"A matter of dissection" - THE ORIGINS

dissect·
1. To cut apart or separate. -> GAME
2. to cut open and examine the structure of a dead animal ->PLOT
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Description

Paucartambo and One-Act play.
This week (on Tuesday and Thursday) we started staying after school to plan our one act play.

Although Roberto said that the first day wasn't successful, I think it was, as the stimuli (of a morgue) appeared, and we read two different plays ('Over the wall' and 'Us and them').

On Thursday, (although it wasn't easy) an idea for a possible game appeared, inspired by the concept of "gender bender" and "Two face".
We started exploring the possibilities and limits that the game can give us, and the possible characters for our story. 

In class, we've been studying how the four conditions for Theatre are applied in Paucartambo.


Analysis and Connections

So...What did I learn on Tuesday + Thursday?
As we already know, the creation of a play is a long process, and not at all an easy process, it takes a LOT of creativity, time, knowledge about theatre and different plays.
(From the two plays we read) I learnt that short sentences and dialogues work perfectly if you want to create an entertaining and dynamic scene. (I hope I can apply the technique of short dialogues and counter point when creating my scene for the One-act play).

*When creating a play, you need to create characters who "lack something", or are 'looking' for something.
*A game will always give you a lot of possibilities, but also a lot of limits (like the communication between different characters in our play).


As I mentioned in one of my past entries, the Activation Theory is a great contributor in the creation of a play, and we need to make sure that our One-act play has variation (dynamic scenes and varied characters), uncertainty (what happened to mr. Robertson/McRobbie? and what do they want from him?), novelty and complexity (innovative and complex GAME).


We need to create 'elaborated jokes' such as some in "Más Pequeños que el Guggengeim", and focus on characterization, as it will be the most important aspect in our One-Act play.

*In the play "Yerma- mujer que no se habita"- there were two male characters, represented by only one actor who changed (vaguely) parts of the costume and hairstyle. The characterization of both characters was so different, that you could easily and clearly differentiate them.
This is what we need to achieve. A clear and easy differentiation of the two characters that each actor is going to represent.





Now that we have a game and a plot, what 'steps' should we take to create a successful and comic play?

What exercises can we find to reach great characterization?

Are the steps for creating a play, script, or character always the same?


How is the varied characterization reached in Paucartambo? and which could be a good research topic about this tradition?

Conditions for Theatre + A new experience

 A question that has appeared in my mind several times is… what can be considered Theatre?  Or, How do I know that a presentation is a “theatrical play/piece”? (obra de teatro)

On Tuesday I learnt the four “CONDITIONS FOR THEATRE”, which are:

1.   Involvement of the body to represent another person in a certain time and place trough performance.

2. Order, composition and game.

3.  A content, something to say 

4. A social and ritual function

And on Thursday we had the opportunity to watch “La consagración de la primavera”, presented by the “Ballet de Londrina” from Brasil.

There, I had the opportunity to think about the four conditions for theatre and comparing the dancing spectacle with what would be a theatrical play.

Should this presentation be considered a play?

There was an involvement of the dancers’ bodies to represent other characters, a content or something to say about a virgin’s sacrifice, and maybe the social function of showing this idea and the concept of its unfairness.

However, there was not an exact or clear composition of the story/plot and characterization, as it was not focused in telling a story, but in delighting the audience with the dancers’ abilities and skills.

This idea can be connected to Opera, as the Opera spectators do not assist to see the plot, but to hear the music. For a very similar reason (as we were discussing in class), ballet performances usually represent “the same” or traditional stories (such as the Swan lake or The Nutcracker), as the stories entertain the audience and make the presentations more ‘dynamic’, but are not the “focus point”.

So… This was a DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE to the experiences that all the plays have given us. We were expected and able to appreciate the dance moves and tremendous bodywork.

*In Western Theatre, we usually go to concentrate on a plot or story, which should entertain us.

For example, in plays such as "Más pequeños que el Guggenheim", "Los músicos ambulantes", and even "Shadow Queendom", the audience is interested in the STORY that is being told, and wants to know how it will develop and end.

However, comparing this new experience to the Kabuki tradition, the audience goes to appreciate the ACTOR (in this case the dancer's skills), and not the plot.

In just 13 days we will be travelling to Paucartambo, and I ask myself.. how are the 4 conditions of Theatre applied there?

Should the audience be more concentrated in the dancing, music and atmosphere created rather than in a specific story or plot?

What is the most important aspect in the celebration of "Mamacha Carmen"? The acting? the irony in the masks, costumes and representations about past characters and events? the 'story' of Qollarri's daughter being captured by Inkarri??

What kind of experience do the "Paucartambinos" want to give to their audience?

In musicals (such as Hairspray), should the audience be concentrated mainly in the story or in the singing? 


Are the performers in Paucartambo actors or dancers? and if they are dancers, why should it be considered theatre?