Double - Performance Workshop - Blog 1 - 04/01/17

Today we started work on our Performance Workshop Unit where we would take inspiration from another art form and explore the creative opportunities we have available to produce an original production. The stimulus we're using is a selection of songs from the musical, Songs For A New World. The songs include:

• A New World
• The River Won't Flow
• The Stars and Moon
• She Cries
• The World Was Dancing
• King of the World
• Hear My Song

We began this lesson listening to each of the songs and thought about what each one made us think about. After this, we planned out how we were going to tackle the task of creating a performance. We decided that ready for next lesson, we'd come in with a plan on how we'd perform the very first song: whether we'd sing it with movement based around it, whether we'd act it out, whatever came to our minds.

Below are the notes I'd made on this song:

My idea for this scene would be to have us all speak each line in turn whilst standing in formation. I got this idea from the Children in Need 2011 single "Teardrop" by The Collective (here). The song isn't really sung during the verses and are more spoken poetry with music in the background. I feel this style of song is very effective at getting the audience to listen to the lyrics and connect to the story being told. From my analysis, I grew to realise that this song has a lot of meaning to be uncovered just by listening to the lyrics and performing the song in this style would ensure the audience would listen more.

With a style like this, our storytelling techniques need to be strong otherwise the audience will lose interest rapidly. An inspirational storyteller of the same sort of genre is Richard Williams, an American spoken word artist. Better known by his stage name, Prince Ea, Richard creates motivational videos where he speaks about topics like politics, the school system and humanity over subtle instrumental music. His videos have racked up millions of views so it suggests he's doing something right. His variation of tone and speed keep the audience captivated but his clever wordplay is what hooks them.

Next lesson, I will relay this spoken word idea to the rest of the group.