Act 1 Scene 10
My entrance to this scene is when Mau says 'I have a plan' and as an ensemble we run in from all sides shouting 'no!' This is a very important part of the scene, as it represents the traditions of the island and allows the audience to immerse themselves in the culture of Polynesia. It is a beer ceremony involving both the men and women, working together and separately all at the same time. At first we stand in two circles, with the men on the inside and the women on the outside. We all chant 'beer beer beer beer' 3 times standing in the circle and then we all embody different elements. Firstly the women are fire and the men are air. Then after the men have spit into the bucket, we swap positions, with the men becoming the outer circle and the women becoming the inner circle. We then become a new element, women as water and men as earth. Then the women spit in the bowl and we expand in to one, bigger circle. The key to this scene is belief and dedication. You have to believe in what you're doing, as if it was a sacred ceremony that meant a lot to you and your people. Without belief in yourself, the audience will never believe you either. With belief, comes dedication. We chose to become elements and chant, meaning we have to dedicate fully to our choices. We must move with all our body and feed off the energy of the whole room to make the scene effective and believable. We all need to work on our spacial awareness. It becomes a problem especially when the girls create the inner circle as we make it too small and people have to push to get in. This will make the transition rough and the energy and meaning of the scene will be lost. We therefore all need to work as an ensemble so as to be aware of those around us.
The second part of the ceremony is individual group performances. We had to create a movement to accompany the words 'travel far enough you'll meet yourself, travel long enough you'll be home.' We chose to have a rowing action, to fit with the theme of travel. Myself and Eleanor are 'boats' with Kitty and Holly 'travellers' on our backs. Lara leads the way as the sea and waves. When we get to the middle Holly and Kitty dismount and we all join hands and kneel together, in a prayerful position, respectful of the God's we are praying to. We then leave and become part of the outer circle again. We need to work as a group, being aware of the position of our group in the circle so when Holly and Kitty climb on our backs we are not rushing for them to do so, as this would make the transition neither smooth or effective.
The next part of the scene is when we all become trees. When Mau says 'come.' we all all make unusual shapes with our body, intertwining our hands and legs with others to make a forest that Mau and Daphne have to venture through. I chose to have my position on the floor with my legs stretched and my arms reaching up to form an arch with someone else who is standing. This is an effective use of levels and creates a realistic image and useful space that Mau and Daphne can go through. After this some of the ensemble create a pig and piglets. However I must maintain my position as a tree without twitching as this would ruin the illusion.
When Mau says 'come on' we slowly come out of our shapes and make our way to the four sides of the stage, where I go to the cafe door. We are now hungry islanders. We have to find that physicality, whether that be holding our stomach, hunched over, head down or supporting someone who is too weak to walk alone. Like during the beer ceremony, whatever physical stance you choose, you have to dedicate to it so the audience believe that people who were just energetic islanders are now weak, starving travellers. As a whole, the scene depends solely on faith from both the cast and the audience.
Act 1 Scene 15
At the beginning of the scene, as Locaha I beckon my fellow minions into the room as they enter. I patrol the space to maintain a higher status, as if asserting power and authority on all present. This is supported by the ensemble when they freeze when I talk, showing that I have control over them and that I am a symbol of fear. This is also shown when I approach Daphne and Mau as they try to avoid me, as they fear me and the power I have to take their life away.
The ensemble split into four groups, leaving only Mau, Daphne and all four Locahas in the middle. Then they become dream fish and swim across to the opposite sides of the room. This part of the scene was what I found the hardest. As an ensemble we have to work on our spacial awareness because otherwise we all bump into each other ruining the fluidity of the piece and the illusion we have created in the beginning of the scene. It is all our responsibility to work together to allow each other to reach our destinations.
During the island scene and the funeral scene, I patrol the space, taking pleasure out of people's suffering and maintaining my status and the mannerisms that support this. Even when there is a lot of action on stage, people still need to recognise that overall, I maintain power and control over everyone else without me detracting from the scene. I need to be add subtly to the atmosphere, keeping the audience on edge.
Act 1 Scene 16
After scene 15 I am sitting on the edge of the stage, watching the scene hoping that I have claimed Mau and Daphne's life. However when they wake up I am horrified and angered as I wished them dead. To express this, I change my mannerism from a laugh to a low growl. I accompany this with a change in body language and facial expression and slowly exit in a silent protest to the resurrection of Mau and Daphne.
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