Solo Performance – Emily Bland

Solo performance has probably been the biggest challenge of university for the pure fact that coming up with ideas on your own is hard, much harder than I had imagined. At the beginning, I thought that I would just find a topic quickly then more or less have a basic idea sorted straight away. Obviously, that was not the case.

I believe that opting to choose a topic that I felt very passionate about and is about me personally was the best choice that I made. Choosing the gym as my starting point for any other ideas to follow meant that I was constantly engaging with the topic and trying out ideas when I was working out at the gym or at home. Many of my rehearsals happened at the gym as I felt that being in that environment would help me create a performance that is authentic and would actually have the essence of the gym present. However, after I injured my knee, I could no longer continue rehearsing my HIIT routines as they were straining my knee far too much. Finding myself back to square one so long in to the semester caused a lot of stress but thinking back, it was good stress that urged me to really get my head in to creating a performance that was actually more of a theatre show than what I had originally been rehearsing.

I wanted to take my audience on a journey so they could see an overview of my life so far through my participation in sport and fitness. I did not want to create a serious show at all nor was I aiming to be comedic; I just wanted my audience to leave feeling happy or feeling enthusiastic about a passion in their own life. I had hoped that parts of my performance would get a few laughs from the audience such as section 3 where I spoke about P.E. lessons in secondary school, something many of the audience members present probably would have been able to relate to as P.E. was never the most popular subject at my secondary school for anybody.

I felt like I maintained a clear voice, a good level of energy and enthusiasm throughout which helped communicate my passion for the gym when I got to section 6 of the performance. Before the final performance, I was worried that the audience may have seen section 6 as my attempt to be serious but failing at it, when delivering the dialogue about how the gym had changed me. However, I feel as though I committed myself fully to the performance of the dialogue and it came across as slightly comedic, which is what I had hoped would happen.

I do not think that I could have given any more towards my final performance on the day as I ended up being physically exhausted. However, I believe that if I had come up with the ideas for this performance earlier on in the semester, then I would have been able to perfect my physical movements, especially in the section where I play Tag Rugby. I would have liked to have been able to really study how rugby players move in order to portray better that I was participating in a game.

For the amount that I felt like I struggled with this process, I feel like I did achieve a performance to be proud of. It may not have been my best devised piece of work at university or the best solo performance but I have never had to create something entirely on my own before. So to do so and perform it with passion and enthusiasm is a big personal achievement for me. This module has made me realise just how much work, dedication and discipline in rehearsals you need in order to create a successful solo show.

Muck Around:

I had a muck around session on the 17th May to try a few things out. The only tech I needed to look at was:

– Side Lights

– Foot Lights

– Projection

I tried out the red and gold dots of light for the projection and decided that the gold one looked the best. It looked nice projected on to the black curtain and on my body. The red one did not show up as much and made me feel more like I was trying to create a hell atmosphere instead of the spiritual atmosphere that I am aiming for.

(AA VFX, 2017)

We decided that for the projection to fill the space how I wanted, It would need to be placed on the back middle seat of the seating bank.

After mucking around with the foot lights and side lights for my tag rugby section, I decided that foot lights facing in to the centre either side of me would look the best. I want to give the effect that there are more people on the stage so by using the footlights, I have a shadow either side of me on the curtain behind.

 

Technical Rehearsal:

The tech on the 19th May went smoothly, everything that I wanted for my performance was able to be done exactly.

I have some sound that I have not mentioned before which are:

– December ’63

(clj29360, 2010)

I chose this for my intro song as it is a song that I have on my workout/feel good playlist.

– Sound of children playing, race countdown and crowd cheering

(Escape Game Walkthrough 遊戲破解, 2015)

(YoutubeWarehouse, 2016)

(Iwan Sounds and DIY, 2015)

I chose these for the primary school sports day.

-In Too Deep

(DruNkNonEXisteNT, 2009)

This is another song that is taken from my workout/feel good Spotify playlist that will be playing during my athletics section as this is a great song to run to.

 

Here are exactly where my cues for tech will be:

 

 

 

Works Cited:

AA VFX (2017) 4K 5:00Min. ♥ Shining Bright Stars Bokeh Cycle ♥ 2160p 60fps FREE Motion Background AA VFX. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwolJP_pKVI&index=10&list=PLMWdxS3yDYCOeFAjdq7ofymT0xyTmwQWE [accessed 5 March 2017].

clj29360 (2010) The Four Seasons – December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) [with lyrics]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDxhugRKZ8g [accessed 7 May 2017].

DruNkNonEXisteNT (2009) Sum 41 – In Too Deep (Lyrics). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpeudpjyWS8 [accessed 7 May 2017].

Escape Game Walkthrough 遊戲破解 (2015) 1 HOUR KIDS PLAYGROUND addictive ambient happy background sound music 小孩 背景音樂 背景聲音 正面能量. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGL90vfo680&index=25&list=PLMWdxS3yDYCOeFAjdq7ofymT0xyTmwQWE&t=2455s [accessed 7 May 2017].

Iwan Sounds and DIY (2015) Crowd Cheering Long Sound Effect [High Quality, Free Download]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ypfukvtiLw&index=29&list=PLMWdxS3yDYCOeFAjdq7ofymT0xyTmwQWE&t=15s [accessed 7 May 2017].

YoutubeWarehouse (2016) Mario Kart Race Countdown – Sound Effect. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjI7tuT_lhg&index=30&list=PLMWdxS3yDYCOeFAjdq7ofymT0xyTmwQWE [accessed 7 May 2017].

I have written a collection of dialogues for each section of my performance, I have three different styles that I have chosen: I begin with a poem; continue with general storytelling; end with a speech that is similar to speeches made by religious people who have just found God. I have chosen to have an introductory poem as I want the audience to feel as though I am telling them about my journey, rather than just performing something for them to watch.

Each section will be heavily physical so that the entire performance itself is a workout for me.

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How I Found the Gym

Intro:

If I knew then exactly what I do now, would I still crave the heat and pressure or would that differ somehow?

If the path to my present would have been so smooth, would I still now have so much that I need to prove?

Is it mad or daft that I imagine myself to be the one and the only, Lara Croft?

Well, maybe quite not at this second as the only place she’s seen recently is the inside of our PS1 at the back of our loft.

But, I mean, you get the gist. She’s strong, she’s audacious and she probably lifts.

When I was a young little bean, I would never have thought that I would be striving so much to be lean.

 

1) Primary School Sports Day:

Miss! Miss! I don’t want to do this anymore! I always come last.

Oh Emily, no need to worry. It’s the taking part that counts.

 

2) Tag Rugby:

Then I understood, the taking part really did count. Finding myself star of the Trowell C of E Tag Rugby team kept me on a constant high. I had found my calling at the young age of 9. Swooping in and out of all of those cocky boys that thought they would catch me because rugby was ‘their’ sport, the boys’ sport. Pft! If you could have seen the look on their faces as I pelted past them at lightning speed scoring try after try, you would have laughed for sure! I was on fire!

Mrs Chalkley! Mrs Chalkley! Did you see? Emily Bland scored 3 tries and caught Connor Tideswell!

There was absolutely no stopping us; we were soon to be the top dogs of Tag Rugby for Primary schools in the Midlands. Until…Disaster struck! The team was cut and back to being the sporting loser of the school I went!

 

3) Secondary School:

Why is it that I have to take P.E. every bloody year?  Because really…I want to know. I mean, every year, it’s exactly the same, I’m forced to humiliate myself in front of the rest of the class. Its not so bad for the kids who are athletes, but for the rest of us, like me, it’s not so easy.

Yes Mrs Soulsbury, I know P.E. is just as important as English and Science but is it not possible to be put in a group with other people? Being forced to work with those girls was like forcing me to walk on hot coals…A burning hell!

Emily, but you’re such a good influence. It would do them girls some good.

Lets just say that secondary school was not a highlight for me.

 

4) College:

College, no involvement in anything apart from parties and ‘Our House’ the musical. It was there and then that I had decided that at university, I would do it! I would find what had been missing, find myself, find passion and strive!

 

5) Athletics:

So there I was, a brand new member of the University of Lincoln Athletics and Cross Country Club. Had I ever ran properly like this before? Absolutely not! Was it going to stop me? Not a chance!

Over the course of the year I felt great! I was much fitter and was no longer the straggler way behind everybody else. There was only one problem…I absolutely bloody hate running!

 

6) Finding the Gym:

I always felt I had some sort of connection with sports and fitness, but at a youngster I don’t think I ever truly explored the possibilities.

At a time where it came absolutely clear and visible to me was when I was full up to here with uni and wanted to be at home.

As I picked up my weights, immense joy started to take over me.

I was re-born.

To rebuild the body and mind felt like the crucial next step for my existence.

The redemption is worth more than one can imagine.

The exchange of reps for endorphins, it’s electric.

The change had come, the opportunity had risen, my time to thrive!

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Section 3 was the part that I started to write first, it was the part that sparked this entire performance idea. I adapted a monologue that I found online to suit my own story:

“Miss Meyers, can you just answer me just one qestion?…Why is it that I have to take P.E. every stinking year, because really…I want to know. I mean every year, it’s exactly the same, I’m forced to humiliate myself in front of the rest of the class. It’s not so bad for the kids who are athletes, but for the rest of us, like me, it’s not so easy.(Beat) Yes, Miss Meyers…I know, I know…P.E. is just as important as algebra and biology, and yes I agree that you should get a grade based on yor abilities and skills. But everyone has to take the same class! They don’t have “Basic P.E.” like they have “General Science” or “Basic Math”…that would be a whole different subject completely! And why do we have to rotate activities all the time, why can’t we stick with one thing for awhile, that way I could redeem myself by getting better at something. Soccer and Basketball aren’t so bad, but this body shouldn’t be on a balance beam during gymnastics. I just become entertainment for the rest of the class. High school is humiliating enough without coming in five minutes after everyone else during the mile run…while they’re showered and going to lunch, I’m just crossing the finish line. I already know the theory around fitness…it-is-a-part-of-a-well-rounded-education. But the the least they could do is level the playing field for everyone. I know there’s not much you can do for me, but thanks, for at least letting me get that off my chest…See you in the gym.” (ISPGroupInc, 2017)

The part that I have highlighted in bold is the section that I adapted for section 3 of my performance, I made it more personal to me by changing words such as ‘stinking’ to ‘bloody’ as I would be more likely to say bloody.

The only other section that is inspired by other people as well as myself is section 6. I searched for videos of people who had ‘found God’ to hear what sorts of phrases they use as I want me finding the gym to be similar to somebody finding religion as both findings can be life changing for the better.

(Common Ground Church, 2013)

This is a video that directly aided my dialogue in section 6. The man in the video, Gary Kirsten, seems very calm and sincere during this video but calm is not particularly a way I want to deliver this dialogue. Because I will be exercising with dumbbells while delivering the dialogue, I will be getting more passionate as I go on, using the speech as a way to get me working out to the best of my ability.

Works Cited:

Common Ground Church (2013) Gary Kirsten – How I Found God. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H3gjm3ryqU&t=57s [accessed 1 May 2017].

ISPGroupInc (2017) Powerful Free Monologues. Los Angeles: ISPGroupInc. Available from http://www.ispgroupinc.com/monologues/free-monologues-shapingup.htm [accessed 30 April 2017].

For my final performance, I wanted it to be centred around something that was meaningful and personal to me. At the start of the process, I did not want my performance to be so obviously about myself and my life. However, due to injury, my new idea is directly about me and my fitness journey throughout my education. Although the amount of physical movement needed to be minimal, I did not want to discard it entirely as that would not tie in with the topic of Sports and Fitness.

When conjuring up my ideas for my final performance, I cast my memory back to a workshop at the beginning of the semester when we were shown Spalding Gray’s Swimming to Cambodia (Demme, 2015).  This performance was made up of many different stories, supposedly from his own life. To begin with, I liked that he entered the room from the same entrance that the audience did and that there was no lighting separation between the audience and the stage, creating a relaxed atmosphere as the performer and audience were in the same space. The separation of space changed when Spalding Gray started to talk, which would entice an audience in. I decided that I would like to do something similar. I want to walk in from where the audience walk in and enter a space that is not separated by light until I wanted the audience to focus in on something.

I also wanted to share parts of my life (stories) with the audience however, I do not want to go in to as much detail as Spalding Gray does as I only have a short performance time of 8-12 minutes therefore, it would not be possible to go in to such detail. With the time of my performance in mind, I wanted to write a short amount of speech that work as an overview and summary of each section of my education leading up to finding the gym.

Order:

The sections of my education that I have chosen to share in my performance are:

1) Primary school: KS1 sports day

2) Primary school: KS2 Tag Rugby

3) Secondary school: P.E. lessons

4) College

5) University: Athletics and Cross Country

6) University: The gym

I will be performing these sections in chronological order, as they are written above.

From my original performance idea, I will be keeping the projection of dots of light falling and the Halo game music as both of these will fit in well with section 6. I am wanting to create a spiritual atmosphere and feel that, because the Halo music reminds me of spiritual/religious music, I will be able to do so.

 Props:

I will be using minimal props and set because I want my performance to come solely from me and my body.

I sourced a small bean bag from the primary school that my sister works at for section 1 as they are a staple piece of equipment for any primary school’s P.E. department therefore, the audience may be able to relate to having had used one themselves.

My only other props will be a hula hoop and skipping rope for section 1 and a set of dumbbells for section 6.

My performance space has also changed from a T shape and having the audience sat on chairs, to end on using the seating banks. I no longer need to use the aisle so it would be a wasted space if I were to keep it there.

Works Cited:

Demme, J. (2015) Spalding Gray’s Swimming to Cambodia [DVD]. Simply Media.

 

For the past few weeks, I have been rehearsing HIIT (high intensity interval training) routines while adopting certain characteristics of Lara Croft. Because I have a strong interest in fitness and well-being, I chose to use The Body Coach (Joe Wicks) as help and inspiration for HIIT routines. If you have not yet come across him, here he is:

His YouTube and Facebook videos have been my guide for creating my own HIIT routine. I tried to focus on creating a high energy and fast-paced routine as I do not wanted a slow-paced performance. Unlike in Joe Wicks’ videos, I would not be performing the routine in one spot. I wanted to use a T shaped performance space (see below) so that there would be an aisle between the audience that would have up lights all the way down the aisle on either side.

 

Here is one of the many videos that I have looked at for inspiration for HIIT routines:

(The Body Coach TV, 2017)

I also found a couple of Lara Croft inspired workouts that helped me with how to adapt certain exercises to suit the characteristics of Lara Croft.

(Betty Rocker, 2012)

 

(Bodytime, 2014)

 

However, even though I had a routine together, I had to change my idea due to a knee injury that restricts me from doing a large percentage of the performance I had originally created. I will still be sticking to using the gym and exercise as my focal point but with more emphasis on storytelling rather than largely physical movements.

I am centring my adapted performance on my journey to find the gym through my time in education. I have picked out specific aspects of my involvement in sports that made an big impact on my eventual finding of the gym. I will start my journey back at a primary school sports day, ending with when I first realised the gym was the place for me.

Works Cited:

Betty Rocker (2012) Tombraider Workout – No Equipment Total Body Exercise Action Sequence. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeG1neo_nyc&index=16&list=PLMWdxS3yDYCOeFAjdq7ofymT0xyTmwQWE&t=155s [accessed 20 April 2017].

Bodytime (2014) L’entrainement de FITNESS de LARA CROFT by Bodytime. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqVXcacB5Vg&index=17&list=PLMWdxS3yDYCOeFAjdq7ofymT0xyTmwQWE&t=21s [accessed 20 April 2017].

The Body Coach TV (2017) 20 Minute Intense Fat Burner | Home HIIT | The Body Coach. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLHA5g-82vY&t=285s [accessed 20 April 2017].

Wicks, J. (2016) Profile Picture. Available from https://www.facebook.com/JoeWicksTheBodyCoach/photos/a.201803993226878.49797.201801253227152/1055725334501402/?type=1&theater [accessed 11 May 2017].