Devising Theatre, Savage/Love pt. 2

Today we were put back into our groups to devise our pieces and make them better in a way. This time we had everyone present in our group. Our goal today was to be off the script and make better blocking choices. We kept everything similar to the first time we performed it however, we wanted to fix it up so that the tone of our voice, and the tone of our bodies flowed better. The atmosphere we were trying to captivate was intimate and very close. We were the only group to day to perform with music and I thought that with the music the element of our piece was very strong and more abstract that if it had been without. We ran through it a couple times, so that Eddie could get an idea of what we were doing, and the piece felt awkward with no music. The way we staged our piece, and the tone we were using co-insided with the music so perfectly that taking away that, would have been a drag. When we did our run through with music it felt much better. The music helped me escape and relax into the emotions and feeling I was trying to portray. The music helped me focus on my objective in the scene, and to give me an escapism of everything that is protruding in my brain. It really took away all the stress I was feeling in that moment. It is almost as though the music acted as my own personal fourth wall to the world in a way. I love that song, and the chill I was feeling as I listened to everyone speak was because of it.

At the end of the piece we wanted to add more intimacy, so the idea to have some sort of contact between the pairs came up. We stayed with the idea of Yvonne and Hugo being on the ground and making a simple act of affection, by putting their arms up and holding each other with one hand. It worked very well and we wanted to expand on that idea of making contact with each other for the other couples. So we had Eddie and Reveena make a simple gesture of placing their hands on each other’s. It was simplistic but powerful. Alex and I would walk towards the middle of the room to one another and after I say the line “Forever” I place my hand on his cheek. Simple movements that have their own sub-text really added the the environment we were attempting to produce.

The same issue at the end occurred from last time, this time. Our positioning for our piece was a bit awkward and it didn’t work as well as it could. Again the tone and atmosphere was there, but we needed to work on the placement of each couple so that there would be no blocking of each other. We wanted there to be 3 stories going on, but our positioning took away that element. Next time, we would fix that. All together I was very pleased with our performance, and we could possibly use that in our show on the weekend, or an element of what we did in class today.

Our Adaptation of the Scene

*After every line, there is an echo from Yvonne and Hugo saying, “Look at me with your eyes”

H: “Look at me with your eyes.”

Y: “Look at me with your eyes.”

A: “Look at me with your eyes.”

S: “Look at me with your eyes.”

E: “Look at me with your eyes.”

R: “Look at me with your eyes.”

A: In that first moment you saw me.

S: And I didn’t know.

E: Maybe your lost.

R: Maybe I’m lost

E: Until now.

R: Until now.

A: Look at you.

S: Your eyes were saying, look at me more.

R: But I really just wanted to look at your eyes…

E: All the time.

R: I knew I could love you.

E: If you could love me.

A: Or you could say, let’s go together.

S: Forever.