The production you will see this evening is the "cornerstone" for the theatre students this summer. Students spent the first two weeks of the summer term in ensemble building, skill advancement, personal exploration and creating our first "share" with the GSE Community. That share was a piece entitled "Written in The Stars." The students were given that ingredient and a sign of the zodiac to integrate into a theatrical piece.
After that first share on July 3, we explored some more ensemble building and classroom theatre activites. We also started to explore "truths" that could be questioned or explored theatrically. About 9 days ago we settled on questions surrounding love. Students began writing So This Is Love on July 12, we cast the show on July 15 and started rehearsals last Wednesday afternoon.
Our devising process included the exploration of various truths and observations about love. Students wrote independently and as a group. Students created a storytelling structure and the scenes were born out of that structure. Students considered ensemble elements, pantomime, scene structure, monologues, the relationship to the audience, and how a group of 14 actors can work together to share and give space. movement, and developed a theatrical piece oriented towards ensemble storytelling. Students wrote the piece not knowing what part they would play.
Theatre instructors, Meredith Brown, Keaton Brower, and Harvey Stone, directed scenes and transitions while trying to support the students exploration as team members and artists. The site was selected by the instructors early on in the summer. The instructors also assigned the roles for the show as the writing was nearing completion. Keaton and Harvey designed the "in the round" staging to challenge the students and honor the cylical nature of the story. The elements of scenic design, costumes, props, music, and sound again represent a group effort supported where instructors and students worked together with support of our theatre budget, Virginia Smith(GSE) and Bill Brown(Meredith College).
This summer we have
- turned non-dramatic pieces of theatre into performance pieces,
- explored physical storytelling techniques
- explored moment work
- considered ourselves as play-makers rather than actors
- expressed ideas through writing, sound, movement, and light,
- discussed the value of theatre,
- relied on ensemble building,
- developed personal narratives in multiple ways, and
- focused on the mantra, "nothing to prove, everything to share."
While it is impossible to capture all that we have learned, explored, and reflected on this summer, hopefully this production will give you a glimpse into the joy we found creating together.
