Now, usually after a performance assessment the tutors marking take you somewhere private and ask questions for you to justify the things you did in your piece. This time, however, they didn’t do that as this blog is meant to be the area where you show the work you’ve put in so I thought I’d do my own after show talk based on some of the questions people asked me.

Why was the stage laid out as it was?

I arranged the space as it was so everything was mirrored; I set up the two chairs I performed in on a diagonal, directly across from each other so the audience would understand that each side was only one side of the conversation. I, hopefully, made this clear by having an audience member sit in one chair while I sat in the other and had a conversation with them – although I took the pressure off the audience member by having only me speaking and being interrupted by train announcements as though we were in a train station (that was based on a real event with a friend). I set the audience up on both sides so each side would have a different view of each section of the stage I was in and in a similar way they were on one side of the conversation.

I couldn’t get into the characters because the segments were too fast, why did you do it like that?

That was kind of the point as the performance was about life being too fast and filling it with rubbish, so we need to take more time just to relax and enjoy it. PLus, I only had ten minutes to fill and wanted a get a range of conversations in to highlight how much stuff people fill their lives with. If it was a longer performance these section may have been longer.

What led you to this idea?

My first idea was to do something more Brechtian and surreal; more play time as a child. At the start of the module I was just discussing the idea with my friend over coffee and I was getting worked up about if people would get it, enjoy it, bother to come etc and I just thought I should do my piece on this; how we panic about things and I thought I could highlight that through conversations. This came from the thought that my friend and I were discussing on how we can sit in silence together and it isn’t awkward though we know some people who just have to have constant noise; music or talking etc because they don’t want to be alone or in silence. I thought more about this and thought of when you get in a taxi or hairdressers you usually have to talk you can’t sit silently or it feels weird so that what I wrote about.

Where did you get the conversations from?

All the conversations in the piece were ones I had been involved in, or at least based on ones I’d been involved in. There was only one that I haven’t been in that was the doctor/patient one (start and end of the piece), where the doctors saying something is terminal and the patient is upset and doesn’t know what to say. I think it’s a conversation we all fear though so I used it to highlight the need to seize the day. The other segments, I sat in a taxi and ended up talking about a football game I never saw which is the second conversation of the piece and I used a sign to say this is the sort of thing people used whenever waiting for a service of some kind – whether taxi or whatever. The third, with an audience member was based on a conversation my friend and I had in Kings Cross while waiting for a train home when he asked me a question and I kept being interrupted by the announcements. It was rediculous! The hairdressers which was the fourth conversation and where I used another audience member is based on all the times I’ve been to the hairdressers and they ask about the weather etc. I have had the same hairdresser for a number of years and I discussed this with her and she said it is basic training to talk to people which is why I staged it in a ‘training seminar’. I also went to a new hairdressers in Lincoln to get some ideas on how a different hairdresser would treat me and they didn’t speak through out the whole cut. It was horrible!

Were you happy with the performance?

I was happy in the sense that it went well and I didn’t do anything wrong. I think it could have looked a bit sharper and cleaner. I think that I was a bit too safe with my idea though, this is why I have some disappointment, I could of stuck to my more surreal idea and done something much more riskier. I have to wait for the marks back though to decide how happy I was with it.

How could you develop this piece?

I could extend it with more conversation and audience interaction. It could simply be a performance that loops and people could watch as they walk around an exhibtion or something. I like the looping idea more because the first character is replying to the last one so that looks good. When considering it I could of repeated the first speech at the end as well just to make it clear to the audience the two characters were talking to each other.

Do you think the audience understood the performance?

I hope the audience understood it; some of the people I spoke to got the point. I even made programmes to help explain it to the audience more. I don’t think it was a difficult concept for them to get.

Is there anything you would change?

I wouldn’t change anything of the piece; I would only come up with a completely new idea. I think this indicates that I was happier with it than I thought.

Any other comments?

I just hope people enjoyed the performance and could take something away with them. I hate doing student productions as the audience never seems to want to react, they’re either over analysing parts or trying to stay silent as not to put you off because it’s an assessment. I was hoping for some more laughter and when you don’t get a reaction you expect it unnerves you more than people reacting. I don’t think it put me off though and I only got good feedback from people.

If anyone has any other questions about my performance please just comment them below and I will reply to them. Please be aware that this blog will not be active after Friday 18th May so any comments after then won’t be read.

Now my performance is over I can officially post the script up so you can compare the changes to the original without giving it all away. If you want to just watch a video of my performance than you can click here. If you are just reading the script then I’m sure you’ll want to understand what the tracks are; well because I am a nice person I’ve made two videos which explains them that you can find here. As usual enjoy and comment!

 

Stage is set up with two rectangles on the floor, each with a chair in that faces towards the other. By each chair is a sign which reads, “Life is full of talk”; Preset – both sections of the stage are dimly lit and two spotlights highlight the signs as the audience enter. Once the audience are seated  a VOICEOVER comes up 

TRACK ONE

V/O out and Lights fade out on section two and come up on one.

MAN: (upset, heavy breaths as though trying to control himself before he begins)

I don’t know what to say…

(laughs sadly) sorry…

It’s not fair… I mean…

(pause and he sighs)

Can’t we…? I just…

I don’t know what to say…

LXQ Lights cross fade to the next section: Actor enters space holding a sign that reads “Scene One: Typical conversation with your hairdresser, taxi driver, maintenance man, landlord, boss, teacher, gynaecologist, and so on!”

MAN: (pause) lovely weather we’re having… (pause) have you been busy today? (pause) Did you watch the football last night (Actor holds up sign that reads, “I never watch football I hate it) Yeah, it was an alright job wasn’t. What time you think you’ll finish today then?

SQ – Sounds of a telephone waiting line comes up, repeated promises of how your call is important. TRACK 2

LXQ – both sides of stage are lit.

 Actor prepares space and finds a member of the audience to come and sit across from him, he allows them to pick a question to ask and explains what will happen.

SQ – Previous sound out to be replaced by a track from a train station, the audience member asks the question and the actor tries to respond but keeps being interrupted by announcements. TRACK 3

LXQ – before the track ends the lights on section two fade and the audience member returns to their seat.

SQ – another track begins while the actor prepares the stage, it’s a voiceover from God, and could sound like this: TRACK 4

 

 Actor is now prepared and dressed as a woman, he holds up another sign which read: “Scene Two: A Speaker in Training”

HAIRDRESSER: You don’t mind if our Tracey watches does ya? She’s training!

Alright, grand, well Tracey we taught you must the cuts – men like it shaved, women prefer it long – but today we’re gona do some customer relations training. Coz it’s alright being an amazing cutter but you gotta have people skills. Ain’t that right?

Now first thing ya do is ask what they want today…

CUP TEA? COFFEE? No?

Then we play with the hair while they tell us what they want, but Darling here’s been coming to me for ages so I know what we’re doing. Usual is it? Yeh….

Now clients come to feel relaxed, its part of the service and conversation – talking helps them relaxed, Don’t it! Don’t it! So you gotta keep ‘em talking.

The weathers a good topic… NICE OUT AINT IT?! NICE OUT AINT IT?!

Or ask ‘em about holidays, coz sometimes there here preparing like… WHERE YOU GOING!? WHERE YOU GOING!?

You can ask ‘em about pets… GOT A DOG

 Or anything… here you have a go.

SQ – Track plays, a bombardment of hairdressers questions TRACK 5

LXQ – lights cross fade back to section one as lights in section two go out.

Actor becomes DOCTOR and sits in chair

DOCTOR: I’m sorry, as I said when we first discovered this it is very aggressive and I’m afraid at this point there’s nothing more we can do apart from making sure you’re comfortable.

(Pause)

I’m afraid it is terminal.

(Pause) Here, please, have a tissue.

(Pause) Is there anything I can… Can I call somebody for you?

 TRACK 6

Song: You Talk Too Much by Joe Jones comes up, Lights fade in section one to become dimmed but not out, section twos light come up to match section one. Spotlights come up on two signs by the chairs; the performer goes to them and turns them round so they now read “Do You Truly Listen?” The lights stay for a few seconds and then fade completely.