The Performance

What I felt worked:

It felt natural to include some theatricality to the performance, especially when the narration was played.  The positive narration was naturally relatable to me, especially the first one about my Mum, so I felt like embodying the ‘character’ that was involved in each section of narration and react to the conversations as they would.  Another example is when the negative narration was played.  When the ‘character’ was told they had cancer, I was struck with the bad news and even paused afterwards, taking a moment to look at the box of weights behind me and seemingly question whether or not I can truly do this.

I have constantly questioned whether or not to include music. I chose not to, I felt that it was a better performance to keep simple.  It kept the focus on the main aspect of the performance, the physical display.

 

What I felt could have been improved:

I Possibly could have made it clearer to the audience that each situation was aimed at everyone, no one in particular.  Some of the audience were aware that the first narration was personal to me, therefore they assumed that the rest were as well.  However, the effect stayed the same and therefore left a different impression on each audience member depending on their knowledge of me as a performer.

 

My experience of the performance:

Walking in, I felt confidant.  Confidant that i’d get the right message across and confidant that the lighting and narration’s timing would be precise.  The only thing I was unsure about was the last ‘journey’ where the weight was incredibly heavy.  I stood in place and my confidence grew as each aspect of the performance fell into place.  Even the simple image of placing a giant clamp into the box rather than a weight looked powerful due to its rusty exterior and uselessness in this situation (like negativity).  Each spotlight made me naturally improvise which led to a relaxed feel and allowed me to express genuine emotion.  When I started pulling the final weight, I realised that it was doable. Until I got to the bottom of my final corridor of light.  My skin on my hands had torn off and I was covered in sweat.  the image seemed perfect.  The realisation that I may not be physically able to pull this weight all the way however was taunting me.  However, this is what I wanted and fittingly the message of my performance ‘Keep Moving Forward’ pushed me on to pull the weight all the way.  Have one final glance back at the weight I carried, and walk out the theatre.  While I couldn’t see what the audience saw, I felt like it went well.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *