The important factors within my performance are the accuracy of opinions expressed. The performance will consist of between 5-10 monologues detailing both facts, experiences and opinions of many different people. These will be fragmented throughout the performance. I want to present these on stage but I do not want to become a character. I want to be me on the stage performing other people’s words. This means that in order to differentiate the monologues I will need to change my appearance, voice and body language slightly in order to make the audience aware that this is a new speaker. I am, as yet, unsure how I will do this and this may be something I work our once I have my text written and ready.
I do not want to learn the monologues either. I want to have quite a personal connection with the audience and will therefore be reading the script. Of course, I will know what is coming etc. so that I am not entirely blind reading, however, I do not want my words to be completely without mistakes. I feel that this connects with the audience more than a rehearsed, perfect performance. They can, in some ways, relate to this. They will be able to feel the nervousness that I will be feeling and will experience a performance that is unique and one of a kind because, I will make mistakes.
Stage wise, I am unsure what will be happening here. I have a few ideas as to how I would like my lighting etc. to be. One idea is that there will be projections of light all over the room in a way that it looks as though you are in the brain. Or have an infrared/X-ray style brain being projected to the front and I will stand in front of it so that the projection is on me too. This will then slowly turn into a ‘depressed’ brain image. Another idea is that the studio will be dark with two lights either side of the stage and that is it. They never change (or maybe they do) and there is no light front on. The light will then only show the sides of my face. The third idea is to have a spotlight positioned on the stage for every monologue I tell, when I tell a different one, I stand in a different spotlight in a slightly different manner.
Instead of lights however, dotted around the room could be small platforms. One each platform will be the different ‘character’.
The amount of platforms or lights depends on the amount of space and monologues I choose to have. I am still undecided as to whether to perform in a small, confined space or a relatively open one. The smaller the space the more restricted I am with the effects I can use however, it will be closer and more personal with the audience.
I still want the temperature to be cold. I want the room to be uncomfortably cold when the audience walk in. I do have a reason for this which will be explained in interview 2. I am also still playing with the idea of filling the room with paper. Covering every wall and floor and seats with paper, some with writing on, some without. However, I feel this could only be done if I was to perform in a small space. I think I will need to try this out in the near future to see both the effect of it but also whether it would be possible and manageable. An idea also, if I was to use a small space, is to hang small tags/bits of paper from the ceiling with words on. Again, something I want to look into.
This is the image I have taken inspiration from for the hanging tags.
This is the image I have taken inspiration from for covering a space with paper.
This is the image I have taken inspiration from for the idea of blocks and spotlights.