Group piece (Rehearsal) evaluation

Evaluating Rehearsals:

I have learnt from developing our contact improvisation piece that the key to a successful rehearsal involves completely letting go of the mind and letting instinct take over, letting the body flow through connection and energy with my group. 

I believe that at the start of the process we wanted to aim high and create an exciting piece consisting of lifts and impressive movements. However, we were so fixated on thinking about we could do, we spent the majority of the rehearsal talking and so when it came to physically moving we had lost our connection and impulse. 

I understand that a connection between us may not be present straight away and it must develop. However I think that next time we should spend less time discussing and planning and more time physically exploring. 

Furthermore, another thing I have learnt from the rehearsal process is that research and watching other performances is key because it acts as a stimulus and can help generate subject material. At the start of the devising process, I had not conducted any research and as a result I found it challenging to get in the zone and devise. However after watching videos and performances, I am now able to perform movements without thinking, with fluidity. 

"When you’re building an ensemble, the last thing you want is 20 people who are all the same. There isn’t a magic formula. You need some people who are great thinkers and great at dissecting text, you need some people who are incredibly physically intuitive and imaginative and other people who can envisage space. It’s about how they complement each other through a process of collaboration"- Complicites Catherine Alexander.

I can relate this quote to my physical theatre group. I have learnt from this devising process that it is important to be in a group of people with a range of different abilities. I was in a group with 2 students who were not very strong, as a result we found it challenging to perform lifts and various movements. Next time, I will take this into consideration when forming a group.

"The first thing I’d say is, watch lots of devised theatre. You need to know what’s out there, what practitioners are experimenting with. So try to see what smaller companies in particular are exploring."- Complicite’s Catherine Alexander

This relates to our devising process because at the beginning of our rehearsal sessions we found it challenging to generate ideas about what our piece could be about and how we could convey this. However, we took time to watch various different examples of physical theatre and we began to find the improvisation easier the more research we conducted. I will take this into consideration in the next devising exercise, I must research and watch as many physical theatre plays as possible to broaden my understanding of Contact Improvisation.