Author: Tristan Jones-Smith
Actor
Protected: option 3: Training and own projects.
Protected: Option 2: Freelance Actor
Protected: Option one: Theatre Practitioner
Protected: Strategic arts: Final Major Project
Live Briefs : 03/10/17 – 04/11/17
Continuing on from the first session, we met the five artists who we’d be working along with, we were then allocated our groups for the festival.
We met Sarah from highly sprung and she explained to us who her company is and what they’re company’s about.
One of the first task we did as a group were play games such as king ball, I want your chair and another game where we were required as a group to pause, look, lean and disperse whenever a red band was thrown onto the floor. This lead us to writing based of what we got from that game. “As I grow older, times moves faster, breathing becomes heavier and movement becomes stronger, with a greater purpose.”
This is the sentence I came up with during our first task. We then put all of sentences together to pick out bits of text we liked from each of us to create one monologue to go alongside the I want your chair game:
We all felt strongly after this session and decided we’d look at articles online and on tv that we felt strongly about so we could raise the issues we see in the media with Mark, Highly sprung’s artistic director to make a story.
Scene Ideas:
- Intro chair sequence.
- News Headlines: Ensemble piece where we’re all reading the different sides of the one story.
- Parent’s P.O.V: Using the diagonal formation we spoke about? Jacob portraying the Father front of the line, the others can be in the line as either other policeman questioning J or interesting we use the spot and corridor that Mark spoke about and have J in a spot while we’re in the corridor answering his questions?
- Friends: We can make a fresh ensemble piece using the dots and dashes like we did for the Border scene with Sarah, we can be in a clump and be the friends being questioned, and make some form of movement to match the dialogue??
- Partner:
- Teacher:
Over a couple more sessions, devising of our ideas we eventualy came up with a piece called: Deactivated
“An exploration of today’s generation, examining the relationship between social media and social interaction in a modern day society. Have you seen Sarah Westfield? A girl caught up in a world of notifications, social trends and unrealistic expectations. The world keeps spinning and you keep scrolling, never looking to observe reality.”
It was in this session were I brought along my notes of Mark Duggan, a black male wrongly portrayed in the media by a single photo. I then decided I wanted to a write a spoken word piece thus went home and wrote.
” I have a question…
Standing in this line up now who’s was that decision? Who looked at me and said yep, let’s convict him? How am I the token that somehow fits the description, yet why am I suspect when I feel like the victim?
I shouldn’t have to apologise for this reoccurring conversation of how a man like me doesn’t fit In this nation? We’ve all been patient, but it’s time now you hear what we’re saying.
Detective. Please look from my perspective. I’m categorised as Black, Asian and minority ethnic, the first to blame when shit gets hectic. Now, If something strange is what your suggesting. Yes, me and Sarah had a different connection, however my appearance, has nothing to do with her disappearance.”
Very early on we decided our piece would be physical and most of our dialogue within the piece would come from our movement. I naturally agreed that I would take on the job of musical director finding all the songs and mixing and editing sound for our piece.
Overall the experience had been great, working with highly sprung to create a story from a series of small ideas, to putting on 4 shows with little changes here and there.I believe we all worked well and everyone’s contributions helped to creating deactivated.
Arts funding 16/10/17
Why is it important to understand the aims of the funders criteria?
- So we know what they are looking for
- Best chance of getting funding
- To help achieve goals and set targets
- To fit their ethos and ethics
- Fulfilling to what you said you was going to do
Why do they have aims and objectives?
The importance of meeting criteria/aims
- It is an integral part of your project planning + funding applications
- It will enable you to secure funding for your project and your time as an artist
- To develop relationship with appropriate founders (future income)
Arts council priories 2017-2022
- The arts council have over 13 areas:
- Business management
- Environment and sustainability (
- Arts in the workforce
- Children and young people
- Touring
- Creative economy
- Diversity
- Artists development
- Digital innovation
- Engaging audiences
- Creative media
- Innovation of new ideas
Aims and Objectives
AIMS-
- To engage
- To make theatre accessible to young adults to the older generation
- To entertain through comedic styles
OBJECTIVES- How we are going to do this
- branch into new areas/ styles of work such as comedy, devising processes :
- To spark debate about the issues explored (friendship, work life, loyalty, trust)
OUTPUT- What are you expecting to produce
- Performance at ET, Shop Front and beyond University
- Trailers/ showreels/ videos/ posters
- Interviews/ press
OUTCOMES- the changes you will have caused due to the project
- Life after Ellen Terry
- Networking in the field
CONCEPT-
Plan- how we are going to go about this process
- devising / improve method
- Funding
- Ideas about marketing (e.g advert idea)
RESEARCH-
Coventry in the 90’s- costume
Set (computers, chairs etc)
Events during that time (party scene)
Watching Same Deep Water As Me
Researched devising techniques/ exercises – How to make material
INFLUENCES-
- A Comedy About A Bank Robbery
- Frantic Assembly
- Highly Sprung
- Donmar Warehouse
- Trollied
- Same Deep Water As Me
- Phone Shop
- White Gold
- Dead Dog In The Suitcase- KneeHigh
- 39 Steps
- DV8
- James Thierry
- Suits
- Horrible Bosses
- Wolf Of Wall Street
- 90’s brit pop
- Office Christmas Party
- The Office
INDIVIDUAL ROLES-
TRISTAN- Actor / music / co-director
JACOB- Actor / music/ scriptwriter / co-director
FRAZ- Actor/ set/ lighting / co-director
LEILAH- director / marketing
AMBER- Actor / set/ props
BIANCA- Actor / costume/ hair & makeup
KEEKI- Actor/ set/ props/ scriptwriter
SEETAL- Project manager/ stage manager
MISSION STATEMENT-
Creative Element TC are a fresh, dynamic theatre company set to engage, entertain and produce accessible theatre for young adults to the older generation, creating vibrant comedic plays through devising and improvisational techniques. We celebrate diversity, innovation and seek to initiate debate through our work.
Where we are up to in planning?
- Currently finding rights/ licences – contacting the publisher
- Discussing advertising/ marketing strategies
- Research into characters/ plot points- developing script (basic outline)
- Set up google docs- sharing work
- Establishing ourselves as a company- mission statement
Live Brief introduction 02/10/96
Our session started with being introduced to Theatre absolutes Julia Negus and Chris O’Connell. They started off by introducing themselves and telling us a bit about their theatre company and two year project they’ve started titled “Are We Where We Are”?
For our Live briefs module we’ll be working with 5 artists from the “Are we Where We Are” project to develop our own 30 minute show.
We were asked to get into groups to discuss and write down all the things in life we disliked most.
We were then asked to write in monologue format whatever we thought at the time.
As I was writing, I didn’t have a clue where I was going with my sentences but I continued to write anyway and this is what I came up with:
“Nobody cares. That elderly women struggling with her bag. You could have helped. That one punch that injured your friend, you could have helped.”
“Nobody cares, except me.
That’s what I think.
What ever happened to respect for others. Manners and generosity.
Always lend a helping hand because one day that could be you.
you’re exhausted, you’re unwell, passed out on the ground.
You could have done with some help.
Instead of being recorded on a strangers snapchat”.
We all wrote down a number of things we disliked, ranging from social media to politics which generated a discussion between the whole class.
Our session today will be useful for next session
Tristan's Reflective Journal (PDP) 