objects and atmospheres- non-verbal workshop with geraldine pilgrim (part 1)

this site-specific workshop at toynbee studios on saturday 29th-sunday 30th march (two full days) was bloody brilliant for many reasons- tutor, participants, activities all worked well together with purpose and series of learning outcomes. It also massively developed my understanding of non-verbal performance, use of doing nothing, pause, gaze, exploring relationship between photographic tableau and theatre tableau, creating visual landscapes concerned with the body in space and less about character, and most importantly gave me confidence and feedback on the use of my own body in relation to site.

i have pages of notes on this workshop and so am thinking about the most relevant parts to me to put on here.

geraldine pilgrim workshop leader and artistic director of corridor performance company,(where photo above is taken from) started off talking about her career path, influences, her relationship between art and theatre heavily influenced by Edgar Gordon Craigs 1890s book, on the art of theatre discussing how should be able to do everything in a piece of theatre or at least have attempted and understand it as no one part is more important- everything equal. i guess this is the route i am on now- a far cry form where i thought i would be on this course at the start- the total theatre/live art experience maker rather than the multi-media designer that collaborates that i had thought i would be. geraldine has undertaken courses across both theatre and art- from foundation art course (taken twice- the first she was expected to be experimental and freaked- second time she became organically experimental- a phrase i like as i do think i forget about the easing on through the traditional especially in my teaching and expect students to just be up for it) geraldine talked in detail about her projects- from more ange taggart commentary on public norms of behaviour (20 people buying the guardian form the same newsagent one after another and entering a station very precisely repeating each others stannding reading actions in a station) to use of different entry points for two audiences (that don't know about the other one) with different characters as tour guides in her site-specific work and how they meet across a glass hallway. geraldine also talked a lot about working as a lecturer, plus also theatre designer and how she calls artefacts used in performance very much objects rather than props, saying how actors need to rehearse and devise actions with everything from the start of a show which invariably doesn't happen as the design and the rest of the show work independently until the tech rehearsals start where the two often collide.(rough gist of what was said only)

work then set about for a series of exercises in pairs;

1 express anger through objects without speaking
2 express loss through objects without speaking
3 express joy through objects without speaking

the activities involved 2 or 3 people and one person being in a room and another out of a side door. first person sets the table, 4 chairs, cups, saucers, cutlery, tray as wishes, person two then enters with a suitcase and you improvise with each other.

1. my first time on ANGER was hard- using pointing at the tea cup to try to get the other person to sit, and feeling uncomfortable with being stared at for long periods of time, avoiding gaze and busying myself doing too much. i sited the telephone i was given not in clear view of the audience who had no idea i was repeatedly staring at it.

2.the LOSS exercise i felt much better with. i sited myself on the phone in the room head buried in hands at the table which i'd half laid. when the 2 others burst through the door with their suitcases i had set the scene of something that had already happened, we persued a series of long gazes at each other, head holding, looking down, until i handed the phone to one of them, leaving the other person still not knowing and still baffled. when the phone went back on the receiver i then busied myself finishing the table, as though in denial of the phone conversation, cracking in dropping the tray and then again holding gaze with the person who had just replaced the receiver, before mistakingly busying myself reading the paper and then getting up and finally leaving with the two people just left holding each others gaze.

you had to be there to fully understand, but i learnt quickly the importance of doing nothing and the gaze, body language are crucial, way objects are handled, where placed, etc.

3. i only watched this but it was cringeworthy as there's only so much joker style smiling and hugging you can do without words! point proved- negative emotions easier for non-verbal communication.

consideration of the stimulus (what about silent disco) and narrative that's expressed.

enough now- onto the photos from the next workshops....