Devising reflections

In this lesson, we got to know each other through a name-and-movement game. Each of us chose a word beginning with the first letter of our name and created a movement to go with it. My name is Ekaterina, so I chose “electricity” and showed a movement to represent it. We then repeated each other’s movements, using them to help us remember one another.

The exercise connected names, words and physical actions. It was a playful way to introduce ourselves while practising observation and memory. For me, it also highlighted how movement can communicate an idea—a useful skill to carry into character work and performance.

Today, in our devising lesson, we explored the dance side of physical theatre, as our teacher Sarah described it. I really enjoyed the lesson, although I still found it physically challenging. I think that, with time, my body will adapt and moving will become easier.

We worked in pairs. The first exercise reminded me of our previous work with impulses, but this time we moved without physical contact, following our partner’s hand and exploring the space and the possibilities of our own bodies. For me, the hand became a kind of mirror.

One thought from Sarah particularly stayed with me: we do not need to invent a story in advance. First, we should allow the movement to develop and guide us. If a story that an audience can understand emerges naturally from it, that is wonderful. I enjoyed trying to trust the movement and discovering what could come from it.

This was perhaps my first experience of working with physical theatre in this way. Some of my classmates clearly had previous experience, while others, like me, were trying it for the first time. It was inspiring to watch them and explore movement together. Despite the tiredness, I want to keep going and try again.

Today, five groups gave presentations about different theatre companies. Our group presented Complicité, and afterwards we led several practical exercises with our classmates. I really enjoyed speaking in front of the group and leading our practical activities.

I would also like to recognise the other groups’ work. The presentations that stood out most to me were those where people spoke freely about their topic rather than reading from a sheet of paper. I particularly enjoyed Jamie and Benny’s presentation. It was clear that they had both researched the subject thoroughly, understood what they were talking about and complemented each other. Their presentation felt lively and inspiring.

During our presentation, I also tried to speak freely, although I sometimes referred to my notes, as presenting in English is still challenging for me. Despite this, I enjoyed the experience and realised how much I like this kind of work.

I especially enjoyed working as part of a group. At first, I was a little worried about how Aindrea and I would find common ground. We are both mature students with our own experience and views, and I thought we might each want to take the work in a different direction. However, those worries proved unnecessary. We worked well together, and I am pleased with our joint presentation.

Next time, I would like to spend more time preparing and rehearsing what I want to say, so that I can rely less on my notes and, ideally, speak without them altogether. This would help me feel more confident and connect more naturally with the audience.

For me, this was an interesting experience and an opportunity to explore the subject in greater depth. I enjoy researching new things, and learning about different theatre companies has made me want to see their work on stage. I hope I will be able to attend a performance on 26 September.

Today’s lesson began with an intensive warm-up. Then we moved around the room and explored how the body responds to an impulse. We gently pushed different parts of our own bodies — an arm, head, leg or stomach — and observed the movement that followed. The important thing was not to invent a reaction in advance, but to let it happen naturally. It became a chain: impulse, response, a new action, another response.

After that, we worked in pairs, sitting on two chairs as though we were watching television. We had to keep looking at the same point while taking turns to change each other’s movements. One movement prompted a response from our partner, which in turn created a new impulse. We also experimented with the dynamics, gradually making the movements quicker.

I liked the detail about the television. At first, I imagined I was watching a romantic film at its most dramatic moment. But Sarah explained that the programme should not be too absorbing. We thought about a weather forecast and then decided we were watching a wildlife programme. It helped us share the same activity, even as our movements became more unusual.

I worked with Aindrea, and I felt very comfortable with her. At one point I nearly fell off my chair, but I could feel that she was aware of what was happening and did not give me too strong a push. While we were rehearsing, I thought our work was flowing really well. When we performed it for the others, I felt that we had held back in some places and that some movements had become too small. Perhaps it was nerves in front of an audience, or perhaps we simply needed more rehearsal.

I also enjoyed watching the other pairs. Although the task was not to tell a story, I still saw one in some of their work. To me, some looked like old friends, while others seemed to be just getting to know each other. Some were being silly, and in others I sensed a hint of romance. In a few performances I did not see a story — or perhaps I simply missed it. I like noticing how relationships can emerge through movement, even when no one is trying to portray them.

What I took from this exercise is that movement becomes interesting when you really notice another person’s response and allow it to shape what you do next.

Today, in our devising lesson with Sarah, we worked on storytelling, which means telling stories, and on how to communicate a story to a listener.

We started working in pairs almost straight away and told each other a short story from our own lives. We repeated our stories several times, and each time we had to add a new layer.

We added details about the place and time to make the story more specific. Then we added our thoughts: what we were thinking at that moment. We also added our emotions, our reactions and our attitude towards what was happening. We expressed these through our intonation, gestures and facial expressions, and chose words that helped us describe the situation. It was interesting to see how the same story gradually became more alive with each new layer.

At the end, each pair had to choose one of their two stories to show together. We chose Baikal’s story about meeting a cat and a fox yesterday evening. The fox was ready to attack, but the cat was not afraid. It was a brave cat.

I think we showed this story in quite an interesting way. I was not supposed to literally play the cat, but at some moments I partly became the cat. I added comments and reacted to Baikal’s storytelling, which made it feel lively. I really enjoyed this interaction.

I also really liked the story Layla and Samuel showed. Layla told us about something that had happened to her that morning on the Tube. An elderly lady was sitting on one side of her and was very interested in what she was doing. On the other side, a young woman was putting on false eyelashes. Layla was sitting between them, deciding which way to look. It was a funny, comic situation, and it was interesting both to listen to them and to watch them show it.

For me, the main point of the lesson was that we tell a story through more than words. Our eyes, movements, facial expressions and intonation also help us communicate it. It was an interesting experiment. I still cannot always express exactly what I want to say. I am trying, and I understand how important this is for an actor.

At the same time, I would have liked a little more work on voice projection. We developed our stories, but I also wanted to explore how to tell them so that our voices would reach the whole audience. Unfortunately, I could not hear all of my classmates today, and sometimes I missed parts of their stories.

Perhaps voice projection will be our next step, including how to make even a whisper audible in the auditorium. I already know how to project my voice so that it can be heard across the audience, but I would like to explore the British approach to this. I have realised that Russian and British theatre training are quite different, and I am interested in experiencing these differences in practice.

Today in our Devising lesson, we began discussing Evie and the Animals by Matt Haig, which we had been asked to read for homework. As not everyone had finished the book, we explored the plot, characters and main themes together.

Sarah suggested a song about how everyone is unique and special in their own way. I feel that this idea could become the central theme of our future performance.

For me, this story is primarily about accepting that being different is completely normal. Sometimes other people think you are strange, and sometimes you feel that way about yourself. But perhaps you are not strange at all. You are simply different, unique and special.

Evie is a young girl with an extraordinary gift, but this gift does not make her happy. On the contrary, she feels incredibly lonely. She struggles with friendships, does not understand her father, and her mother is no longer alive. I think this sense of loneliness and feeling different from everyone else is something particularly important to communicate on stage.

We began discussing how we might transform this story into a theatrical performance. I suggested an unusual approach: what if the human characters were represented by puppets, while the animals were played by actors? I think this contrast could be interesting, especially considering Evie’s special connection with animals. However, this is only one initial idea, and I am curious to see how it might develop.

Perhaps what excites me most at the moment is the devising process itself. We have a book, but no ready-made script, no established staging concept, and not even a clear idea of what the final performance will look like. We are starting almost from nothing, sharing ideas, discussing possibilities, experimenting and gradually creating something of our own.

I really enjoy this collaborative creative process, where nobody knows in advance what the final result will be. With each lesson, I become more and more interested in seeing how individual thoughts and suggestions gradually begin to take shape as a performance.

Tomorrow, during our Movement lesson with Blanka, we will continue exploring this story, and I am really looking forward to seeing where this creative process takes us.

Today in our Devising lesson, after a short warm up and a game, we began developing scenes. Sarah divided us into groups and gave us two scenes from Evie and the Animals. Our group worked on the zoo scene, in which Evie talks to an elephant.

We needed to find a way to show how Evie picks out a single voice from the many animal voices around her and enters into a conversation through thought. We wanted to convey the many voices of the zoo while making it clear to the audience which animal she was communicating with. This proved to be a challenging theatrical task.

However, the greatest difficulty for me today was working together within the group. Some suggestions were expressed very firmly, as though a decision had already been made, even when I disagreed. I found it difficult to balance standing up for my own idea with leaving space for the ideas of others. In collaborative work, it is important to me that everyone has the opportunity to speak and be heard. Today, I did not always feel that there was space for this.

I think learning to reach decisions together will be one of the main challenges of our project. I can usually work well in a team, but today I found it difficult. I want to learn to navigate these moments more calmly, explain my suggestions clearly and find a compromise that allows us to create the scene together.

It was very interesting to watch the other group’s work. They showed the scene in which Evie meets a dog. There were four performers on stage: two played the characters, while the other two voiced their thoughts. When Evie spoke aloud, the performer playing her spoke for herself.

I particularly enjoyed watching Elliot and Laila work together. Elliot played the dog, and Laila voiced its thoughts. They turned their heads in sync and looked in the same direction. This coordination made the voice and body feel like one character. At a certain point, I stopped noticing four separate performers and saw only two characters. For me, this was a very convincing theatrical way to represent a conversation through thought.

In our scene with the elephant, I felt that we needed a shared understanding of the conversation itself. I had the impression that not everyone was familiar with this episode in the book. I tried to explain the context, but I was told that it was not needed at that moment. I found this difficult to agree with, because understanding what the characters are talking about, and why, helps me find a way to bring the scene to life.

Our scene is still in development. At the next rehearsal, I would like us first to agree on what we want to communicate to the audience and then try out different suggestions in practice. Today’s lesson showed me that devising requires imagination, but also the ability to listen, experiment and make decisions together.