Our lovely Long John Silver has lost a limb and uses a peg leg. Our darling actor does not. How do we deal with this? Costume, acting, directing and fight people have to collaborate! Luckily, one of our crew, August Roy, works part time at a local pilates studio, so volunteered to research physical movement for actors using peg legs. Thanks, Ananda Body Pilates for supporting the arts art LLCC Theatre!
Roy’s research focused mainly on actor comfort and safety, as is the primary focus of any physical movement on the stage at LLCC Theatre. Finding that most actor feedback talked about the strain on their lower back from maneuvering with an artificial limb and the rigging used to keep it attached, Roy decided to use some pilates techniques to help our actor, Briar Fortkamp. Maintaining a strong core was vital to achieve the stability necessary for balance, grace and a neutral spine. The body always tries to balance itself natural, but finding a way for it remain balanced without causing pain or damage is often very tricky. Combining this information with Roy’s knowledge that crutches can seriously damage shoulders and wrists, they went to work.
Working intensely together, Roy and Fortkamp worked on numerous surfaces. Roy watched as Fortkamp walked, noticing how his movements changed with task, surface or inclination. They tried various stretches to accommodate the immobile muscles and the compensating muscles. Making a few simple adjustments, they were able to collaborative discover how he could align limbs and spine, move best and gain the most secure footing, on any mostly dry surface. Thinking outside the box, they found ways of tackling safe falls, maintaining safety during fights and using stairs. With practice, Fortkamp was even able to cease use of the crutch for many movements.
Roy and Director Hardiman sent Redruth to talk to Silver and find out more for our readers. Below is a small portion of what Redruth came back with.
To see a more detailed video, where Silver describes movement in depth with examples, follow us on YouTube!
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