w/c 15/04/24

Commencing on Monday, April 15th, our session commenced with Chair Duets, during which Dylan and I were paired together. Chair Duets involves two actors sharing the stage, aiming to illustrate the relationship dynamics between them. It provides an opportunity to convey the desired portrayal of the characters' interactions, be it shy, confident, romantic, or awkward. Typically, Chair Duets entail repetitive movements, and Dylan and I opted to infuse humor into our rendition, aiming for a romantically comedic portrayal reflective of our personalities.

 I found the Frantic Assembly technique particularly effective as it enables the portrayal of emotions through movements, effectively conveying the characters' feelings for each other. If given the opportunity, I would definitely incorporate this technique into our performance, as I believe it could provide a nuanced depiction of the relationship dynamics between the characters. 

In the afternoon session on Monday, we transitioned to exploring Hymn Hands. This technique involves creating a narrative solely through hand movements while touching each other's shoulders or waist, without using dialogue. It's a powerful way to depict various emotions such as love, hate, or confusion within the relationship between the actors. For instance, when one person initiates physical contact while the other doesn't reciprocate, it can signify unrequited love. Alternatively, if they continuously shift their hands, it may indicate a lack of mutual affection. Although dialogue is permissible, most opt for a non-verbal approach. This exercise allowed us to embody the characters of Cameron and Caitlyn, contributing to the development of their relationship dynamics 

On Wednesday, April 17th, we practiced another Frantic technique called Clear the Space. This technique involves following six instructions:

1. GO – Walk around the space.

2. CLEAR – Quickly move to the sides of the room.

3. SWAP – Change sides of the room as rapidly as possible.

4. CENTRE – Gather in the center, minimizing the space occupied, and rest your head on someone's shoulder.

5. FOLD – Place your right arm on the floor, forming a triangle between your right arm and legs. Fold your left leg into your stomach, continuing until you're rolled into a ball.

6. FAVOURITE – Identify your favorite part of the room and point toward it.

7. MUSIC – Rush to the corner of the room and focus on the stereo.

8. PEOPLE – Embrace the person closest to you. 

Here's our rendition of It Snows incorporating the Clear the Space technique. We've integrated all six rules, although in a different sequence, along with textual elements. Personally, I'm not fond of this method as I believe it's only effective in a large space. I'm skeptical about its suitability for the proper performance of It Snows because we're uncertain about the size of the space we'll have at the Ellesmere Port Campus.