sheet

Northbrook Theatre 

Tuesday 24th March 2015

10:00 - H&S Talk and Tour
10:15 - 13:00 - LX Plot
13:00 - LUNCH
14:00 - 17:00 - Continue LX Plot
17:00 - Dinner
18:00 - 20:00 - SND & AV Plot
20:00 - END OF CALL

*The call sheet for Wednesday 25th March, will be sent out tomorrow afternoon.

See you tomorrow :)

Thank You

RARA AVIS - Cast Call Sheet - Monday 23rd March

Hello All,

I have just created this call sheet below for Monday 23rd March, so you are aware of what is happening.

RARA AVIS

Cast Call Sheet

Northbrook Theatre Bar

Monday 23rd March 2015

10:00 - Rara Avis Rehearsals

12:30 - Lunch

13:30 - Rara Avis Rehearsals

16:00 - END OF CALL

*Tuesday 24th March Call Sheet will be sent out on Monday 23rd in the      Afternoon.


I will also upload the Call Sheet onto Facebook and E-mail.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

RARA AVIS SCRIPT

Here is the link to the script on google docs so you can all access it.

RARA AVIS SCRIPT


Thank you
Amber

UNIT 5 DEVISED

THURSDAY 19TH MARCH 2015

IVYBROOK: STUDIO 1

RUN THROUGH

Morning All,

I have put the link on this page from Yesterday's Run Through of Rara Avis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZnGNWtaToU&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy !!

New voice over possibility's. (Now with music!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ymlOplbQY

Let me know what you think. :)

Weekend Work

Hi all,

Great work this week culminating in a great run through.

Please make sure you learn all your lines over the weekend. Amber should be sending out a script. Monday is your opportunity to run through the show as much as possible - Tuesday will be more of a scene to scene light plot.

Here is another inspiring picture

Current order

Quotes on human life and condition

"The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden: heaven is a playground" - Chesterton - fits in well with the self restriction and the freedom of childhood theme

"Human life is too difficult for people" - Engle - This could be said in each one of Chris. Dan and I's short scenes.

"I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer.They don't teach you how to know whats going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someones who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing". - Gaiman

Rara Avis Script

Thank you for getting your bits of scripts to me.

I am still missing:
- Boomchikawahwah
- Jaws
- Bridge
- Fight
- Sam, Zoe & Dan's monologues (for the workmotif)

If you could please get these to me as soon as possible as I am hoping to have the full script by tomorrow night/ Friday morning.

Also am I right in thinking there is no "script/speech" in the following scenes:
- Kids playing/Flight
- Hatching I & Hatching II
- V Formation flights
- Restrictions
- Butoh Walk

Thanks everyone.
Amber

My quotes.

Lots of things that couldn't be done have been done.

- Charles Auston Bates

You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not.

See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.

- Carl Sagan

We are all a little weird and, life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.

- Dr. Seuss

Quotes Notice!

Remember to send me all the delicious pieces of quotes we had shared today. I will only be able to make a word document with the stuff you send me. (If you do manage to send it) Do through blogger, Facebook - Username:Goncalo.D.S
or Gmail - king7shadow@gmail.com

Duologues

Me and G had an idea of how to stage mine and G's duologue and sam and G's. Starting monologue (can be either one) is infront of the gauze and acted out as normal. Second monologue is acted out behind the gauze with the birdies on, if I'm thinking right, that should create a shadow effect? If so, the second monologue would be acted out with shadows of the bird and the human, kind of makes it less personal, more about the words spoken, also could be hinting at the fact that anyone could be that human, and any bird could be that bird - showing we all have something in common, we all want to be free? 

I'll let you guys ponder over it - hit me up tomorrow if this is something you like :)

I think my quote will be really effective in opening scene what do you think?

18/03/2015

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

Maya Angelou

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mayaangelo120092.html#ZjQGLOz8b7qeMWv0.99

Running order from Tuesday!

Yesterday I taught the group the same signs as three weeks ago,  the theatre signs . This was to see how many they had remembered.   I asked them one by what sign they remebered and they all did really well. Next week we will work on the same signs in pairs.

17/03/2015
 

What extent will we go to, to be restraind. Is there comfort in restriction. 

Flight

Saw this on Twitter thought it was interesting...

https://twitter.com/way_things_work/status/577469665456230400

Bird music

Saw this video and thought it might interest you for your show.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152077077726135&fref=nf

Please can set ideas be clarified

The people in D163 would like to know what's happening with set. If Ollie has a spare moment please can he come to the production room (D163) before Wednesday's meeting.

PHOTO SHOOT WEDNESDAY

Hello All,

please will you be ready in the TV studio ( photography area) for a photo shoot this Wednesday from 11.30am till 1pm
Please ensure that you all wear black leggings and a black vest or tee-shirt .

Thanks,

Lisa

Vulture make up (for lily..?)

Thought I would just let you know that Dan would like to juxtapose me as light by making me Gothic if that makes a difference to your plans for me :))

'Hatching' speech test.

I recorded the speech from the hatching scene and played around with some effects.
Have a look and see what you think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbtYOGWlOaI&feature=youtu.be

Child/work monologue

Harry potter showed me Hogwarts and that's what filled my thoughts.
At 11 I waited for my letter, hoping to become a witch.
I wanted wands, brooms and magic no matter what the cost.
Spells and potions filled my mind, polyjuice and wingardium leviosa
Quidditch would be my love and dobby my best friend..
I really hope this never ends!

About 4 lines in is when I will go from work to child..

My depressing aspirations speech thing.

Forgotten. I look back and there's nothing. the dreams are gone, the hopes are dead. Aspirations become ashes and the future loses its color. The vibrant beauty that you see, dulls and becomes grey.

The way of life (Game)

This is the game I was talking about that shows how different ages might view the same situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj5Mn65NL1I

Rehearsal notes - Thursday 12th 

So, well done for today. I know it is a tough process but I really think we have some very strong moments that we can build on. In creating and structuring the piece remember to consider where we have gaps in the story and what message we want to put across. 

It still feels like we are looking at self-restriction and our need to feel free. 

Please try and create some more text/scenes etc before next tuesday and share on the blog. It is really important that we communicate through the blog in order to maintain the same direction. 

Possible extra scenes to create: 

A teenager/baby/child scene where you are drawing with chalk on the floor and then told off and your mess cleaned up. 

Work scenes - each time we see you at work we break into one of your monologues - imagining you are elsewhere etc - Think about how you would like to present them. 

Find some quotes/text about freedom/restriction etc - we can use as back-up if we don't have enough text. 

More small, comedic improv scenes to make it clearer that birds are observing our behaviour. 

Here a couple of websites that may be of help when structuring the piece. 

http://humansareweird.com

http://www.livescience.com/33197-10-weird-behaviors-humans-do-every-day-why.html

* I think it would be worth trying to rehearse part of Monday and Friday if possible - let me know if that is possible! I may be abel to pop in for a bit to help on Weds afternoon. 

Good luck everyone 

Dan 

When I was younger

When I was 8 I wanted to be an investigating, intelligent detective.  Finding clues putting pieces of the puzzle together. Fast on my feet catching criminals. Big boss attitude, strutting my stuff. Quick with a gun. BANG!

Since I was 4 I wanted to be a superhero....WILDCLAW. shape-shifting across the universes, into other stories helping other superheroes save the day. Heroic, strong, kind and thoughtful. Making the world a better place on my exciting adventures.

When I was younger I wanted to be a dancer, graceful and free spinning across the stage. The audience watching in awe as I leap, fall and tumble, hot lights burning down, loud music blaring and adrenaline pumping.

By Jon, Chris and Yvette

UNIT 5 DEVISED Rehearsals:

Thursday's Run Through

I upload the links from today's run through and session:


Run Through:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttRIj4cFV7Y&feature=youtu.be

Hatching with Materials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GA-iSzdNrY

Ending of life or something:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H8Mpl9BDpI


Enjoy!!

Basic structure. (May be subject to change)

Thursday 5th March 2015

REHEARSAL VIDEO LINKS

Hello All,

I have uploaded the video links for each of your pieces from Thursday Session.

Group:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L2pMry71Bw

Names and Links:

Dan Clelland, Sam Purkis and Chris Hine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3PDaFNTpVU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3_YabCpVYo

https://youtu.be/5NkuKzN7dGc


James Attfield, Jonathan Hajebi, Harry Yates and Goncalo Da Silva:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4MGx0bZLX0

Yvette Saunders, Laura Cawte, Zoe Charman and Gregory Tompsett:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK_aVHejVQA

10/03/2015

Yesteday two man called Wetpace came to work with our group. In the morning we had a warm up. we walked around and looked each other, body language . One man Matt was a director the other man Russ a sound man. They talked about there work, It was interesting. We broke into group to five. We worked on a story and sound effects. Our story was about war.

blurb possibility

Came up with this as a start for our blurb - feel free to add suggestions - remember we need to get this show marketed as soon as possible, so we also need hashtags too!

RARA AVIS

We like to talk about freedom. We do that a lot.

Free as a bird – isn’t that the phrase?

Except we’re not.

The work. The family. The seasons. The Winds. The war. The flags. The lines. The light.

Accept we’re not.

Or should we?

Some day we'll fly away...

MAKE UP

HI Cast,

Just had a very positive meeting with the Make up students - they would like to come and talk with you about your inner birds in Studio 9 on Wednesday - just letting you know! This will help to inform the individualised make up /hair designs that they will create for you, so do give them as much info as you can to help them.

Cheers,
Lisa

PLEASE read this article !

click on this link for a very interesting article about the evolution of birds, and their genetic connections to human beings.

What is the show called? 
What is the tagline? 

Hi all,

Unless we have other suggestions i think we should go with Lisa's name for the show,

rara avis

Have asked a couple of Nd students to produce some poster ideas based on Lisa's and possibly also with regard to image below

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbrozina/9081326/in/faves-11735489@N04/

We should have these ideas by the beginning of next week.

In the meantime we need your feedback on the show name and a possible tagline so that we can begin 'tweeting' about our bird show (no pun intended)


Dan 

Research task

Can you source and/or write some material relating to feeling free/liberated etc.

Can be about dreaming or aspirations.

Here is an unnecessary picture to make this task appear more exciting.

Thanks

Dan

Rehearsal Notes - Thursday 5th March

 

Rehearsal Notes - Thursday 5th March

Looked at ways of 'flying' - keep thinking about interesting ways of portraying freedom, liberation, dreams etc. Think about use of fabric. Make it look effortless!     

 

 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=physical%20theatre%20flying&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=physical%20theatre%20flying&sc=0-19&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&mid=F13260427E6727ECDADCF13260427E6727ECDADC

 Developed short pair pieces to do with work/restricted situations - moving to freedom - keep developing these so that there is a clear story in what you are doing rather than just lifting/supporting for the sake of it. These were base around ideas of being at work.

 

 Developed sketches/ideas around the following:

 

• Mating Rituals - humans and birds share 'dancing/nightclub' behavior but the rest is alien.
• Royalty - plumage
• Democracy/Politics
• Technology
• Immigration/Migration/Racism/languages  
• Money/Wealth/distribution of resources/Class
• Religion
• Death - rituals - survival of the fittest
• Work/play
• Competition/Sports/Hobbies etc
• House vs Nests - humans build for one another - less freedom
• Crime/punishment
• Pets/Slavery
• Adoption
   

Things that you want to say in your piece.

• What is 'weird/normal'? - Different perspectives
• Humans restrict themselves - Society is flawed - We are not free - Equality?

Other notes

• Everyman for himself
• Survival of the fittest
• Food chain

That is all.

Dan

 

  

 

  

Gender restrictions?

A video that brings up some interesting ideas:

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

Rehearsal and Production notes so far

Hello Team 'Devised-performance-about-birds-and-stuff' (may need a better, more concise team name?) 

I thought it best to put some notes from my head, the rehearsal and production meeting, down here for scrutiny. 

It seems that we are focusing on 'Birds'! 

I think it is important that we are not too literal with this so that design elements can be consolidated more easily. From what has been produced so far it seems that some of the ideas we are interested in are: 

i) Birds having a 'birds eye view' of humanity across time - humans making the same mistakes over and over again

ii) Birds having a freedom that we don't have. A unique view that we don't have. 

iii) Restrictions we place upon ourselves (like working 5 days a week!). Our underlying need to nest and also feel free. 

Here are some notes i made. 

Birds

Migrating - birds treated as illegal immigrants - go where they need to be - where it is natural - why aren’t humans the same? Where do our borders come from - where have our nomadic tribes gone - western civilisation has imposed boundaries on other cultures 

Borders/boundaries - lines drawn in the sand, chalk, paint, rope, string, jails, fences 

Murmurations - starlings 

Story of the cranes that fly over everest even though they don’t need to! (Dan Jenkins) 

Carrier pigeons - magnetic response

Scenes

Physical scene - Hands and people creating a corridor that someone is trying to get through - providing steps and tunnels etc

Physical scene - people flying, experiencing liberation - walking on hands or possibly counter balancing one another.  

String (decoration/bunting/floral/red tape/police tape etc? Decorative or restrictive depending on context) being unravelled in celebration/oppression then cut down with someone with shears - representing a nest and/or a cage. 

Sand - drawing lines in the sand or making lines with sand - great escape - marking a path or creating a landscape (use a video camera to magnify it - project it - like Faulty Optic show) 

Production Meeting notes - Weds 25th Feb, 2015 

Flying stuff?
Seating arrangement? 

Follow spot? 

Send tracks - Sound fx - to Callum (palette of bird sounds + traditional Russian music) 

Photo-shoot - date? week of the 9th or 16th March 

Chase up Mary Tennant - Marketing 

Initial make-up ideas by next week (to play with) 

4pm - costume wardrobe (meeting) 

Next 1.30pm (Production meeting) 

Production Meeting notes - Weds 4th March 

Risks? - overhead galleys 

End-on - gauze - in the round? 

sounds/sfx - get a copy from Callum or Callum to come to rehearsal? 

Set design - nests? 

Birds/Birds/Birds!! 

Costume - Jazz shoes or Pumps?

poster - email poster girl doing it asap. Lisa has made something  

Next Production Meeting Weds 11th March @12.40pm 

These are the notes I made following the thursday rehearsal - some of things that you said!

Freedom and restriction - birds are free to go anywhere - why can’t we?

Bird physicality - human text (written and found text) - human elements 

Comedy 

Restrictions we put on ourselves - gender/race/religion 

Becoming free/bird 

different birds portraying diff types - ‘insect play’ (Dan to bring in or reference) 

Normality - systems 

Birds’ eye view 

Full group scenes + quiet moments 

One constant character 

Bird sanctuary - recounting memories (restriction)

projector or gauze - white costume  (murmuration) 

non-literal 

Boxing match to represent War 

Flour - looks good on stage when thrown under light 

That is all so far...

Dan

Optional Work Plan

Dividing into groups and each group focus on a different message, source, or material and see if that sorts out the issue of making it just birds and not really having a purpose.

Possible songs to be used for piece

I was listening to some songs from a game called Bastion and hearing the lyrics I started thinking about how well they could link into all that we've done with the play so far. I thought we might be able to use them in the piece or if not it could give us some inspiration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkI1AvH7ro4&list=PLC26D4FE16FA60595&index=12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y9FQUzCZPg&list=PLC26D4FE16FA60595&index=17


This song is a combination of both of the previous ones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SwAGaKn7CA&index=21&list=PLC26D4FE16FA60595

Idea (optional comedy)

As we all know birds have different ways of mating and finding their female (sometimes even vice versa)
I was thinking of creating a sort mating scene where the guys and girls are showing they are good for each other. It can be shadowing of how humans kind of do the same thing. It can go from really comedic show off and then have a impact where a couple get together and fall in love. It made question if birds (animals) experience love. It seemed to have made me want to take a look at this.

YouTube playist

hey guys heres a link to the youtube playist ive created with the tracks which ive been playing around with so far in the rehearsals. if there is any other tracks you want to add please let me know...

if you have any problems viewing the playlist then please let me know

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7KuvcPFEoSvcmmqXKgdgEAjNCKBdcno5

Bird Teaching Idea

Birds Teaching Idea

Wise owl/bird teaching bird students about history, humans. (Idea can serve as a segue)

For example: Owl shows clips of human behavior but it’s just a transition to another scene. Even though we are take the shape of birds in these scenes, It could simply tell how birds are seeing us as if we were birds. (hard to make sense of it by text)