Convener:
Alice Hoult
Participants:
Sam Smith, Alan Sharpington, Solene Marie, Kelly Golding, Ed Jaspers and
various other nice people
Summary of
discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:
My reason for calling the topic was to find out about
other people’s experience of designing during the devising process. As its a
new process for me, I wanted to talk about my slight fears about what the next
stages of the process will be.
I have found the process of devising incredibly
invigorating. The concept of designing something without a prescribed space,
script, budget was something that was hard for me to get my head around. After
a year of intermittent workshops and finally a week long session my ideas are
really forming and they feel so exciting and vital to the piece and the story.
Now we are at a stage when a script is being written I am wondering what will
happen to my design ideas when all those usual structures arrive into the
process. Its exciting and scary at this point
Scary = exciting
- We talked about site specific theatre where the site
is the design from the beginning where you don’t have the chance to change
anything at the last minute as its always integral to the piece.
- adapting a steam-punk picture book for stage, was an
example of a project where the initial idea has a strong visual identity so it
would be useful for a designer to be present from the outset
- this might not be the case for all productions was
one comment that was made, sometimes it is right for the work to have a
designer come into the process later.
I disagree with this! – I think that as a designer the
earlier you can come into a process the better on every level! It means that
the design is a richer, truer piece of storytelling rather than just a
backdrop. Of course there are issues of finance here which were also brought
up. But as designers usually work for a set fee rather than a weekly rate it
might be something that the initiator of the project would discuss with the
designer early on to establish what their their level of involvement would be.
Ask us! We might just want to be involved earlier even if it means taking a pay
cut!
We talked about moments of magic created by design
(the image of the virgin mary with a flashing heart) in a production, how are
those moments created?
Is the answer – by having a designer involved from the
outset ?
A designer’s role in a rehearsal room/devising is
simply to be another set of eyes,
An auteur as much as a director/writer/devisor is.
A visual dramaturg.
Its also to make an ambient and fertile space for
creating work
Talking to Will Reynolds later on and he said that a
designers role is often about being the director’s best friend.
Bringing lighting in allows you to play with
atmosphere at an early stage in the work. Can visual moments be a starting
point for a piece of theatre? it doesn’t have to be text, and a designer can be
an author in this way too
Someone came up with the phrase ‘creative midwifery’
(!!!) facilitating ideas not simply having or executing them.
For a designer to be present in a devising process is
not just a visual thing but they are another set of eyes and ears that might
just look at something in a different way. Flag up parts of the script that
might have problems later on.
For a designer its about having the confidence to
create and collaborate no matter what ends up on stage. More collaboration
means you might have less control over the end result but you might also have
been influential to other areas in the piece
A designer needs to know how to make themselves a
valuable part of the process. Also to work out what you know you need to tell
the story.
A few people came along who want to work with a
designer but don’t know how, or are scared to do so. There is a certain amount
of risk involved in collaborating but if you find the right person then magic
will happen! You will find them, its just about taking the plunge
I mentioned that we were looking for a space to
perform our piece in and Someone pointed me in the direction of Roland who is
setting up a pop-up performance space. Thank you, it was great and interesting
to meet him and could be a good direction for the project.
Someone talked about directing a piece that has a
designer on stage drawing and making adjustments to the surroundings as the
performance progresses, it changes every night.
(Can we still call this ‘design’ as by the nature of the word it defines
something that is about pre-determined choices)
The designer is then becoming a performer – blurring of roles – enabling
creativity!
Since the session I have been thinking about these
directors/initiators who want to work with a designer but don’t know how. How
can we be more visible? We are all so different, so how do you find someone who
suits you? If its all about finding someone who suits your working process then
perhaps we should all be more explicit about HOW we like to work on our
websites rather then focusing on what the end result looks like.
If anyone has any answers or thoughts on this then
please do e-mail me through my site www.alicehoult.net
I’m up for similar style collaborations and enjoy throwing around ideas
Also since the session I have doodled some talking
beetles with different shaped heads.
Feel free to add to them
