master class resource pack developing ... - dp theatre year...
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Master class resource pack Developing narrative from a physical starting point By Frantic Assembly 2015 Autumn TaPS
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Pre-‐visit Pack for Workshops
Photograph by Helen Maybanks -‐ Ignition 2013
A Frantic Assembly workshop is primarily movement based and will focus on the skills and techniques used to devise physical theatre. It is helpful to read through this pack in order to prepare for our visit. In our experience participants get much more out of our workshops if they know a bit about who we are and what we do in advance. We have also sent you a workshops hand out at the pack of this pack, which you can distribute to your participants before the workshop. Why not also take a look at our website and online profiles by visiting
www.franticassembly.co.uk
www.youtube.com/franticassembly
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Check List for Workshops and Residencies: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY Prepare the paperwork
• Read, sign and return your contract.
• Check the invoice total and pass on to your finance department for payment. Prepare your participants
• 10-‐24 people per group (even numbers is preferable). • Participants should be aged 14 upwards. • Before our visit make sure participants receive a copy of the workshops hand out and are aware of the following:
-‐ the physical and movement based nature of the workshop -‐ they must wear loose and comfortable clothing and trainers suitable for exercise (no short skirts, jeans or jewellery). -‐ they need to eat breakfast before a morning workshop to ensure they have the energy for physical activity.
-‐ they should look at our website ahead of our visit.
• You must inform Frantic Assembly of any special needs or medical requirements in advance.
• You may find it useful to look at our resource packs to support further learning about the company and our work. You can download these for FREE at www.franticassembly.co.uk/resources
Prepare you studio
• Your studio should be at least 10m x 10m. The larger the better, but no concrete or carpeted floors (wooden floor or dance mat preferable).
• Ensure the room is warm, the floor is clean and that there are no hazards in the space – you will be running around
and rolling on the floor!
• We will need a loud sound system with an MP3 connection in the room, to be set up before the practitioner arrives.
On the day • Please meet our practitioner at reception at least 10 minutes before the start of the workshop.
• It would be great if you could show the practitioner where to find the toilets and the studio/room for the workshop.
• Don’t forget that you are responsible for first aid and health and safety so it is essential that a member of your staff/
group leader is present throughout the workshop.
• If the workshop is 6 hours or more you should provide lunch and refreshments for the practitioner.
• Whilst all of our practitioners are fully trained to work with young people, if your participants are under 18, we find that the support of teachers or group leaders is invaluable during our visits. Please feel free to join in with the workshops and support our practitioners by encouraging the participants to stay focused, get involved and above all HAVE FUN!
Evaluating and Forum • Complete and return the evaluation form that we email to you or email your comments to
• Encourage your students to give feedback or ask questions on our forum: www.franticassembly.co.uk/forum or through Twitter: @franticassembly
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Frantic Assembly Resources
To accompany our Learn & Train Programme and our productions, we have a range of resources available for teachers, students and anyone who wants to find out more about Frantic Assembly. To find all of the resources listed below, please visit www.franticassembly.co.uk/resources Free Resource Packs A Guide to Frantic Assembly A Guide to Othello 2014 Building Blocks Film: The Frantic Method Creating Choreography Film: The Frantic Method A Guide to The Believers A Guide to Lovesong A Guide to Beautiful Burnout
Reviving Beautiful Burnout A Guide to Othello A Guide to Stockholm A Guide to pool (no water) A Guide to Hymns A Guide to Peepshow A Guide to Rabbit
E-‐learning Free online resources such as production media, audio blogs, rehearsal diaries and the Frantic Forum are also available on our website. The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre Available to buy on: www.amazon.co.uk
Written by artistic directors Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre is the first book to reflect on the history and practice of their remarkable, award-‐winning company. An essential resource for teachers exploring physical theatre techniques, particularly for the devised and physical components of A-‐Level AQA and Edexcel, it includes:
• Practical exercises • Essays on film, music and physical theatre • Inspiration for devising, writing and choreographing performance • Suggestions for scene development • An anthology of Frantic Assembly productions • An eight-‐page colour section, and illustrations throughout.
Playtexts, DVDs and other merchandise Available to by on: www.franticassembly.co.uk/shop Lovesong Film by Digital Theatre: www.digitaltheatre.com/production/details/lovesong Beautiful Burnout Playtext: £4.00 Othello Playtext: £4.00 Hymns Playtext: £3.50 The Believers Playtext: £4.00 Frantic Playtext Bundle: £15.00 Frantic T-‐Shirt: £12.50
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Students can get to grips with the company’s theatrical approach through our Curious Incident workshops – see www.franticassembly.co.uk/learn/ Students may also want to use an extract from a Frantic Assembly production. A list of available playtexts and resource packs is available at www.franticassembly.co.uk/shop/ Creative Residencies are a fantastic way to kick start your students’ understanding and approach to devising unique group drama pieces. Alternatively our Devising and Physicality workshops will offer a great introduction to skills and techniques for creating physical theatre: www.franticassembly.co.uk/learn/ Frantic can offer: • Touring productions at venues near you, as well as post show discussions and demonstrations. Make sure you
are signed up to www.franticassembly.co.uk/subscribe/ for updates on the latest productions and events • Production specific workshops for Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-‐time • Devising and Physicality workshops • Creative residencies (3 – 5 days) • Playtexts and videos – order from www.franticassembly.co.uk/shop/ • Show specific free resource packs available from www.franticassembly.co.uk/resources/ For more information about our Learn programme, contact Fiona Darling on 020 7841 3119 / [email protected]
Production History Othello by William Shakespeare adapted by Scott Graham (2014) An electrifying take on Shakespeare’s most brutal and gripping thriller-‐tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder. Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Curve Theatre Leicester and UK tour. ‘A powerful production that brings a winning contemporary edge to the Bard’ The Stage The Believers by Bryony Lavery (2014) A thrilling and highly visceral exploration of love and loss. Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Curve theatre, Leicester and UK tour. ‘The most innovative and progressive theatre company around’ The Times Little Dogs devised by the company (2012) An exhilarating and evocative blast of hormones, tantrums, growing pains and home truth. Frantic Assembly in partnership with National Theatre of Wales ‘Bold and spirited, dynamic and raw’ The Guardian Lovesong by Abi Morgan (2011) A haunting and beautiful tale of togetherness, intertwining a couple in their 20s with the same man and woman a lifetime later. Frantic Assembly and Drum Theatre Plymouth in association with Chichester Festival Theatre and UK tour. ‘I’ve never seen such an instantaneous standing ovation’ The Daily Telegraph
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Beautiful Burnout by Bryony Lavery (2010, revived in 2012) A thrilling piece of highly physical theatre immersing the audience in the explosive world of boxing. A Frantic Assembly and National Theatre of Scotland production and UK Tour. ‘This is stunning. Literally and metaphorically’ The Independent on Sunday Othello by William Shakespeare adapted by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett (2008) An electrifying take on Shakespeare’s most brutal and gripping thriller-‐tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder. Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Royal & Derngate Northampton and UK tour. 'The tragedy gains an electrifying new vigor and relevance' The Independent on Sunday ★★★★★ Stockholm by Bryony Lavery (2007) Treading a fine line between tenderness and cruelty, Stockholm reveals a relationship unravelling. It’s beautiful, but it’s not pretty. A Frantic Assembly and Drum Theatre Plymouth production and UK tour. Revived for performances at Brighton Festival and Hampstead Theatre in 2008. ‘This latest show from Frantic Assembly comes together like a perfectly designed piece of flat packed furniture and is a sinister joy’ The Guardian pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill (2006) A visceral and shocking play about the fragility of friendship and the jealousy and resentment inspired by success. A Frantic Assembly, Drum Theatre Plymouth and Lyric Hammersmith production and UK tour. ‘This is a tough, moving, scorching play’ The Sunday Times Dirty Wonderland scripted by Michael Wynne and devised by the Company (2005) A unique guided tour of excess through the ballrooms and bedrooms of a Brighton hotel Commissioned by the Brighton Festival, a sell out production at the Grand Ocean Hotel, Saltdean. ‘Faultless and mesmerising. This production is a triumphant show’ The Guardian ★★★★★ Hymns by Chris O’Connell (1999/2000, revived in 2005) A sadistic hunt for weakness, four friends push each other until something snaps. Original production commissioned by the Gantry, Southampton Arts Centre and produced in association with Lyric Hammersmith. Toured the UK, Columbia, Italy Ireland and Taiwan after a sell out run in London. ‘A startling match of sober subject matter and dazzling choreography’ Time Out Critic’s Choice On Blindness by Glyn Cannon (2004) A serious comedy about the complications of perception and desire. A Frantic Assembly, Paines Plough and Graeae production which toured to Birmingham Rep, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Soho Theatre London. ‘Enriching, explorative and slick…Pioneering’ The Independent on Sunday Rabbit by Brendan Cowell (2003) A snappy, surreal farce in which Frantic tackles the dysfunctional family and brings it to its knees. A Frantic Assembly and Drum Theatre Plymouth production supported by Lakeside Arts Centre. ‘Once again Frantic Assembly proves why it is the company of the moment with a production of stunning physicality. The performances are to die for’ The Guardian Peepshow by Isabel Wright (2002) A musical which tells the story of seven little lives in one big city. Frantic Assembly in association with the Drum Theatre Plymouth and Lyric Hammersmith. Supported by Barclays Stage Partners. Toured the UK and sold out during three week London run. ‘Thrilling, vigorous, tough and funny… one of the best pieces of physical theatre I’ve seen’ The Sunday Times
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Heavenly by Scott Graham, Steven Hoggett and Liam Steel (2002) 59 things that will never happen to you again once you are dead. Toured the UK, played London’s West End and after several international dates played off-‐Broadway for three weeks. ‘Inspired… it makes the afterlife look divine’ Time Out New York Tiny Dynamite by Abi Morgan (2001) An impossible love story is given a second chance and three scorched characters learn that lightning does strike twice. Paines Plough and Frantic Assembly with Contact. Winner of Best Fringe Production Manchester Evening News Awards and Best Theatre Show, City Life Magazine. Toured UK, Edinburgh Festival, London, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Italy. ‘This is surely the bright new future of theatre’ The Independent Underworld by Nicola McCartney (2001) Hard, dark, fast and frightening. A ghost story for the 21st century. Toured the UK, London and Slovakia. ‘A breakthrough – an old fashioned (that’s to say tight and exciting) horror story given wings by supple gymnastic technique’ The Observer Sell Out by Michael Wynne (1998) An argument grows from an honest word among friends. And it grows quickly. Sell Out starts with a whisper snowballing to an irresistible force spiralling out of control. A UK tour culminated in a West End run at the New Ambassadors Theatre, for which it won the Time Out Live Theatre Award. Toured Finland, France, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Syria and Ireland. ‘A knockout piece of theatre‘ Manchester Evening News Generation Trilogy (1998) Klub, Flesh and Zero toured throughout the UK in summer 1998. Zero devised by the company (1998) The house party where all is revealed before the clock strikes in the new millennium Premiered at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival and toured the UK Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Singapore and Hungary. ‘This is work of startling originality, this is breathtaking new ground…the bleeding edge of contemporary theatre’ The Stage Flesh by Spencer Hazel (1996/97) Four performers offer their bodies for the price of a ticket. Toured the UK and Europe, a huge hit at the Edinburgh Festival and in Germany Italy, Spain, Hungary and Holland. ‘Interesting, intelligent, sexy and sad: a lippy, witty 80 minutes of dynamic dance theatre.’ The Guardian Klub by Spencer Hazel (1995/96) A relentless look at the importance of club culture in mid-‐nineties Britain. Premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, Toured the UK and played Ecuador with the British Council. ‘An exhilarating spectacle… terrifically enjoyable theatre that really engages with an audience’ Time Out Look Back In Anger by John Osbourne adapted by Spencer Hazel (1994) A new version of the 1960’s classic ‘angry young man’ drama. Premiered at the Edinburgh Festival and toured the UK until September 1995. ‘Believe me it’s amazing… a fantastically physical piece of theatre’ Steven Berkoff for BBC’s Edinburgh Night
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Pre-‐visit Student Hand out
If you are reading this then you are about to take part in a Frantic Assembly workshop! We want to make sure you’re prepared for our workshop, so there are a few things that you need to know before you attend:
• The workshop will be physical and movement based
• You must wear loose and comfortable clothing and shoes/trainers suitable for exercise
• Please do not wear skirts, jeans or jewellery
• Make sure you eat breakfast before a morning workshop, and lunch before an afternoon workshop so that you have the energy for physical activity
• Take a look at our website ahead of the workshop to get an idea of what we do: www.franticassembly.co.uk
• Most importantly, have FUN!
© Frantic Assembly October 2014
Devising & Physicality Masterclass TaPS October 2014
The most important part to take away from the workshop is not the creative end point we might have reached in the session but the means by which we got there. It is the understanding of the process that is valuable. Here are a few reminders to help you as you explore our process in your own work as theatre makers.
Introduction to Frantic Assembly Frantic Assembly is one of the UK’s leading contemporary theatre companies, producing thrilling, energetic and uncompromising theatre, constantly attracting new audiences. In collaboration with a wide variety of artists, Frantic Assembly continues to create new work that places equal emphasis on movement, design, music and text. Since its formation in 1994 Frantic Assembly has toured extensively throughout the UK and abroad, establishing a reputation for excellence with work which combines striking physicality and the best new writing. In addition to its productions Frantic Assembly is deeply committed to its extensive Learn and Train programme which has run since 1996 and now serves over 6,000 participants each year reaching every county of England and throughout the UK and across the world. In addition, Frantic Assembly also run the highly successful Ignition programme aimed at bringing raw male talent into the sector, much in the same way its founding artistic directors were drawn into and encouraged to develop within theatre.
Devising and Collaborative Theatre Making One of the most common presumptions is that devising excludes the presence of a writer or script. This has certainly not been the case in our work. A successful production for us will be one where it is hard to distinguish which came first between, say, words and movement or movement and music. This is achieved in a rehearsal room where the creative team (directors, performers, writer, sound, video, lighting and set designers) act as one unit, sitting in front of the same scene or image or moment and all feeding into the process not just as, say, lighting designer but as a potential audience member and a Frantic theatre maker. We have found it desirable to have as many of our creative team as possible at these development sessions. They see ideas as they are formed but more importantly it invites them to make sure their roles are not passive or reactive. They are not lighting or designing ‘our’ world. We should be making this world together. Their vision, experience and expertise are invaluable. They should be commenting on the physical and influencing the text. This should be a mutual flow of energy and ideas. The practice of sharing is critical to the working dynamic. Openness is essential. We believe it sits at the heart of our understanding and practice of devising theatre. A rigid sense of what theatre should be will always be the enemy of devised theatre. The ‘what might be’ is essential.
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© Frantic Assembly October 2014
DON’T hold your breath when attempting particularly difficult physical movement– you need it. Breath out during exertion. DON’T, when working with jumps, create all that energy running through the space only to jump off both feet together in order to launch into the air – you just wasted a perfectly good run-‐up. DON’T stand stock still facing the audience unless that really is what you mean to do. DON’T stand back to back, link arms and lift one another by tilting forward – it doesn’t mean anything. Honest. DON’T treat movement any differently to text – they should operate under the same rules. A spoken sentence gets us from one point to another, is progressive, repeats only when necessary and has consequences. There is no reason why movement should not do this also. DON’T allow language to become strange when combined with movement. If you close your eyes and listen to a scene where you have combined language and physicality and the language has strange rhythms and inflections you have just committed a grave sin. Start again. DON’T look out above the audience as soon as you begin to move. They’re still there. DON’T always aim for the end point when creating physical work. When directing, don’t be afraid of withholding information to support this practice. A love duet might have started out as a fight duet that got slower and slower and vice versa. This is how interesting material gets made. DON’T be afraid of breaking every one of these rules if it is absolutely right for the show you want to make! We have! DON’T make your show in ‘a Frantic style.’ This won’t work for either of us. DON’T make excuses for your cultural inspirations. Be it Cocteau or Kylie, if it speaks to you, you’re all good… You will notice a lack of Dos! There is no right way of doing things. Instead we suggest some things you might like to think about: • Building Blocks – we will keep banging on about the importance of these in our devising. • Making choreography using clearly defined limitations. • Making choreography and then testing it. Workshop the story. • Music and audience manipulation. • Movement and storytelling. • Articulating the unsaid – when physicality can suggest a repressed subtext. • Text vs. movement (and what comes first?). • Is movement the best way to tell this story? • Making theatre from non-‐theatrical inspiration. • Who is your audience likely to be? Consider the relation between your work and your prospective audience – thematically, formally, spatially, and economically. • Have you looked at your work from anywhere other than the prime audience location? Watch it from behind! From above, from the side! Do it now before it is too late!
© Frantic Assembly October 2014
• Could this piece of work be made by anybody or is there some quality within that is unique to you? • What have you learnt? What were the mistakes you nearly made? Do not forget them! They can be incredibly helpful in the future. • Remember chaos makes unison more surprising and more powerful. They both refresh the other. Try to find the balance that complements both. • Get your headphones on. Turn your track up and just watch the world choreograph itself in front of you. It will be surprising, complex and dynamic. It might well be inspirational.
BIBLIGOGRAPHY Frantic Assembly Book of Devising by Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett, published by Routledge. We have a number of free resource packs that can be downloaded from our website including A Guide To Frantic Assembly and one for every production. Each of these also contains a bibliography of inspiration. www.franticassembly.co.uk/resources There are also lots of videos and interviews with the cast and company for our current and previous productions on our website: www.franticassembly.co.uk/productions Watch our Guide to Lifting Techniques. This is a private link just for people who have taken part in a workshop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szw3wamzhYc&list=UUPbp_cWFH4mMgEspqg6Nxug Youtube channel including playlists and videos from productions and examples of devising techniques such as Chair Duets: https://www.youtube.com/user/franticassembly Digital Theatre -‐ Watch our production of Lovesong filmed by Digital Theatre: http://www.digitaltheatre.com/production/details/lovesong/play We deliver workshops, residencies and training in schools, colleges and universities across the world bringing Frantic Assembly directly into the classroom. For more information www.franticassembly.co.uk/learn Keep in touch with what Frantic are doing with our Facebook page (Frantic Assembly), twitter (@franticassembly) and newsletter (www.franticassembly.co.uk/subscribe).