Reflecting on rehearsal to performance

Performing has seen the show tighten and the energy fluctuate, I had difficulty ensuring my energy was where it needed to be after three shows a day and sitting through that presentation before performing. The size of the audience has also been a factor that seemed to vary the performances. Big audiences seemed to have less inhibitions laughing and engaging with the material more easily but with this they brought difficulty in overcoming the acoustics of the space because the noise would just thunder throughout the theatre. This meant at times longer pauses to ensure and a less rapid pace at times to ensure the material could be delivered correctly. The smaller audiences were much more intimate and the acoustics were never a problem however this intimacy also reflected a more reserved atmosphere in regards to laughing and engaging with the material. I guess this could be a result of peer pressure and not wanting to be identified as the person who was laughing the drama presentation that wasn’t funny, or maybe it actually wasn’t funny. This is all just conjecture although what can be said is that every audience is completely different no matter whether large or small. There was always a couple of golden moments for me as a performer when the audience really responded the way you had hoped they would. For example I received heckling from one small audience and concern from another in the initial scene with the fumbling presenter and the rude lecture patrons. I wonder:

• What about the difference between Melbourne and Geelong audiences will be like?
• Was the humour pitched at the wrong level, too high or low brow?
• Did being constrained by marketing have an effect on the overall pieces success?
• What effect did each of the performers have on the success of the piece?
• What about the environment of each day?

I would say that the piece was successful which is not to say that neither it nor the process was flawless because I believe there was many. If approaching this project again I would do some things the same but other very differently. I have learnt a lot and would not trade that for anything else in the world.

After each show I can say with some degree of confidence that at least one teacher who had just watched the performance approaches with positive and sometimes constructive feedback.

• ‘Seen a lot of these [TIS performances] over the years but it was great to see something new and fresh’
• ‘Best one I’ve seen’
• ‘Lightening in the space was very poor’
• ‘Loved the moment with the big wooden spoon’
• ‘Excellent work’
• ‘Fantastic job’

At times students would also do this and a couple of times students approached the group to enquire about the courses we have done and are currently undertaking with a keen interest. Can this be put down to politeness and social protocol? I don’t think so because I could see if we had approached them asking for verbal feedback considering they approached us I would expect it to be genuine. I guess the only real way to attain genuine qualitative feedback would be through anonymous surveys. An approach I hope to utilise in my next project.

The rest of the ensemble received some condescending remarks from various employers from the different tertiary institutes.

• ‘No drama kids this year’
• ‘Thank you for ruining my plans’
• ‘We are going to enjoy some light entertainment that the Deakin drama club is going to present’

The first two were a direct result of one of the ensembles actors not arriving on time meaning we could not present the show for the morning group. The last one was one of the introductions we received prior to commencing our performance even though we had asked to be introduced in a specific way. The first and last of these comments reminds me of an anecdote that O’Toole (1975; 1995) draws on in a book and at least one paper I’ve read. He writes about how a principle before a TiE performance is about to begin says to their primary school aged students. He writes ‘Now we’ve got some people here today who are going to perform a little play for you. And I’m sure it’s going to be very humorous. And you’re going to show them how polite you can be, aren’t you?’ (O’Toole, 1995: 80). O’Toole is attempting to highlight how drama and theatre are perceived by educators as having little intrinsic value other than to entertain. This seems to reflect my experience with this TIS performance. This is only conjecture but it seems those various people from the different tertiary institutions thinking is probably along the same lines. The performance unlike the dry presentation was engaging and somewhat informative, the change in atmosphere and attitude of the crowd from the presentation to performance was immense. It is in my opinion that the performance reinforced everything they had just said but in a different medium. I’m not trying to take a moral highroad and content that in anyway the performance was a better medium for conveying this information. Rather that the effects of both working together a surely better than either on its own. I wonder why people cannot see this; arrogance, ignorance or both?