Act 2 Scene 8 Ideas

Even though on appearance Act 2 Scene 8 is very short and not extremely complexed, my group and I have found many different opportunities for theatrical devices to be used effectively varying from physical theatre to multimedia techniques.

In this scene there is a stream, that is at first cloudy and then becomes clear. We thought we could use strips of material, firstly grey and then blue. The grey material would stretch from the bottom of the stage to the main doors, through the audience area. People would be kneeling, crouching and standing, slowly moving with the material. When it becomes unclogged then another group of people with the blue material would run in through the main doors. The way the transition would work would be, when the people with the blue material ran into the building, the people with the grey material would kneel on the grey material and make way for the others to move above and to the side of them. We thought this would help set the scene for the audience and make the piece more interesting and to make a short scene very detailed in an effective, professional way. 

During the scene Twinkle and Mau and referring to a lot of elements of past scenes: Twinkle singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and Mau talking about killing Cox. We thought we could use the river almost as a portal back to the past scenes. For example all the people involved in the scene of killing Cox would 'come back to life' briefly and create a flashback. To make it smooth and effective, I would have these actors operating the grey material so they would be kneeling underneath the blue material. Then when they created the flashback the people with the blue material would drop so the people kneeling could get up and re-enact the scene Mau is referring to. Furthermore, their exit would be accompanied by Twinkle singing 'Twinkle Twinkle,' with them joining in as they walked out. I think this would work very well with the mood of the scene and reflect Mau's reminiscent, almost sombre mood. 

In the flashback scene the lighting would change when the flashback occurred. The lighting would grow dark with the light mainly on the stream and/or the river. This would make the atmosphere reflect the darkness of the scene and the almost gothic nature as it is reminding us of all the characters who have died.

When there is a long list of all the people who have died: victims of the Russian Influenza, sailors on the Sweet Judy, Captain Roberts and Daphne's mother and brother, I would have them operating the blue material and slowly one by one, or in groups drop so the stream is just flat. I think this will give some perspective on what Mau is talking about and give people time to reflect on past scenes.

Ideas for Act 1 Scene 8

In groups, we were given a scene to break down and start devising ideas for. This was the first time in the rehearsal process that we were able to really put forward our ideas and have them developed and improved by others in my group. I think putting our ideas into the play will make the process more personal and more creative as everyone will have unique ways of seeing the play and by using all the input we can make a well made play that has been built by every member of the cast.

In this scene, Daphne is showing Mau the planets. We would have them sitting on the edge of the stage looking up to the balcony on which the planets would be projected. The lights would be turned off so the only light would be a spotlight on Daphne and Mau and the light coming from the projection. This would make the audience feel involved and the scene would feel more meaningful to the audience. However we took into consideration that we may not be able to project, so we came up with two other options that may work, producing the same effect as the projection. The first, to have a sheet dropped from the balcony with the planets on it, the second, to have models of the planets on strings and have people dangle from the balcony. To create the effect of the stars, we could have electric candles along the balcony, as they are easy to set up, take away and pose no hazard.

Our second idea was how we were going to create the tree tops of the island, something that will look effective when trying to create the scene of a tropical island. We were going to have green umbrellas held by some of the cast up on the balcony and in the aisle behind the audience at different levels. This would also be a good way to keep Milton on stage and moving as he can pop up in between the tree tops. This will keep the scene active and alive. The good thing about this idea is that an umbrella would be something found in an abandoned building.

Like the umbrellas, piping or cardboard would be something found in a derelict building. Therefore materials like these would be something that we could use as props. For example in this scene we need a telescope and a piece of pipe or cardboard tube would be a perfect substitute for a telescope.

In terms of staging, to give the audience a sense of perspective, when Ataba arrives on the boat she would enter from the back door so the audience can see the journey.

My First Impression

After reading 'Nation' for the first time, my first impression was that there was a lot of potential for creating an unique exciting play. It is clearly a multimedia performance and a lot of physicality will be required to bring this play to life. For example to create certain props, like dolphins and sharks, you will need to make them using your body. To link both the physical theatre and multimedia elements of the play, we could involve some dance or use lighting to emphasise certain scenes. For example, for the scenes when Daphne travels to the underworld, dark lighting with scarcely any lights and people doing movement on the floor curling up and moving as if in pain, will create an intense atmosphere that reflects the location.

There are many different scenes within the play with many different props, character and locations. Due to the fact that we will be using a old Victorian building to create an exotic island it will take a lot of imagination from both cast and audience to help the play come to life fully. We will be using the materials that we find in the building as the basis for building our play. For example planks of wood will create a canoe and an old umbrella will create the tree tops of the jungle. This means that we as a cast will have to be independent when creating ideas and making props. I am looking forward to creating a performance that is heavily created by the imagination of both cast and crew. I will be able to put forward my ideas and see them developed and used in the final piece. I believe this will be  very rewarding

I can see that there will be a lot of physicality in the piece. A lot of the characters, especially the animals and the characters that are influenced by the characteristics of animals, will bring their characters alive by using their physicality. For example, the grandfather birds will need to be brought to life by someones physicality, making it as meaningful to the audience as it would be to Mau. I think this will be very interesting to work with as I will be able to bring my knowledge from other plays I have done (Blackout) to be able to make my physicality believable and meaningful. There are many different ways of interpreting the movement, so I think it will be interesting yet challenging to experiment with different movements, pushing myself to create a physicality out of my comfort zone.

Another element that is at the forefront of the play is puppetry. I like the idea that physicality and props will come together to make characters come to life and give them many dimensions. For example we discussed the idea of having Milton as a puppet. We will have to find a way of transforming him in to a lifelike bird using only the materials we find in the building and also a way of transporting him throughout the space effectively during the performance.  I think this will make the play interactive and visually interesting, bringing the world of 'Nation' to life for the audience and the cast. This is important to make both the audience and cast believe in the world they have created, consequently making the play more believable.

Overall, my first impression of the play is very positive because of the pieces ability to take ideas from the cast and crew, but to also inspire. The writer has given us inspiration to fuel our ideas and the play is also adaptable enough to allow our own individual creativeness to be represented through the play. I am looking forward to rehearsing, developing, researching and performing 'Nation.'