Lesson Notes, Lesson 1:

Todays lesson was focusing on Epic theatre. Epic theatre often focuses on the use of narrative, stereotypical characters, exaggerated body language and distancing the audience from having an emotional connection with actors themselves, and so we realized that epic theatre is, in theory, "representing, not becoming."
         Our first exercise involved us getting into pairs and standing on opposite sides of the room. The pair was labelled A and B. A would then pick a nursery rhyme in their head, and keep it quiet. Once instructed so, we had to sing it to them, along with everyone else in the class. 
Hopefully, B MAY have only just heard what their partner said. So, to help them both, we were allowed body language to help us identify the nursery rhyme. 
This helped the other partner clarify what was an uncertain guess. However, because we were focusing on epic theatre, body language is used to portray a message, clearly but without emotionally attaching oneself to the character, and so the partner was ONLY allowed to use body language to help enhance this skill we would be continuing to work on. 
This exercise helped because it enhanced our understanding to why body language is so important, and how to exaggerate the body language. This was useful, as in many cases, people exaggerate just enough to portray a vague idea of what is desired. However, this exercise FORCED us to use as big gestures as we possibly could, because we had no other aid, as we previously had, with words. It also helped because when our partner was confused, this forced us to use even bigger body language in order to help them, allowing us to be able to allow ANYONE of any intelligence understand what we are trying to portray through body language, and so we have to make it understandable for anyone. So, teaching us that it doesn't have to be complex, just so long as everyone understands and it's clear, the main objective of Epic theatre is achieved.
           Another activity we then used was again in pairs. This time, we we labelled each other A and B once again. A would then describe to B, something that had happened to them during the day. B would have to observe the body language, vocals and facial expression and then perform this story told EXACTLY as their partner did. However, we had to exaggerate one feature that was unique to our partner. This not only allowed us to become more physically aware of what we do, but allowing us to turn something so small that was noticed by close observation that we wouldn't have noticed otherwise, into the main image within our "speech." 
This exercise was very useful as it allowed us to not only use close observation, but allowing us to focus all our attention onto one tiny detail. In doing so, we didn't have to exaggerate everything in general, but focusing on one thing allowed us to pay much more attention to that one trait, which gave us the potential to make it bigger, purely because that was the only thing being focused on, and the attention was not divided. 
          Another activity allowed us to put this into action, but using reaction within this. So, we were all given a character, with a name and a job title. The scene, we were told, was set in a bar. We then had to create an improvised scene using the characters we were given, but having to maintain the stereotypical and exaggerated image. 
This exercise allowed us to not only focus on ourselves, but having the option to react with others made us more aware of how the stereotypical character of our person would react, and therefore, making it easier to understand (not become emotionally attached-big difference) how to become more of a stereotypical image of our character. Also, having other stereotypical characters around us, heightened the liveliness of the atmosphere, and so everyone was almost competing to be noticed. This could be take one of two ways. One, it was very useful because it pressured us using the social aspect of the scene to maximize our characters physicalisation. However, because it was pressure, many people may have done it for the sake of it and the fact everyone else was doing it, instead of focusing on their own characterisation, they became louder, rather than actually concentrating on how the audience viewed them as. So it all depends on how the person reacts to the atmosphere of the scene.
            Another exercise was using still images. We got into groups of 5 or so, and two stimuli were given. "War, the maker of heroes." and "War, the taker of lives."  The groups then had to create still images following that title. 
This exercise as very useful, because even though it didn't focus on individual body language, it focused purely on a message that is sent out to the audience. Even though an actor may be exaggerating his body language, the message he is giving out to the audience may be mixed, or even unclear, so that will have all gone to waste if that is the case. This exercise allowed us to focus on what the audience view, with the use of body language, which wasn't necessarily exaggerated. Even though that was what the image was based on, it wasn't about the size of the gesture or the clarification of the vocabulary/vocals of the actor, it was purely on what position the body was in and the overall view of the scene. This helped focus on Epic theatre because it was focusing on the message which would be sent out to the audience. Even though Epic theatre is about extravagant and big gestures, this is only focused on because it brings about a clear message to the audience without an emotional connection, and so this exercise was useful because it helped us to establish the difference between the two objectives, allowing us to use the two and merge them effectively.
           Yet another exercise we partook in was a Doctor/Patient Scenario. This involved us getting into pairs. Once in pairs, each person took on a role. There were two doctors (this exercise was done to twice, but changed in order to develop our understanding and skills), one was either arrogant because he wanted to get home and didn't care about the patience, or one that genuinely cared about their patients. The patients were either arrogant because they pay a lot of money and sees no reason in doing so, and another was extremely distressed and what to relieve some of this within the doctor. The two characters were instructed to improvise, depending on the character(isation) they were given. Once somebody clapped, the two people had to change roles.
This exercise helped us because epic theatre is about portraying a message without the audience OR the actor himself to create and emotional attachment to the character. This exercise enhanced this skill because the clap was inevitable and so the actor must be easily able to change characters because they both know the two characterisations, and they have no attachment, and if the actor does not attach himself, the audience deffinitely cannot do so. This exercise also helped us with enhancing our exaggerated body language. This was done because it is very hard to change characters if it is naturalistic, because the audience cannot establish this change, and in doing so, the audience can then make a clear judgement that the actor is indeed, multi-rolling, and is easy for the audience to establish which character is on stage being played by anyone. The fact that the clap was spontaneous allowed the actor to be prepared to change his character at any second, and so they never became attached, which the inevitable clapped forced them to do.
            The final exercise involved a fairy tale. In groups of 5 or 6, a fairy tale would be chosen. There were three types of narration to be involved:
An individual character being a narrator.
An actor who would occasionally come out of character and narrate for a short time and go back into his/her role.
An actor who narrated in third person WHILST acting the narrations.
Sung Narrations.
This exercise was also very useful as Epic theatre also focuses on narrations. This exercise helped because it helped establish different forms of narrations. It was also very useful because a play (mainly fairy tale) often needs someone to push the play along and help the audience establish what is going on, and this exercise helped us do so effectively, despite the different and unusual types of narration, and forced us to make it as easy as possible to guess the fairy tale for each and every type of narration. It also helped the actors improvise, and help THEIR exaggeration of body language to help the audience understand what was going on, both narratively and physically.