Lesson 2

Lesson 2
In this lesson we took what we had learned about the "East End Tales" and used the tales in the play to begin to create our scenes. However, to fully develop our understanding of this production we were introduced to "Physical Theatre". This type of theatre is overall similar to "Miming" with the difference that it does not contain as much direct address and is telling a story rather that an action.

To adjust to this type of production our class was set the task of creating a machine. Our class was split into groups of 5 and we set to work on creating the type of contraption that we would present to the rest of the groups. After some time discussing our ideas we came to the conclusion that we would each be a piece of a "Sandwich Maker". One of us would butter, one would place the contents of the sandwich etc, myself, I was the person who finalized the delicious treat by combining the top and bottom of the sandwich together to create a BLT of absolute glory.

However, during our performance all hell broke loose! Our group had their own ideas about the scene which is okay if you alert everyone before the performance about the change, of which our group did not do. This lead to our scene falling apart because no one had any idea what to do next. However, from failure we learn. I now know that one of the most important things in acting is communication and without it most performances would end in utter defeat.

The next event in the lesson resulted in our entire class obtaining one of the scenes, aka the "Tales" from the play and planning what they are going to do in the scene. We discussed the variety of ways we could set the staging, actions etc. However, more importantly simply just understanding tale 6 from the play. The tale describes two individuals, their names we do not know, and how the two of them resemble each other as a mother and her son. However, the tension builds up as the supposed "mother" spills her drink onto her "son's" shirt and it about to use violence against her. As the audience in the pub hold their breath they create a change, the son lowers his hand from the mother's face and in the end doesn't hit her.

In conclusion, today's lesson has taught me many things about "Physical Theatre" in general and I hope to gain more knowledge about this subject in the future.