Slung Low - Day 5 - Characterisation, props and costume calls

Sup,

I've only been around for the first half of the day because in the afternoon I've been running round trying to find a deckchair, so I've not got a great deal to report.

I started this morning watching Lucy Hind running a characterisation workshop session. Was great to see the principles getting to grips with the script and seeing some of the characters coming to life.

Also took the chance to take down some really good notes and ideas for my own workshops :)

Noelia working on 'Joy'

Here's a quick video of the guys working on the final scene from 'The Great Bear'.




That's it now untill tuesday because I can't make tomorrow's rehearsal. Shame, guess thats what happens when you work two jobs on a Saturday!

Find out more about Slung Low by clicking here!

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Slung Low - Day 4 - Routes, characters and script work

Sup,

Day four has come to an end and everything is starting to come together nicely. While most of us spent this morning continuing to create the images and props from yesterday, I spent my morning (with some help of course) gluing and sticking scripts, figuring out routes, and marking when and where each different event/ image is going to happen along each route.

Golden items from 'Joy'

Making boxes

Cardboard clothes

Building the oil rig

The afternoon saw everyone splitting up to really concentrate on either characters, costumes, or moving to other groups to help out with their images.

I spent my time going through the 'Joy' script with Noelia, who will be playing Joy. Gonna run a short characterisation workshop session tomorrow with all the guys who are playing the main parts.

Not much else to report from today. All the guys have been working really hard and seem to be really enjoying the Slung Low experiance.

To find out more about Slung Low, check the website here.

Follow me on Twitter! @BenGP02

Slung Low - Day 3 - The Great Bear

Lucy Hind giving pep talk

Sup,

Today has been a day of research, continuing working with 'The Great Bear'. Keeping our work away from the script as much as possible, we've been looking at some of the main themes presented in the piece and the ways that we can find images in these themes and present them to the audience.

The themes were:

• Crossing the ocean / nautical stuff
• Gambling
• Ash
• The element of chance

Research

We got some nice interesting ideas thrown about. Gambling with life, addictions, fish and chip stands, Zeus, lightning strikes, and burnt down homes.

Got to see an experiment with the realistic human ash I was working on yesterday. It's amazing how quickly these guys have worked, and the effort put in is crazy. For the chef to look as though he is dissolving into ash, the techie folks have come up with a genius method involving filing tights with the 'ash'. I know the video is on one side, but you'll get the idea.



Afternoon saw the majority of groups getting down to work building things. Check the pictures.

Making a shark fin

Making a 'wind swept' umberella

Alan making another phone call...

More ash

Cardboard clothing

For more info on Slung Low, check the website. Click here.

Follow me on Twitter! @BenGP02

Slung Low - Day 2 - realistic human ash and oil rigs...

Sup,

Day two and I'm assisting Lucy Hind, the amazing dance and movement director, as they continue to work on one third of 'Last Seen'.

'The Great Bear' is a tale about a man called Dixie, reflecting on his life, regretting most of it and trying to buy some time before his death... i think... either that or he is dead from the start and the person speaking to the audience is the ghost of Dixie... (I've only managed to read the script once...)

Either way at the end he finally manages to free his soul. This is represented by the ashes of Dixie being released from a suitcase. Potentially an extremely moving scene.

Because (I think) the University of Huddersfield would frown on us using real human ashes, (haha! I'm talking like we could actually get some. lulz) we had to find a way of making some. After talk and experimentation we found a solution. Apparently, a mixture of flour, black powder paint, chalk, and bran flakes looks remarkably like burnt human ash... I know you can't tell very well form the picture but trust me, it really does.


Anyways, this Dixie fella lived on an oil rig so I spent my afternoon helping out a group research oil rigs and figuring out different ways of making one that can fit into a canal. It's gonna involve some Blue Peter style skills! Baking trays, ribena boxes, fairy liquid bottles and paint. Can't go wrong.

Unfortunately I've not had time to take any pictures except the one above, but as soon as we start making stuff, which will probably be tomorrow I'm gonna try get video clips and pictures of rehearsals.

Now that I've read two of the three scripts I'm starting to understand how the three routes are going to affect one another. Can't wait for tomorrow, working with Richard Warburton's group on the third piece.

Should be fun.

Check out Slung Low's web site here.

Follow me on Twitter @BenGP02

Slung Low - Day 1

Sup,

Working with the Bradford based performance company 'Slung Low' is an amazing experience. I should know, I did it last year.

Well I've come back for a second helping, but this time I'm being a part of the 'creative team', so I won't actually be taking part in the actual performance, rather assisting the 'group directors'.

Awesome stuff.

Company director Alan Lane gave his usual pep-talk, introducing his 'crew' of creative geniuses, this year consisting of Lucy Hind, Richard Warburton, Ben Eaton, and.... and.... meh, I forget. Will find out tomorrow. For individual biographies of company members, click here.

Edit: Matt Angove and Heather Fenoughty are the other team members.

Unlike previous years, Slung Low arrived with a three scripts already prepared which all intertwine, cross over and weave in and out of each other. The show will be called 'Last Seen', and involves a show being hijacked by a character who makes sure the unheard stories are heard. I won't give away any more... there's nothing worse than knowing the ending to something.

I spent the day in Ben Eaton's group, helping out the group with ideas and reading through one of the three scripts, picking it apart and finding it's flaws. We trekked over the campus, looked for interesting places to make work and what places we would be able to relate back to the script.

Exciting stuff.

Don't know what group I'll be with tomorrow, but I'm gonna take some photos so you can see the sort of things we're getting up to.

Check out Slung Low on their website.

Follow me on twitter! @BenGP02

Performance and geek realisation

Sup y'all,

Well, i've spent the first half of my day trying to figure out just what exactly a performance portfolio is. Then i spent the second half trying to put one together.

Why am I doing this? It's because on Tuesday i've got an interview for a job with the Manchaester performing arts company 'Panda'. I've applied for the possition of 'incubated producer'. Simply put, if I get the job I get to work with and learn from profesional producers while they assist proffesional theatre companies and artists. Really hoping I impress them, I'd love the job. Would be awesome.

Well, I finally managed to throw together some form of portfolio. Consisting of photos from shows i've recently been in, scripts and monologues i've written, and a dvd with a couple of scenes from the show 'We Will Rock You', which I performed in last year with Stage84 at the Bradford Alhambra theatre. I played two parts during the week, Pop and Galileo. In these clips I'm playing Galileo, the lead. It was awesome. The video below should of uploaded, but click here to see a different clip on youtube.



Anyways, I'm watching American Dad right now and Roger (the alien) just started doing a Kevin Bacon 'Footloose' montage. Comedy genius.

Also, I woke up and finally realised what people have been telling me for years. I am a geek and an anime junkie. Seriously, I didn't realise how mental it was untill today. And while i'm on the subject, new 'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen' footage. Looks awesome. Can't wait. And @Documentally, this is just for you... it's the only G-Force stuff i've got.

Well, off to bed,

Follow me at BenGP02