brainstorming and braving

After today’s positive start to the new term working with our new client group, we began discussing what we would like our final piece to look like. We began thinking of the type of themes it should have instilled into it and what message we would like to portray to the audience. It became a very varied discussion and we had people share their own personal stories from both groups, BRIT and TurnAround.

We had next to no idea about how we wanted the final product to look like, it was more like an experimental term for all of us as we would produce the piece as we went along. We decided that we wanted some bits to be recorded and filmed and other parts to be performed live so that we have a contrast. We then heard a story of how one boy had lost his brother to gun and gang violence, it was a tragic story and touched all of us, and we then knew that we would be able to build a story that would shake people as much as it moved us. I feel as though we should commend the young man who shared his story with us so early on in the process of developing work, it shows that he has put his trust in us and has faith that we will portray the message that violence solves nothing. The story really laid the cement for the fundamentals of our piece, we then had a direction in which the piece would move towards and we could begin to see a rough course that we could follow.

With the sharing of the story, I feel as though it brought us closer as a unit and we became more like a family that day as we had a girl from BRIT expose a personal story which she didn’t have to, the young man’s bravery then altered something in others to feel as though they were in a safe enough place to ensure that their trust wouldn’t have been broken.

The discussion we were having then lead us on to talking about various other things such as if life is prepared for us, do you believe in fate and are the choices we make critical to making up our life’s journey. It was a rather deep conversation to have on only the second of being together in a group but it then opened us all up and allowed us to let barriers down that we may have had up to explore the different opinions and ideas of other people.

It was amazing to see the different views of different people and how their own life journeys and experiences allowed them to believe that life is already planned for us or if we all produce our own fate and luck in the world.

 

June 7th - Workshop 1

Day 1
The arrival of our new client group was highly anticipated, we as a team of facilitators created a schedule of games with a lot of help from Deanna our workshop leader on Monday. We decided to have leaders who would each take charge of a certain game and the rest of us would be there to support our peer as a friend and professionally as makers of art. Having different team leaders for different sections of the day also allowed us the opportunity to have our own independence and develop our skills as leaders and communicators, everything we do is to create a broader portfolio of expertise in our craft and this really helped that. We wrote down an order of who would run which part of the workshop to give us and our clients some structure to our day.

1. Introduction/Welcome: This part was lead by our teachers Sarah and Matthew, it was about introducing ourselves and our new team members to what it is we will be doing with them over the next few weeks, what type of work we will be creating and a general overlook of the course and journey we are about to embark upon together

2. Name Game: Jess volunteered to run this section, it was about introducing us to one another, becoming familiar with other people and trying to break down the “fourth wall” between all of us.

3. Height order/Age order: Sarah ran this part of the workshop, it was about us a people knowing each others personal space but having to invade it a little bit for the purpose of the exercise and becoming comfortable with one another, it required us to almost size each other up and engage in friendly conversation so that we could complete the task together.

4. EastEnders Zip-Zap-Boing: Molly said that she would run this part of the day and it was just a general game most new groups would play but it was important for us as it was about never letting the energy drop, so that our client group become uninterested and unfocused on what it is we were trying to engage them in. This game highlighted some of the people less willing to participate and should that we would need more the a day with our new co-workers to break them into our ways of working, but also we would need time to get to understand them better as people and not just people we are creating art with.

5. Sunshine: Tuwaine was our team leader for this exercise and it was in keeping with not letting the energy become dead and dull, forever keeping our day alive and engaging our new arrivals in activities that would keep them moving which was exactly what this game done, it also meant that we got to try out techniques which Deanna taught us about letting whoever is in charge lead the group and feel as if though they have the power and if they have forgotten a rule, to not tell them they have made a mistake but prompt them in a gentle encouraging way.

6. Space game: The purpose of this game was to allow people the time to get comfortable with their new setting that they would be working in for the next few weeks, to really let them feel the space using different parts of their bodies. Beth led this game and her explanation was done very well, however we still got people who weren’t willing to completely give themselves into the game but that is due to come about and should seamlessly fade away as we start to build our trust as a team.

7. Bomb and Shield: This again was also about exploring your personal space boundaries and attaching yourself to people who you hardly know but trusting them enough to almost protect you in a literal and metaphorical sense in regards to the game. Rosie’s leadership in this game was very subtle, she immersed herself into the game also so no one felt left out or as if they were being watched, the game built confidence and friendships in some aspects.

8. Follow the leader: Nyah was in charge of this game and the purpose was to help the group focus and concentrate on one person, using their senses to know when there was a change in rhythm. It took teamwork and concentration to be able to get this exercise to work and it meant that even though we were silent, we connected with each other through our eyes and other ways.

9. Hot and Cold: The goal of this game was to steer one person in the right direction, it meant working in unison with one another to reach a goal that we weren’t allowed to vocalise. It consisted of us clapping our hands when the person stood outside the room got close to their goal, it was a confusing game and it was clear that we weren’t all working at the same pace, which was something we need to work over time.

10. The magic calculator: Maisie concluded our games for the day and she ended with “The Magic Calculator” the aim of the game is to stand in a circle with our eyes closed and count from 1-10 without two or more people saying the same number. This was a game which really tested our ability to just be one with ourselves, trust our instincts and rely on others instincts, which is a lot to ask of a group of people who have never worked together before. We managed to make it to 10 once but after that it proved to be rather difficult and resulted in us saying that we’ll try again a few weeks down the line to see if we have made any improvements. It would be a great test of our journey and to see how far we have come, also to see whether we have made any progress as a team, if we have pulled together of apart.

The Tour

Towards the end of the day, we took our new peers for a tour around the school to show them where certain things are and where they need to go if they want to eat, smoke and other things. It was nice coming out of our working space as it felt a bit more relaxed and had more time to just talk to the people we would be working with, getting to know them and not running around all the time trying to keep the energy in the room at a certain level. The tour allowed us time to interact with our client group and then answer any questions they may have or ask questions we may have about them and their knowledge of school facilities. It was amazing to find out what impressed them about the technology we hold in the school and it opened your eyes to realise how much we take for granted.

After the tour of the building, we met back in our space and started discussing what it is we would like our final piece to look like, what type of finishing product we would like to show to people. A lot of them were reluctant to performing live whilst others were more open to the idea. We began talking on their strengths as performers and what it is they would like to be doing as performers, there were directors, singers, songwriters and rappers sitting amongst us and I think that is when we truly started to see the potential we all had as a group to put on a really inspiring showcase.

Deanna's Workshop

Deanna is a very inspiring and successful poet, she is an artist and she has a lot of experience in running workshops, so we were graced with her expertise today. She taught us how to run a workshop and key facts that we should know in order to not undermine those who may be running certain parts of the workshop, she employed us with so much amazing advice and really boosted our confidence as facilitators of the arts to teach others what we know.

Deanna wasted no time and started from the beginning and what we should do as soon as they enter the door, which was to just be ourselves and don’t wear a mask, if we show anything that doesn’t seem true to our character they will not want to invest or listen to anything we have to offer. We then spoke about getting everyone into a circle, and Beth proposed that we could make a game out of it. I suggested that we grab their attention by making everyone stand in height order and giving it a time limit, it would mean we are all interactive, getting comfortable with the spacing and leaving no time for anyone to not want to join in. It also meant that people had to notice and look at each other, you were having to square up to people you didn’t even know and suddenly you’re not worrying about anything else except working together and winning the challenge.

From the height order, we needed to get ourselves into a circle so that everyone could be equal and we could start discussing and moving on as a group. An idea of holding hands and forming a circle emerged and that led us onto physical contact, it is inevitable in most group activities but we must understand a sense of personal space especially with people we are not familiar with, if we become too close it could cause conflict between two people and start something unnecessary. We spoke about our own dislikes about too much physical contact and realised that we ourselves don’t enjoy it so we shouldn’t impose it on others.

The reason why a circle was necessary was because we then wanted to know everyone’s name, but being The BRIT School of Performing Arts, we didn’t want everyone to just say their names, we wanted to add a new level into it, so we then brainstormed ideas of name games.

Nekkita’s Name Game: We start with one person, the first person gives us the first initial of their name and then we go around the circle and we each have three guesses at what their name could be.

Adaptation: We thought everyone getting three goes may take too long and therefore loose the interest of some people, so it then turned into one go for each person.

Playing it: Once we put the game into practice, we saw that it was quite slow for some reason, we also found that guessing someone’s name could be offensive to another person if their name is guessed incorrectly, for example if a girl is called a boy’s name.

Jessie’s Name Game: You say your name and then an action that begins with the same letter as your name, for example; Jumping Jess.

There was no adaptation to this, we thought some people may be reluctant to do a movement and it would then put a downer on the whole game.

Tuwaine’s Name Game: Each person could state their name and then music they like or an artist.

We found that the problem with this could be that people may get nervous under pressure and begin thinking too much, plus your taste in music is personal therefore if you said a name no one else knew you could begin to feel isolated.

Although some of the things we discussed seemed very farfetched and over thought, Deanna said it was necessary to over think the little details so that we were prepared for anything that may befall us.

We then decided as a group to give everyone stickers including the BRIT students, our game would be to get into alphabetic order of your names; it would still involve looking at each other and noticing people.

Our next part of the session was developing ground rules so that everyone understood what was expected of them and what they could and could not do, we were going to inform them of things such as

-       Respect

-       Confidentiality

-       Listening to people

It was essential to develop a set of “rules” that everyone could understand so that we are all on the same level and understanding one another. Rosie taught us all about the Golden Rule which is, no one knows what you’re feeling inside, so don’t be afraid to say what is on your mind, your self consciousness is all in your head, so if you provide your answers with confidence, people will respect it.

We then moved onto “Dispelling Tension” which was about how we could deal with conflict if it occurred in the group, there were many suggestions, such as a box. This box would be home to the feelings of others, if you were unhappy with the treatment you received by another individual or just wanted to let something be known, you could write it down on a piece of paper and then put it in the box where it would be opened in the next session. We then thought that it would be harder for boys to write down their feelings and there was even less of a chance that they would so it openly. Another suggestion was that there be one person who was considered the Team Leader and if a problem occurred we could speak to that person, but we quickly disposed of that idea as it seemed too patronising as we are all the same age and experiencing things ourselves. We then got people to role play how a situation of conflict may occur and we realised afterwards that little things can produce big problems, so we decided that a time out can be taken by anyone at any point if they need it to be.

Deanna also spoke about starting each session with a theme so that if you do forget what it is you’re supposed to be saying or you trail off of topic, you can always relate back to the theme and wing it in an educated manor.

Here are some of the games we thought up:

-       Anyone who (sunshine game)

-       The space game

-       Height order/Age order

-       Hot or Cold

-       The number game

-       The bomb and shield

-       Columbian Hypnosis

We thought of these games to help the workshop move along and keep everyone engaged, they’re games that keep energy high and everyone moving, there is no time to stand still and be bored.

We then got onto the topic of free writing, free writing is not having a topic in mind and talking about it, it’s more to do with just writing words and they don’t have to make sense because it’s what is going on in your mind and no one can tell you what is right or wrong for you. The free writing was about giving them space to reflect on the day’s events, reflecting on their weeks event, letting their brains just wander and it being a catharsis for them.

Deanna’s session was so insightful and a confidence booster. It really just let me feel as though I had nothing to worry about on Friday morning and as if I had been teaching workshops for years. Her depth into the little things prepared me for anything that could happen and I left that class feeling excited for the challenge myself and my co-workers were about to embark upon.

Iram and Yvonne

Today we were given the opportunity to speak with two representatives from the Turnaround Centre, they were there to inform us of the work they do and the type of youths they deal with.

I was happy to hear we would first be spoken to by the two workers there before being introduced to our team mates for the project we were about to embark upon as I felt it would mean I had more time to prepare for whatever it would be that we as an ensemble would be challenged with.

The talk was very comforting and I think it relaxed a lot of us, even if we weren’t nervous in the beginning it just allowed us to really enter the situation without premeditated opinions. The talk taught us of the three main stages of their referrals, they explained why some of them may be in there and that to begin with they may have a negative attitude towards the project and the activities that we would begin with.

I had many questions to ask when they were there but I felt they were things I would eventually find out once I had gained the trust of them.

1.    What type of troubles have they encountered?

2.    What is there opinion of the BRIT School and the students?

3.    How do they feel about performing arts?

4.    Are they negative people?

5.    What do they know of the BRIT School?

6.    Do they think that the stereotypes of BRIT are true?

These were some of the question I was eager to ask but I thought if my skills such as communication and interaction work, I would be able to find out all of this information on my own, so I set that goal for myself to find out.

4THWALL

The fourth wall in its literal sense refers to traditional theatre, where the fourth wall is the imaginary canvas that the actors play to as they pretend the audience is not there. This means that there is no interaction with anybody who is not part of the production and creates a conceptual barrier between artist and performer.

In a more imaginative and metaphorical sense, this term could connote that the fourth wall will be between the BRIT school students and the Turnaround Centre students. Our aim is too break down the barriers which forbid us to integrate creating friction between us, but rather embrace each other in a welcoming way to help build a professional but friendly environment for each of us.

The fourth wall can have many various reasons in response to this term and the adventure we will embark upon in the next seven weeks. There will be a clear withhold in trust during the first few weeks of us getting to know one another, but that is expected and the “Fourth Wall” blocking that pathway of trust should erode away over the course of this project. 

Initial Reaction

When I heard who I would be working with I was immediately excited about the roller-coaster of emotions I was sure I would be embarking upon and mentally stimulated by the mass of ideas I had already building inside my head.

Working with people who have a story to tell I believe can be so empowering and overwhelming, it means that you are able to begin building relationships with people who you wouldn’t necessarily start laying foundations with.

As the idea began to sink in a little more, I knew this would definitely be a challenge for me and my other peers as the youth offenders are our age as well, so it could seem as though our efforts to make a good impression look patronising.

Thinking about all of this, I was still excited with the idea of who I would be working with and hopefully gaining a lot of experience and knowledge from them out of the time we would be spending together, I feel as though my personality is quite friendly and I find that I get on with most people so this would truly be a test of my nature and how well I handle situations.  

Introduction

This term is about engaging more intensely with our community and sharing our art with others. This term personally I believe is largely about sharing the love you have for your passion and allowing others the opportunity to do the same.

This term allows us the opportunity to reach out to people who have lost faith in their artistic side and it gives us a chance to help them nurture it. Hopefully as well as us teaching them some things, they will also teach us a wide range of skills to help develop our artistic and general knowledge.

As young professionals we have been trusted with a huge responsibility, this is a real opportunity to change lives, stimulate and inspire others and I believe that this term will conclude in an epic finale.