Improvising Narrative and creating sculpt

This evening we put the scripts down for the first time and tried telling the story without the help of the script.  Looking back, the most incredible thing, is how bad our memories are, as although we have read the story and parts of it so many times, we don't really know it at all.  This is because the story has mainly been used as a vehicle for the training in narrative styles, movement and rhythm, and thus been read on a superficial level, even though the content has been used to add emphasis and style to the performance.

It amazes me how little we take in from the written word in terms of detail and process.  We form minimal mental pictures to get a drift of what is going on in the story, using as little effort as possible.  We easily lose concentration, beginning to think about other things while the story is being told - or even whilst telling the story.

If we translate this into the experience of the audience, it may be important to consider how much information we want the audience to take in.  What is the experience of being entertained?  Does it mean that every word and experience are digested and internalised or maybe it is ok for the audience member to wander off a bit into their own world, lost partly in their own thoughts and partly in the flow of the performance.

Of course the actor does not have this luxury - they have to be focussed and present at all times, concentrating and bringing meaning and magic to the story that is being told.  Bringing the audience members back from their mental driftings into the presense of the tale.




As a warm up and to bring the group together, we did 3 kaliedoscope excersises - one with just hands and one with legs and feet.  then we did one swinging our arms and upper bodies, in a standing position.

In the main part of the session we read the whole of the Kettle Badger, each person taking it in turns to narrate a page and then beating the drum 10 times whilst the rest of the group entered a group sculpt.  the first time we did this with the script, then again by memory.  When telling the story by memory, 2 things happened.  Firstly the vast majority of the detail was almost instantly forgotten, secondly, the narrator's style became less dramatic and engaging, and they became more inhibited.  This shows that we have been using the script as a prop, and thus need to get used to working without it.

Despite the lapses in memory, we did piece together the bare frame of the story, adding a little bit of detail here and there for embellishment.  Thus overall, our collective memory of the story is now greater, as we were able to reconstruct it without the written word.  Over the next couple of week, we will continue to do this, and I have also committed to sending out the story - will do this today by email.  I may actually be able to do it here as a page - will see.


We are not fixing people in roles yet, as I want us to continue to work with improvisation without fixing any structure in terms of role or sculpt.  After a couple more sessions of this I think we will be ready to start to get structure to the performance.  Also Chris will be back after a 3 week absense, and now our other current project, Nettle Roots is over, he will be able to start working on the music for this.

Still to do:  Constitutionalise, Funding bid for Fairy tales evening.