Playbuilding

Playbuilding is the process of developing a student-devised piece of theatre. It is usually developed from a stimulus and explores an issue or problem using a range of playbuilding devices.

Playbuilding devices include (but are not limited to):

-flashback

-narration

-slow/fast motion

-mime

-poetry/song

-chorus

-tableau

-transformational acting/object transformation

-synchronised movement

-soundscape

-parody/allusion

Let's begin by viewing and analysing some examples of student playbuilt pieces. For each performance, answer the following questions in your LOGBOOK:

1. Outline the story of the piece.

2. How did the actors define different characters?

3. What playbuilding devices were used? For each device, what made their use effective?

4. Were you engaged by the piece? Why/why not?

The Steps of Playbuilding

Step 1 – Brainstorm Ideas

In this stage, discuss/brainstorm what the piece might be about. You need to respond to the stimulus themes/images/ideas and begin exploring characters, concepts or moments that could be featured. No idea is silly at this stage.

Improvisation games and activities can assist in translating an idea from the brainstorming stage into something practical that can be used.

LOGBOOK- record your group's brainstorming process.

Step 2 - Research

It is important to come from a place of knowledge when playbuilding. You may have your own experiences and ideas about the topic you are tackling but there are probably different perspectives out there and details that you don’t know about. The more you know about a topic, the more you have to draw from to create something exciting and original, making research vital to an interesting performance.

Research can be in any form:

Internet
Books
Plays and other performances
Newspapers/Magazine articles
Images (Artworks, Photographs)
Poems/Songs/Music
Film/Short film/Documentary
Jokes, Inspirational Sayings, Conversations, Interviews

LOGBOOK- you should include approx. 3-4 pages of relevant research. Each piece of research should be annotated or reflected upon.

Step 3 - Finding the Spine

The spine or focus refers to the “dramatic meaning” or message from which everything else in the performance radiates. All of the dramatic elements that your group choose to use must help in communicating the spine to the audience. By the end of this stage the spine should be agreed upon by the entire group. This may change and develop as the process continues, but the general direction should remain constant. Sometimes, a helpful way to find your spine is to frame it as a "DRIVING QUESTION".

LOGBOOK- a driving question and short paragraph outline the "spine" of your piece must be submitted prior to the assessment due date. It should then be glued into your logbook.

Step 4 -IMPROVISE Ideas

In this stage the story or structure of the piece begins to take shape. Depending on the group this can happen in a number of ways. It is important that you don’t get stuck talking about ideas but get up and experiment with those ideas. Actually, physically act them out.

This is the part where you should start to experiment with dramatic structure, different forms and conventions, different performance practitioners' ideas, using theatrical traditions and theatre sports as a springboard, dramatic devices, characterisation and transitions.

IMPROVISE… it is called PLAYbuilding for a reason.

This is the longest step of the process and may take some time. Work on one section, scene or element at a time and use improvisation and stimulus from your research to help you create parts that you can put together into a complete performance. At this stage it doesn’t matter if the sections aren’t connected together seamlessly. As long as they are centred around your spine, the transitions and connection can be tightened during the refinement and rehearsal process.

LOGBOOK- each time you improvise a new idea, you need to record the process in your logbook. Remember to recount what was done and reflect on the experience. Was is useful? What devices or elements of drama were used?

Step 5 - Rehearsal

This is the most important part of the process, but often the one that is left out or isn’t given enough time.

Once you have what you think is a complete piece get some feedback from your teacher or other groups or film it and watch it yourself. Use this feedback to improve your performance, transforming it from a draft into a polished piece. Don’t be afraid to be ruthless. If it isn’t working then fix it, or get rid of it. Sometimes the way you saw it in your head doesn’t translate to the stage and the physical actors. It’s OK. But don’t hold onto to something that isn’t working.

The process of feedback and refinement should happen multiple times within the rehearsal process. The more opportunities you give yourself to improve and refine your piece, the better the final product will be.

LOGBOOK- each time you rehearse for an audience (teacher or peers), ask for feedback and record it in your logbook. Reflect on this feedback and include an outline of how your group will act on this advice to improve or extend the playbuit piece.

As you develop your playbuilt piece and write your rationale, it is important that you consider the Elements of Drama.

Many of the elements should be manipulated in your playbuilt piece and these should be reflected upon in your rationale.

You will find some revision of the Elements of Drama below.

The Elements of Drama

Role and character

Role: Embracing a role involves representing a point of view and identifying with a particular set of values and attitudes. When a role is assumed, relationships can be established pivotal to dramatic action such as relationships between people, between people and ideas, between people and the environment. This negotiation of the situation and roles is an important and necessary phase in all drama.

Character: Characterisation is the process of developing from a role to build a complex personality and background for a particular character. Intention, status and attitude are integral ingredients for a character's motivation and belief. Complexity in character can be developed through interaction and relationship with others.

Focus: The first point of focus is the performer’s focus, used to create and sustain concentration and belief.

The second type of focus refers to the point where the dramatic action is directed. The focus of any dramatic situation can be planned to help frame the action and can be created by attention to space, motifs, props, gestures, eye contact, language, voice and contrasts. As the drama progresses, a sharp focus must be maintained; otherwise the action will become blurred and the direction lost. The following techniques could assist in maintaining clarity of focus:

Space: levels, physical proximity and groupings are all means of focusing an action
Motifs: dramatic action will provide opportunities for characters to create things to do, which can be repeated regularly throughout the drama. Once these patterns have been established a clear focus for the action is ensured every time the character returns to the motifs
Props: props are often essential to dramatic action; when introduced they can serve to focus the drama
Gesture: any gesture which concentrates attention (for example, pointing, facing the action, touching), also helps establish focus
Eye Contact: eye contact between individuals and within groups is an important way of controlling and focusing the action
Language and Voice: focus is determined not just by who is speaking, but also by what is being said and the way it is being said
Contrasts: focus is also achieved through contrasting images, eg all performers moving quickly except one who is still; all performers speaking together softly except one who speaks above the others; all performers in darkness except one who is in the light.

Tension is the force which drives all drama. It creates a powerful and complex form of energy on stage which, in turn, generates a level of excitement in the audience. There are four major ways of creating and intensifying dramatic tension:

the creation of a problem or task that characters must complete in order to achieve a goal or not
the development of relationships between characters and managing the relationships, eg someone may change, someone may leave
the creation of surprise where the characters and audience donít know whatís ahead. Suddenly the circumstances unfold and a shock occurs
the development of a notion of mystery with the characters and audience not knowing what it all means. The action moves forward; everything becomes clear.

Space: Space refers to both the shape of the stage/performance space and the spatial design contained in the performance space. Awareness of spatial dynamics and spatial relationships within the design are essential to the realisation of dramatic coherence. The physicality of the performer’s body in relation to other performers' bodies and the spatial design of the performance area constantly create meanings, which are visually read or interpreted by the audience.

Time: Time refers to the period in which the dramatic action can occur. Time can remain constant or shift, depending on the circumstances and contexts of the drama. Time affects the place and situation that characters find themselves in.

Place: All dramatic action occurs at a time and place. Different settings dictate other characters that might be introduced, certain settings will intensify the action, multiple locations can enable us to explore many aspects of the situation, while the use of contrasting settings can help to build the dramatic tension.

Situation: Situation refers to the circumstances the characters are in. Characters and their relationships are shaped by the situation. The situation is also created by the intentions or motivations of the characters.

Structure: The structure is the framework through which the content of the drama is presented. Structural elements such as narrative and plot can shape or order the nature of how the dramatic message is communicated.

Narrative: Drama is comprised of a narrative structure. The events in a narrative are not random, but linked by cause and effect.
Plot lines: The plot line carries the dramatic action forward. Plot lines can be simple, complex or cyclic. They can be linear or non-linear. The plot line creates a dramatic framework for the narrative.

Rhythm: Rhythm is the manipulation of timing through pace and tempo. It involves an awareness of the internal patterns within the performance. Rhythms are manipulated according to focus, situation, characters and dramatic tension, which impacts on the desired audience reaction.

Moment: Moments in the drama are fundamental to the pacing of the dramatic action. The tempo, which refers to the management of time in a broad sense, is often punctuated by the moment. The precise use of time from one moment to the next is called timing. It is an integral factor in building dramatic tension. The control or manipulation of key moments affects the audienceís engagement and understanding of the performance.

Language: In drama, ideas, feelings and needs are expressed through verbal and non-verbal language. Dramatic action is enriched when vocal and physical dynamics are carefully used to reinforce and strengthen the language.

Sound: Sound incorporates many aural devices to enhance performance, create mood and establish atmosphere, generate emotion and build dramatic tension. Sounds may be as diverse as the use of realistic sound effects, music or soundscapes through to the use of body percussion.

Movement: Movement expresses action and, like language, is dictated by situations, roles and relationships. It can be realistic or abstract. Mood, symbols and motifs can be expressed in movement, which can enrich the dramatic action and create powerful meanings.

Atmosphere: Atmosphere is the feeling or mood that is created by, and emerges through, dramatic action. It is closely linked with tension: as the tension in a drama builds so too does the mood and this strengthens the tension. Drama appeals to the senses to evoke the atmosphere and the emotions to intensify the mood.

Symbols: Symbols can help you understand and focus the drama. They can sum up the meaning of the performance, sometimes on a subconscious level. They can be expressed through the visual imagery of language, movement, gesture, objects, design and staging, helping to reinforce the meaning of the whole experience.

Dramatic meaning: Dramatic meaning is created through the manipulation of the elements of drama which are interrelated and interdependent. The purpose of any piece of drama is integral to its form or style. Dramatic meaning is what is communicated between the performers and the audience to create an actor-audience relationship.

Audience engagement: The level and type of an audience response depends on the drama makerís awareness and control of the desired actor-audience relationship in relation to the chosen form or style, and within the context of the performance space. The purpose of the performance impacts on the type of audience engagement created, from laughter to alienation, and makes clearer dramatic meaning.

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