Month: April 2016

Chris Goode is a writer, director, performer and sound designer. He has been said to be “one of the most exciting talents working in Britain today” (Chris Goode & Company, 2016). Chris Goode is an ‘alternative theatre’ maker. ‘Alternative theatre’ is a term which was found between the late 1960’s and 70’s describing the loose movement of individuals as well as groups and partners within the opposition of ‘mainstream theatre’. Performances were created around a set of theatrical ideas which opposed this predominantly seen theatrical experience.

Chris Goode is well know for “… make[ing] theatre by creating welcoming spaces and interesting structures for something unexpected to happen in.” (Chris Goode & Company, 2016) Goode’s work allows the audience to think more about the words and movements and the set rather than simply what they are shown straight in front of them, their comfort and security of a theatrical predominance is taken away and instead audience members are allowed to use their own imaginations and react in the necessary form for themselves.

Goode’s main ” … principle aim is to make space for unheard voices.” (Chris Goode & Company, 2016) I wish to do this with the disease Alzheimer’s. I hope to use the ideas of memories and imagination to play on the idea of Alzheimer’s and the instances that are remembered and ones which become broken. I will take this from experience from my Granda. Goode uses conversations he has with ‘ordinary people’ to inform the words he creates for his show, I feel this would be a clever way to show how Alzheimer’s affects the individual as well as their families.

Chris Goode & Company. (2016). Chris Goode – Chris Goode & Company. [online] Available at: http://www.chrisgoodeandcompany.co.uk/team-profile/chris-goode-lead-artist/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2016].

 

There are so many aspects to think about when performing, how you are positioned, where the lighting is, how loud you need to be, what accent you are using, what your characterisation is, how you are trying to make the audience feel and these are just a few to name. However, it is extremely important to think about the body. How you are standing, your stance, your posture, the way you are facing. Each one of these changes the way the audience views you, are you snarling but standing as if one of the Royal Family, are you speaking in a Church but whispering and hiding behind yourself. It’s always important to know what reactions you want from your audience and how you want them to feel at each point of the performance. Where the changes are and what the changes are for.

“The linking of the body and the voice are important to a cohesive performance.” (Anderson, 2006) This will be a hard task to accomplish but it is a very important aspect of acting which could take a great performance a turn it into something people dread to see. To act is to use every inch of the body, your personality, your character and your strength. To exaggerate tendencies and to know that with all you can you show the audience the character you are trying to portray. This may take some time to accomplish with such a performance as mine, but with rehearsals in front of my fellow class mates I believe I will get to a point where this simply happens rather than being forced.

Anderson, M. (2006). SOLO – A guidebook for individual performance. Sydney: Currency Press, p.48.