The Dumb Show Week 2 - 12/10/07

The tasks we were given in class are outlined below:

1. Create the characters/details from the Dumb Show as the story is read to us and change the interpretation of a King, Queen, Present etc when instructed to do so.

2. Perform the story contained within ‘The Dumb Show’ in groups of three. Complete this within the given time restrictions and be sure to include all of the given details from the story:

2 Minutes
1 Minute
30 Seconds


Analysis

Task 1

I found this exercise very useful as I was able to create an array of characters without having to sit and mull through the details for very long; this pushed me to use my imagination to its fullest instead of throwing out ideas. As the exercise progressed and the instruction ‘think of another one’ was given to us, stranger ideas came to the forefront of my mind.

As I listened to other peoples experiences during the feedback I realised that even the most absurd ideas were relevant to this exercise. For instance, Kendra imagined giving the Queen a dead hare whilst Emma gave a red velvet dress. I imagined giving the Queen a pig on a plate, an umbrella, a ring, a necklace and a tan coloured pony.

Steve then explained his perception on theatre; theatre should make the audience ask questions about the action taking place on stage. It should be able to make the audience think ‘is that right…wait..that isn’t right…or is it….’

Putting this into context, it makes more sense for the absurd ideas to have their place on the stage instead of being discarded for the more stereotypical ideas. This in turn gives a fresh approach to the text instead of repeating old ideas that have been seen before (remembering the text is over two hundred years old….!)

Comments were also made during the feedback about the ‘states of intensity’. Some of the group found it useful to begin the creation of a character by thinking of a state first and imagining a character second, whilst others found they created a character first and exaggerated it according to the state. (I found that I created the character first and exaggerated it accordingly)

Task 2

We were to perform the story of ‘The Dumb Show’ within a given time frame. We had to make sure that all of the details from the story were included each time. As the time was shortened, the pieces had to become more concise and the details had to be more precise. We had to be careful not to rush certain parts but still work on fitting the pieces into the given time frame.

I found it very interesting to watch the other group’s performances and to notice how different disciplines were used to enhance the story;

Lee, Kendra and Emma- one minute piece- very movement based

Paul’s, Sarah Jane and Chantelle’s piece -Commedia Dell Arte based.

I also noticed how Chantelle chose to portray one of her witches in the Commedia style (Strega).

Concluding Thoughts
The interdisciplinary approach to Shakespeare’s text works very well. I am beginning to see how we can use our own experiences from other modules for the creation of our character’s and eventually our scenes; one of my King’s was very similar to Pantalone in Commedia. I am also beginning to realise how to use the states of intensity to exaggerate a character and to be able to connect realism to the strange.

Gemma