Author: Kyle Higgins

For the purpose of understanding I would like to explain my staging idea as I feel my writing is sometimes unclear or messy.

I had the idea of using a large bed that could be both a bench and a bed.

Underneath the bed I was going to have a large make-shift car mat that could be used with the audience to create a journey of night terrors. I also had ideas on how I wanted my performance area to look like, in my head it would a pentagram as it gives the imagery of supernatural or slightly out of the ordinary experience.

However I also want my stage to be approachable but maintain a purpose.

I have also simplified my idea of the drawings above the bed as I felt due to the time constrain I would be unable to draw hundreds of drawings for this performance.

I did however simplify my workload by developing a almost child-like mobile that would hang above the bed, and spin around creating the idea of uniformity and deranged mental-state. I was inspired by the playful approach from the text The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime. This  text uses strong imagery of a young-boy with Asperger syndrome who struggles to understand the basic conformity of everyday life an his place on a social scale.

The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

This painting by Van Gogh paints an almost idealistic backdrop on which to base a solo performance, it is both beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Van Gogh is rumored to have suffered all of his life with epilepsy and this proved both to be a gift and a curse, blessed with his own unique painting style he was able to portray visuals unlike any other artist today. As one of his more famous paintings I feel basing a solo performance inspired by this painting, would be an easy and a effective use of imagery. Basing it around the subject of night terrors also juxtaposes the calming and almost trance like feeling you get when looking deeply into Van Gogh’s work. I do not take exploring the subject of night terror’s lightly, however as a frequent member of this state of psychosis I feel I am apt a approaching this topic.

I want to let the audience enter into a bedroom that is situated in a stairwell, above it will be hundreds of varying in size drawings that are hanging down with different strands of red string attaching them to the ceiling, each drawn by me and with different artistic mediums. I want the stairs to be a physical representation of age and the process of change throughout life, however at this present moment I do not know if I will be able to find a stairwell that could be occupied as working performance space or if lights and sounds would be able to transferred into this performance space.

The Scream by Edvard Munch

The performance itself will also take inspiration in its varying tone from another famous painting of Edvard Munch’s The Scream which was originally inspired by a bridge near Munch’s path to work. It is rumored the depicted man is that of one of the pedestrians that would go to this bridge and willingly commit suicide from the fall. I love its striking visual style and vibrant, murky use of tone.

I feel this too is an effective source of imagery  for a solo performance as it is the complete opposite this Gogh’s work and could arguably be used to convey the emotional status of someone trapped in a living nightmare. I also have considered a one on one solo performance, in which I would have a large bed in the stairwell and ask the participant to listen to me talk and have them share their experiences of things that go bump in the night. (No pun intended.)

My only reserve on this is if I was to have a random spectator, would they feel able talking to a complete stranger in a intimate space? I was also wondering how this would affect being observed or graded as it would defeat the objective if there was more then one person in the room…

I’m honestly not sure.

I may have to consider this in future performance Ideas.

 (Hair Peace, 2016)

Victoria Melody.

I have to be honest when I first walked into the theater I was not expecting much. Truth be told I was expecting very little, the garish pink salon-setup had me nearly out of the door, however I am truly glad I stayed. This as an example of what a solo performance should aim to be, it was informative as well as gut-stopping. The title Hair Peace refers to the dark yet humorous topic Victoria Melody had spent a large period of time researching and developing for this performance.

(Hair Peace, 2016) 

Victoria Melody states that her performance is,

“a comedic exploration from an unlikely sleuth whose personal odyssey provides astonishing insights into ethics, diverse cultures and the personal realities of the global economy.” (VictoriaMelody, 2o10).

In her research she travels to India and Russia to address the subject of “black- gold” and the increasingly high profit margins it generates for its distributors as it is unregulated within the U.K, it may seem innocent at first as both parties have given consent to this product. There is however a broken moral-compass at play within this industry, the people who sell there hair in India only to have to then Que for days only to endure what some would consider torture, however for them this a religious pilgrimage in which death & rebirth are celebrated. The topic of “black-gold” grows darker when you learn that in the poorest areas of Russia people grow their hair for years and even donate past relatives hair for small profit, it is almost soul-destroying to think of someone who has no other source of income then their fallen relatives hair in order to make ends meat.  Unknown to them however there unwanted hair is being sold for a large profit to those who seek high-end hair extensions across the world. I found myself watching this performance both disgusted and entertained. My overall experience was worsened when a few rows ahead of me I could clearly see an audience member who had undergone this beauty-regime in order to better their appearance.

(Hair Peace, 2016)

While shocking as a unlikely topic on which to base a solo performance, it was for me a highly educational time. I saw to my delight that not ever solo performer needs to have a high arts status or speak in a almost Shakespearean sense, it was fun, playful and most of all you felt involved on what you were witnessing on stage. She has an endearing quality to her that was instantly likable and you were 100% behind her, you almost wanted to be on stage with her, almost…

I loved her laid back performance style and If I am completely  honest the cliche multi-media on stage which issued from three televisions, all with a distinct video ranging from glossy shampoo ads to the journey she had undergone when creating this performance.

“Melody’s ability to get on with anyone from any background translates into a performance that is accessible and non-judgmental, even as it points up the absurdities of capitalism and supply and demand, where hair sold for £30 by a young woman in Russia will retail for £1,200 in a London salon.”(theguardian, 2015).

In an after-show talk she stated when asked a question on how she constructs her work that is, 70% scripted, 30% improvised, this is interesting as I was under the impression that a solo performance had to be heavily scripted and be ordered down to the last small detail. I think after seeing this performance and now knowing what I could potentially create there is less pressure on me in terms of my content, and also worrying about what kind of tone I would you when in this performance space with my audience.

Looking within my own developing solo performance I had talks with Martin about whether we as “scholarly students” would be penalized for creating such a light mood, almost playground  approach, to my surprise I was told this is exactly what we should be doing. I hope through my own development that I too create a sense of ease, which I can exploit in order to create a compelling solo performance around my chosen topic. I think that using a topic of “black-gold” is an effective one as in essence it is secret and unconventional, and often most that are unaware of the grotesque side of the beauty industry would find this an ultimate eye opening experience.

I only now wish I had seen her previous performances, as her work in highly influential and inspirational within my own developing style.

Works Cited.

VictoriaMelody (2010) Surrey: Hair Peace:  Available from http://victoriamelody.co.uk/projects/hairpeace/index.php [accessed 29 June 2016].

Edinburgh Festival review. (2015) Hair Peace at Edinburgh festival review – the secret life of locks. theguardian, 24 August. Available from  http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/aug/24/hair-peace-at-edinburgh-festival-review-victoria-melody-pleasance [accessed 29 June 2016].

Inspired by an exercise within class, where we were asked to reveal a revelation about ourselves that we had discovered when undertaking the pivotal change within of our lives of university. Among other people within our groups revealing intimate moments/memories of their inner-realizations I was asked for my very own. To be honest I thought as first glance that my realization about supposedly beginning adulthood when undertaking university was a simple and dare I say it bland concept on which to explore.

However I was wrong. Deeply wrong. After telling what I considered a simple yet heart-warming tale with my own sarcastic dead-pan style I found to my amazement that I had immersed my group in a tale that was truthful yet non-impactful. This I found to be an exciting topic on which to build

My Story was very simple, I simply gave an honest account of my first few hours at finding myself completely out of my comfort zone unaware of the honestly shocking price of mundane items that we all too often forget to bring with us. I tried to make my story as honest as I could without over-telling my side and brought a sense of realism to my mini-performance. I mentioned the lack of belongings, stating that I only owned two small-boxes of possessions and a bag for random nonsensical items. (This it would seem struck a sentimental cord within the group.)
However I will stress this was never my intention and as an actor, I would always want to entertain and occasionally educate. However as moment to see myself as solo-performance it was pivotal and educated me in how to keep an empathetic audience interested in your storytelling, while still retaining the juxtaposition of comedy as I did when ending an honest emotional account with a satire of the price of a five-pound cheese in Sainsbury’s. (I knew one day my mundane errands would land me some kind of sarcastic comedic tale.). And this I am sure will influence my development of my own writing.

Beddersnatch

Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky.

Beddersnatch

Written By Kyle R.L Higgins.

The Jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
The Screams that issue in the dark-crack of night.
The scuffles and scrapes…
One, two! One, Two! And through and through.
The constant thinking’s that keep you awake!
That yearning for day break.
This is not a tale.
This is not a warning
This is my love letter, my love letter for morning.
Inside me I am screaming.
One, two! One, two! And through and through.
There are things under my bed.
Inside me I am crying.
There are things that go Bump in the night.
I guarantee this, I guarantee this!
So…
Beware The Jabberwock, my son.
The Jaws that bite,
The claws that catch.
Hold on… Hold on.
Tight.
The shadows on the walls.
The whispers in your ears.
You’re in for one long night.
Your room has never seemed so small?
Suffocating
Felling strangled
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Not quite feeling right.
Every tapping on the window.
Tap.
Rattle.
Scuffle
Just a distant muffle-
The Furious Bandersnatch.
The Arms that reach.
The long claws that catch.
One two! One two!
And through and through.
Wrap your bedsheets around you
Tight.
Tighter.
No one is coming.
No one is running.
Is all of this real…?
Surreal.
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame.
Screaming
Shouting.
Constantly in Pain.
No one understands.
No one will listen to you complain.
You are alone.
You are alone.
Are you alone?
Slowly.
Surely.
Going Insane.
He left it dead, and with his head.
Not quite here.
Not quite there.
Laid down.
Rest.
Rest.
Rest your weary head.
Till morning breaks.
You forget.
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack.
Time will go back instead.
And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Guts
And
Bone
Trapped within the nightmares within your head.
Day breaks.
Night breaks.
Day breaks.
Night breaks. I break.
Never.
Never.
To change.
End.
My End.
All End.