mirrors responding

After we were learnt practitioners (more will come in later blogs) Andy told us that we have to create a piece using one of the practitioners to create a piece of drama. Our stimuli for this was the word Mirror.

We were first set the task to write down our responses to the word Mirror, words, songs, feelings etc.

• One of the first things I thought of were fairytales, with reference to snow white. 'Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all' being the catch phrase with the bad guy throughout that particular fairytale. The idea of good verses evil could be shown throughout the performance. You could perform about a bad person wanting to put on a mask to show that actually he/she is a good person. Using conventions such as thought track and freeze frame to change the character. Going into the fantasy land would be essential. You could go into a performance of mime using abstract mime, like in Alice in Wonderland. Where there is no storyline, but you go into the characters thoughts and feelings and the portrayal of the character. This could also be shown through Commedia, having a complete spin, and almost turning it into a Pantomime, using exaggerated movements and the Pantilone walk could show the evilness of the character saying these lines.
• Shows the inside of yourself, the person who you are compared to the image you put on.

• Reflection..

- where... in water? in the mirror? in yourself? in others?

- so many questions.

- This photo (Taken by Sian Drew of Beccy Drew) could represent black and white culture, and how someone's personality is 'black and white' yet they are trying to break through becoming themselves as human beings. You could portray this through a mime, having two people play the same person. It could be an abstract mime, just showing clear viewpoints of how each part of that person is feeling. It could also be very improvised, and having contact improvisation to show that they are one person working in view points, but its completely different characteristics. This could show mutuality. For example, the black and white person could be quite sad and depressed and the happy person be very happy and full of life. This person is also reflecting themselves through a mirror.

- who are you reflecting to? and why? could be to the audience, or to yourself? are you reflecting your true colours? why are you reflecting? do you need to? do you need to make a decision?

- the person you become, is it a reflection. are you inside yourself

- what do you see in the reflection? anger, hunger, the angel/devil. conscience. influencing decisions in life?
- You could have a storyline of butoh, having the angel and devil influencing you constantly and you don't know where you are going.

• Eating disorders
• Disorders in general

• Man in the mirror - Michael Jackson

The chorus:

'I'm starting with the Man in the Mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message, could have been any clearer

if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make that change'

I feel these lyrics say a lot about mirrors, and how people look inside themselves. This song could be a great backing track to a piece of mime about mirrors. as seen in video. (http://abbiphysicaltheatre.blogspot.com/2010/11/video.html). You can really use the lyrics to create a mime from 'Message' 'Clearer' 'World'. Creating a clear picture to the audience of the storyline.

• Paparazzi
• Depression
• Erised - to get what you need, not what you want.
• Twins

This is one of many photo's I could have chosen to represent 'Twins' (taken by Rebecca Brown: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beckie0/)

This could mean anything, it could represent the idea of how two people could not want to be a like any more, and they have completely different personalities. This could be shown by mime, and in parts the actors are mirroring each other, yet at other parts they are reaching out, doing completely different things to show that they are still individual, even though they look the same. They could be arguing with each other. also, contact improvisation could be used as twins know each other very well therefore they could use it affectively.

• “Every beautiful girl sees a monster in the mirror.”

I felt that this was a really really beautiful photo (unknown photographer). It says a lot about how mirrors can have an affect on people. With the quote, I believe that EVERY girl sees a monster in the mirror. I also thought the hand being on the mouth although lipstick is being put on, its quite significant and I would like to put it into the performance. I also like the idea of it being out in the public, as the setting is public toilets I believe.
You could go into a Butoh performance using this picture by having the monster become you as the storyline. You are trying not to become the monster but in the end the monster wins. You could use a mixture of solid, sharp movements and flowy movements to get this idea across to the audience.