Week Five

Today we all came with ideas concerning the centre of focus for our piece. We started of with having the fire exit sign be our focus of attention, but it was too far away and not big enough for the audience to see. So, after experimenting a bit, we decided to build a small un-lit bonfire in the centre of our location. I believe that it will be a good centre point for us all to focus on and could be the cause of the fire which essentially traps us. When I go into the middle of the space and shout 'fire', I now stand on top of the bonfire, so it will hopefully give the illusion and impression of me burning. We decided to build the bonfire now, as our performance is next week and we wanted to practice with it. We used the surrounding gardens and picked up and dead leaves or fallen twigs to build our bonfire, making sure it was all located on our site. Here is an image of what it looks like:

 I then went to where the audience would be standing to see if it looked good or not. After seeing it from the stairs, I could already see our piece having a new breathe of life, as it really gave the site a centre point and almost a purpose. I think it is a good solution to our problem of not having a focus point, as somehow having an abandoned, deaden fire releases a sense of isolation which our piece needs.

We then did a full run through of our performance (which we filmed), noting what felt right, what worked and of course, what didn't. After watching it back, we all agreed that it needed something more impactful and noticeable at the beginning. we felt the breakfast sequence was too realistic and messy, it didn't tie in well with the rest of our piece and was significant enough to the site and what it offered us. After improvising with different recognisable morning routines, we felt that doing a simple movement in unison would look effective and the audience would be able to know we have started. Now, we start the piece by stretching and picking up a cup of water. In unison, we take a sip then pour out the contents into the floor. We then throw the cup into the bonfire, like we are trying to put the metaphorical fire out, and then go into our direct walking. I think this will give our performance pace and authority, which essentially will lead into the over riding theme of how we all try to control our lives, but in the end our plans will cease and get abandoned. This links into the feelings we all got from the site when we first entered it.  

Last week we all agreed that our key colour would be red and this week we decided how we could incorporate that colour into our piece. As we hadn't thought about costumes yet, our group thought that we could all wear something red, to show how the fire is always with us and how mundane and similar our daily routines can be. I think and hope that if all of us wear one item of red, it will look slick and noticeable, but also highlight the fact that there isn't a main character in our piece, we are all equal and of the same importance.

Finally, we completed our final risk assessment for our performance next week. As we had to change sites, we hadn't done a rick assessment for our site yet, so before we filled out the neat copy, Daisy, Rebecca and I roughly noted down some risks we could already see forming:

1. It could rain and cause the ground to be slippery (as there are leaves on the floor), so consequently one of us could fall and hurt ourselves
2. The audience could fall down the stairs
3. Ashley could fall off the railings
4. When Lizzie and I are in the fire man lift, Danny or Ashley could fall/trip, causing us both to fall and hurt ourselves
5. One of us could trip over the bonfire as there are loose twigs
6. An actual fire alarm could go off and there could be an over crowding risk when everyone is trying to leave through the fire door
7. Passers by could trip on the audience's bags, causing them to fall and hurt themselves

We are dealing with these issues by ensuring the audience leave their bags at the bottom of the stairs and reminding them to hold onto the railing provided. As for the lifts, we will practice them regularly as to ensure maximum safety. There isn't much we can do about the rain, but if it is wet on performance day we shall take extra precautions when walking around.

After handing the form in, we did one final rehearsal to make sure the new movements were in our heads. For next week we need to remember our red item of clothing and some cups for the breakfast scenes.