What would you advise an incoming year two student about creative ensemble dynamics?
JASMINE KEADY:
Ensemble creative dynamics can be hard to master, especially as a group of different personalities and interests can clash as a new ensemble begin to work with each other. An easy way to overcome this obstacle is to find out any common ground that you all have, in particular for us girls of the group, we all had an interest in physical theatre and telling a story through music and movement. However; James didn’t share this interest but during our artistic journey we found that we each knew another foreign language so we were able to re-connect using this shared skill and thus, incorporate it into our performance. This takes me to my next segment of advice which is to never exclude a member out of the rehearsal process as ‘theatre is always about together,whether it’s the audience and the performer or the group of people that are making the work or the wider community that the work is connected to in some way.”’ (Love 2016), an ensemble thrives on everybody being physically and creatively present.
I would also suggest finding a source of information that you all find intriguing and from that, establish the moment of recognition. This helped us at the beginning of our process, as we each identified that from the Witch Trial story of Temperance Lloyd, the moment of recognition came when she transformed into a Magpie, from this further ideas were sparked and the word ‘transformation’ gave us a gateway to how that word could be looked at in regards to a contemporary world. Stanivlasky claims that ‘everyone is a co-creator of a play’ therefore, each idea is valid as every individual has an altered version at how they see the world.
For an ensemble to work effectively, it’s important to listen to each other and if a member of your group notices a movement or line that should be changed, trust their perception, ‘Art demands persistent work, work in spite of everything, and a continuous observation.’ (Kelly 2005) Also, asking questions instead of criticizing is essential to a great ensemble dynamic as criticism can stop members from sharing ideas in the future and could alter their confidence resulting in you losing an active creative member. Author of book ‘intent to live, Larry Moss says ‘“Demand your right to express yourself the way that you want to.” (Moss 2004) which is a great quote to follow because as an ensemble, our individual route of expression isn’t something you’re allowed to criticize because it can’t be helped.
SOURCES
Kelly, E. (2005). Ensemble work in theatre rehearsals : dynamics that shape group cohesion. [ebook] San Jose State University. Available at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=3728&context=etd_theses [Accessed 14 May 2019].
Love, C. (2016). Ensemble work: “Theatre is always about together” – Exeunt Magazine. [online] Exeunt Magazine. Available at: http://exeuntmagazine.com/features/ensemble-theatre-theatre-always-together/
Moss, L. (2006). The intent to live. New York: Bantam Books.
SOPHIE JUDD:
At the beginning of the process our ensemble knew we had to home down on what we all felt inspired by, even though that was individual, finding something we all shared was key. When you have chosen a topic of interest, delve into that as much as possible by researching the origin, and seeing where those ideas take you personally. With each person following something different, for example I’m usually I’m usually inspired to think of music above all else, these trails of thought and inspirations can be brought together to collaborate. Furthermore, stating what media or any specific arts you are most interested in can also be very useful in building the ensemble dynamic, if you lend yourself to your strength, together greater work can be achieved, for example if someone specialises in lighting or music mixing. However, it is also very important that within the ensemble you establish that it is a judgement free environment, and that all ideas are taken seriously and professionally. You should feel that you are free to be as creative as you want in front of your ensemble members, to truly access your imagination.
The practitioner Peter Brook (Brook, 1996) often encourages his cast to go to the pub before rehearsals in order to get to know the actors as people before rehearsals begin, which also helps build relationships and trust between one another if you know each other outside of the space. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to work with one another before, but if that is not the case then this is an excellent idea. Later into the rehearsal process there were some issues with coming in to rehearsals on time and managing the group, so drawing up a contract that assures all group members feel they must be in in order to contribute equally to the large amount of work that is taking place. Last but not least, a warm up is a great way to make sure everyone in the space is engaged and ready to work. As our piece was primarily movement based, this was a great way to not only warm up our mind but also our body so we weren’t making things more dangerous than they could already be. Warm ups from Augusto Boal such as ‘zip zap boing’ (Boal, 2002) proved to lighten everyone’s mood without fail.
SOURCES
Boal, A. (2002). Games for Actors and Non-Actors. London: Routledge.
Brook, P. (1996). The Empty Space. New York: Touchstone
JAMES QUALTROUGH:
First and foremost in my opinion in creative ensemble dynamics it is important to establish a layer of trust within the ensemble to create more fluid and dynamic bodies of work. Trust in the ensemble insures the safety of the piece, as a group with good trust can create much faster. “In spite of my great admiration for individual splendid talents I do not accept the star system. Collective creative effort is the root of our kind of art. That requires ensemble acting and whoever mars that ensemble is committing a crime not only against his comrades but also against the very art of which he is the servant.” (Stanislavski,1950) I find this quote suits ensemble work well, it is seldom useful to be selfish in theatre.
I found that it is more interesting if you truly follow your passion. My group all had a shared passion for witches, but I couldn’t be further from disinterest. We struck a middle ground however with the term “witch hunt” which is currently prevalent in American politics and specifically, a great interest in mine. By comparing our two passions we could avoid cliche and come up with unabarred, original material. By looking at the American microcosm that is “the witch hunt” our group found common ground and progressed much further.
It is important to recognise that creative difference can be as much of a help as a hindrance. If your group are unable to perform a certain section which you are comfortable with, it is important to recognise that the group comes first in terms of performance and the individual can suffer as a result of the actions of the individual. For instance, our group met a roadblock when I had a great creative difference with them. Whereas they were focussed on the idea of physical theatre, I found the immersion of documentary theatre more interesting.
Some of your group will be more creative than others. One must realise that not everyone is interested in your ideas and what you say, but that they have faith in the group. It is possible for you to work very hard on something just to have it discounted or unused. It is not personal, it is just that the group would suffer as a direct result. Overall my advice would be to stick to your guns and trust your group even if times can get hard.
SOURCES
Hapgood-elizabeth-reynolds-stanislavski-constantin, H., 2008. Building A Character. Methuen Drama.
FRANCESCA SCANDARIATO:
Creative ensemble dynamics are hands down one of the most important transferable skills within theatre and often the key to an exceptional performance. When working with other people, the end product has to be collaborative as “theatre is made possible by a rich exchange among numerous individuals who rely upon partnerships and engage in acts of cooperation”. Stufft, M. (2013) Putting Collaboration Front and Center, pg 53. It is essential that as actors you are able to connect in some way, this allows a closer relationship, making a work environment more comfortable and far more enjoyable. A connection often leads to the best creative work.
An essential part of creating a good ensemble dynamic involves going back to basics. As Storok and Bonczec say, ensemble dynamics is all about “observations, actions and your choices” and your ability to then acquire a solid creative ensemble dynamic will then be based on “awareness, trust, experience, support and commitment”. Bonczek, R.B. and Storck, D. (2013) Ensemble Theatre Making: A Practical Guide. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge Publishing. Pp 132. Each of these simple factors that should be carried out in everyday life can be transferred into a group setting such as an ensemble. If even one person within the ensemble does not apply these factors at the same level as others, the ensemble dynamic will crumble. It is absolutely essential that everyone is in agreement on the level of support and more so commitment will go into the particular ensemble project.
Using each of your unique talents or quirks will give you an advantage when working as an ensemble. Each person will have ways of being creative and expressing themselves differently. This is in no way a negative but in fact a positive. Bringing each others strengths together can only make a bigger strength. Having a structure unique to your group with everyone having a role in the creative process will allow for an ensemble to have a powerful dynamic full of creative energy. Radosavljević says in The Contemporary Ensemble: Interviews with Theatre-Makers that in each performance by different ensemble companies, each had their own creative structure and way of working that worked to their advantage. An “ownership and identification of one’s personal creative identity” is what makes a creative and collaborative ensemble dynamic powerful.
SOURCES
Bonczek, R.B. and Storck, D. (2013) Ensemble Theatre Making: A Practical Guide. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge Publishing. Pp 132
Radosavljević, D (2013) The Contemporary Ensemble: Interviews with Theatre-Makers, Routledge Publishing. Pp 122
Stufft, M. (2013). Putting Collaboration Front and Center: Assessment Strategies for Theatre Departments. Theatre Topics, 23(1), pp.53
STANISLAVA KUBRATOVA:
It is difficult to say what precisely ensemble is but I can always describe it with exactly one word: ‘together’. Sometimes it is not easy to work with other people, especially if you haven’t worked with them before. During the process of creating a piece for our assessment, we have not got a director or someone to tell us what to do or how to do it. We were a company of actors, 5 to be exact, who were partly writers, directors, designers and dramaturgs who made work collaboratively.
All groups of creative persons have their difficulties through the art process. Something very important is to be a good listener and to give space to the others to introduce their ideas and then to find a compromising way of working with all ideas. Sometimes much is less. Many actors, trying to make their pieces richer, use a lot of theatre-making techniques in one. Instead of looking better, performance becomes less interesting and less understandable. As a group we tried to stay focused and clear with movements, gestures, dances, using a specific type of music and lighting, sets and also not that many props/languages. The sense of common purpose and togetherness is crucial for me. It does not mean to be always on time for rehearsal and to do what someone else wants but regardless who is always on time and who is late, who is doing more or less, who is present and who is not, you all have to find a way to work effectively, to use your imaginations and to see the idea on your mind. Sometimes it seems that the crystal clear vision of the things is not working, then you have to be on your feet and try it at least a couple of times.
The ensemble has enough time to make the imaginary world of the piece their own. The process of making it is long enough to wake up in the morning feeling part of something else, some parallel world of creativity. The ensemble is something that happens, not something which is forced to be so.
SOURCES
Blumenfeld, R. (2008). Using the Stanislavsky System. New York: Limelight Editions.
LOVE, C. (31 May 2016). Ensemble work: “Theatre is always about together”.
WITCHES! 