Red Ladder Theatre Company Business

Red Ladder Theatre Company

What is the Red Ladder Theatre Company

Red Ladder is a radical theatre company who has been around for 45 years. It is known as ‘Britain’s leading national touring companies producing new theatre. The topics they focus on is social change and global justice. Red Ladder exists to create to create theatre using human struggle. Red ladder is grown up through history as it was founded in London 1968. Red Ladder is funded by Arts Council England and by Leeds City Council.

Who runs this company?

There is on artistic director who is Rod Dixon.  He became an artistic director in 2006 following his previous job role which was associate director at Barbican Theatre in Plymouth.  Also he has ran the Hub Theatre School in Cornwall and he has been a actor in several companies.

There is also a producer which is Chris Lloyd. He has been at Red Ladder as a employee for six years. Chris still loves the talent that he works with at the company. Lloyd heard about Red Ladder at the West Yorkshire Playhouse Rosehill Theatre in Cumbria. He spent three years in the south of Spain and ten years in London.

What performances have they done in the past?

Red Ladder have done many performances but last year they performance ‘Playing The Joker’ which is about Eddie Waring attempt to give rugby league a national profile.  Paul Hatt who has a sports media website said that the performance ‘was really inspiring and it was a tenner well spent’.

What performances do they have coming up?

Currently Red Ladder are performing Nicobobinus which is a story about the most incredible child who was named Nicobobinus. He lived in Venice for a long time and he could do anything. The stage said that

   ‘Kate Unwins fine set is rather magically coloured by imaginative projection’

In February the production ‘ we’re not going back’ will be performed which is the era of the 1984/85. This was the miner strike. It is also a ‘hard hitting musical comedy’. There are no miners. Instead we follow the fortunes of three sisters in a pit village. 

Research portfolio: Berkoff

In this blog I will be researching the aspects of the practitioner Berkoff. Having going to Jacques le coq theatre school, Berkoff picked up some techniques and made him his own. As Jacques le coq influenced Berkoff, he was inspired by historical physical theatre.

Berkoff is a great practioners who has developed physical theatre and made the style his own. Berkoff used the style of clockwork and mime mostly but he has used other techniques as well.

Berkoff's play metamorphosis his physicality is a lot different to other people the way the he is placed the physical aspect is interesting with his arms crossed over each other and he is down low with he head up. This stance is a lot for interesting to watch instead of him being upright with his posture. The way he moves throughout the whole piece is robotic the way he keeps that postiton the whole time makes it more interesting to watch. His physical style is exaggerated to make the style more interesting. For example if you were eating at the dinner table you would have certain movements that are over the top so the audience can see what they are doing without having props in their hands such a knife and fork and a table. Theses movements are mimed are repeated to make the piece more creepy and grotesque.
Berkoff says it is important to
' to see how I could bring mime together with the spoken word as its opposite partner creating the form and structure of the piece'

Techniques Berkoff uses:

Clockwork: Clockwork is a series of movement which involve miming certain objects. For example a knife and fork. Clockwork looks like robotic movements coming together. When different movement are done at the same time it looks creepy and scary. In Metamorphosis the clockwork routine is in time with the music. Clockwork is a lot of fun to use as you don't normally do it in everyday situations.

Looking at the camera/audience: Berkoff uses the audience a lot of show different meaning and to make it more spooky or for comedy. For example thinking about something else that you don't want to say to the person is said to the audience. Many actor and actress do this now. For example in his play East a female character says a monologue with other actors in the scene but she says the monologue and looks at the audience at times to add humour.

This is a brilliant example of looking at the camera because of the character looks at the audience for humour because it is a monologue aswell but it works in a berkoff style.

Pitch: Berkoff uses a sound in his performance. It is a similar thing to a sound scape but different. For example everyone with a one vowel sound but in different pitch. This makes it usual but effective. Also using vowels sound you can experiment and make it a into a conversation. In the workshop we played around with the feelings of saying the vowel. For example fear,sadness, happiness. Also we did another exercise when we closed our eyes and picked a note to hum. This exercise felt uncomfortable doing this as everyone was doing different pitch were clashes. On the other hand it would work in a performance and a structured way as it matches Berkoff's style.

Mime: I think that mime comes into Berkoff because they use mime to enhance the style more grotesque feel. For example the in metophosis they didn't use chairs they bent their knees to look like they were sat on chairs.

The language that he uses is explores Shakespearian to create a complexity but pairing it with a low cockney slang and swearing. Complex language that an audience has to focus means that they rely on the action to understand the plot. This explains Berkoff physical style as Shakespeare language benefits physical movement as it provides image to work from.

According to Berkoff, to him
'The only purpose for a script is to help  minimalise and physicalise the story'

Commedia de'll arte: Research portfolio

In this blog I will be talking about Commedia de'll arte.

Commedia was created in Italy. It became known in Europe in 15th, 16th and 17th century. Commedia De'll Arte stands for comedy of professional actors of professional artists and actors. which means it needs to stand out and be melodramatic to make the audience laugh. Also commedia doesn't have to speak English. Commedia is often created by improvised storylines and stock characters. All stock character wear half masks to symbolize there character. Using the masks brings more exaggeration to certain body language and delicate facial expressions. Also masks help to be more of the character that you are playing instead of playing yourself more. Commedia mainly relys on the physciality of the characters and less on the words because most of the time the actors speak gibbish to add to the humour.

In this physical style there are stock that all actor become one of the many character that you can choose from. However professional theatre company who take the physical theatre aspect usually stick to one character for there whole career.
Stock characters 

Zanni- Zanni is a servant that always does what the he is told by the master. He always wants to obey the master so he doesn't get into trouble. From his character and personality Zanni has a low status as he is the servant of the master. From this picture you can see that he is light on his feet and not travels quickly. With his status being low Zanni's character is mostly done by bending the knees which backs up the character. I personally love this character as you can play with the Zanni character and making it funny. Zanni is very quick on the feet. Zanni cant keep static for a long time. The picture shows Zanni light on his feet as he shows this in his personality.

Pantalone-.Pantalone is a greedy mechant.  He uses certain phrases like 'I want you' to create his power. Zanni does want he is told. He is friends with the doctor. His body language is mostly with a hunched back. Pantalone is ranked at the top in the status with the other characters. Pantalone means money in Commedia world which means that he is more wealthy and that's why he has servants which he asks people for things. He is usually the father to the one of the lovers which means that he grumpy because most of the time the parents don't agree with the relationship. He is a driven character to keep the lovers apart as he disapproves the relationship.

The image on the left is pantalone. You can see that his stance is slightly hunched as pantalone is protecting his money. He walks with his hips forward allowing to make larger strides. He often falls backwards generally to bad news related some way or another to his financials. When this happens he has a 'turtle like' characterisation.

This is the mask that pantalone wears. In commedia the physicality is all in the body and the stance rather the facial expressions. The masks show the older of the character and how he has wrinkles. The mask can show him when he is tired or grumpy and it will fit with the storyline.





In the workshop we experimented we different characters and how each character would react. For example the young lovers when they met each other they wouldn't touch because they are too much in love and they are scared that it will break the love. Another example would the doctor and pantalone treating a symptom but the doctor doesn't know exactly how to treat it which makes the humour connect to the audience.

Then we moved on to scenarios with different characters meeting. For example the lovers having an argument and zanni is the messager and getting the messages wrong. This scenario was a great scene to play however it was hard so make it funny plus we didn't have enough time to think it though. Another example was that Zanni needed to the wife of the master a message. Zanni got confused and couldn't remember the message because he bumped into fransiquina. This was a great scene to work with as it gave us more inspiration.

Commedia has a style which is very slapstick feel for the audience. From the slapstick humour is then created. For example Zanni is comical as he tries to obey his or her master but Zanni can get confused or side tracked very easily.

The structure of Commedia is improved around the stock characters. The storyline was then rehearsed to add more structure to the performance. In addition the working methods were improvisation to have story to the audience.

The themes that Commedia covers love such as with the lovers will be in love but will never touch each other as they are more interested in themselves rather than each other. For example we did an exercise in class when we were paired up and we had to love our partner without touching the physically. However it was effective to be apart of because it was good way to show love commedia style.

Vocal health poster

Character profile Sophie Nickerson

Character Profile

Name: Shannon

Age: 20

Background and Family Life

Shannon is a middle aged woman who works for the Prime Minster Ruth. She is a cleaner who works full time hovering and making Downing Street presentable for guests such as the Ambassador of the United States. The first time we meet Shannon is when she is asleep and wakes up from a nightmare. She has had these nightmares for quite a while and sees the character John. She finds John interesting to listen to and watches the videos online.  She finds John intriguing to watch because she finds his speeches important to listen to. She enjoys them so much that she decides to come to the real thing instead of virtually after work.

Key Relationships

Shannon likes to spend her social life in the park to get herself a quiet atmosphere after work. She always sits on a bench and reads the local news. She then meets Zia who reads a book on the other side of the bench waiting for John to make his speech. Shannon is single and really likes Zia. The reason why is because of his geeky style which Shannon is interested in because she loves looking at the stars.

Another relationship that Shannon has is with her boss Ruth who gives a tense relationship. Shannon works hard to get Ruth’s house clean and tidy however Ruth gets distracted by the noise of the hoover therefore Shannon can’t do her job. Shannon finds Ruth irritating and being ignored because she doesn’t say her name correctly.

Shannon is John’s number one fan. She tries her very best to come down especially on her lunch break.

Job

Her job is a cleaner at 10 Downing Street. She gets to work by 9:00am and finishes about 7:00pm. She has her lunch for an hour down at the park to catch John in the park. She gets paid enough to afford her own wellbeing such as food, electricity etc. Shannon wears a uniform for work which includes a black shirt with a waist saying ‘cleaner’ sewed on and black trousers. This uniform is practical to work in but a smart approach for working in a posh big house.

Before the play…

Before the play Shannon is still working for the Prime Minster. She is single looking love. She keeps seeing this guy that she likes but they never get the courage to talk to each other. Shannon always sits on the same bench waiting for the next speech to happen. She didn’t vote for Ruth to be Prime Minster as she doesn’t think that Ruth was right for the job. For example the history that’s Ruth has had. She has arrived to a long day of work by walking through the park to see any news on the John’s speech’s.

During the play

These images below are what happens to Shannon in the play.

Picture 1                                                Picture 2

                          



Picture one explains what her job is. She doesn't like her job very much as she is not treated fairly by being called ‘Sharon’ which is not her name. Picture 2 is to show that she has found love with Zia from the park. She has also found love John as a celebrity crush because of his theories. She loves that she has something common with another person which is looking at the stars.

After the play

Shannon and Zia are officially together as they meet for lunch in the park to see John. They sign up for regular news from Holly and in favour with John all the time. The notice that they have the same dream. Shannon is unemployed now as she has quit her job. She is implying for jobs which she feels a lot happier. She comes to John for advice weekly.

I think I have based Shannon on the two assistants from Love actually who works for the Prime Minster.

The two assistants sum up my character. For example the assistant in the background is similar to Shannon regarding to her costume such as she is wearing a waistcoat. On the other hand the other assistant's voice and Shannon's voice is similar to Shannon as she is trying her best to do her job and she is looking out for the Prime Minster such as when she talking about the dreams in Act one scene four. 

Evaluation of 13 by Mike Bartlett

Evaluative report of ‘13’ by Mike Bartlett 

What were our strengths in the play ‘13’?

Overall I thought the whole product was a big success considering that it was our first play with that we had only known for a couple of week. Since the start of putting together ’13 everyone was getting as a group. I think this was a great advantage and our strength because ’13’ is all about linking together people who have the same dream. For example in act one scene two Sarah notices John and pauses because she recognises John from the dream.

Secondly, our professionalism throughout the performance made it more of a performance not a performance from 16-18 years olds. Professionalism such as being quiet backstage was good to see because of the support that it given towards other students. There was commitment in this play when rehearsals were taking place everyone attended which is a positive because then people won’t have to be filled in on what they had missed. Also by having a good attendance means that we could help each other out if a person was struggling etc.

I thought that the characterisation was a great expect to the play. Scenes such as Act four scene seven (Dennis and Sarah) gave a dark side to the play. It gave the play a sense of anger after the comedy expects of the play. I always enjoy watching this scene as it was blocked looking at the audience instead of the naturalistic approach by talking at each other. The way it was blocked was a lot better because the audience can see the facial expressions which can be disturbing. Also the facial expressions are showing contrast. For example Dennis is angry and the murder of his daughter whereas Sarah is begging forgiveness. Also most of the feedback was praise on the American accent from Ruby’s character. She completely wasn’t her normal self and she just changed to a nasty girl who whines her mother up. This is a hard thing to do and was presented so well.

Relationships was a key strength to this performance which was my character (Shannon) and Zia. The relationship was played as two young people trying to find love in a geeky way such as they both have something in common which is looking at the stars. For example in Act three scene four Zia got tried to strike up a conversation by saying ‘thirteen’ to talk to Shannon. The relationship gave the audience a reaction which is a good sign. This reaction was only heard from a younger audience therefore the younger people can relate to this because this is what they are going through which is love.

What were the weakness of the play ‘13’?

I think our weakness was the ensemble parts in the speeches. I think the cast weren’t thinking about what was being said. Instead there were an occasion cheering. I think if were to do those scenes again I think I would put some physical theatre and gradually reveal something in the last speech that is being said.

Our main weakness was pace of the play particularly with the speeches by John and the scenes with Dennis and Ruth. The pace is an important part of the play because the audience can lose concentration. If I did the play again I would work more on the pace and make everyone became aware on what is being said by John.

In conclusion I think that despite our weakness we did a great performance and I really enjoyed playing my characters Alice and Shannon.

Week 6 of 13 by Mike Bartlett

Week 6

 

This week was the last week before production week. The first activity was to come up with three gestures symbolizing my character. I found this hard at first but once I thought about it began to fall in to place. I thought about Shannon and about how she reacts to people such as Ruth and Zia. For example Shannon loves Zia when she first meets him. I think that because she feels awkward she distracts herself by fiddling with her hair and making herself look pretty for when a conversation comes up. I also thought about my other character Alice. When Alice enters Edith’s house Alice feels scared because she was thinking questions such as is she dead? Has something happened to her?  . So I came up with stroke her other hand very slowly as she was imagining that she was going through her files. Then when Edith jumps the gesture is dropped. I think Alice does this gesture to keep her body calm then what going on in her head. Also I think Alice will breathe faster to bring tension to this scene. Alice will keep behind Mark for security and defending herself. I think Mark feels that he should protect Alice because he is the reason why Alice is here because of his work as a lawyer.

The main focus about this week was the pace of all the scenes.  Act three was a great start to the week with clean transition. Fast scene changes make the play quicker and less boring. This was the first time that I have seen that ‘13’ is coming together. This play is always about thinking ahead. I think that everyone has improved in there character. For example Issie who plays Rachael has expressed her emotion of anger in Rachael’s character. She has also connected with Amir which makes it look naturalistic. The chemistry that Amir and Rachael have brings the play more realism.

 

Act four was a lot better that previous times rehearsed but there is still some improvement. For example the scene with Ruth John and Stephen needs to be faster to allow that scene to move forward. If the scene is not faster than the audience will switch off. However the pace has improved after a couple of times. Also making the 12 come to pray position makes it more symbolic and respectful for Ruth because of son Simon. I researched the definition of grief. It says

‘Grief is multifaceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died to which a bond or affection was formed’

From my research I think that Ruth went through this when she lost Simon. When John brings Simon, Ruth tries to change the subject so she doesn’t think about it too much. However she can’t get it off her more because it’s a traumatic experience for a loving mother. If John knows something about Simon then Ruth has a right to know the facts about Simon. I think that Ruth went through a hard time and that she didn’t time off work for it. The reason why I say this is because John says about how they love the person that runs the party not the party itself therefore Ruth has given a hundred per cent into her job. This is why John is right about what he is saying about her political status.

After the rehearsals of act three and four we then moved on to act one and two which needs to bring up the pace again. Once again Act one and two are coming together with the transition. However the pace needs to be faster. With the pace it will give the audience more to look at and no pauses will help it.

Next week’s target is to try my hardest with my performance. In the performance I will be confident with my character and try and not be myself and always my specific character. I was thinking about having headphones in when Shannon enters singing with the hoover to make it more funny for the audience. Then when Ruth looks at me it gives me a signal that something is wrong which makes Shannon say something.

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grief published 14th October 2014