Looking forward to your presentations of work in progress tomorrow. Please be ready to offer a maximum of 5 minutes of practical work. Jonny and I will then offer comments and guidance and we will be happy to answer questions and provide clarification.
NickOh no. Now all our brilliant and yet abstract ideas have to come together. Be tested. Judged. Its hard not to admit that this tester week was very rather nerve-wracking but ofcourse completely neccessary and helpful.
We tested out Jessie's language script for which Jonny volunteered to test out. As previously described, we had two tables and chairs divided by a screen, one for each script on language, and on each table we had an ipod (althought at this stage the script wasn't recorded, so Jessie read it out), a blindfold, and instructions.
An extract of script (full version included later)
Now hear that water. We are interested in your count, can you now tap a rhythm on the table in front of you that sounds like the rhythm of the falling water hitting the still water?
Keep up – please you aren’t.
A little longer please.
Are your hands hurting?
Keep the rhythm up.
Thank – you, that has being recorded, in fact you are – the whole of you but perhaps your weren’t aware?
Your hands probably sting. This is good, we can measure that type of physicality.
Things we learnt/advice
- Health and safety
- Make sure there is space around the table to do all the movements asked,
- Make sure the table is secure if you ask them to get onto the table
- Make sure the table is big enough so that its not cluttered
- Blind on the table? good idea?!
- Length of pauses, too long, too tiring, too quick and not enough time to do things? Test
- What are we expecting asking from the audience?
- Are we trying to embarass them?
- Do we expect them to be performative?
- Do we want them to perform or to be themselves?
- In letting them into the space we're agreeing a contract with the audience
- Warning, letting the participants know what they're in for
- Type of audience we invite
- Is it a performance or not?
- Don't overcomplicate things for yourselves
- Make sure that physically capable of creating everything, regardless of how many worthy ideas you have
- Make sure that you can control it, someone to watch over everything, stage manager figure
