Julian's Children's Theatre Journal (2006)
Week Six - Week Ten
The workshop began with the usual physical and vocal warm-ups, though I decided to abandon any plans of participating in Lauren’s useful, but deadly Pilates warm-up. Unfortunately, 20 years of manual employment and a flirtation with long-distance running have conspired to debilitate several parts of my body that are needed for such strenuous exercise.
The warm-up was scaffolded to include our perceptions of how we might walk and speak in character. We traversed the space greeting each other in our character’s voice, using different tones such as annoyance or anger. We also moved in the way that our character might move, although I think this is an area that we will focus on more in upcoming weeks. At this stage it is crucial that all performers start thinking ‘in character’. This will help us to develop and refine our ideas as to how we will go about representing them on stage. Creating a believable character is just as important in Children’s Theatre as it is in any form of realistic theatre, perhaps even more so, as children are quick to ‘see through’ anything that is less than convincing.
This week we were due to finish blocking Act Two, but the teaching pracs have put us a little behind schedule, so we continued the workshop with a preliminary read-through of the finished script. It was obvious that many people were becoming familiar with their roles and had started to develop mannerisms, accents and other aspects of character, much to everyone’s amusement.
For my part, I have decided to ‘borrow’ the British accent and facial expressions of the sergeant from the seventies sitcom “It ‘Aint Half Hot Mum” to compliment the militarily challenged persona of Sarki. Sarki’s movement on the other hand is going to present more of a challenge for me. He is a large spreading Snottygobble and therefore will move in a way that is completely alien to me, being thin and reasonably upright. During this workshop, my fellow Snottygobbles and I tried variations of a low, shuffling gait, with knees bent. This works really well, but is quite painful as I have not much cartilage left in either knee. The crouching and hiding is also painful, so I am trying to develop a stance that will not cause discomfort.
To finish the workshop we blocked Act 2, Scene 12 where the Snottygobbles enter, chanting the marine’s marching drill. Blocking is essential to the performance as it makes physical what has hitherto been conceptual. Actors learn their entrances and exits, the right places to stand to avoid others on stage and how the action will be sequenced. It also gives the director an opportunity to correct flaws in the stage directions and gives an idea of the total length of the performance. Blocking might be seen as the skeleton to which the flesh of the performance might be added.
It seems unbelievable that we are already halfway through the semester. This realisation has given me the impetus I need to make a serious effort to learn my lines. The early learning of lines is essential to any production as the carrying of scripts on stage restricts movement and gestures, and prevents the actor from concentrating on refining his or her character. I found that during blocking I was so caught up looking in the script for my cues and lines that my performance was wooden and stilted. The mannerisms and expressions I had given my character were ignored in favour of reading the correct line at the appropriate time.
After the warm-ups, we started a blocking run through of the entire play minus the songs and music. Joe gave the group a demonstration of the score he was creating, and we listened to the music for the Snottygobbles. I found this quite exciting as I could imagine the various possibilities for movement and dance that could be incorporated with it. I get the feeling that the Snottygobbles will be a big hit with the children, especially with their gross habits and costuming.
Cheryl also brought in several illustrated books containing goblin characters that we were able to study. This gave me some excellent ideas for posture and movement that can be incorporated into my character. I have found the posture of Sarki somewhat problematic, as the military aspect of his persona demands a certain amount of uprightness, yet his physique would suggest a somewhat slumped, horizontal stance. The idea then, might be to incorporate a vertical stance with posture above the waist, while below the waist the legs are bent, causing the character to adopt a side-to-side motion while walking or marching. Another idea that I feel might add something to the Snottygobble characters is to build on Paul’s excellent suggestion for the ‘snotty salute’ by turning it into a ‘Three Amigos’ type coordinated motion of wipe – flick – salute – check hand for boogers. OK, I know it doesn’t sound that professional in the journal, but it should look quite effective in practice.
This week I have also started on some readings for ‘Theatre in Education’, or T.I.E. This is an aspect of Children’s Theatre that is covered in the Unit Objectives, but is one that I have so far paid little attention to. Nellie McCaslin, in her book Creative Drama in the Classroom and Beyond states that “The basic difference between traditional children’s theatre and TIE is intent.” (2000: 319). While one of the purposes of our play is to entertain children, I believe it also contains situations and conveys messages which have the power to change attitudes and behaviours, stimulate intellectual curiosity and motivate the pursuit of topics or issues; three of the factors that McCaslin identifies as necessary ingredients of T.I.E.
Our production also involves children to a certain extent in the performance itself, and importantly, is supported by an Ed Pack that can be used as a way of further engaging children, as well as being an invaluable resource for teachers. I have now come to the realisation that our drama group is doing far more than simply putting on a polished performance, we are actually contributing to the educational outcomes of students.
“The first word of the theatrical vocabulary is the human body… [a] man must, first of all, control his own body, know his own body, in order to be capable of making it more expressive.” (Boal, cited in McCaslin, 2000: 52).
As I have previously mentioned, the movement of the Sarki presents somewhat of a challenge for me. I am finding it difficult to combine his slouching, spreading gait with his military uprightness, and the fact that in camouflage mode much of his awkward ‘clumsiness’ is replaced by smooth flowing ‘horizontal’ motions. During the week, I studied pictures of cane toads, as I can see parallels between this type of movement and the movement a Snottygobble might have while hiding. I think that with some practice I will be able to combine the cane toad’s creeping with the side-to-side waddle of the walrus into a coherent series of movements.
Movement was again the key theme of today’s workshop, and Salmiyah’s warm-up was based on the motions of the four elements, namely Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Each element had its own distinctive movement, from the floating nature of air with its emphasis on the head and arms, to the flowing motion of water, to the grounded actions of Earth, where the balance and centre of gravity is transferred to the hips and legs.
I found this exercise to be quite valuable in developing the character of Sarki. The movement of the Snottygobbles I believe would be very grounded and earthy because, as members of the goblin tribe, they are in essence ‘of the earth’. However, when in camouflage mode they would probably flow like water. When thinking in these terms it becomes apparent that an individual character would nearly always have a combination of different ‘elements’ effecting their movements, with some obviously more dominant than others.
After the workshop we worked a further 1-½ hours with Salmiyah, blocking Scene 3 where the Snottygobbles make their first appearance on stage. It is vitally important that this scene be performed well as it incorporates both Water and Earth movements, which must be seamlessly integrated if they are to be believable.
As the essay / report assessment is due this week, I think it is appropriate to look a little further into the issues of Theatre in Education and the messages conveyed by this year’s production. One of the key tenets of T.I.E. is that it contains subjects that are socially significant. On the surface, ‘The Secret of the Snottygobbles’ is a simple two-act play for young children, the primary purpose of which is to entertain. However, if we take a more critical view it is possible to see many deeper issues embedded within the text.
Of course, the overarching theme is the triumph of good over evil, and the warnings against hubris that accompany the downfall of Caballus, but there are also the issues of alienation, felt most keenly by the Snottygobbles who have been ostracised through their physical differences. It doesn’t take a great leap of the imagination to realise the connection between this situation and racism. Status is also dealt with on several levels. While Caballus is able to bully his underlings with impunity and Sarki overtly bullies his troops, especially the young Sarama, the play also highlights a social pecking order in which Puck has status over Muck and Lizzie over Bizzie etc. Through this hierarchical structure, children are likely to identify with the predicament of certain characters, thus forming a bond with them.
The play also promotes positive attitudes. The themes of friendship and cooperation against adversity are emphasised, which along with audience participation, are likely to effect a change in attitudes and behaviours (McCaslin, 2000), a key tenet of T.I.E. Positive reinforcement and encouragement, and the notion that it is the young who can change the world, may also lead to increased self-confidence and awareness of social issues in younger children.
Although this is only Week Nine, the pressure is starting to build on the Children’s Theatre participants. The onus is now on every cast member to have learned his or her lines and actions, and to be working as a part of a coordinated team effort.
To assess the level that the actors had so far attained, Jenny had organised a ‘suicide run’. Essentially, a suicide run is a total run through of the play with scripts down, under what might be termed as ‘performance conditions’. At this point the play consists of dialogue and action only, and is not accompanied by music, costuming, lighting or detailed choreography. It serves an important function nonetheless, as it allows the performance to be timed, identifies any weaknesses in the script or blocking, pinpoints cast members who are having difficulty with their lines or roles, and acts as a barometer for the development of the production in general. Any problems that become apparent in the suicide run can then be addressed before they become major crises.
I had thought that the workshop might end in tears, as to my untrained eye chaos seemed to reign over each scene. However, when the moment of truth arrived, everyone got on with the task at hand and the result was surprisingly successful. It was interesting to note how far the characterisation had developed in the last couple of weeks, especially the characters of Grime and Grot, who nearly stole the show with their Goblinesque antics. The Snotties are progressing well too, and I think that the character of Sarama is a standout. As for my part, Sarki has benefited from several old episodes of ‘The Goodies’ on DVD, particularly the vocals and facial expressions (Thankyou Tim Brooke-Taylor). These will come more into play when I actually remember to use them, as I have my hands full with remembering lines and blocking (and of course overcoming the blind terror of actually performing). Who would have thought that watching television could be so educational?
My final observation from this week’s workshop regards the success of the casting. I am sure that Jenny must have some kind of telepathic ability in uncovering latent abilities when selecting roles for people. Quite frankly, I was a little puzzled at a few of the choices earlier on, but now most of the cast appear to be born to their roles.
The importance of casting and characterisation was really brought home to me this week, and deserves further reflection here. I believe that the purpose of Children’s Theatre is to both entertain and inform. Characterisation therefore, is extremely important in engaging children with the action. The more developed and credible the character, the more involved children are likely to become with the production. McCaslin (2000: 331) states that the best characters “…are those in whom the audience can believe, whether or not they are real.” This is especially true of ‘The Secret of the Snottygobbles’ as the play is largely based around mythical creatures.
An example of good characterisation is the young Snottygobble Sarama who undergoes fundamental changes as the result of events in the course of the narrative. She is shown to overcome her initial shyness and gullibility to find inner strength and bravery. It is possible that some audience members may see themselves mirrored by that character and come away with a more positive attitude and increased self-esteem.
View other Julian's Journal entries... Week One - Week Five Week Six - Week Ten Week Eleven - Week Fourteen
...or view other 'Your Work' entries... 2006 Ed Pack Glynis' Journal
Lauren Boon's Movement in Education Nicole Pfeiffer's Theatre Production in the Classroom
...or view other 2005 Your Work entries... Val's Journal Jodie's Journal
...or view the... 2005 Ed Pack
Go to Children's Theatre: My Journal History Notice Board Your Work
Contact Andrew @ thechaseison@optusnet.com.au
This page last updated: 30th June 2006