Final Post - Daniel Smith

1.
As the process of Porto moved from the validation stage to performance stage each individual character had idividual journeys, some which were shared and others which weren’t. Each individual member within Porto had different issues for unknown reasons, whether this was entering the space or working around the periphery.
Because Porto had 38 individual members each character had a different want or need. For example my character enjoyed seeing people suffer from their misfortunes, this changed drastically towards the end of the piece because it became clear that the most important thing in life is love and attention from others. However compared to Lauren’s character who wanted love and attention throughout the piece and was a fragile member to the Porto community.
Porto as a community had clear issues which were shared between all. The main themes within the shared community were waiting, conflict and self discovery.
Climenhaga states “people on stage are expressive in and of themselves, and as they exit physically within the performance arena, and that arena is constructed through the overlapping of metaphoric images that unearth deeper structures of feeling.” (Climenhaga, 2009, p.90)
Despite our individual journeys there were a number of sections throughout the production which tied the community together. An example of this would be when the community came together for the first time and delivered a series of 4 movements which was then followed by another series of 5 movements which the community executed in synchronisation. This showed the audience that although we are individual characters we were still tied into a community as a whole and therefore showed that we were all tied together in some way or another which was not yet apparent to each individual.
Towards the end of the piece during the last ensemble section it shows the community as a whole once more, however Nichola’s character is the only character who remains onstage at the end of the piece, this shows that even as an ensemble there are some characters who feel the need to be separated from the rest.

2.
As Porto moved from the studio space to the arena space we were sure to encounter various problems before we performed the first show. The main problem which was shared as a whole was the periphery interactions. At first the space seemed much smaller which instantly told us that the interactions we had created within the studio space may need to be cut or altered in such a way that it did not hinder the audience from watching what was happening centre stage. The interactions were kept to a strict minimum to prevent the audience getting too caught up in this work.
However each performer needed to make sure that they were always in character and not becoming a spectator of the story unfolding, this is because “an actor who looks at the floor is uninteresting. […] But in order to do this s/he has first to really ‘see’it.” (Callery, 2001, p.79)
Once we had moved into the arena space our first rehearsal was the technical rehearsal, for some members this became tedious because we were required to be in positions for the beginning and end of each scene so that we were able to work out different sound and lighting cues which enabled the piece to run smoothly when performing to the public. I would not look at this as a weakness but neither would I look at it as a strength because after a short amount of time the group understood that this simple task would allow a smooth final performance.
In the arena we had lanterns which were at eye and foot level, this took a while for some of the performers to adjust to the obstacle but managed this easily once we had worked in the space for a short amount of time.

Because the arena had a larger depth it also had a built podium, stairs and bars at the back of the stage which allowed many characters to develop even during performances, this helped my characters development because I had the ability of using many levels which developed new interactions.
Frost and Yarrow state “The actor’s skill is to fill his space, to inhabit it fully: to be there totally, in the moment of performance” (1990, p.100)
With new interactions being developed the space needed to be filled but not over crowded again to prevent upstaging the main scene.
Finally, I believe the groups attitude towards Porto changed drastically once were in the space, performers took a more professional persona during warm-ups and during our final performances which allowed us to give the performances we had been training for.



3.
During our final performances Porto grew and developed at the end of each show and the beginning of the next both physically and emotionally. During each show the group amplified and exaggerated emotions from one performance to another even in font of an audience.
The RSVP model continued to develop even through the performances of Porto which still remained in the devising process.
My character developed drastically through the devising process but continued further development during every production. At the beginning of Porto my character felt lonely, distressed and unsure of what he wanted to do with his life within Porto. However this changed and became apparent that my character still remained lonely but took enjoyment out of watching other people and their misfortunes. From the first production of Porto to a live audience my character had not developed. However in the second and third performance of Porto my character began to make small interactions which then became amplified throughout each show. An example of this would be my interactions with Wakar. In the first show my character did nothing but glance over at this strange being, the second show they met and actually shook hands and began building a bond between them. In the third production my character and Wakar shook hands and embraced into a hug which remained for about 10 seconds before letting go and reassuring him that I would be there for him. I believe this to be a huge character development through the ‘V’ and ‘P’ stages of Porto.
My gestures turned from internal emotion through to physical emotion, this was difficult because I had problems expressing externally.
Lecoq states “The face, the hands and the body display feelings, passions and dramatic states, presenting to the observer behaviours patterns natural to the person’s character, behaviour revealed by situations such as anger or fear.” (2006, p.16)
When we were told to visit our most climatic point within Porto this allowed my character again to revisit and develop more interactions with people who I had never interacted with before, another example would be when I intimidated Antoinette during our photo section walk and around the periphery during the shows. I still believe that my character was afraid of being lonely all the time therefore development happened within the performances to ensure that this did not happen, again I found this through periphery work and through interactions which were found during the warm-ups before performances.
Warm-ups were a big part of my character development and other people’s development, as a performer you could see progression through each character and development amongst the group.
Since my first initial letter into Porto and through the devising process my character never stopped developing until the final end of the last show and Porto had finished. Within Porto other people’s characters also continued to develop and it was clear to see how characters had developed since our first rehearsal and material development.

Bibliography


Callery, D. (2001) Through The Body A Practical Guide To Physical Theatre Nick Hern Books Ltd.

Climenhaga, R. (2009) Pina Bausch Routledge

Frost, A. and Yarrow, R (1990) Improvisation In Drama The Macmillan Press
Ltd

Lecoq, J. (2006) Theatre of Movement and gesture Routledge


Posted By Daniel Smith