Creating the landscape

My original idea for the staging of this show was that all props and set were things that could be found in a bedroom, as this is where Jen spends most of her time. I was unsure if my character, Jen, was going to have an actual bed onstage or if it would be made out of chairs and boxes. By doing the latter, it means that I will be able to use the chairs and boxes to create other things in the show. For example, I could use the boxes to make the boat in which Jen The Knight travels to defeat The Sea Serpent.

The only setback with this is that it may be difficult to rearrange the set during the show. On the other hand, if I have the bed there, it will be less of a hassle to rearrange, however, there are scenes in the show that take place outside of Jen’s bedroom, meaning that it might look strange if there is still a bed onstage.

For my staging, I was inspired by the show Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light by Allison Davies. The set for this play was minimalistic and wooden boxes were used as part of the set, which then became different things in the show. (Davies, 2023).

(Elsa (Hannah Genesius) in Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light. Photo credit- Victoria Wai Photography.)

I love that the set in this show could easily become different things. This picture shows that despite the minimalistic set, there were many possibilities of what could be created with that set.

I think the idea of creating different things with the set is quite playful, which matches the tone of my piece. I want the set to be brightly coloured as well. This is because Jen loves bright colours and uses bright colours as a way of coping with feeling anxious. It also makes the piece feel lighter and less scary, despite discussing serious issues.

I wanted to learn more about the significance of colour, so I did some research into Colour Therapy. I found out that this is based on the idea that colour and coloured lights can help treat physical or mental health. They can also cause subtle changes in our moods. (Scully, 2023) It can be used to calm anxiety and ease depression. (Scully, 2023) Although medical science cannot confirm whether colour or coloured lights can improve your mental health, there is some evidence to suggest that it has an affect on our moods. For example, light therapy can be used to Seasonal Affective Disorder, a type of depression that typically occurs during autumn and winter (Scully, 2023).

Obviously, I am not a scientist so I cannot say whether the use of colour truly helps improve a person's mental health. However, I myself feel a bit more uplifted whenever I wear bright clothes. My bedroom is filled with bright colours and sometimes just looking round my bedroom makes me smile (until I see the pile of laundry that I need to put away!) There may not be enough scientific evidence to support Colour Therapy, but from my experience, being surrounded by bright colours often puts a smile on my face. (Scully, 2023)

To help me create the landscape of the show, I researched Anne Bogart's and Tina Landau's Viewpoints and Composition. Viewpoints is described as 'A philosophy translated into a technique for (1) training performers; (2) building ensemble; and (3) creating movement for the stage.' (Bogart and Landau, 2014). Viewpoints refer to a set of names given to principles of movement in time and space. These principles become points of awareness for performers to refer to while working. (Bogart and Landau, 2014). Composition is a way of writing on your feet, using the language of theatre. Composition develops theatre vocabulary, helping performers and theatre writers articulate which ideas, moments, images worked and why. (Bogart and Landau, 2014). 'Composition is a method for revealing to ourselves our hidden thoughts and feelings about the material. Because we usually make Compositions in rehearsal in a compressed period of time, we have no time to think. Composition provides a structure for working from our impulses and intuition.' (Bogart and Landau, 2014).

One element of Viewpoints that I found particularly helpful for creating the landscape of my performance was the use of Viewpoints of Space. The Viewpoints are broken into Viewpoints of Time and Viewpoints of Space. The Viewpoints of Time are Tempo, Duration, Kinaesthetic Response, and Repetition. The Viewpoints of Space are Shape, Gesture, Architecture, Spatial Relationship, and Topography. (Bogart and Landau, 2014). Using the Viewpoint of Topography was particularly helpful as this refers to defining the performance landscape. You could decide that the downstage area is hard to move through, perhaps it is made up of water, or a dense forest. Perhaps the floor upstage is made of lava, so you have to move very quickly across it. This philosophy influenced my creation of the landscape of my performance. I spent time visualising the landscape, picturing different areas onstage. I imagined what they were, what the terrain and temperature were like, this would influence how Jen would move through them. I discovered that when Jen is in her fantasy world, she is mostly centre stage, in a boat. This affected how Jen moved. She kept her feet wide apart to steady herself and she would occasionally push her umbrella (which she imagines as an oar) through the water to steer the boat.

Bibliography

Scully, S. M., 2023. How Does Color Therapy Improve Your Mood?. [Online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/the-mood-boosting-benefits-of-color-therapy

Wai, V. (2023) Elsa (Hannah Genesius) in Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light.

Landau, A. B. a. T., 2014. The Viewpoints Book A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition. 1st ed. London: Nick Hern Books.

Davies, A., 2023. Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light. Newcastle: Alphabetti Theatre.