Dream Reality

After going away and writing our own monologues we grouped together and read what each of us had written. Coincidentally we each created events that occurred in a park. Already we had subconsciously created a thread that bound each of the texts together. We decided to develop this and create more links between the characters and the situations they find themselves in. The aim of doing this was to keep the audience guessing and keep them interested as the plot twists and turns as each person is accused.

We took this a step further by making the audience member the protagonist of the piece; they would lead the investigation and ultimately find out who is guilty. For this we took influence from Blast Theory and Gobs Squad as they both use the public within their performances to lead and very much be a part of their performance.

An awareness and worry was raised at just how much we were going to rely on the audience. We felt that creating a script was the ideal way to regain some control as this way we would at least know what they were going to ask and we could have set responses.

Improvised sections are also written in the script in which tasks are set for the audience to complete such as the searching of the contents of bags and the searching of finding items in the space.

Below a link can be found to a PDF of the script. This includes each of the characters and ‘Mobile’. ‘Mobile’ stands for the member of the audience who will answer the phone and then lead the investigation.

Click to open script – Dream_Reality_Script

 

By Nina Woods

 

The previous reflection of work on the grid can be seen here

When we decided to work on the grid we did not have a finished idea of what we wanted to do in our performance but dream/reality was still the main theme. We were really keen to bring the grids in to the performance as it has never been done before at the University and we could predict that it would look really good. The reason as to why we came across it is because Lee showed us a video of a multimedia performance where people could see their own reflection on a floor which you would not usually be able to do so. This made us think about what the grid would look like to an audience. Some of us decided to try it out, we went up to the grid and lay down while the rest of the group lay down on the floor underneath and watched us. It looked really effective and gave off the impression of a mirror image.

I was asked to go on the grid for the performance which was very daunting as it is something I have never experienced before. It was difficult to rehearse as the space was not always available and I had to be attended by one of the tech team due to health and safety reasons so I was only able to practice a couple of times before the final performance.

The grid was lined with sheets so we could project on to it. Our intention was the make the audience enter the space below and lay down so they immediately saw Luke and I above them on the grid, we wanted to make it look as if we were their reflection. We were lying underneath the sheets while there was a projection of a sky. We wanted to create a dream-like atmosphere and portray that we were sleeping up above. From the feedback I received from certain audience members, I think the concept of the grid worked really well. The feedback was all positive and they said it was very effective.

On the grid we had a routine which we had previously choreographed. This represented us sleeping which we hoped would encourage the audience to get in to a slight slumber. After the projection of the sky we showed one of our stop motion projections which showed a frantic movement, this triggered our movements to get faster. We did this as we wanted to show that the mood was becoming more uneasy, this was so we could build up to the bomb.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200970305761871&set=o.208941709245960&type=2&theater

Getting on and off the grid was a struggle as the sheet used for projection which we were lying underneath was pinned on to the grid which only left us with a certain amount of room left. It was a matter of rolling off and crawling out.

I feel the grid was one of our most successful ideas and it worked well. If we were able to do the performance again with more experience and more tech I think we would expand the use of the grid and incorporated it in the performance more.

 

 

By Olivia Clephane

 

Within our performance rehearsals we came up with the idea of creating a monologue from a character in the situation of the bombing. We then returned to rehearsals with our monologues to piece together a script, in which Nina then molded each character and monologue around each other to create a script.

My Monologue 
My name is Amy Channer and i was sat on the bench. Getting quite uncomfortable really. Waiting for the man i saw from the photos online to join me. I was rather nervous wearing my favorite mint green dress and favorite mMac lipstick. As i went to take my phone out of my bag to check the time. I heard the most ridiculous sounding thud. Almost like thunder. Everyone in the town centre stopped and all looked at each other clueless. Then we saw smoke rise to the sky which was getting darker and more angry and the smell of burning getting stronger. Then we saw people running away. Crowds getting bigger and screaming louder. So i collected myself and my things and followed…ive still not heard from him. Maybe i did something wrong?

Frankie’s Monologue
I’m Maria Brown, and during the incident I was working, but I left early (which is normal) to go and back up my son from school as his father left when he was a small boy. All I know of him is that he still works in business, and he does nothing for my child. Anyway, I managed to get to the school where the headmistress was directing parents away. Confused, I approached her and asked where my son was and she said she’d sent the children home early because of what happened. I drove home as quickly as I could, trying to avoid the immense traffic. On my way home I saw lost children, dogs without owners running riot, and people running frantically everywhere. When I got home I was so relieved to find my son, he’d got the news on and that’s when I saw it.

Nina’s Monologue
My name is Rebecca Johnston. I am eleven years old. I haven’t done anything wrong. I am here on holiday with my mum and dad. I dont know where they are. I am scared. Where are they? I was sat on a bench and I saw a dog run past with a lead but no walker. So I followed it. Then I was lost.

I dont remember what happened. I don’t remember what happened next. I dont remember. It just went white. Then that tall man brought me here. Am I in trouble?

Yes that is my backpack. I left it on the bench. I didnt leave it on purpose. I just ran after the dog. I was just trying to help the doggy.

Where is my mummy and daddy. Have you found my mummy and daddy? Can I go now? I dont want to be here anymore. I want my mummy and daddy. Will you help me? Please.

Im not in trouble am I?

Olivia’s Monologue
My name is Sandra Jones. I have lost a few items. I’m a business woman so I was on my way home from work. All I can remember is hearing a loud noise and then my hearing went. I don’t remember a thing after that. The next thing I know, I wake up on a bench with no one around me. I noticed that my brief case and back pack have gone missing.

Lukes Script
Mobile: What is your name? 
Doug: Matthew Douglas, but my mates call me Doug, so just call me that…
Mobile: And how old are you ‘Doug’?
Doug: I was born on the 14th of April 1996, so that’d make me 17.
Mobile: Where do you claim to have been at the time of incident?
Doug: The same thing I told the other guy. I was in a car in a queue of traffic at a red light near the park, when I saw an explosion ahead of me.
Mobile: What were you doing at the time of incident?
Doug: What any other teenager does just as he turns seventeen, learning to drive! My Mum was giving me a driving lesson in her car, I swear, the reason why I was at the location of the incident at that time is pure coincidence.
Mobile: But you have been to the park before?
Doug: Pfft, what kind of question is that!? You can interview any teenager and they’ll tell you they have been on the park as well. There is absolutely nothing suspicious about that! 
Mobile: Unlike other vehicles in the traffic, you were noted for making a hasty get away according to our CCTV evidence.
Doug: Uhhh well you got me there… If I’m honest, I’d been driving my mum’s car uninsured, if we had stayed around before the police came and were questioned by officials. My mum and I would have been prosecuted; Also I would have never been able to get insured! You know what it’s like for teenagers…

Kim’s Monologue
Where was i at the time of the attack? I was with my family in the park. We were having a nice day, it was peaceful, relaxing.
…then I saw it. I was at there, quiet and out of nowhere…a loud bang followed by a flash of orange. I was so close to it, I felt the heat. I didn’t move, I sat frozen, unable to speak, I just stared at the panic around me, people were screaming, running around, I stared at my daughter, she was…just quiet, not moving not crying…nothing. After a few minutes, I snapped out of my frozen state, grabbed my daughter and I ran…just ran as far away as I could get. All I cared about was getting her away from it, getting my child to a safe place.
My partner? He was with me! He was right next to me the whole day. Ask anyone who was in the park…ask them! You can’t possibly think…?
No, you’re wrong, he never left my side.

Danny’s Monologue
“I was having a picnic with the girlfriend. We were both stressed and hadnt seen each other for a long period. We were happy and relaxing. We were cuddling and then it happened. I saw so much blood I’ll never forget the horror on everyones faces. How could anyone do that? There were kids playing football, so many parents with kids. Why target them? Im still in shock”

These are the pieces of work that we used to create a script which gave our performance structure. We chose to use a script because we needed a sense of progression and an objective. We had created videos and audio footage but had no reason for them. The script gave the performance a back story and allowed each actor to have a certain character to perform.  Writing a script also gave the rehearsals structure allowing us to work on the live element.