Shadow Puppets

Here they are!  Black card.  Cut out.  Shoved through laminator.  Skewers taped on.  And play!

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Digital Backdrop Collages

Here are some of the images which we used in the show- as projections to create backdrops for each scene- with which the performers then interacted in live performance.  They were created by taking samples from the hand-drawn ‘Bird Bonanza’ images by KS3 students (see the Gallery) and then collaging these together as different layers in Photoshop.  These layers were then merged with the actual shadow puppet cardboard cut-outs made by Sixth Formers, which had also been scannned into a computer to become digital images.  Story world images were more free-form and colourful, whereas for scenes in the Palace we had more formalised patterns which we created in response to learning about the design principles of ancient Islamic geometry.  These 150+ original images became Powerpoint slides and then finally were back-projected onto a dust sheet…

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Rehearsal Notes by Jasmin McMullan

The rehearsal process of any play, professional or amateur, is the creative epicentre of the production. Over the last few weeks cast and crew have been working tirelessly with Miss Stephens to learn lines (for some, this involves monologues that stretch out over several pages!), make masks and set, and start to shape the scenes in their own way. Somehow, in amongst the whirlwind of activity, they even managed to squeeze in some time to have a few laughs! The rehearsals have generally been selective- a small group would go away and prepare a scene while others would do the same, and they would share their work and give each other feedback. This style of creative rehearsal not only gives the students chance to put their own personal stamp on the play as actors, but is typical of many professional theatre companies such as Filter (whose rock and roll take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream the A level drama classes were lucky enough to recently watch- and even have a question and answer session with the company).

This production has been a uniting factor in the sixth form. The cast is made up of people who perhaps would not have all known each other well at the beginning of term, but were brought together by their love of theatre. As opening night draws nearer, the building feeling of excitement is tangible and contagious. The beginnings of the set are already up: ghostly tin foil imprints of a woman’s face floating above the drama students as they go about their lessons, vibrant birds inscribed by the lower school students, reminders to all that the end is near. The hard work put in by all involved is about to be rewarded…

More of Connor Palmer’s Rehearsal Photos…

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Poster-tastic!

Connor Palmer’s Process Pics (so far)…

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Brand New Paper Cutting Inspiration Here…

Follow this link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/beatrice_coron_stories_cut_from_paper.html

Bird Bonanza Gallery

If you haven’t already, please have a peek at some of the images completed by KS3 students: they are on display in the ‘Gallery’ found at the top of the main page…

 

Update… and Visiting A Real Aladdin’s Cave!

Since our last post we’ve been so busy we haven’t stopped to update you! 

• We’ve spent more time making masks and cutting cardboard for shadows in after-school sessions. 

• On Tuesday 18th October we started acting rehearsals of the first play-within-the-play, ‘Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves’.  Some fantastic physical comedy and vocal dexterity sprang from performers including: Naomi Richards; Grace Perry; Alex Lewis; George Parsons; Alice Muir; Izzy Taylor; and the singlemost committed member of the company across events so far: Connor Palmer!  Much of this session was spent thinking about how to create/ represent a band of 40 thieves between just a few performers.  Also, what the rules will be for showing the audience when performers are ‘in-role’ and when they are still on stage but working instead as part of the wider ensemble to animate the tales. 

• Thursday 20th October marked a visit to the amazing Bristol Children’s Scrapstore and the finding of some discarded-material gems within this real-life Aladdin’s cave- which will hopefully help us to take the audience to new visual worlds (within the school Hall)!

Our Making is picking up pace and so do keep an eye out for more posts after the break…

Theatre and Modern Entertainment

Looking back over the past 2,500 years of theatre may not do much for you, but it’s a venture that’s vital if you want to even begin to understand how the origins of theatrical performance planted the seeds of one of the most popular entertainment industries in the world today. This industry is indeed film, and whilst the influence of theatre may not be instantly recognisable, the perpetuity of its presence is unmistakable.

The development of theatre largely took place within Athens, a city with which it was socially expected that you attended its variety of performances, similar to the expectations that surrounds the majority of blockbuster film today. The genres of drama, tragedy and comedy that Athens played home to can be paralleled just as easily, and although it could be debated that the genre of drama has diversified into a variety of sub-genres such as action and adventure, the salient purpose of it remains the same thousands of years on.

It’s difficult to comprehend that film could have never been made without an ancient civilisation, but there is no doubt that massive amphitheatres were the Odeon’s of Greece, and provided it’s customers with the same level of excitement as our cinemas do us today. However, with the progressions in technology and home cinema, shouldn’t we be shaming the theatre of our ancestors for emotional engagement and immersion? Perhaps surprisingly, that isn’t the case.

There is an element to theatre that can’t be replicated by pixels on a television; to watch a story being played out with your very own eyes allows the viewer to develop a more effective rapport with the actors, resulting in a heavier emotional impact should anything happen to them. Without special effects, invention is less of a choice and more a necessity, and it’s refreshing to see a narrative driven by the power of the words being conveyed rather than the admittedly stunning (but completely unbelievable) special effects that we are so accustomed to seeing in modern cinema.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to escape the notion that theatre is something that is firmly engrained within the past. To a degree this is true, and there is no doubt that some portions of theatre need to evolve to meet the demands of a modern demographic, but however good your surround sound system and however sharp your 3D display, there is a magic about theatre that can’t be created anywhere other than a packed performance hall.