Stanley High School Workshop
- Kurt Zarniko
- Mar 25
- 2 min read
Wonderful workshops with year 10s. We had a fantastic time and it really helped them to expand their ideas for their own performances.
Using Kurt and his drum and observed by undergraduate student Pippa Wilbraham- Clarke, I covered
a) physical comedy: things going "wrong", a mission that goes "wrong", masters and servant /Presidents and reporters, grotesque crowds - a wedding party
b) spatial composition: especially thinking about the relative distance of moon and earth, playing with the movement of wheelchair, slow motion and other composition for "fights"
c) techniques for changing scene/perspective/time: i.e. from barber shop to fight club, solo to group
Perhaps I can teach some of these techniques and then we can have a chat about how to apply these techniques and they can devise one brief idea to share? Or would you prefer them to devise their ideas after the workshop, so we spend all the time on techniques?
The groups were all working on their Devising unit for GCSE Drama and had chosen a stimulus. They had started to develop their performances and characters but these were not yet finalised. In each group there was a mixture of performers and designers but all took part in the workshop regardless of role.
10D Period 4 Monday 23rd March:
Group 1- chose the moon/earth image stimulus. They are developing an idea around a barber shop that turns into a fight club when night falls. Practitioner is Berkoff so some of the performance will be in masks.
Group 2 - chose the quote “I thought not fitting in was
something I had to fix. Now I see it as my superpower.” (Quote – Maxime Lagacé) and have been influenced by 'Teen Titans Go' to create their own 'superhero style performance. Practitioner - Berkoff.
Group 3 - chose the moon/earth image. They are developing a story about astronauts who get stuck on a mission to the moon. They are developing a comedy. Practitioner - Brecht.
10B Period 4 Tuesday 24th March:
Group 4 - chose the moon/earth image stimulus. Have used this to link to feminism and in particular Stepford Wives with the Earth being the man masking the moon that the moon rotates around. Practitioner: Brecht
Group 5 - chose 'Ironic' by Alanis Morrisette and are creating a comedy about a wedding that goes wrong. Bertie is our student who is in a wheelchair. Practitioner: Berkoff
Group 6 - chose the quote 'When you know your name, you should hang on to it, for unless it is noted down and remembered, it will die when you do.’ (Toni Morrison – Song of Solomon).' They are developing a story about American Presidents and power dynamics. Practitioner: Berkoff
Group 7- chose the moon/earth image. They are developing a story about a boy kept as a slave in a bar. This one is a bit confusing at present and they haven't decided if it's a comedy or tragedy yet. Practitioner: Berkoff
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