Showing posts with label LexiaTomlinson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LexiaTomlinson. Show all posts
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Trestle theatre (seminar/compilation of research)
Areas of Research:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-20856525
http://www.trestle.org.uk/about-trestle/support-us/
http://www.trestle.org.uk/mask-shop/
http://www.trestle.org.uk/about-trestle/
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Movement for the actor - My lesson plan (Physical theatre)
Movement for the Actor – Lesson Plan:
Basic Human anatomy, why is it significant to the actor?
Hello, I am Lexia Tomlinson and welcome to my seminar: my
focus will be on joints, physical theatre and the practitioners Moshe
Feldenkrais and Lester Horton.
As I am doing joints I will only be focusing on the skeletal
structure of the human body. Can anyone tell me how many bones there are in the
human adult body? (206) However when we
were infants there were as up to 300-350 at birth, this then dwindled down to
270, can anyone tell me why there is now a reduction in the amount of bones as
we get older? (As we grow older our
bones fuse together, the most obvious our Skull bones, sacrum and hip bone.)
The main bones of the
human skeleton are:
- The
Skull - Cranium, Mandible and Maxilla
- Shoulder
girdle - clavicle and scapula
- Arm
- humerus, radius and ulna
- Hand
- Carpals, Metacarpals and Phalanges
- Chest
- Sternum and Ribs
- Spine
- Cervical area (top 7 vertibrae), Thoracic (next 12), Lumbar (bottom 5
vertebrae), Sacrum (5 fused or stuck together bones) and Coccyx (the tiny
bit at the bottom of the spine).
- Pelvic
girdle - Ilium, Pubis and Ischium.
- Leg
- Femur, Tibia and Fibula
- Ankle
- Talus and calcaneus (not shown above)
- Foot
- Tarsals, Metatarsals and Phalanges.
Synovial (diarthrosis):
Synovial joints are by far the most common classification of joint within the
human body. They are highly moveable and all have a synovial capsule
(collagenous structure) surrounding the entire joint, a synovial membrane (the inner
layer of the capsule) which secretes synovial fluid (a lubricating liquid) and
cartilage known as hyaline cartilage which pads the ends of the articulating
bones. There are 6 types of synovial joints which are classified by the shape
of the joint and the movement available.
| oint Type | Movement at joint | Examples | Structure |
| Hinge | Flexion/Extension | 
Elbow/Knee
| 
Hinge joint
|
| Pivot | Rotation of one bone around another |  Top of the neck (atlas and axis bones) | 
Pivot Joint
|
| Ball and Socket | Flexion/Extension/Adduction/ Abduction/Internal & External Rotation | 
Shoulder/Hip
| 
Ball and socket joint
|
| Saddle | Flexion/Extension/Adduction/ Abduction/Circumduction | 
CMC joint of the thumb
| 
Saddle joint
|
| Condyloid | Flexion/Extension/Adduction/ Abduction/Circumduction | 
Wrist/MCP & MTP joints
| 
Condyloid joint
|
| Gliding | Gliding movements |  Intercarpal joints | 
Gliding joint
|
Why do you
think knowing about your basic human anatomy is relevant as an actor?
Open to
question and answer.
My answer:
The reason
knowing about your anatomy is important is because our body is our ‘tool’ and
we need to know how it works, so that we can look after it and manipulate it to
physicalise the characters that we are playing.
When I say
manipulation I mean an awareness, to know where you start and the character
begins. For example I was in a LAMDA Acting exam, I was fully aware of my torso
and arms, I’d planned that out to fit with my character but I’d forgotten about
my feet and did what is known as “dancing feet”. This resulted in a marking
down. As an actor can you think of a think when you weren’t fully aware or
planned out what you would be doing with a particular body part for your time
on stage or film?
Understanding
our anatomy is also vital for movement, can anyone tell me how many planes of
motion there are? (Answer 3)
And what
those planes are of motion are called?
Sagittal Plane
The Sagittal plane passes through the body front to
back, so dividing it into left and right. Movements in this plane are the up
and down movements of flexion and extension
Frontal Plane
The frontal plane divides the body into front and
back. Movements in this plane are sideways movements, called abduction and
adduction
Transverse Plane
This plane divides the body into top and bottom.
Movements in this plane are rotational in nature, such as internal and external
rotation, pronation and supination
Has anyone
ever come across the neutral passion when acting?
- Standing
upright
- Legs
together and knee straight
- Toes
pointing straight forwards
- Arms
by the side
- Palms facing straight down
The Feldenkrais Method:
The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Moshe
Feldenkrais, Feldenkrais was a scientist and well respected Judo instructor, in
his youth an injury threatened to leave him severely disabled in his later
years, his doctors suggested surgery. However he refused it, instead he used
his knowledge of “anatomy, physiology, psychology and
engineering, as well as his mastery of martial arts, to healing his own knee.
During the process he realised the vital importance of working with the whole body and indeed the whole self in order to achieve lasting, radical change”
During the process he realised the vital importance of working with the whole body and indeed the whole self in order to achieve lasting, radical change”
Activities:
1.Could you all go lie in separate spaces of the
room please, lay how you feel comfortable not how you think you should. (Wonder amongst the group observing how they
lay)
2. Could you all lay flat on your stomach, stretched
out, now turn your head to the right, then lift your right hand , see how your
pelvic bone lifts with that movement, now lift your left leg so it rest on the
other . Repeat movement another 4 times please. Now switch to your left. Try
that movement without looking at the hand. How does it feel now?
3. Could you lay on your back and left your legs so
the sole of your feet is flat on the ground, now very slowly and gently let
your knees tilt a little bit to the right and a little bit to the left; don’t
go so slow that your legs feel heavy and that you’re having to be strong to
carry out the movement.
A variant on this movement is bring one leg over the
other, could you all go with your right, tilt to the right then back to the
centre, do that twice more then switch to your left leg and do the same
movement.
Could you lay back flat on your back, slowly roll
onto your stomach draw your arms up gently push up onto your knees so you’re in
a “doggy” position bring your leg of choice through your arms slowly push up
until standing into the neutral position.
Lester Horton was a major artistic contribution to
the modern American dance movement, Horton studied ballet and choreographed for
stage and film. What makes Horton’s techniques special is that fact that he
moved away from the clean lines of ballet
“ It was not fashioned on
his body, nor was it made to fit the straitjacket of any philosophical or
physical concepts; it was a technique developed to serve the art of dance
through group participation.”
What he wanted to
focus on was new ways of doing things e.g “New ways were developed to go up, to
go down, to use one leg, to use both legs, and to see how long a balance could
be held in what seemed an impossible position.”
Speaking of impossible, we shall try some of his warm ups.
Activities:
2. The next position is for you to be in a
parallel, back leg straight whilst front leg is pointed horizontally, drop your torso and abdomen whilst keeping
arms out straight, now drop down like so.
Bibliography
Author/s
|
Year
|
Title
|
Edition (if not 1st)
|
Location Where published
|
publisher
|
||
Smart, Ted. (2001) Human
Body. London (UK): Dorling Kindersley limited.
Peragola, Mara Della. (2003) The Feldankrais Journal No. 16. (Online).
|
|||||||
http://www.innerbody.com/anatomy/skeletal-male
(14th Nov 2012)
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
NLP: Seminar With Paul
Lesson with Paul:
Tuesday 13th
November 2012
NLP (Neuro-Linguistic
Programming) has been brought up quite frequently by Paul, in all honesty I
have never heard of the term before, and upon primary research I could not see
how it linked in with drama.
LO 3.1 But as I read on and I saw that NLP
was all about how to ‘actively
use your mind and your emotions and your body to run your own
life more successfully and to communicate
with other people with 'extraordinary' effectiveness’. I realised
these are all the qualities a good actor needs, they need to be in touch with
who they are mentally and physically so their quirks don’t rub off on the
characters they play.
- v Do whatever I already do reasonably well, even better (who doesn’t want that?)
- v Acquire skills and attitudes to do what I cannot do right now, but would like to be able to do
- v Think more clearly
- v Communicate more effectively with others
- v Manage my thoughts, moods and behaviours more effectively.
(How I wish
to be as an individual)
During this morning’s
session Paul lead the class through a light NPL activity in which you are
directed through a dream sequence of your own creation; but you are asked to do
things such as follow the people within the dream or build rooms and think
about the exact colour objects are.
The entire
class was asked to lie in a supine position, close their eyes and try to relax
as much as a possible, relaxation is important for an actor because a ‘A
tense mind is one that will hold you back and keep you on the "safe"
road’ (Prior Aphter);
I believe this is very true especially when I recall moments when I had been
tense on stage and those tense moments have caused me to forget about
submerging myself into the character.
Instead I concentrated on my own nerves and urgency to recall
my lines not live in the moment like it was all happening new to my character.
After achieving a relaxed state I closed my eyes and listened
to the first prompt, “you are laying on a beach somewhere, starring up at the
blue sky”. This may not sound like such a hard thing to visualise however the ‘external
event’ for us was a cold winter morning in a cold room where the air vent
couldn’t be turned off. I now realise this is a form of NLP where you must
combat external events and distort/change or create an internal event.
I was so absorbed within the dream that despite the cold
weather I felt myself getting warmer, I think this is a great result because as
an actor I can use this tool in future to immerse myself in the world of any
character I’m playing and forget about external factors; it will be especially
good for ‘Three Sisters’ because I
have to imagine myself in there world, amongst their furniture and ornaments in
a totally different time period.
During the activity we were lead through to other
destinations within the world be had mentally created, and we were asked to follow
a character. The dream was very vivid it felt like a panoramic HD film and I
remember following a little girl in a red dress with long black hair to her
home, we were asked to look into their eyes; I remember feeling a state of
utter calmness coming from the little girl, this juxtaposed with how I thought
she would feel, as a little girl being all alone.
This taught me a valuable lesson as an actor, I may assume
something about a character but eventually they may morph and grow from
assumption.
Bibliography
Aphter
Prior, Mar 15 2012 , Online article : http://voices.yahoo.com/film-acting-importance-mental-relaxation-to-11102850.html?cat=40
(Accessed 13/11/2012)
Monday, 12 November 2012
Acting Unit 10 : Three Sisters
LO 1.1
For me the first thing I do when I receive a character in a scripted piece is
to read the text, this may sound like a obvious conclusion, how else would I fulfil
my role as an actor if I do not know the words?
But I
believe there are many ways to read, there is the commonly known sight and skim
reading, for me when I receive a script I must skim read it and get to the end
as fast as possible (there are exceptions to this rule however), I do this
because I do not want to get absorbed in the plot of the narrative that is the
job of the audience in a realistic or naturalistic play.
What I want to
get absorbed in is the objectives and subplot of what is being said by and to
my character and looking at the relationships of the characters to each other.
I do this on a second reading of the text (which normally happens right after
the initial reading) in which I take more time to read and look at syntax; I do
this because the way the playwright, in this case Anton P Chekov, places
certain words are like clues to the actor about an underlying issues for e.g “I remember when they carried father out, the
band was playing, at the cemetery they fired shots in his honour [...] but even
so not many people came to the funeral.” This was said by Olga, the character
I’m playing, in the opening scene: straight away this let me into the world of
the character and has me thinking about the influence that father would have
had over my character as a person.
1.
He was ‘general and commanding officer
of a brigade’ the military background made me think of regimental behaviour
that was taken into the home life, so he would have wanted order at home, did
that mean Olga and her siblings had to be quite as children, did she loath him
and love him at the same time?
2.
Did the lack of such a strong presence in her life make her feel weak and
lacking in direction because she no longer had an outside source to tell her
what to do?
3.
Why if ‘father’ was so highly esteemed did hardly no one turn up to the
funeral and why is Olga making excuse “but
of course there was heavy rain and snow” is she making excuses for herself
or Irina and Masha as they are in the room listening to her.
4.
Although there are many questions rose for me I already have an idea of
how I want to deliver that line, “but of
course there was heavy rain and snow”, I can feel sarcasm and bitterness
ebbing from the words, that is my subplot but my objective is to sound reassuring
for the sake of my sisters. I believe Olga is bitter towards the people who
didn’t turn up to the funeral but realising what she had said she didn’t want
to make her sisters upset so she tries to make it sound flippant but my subplot
is creating an obstacle that makes what I’m saying sound sarcastic.
Bibliography
Three Sisters , Chekov P Anton, Ledger R Gerald translation, 1998, Script
Bibliography
Three Sisters , Chekov P Anton, Ledger R Gerald translation, 1998, Script
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Evaluation: The Risk 4.2
This evaluation is both self-analysis, feedback received by
peers (and audience) and lectures.
Unit 28:
Development of Acting Skills
LO 2.2 – Personally I believe that I used minimal acting skills
in this role, yes I was a character but because I was a narrator I felt I was
simply telling a story at points, I didn’t really have any objectives or subjective
to work with. This is mainly because my character was improvised.
There was no depth to the character more just a facilitator which didn’t leave me room to explore or create anything with her, but helped the flow of the piece. When it came to feedback and watching the performance on video; then I got ideas for an emerging character which could be developed.
There was no depth to the character more just a facilitator which didn’t leave me room to explore or create anything with her, but helped the flow of the piece. When it came to feedback and watching the performance on video; then I got ideas for an emerging character which could be developed.
If there were to be another performance of this play then I
could have made my character The Narrator, an astral projection of “Ziggy”; the
mentioned friend/real person spoken about in The Speakers speech.
After Ziggy’s failed suicide attempt she has been left “brain
dead”, now that I have time to think about her more, I like the thought of her
being a character that wonders off in her mind and manifest out her body trying
to help people like her.
If I had thought of this before then I could have built a
narrator who had the objective to make the audience want to help and get more
involved, I also think I would have created supreme objective of urgency
because she could see what direction was heading in. I think this could have
helped me developed as an actor thinking about factors behind why my character
wants to save others and how she could. And I believe it would have helped the
overall performance because it could have created a more “character driven
narrative”.
Unit 29: Devising
Performance
LO 1.2 A range of techniques used by companies to devise a performances is by producing stimuli for the cohort:
- Artefacts - Photographs, paintings, masks, props, costumes, sculptuers, art objects.
- Music
- Newspaper and magazine articles
- Poetry
- Extract of plays text
- Book extracts
- Films, TV, video stills or clips
- Live theatre performances
LO 1.3 With my group the techniques we used were marking the moment, narration and cross cutting. We marked the moment two times in the piece and both times we did it in a literal way by highlighting the centeral actor/actors on the stage with a stop light, e.g the arguement between Chelsea and Alex: the action was frozen around them the rest of the ensemble blackedout and a spotlight on them for the arguement, we chose to mark this moment because its when his life takes a turn for the worst and we wanted the audience to think is it because of the break-up that leads him to want to take his own life? A second mark the moment in our piece is when Alex (being played by Jon) is cutting his wrist, we used music and the higlight to create tension in the piece which we hoped would play on the audiences emotions so they could empathise with the character; this is because with promenade performances the audience inhabit, not just watch, a space.
LO 4.1 My group was fortunate enough to have two opportunities to have
feedback on our performance. The first time was directly after the performance,
whilst the rest of the ensemble began singing Jon and Sinead gave out balloons,
once the singing had ended they asked our audience “if you thought we have portrayed
our piece in a sensitive and educational light then please pop your balloons”.
At the time every single person popped their balloons, which I think speaks
volumes and we can class that as a success.
We went for that method of evaluation, because it was a
risk; risk being the overall objective of the whole project, and because we
wanted to do something outside the box which wasn’t the generic questionnaire.
LO 4.2 I think one way we could make have made our evaluation
method better is by having put a rolled up brief questionnaire inside the
balloons or if we had had time then we should have set up a web blackboard or a
physical one where people could anonymously post what they thought, how it
affected them and offer more portals for help on suicide prevention in case
anyone in our audience really needs that kind of help/advice.
Another feedback that we got a lot was interest in the ‘Aspirations’
at the start if the play, to us the cast and creators the characters where
facilitators and a means to an ends to symbolise the lack of aspiration dreams
and plan for a future that our protagonist Alex had, over they aroused great curiosity
in the audience and they wish for them to be “explored and developed more”.
If we were to perform this piece again we could work in
making the play more “character driven” and developing those characters briefly
glimpsed at the start. Companies such as Grid Iron who mainly only do sight specific performances adapt their pieces to new sites when touring their work or they adapt it to the stage. Our group had the opportunity to adapt it to the stage but we thought ours definately needed the sight for it to have the same impact, what regret is thats we didn't take the 'risk' and try to adapt it to the stage.
UNIT 73: Voice and
Speech Development and Practice
Once I was assigned the part of narrator and I knew that we
were doing a promenade performance that would take me into a vast space
outdoors I knew my voice would be my biggest tool that I would have to hone
during this performance.
LO 4.2
LO 4.2 Knowing this I explored relaxation methods and did previous
singing exercise I had been thought to retain breath for longer. Such as counting in the air and focusing on
the diaphragm. Doing exercises such as “pulling the purse string” this is where
you focus on the diaphragm and clip it almost taunt whilst pushing air at the
same time.
Other areas I worked on was pitch and tone because I was
speaking for a very long time, it was almost like a scrolling monologue so when
it was appropriate I changed me tone and emotion behind the words. Such as the
walk from point “B to C” when I began shouting “BECAUSE HE WANTED TO SHOW THEM
HE COULD DO SOMETHING RIGHT, SOMETHING ON HIS OWN!”
I had to maintain my volume and clear voice but inflict a
painful and angry tone.
LO 4.2 From the audience stepping back and appearing taken aback
when I did that I think that was successful.
However because my character was emotionally limited I
believed I was also vocally limited when it came the emotional I could inflict
into my voice and tone; that is a failure on my part because this could have
been the time that actually got to explore emotionally.
Bibliography
Web sites used:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/drama/exploring/textsrev1.shtml
http://dramaresource.com/resources/features/devising-theatre
http://www.gridiron.org.uk/CompanyBackground.aspx
http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/1/artsinscotland/drama/features/archive/themepromenade.aspx
Performance ! The Risk 4.2
Thursday 18th October 2012
(Video footage source) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKKeELULL1s&feature=plcp
The performance started with my character, The Narrator, I
was located downstage-centre whilst the rest of the cast were positioned in a
straight horizontal line behind me, spanning from upstage left to right; in
rehearsals we plotted (‘blocked’) out this staging to place emphasis on what my
character was saying but also to create a conscious proxemics between my
character, the audience and the other characters. I was the “middle man”.
Being so close to the audience and directly addressing them,
thus breaking the fourth wall further emphasised this, by breaking the fourth
wall my character facilitated a dialogue between the audience and the
characters. We wanted to establish this line of communication so that later they
would be far more open to it when I would be addressing them solely (during the
walk about) and there would be no action for them to witness.
It was also a part of
our stylistic element because we were going for a non-naturalistic play; we
wanted a production that was almost like a story book with a “Once upon a time”
narrative flare but with a modern twist that highlighted that ‘Suicide’ is real
and far more pressing than some of us care to think about. We wanted our
audience to “think this could happen to me or someone I know and what would I
do?” But we also wanted to address and be sensitive to people who might be
going through it, because even though we had a dictated audience that does not
mean we knew their personal circumstances.
That is why during, The Speaker’s; narrative about “My
friend Ziggy” I started to hand out fliers when she addressed the audience
saying “If you feel alone, speak to someone I beg you!” This was done because
although our piece is to entertain our main aim was to inform and educate that
there is help out there, and that it’s not always a “big thing” or event that
triggers bouts of depression or suicidal thoughts.
The fliers contained numbers to real suicide help lines and
internet web pages, other real information in our play were the statistics
being held up at the back by the masked characters in the midpoint of scene
two.
During the end of scene two, I instructed the audience to
leave the Hexagon theatre and meet me in the foyer of The MAC; this was so I
could begin the promenade element to our performance. However before that, I
let the music play (“Nobody Knows by Pink”), whilst Jonathan (Jon) one of the
actors playing our protagonist Alex, sat hunched over and crying due to his
actions early in the scene, where he depicted of one many self-harming processes,
in which he was methodically slashing away at his wrist.
I waited because; I wanted the lyrics of the song “Nobody
knows, but me, that I sometimes cry” etc
to really sink in, especially after what they had just witnessed because
the song was chosen to evoke a reflective/sad emotional state from our
audience. And it worked because I could see and hear members of the audience
crying.
Once I met the audience in the foyer of The MAC I ushered
them outside, instead of starting my narrative straight away this is because I
had timed everything I had to say during my groups rehearsals and knew that is
if I began too early I would run out of scripted material before I reached ‘point
B’.
The moving from location to location or “A to B to C” was
quite demanding on me as a performer and the play. This is because I had to
keep the audience occupied with the storyline whilst detailing mundane aspects
of Alex’s life “On Wednesday he watched the T.V. from dusk till dawn”, whilst
having to project a great deal because we were outside in a vast space and my
voice stood a risk of being lost or swallowed up.
I believe I managed to project to the point that everyone
could hear me.
The two outside locations: the bench by the fair ground and the
bridge, where the other two Alex’s waited in character where also quite
effective they were like still shots, images the audience could absorb and
associate with the characters words.
However I’m not sure if it was because the audience was
spread out or because actors in my ensemble could not hear/project enough some
cues where missed, but instead of seeing this as a negative I think it was a
good thing because it allowed the actors that it happened to, to improvise
their way around the miss haps.
At the end of our performance we decided to sing the song (“Lean
On Me” the Bill Withers version), this decision was made in the rehearsal
period, it was a democratic vote on whether to have it or not. Personally I
think it was the right song done for the right reasons. The song was there to
uplift members of the audience after the emotional journey we had taken them
on.
The Old Man, played by Dannel began with a verse of the song
upon which the rest of the ensemble joined in and we encouraged the audience to
which they joined in because it’s a well know song. I believe it helped to
raise spirits which was its intent and to signal a positive end.
The end of the play is Kev’s Alex just sat still on the
bridge, the thought whether he jumps or not is left up to the audience. However
on looking back at the video of the performance I do not think a long enough
pause was left, thus this may have gone over the audiences head.
Rehearsals
Tuesday 16th October and Wednesday 17th
October 2012
These days where spent in stage five of the devising period,
as a group we were trying to hone each other’s acting, physical and vocal skills
to fit with how we envisaged the characters.
We did activities such as hot seating for all of the cast, so that we could that each actor could find a subtext for the character that they would be portraying.
Also to help them find motivation and discover things about their character that they had not found before.
Since my character isn't really a character in the typical sense, I'm more of a omniscient presence I did not part take in the hot seating. The way I developed in rehearsals was through improvisation and seeing what was happening in each scene, so that I could cast social commentary about it when speaking to the audience.
I also had to practice projecting my voice without hurting my vocal chords, one way in which my group made sure I got plenty on rehearsal is that we were always outside doing as many full run through's as we possibly could.
They stayed back a far distance to see if they could hear me from far away, most of the time they could. Another part of my performance included running at the curve towards the bridge and being a pace maker when it came to walking. These things had to be practised we had multiple walk through's where member of the group timed the walk on their phone and how long it took our piece to be performed.
The Risk Script
Monday/Tuesday 15/16th October 2012
Over the weekend and the last two days member of my group have sent me the gist of what they have said in certain scenes, I have worked to clarify and best phrase whilst detailing the action that would be happening in scenes.
I'm been doing breathing exercises to help with my projection, and the inflections of my voice to evoke meaning and emotion to my words.
Script (not in proper format cannot convert to blogger or create a link for)
CHARACTERS/CAST LIST
</=
o:p>
</=
o:p>
</=
o:p>
Stupid Graduation, I’m mean who even kn=
ows
what they want to do with their lives at 18? No me for sure, I don’t have a
future anymore anyway. I made sure I smothered it. What was it that she sai=
d? =
=
=
=
=
CHELSEA
= OLDMAN
Over the weekend and the last two days member of my group have sent me the gist of what they have said in certain scenes, I have worked to clarify and best phrase whilst detailing the action that would be happening in scenes.
I'm been doing breathing exercises to help with my projection, and the inflections of my voice to evoke meaning and emotion to my words.
Script (not in proper format cannot convert to blogger or create a link for)
CHARACTERS/CAST LIST
THE NARRATOR =
– LEXIA
TOMLINSON
ALEX – JON MA=
YLING,
DANNY TESTER, KEV GLOVER
CHELSEA – ZOE=
HORTON
ASPIRATIONS X=
4
THE SPEAKER –=
SINNEAD
MADDIX
THE OLD MAN –=
DANNEL
BETTON
ACT 1
SCENE 1: GRAD=
UATION
DAY
(The stage is in blackout, out walks the NARRATOR: spot light is pl=
aced
on her; behind you can see the
silhouette of the APSIRATIONS character along with ALEX and CHELSEA they all
stand in horizontal line, body in neutral.)
=
NARRATOR <=
/o:p>
Life=
(brief
pause) it’s a funny thing (smiles) one minute you think you have it all fig=
ured
out,
You =
know
where you’re going and what you’re going to do. The future is you’re oyster=
.
But =
what are
you going to do, if it all falls through?
(Narrator sneaks off to the wings, stage lights come up on the
ASPIRATIONS.)
=
ASPIRATIONS 1 (Danny)
I’m =
going to
go to ______ and study _____
=
ASPIRATIONS 2 (Kev)
I’m =
going to
go to ______ and study _____
=
CHELSEA
I’m =
going to
Oxford to study Law, I hope to be a lawyer in the future.
=
ASPIRATIONS 3 (Sinnead)
I’m =
going to
go to ______ and study _____
=
ALEX
(Pause)
I’m =
going
where she goes ( looks at CHELSEA)<=
/i>
she’s my future.
=
ALL =
(They laugh)
HAHA=
!
=
ASPIRATIONS 4
=
(Pulls ALEX back into the line)</=
o:p>
I’m =
going to
go to ______ and study _____
Joyful upbeat music begins to play.
SCENE 2: GRADUCATION PARTY
=
ALL<=
/o:p>
=
(They all begin to dance, except ALEX)=
=
ALEX
=
(Stands
in the middle of the dance floor)
Lights drop down, spot light comes up =
on
ALEX and a travelling spot light follows CHELSEA
CHELSEA walks towards ALEX.
=
CHELSEA
Alex=
, we
need to talk.
=
ALEX=
O-Oh=
-Okay
babe, what about?
=
CHELSEA
I ju=
st don’t
think this is working -
=
ALEX=
What=
’s not
working? We’re perfect! Don’t do this!
=
CHELSEA
I ha=
ve to!
=
ALEX
NO, =
NO YOU
DON’T.
=
CHELSEA
Yes.=
You’re
suffocating me you have no plans for your own future.
=
ALEX=
You’=
re my
future, why don’t you get that?
CHELSEA
See,=
this is
exactly what I mean, suffocating me! Get your own life and dreams. I’m goin=
g to
be a lawyer I’m going to be somebody (stress). What do you just plan to rid=
e me
coat tail your whole life?
=
ALEX=
Why =
are you
being like this?
CHELSEA
Beca=
use we’re
over. Done. I’m not your future. (Pause) I don’t love you anymore. (crying)=
=
ALEX=
Well=
I love
you, doesn’t that count/mean something?
CHELSEA
=
(Starts to walk away/)
=
ALEX=
(/Grabs a hold of her wrist and pulls her around towards him.)=
=
CHELSEA
Let =
go of
me, let go of my hand. You’re hurting me.
=
ALEX
I’ll=
never
let go of you.
(ALEX drops her wrist CHELSEA rubs her wrist, stares at ALEX.)=
=
CHELSEA
I tr=
ied you
know, I tried really hard to make you happy/
=
ALEX=
You =
do make
me happy.
CHELSEA
Obvi=
ously not
Alex, you’re always depressed. You’ll be okay for a while then you’ll just
slump back.
I ca=
n’t cope
with it. You drain me. I need to live.
=
ALEX=
How =
can you
say that? I’ve tried as well, I can’t help who I am, you knew this before we
got any deeper.
CHELSEA
I th=
ought I
could help, thought I could save you. I’m not enough I don’t know what you =
need
but it’s not me. I don’t need you. I can’t love you anymore.
=
ALEX=
Fine… GO GO ON LEAVE ME !
END SCENE: BLACKOUT.
SCENE 2: ALEX’S BEDROOM (OR LIVING RO=
OM).
ALEX is sat on the computer
(ALEX
is sat on the computer he is in soft light; a projection montage plays whil=
st
he types. Video consist of: Him checking his e-mail, lurking CHELSEA’S Face=
book
page, getting rejected from a job (countless jobs) then his decent into loo=
king
at depression to suicide videos.)
=
=
(The
Aspirations are now The FACTS they walk out of the shadows and around ALEX
holding the placards with information about the current suicide percentages=
in
the world.)
(The
SPEAKER masquerading as one of The FACTS, takes of his/her (either) mask st=
eps
forward down-stage-left or begins to speak.)
The SPEAKER
(INSERT YOU SPEECH HERE SINNEAD)
(Once The SPEAKER stops
speaking, the music begins to play. Nobody Knows by Pink.)
=
The
NARRATOR
Ladies and gentlemen can you follow me for a narrated =
period
of Alex’s life these events take place over two weeks.
(The NARRATOR leads the audience out of the theatre.)
END SCENE.
SCENE 3: OUTS=
IDE
FOYER OF THE MAC.
=
=
The
NARRATOR
On S=
aturday,
Alex stayed in bed all day. And I mean all day. Apart from going to empty h=
is
bladder,
he d=
id not
leave his bed for anything. Not even food.
On S=
unday
his mother called, as she always does, he let the call go to voice mail. (Puts on mother voice) “Oh honey y=
ou
didn’t phone me I’m getting worried, well when you do decide to phone me I’=
ve
left you dinner in the oven.” That dinner was never eaten it went to the bi=
ns
or the dog.
On M=
onday he
grew tired of his own stench, but did nothing to fix it, even though the sh=
ower
was like right there! He still lied in bed. By now he looked a right state.=
On T=
uesday
the emptiness got to him, not just the one in his life but his stomach. Sure
he’d drank water to sustain him as for food, he wasn’t having any of it he
didn’t want to feel alive and well but today that changed. That didn’t mean=
an
elaborate meal, He had stale cereal with curdling milk. (Grimace)
On W=
ednesday
he watched the T.V. from dusk till dawn. More to drown out his own thoughts,
sound of the voices coming from the box did not penetrate his brain. The im=
ages
where just like an endless montage blurring and combusting into each other.=
On T=
hursday
he really did have enough of his own stench. He took to the shower. The war=
m water
cascading down warmed him from the bones. It made him feel a little bit hum=
an
again.
On F=
riday He
briefly played with the idea of going out, he got as far as the front door.=
Week 2
Satu=
rday He
did summon the courage to stray to the park he walked around aimlessly. He =
felt
a brief moment of peace. Then he remembered the days of joy he spent here w=
ith
Chelsea. His shoulders slumped and he dragged himself back home.
Sund=
ay
mother rang, this time he decided to go home. Then he remembered why he did=
n’t.
His bother talked away at him and his father was slumped in a chair drinking
himself into despair.
Mond=
ay he
went back on those sites…
At f=
irst it
was to get help with the thoughts then he got deeper and deeper. There where
site telling you how you could kill yourself quick and painless.
Tues=
day he
wrote a letter. I like letters but I don’t think I’d like to be the person =
to
read those words of pain. It didn’t have a stamp. Was it to be sent or foun=
d?
Wedn=
esday he
looked at the letter and perfected it, after all these where to be very
important words. But alas the words I will not ruin for you.
Thur=
sday he
lurked Chelsea’s Facebook, it still hurt to see that they weren’t in a
relationship together on facebook. She’d kept the pictures but there was
another guy he’d noticed started popping up more and more in pictures and he
was holding her too. Close he got angry, sad, depressed. He was back where =
he
started. If not worse.
Frid=
ay was
complete blackout, he played music to drown out the own voices in his head,=
it
wasn’t working very well.
Satu=
rday
came and he felt inspired to go to his old park/fair ground and just reflec=
t.
(Should have arrived at bench by =
now,
The NARRATOR sits down next to ALEX, she then stands again and points at a
passing couple then to the STATUS placard which proclaims CHELSEA’S new
relationship.)
=
ALEX
I didn’t have the best childhood going, always had second hand stuff fr=
om
the charity shop or hand me downs from the brother and sister. And there’s
nothing wrong with that, I just yearned to have something to that was mine.
Something new that made me happy. The old man loosing work and being a
perpetual drunk didn’t help with matters. So when I found Chelsea it was
perfect! (Smiles). I thought I had it all planned out, Trav=
el,
see the world, propose in Paris, (awkward laugh) get married, have kids, do=
it all,
the sky was the limit, she told me she loved me, I was there for her when s=
he
needed me, cuddled her when she was sad, held her in a thunderstorm, made h=
er
laugh, she knows my deepest secrets, and I know hers, we would talk about
absolutely anything, and now, just like that, it’s over, and for what, she =
said
I was her everything, what did I do wrong, what did I do so bloody wrong to
deserve having my heart ripped from my chest and stamped on, as if it me Ant
nothing, huh "thanks for everything but your surplus to requirements, I
hate her (pause) no, I don’t , I could never hate her, I hate the fact that=
I'm
in love her, and nothing will mend this broken heart, (walk over to lamppost
and stare at bridge) (breaking down) I can’t do this alone, there’s no way =
out,
I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, please don’t hate me Chels.
END SCENE.
SCENE 4: THE WALK TO THE BRIDGE. THE
BRIDGE.
=
</=
span>The
NARRATOR
He’d made up his mind, this would be his last Sunday, he didn’t want to
spend it with his family, besides they made him miserable enough.
Monday He looked at Chelsea’s Facebook at the pictures of her and the n=
ew
boyfriend, a little self-torture never hurt anybody, oh wait yeah it does!<=
o:p>
The days past that blurred into one continual stream, from behind his
blackout curtains he could tell when it was day from a lighter shade and wh=
en
it was night dark. He welcomed the night. In the dark, the voices and thoug=
hts
talked to him the goaded him on. Do something right for once show them you =
can
do something on your own. You don’t need anyone or anything.
Friday or D-day as I like to call it, Doom! He remembered a bridge he u=
sed
to be taken to when he was younger: he left the letter in a safe an obvious
place, the kitchen table and set out to the bridge.
=
(Points
and begins to run)
LOOK GUYS! I Can see him. No don’t do it! Don’t jump!
=
(Arrives
at the bridge, peers down over the edge into the water)
(To the audience and Alex) <=
span
lang=3DEN style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-=
ascii-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-lati=
n;
color:#333333;mso-ansi-language:EN'>It’s a long way down.
=
=
ALEX
I’m just so stupid, why did I do what I did? “You’re my future” (mocks self, loathingly) Argh!
=
(And Oldman is walking along the bridg=
e and
spots ALEX)
=
=
=
OLDMAN
Aayyyeee what are you doing? What are you doing up there?
You’re suffocating me.
=
ALEX
Yeah that’s it, I suffocated her, didn’t let her breath or grown made h=
er
everything, it seems we depressive people are like that we just have to obs=
ess.
But Chelsea makes that easy though she was just what I needed warm. If a pe=
rson
could be a home she’d be mine, now I’m homeless. And somebody else is livin=
g in
my house. She’s a Uni with her new fella. How could she move on so soon?!
I thought maybe if I just get the job I could prove to her that I could
have my own life too, I didn’t have to ride her coat tails. But no I got
rejected. Seems I’m a Fuck-up on paper as well as in real life. They didn’t
even want to meet me. What’s the point of applying for other jobs to get the
same result? None that’s what.
I’ve decided I’m not needed here anymore, no one is going to miss me, w=
ell
maybe my mom but then she’ll just have dad to concentrate on again. I can’t=
go
on, I’ve never felt right here anyways it’s like there’s always been a cloc=
k on
how long I can stay alive for, I may as well stop the stop watch myself.
I must have walked past 20 to 30 people on my way here; I may as well h=
ave
been invisible. One woman walked right into me, soon she’ll walk right on
through.
=
OLDMAN
Eh Eh, what do you think I am standing here for? Is it sympathy you are
looking for? Because you will find none here. Look at the man in the mirror=
. Look
in the river at you're reflection. I see hope, I see freedom, I see life. Y=
our
life is much more precious than silver, gold and all the diamonds in the ea=
rth.
You’re young, if you wish to take your life at least give me your youth (laughs). Life is about that you k=
now
laughing, with people and at yourself.
Oh well I can’t wait around here all day, I best be going. (Freeze )
END SCENE.
= OLDMAN
(Does a renditio=
n of
lean on me and gets the crowd that’s been watching to join in.
Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's
Always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's
Always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
You just call on me brother
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry= on
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry= on
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)