Yesterday we performed the Tempest for Ian, a man who provided our director with a certain amount of inspiration for the direction of the play in the early stages of our work. He pointed out to us that the play needs to centre around magic - the audience need to be immersed in the magic of the island, and the characters need to be under a certain amount of enchantment to make the story work. This provoked a discussion regarding the opening of our play - we had originally started with an upbeat song about being lost, but this now seemed to jarr with the overall context of the play. We also discussed the world of white magic, and the power Prospero emulates by being able to control the elements and heavenly bodies (such as Ariel).
What came out of this was the decision to completely change our opening unit, cutting our lost song and changing it for a mroe magical, dark and haunting melody. It still resonates loss and the unknown, but fits much more smoothly with the rest of our storytelling. Hopefully this will help the audience to believe in the magic from the outset...
Our dramaturg, Suze, has also researched white magic, and the power that Renaissance magicians held. The question regarding Prospero is thus: how far is his magic good? Although he practices white magic, his manipulation of the spirit world and nature has certain dark undertones. Perhaps because he believes what he does is for a selfish greater good, he does not see his actions as dangerous. This puts a really interesting take on our portrayal of Prospero, making us question where he has harnessed these powers from, and just how far he would be willing to go to control destiny.
We'd llike to thank Ian for his invaluable input! We've got a jam-packed day today making sure we can immerse our tale in magic and intrigue, layering white magic with a hint of darkness...
Tomorrow is our last rehearsal before Edinburgh, where our magical adventure begins!
HP x
Friday, 12 August 2011
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
We are such stuff as dreams are made on
It's been another hectic few days in the world of Hammerpuzzle, and we're going at full pelt to be ready for our first performance on Monday.
Firstly, we've finished the play! All scenes have been set, all characters formed, all songs sung. Our schedule was a little bit manic, but with the help of berocca, caffine and caramel shortcake squares we managed to plough through the three acts in four days, and now it means we have a few days to perfect it all before you see it at the Fringe. Having watched a few rough italian runs, it's safe to say this is a funny, heartwarming play, and the melodies often leave goosebumps. It's interjected all the way through with Hammerpuzzle's unique poetry, wit and playfulness, and we've really heightened the sense of ensemble to help us tell the story in the way it's meant to be told...
And now, we continue to work at full pelt. Costumes need finishing touches, movement needs polishing and some props need fixing, but we're well on course to be Fringe-ready by Sunday... and, as ever, we're SO excited to share our work with you!
HP x
Firstly, we've finished the play! All scenes have been set, all characters formed, all songs sung. Our schedule was a little bit manic, but with the help of berocca, caffine and caramel shortcake squares we managed to plough through the three acts in four days, and now it means we have a few days to perfect it all before you see it at the Fringe. Having watched a few rough italian runs, it's safe to say this is a funny, heartwarming play, and the melodies often leave goosebumps. It's interjected all the way through with Hammerpuzzle's unique poetry, wit and playfulness, and we've really heightened the sense of ensemble to help us tell the story in the way it's meant to be told...
And now, we continue to work at full pelt. Costumes need finishing touches, movement needs polishing and some props need fixing, but we're well on course to be Fringe-ready by Sunday... and, as ever, we're SO excited to share our work with you!
HP x
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Lost, Lost, We Are All Lost...
So far, we've created all of our characters, and started to build the character relationships in conjunction with our script, wonerfully written by our own Tamsin Kennard.
However, there is another important aspect of our version of the Tempest: The Storytellers.
In our adaptation, the storytellers are the "narrators" of the story (although, they are more than just narrators in the traditional sense); they create the characters and involve themselves in the action from the point of view of the lost. They are lost souls, desperately seeking to find their way.
So, we workshopped each of our actors to find their own personal Storyteller identity. We wanted to know reasons why they were lost, and find a child-like charicature of this in order to reign these in to become our Storytellers. One was lost in a Supermarket, one because she didn't listen to her mother, another was lost because she wanted to kick her mother, and another calls himself a "liability". Each of these characters were then introduced to the text, and we played with the delivery and charicature identity.
We also created a Storyteller song that will be the opening of the Tempest, serving the purpose of bringing these lost souls together to tell the story.
One week until Edinburgh - we're very excited! But there is a lot to do in the next seven days to get the Tempest Fringe ready... Stay tuned!
HP
However, there is another important aspect of our version of the Tempest: The Storytellers.
In our adaptation, the storytellers are the "narrators" of the story (although, they are more than just narrators in the traditional sense); they create the characters and involve themselves in the action from the point of view of the lost. They are lost souls, desperately seeking to find their way.
So, we workshopped each of our actors to find their own personal Storyteller identity. We wanted to know reasons why they were lost, and find a child-like charicature of this in order to reign these in to become our Storytellers. One was lost in a Supermarket, one because she didn't listen to her mother, another was lost because she wanted to kick her mother, and another calls himself a "liability". Each of these characters were then introduced to the text, and we played with the delivery and charicature identity.
We also created a Storyteller song that will be the opening of the Tempest, serving the purpose of bringing these lost souls together to tell the story.
One week until Edinburgh - we're very excited! But there is a lot to do in the next seven days to get the Tempest Fringe ready... Stay tuned!
HP
Skydive Success!
You might remember a few posts ago we mentions that Vicci and Suze were going to be jumping out of a plane to raise some money towards our Edinburgh fund. Well, this jump took place on Friday, and we're thrilled to say it was successful (with no broken legs!) and we've raised £450 so far with online donations!
Vicci and Suze reckon it was one of the best things they've done; freefalling through the sky was exhilerating and awe-inspiring. Suze was also talking to her tandem buddy about the tempest on the parachute drop down, so Hammerpuzzle was definitely present throughout the dive!
Although the dive has now happened, we're still taking donations (because lets face it, it was a reeaally brave thing to do...!), so, if you're feeling charitable, go to justgiving.com/vicci-akers and support our Edinburgh adventure!
HP
Vicci and Suze reckon it was one of the best things they've done; freefalling through the sky was exhilerating and awe-inspiring. Suze was also talking to her tandem buddy about the tempest on the parachute drop down, so Hammerpuzzle was definitely present throughout the dive!
Although the dive has now happened, we're still taking donations (because lets face it, it was a reeaally brave thing to do...!), so, if you're feeling charitable, go to justgiving.com/vicci-akers and support our Edinburgh adventure!
HP
The Foolish Trio
It's been a hectic few days of rehearsal, with loads of new and exciting things to blog! We finished our character exploration with Trinculo and Sebastian. Sebastian is always going somewhere, seems to be unsure of his sexual orientation, and admits that he can be a little shady- he will do anything to get his own way, and hints that there are big things in the pipeline. Trinculo makes up the third part of the foolish trio, and looks up to Stephano unconditionally, doing anything for him. Trinculo's hand puppet, Billy Bob Grunter, makes him feel safe when he is scared, but he still doesn't really understand much about his job as a court jester.
Once these characters had been formed, we started to introduce them to each other, as they had all been devised individually. The foolish trio; Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo, were the first to meet, and they improvised and played to determine their group dynamics. It seems that Stephano is the leader, with Caliban and Trinculo undermiming one another to try to win his favour. When we then approached our text with these characters and relationships, the results were genuinely hilarious - these three endearing vagabonds are able to cause chaos even on a deserted island!
We've also looked at Prospero and Ariel's scenes, to determine the reasons why Ariel has to do Prospero's bidding, and how Prospero is able to control her. Ariel is also constantly creating havoc amongst the foolish trio, which brings to light the essence of mischief we discovered during the character building workshops.
In the next rehearsals we will be looking at the shipwrecked royal contingency, who have not yet been introduced to each other. With such a range of odd and shady personalities, it will be interesting to see how they interact with each other, and how this comes through our text.
More soon! HP
Once these characters had been formed, we started to introduce them to each other, as they had all been devised individually. The foolish trio; Caliban, Stephano and Trinculo, were the first to meet, and they improvised and played to determine their group dynamics. It seems that Stephano is the leader, with Caliban and Trinculo undermiming one another to try to win his favour. When we then approached our text with these characters and relationships, the results were genuinely hilarious - these three endearing vagabonds are able to cause chaos even on a deserted island!
We've also looked at Prospero and Ariel's scenes, to determine the reasons why Ariel has to do Prospero's bidding, and how Prospero is able to control her. Ariel is also constantly creating havoc amongst the foolish trio, which brings to light the essence of mischief we discovered during the character building workshops.
In the next rehearsals we will be looking at the shipwrecked royal contingency, who have not yet been introduced to each other. With such a range of odd and shady personalities, it will be interesting to see how they interact with each other, and how this comes through our text.
More soon! HP
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Character Workshops Continued...
After yesterdays exciting character discoveries, we were really eager to see what other cast members would bring to their prespective characters, and, of course, we were not disappointed!
First was the turn of Prospero - a highly skilled and powerful man, whose power only falls over the few inhabitants of the island. He dotes on his daughter, Miranda, and fears that if he loses her respect, he has nothing else. We worked with Vicci on lowering her voice to become more masculine, and on the physical stance of Prospero - playing a strong male character character means that there is a huge leap for Vicci to make in terms of characterization.
Ariel was up next, and it came to light that she is just a lonely, mischievious child, who uses her superpower of being able to disappear in the hope that people will like her. She relinquishes her boredom by playing tricks on Caliban and Prospero, but is essentially lost in the realms of Prospero's power.
Finally, we worked with Ben on his two characters; Caliban and Adrian. Caliban is a festering pot of anger and excitement, and easily led and misguided. All he wants is to control the island, and would definitely choose to have power over having friends, because it would mean he could hit people with his stick.
Adrian seems to be lost within a group who do not listen to him, or acknowledge his existence. He takes great pride in his ability to read maps and compasses, and in the fact that he has never, not once in his life, been lost.
It's been another really fruitful day in our rehearsal process, and soon we can dive into scene work. We're a little bit excited to introduce all of these new and wonderful characters to each other - just to see how they interact, and how they cope with being lost together.
On another note, our own Vicci was on the radio today talking everything Hammerpuzzle, skydives and Shakespeare... if you'd like to listen, here's the link!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001jvrn
it's about 1 hour 38 minutes in, and under the 3rd August.
Vicci and Suze are going to be falling out of a plane tomorrow morning, and we'd all really appreciate your support!
Stay tuned for more things HP as our rehearsal week continues!
First was the turn of Prospero - a highly skilled and powerful man, whose power only falls over the few inhabitants of the island. He dotes on his daughter, Miranda, and fears that if he loses her respect, he has nothing else. We worked with Vicci on lowering her voice to become more masculine, and on the physical stance of Prospero - playing a strong male character character means that there is a huge leap for Vicci to make in terms of characterization.
Ariel was up next, and it came to light that she is just a lonely, mischievious child, who uses her superpower of being able to disappear in the hope that people will like her. She relinquishes her boredom by playing tricks on Caliban and Prospero, but is essentially lost in the realms of Prospero's power.
Finally, we worked with Ben on his two characters; Caliban and Adrian. Caliban is a festering pot of anger and excitement, and easily led and misguided. All he wants is to control the island, and would definitely choose to have power over having friends, because it would mean he could hit people with his stick.
Adrian seems to be lost within a group who do not listen to him, or acknowledge his existence. He takes great pride in his ability to read maps and compasses, and in the fact that he has never, not once in his life, been lost.
It's been another really fruitful day in our rehearsal process, and soon we can dive into scene work. We're a little bit excited to introduce all of these new and wonderful characters to each other - just to see how they interact, and how they cope with being lost together.
On another note, our own Vicci was on the radio today talking everything Hammerpuzzle, skydives and Shakespeare... if you'd like to listen, here's the link!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001jvrn
it's about 1 hour 38 minutes in, and under the 3rd August.
Vicci and Suze are going to be falling out of a plane tomorrow morning, and we'd all really appreciate your support!
Stay tuned for more things HP as our rehearsal week continues!
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Character Workshops
It's begun! Our countdown to the Edinburgh Festival is well underway, and rehearsals are a-go-go.
This is a week of character exploration, delving into the unknown to find truly unique and dynamic characters, and finding out just where they fit in the world we have created. Towards the end of the week we'll look at this world through the eyes of our Storytellers; "the lost."
Today we worked with Tamsin, Jay and Barney: each have two characters to explore, and we wanted to make sure that they contrasted significantly, maintaining the feeling of being lost and trying to find their own way in their world.
Sam, our director, led a character workshop that asked pertinent questions of our actors; what they see themselves as, secrets they hold close to their chest, something that they are longing for - amongst others - all contributing to the discovery of why this character is lost, and where they fit in the world. We continued this exercise by making each character participate in a "hot seat", with the questions fired at them aiming to really dig into the dark and murky depths of their psyche.
Some surprises came out, with each character seemingly lifted and made whole by answering questions they had not yet thought about; Miranda is the best woman in the world, because the island is her world and she is the only woman on the island...but she would quite like some coffee and to talk about quilts with other women in a place where there are walls. Alonso just wants to eat something sweet, or maybe some pork, and muses that he did used to be much better looking. Posh totty Ferdinand is reminiscant of a public school boy on a "gap yah", but is effectively bored of his unchallenging life. Gonzalo, ever the optimist, regards knowledge above all else, and is never short of something intellectually stimulating to propose to the group. Butler Stephano has some (large) problems with drink, but it's okay, because when he was born his first word was "destiny", so he's definitely intended for greatness. Finally, dark, brooding Antonio - the Duke of Milan - wishes only for respect and power, but can't quite come to terms with his status as 'second brother', wishing that Prospero had never existed.
Lots of exciting things came out of this workshop (particularly Stephano's favourite dance routine, and Miranda's dislike of the word "granule"), and we can't wait to work with the rest of the cast over the next few days. The world of the Tempest looks set to be a myriad of unpredictible, fascinating and vibrant lost souls, each trying to work their way to the top, all searching for something better.
We also looked at a scene between Miranda and Ferdinand, in which they are finally alone together on the island: Miranda and Ferdinand stumble across one another, and feel as if fate has destined them to be together. Tender movement intertwines with the poetry of the Storytellers; these are two of the lost who have finally found the thing they have been looking for.
We shall be blogging for the rest of the week as we continue with our character workshops - with so many characters to explore and infinite possibilities around the corner, we are buzzing with the excitement of intrigue...who knows what's in store tomorrow?!
HP
This is a week of character exploration, delving into the unknown to find truly unique and dynamic characters, and finding out just where they fit in the world we have created. Towards the end of the week we'll look at this world through the eyes of our Storytellers; "the lost."
Today we worked with Tamsin, Jay and Barney: each have two characters to explore, and we wanted to make sure that they contrasted significantly, maintaining the feeling of being lost and trying to find their own way in their world.
Sam, our director, led a character workshop that asked pertinent questions of our actors; what they see themselves as, secrets they hold close to their chest, something that they are longing for - amongst others - all contributing to the discovery of why this character is lost, and where they fit in the world. We continued this exercise by making each character participate in a "hot seat", with the questions fired at them aiming to really dig into the dark and murky depths of their psyche.
Some surprises came out, with each character seemingly lifted and made whole by answering questions they had not yet thought about; Miranda is the best woman in the world, because the island is her world and she is the only woman on the island...but she would quite like some coffee and to talk about quilts with other women in a place where there are walls. Alonso just wants to eat something sweet, or maybe some pork, and muses that he did used to be much better looking. Posh totty Ferdinand is reminiscant of a public school boy on a "gap yah", but is effectively bored of his unchallenging life. Gonzalo, ever the optimist, regards knowledge above all else, and is never short of something intellectually stimulating to propose to the group. Butler Stephano has some (large) problems with drink, but it's okay, because when he was born his first word was "destiny", so he's definitely intended for greatness. Finally, dark, brooding Antonio - the Duke of Milan - wishes only for respect and power, but can't quite come to terms with his status as 'second brother', wishing that Prospero had never existed.
Lots of exciting things came out of this workshop (particularly Stephano's favourite dance routine, and Miranda's dislike of the word "granule"), and we can't wait to work with the rest of the cast over the next few days. The world of the Tempest looks set to be a myriad of unpredictible, fascinating and vibrant lost souls, each trying to work their way to the top, all searching for something better.
We also looked at a scene between Miranda and Ferdinand, in which they are finally alone together on the island: Miranda and Ferdinand stumble across one another, and feel as if fate has destined them to be together. Tender movement intertwines with the poetry of the Storytellers; these are two of the lost who have finally found the thing they have been looking for.
We shall be blogging for the rest of the week as we continue with our character workshops - with so many characters to explore and infinite possibilities around the corner, we are buzzing with the excitement of intrigue...who knows what's in store tomorrow?!
HP
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