4.11.14

  After half-term we really wanted to try out doing the piece with performing the lines ourselves, since now all of us were memorized and had had time to work on our parts of the poem. Beginning half-of the day we really spent on adapting ht epoem into the movement and getting the pace and rhythm right. Then it was time for us to start devising the end half of our piece, part 5 and 6 of the piece.

We thought that since we were going to be having the projector first pointing at the ceiling, after smacking on the wall the video image would turn from the ceiling to the wall in front of us. This way, after the smack we have a moment of silence, where we look at the video and give the audience time to process what has happened and see how we long for the happy memories that are presented in the video.

”but I want to tell them
that all of this shit
is just debris
leftover when we finally decide to smash all the things we thought

we used to be”

We then turn away from the video, addressing the audience again. Jenny said that it would be good for us to be scattered again, and so we decided that at the line 'is just debris' we scatter around the stage again, and switch side by running towards each other, just jump in front of the audience and briefly fall to ground, just to get back up again with confidence.

”and if you can’t see anything beautiful about yourself
get a better mirror
look a little closer
stare a little longer”

This part we wanted to address the audience directly, not making too complicated movements, but rather looking them in the eye and telling them, that the person staring back at them in the mirror, is not a monster.

”because there’s something inside you
that made you keep trying
despite everyone who told you to quit
you built a cast around your broken heart
and signed it yourself
you signed it
“they were wrong” ”

Now we wanted to pick up the pace again. Me and Chloe run to the middle to grab our hands, leaving Jenny to the other side trapped. She then tries to push herself through, only to have us trap her in the middle of us, squeezing her tighter in. To create hope, Jenny gets trough us and we go and grab our chair to the middle. I stand on the middle chair and Chloe and Jenny grab my hands, preventing me from falling off. Then I lift the two from their seat with a twirl and jump down from the chair with the last line. We created this part on the chairs to transition us to the next bit, where we really wanted to use Frantic Assembly's Chair-Duet to our advantage, since right at the beginning of our devising, we played around with the chairs, but didn't find a good place to use them yet.

”because maybe you didn’t belong to a group or a click
maybe they decided to pick you last for basketball or everything
maybe you used to bring bruises and broken teeth
to show and tell but never told
because how can you hold your ground
if everyone around you wants to bury you beneath it
you have to believe that they were wrong

they have to be wrong”

We devised this bit the same way we used this exercise before devising started. We started of by everyone creating one gesture at a time, and then tightened it and made it smoother by practice. We still need to get it way more tight and precise, but rehearsing it everyday should do the trick. We really want this to be fast movement to contrast the end we have been planning.

At the line ”you have to believe that they were wrong” we all get up on our chairs and at the last line, kick the chairs backwards to end this section with a bang, and start the end for the piece.