So, we couldn’t avoid it any longer. We’ve been happily getting together for our STEP UP sessions for months now, each time looking forward to meeting our guest workshop leaders and wondering what fun was in store that day. But now, as the sun tentatively breaks out from behind the clouds, we are aware that summer is soon and summer means show time.

Last session was our first grown-up, serious talk. We had spent the previous meeting reading through the winning DREAM UP scripts, and now we needed to decide how we wanted to use them to create our final performance. If this wasn’t enough, Tilly also challenged us to come up with a name! Not an easy task, even with an ongoing supply of tea and biscuits at hand.

The DREAM UP theme had been Starting out in the East Midlands and this meant we had a wonderful collection of scripts, all with very different interpretations of what that theme meant to them. Our discussion tried to draw out the common threads between them and so we spoke about everything from our frustrations with the East Midlands (are we North or South? Is the Midlands suffering an identity crisis?) and London (does everything really have to pass by the capital to mean anything?) to rivers and waterways (school Humanities lessons came in handy at this point). We ‘ummed’ and ‘ahhed’ and ‘ummed’ some more until we finally felt that we had a strong enough vision for the performance to give it a name: Due Course.

As Sunday’s session approached, I readied myself for another intense day of brainstorming, but Ellen emailed the night before asking if we could bring along the neutral masks we’d used previously. Intriguing…

As part of her Theatre Studies degree, Ellen has been focusing on masks in performance and needed some extra material to study as evidence for her coursework – we were happy to oblige! Highlights of the morning included the slow motion race where Dickie and Sam heroically battled it out for last place – more a match for Laurel and Hardy than Bolt and Blake – and the intense performance by Sam, Chris and Laura as, masked, they acted as though they had awoken for the first time ever. Lunch time was tasty time – it was Debs’s birthday and Jen’s earlier in the week (Happy Birthday!), so Emma H. had made some cute little iced fairy cakes to celebrate. I may have had one. Or two. Or three. Shush, don’t tell anyone!

After lunch we got back to business. Dickie took on the mantle of being our ideas scribe, a difficult role as he needed to translate our weird and wonderful thoughts into manageable notes. However, some thoughts that had seemed weirder and more wonderful than the others at first hearing, may actually even make it into the show…although, let’s just say that we really don’t want to hear the term ‘river-people’ ever again.

We’re starting to see the show in a new light now. We know its name, we’re getting close to discovering its form and now it’ll be trial and error until we find it complete and ready to perform. Time is ticking!

Elanor Parker, STEP Creatives Ensemble 2013, Production and Stage Manager

Bonus!

Wholly rejected and vetoed show names:

• Voices of the East Midlands
• **** London!
• Pooh sticks
• Passing through

   Would you go and see any of these shows?!

The Turning Point

It’s safe to say I wasn’t in the greatest frame of minds for this, perhaps the most important of our sessions so far. You see, I’d had a show with Quirksome Theatre the night before, over in Leicester – a show that I’d been working on for quite some time and had me fairly preoccupied. So I wasn’t all that prepared – I didn’t make it home to Nottingham after the show, and ended up being driven to New Perspectives early in the morning by one of the actors (Quirksome had ‘lent’ some fabulous female actors to STEP UP for the day) without a clean shirt, shower or anywhere near enough coffee inside me. Still, I was determined to make the most of the day. Because today was the first official reading of the winning scripts from the DREAM UP Writing competition, and my own script, Mel’s Leaving Do, was amongst them.

I’d had the phone call from Tilly a few months before to say I was a runner-up, and I think I just about managed to disguise the true level of my excitement over the phone (I’m quite good at that). For someone who considers himself to be, first and foremost, a writer, yet has never had any real recognition in this capacity, it felt like a real coup. Also, out of the three scripts I entered for the competition, Mel’s Leaving Do was probably my personal favourite. Being involved as both an actor and a writer has made me even more excited about this project, and I was very eager to hear my little piece read aloud by some actors who I’ve got to know pretty well over the last few months. I’d also read the scripts by the other winning writers with great fascination – I was really interested to hear how they sounded, and what the writers made of it all.

It is fair to say that when I arrived at the New Perspectives office, the atmosphere was one of vaguely controlled chaos. The ‘production team’ for the day (Charlotte, Emma P and Elanor, who did a spectacular job of holding things together) were scurrying around printing scripts, while actors gradually trickled in – Sylvia, one of the actors who I was supposed to be bringing, had got lost in the snow and I had to try and guide her to the office over the phone (naturally, I was no use whatsoever). There were a lot of new faces in the building – actors and directors who had been drafted in to help out, and despite the initial frenzy, it was clear that everyone had a shared goal – to rehearse and perform seven great scripts in the space of a day. It was one of those beautiful moments you sometimes get in theatre when you realize that something is happening which can’t possibly be stopped.

Before long we all made it to our respective locations, and started rehearsing the plays we’d been given. I was part of a small group along with Theresa, Debs and Kath (from The Gramophones, who had kindly given up her time to assist with the day’s festivities), reading Until Then, a play by Rick Briggs. I was reading the part of Liam – a far more dramatic role than I’m used to in a fairly intense, serious play. I have to say I really enjoyed working with a piece of new writing, as I always do. It feels like a privilege to be the first person to explore a character, especially when the writing is this polished and subtle. Afterwards I read the part of The Assistant in Michael Pepper’s The Audition – this was a much smaller part, with only a few lines at the end – but it was great fun to be so delightfully impassive, and watching Ellen and Debs get to grips with the horror of ‘Cyril’.

So, that was the morning. After a delicious buffet lunch (the caterers somehow managed to forge a path through the blizzard), the rest of the writers started to trickle in* and introduced themselves to an increasingly nervous ensemble who were about to perform their beloved scripts. Before long we got started.

The afternoon session was a long one (we had seven plays to get through!), but it seemed to be over in a flash. I put this down to the quality of the scripts and the following feedback sessions, which were extremely easy-going and helpful for everyone concerned. Everybody in the room (and it had grown to a mighty throng over the course of the day) had some useful insights surrounding the plays they had just seen (and, in some cases, spent the whole day working on), particularly Jack, New Perspectives’ Artistic Director, who had formed part of the judging panel for DREAM UP. I suspect the writers were every bit as nervous as the actors when it came to having their play performed (I know I was a bag of nerves when Emma H, Chris, Jen and Sam stepped up** to read Mel’s Leaving Do), but all the readings were so well executed that I doubt anyone came away disappointed – I certainly came away with lots of helpful feedback and plenty to think about. In fact, the whole day was so flawlessly executed that things are looking very promising for our final show in July. I can hardly wait to get started.

Dickie Garton, performer and writer, STEP UP Creatives Ensemble 2013

*Although two of them were sadly unable to make it.

**Pun sort of intended.

MORNING SESSION

So the STEP UP Creative’s had a morning of being very serious! (This was slightly unnerving at first as we always seem to act stupid!)  We all sat around the table at New Perspectives HQ and laid the DREAM UP scripts bare. This session was a planning session for our next meeting where we will have the pleasure of meeting the writers and putting some of the scripts up on their feet. It was nice to finally sit down and have a discussion and play around with what we are going to be using in our final show. After reading the scripts at home to ourselves it was enlightening to have the opportunity to come together and give them a voice.

We took each script and read aloud what the writers had created. It is an inspirational feeling that our newly formed ensemble company will be working on brand new scripts to create a brand new play. The read through of the plays also threw up a surprising outcome. Most members of the group by the end of the session had changed their feelings and initial views of at least one of the scripts. After hearing them being read out loud we all agreed that it had added a new dimension to characters that we had not noticed before and how the words had come alive. We could now see them as they were intended.

We progressed up the serious ladder (I hope no one suffers from vertigo!) by beginning to link certain themes together that we had noticed running through groups of the scripts, such as certain personality traits that we spotted between characters. We began to feel like we had started something that was only going to get better with time. I really began to notice how we were beginning to show how much we have learnt from the other sessions that New Perspectives had organised for us.

We were throwing words and phrases around like we were pros! I feel this has been a highlight of the process in STEP UP as it is becoming clear that we have individually (with all the amazing talent that is in the group!) bought together our own skills – but now we are starting to bring in the shared experiences and merge it all together. (Go Team!).

AFTERNOON SESSION

Deep in the heart of the rehearsal room on a rather chilly March afternoon Tilly was planning something…BIG…something…SCARY!!

It all started with a very funny warm up of ball throwing, name calling (in a nice way!) and kiss blowing (which is always nice I feel!) to various, overlapping patterns; which, I may add, we did a splendid job. The group then moved on to a game that was extremely comical and very fun to play.

As the afternoon was about improvisation and devising, the ‘Servant and Master’ game is definitely a great start. I always wonder with a game like this what people would think we were doing if they just happen to stroll past the window. I mean peering in to the space they would have seen all sorts of nonsense, people with shoes on their hands, others being told to sit still and they would continue to jump and dance around the room…(actors eh!). During the madness though new skills were emerging from the depths of the boundaries of improvisation…if you just keep going then more interesting scenarios will arise. All these skills were to prove valuable to the task that was to lay in store for the ensemble.

So Tilly had decided our fate for the final task of the day. As we waited, nervous, we wondered what was to come. Tilly announced that to finish off the session we were going to be doing…(drum roll please…!) a ‘Durational Improvisation’.

Now my first though was WHAT!?! However after the explanation I think everyone felt a little better about the whole situation (ahem…I lied…I was bricking it!). Anyway so the idea of a ‘Durational Improvisation is that the performance space is filled with lots of props, cards with character traits, situations or mini tasks and themes from the scripts that we were working on in the morning. The performers enter the space and will begin a piece of theatre. It was a very interesting task and the thought of it when Tilly said it was going to last 45 minutes… I think we were ready to run!

Entering the space I found myself drawn to the comfort and familiarity of a chair. It was about exploring the space and in no time at all had I picked up a prop and began an interaction with Elanor (see it wasn’t so bad after all!). The improvisation had picked up pace and each person began to engage with the space and began to evolve certain elements from the cards placed around the room. I used the time to see what stage pictures I could create by hopefully portraying something that could be developed in to our final piece. Members of the team developed a whole story line from a box – that mysteriously could not be opened – and a piece of paper. Watching this story unfold when I watched the footage back it was interesting to see how it started with Emma H and she had totally taken the focus of the playing area by her reaction to this box. Other people, such as Chris, were then drawn in to the world Emma had created and he began the fight to obtain this box. Meanwhile other scenes were being played out but the focus on the box – and as an audience member this was great.

I found it fascinating after watching the recording, that these bits jumped out at me – when at the time I didn’t even notice they were going on. We all tried manipulating objects to see what effects they created – with Chris and me wearing rubber gloves as flippers, Dickie experimented with wearing two masks and how this affected his ability to blow bubbles (All rather amusing I must say!).

There were many effective and amazing moments that could really be evolved in to something more. If we had more time (and hopefully we will do this again) we would have then watched the footage choosing moments that we liked and then developing on this as groundwork to devise a brand new piece of theatre. The ‘Durational Improvisation’ is a great tool for generating ideas that can then be developed further. I think it goes without saying that it was very enjoyable, as we all like to release our inner child at some point and be allowed to play!

Jennifer Ellis, Perfomer, STEP UP Creatives Ensemble 2013

During the afternoon, Daniel Ivory-Castile, Mandy’s husband and highly experienced Pyrotechnician showed us some stuff that went bang and some other stuff that looked pretty as it went bang. At least, this sums up how much I knew about Pyrotechnics at the start of the session.

Dan has worked on everything from small theatre productions to rock concerts and even the gold twinkling waterfall effect on the Olympic rings at the 2012 Opening Ceremony, so we were very lucky indeed to be getting a masterclass from an expert in the field.

Needless to say, I learned a lot listening to Dan talk through the various types of pyrotechnic effects, and it was great that he’d brought so many examples to show us first-hand. In turns we screamed, went ‘ahhhh’ appreciatively (as if we were at a firework display), potentially traumatised a group of children taking a dance lesson next door with some VERY loud explosions, and eventually set off the building’s smoke alarms. It was a LOT of fun, and we did our best to put the Create Theatre back together again before we left, so no lasting harm was done. Adam from Create was very understanding, and hopefully they will still allow us back for the show this summer..!

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS

At the beginning of the workshop, Mandy took us through the special effects used in New Perspective’s recent production of A Christmas Carol. I had been fortunate enough to sit in on some rehearsals last October when the finer details of some of these effects were still being worked out, and then saw the show both on its first night, and then again nearer the end of the tour (also at Create), so it was a nice conclusion to this little journey for me to hear Mandy re-cap the effects used in the show, and those who had not had the chance to see A Christmas Carol too seemed captivated by the magic of the effects.

We were shown matches that emerged from pockets or walls fully aflame, glasses that magically changed water into wine as it was poured, a glass and lamp that apparently moved by themselves, and a coat that lifted one arm to point out Scrooge’s gravestone. Talking through how these effects were done (for example, drilling tiny holes in the set and colouring in matches to hide them from view until the moment they were produced, already lit, or making a contraption containing a piece of phosphorus paper to hide in the actor’s pocket so a match would emerge from the waistcoat pocket already burning) it was remarkable how thrilling even relatively simple effects can be. It was easy to appreciate that, together with stage lighting, sound, atmospheric smoke and of course the gift of an actor to draw the audience in, all these things help to create and make believable the magical world of the storyteller in the play.

MISDIRECTION

With these more manual effects, Mandy explained that they are always much more successful when the audience is not concentrating on the object that is undergoing the effect. For example, when Kern, the actor in A Christmas Carol, was pouring the water from the jug that turned red in the first glass and green in the second, he continued his storytelling, placing no particular importance on the task of pouring the water. The audience was therefore engaged by his face and what he was saying and so was much more surprised and delighted by the effect than if they’d been concentrating on the glasses and thinking about how it was achieved.

As with magicians, misdirection plays a key role with the simpler special effects. Another example of this was the effect where the coat sleeve seems to lift itself up and point. Earlier in the play, the actor puts his own arm overtly into the coat sleeve as part of his showmanship style, to illustrate something with a gesture, and then removes it. As an audience, you are left thinking ‘I see what he did there’, and this sets up an expectation, so that when he later goes back over to the coat, as a member of the audience you assume the same effect will be repeated, but when he walks away this time, the coat sleeve remains lifted in a pointing position. This surprise elevates a simple effect into something more magical in the audience’s mind and by doing so, reinforces and brings a greater reality to the ambience of the play.

“SHALL WE HAVE A TEA BREAK AND THEN BLOW SOME THINGS UP?”

I think it’s fair to say there was quite a bit of enthusiasm for this plan, so that’s exactly what we did. Dan took us through a lot of different effects, giving us more information about and demonstrating most of them as he went. These included:

• “Dragon Breath” (Lycopodium)

Basically mushroom spores, it is an incredibly fine powder that looks a little like custard powder and, once airborne, if it comes in contact with a flame it causes a big plume of fire. It is, however, inert if you were to dip a lit match into it as there is not enough oxygen surrounding the particles to allow for a combustible explosion.

• Flame Shooter (wear it concealed on your fingers with an AA battery etc.)

You would put some flash paper or flash cotton into the flame shooter. It burns up really bright and fast leaving nothing behind, allowing an effect such as shooting a flame from your fingers.

• Mylar / Flutterfetti

Rather expensive confetti. It hangs nicely whilst floating down and is not too visible once on the ground, so it is good for a falling glitter effect. Think: Adele’s performance at the 2011 Brits.

• Flame Mortar

Ignites from the surface, a surface-burn pyro. Most effects are conversely lit from the bottom. The standard flame colour is orange and they are available in different sizes, with large ones costing around £50 each.

• Stage Flash

Also known in the trade as ‘genie flashes’, presumably because they are used a lot in panto when the genie appears out of the lamp! They go bang (as well as flash).

• Sparkle Flash

These came in various sizes and sparkle prettily as the name suggests!

• Martinez Igniters

Made in the USA, these are an electrical means of ignition, and look a little like a fake match-tip. Dan placed one on the end of 2 bits of copper wire, and created a slow-burn fuse effect which travelled a metre in 10 – 12 seconds before ‘self-destructing’. Think: Mission Impossible.

• Omni-directional SPDs (Spark Producing Devices)

These are good for a small or quick effect. You can’t predict exactly which way the sparks will travel, so we were shown this demonstration outdoors.

• Airburst

These look like a wire with a little bundle wrapped in clingfilm on the end(!) but it is in fact a fireproof plastic film. They produce a firework-like effect with little gold stars, leaving behind lots of mini smoke rings! In the UK you have to buy them pre-made but in Europe they can be made on-site. You have to make them carefully to avoid remnants of burning plastic floating down after the effect is set off.

• Shock Tube

Dan got the front row to hold on to a long thin plastic tube, coated on the inside with high explosives. 100km of this was used in the ‘internet’ segment of the 2012 Opening Ceremony, with each line on the floor containing 50 pieces of shock tube. When it was set off, the light shot along the inside of the wire at an incredible speed with a loud BANG, making us all jump!

• Whistle

As suggested by the name, this effect made a very loud whistling noise like a firework, and produced an upward shower of sparks.

• Maroons

These produced the most screams, as they were LOUD, and Dan set off four in a row. They were cylinder-shaped and contained in a bomb box for the demonstration, to restrict any fragments.

• Flitter Mine

This produced a projection of stars from the floor and wasn’t very loud, but was very pretty!

• Flashes (two sizes demonstrated)

You could feel the heat when they were set off!

• Jets (¼ second and 1 second)

These produced silver upward sparks and can be used to do chaser effects if they are set off in sequence. Dan showed us a row of three ¼ second jets and a row of five 1 second jets, 3 of which went off. These effects are mostly wired in parallel rather than series, so that, as in this case, if some do not work, you still get the overall effect with the ones that do.

• Gerbs

These are duration burners, lasting around 10 seconds. The one we saw sent silver sparks upwards.

• Flashes

Dan attached one of these SPDs to one of the lighting scaffolding poles and set it off. It produced the kind of electrical explosion ‘spark shower’ effect that we often see in dramas and films. Think along the lines of a ‘system overload’ type explosion in a sci-fi drama, for example.

• Sparkle Flash

Dan demonstrated three sizes; small medium and large.

We saw our fair share of explosions, some were fairly terrifying, others more pretty and glittery, and Dan also talked us through some other effects such as smoke-filled bubble machines (as used on Strictly), snow machines, comets and waterfalls (In the Opening Ceremony, each Olympic ring had 180 waterfall pyros on it!).

SAFETY FIRST!

Rules of thumb regarding safety zones are 3m clear between effect and audience member. This distance can be reduced for the actors on the stage as they are aware what is going to happen, when and how, and are reduced further for the Pyrotechnicians. This distance is increased for some effects such as the Lycopodium fireball effects (4m), and others, but the paperwork with the effect should advise on the safety distances you need to observe.

At outdoor events it is especially important to observe not only the safety distances, but also the wind direction and speeds. Otherwise, for example, at a firework display, the smoke and fallout can end up over the audience, which no one wants happening!

The special effects operator at an event always has the power to override the DSM’s cues for safety reasons, and there are other safety measures in place such as firing systems that can be set up but will only work once the key is in place, or systems with removable firing system units, and there is often a ‘Deadman’s Button’ which can be held down by the technician to override a pre-programmed display if it gets out of synch with the music, for example.

The transportation of pyros was also touched upon, and we learned that there is a document called a Transport Emergency Card (or Trans Card) which is kept in the cab alongside the driver, so in the case of a crash the fire brigade have the information they need to know what was being transported and are aware of the potential risk to them and how to deal with the goods. We were also shown that there are certain types of boxes in which to transport goods, with the appropriate warning labels on them.

TESTING, TESTING…

One of the major points made that afternoon was that you cannot exactly do a ‘trial run’ with a pyrotechnic effect in the same way that you would with, say, a lighting cue. Being single-use, if you test them you’ll have to re-load and keep your fingers crossed – there is always the possibility that the next one won’t work!

It is even rather difficult to accurately test effects such as a smoke or haze machine, when it is used on a touring show. No two venues are the same and this can cause differences in the way the effect plays out. Even the same venue in different temperature conditions, for example, can cause an effect to behave very differently each time it is used.

As for pyros not going off, with some products, you can shake the canisters and hear if the contents sound like they’re alright. If you notice any problems like this with a pyro you’ve only recently bought, Dan told us, you can call the manufacturer and quote the LOT number noted on the label, so they can test or recall a batch.

The key words that came out of this session were tension and repetition!

WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED…

At the end of the session, we had the set and lighting to de-rig and load back into the tour van before heading back towards Nottingham. We swapped roles so that those who had learned to set up the lights during the get-in were now taking apart the set, and vice versa. A little bit of sweeping the floor and things were back to normal with virtually no sign that we’d ever been there (well, except a lingering sheen of smoke that is).

It was a really useful and interesting day, nicely rounded off with some laughs down the pub, and thanks to New Perspectives, the folks at Create Theatre and of course Dan Ivory-Castile, I think we will all be a little less apprehensive now when it comes to putting on our own STEP UP Creatives touring show in 4 months’ time.

Now all we have to do is work out how we can get as many explosions into the scripts as possible..!

Emma Pegg, STEP UP Creatives Ensemble 2013.

Our technical day at Create Theatre in Mansfield started out much like a school trip; the STEP UP Creatives Ensemble gathered at New Perspectives HQ, packed lunches at the ready and boarded the tour bus, looking forward to what the day would hold. As my main interests are stage and production management, doing a mock “get in” and “get out” was invaluable experience. As I came to realise later, a professional set up in the theatre is all about logic, organisation and following tried and tested methods.

First of all we had a quick tour around Create Theatre because a number of us had never visited before. The facilities are state-of-the-art, and as we are staging one of the STEP UP shows here on 2 July, it was the perfect opportunity to get to grips with the layout of the building and the studio beforehand.

Before letting us loose on the equipment and set, Mandy (Production Manager at New Perspectives) explained to us the importance of going about the set up in a certain way. We’d brought with us the set and kit for A Christmas Carol, and Mandy pointed out where we should place each item within the performance space. The crates containing cables and other technical equipment/props were placed in a neat line across the front of the space nearest the audience and the set was laid out logically in the middle. Mandy explained how New Perspectives, as a touring company, must design the set and lighting so that it can be transferred from venue to venue, whether a theatre such as Create, or a village hall. Therefore, we did not use the extensive lighting already installed at Create; instead we rigged up the lighting equipment we had brought with us at three corners of the performance space. As we began it became clear how much the processes we were learning would help when we come to rehearse and tour our own show.

Mandy talked us through the kit and there are a plethora of technical names that I won’t list here (but include, for instance, the intriguingly named “Socapex Spider”, a type of cable) and showed us how to set up the different lanterns on the lighting stand. We then split into groups, some of us rigging the lighting and others building the set under instruction from Dan. It was great to get hands on experience – we took it in turns to ascend the ladder while someone else held on to it as support. It turned out to be more difficult than Mandy, as a seasoned pro, had made it look! But once we had got passed the first tentative, slightly wobbly, attempts, it became easier as our confidence grew.

Throughout the morning, Mandy pointed out the small but vital processes that make everyone’s lives easier during the get in and get out (there’s something so brilliantly no-nonsense about those terms…) For instance, all the lighting equipment and cables were number coded so we knew what was supposed to go where. Colour coding is also used so that everything in the space is laid out in exactly the same way at each venue. When the lighting and set were fully rigged we stepped back to admire our handiwork.

We were then asked to think about how the audience is taken into consideration when designing the set and lighting. What did we want them to see? What did we want to hide from them? And what by necessity was on show but “hidden” as best as possible? For instance, the lighting stands, lanterns and cables were in view but by making them black and as neat as possible, the audience’s attention would not be drawn to them, and they fade into the background so that all the focus is on the set.

At the end of the day we essentially reversed the process we had gone through in the morning. I can’t stress enough how clear the importance of being extremely organised during the get in and get out became. On de-rigging the lights there was a small triumph for me as I managed to unplug a cable that had defeated the rest of my group, woo! Alas, my success was dampened slightly when I was picked out to loop a cable following Mandy’s demonstration and proved to be, to put it bluntly, rubbish at it. Even such an apparently small thing as looping cables correctly, Mandy pointed out, is important. Packing them away incorrectly can damage the inner workings of the cable and reduce its lifespan.

So all in all this was a rather different day to any we’d had previously, being less performance focused, and I think it gave us all a lot more confidence with the technical aspects of staging a production. It was both enjoyable and informative, and made me realise all the more how much I want to work in theatre – hopefully I can improve my cable looping skills with a lot more practice! Thanks again to Mandy and Dan for taking the time to share their extensive experience and knowledge with us.

Charlotte Tomlinson, STEP UP Creatives Ensemble 2013

How many clowns can you fit in a car? There aren’t any clowns, or a car: why drive when you run, roll, cartwheel? This workshop is not just circus; it’s modern circus, it’s theatre, it’s performance.  Emma’s already given you a brilliant overview of the days’ activities, so here are a few hints and tips on some of them.

How to do a Cartwheel

I have never been able to do a cartwheel. Not at primary school. Not at secondary school. Not in the local on a Saturday Night. Never…Until now… sort of. I might not be about to run away with the circus, mainly because my post-workshop thighs won’t let me, but in ten minutes I went from bumbling around the floor to flinging myself through the air and here’s how: Hand, hand, foot, foot.

It sounds simple, obvious even, but that’s the key: don’t over think it! Start small. Put one hand down, then the next, then one foot and finally the other. The key is practise. Hand, hand, foot, foot.  Start small and get a little higher each time.  If you’re struggling to get your feet off the ground try to point your toes, try to lift your hips and then try again. Hand, hand, foot, foot. It’s as easy as 1,2,3,4.

Armpit lift

Even more glamorous than it sounds. The lift involves two people: Person A and Person B, which is obviously how I routinely address people- luckily I don’t have children.

Person A stands at the front, with Person B directly behind them.  Both face the same direction- good old A and B- inches from each other.  Person B then locks their armpit onto Person A’s shoulder- making a man-made lock.

A is now able to lift B onto their back. Now I know what you’re thinking- Person A has got the raw deal, lugging lazy old B around. But the truth is it’s easy, it’s comfortable. Not only is it a simple circus trick but it highlights another important aspect of circus; movement. An interesting movement can be easy and simple. An interesting movement can be a theatrical device. An interesting movement can enable a smooth transition between scenes.  So while it may not sound glamorous it’s certainly interesting, it’s certainly effective.

Circle Exercise

This started as a familiar drama game. The group stands in an inward facing circle. A ball is then thrown between members of the group. Easy peasy.  But it is thrown in a sequence and the sequence, like cartwheels or old episodes of Only Fools and Horses, must be repeated.  For example:  Person A to Person B to Person C to Person D. A, B, C, D. Again. A, B, C, D. And again.

Got it? Good. Carry on : A, B, C, D, A, B, C, D. All the time we carry on throwing the ball in the same sequence but now we add a new sequence.  The sequence order has to be different . And so is the activity- this time we blow a kiss. Kiss blown from B to D to A to C at the same time as the ball is thrown: A, B, C, D.

Got it?… Just about? Good. So now we’re going to add a third sequence. A sequence of names. You say someone’s name, they say someone else’s name and so on.  In a different order from the two other sequences, of course.  D says Person C, Person C says B, Person B says A. While you throw the ball and blow a kiss and… completely freeze, if you’re not careful. Can you see why I call people Person A or B now? Although you can’t actually do that. You have to say their real name or risk having the ball thrown in your face: especially if you do freeze. But you can see why I call people A or B, can’t you? Can’t you? Oh…

Theresa Keogh, STEP UP Creatives Ensemble 2013

It is now Wednesday and my body is still feeling the effects of the clowning and circus skills session at New Perspectives last Sunday! My arms and legs still feel stiff and I swear my abs, or rather ‘my core’, will never be the same again. However, it was easily one of the most fun and enjoyable things I have ever done.

We started off the morning with a workout. You may be thinking a walk around the room, ‘filling the space’ and a few energetic drama games. You would be wrong. I mean an actual workout. We ran around and then stopped every few moments to hold different Pilates positions for 45 seconds or do star jumps, press ups and the like. We did this for around 15 minutes before cooling down, and whilst we all clung to our water bottles and tried not to look physically exhausted, Cat informed us that where she trains they do this for at least half an hour every day!

Following this, we moved onto different balances. We were told that counter balances do not have to be with someone who is similar in stature to you as it is more about getting the physics right and using your core muscles. We started off with a few basic ones but then tried a couple where there was a ‘base’ and a ‘flyer’. Put simply, the base is the person doing the lifting and the flyer is the one being lifted, but this doesn’t mean the base has to be immensely strong, or the flyer exceptionally light, it is more about holding your own weight by engaging your core. Initially, it was a little worrying as I think we were afraid of falling or hurting each other, but as confidence grew it was amazing to see different people performing the balances together, and at the risk of sounding soppy, I think the trust needed brought the ensemble closer as a group.

Just before lunch was one of my personal highlights of the day where we did cartwheels and forward rolls! My 7 year old self was unleashed and there was a definite thrill in rolling around the room. Everyone threw themselves into it despite never having done it before, and I think we were all a bit reluctant to go to lunch – it seemed once the 7 year old was out it was hard to put it back again!

Fortunately, the afternoon was to be just engaging as the morning. Ria lead us in a number of exercises. In one we had to maintain eye contact with someone whilst another person used everything in their power to try and distract you; in another we had to take our partner on an imaginary tour of the room. Afterwards we did a master/servant style game where the servant wholeheartedly believed they were doing what the master wanted but actually did the complete opposite. Needless to say, all of these very quickly resulted in lots of laughter and were exceptionally entertaining.

We finished off the day by doing some manipulation work with different objects, these involved books, jeans, coat hangers and a Pilates band among other things. Thinking about how the object moved through the air and connected to our bodies we created short sequences and then worked in pairs to create a short routine.

Overall, Cat and Ria were inspiring to work with, and I came away with a great deal of respect for circus performers. Whilst it may sound like a lot of fun, it is evidently very physically challenging. The day definitely made me consider how we use our bodies in performance and to think more creatively about how to move across the space. It also showed that when using objects, meaning can be found when we interact in more imaginative and unusual ways.

Emma Hayes, STEP UP Creatives Ensemble 2013

WEEK 2

DAY 1

A new week has started and so once again I make my way to the office. Last week started out being very much more information based where I listened and researched where as this week started out being very hands on.

I begin by settling down and working on the blog they have asked me to write about my experience while working with them. After this I begin on a project I had been told about last week where I was to assist with the looking up of venues for the STEP UP Creative Ensemble event in July. I then started working on the copy for the invite for that same event. I loved the fact that I got to apply all these things to an actual real event which will be taking place. It gave me a sense of the reality of setting up an event.

I also had a talk with Jack McNamara, the Artistic Director. I discovered that his job was slightly different to from what I initially thought.

It was an effective day and I definitely acquired some new skills and awareness on planning an event and some of the other important roles within the company.

DAY 2

The day started out with getting an insight on the financial side of running a theatre company; an essential part of keeping it from falling apart. I have never been very good with numbers but having a look at all the different accounts gave me an idea of how to organise your funds in a sufficient manner.

I then went on to design the actual invite for the STEP UP Creatives event in July. As the theme for the play they were working on was ‘Starting out in the Midlands’ I decided to begin by doing some research on the East Midlands. I researched all the elements which made the East , what it is. Based on the information I found I created the invite. It was a great challenge.

I finished the day off by reading the play Entertaining Angels, one of the upcoming shows New Perspectives is putting on in preparation to the casting breakdown I would be doing the following day. As I read through the play I made notes about the characters and tried to envision what type of actors would be playing the parts.

DAY 3

Entertaining Angels

Today I started by creating a casting breakdown of the play Entertaining Angels. I read through a few different examples I was given and used that as a reference when making mine. It was a fun process to think about the qualities to write down in the character description. It was also extremely interesting to then see the official casting breakdown for the play. As the characters weren’t given an age in the script I had to envision and note down how old I thought they were. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between my ideas and the official ones. I also discussed my reasons for the ages I gave the characters and heard the reasons why they were what they were officially. This just goes to show that directors all have different opinions and visions about the plays and bring out different aspects that you may have overlooked and the other way around.

Then the time came to go onto the actors official database Spotlight. It was interesting as again I got an idea of what it was to be on the other side; the judging side. There were five different folders. One folder for each character. Each folder was then broken up into actors that were a ‘no’, actors that were a ‘maybe’ and actors that were a ‘yes’ – meaning that they would definitely be seen for an audition. The director of the piece put all the actors from the first page as a no and let me have a look and see who I thought was right or wrong for the part. Doing this gave me great insight on what an actors spotlight profile should look like.

I had an introduction to the fundraising side of things well. I was surprised to hear that they base some of the methods they use on psychology.

It was an extremely beneficial day for me as it gave me some great insight and knowledge on the process of casting. As an actor I feel advantaged to have been part of that process.

DAY 4

Today was a completely different day from the rest of my placement. Firstly, instead of taking a train to Nottingham I got on a train to Kettering where I was picked up by Chris. We then drove to Daventry in Northampton. As New Perspectives is also a talent development company and regard nurturing new talent as a crucial part of what they stand for, they offer a program where they offer their knowledge and experience to theatre companies starting out in the industry – STEP UP Companies.

This particular theatre company was called Impulsive Collective and was made up of five students which had recently graduated from Northampton University. After graduation they decided to build up a theatre company and have in the mere six months of their existence achieved a great amount. What New Perspectives offers them is the support of showing them how they can take their company even further by using marketing techniques and teaching them about all the things I have touched upon in the past two weeks.

The group was asked to do numerous tasks which forced them to reflect on their company and what they wanted to represent. They were asked to say what they were proud of achieving, what their ambitions were, think about their strengths and weaknesses as an ensemble, discuss opportunities and get an idea of what their mission statement is. It was a chance for them to see if they were all on the same page. It was great to see their company. The dynamics between the members were very positive and each and every one had some input which was nice. It was great to see that they were all at the same place and wanted to achieve the same things as a whole. I think when starting a company, the people involved is what will eventually make it or break it. Again this was a nice project to observe as it gave me some knowledge on what would need to be done if I ever decided to start a theatre company myself.

To conclude, this was a very interesting day. It was nice to meet some people who have done the same course as myself and see how they have decided to start their careers.

DAY 5

My final day at the office started out quite relaxed as I got to finish off my week two blog while sipping a cup of morning coffee. Later in the day I got to observe a project that a company called Little Earthquake had been working on as part of a development week. New Perspectives had offered the company their rehearsal space free of charge as part of a lab weeks initiative – and we were shown what they had been working on.

The New Perspectives team taking part in Little Earthquake’s workshop… making marzipan bees!

During the past two weeks I have been in the environment of a successful theatre company. I have touched upon many different areas of making this company run such as finance, marketing, casting etc. I have also been given tasks to apply what I have been taught and been able to feel as though I was actually part of the company. I enjoyed being surrounded by a group of people who are dedicated to what they do. Each person I spoke to explained what they did in a passionate manner which raised my own excitement on the subject. Meeting the company from their talent development program was a great experience as well. As an actor I find it extremely important to be open to gaining new skills and knowledge in the field and appreciate all the work that goes into making a theatre production. I feel as though I have gained crucial experience and also planted the seeds to a relationship which I will hopefully be able to sustain during the following years of my career.

I am very happy about everything I have gained from the company and would recommend anyone who wants to gain some knowledge on running a theatre company to follow a placement at New Perspectives.

WEEK 1

DAY 1

I had planned to arrive at the office 15 minute early, but because of the snow I was 15 minutes late. I rushed in apollogetcially, but was quickly told there was no need. The welcome was very warm and I immediately felt at home in the work place. I was given a tour of the small and homely feeling company and was slowly eased into what their company is all about.

New Perspectives is mainly a rural touring company so I was given various videos to watch to get a better understand of what being a rural touring company actually means. I also watched a series of videos on how they go about making a show and touring it around the country from the very start of the process; how the ideas came to mind, to the rehearsals and then on to the actual touring process. The whole process for a production can take up to three years – which is not so surprising when you think about it – however it’s never really a thought you have after you go see a show. We tend to forget the process behind it. I then discussed the different things I had watched and what the difference was between rural touring and a regular touring company. I also had a look at some statistics to evaluate the type of audience they attract the majority of the time.

Something I quite enjoyed was listening to an audio tape I was given. They had developed an idea of organising walks around small villages for a recorded version of The Falling Sky by Brendan Murray. You arrive at a certain location and instead of sitting down and watching a show you receive a map and walkman and take a walk around your village while listening to the audio. It was recorded in such a way which would make you feel part of the piece.

In all it was a very satisfying first day. I got a good introduction on the company and what they do and felt extremely welcomed by all the staff.

DAY 2

Today started out with a more detailed analysis of the company and the background of it. I discovered that it was founded in 1973 by four university graduated from a university in Leeds. I was introduced to the idea of volunteer trustees and the way they get funded by the arts council. I was told that I was coming to the company during a period of big changes.

After this I spent some time learning about how they go about marketing a production. I was shown various examples of flyers and was taught a few useful things I didn’t know about trying to get your show to be successful. I was then set the task to try it out myself. As I am social secretary of the music society I had been told to apply what I had learned to that. I then sat down and discussed the issues I have been having with the society and the aims I would like to set. We then sat down and discussed all the ways I could go about making it more successful.

I found it a very interesting day as I quite like organising and getting things done. Marketing was a great area to put my skills to the test and get an idea of how its done in the ‘real world’. I was happy to see that I had already been putting a lot of those concepts to use.

DAY 3

Today was focused on observing rehearsals of the show Farm Boy written by Michael Morpurgo and adapted by Daniel Buckroyd.

As an actor it was interesting to be on the other side of the rehearsal process and seeing the actors needing to refresh lines and go through a tech run. I had read the script beforehand and already found it a great script. However, seeing the actors John Walters and Gareth Bennett-Ryan bring the script to life was something completely different. They were so energetic and performed the lines in such a dynamic manner. As an actor it inspired me to take things I observed and keep them in my mind for the next time I will be on the acting side of it all.

I was also introduced to a new project. New Perspectives run a scheme called STEP UP and one element of that scheme is the STEP Creatives Ensemble. Here they take a number of new aspiring actors, writers, directors, etc. and develop a show. They would be organising an ‘invitation only’ event and I was given the task of thinking about where to hold the event and told that I would possibly be working on invitations.

Another great day at the company.

DAY 4 & DAY 5

Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions two of the five days had to be cancelled.

After some general housekeeping, during which time someone stuck his hand in the air volunteering to write what you’re reading now, it was time to crack on with the latest STEP UP Creatives Ensemble session. This week: a morning of Devising exercises and an afternoon workshop with Ben Spiller from 1623 Theatre Company focusing on Voice.

Devising Workshop

Admittedly, Devising is not something I’ve done a lot of since A-level Drama. Since then I’m worried I might have sleep-walked into assuming that a brilliant yet penniless writer, dimly lit and surrounded by mountains of paper and typewriter ink, must feature when creating a new piece of theatre. This is quite clearly wrong.

We started with some improvisation. Two or three people at a bus stop, a situation bland enough to force the actors / improvisers to make something “happen” yet lending itself nicely to the possibility of pretty much anything happening. We were each given a song lyric or tow on a piece of paper to somehow incorporate into the scene – with mixed results. Suddenly the bus stop became more akin to a group therapy session with poetic musings about love and loss, to be swiftly transformed into a centre of philosophical debate on linguistics as a coping mechanism for the death of a beloved cat. The bus never arrived.

Moving onto a more physical activity, we each had to pick three ways of interacting with a chair (out of the 50+ we were almost militantly forced to create, necessitating increasingly creative ways of sitting on a chair). These three moves were individually numbered and, as a group, we were directed to display each one at different times, at different speeds, and with different emotions, in order to create something interesting to watch. Each of us took a turn “directing” the rest of the Ensemble, garnering some good results. I, for one, was incredibly thankful to be “directed” to remove my chair from the sequences, as it was proving difficult holding it aloft for long periods of time.

The final part of the morning was the exercise of free-writing. This comprises of having a stimulus and then allowing yourself the freedom to simply and fluidly write. For an example of this consider what you’re reading now. It has all been free-writing, using the stimulus of Sunday’s session. Hopefully this can explain away any ridiculously long sentences, poor grammar, or just generally bad writing. But this is exactly what free-writing generates: some bad parts which it is best to discard but also an honest and uncensored stream of consciousness which can surely lead to something good as a result. It was incredible to see how different two people’s written responses to the same stimulus could be, leaving us with a real contrast and sense of variety.

Voice Workshop

After a rushed lunch it was back in the studio for our Voice workshop with Ben. Breathing was the first port of call, often a priority admittedly but this was a more focused and controlled take on the familiar activity. Breathing slowly is actually pretty tough at first. But after a few failed attempts I managed to use my lungs to their full(ish) potential and was averaging about two and a half breathes a minute (free-writing had to take a brief pause there for some quick maths).

To round the afternoon off there was a series of exercises exploring the use of vowel sounds in the expression of emotion. The emotion behind each word spoken is to be found in the vowels; cue a highly dramatic and engaging improv scene with no words but surprisingly informative vowel-based noises. It also became obvious how difficult it was to isolate and maintain a particular emotional sound for a prolonged period of time – as demonstrated by one of the most entertaining yet cost-effective toys you could ever encounter – a voice orchestra!

In conclusion, yet another highly educational and enjoyable session with the STEP UP Creatives Ensemble. That feels like an odd and abrupt place to stop this blog – but – in the true spirit of free-writing I really don’t have much say in the matter. Looking forward to the next meeting!

Sam Warren, STEP UP Creatives Ensemble 2013