Depicting real stories in an alternative light, refracting your view

I’ve got to go, Bye.

Yasmin Chamberlain / May 25, 2015May 25, 2015 / Yasmin C

So we have come to an end, When You See It has been performed and the reception it got was fantastic. I wasn’t expecting to be congratulated with that many tears! Yes it was an emotional piece but it is overwhelming that a performance I was dedicated to and cared for so much had created that effect. So a week on, I am able to reflect on the process and overall performance.

In an email from Andy Jordan, senior lecturer at the Lincoln School of Performing Arts, he compliments the performance saying “it was delightfully performed, conceived and staged. The whole company, off-stage and on-stage, should be congratulated…There were many quite beautiful moments, haunting, sensitive, moving, entertaining. You must be proud of yourselves” (2015). I was definitely very proud of it and the company we had created, throughout the rehearsal process you become used to the motions and the routine of the piece and you sometimes forget to really think about each detail of the work and how special it really is. By the time it had been performed and the realisation of the end had hit me, I suddenly remembered how much of an amazing experience and opportunity it had all been and how much I had appreciated what we all created.

I’m usually quite a good line learner when it comes to learning scripts but for some reason my ‘A pair of teenage girls’ monologue was causing me a bit of anxiety! Everything was fine and dandy for the first few weeks, I had it cracked and couldn’t wait till my moment in the spot light. A few days before the show, it was decided that it would be extended to create a transition for the Selfie song. When rehearsing it with the company I seemed to choke or forget the words which instantly created a panic in me, what if this happened on show day? If I could not get it right in rehearsal how was I supposed to do it on the stage?!

SHOWDAY!!! The day could not go any faster, before I knew it we had done two dress runs and the next time we would go through it would be for the actual performance. The stage was set exactly to how I wanted it, simple but a mystery, there was no sign of what was to be expected.

Y. Chamberlain (2015) Thanks Laura for being the TV screen they had to take away! — Y. Chamberlain (2015)
Thanks Laura for being the TV screen they had to take away!

We all made sure that our props were set to where they should be and all our marks were set so we would all hit our spots on stage. Nerves were starting to hit as we used any spare time to keep constantly improving and perfecting our scenes, one scene that I had the need to keep perfecting was mine and Mark’s dance, I do not come from a dancing background so this was a constant challenge for me. If I concentrated on the dance moves then I wasn’t showing enough emotion and if I was being really emotional then I would forget the dance and freeze up. So having the time to practice this right up until we performed was really beneficial.

I felt that the performance the whole way through went really well, I couldn’t of been happier with the outcome. There was a few minor mistakes but I could only notice these because I knew the performance inside out, none of these mistakes affected the performance massively and it still carried on with 100% effort from everyone. The moment of truth came, it was time for my moment…and I sailed through it effortlessly! All the panic I had created from this monologue was not needed, I just threw myself into it and enjoyed myself which in turn created an amazing reaction from the audience and a huge feeling of confidence within myself. This also helped when it came to mine and Mark’s dance, the routine happened with ease which also helped the emotion come out and take over the moment.

Throughout the whole performance no one left the stage. We had decided that not only would we all be performers but we would also act as an audience on the edges of the stage. This was a great idea because on show day the focus was immense, it was lovely seeing the rest of the company perform whilst watching from an outside view. Everyone had to be aware of everything they did whilst on stage, even though there is action going on amongst other people, the slightest movement from a person outside the action could distract the audience away from what was going on. On the other hand, the company being on stage watching the action guided the audience’s direction on what they should be watching.

When You See It is one of the best performances I have ever been in whilst being at university, as well as in my life. I often think back to the beginning of university and how close I was to dropping out and going home, but this is the sort of thing that kept me going, that gave me the motivation to carry on. Being part of Refract Theatre Company has shown me what I am really passionate about. It has been the most amazing experience I could ever have and I will take away so much from the process and performance…until we meet again.

Chamberlain. Y (2015)

Crowe. P (2015)

Jordan, A. (2015) Drama Subject Site (DRA-SUBJECT): When You See It. [email] University of Lincoln [Assessed: 24 May 2015]

Tech, Show Day and When You See It.

Anthony Richard Lancashire / May 24, 2015May 25, 2015 / Anthony L

The Technical rehearsal for our show When You See It was a smooth transition from the rehearsal room. With minor changes to our set design such as a hanging instead of free standing projector screen with front on projection instead of rear projection being the major change due to a lack of the 5 metre space to rear project. Furthermore, after the run we abandoned the 2nd TV screen, choosing to move forward with one TV with the live feed and a projector screen. As I had already programmed the sound and projection cues into the QLAB software, we were able to run ahead of schedule and complete a full run in the space after the lights had been set and programmed. This naturally allowed us to see things that worked well and those that didn’t to make minor changes to the piece in our rehearsal in-between tech and show day.

Show day, although a long day, was a successful one. We did 2 runs prior to the show both between 48 and 48 and a half minutes. After each run we had minor changes for tech in terms of either position of lights, level of sound or in some cases the cue line to press go. Again we ran to schedule and had a photographer on hand for both runs in the day. We had an audience of 147 which, considering it was a Sunday, I believe can be regarded as a success. The audience reaction post show was very touching with many in tears from both laughing and crying. Taking the show forward there are minor tweaks that could be made after seeing the audience reaction but through several work-in-progress sessions with other companies the show had been viewed and refined which I believe aided its ultimate success.

Refract Theatre Company – When You See It

We Are Refract

Samantha Milne / May 22, 2015May 25, 2015 / Sam M

We did it! After months of researching, planning, workshop-ing, devising, singing, dancing, aching… When You See It finally made it to the LPAC stage! As I write this now, 3 days after the show, I am still finding it hard to come back down from the insane high I got from performing as Refract Theatre Company!

Leaving the stage, I felt the show went really well but the response from our audience was more than incredible. I had spent all day worrying about the physical movement, placement of props and live music whilst going over notes from previous feedbacks; we had created hype about the show and I just wanted all our hard work to shine!

I was mostly scared about the live music. Before the performance, I had never played the ukulele for an audience, making me less than confident about playing live (especially alongside performers who are able to play other instruments very well). But as soon as I was sat in front of that microphone, there was no going back.

The whole performance had a sense of ‘no going back’ as all performers were on stage for the whole show; something which I have never experienced as a performer before. Not leaving the stage for the entirety of the show meant we had to be fully engaged in all the action, a tiring experience but one which gave us no opportunity to drop character or become nervous.

I would love nothing more than to continue as Refract Theatre Company, it was an absolute honour to work with such a talented and dedicated team to create a piece which I am utterly proud of. I have pushed myself to the extreme throughout the process of this show, especially in regards to dance and physical theatre elements (something which I NEVER thought I would be able to do, never mind enjoy!) It has been one of the most difficult yet rewarding experiences I have ever been through; a process full of memories, singing, connecting, learning and laughing. A process I would go through 100x again.

(Flipgram Video, Samantha Milne (2015)

What you didn’t see

Whitfield / May 22, 2015May 25, 2015 / Sophie W

In the final stages of production the preparations made by myself and Anthony, the Stage Manager, were of the upmost importance to contribute towards creating a seamless and professional show. It was our responsibility to make sure all technical elements of When you see it were ready for performance day.

One of the integral features of the production were the images of the cast projected throughout. (They can be found in the gallery section of this blog.) These were realistic representations of the central characters lives along with visual aids for the audience during the ‘Selfie Song’. The images were taken and edited by myself and imputed into videos and into QLab by Anthony. As these images were so important to the piece the composition and location of the pictures were scouted out by myself and Laura and the costume was sourced by Amy to give the most realistic image possible. The filters on these images were also carefully designed to provide context, mood and age to the photographs. It was then decided in the technical rehearsal that the set plan should be redesigned and the TV for the photographs removed in favour for the large projector screen. This decision was made as the photographs were only shown for a brief amount of time but we felt it was important that the audience should see them clearly.

In addition to the photographs, I prepared the Show Information, Audience warning signs and Zing TV presentation for the front of house. As Seabright points out, “The relationship between the producer and venue is the backbone of every production” so my relationship with the Front of House team at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre was very important (2009, 92). Three days prior to the performance I liaised with the Front of House manager, Holly, and met the Duty Manager responsible on the evening of our performance, Adam, to discuss the final details of our production. I checked that they were happy to display our company branded signs, warning the audience of the bright lighting and paper planes, and display the presentation about our show on the Zing TV screens. At this meeting arrangements for this information when the Café opened was made and it was agreed that they were happy to display all our information.

On the night of the performance my responsibility was Assisting Anthony and managing the sound desk. This was something I found challenging as it was a new experience for me and with our extensive use of live voice and instruments it was very important the levels were correct throughout the show: “Sound has the ability to direct and reinforce the audience’s emotional response to the action on stage” (Palmer, 2000, 167). In the dress rehearsals I took advice from one of the resident technicians at LPAC, Shellie, who then allowed me to operate the sound individually in the actual performance. During the technical rehearsal and dress rehearsals the actors brought it to our attention that at times it was hard to hear the sound through the on stage monitors so it was important that I turned the music up for them at these times to make sure the timing of their singing and choreography remained correct.

As the Production Manager of When you see it and Refract Theatre Company I am very proud of what we achieved. Our piece was directly reflective of our manifesto and mission statement, we brought the events that happened on a global scale to a personal level and created characters that the audience engaged with. As a company we worked seamlessly and created a piece we felt was truly reflective of the work we felt was important.

When you see it was described as a production that had a “beautifully judged tone, a lovely concept, an excellently staged production” (Andy Jordan, Senior Lecturer, Lincoln University).

Works Cited

Palmer, S. (2000) Essential guide to Stage Management Lighting and Sound. Bookpoint Ltd: Abingdon.

Seabright, J. (2010) So you want to be a Theatre Producer? Nick Hern Books Limited: London.

Goodbye, Thanks for Playing

Morgan Wills / May 21, 2015May 25, 2015 / Morgan W

Photograph by Phillip Crowe — Crowe, P (2015).

I cannot believe When You See It is finished!!! I still think I am in shock that this whole crazy and amazing experience is over. I didn’t know what to do with myself the day after the show, for the past 5 months my whole focus has been on Refract!

We had only dreamt of the response that we received audience members were crying and laughing all at once, things that had never been funny became hilarious, and the sadness was enhanced when over 150 people are in absolute silence as the emotion switched on stage. Our quick changes between the absolute highs to the most sensitive and haunting moments were what kept the audience completely transfixed on the stage.

The day was incredible and so was the performance, we were all exhausted and started to feel very ill on Sunday yet from somewhere during the warm up led by Sophie 7pm, there was a sense of energy that captured us all. As cliché as it sounds, the warm up left the whole cast focussed and ready to give it everything we had.

At 7.20pm we all got into our positions for the door to open and the audience to start finding their seats. I had to lie down and be completely still, whereas the rest of the cast were interacting with each other. I sat and listened to the audience chatting away and speculating what the performance was going to entail. At that moment it all became very real; this was the end of my university experience and potentially the last time I would perform on this stage with the rest of Refract.

I was extremely nervous as we got in to our opening positions, the music aspect of the show was something I had little experience previously compared to the rest of the cast and I did not want to let them down. As the show was so jam packed and had lots of elements, I wanted to capture each moment perfectly. This type of performance was nothing that I had been part of before, I did not think I would enjoy and fall in love with being in a show that had singing, dancing and musical instruments as I am not a fan of cheesy musical style shows. Yet I 100% have loved the whole entire process and show, and that is thanks to Laura amazing director talents and Refract. When I was on stage, the whole show went past so fast that the nerves disappeared instantly, I just gave it everything I had, and at the end when it was my tap duet with Tom, which was one of my favourite scenes, I was so grateful to have the opportunity to tap again on stage and especially with Tom.