Personal responses to the beginning of the rehearsal process:
Demi Morrison’s Response:
We have decided as a group to experiment with a few different ideas in rehearsal as we have had a few problems trying to agree on something to do.
We set ourselves tasks to meet up, prepared with a few ideas, and once we did this, we settled on experimenting with one idea at a time. We began with Leanne McKetterick’s idea of exploring human contact without an agenda. We started with finding a comfortable space for the whole group, and settled on a bed, and then spent an hour just talking. We wanted to see whether the experience would be awkward or whether we would relax into a rhythm.
I personally felt slightly awkward when we started, not knowing what to say or how to start. However, we soon picked up a rhythm and were all talking about anything that came to mind. We began with talking about phobias and our own experiences with horror and then moved onto other topics.
I think that this was beneficial as despite it being mainly about a rehearsal and experimenting with different ideas, I now feel a lot more at ease with all the members of the group, which I think proves it to have been a useful exercise.
I think the next thing we should look at is the idea of agendas, because it could be argued that even if we ended with a final performance based around human contact ‘with no agenda’, it could still be argued that we, as an ensemble, have an agenda; this being that we are doing it solely for a performance.
Leanne Mcketterick’s Response:
What Happens If We Just Sit Here?
To explore my ideas, as a group we met at my flat and all just sat together on the bed. Although this was essentially a rehearsal we made a choice not to talk about the performance but simply sit together and see what happened.
At first it felt a little awkward, I think it was because it was not natural as to why we were all sat there, but forced and because of this we were just sat there like ‘what should we talk about?’. However, after a while the conversation was flowing naturally, and even got personal in a few parts, with each of us opening up about our past or problems we were facing at the present. I felt the experience really helped us bond as a group.
By doing this experience, it really helped me explore my ideas to an extent but I would like to create the experience again but next time with more of a driving force behind the decisions we make. For example, how did the experience differ without words, or sight, or sound, etc.?
