Journal
entry: 24.02.08
by Lindsey Butcher
‘If
we had to perform a show tonight what would we do?’
I’m familiar with this exercise, Charlotte uses it a lot within her
own company and as I’m sure you’ve gathered by reading the previous
entries it’s a very effective (and pretty harsh) way to evaluate the
material and on Monday (18th) none of us were happy!
It usually precipitates a radical rethink and after much discussion and pulling
apart of the material in an attempt to define what we all wanted to see and
achieve with the piece we knuckled down to work.
Charlotte made remarkable progress in the next four days. She works with an
incredible intensity and phenomenal amount of energy, ruthlessly cutting extraneous
material and rigorously detailing the partner work.
Dialogue appeared for Guy, Vanessa shared with us her impression of a dolphin in flight (has to be seen to be believed), Jen spent literally hours spinning in her harness, whilst I attempted to make friends with a flying plank. I have to say that I’ve lost track of the amount of times I’ve been hit in the head now but that’s probably as much due to age as mild concussion!
This week
also marked some difficult design/choreography decisions and issues. This
project was never going to be plain sailing and in productions as complex
as this one compromises have to be made and that’s never easy for any
of us but surely each show has to be a learning process or honestly, what’s
the point?
