Physical Theatre

At its simplest form you can define it as movement in place of dialogue but it is not to be confused with dance. As a result it’s often abstract in style. Physical theatre shows that you don't have to use words to your express ideas; instead u can use techniques like movement, mime, gesture and dance normally exploring complex social and cultural issues.

DV8: are among the main practitioners of physical theatre. They focus on looking at the dramatic potential that can be unlocked from movement. Their work is often described as a cross road where dance, sound and drama meet. It is led by Lloyd Newson, whose intent has been to have a different approach to most contemporary dance. DV8 are well known for using Physical theatre to explore complex aspects of human relationships and social or cultural issues.

Frantic Assembly: They create thrilling, energetic and unforgettable physical theatre pieces. The company attracts new and young audiences with work that reflects contemporary culture. Frantic Assembly's unique physical style combines movement, design, music and text. Frantic Assembly is led by Artistic Director Scott Graham. Scott formed the company with Steven Hoggett and Vicki Middleton in 1994.

Physical theatre combines Physical movements with other techniques like dialogue or music. Physical Theatre can break the 4th wall by reaching out to the audiences or moving between them. Contact improvisation is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation

Commedia: began in 16th century Italy, it was a popular form of street theatre based on improvised scenarios between stock characters. Commedia is a very Physical form as many characters wear masks so you can’t see facial expression.  This meant all physical actions had to be big so an audience could understand their emotion you showing.

Traits:

·         Proximity- how close or far you are from other performers and audience

·         Gestures- a particular movement that defines a character

·         Harshness and Tenderness

·         Status- this may be executed by use of level, distance or strength of contact

·         Mask work

·         Contact improvisation- contact improvisation is a developed form of improvisation usually a duet between 2 people where the interest here is in the starting point.

3 rules of Contact improvisation:

To absorb an impact

Resist or ignore it

Respond to it

·         Mime- this usually means stylised movement but can be comparatively realistic

·         Stance- this is the strength or weakness of the body to assert your character

·         Dance work

·         Not moving

·         Movement

Our piece:

In our group for physical theatre we had to look at a religious issue and make a physical theatre piece around the religious issue. The religious issue we chose was an event called “Je suis Charlie” which is about a shooting by Muslim extremists at a French magazine company because they made a cartoon of Mohammad. We started our piece in a big ball as a group which was to symbolise the Muslim belief, we separate from this ball into an office where we start working on the cartoon of Mohammad and we all start chanting “Charlie” building in volume until someone shouts Mohammad. We all reform the ball but two of us peel of this ball to show people abandoning the religion. The ball disperses again into a park where we I come on as one of the  brothers who will be involved in the shooting, I go into the park and push toby and freeze as Toby is knocked away and Harry comes over to take his place and knocks me back. I go to leave but he pulls me back, I tell him Charlie, he says it as well then we both say it and leave. We reform the ball and see 2 more people peel away from the ball, what happens next is the group then spreads across the room for me and harry to go on as the brother and kill each one of the members in a stylised way except one person because the religious issue said that they didn’t kill everyone. they all the rise up into  a line, me and Harry then walk across the line touching them all in a certain spot which they the fall in cannon to as if they had just been shot in the place we just touched. The ball reforms again and has 2 more people peel away. Me and Harry and go and stand centre stage as the rest of the group run around us trying to hit us but failing because there is something blocking them. Finally they all end up sticking around this shield around us, me and harry then stamp which causes them to ripple but the throwing there hands at us which causes me and Harry to fall to the ground which showed our death. The ball then reforms again and one person peels away leaving a single person left in the ball, we all spread around the stage and start shouting stereotypes of muslin that came about after the shouting because people started thinking all Muslims where the same, this builds up until the last person in our ball rises up and shouts “Je suis Charlie” which showed he was against what the brothers had done at the shooting and at the same time shows he still believes in his religion. Our entire piece is performed to the song “once upon a time” by Good Charlotte.