Rehearsal notes #2

Today after a long and detailed discussion we created and rehearsed the standoff section of our piece. Within this movement section of our piece we both start back to back and then crawl backwards into a laying down at attention position. We then move towards each other three times. This was crated and inspired by our discussion about my own personal time at army cadets. We talked about what it was like, and the exercises and workshops that I did whilst at army cadets. I then proceeded to show and demonstrate to Laure some of the various things I have learnt through my army cadet training. This conversation then evolved and developed into a spontaneous physical improvisation. This was effective as it gave us a chance to take a small idea and run with it. Through this we were able to expand on our initial ideas and develop new ideas. 

What went well: I have a much better understanding of our piece and where we want to go with it. 

How we can improve: less talking, more moving! 

We also decided on what stanzas of our war poems we actually want to use as text in out piece. We were looking for evocative stanzas of poetry that are rich in imagery and passion. We wanted lines of poetry that people would remember, that would ring in our audiences ears after our performance. But most of all we were looking for text that inspired us to create a physical performance piece. 

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

The wheels lurched over sprawled dead

But pained them not, though their bones crunched,

Their shut mouths made no moan,

They lie there huddled, friend and foeman,

Man born of man, and born of woman,

And shells go crying over them

From night till night and now.

The air is loud with death,

The dark air spurts with fire,

The explosions ceaseless are.

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

               

Greybeard philosophy has sought in books         

    And argument this truth,         

That man is greater than his pain, but you           

    Have learnt it in your youth.   

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.