Acting and Fabric

Acting, Movement and Fabric

Perspectives on Process

by August Roy

“I want fabric to move like actors and actors to move like fabric, ” said Director Mark Hardiman at a recent rehearsal.

He continued, “Fabric is useful to the theatre in so many ways, Not only do we make costumes out of it, use it in our set designs, but we can completely substitute fabric for walls, doors, and veils between worlds. Most of Poe’s pieces deal with the permeable, or sometimes impermeable, barrier between the worlds of the living and and the dead, the veils, awake and dreaming. For this project we are using enormous pieces of fabric 55’ by 6’ wide. Fabric in this quantity has a way of moving that suits this piece really well. It wants to move in a continuous and languid way in a free float or a lash. It cannot be rushed recklessly but must be guided in continuous and structured ways.” Hardiman adopts the actions in his body as he speaks, illustrating the moving fabric with his arms, hands, and body. “This is not to say that it cannot move quickly, but it wants careful consideration in doing so.  We are structuring the actors’ movements in a way that mirrors the nature on consistency of our primary scenic element. Our goal is to have the complete piece reflecting a structured control, where movements are considered carefully and form the physical sinews of this piece writhing between worlds.”

All of Hardiman’s notes taken into consideration, fabric is incredibly hard to work with as an actor. Having been an actor working with it myself, once upon a time, I know how frustrating it can be. Fabric on a stage is slick when stepped upon, and can be a major safety hazard when, tripped on, tangled in, and caught by unintentionally. If dealt with inappropriately, this can even be hazard for an audience member. An actor has to be constantly aware of, without trying to be in control of, the fabric. And the fabric is always right. The fabric will do what it wants, when it wants, and will never do exactly the same thing at exactly the same time every night, reliably. Thus, improvising is crucial, and being able to say “yes… and” to the fabric when it decides to do what it will, is an absolutely necessary skill. Another great skill for an actor working with fabric is soft focus. Being able to see everything at once without focusing on any one particular section or moment, but being able to adjust to the whole. This allows an actor to gauge what changes will have to be made when working with the fabric, but also to maintain focus on their character and the actions on the stage. All of this adds pressure to the critical thinking that is required to be an active and present actor in a production.

New Press Release!

Blog and social media offer behind the scenes look at upcoming world premiere of “The Shadows of Edgar Allan Poe”

SPRINGFIELD – Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) Theatre is offering a behind the scenes look at developing the world premiere piece of theatre, “The Shadows of Edgar Allan Poe,” under the direction of Mark Hardiman, professor of theatre. The production runs Dec. 5-7 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.

Former LLCC theatre student August Roy, winner of departmental honors in 2013 and now a student in the “Serving Up Art” class at the University of Illinois-Springfield, is documenting the process through photos, interviews and posts to the new LLCC Theatre blog, llcctheatre.blogspot.com, as well as atfacebook.com/LLCCTheatre.

“We have devised this piece through collaborative methods, framing the staging of the works of Poe through discussion, debate and experimentation of the company,” says Hardiman. “The resultant piece pushes the boundaries of performance and is the kind of theatre seldom seen. We felt it important to share the process with our audience in an effort to introduce them to this fresh kind of theatrical adventure.”

“This is such a great connection between all these institutions – LLCC, UIS and the Hoogland Center for the Arts,” says Roy. “This kind of synergy is exactly what the ‘Serving Up Art’ class is about.” 

LLCC’s theatre program’s mission is to embrace and engage its community through curriculum and programs that advance theatre, arts and the community of theatre artists.

Questions may be directed to mark.hardiman@llcc.edu or by calling 217.786.4942.

Acting, Movement and Fabric Perspectives on Process by August Roy

Acting, Movement and Fabric

Perspectives on Process

by August Roy

“I want fabric to move like actors and actors to move like fabric, ” said Director Mark Hardiman at a recent rehearsal.

He continued, “Fabric is useful to the theatre in so many ways, Not only do we make costumes out of it, use it in our set designs, but we can completely substitute fabric for walls, doors, and veils between worlds. Most of Poe’s pieces deal with the permeable, or sometimes impermeable, barrier between the worlds of the living and and the dead, the veils, awake and dreaming. For this project we are using enormous pieces of fabric 55’ by 6’ wide. Fabric in this quantity has a way of moving that suits this piece really well. It wants to move in a continuous and languid way in a free float or a lash. It cannot be rushed recklessly but must be guided in continuous and structured ways.” Hardiman adopts the actions in his body as he speaks, illustrating the moving fabric with his arms, hands, and body. “This is not to say that it cannot move quickly, but it wants careful consideration in doing so.  We are structuring the actors’ movements in a way that mirrors the nature on consistency of our primary scenic element. Our goal is to have the complete piece reflecting a structured control, where movements are considered carefully and form the physical sinews of this piece writhing between worlds.”

All of Hardiman’s notes taken into consideration, fabric is incredibly hard to work with as an actor. Having been an actor working with it myself, once upon a time, I know how frustrating it can be. Fabric on a stage is slick when stepped upon, and can be a major safety hazard when, tripped on, tangled in, and caught by unintentionally. If dealt with inappropriately, this can even be hazard for an audience member. An actor has to be constantly aware of, without trying to be in control of, the fabric. And the fabric is always right. The fabric will do what it wants, when it wants, and will never do exactly the same thing at exactly the same time every night, reliably. Thus, improvising is crucial, and being able to say “yes… and” to the fabric when it decides to do what it will, is an absolutely necessary skill. Another great skill for an actor working with fabric is soft focus. Being able to see everything at once without focusing on any one particular section or moment, but being able to adjust to the whole. This allows an actor to gauge what changes will have to be made when working with the fabric, but also to maintain focus on their character and the actions on the stage. All of this adds pressure to the critical thinking that is required to be an active and present actor in a production.

The company working a sequence in which the veils between life and death are illustrated, in the foreground a sea is created using waves of fabric.

Video segment

We have talked about fabric many times in this blog. Here is a very short clip of what we are doing with it. This will give you a brief glimpse at some staging and music we have for the show. The clip is so short because we don't want to spoil the show for you! We want you to come see the finished product!

After you watch this video, could you please leave us a comment below? Share your first impression of the piece, despite the how short the clip is. Perhaps what the sound reminded you of, or what the fabric movement looks like to you? We want to know what you think!

Photos of Fabric In Action

We posted previously about what fabric is like for actors to work with, as well as some of the benefits of using fabric. Specifically, we had some sketches demonstrating what light can do when projected on a figure, and casting a shadow on the fabric to create a split-screen effect. Below are some photographs from out Tell-Tale Heart rehearsal to give you a clearer picture.

Ensemble member Rose works while Christian, Judy, and Kenideigh create another scene, this one of murder.

Kenideigh menacing Judy, and Judy menacing Kenideigh as Brandon holds the fabric taut.

The impending death of the old man (Christian) with the vulture's eye.

The death of the murderer (Rose).

In this shot, we have a contrast of light, as compared to the last shot. Which looks more ominous to you?

The deaths of others on execution day (Kenideigh and Judy).

This is one of my favorites, just because it give you, the casual (or not so casual) observer a good view of the fabric, the shadows, the light source, as well as the figures behind the fabric. 

Director's Note on Fabric

The Fabric of Imagination

How we Weave Imaginings in ...Poe

Mark Hardiman

Earlier I spoke about synaptic connections and memory being part of the process of creating this work. Aligned with that is a metaphoric combination of the nature of imagination and its visual counterpart on the stage.

Time and time again in the rehearsal process, we find ourselves drawn to practical, realistic solutions toward solving the problems of scenery and props. But we constantly ask ourselves, “can this ever match the grandeur and detail of what we see in the minds eye?” So often, the answer is a resounding, “no!” Our physical production of ...Poe is based upon the idea that the most powerful scenic element we have is the imagination of our audience. We find it is often better to think of evocation rather than concrete solutions, particularly when dealing with strong narrative and powerfully descriptive text, like that of Poe. This collection of Poe’s work lives in the dreams and nightmares of us all, that is its peculiar strength.

So then, what is the solution? What, then, are we left with? We require a scenic element that has the peculiar elasticity of the imagination and dreams. Something that floats and swirls like our reverie and even our nightmares. Something the grows and shrinks, settles, and becomes as tumultuous as our thoughts. Fabric, being capable of all these things, is the solution. For this production we are using enormous bolts of diaphanous fabric. Fabric here, in our work, is the symbol of our own thoughts, sanity, or insanity, dreams, hopes, imaginings, and how they are so mutable, yet so solid and irrefutable. It ties us together in one weave: it binds one scene to another and can make them dissolve away or appear as just a shadow. We capture in its thread the pieces of Poe and bring them into and out of focus with a continuous motion that mirrors an extended imagining. In this way fabric in our production mirrors the viscosity of our imaginations.

We have posted a number of photographs of fabric being manipulated by ensemble members in rehearsal. Below are a few sketches from our intern, to give you another perspective on fabric in our process.

Cask of Amontillado 

Cask of Amontillado, part II.

Tell-Tale Heart. Two simultaneous scenes are created by having figures stand behind a fabric with light projected onto them, and, while shadows of their profiles are then cast across the fabric, we see the scene another scene continuing on the closer side of the veil. This makes telling narrative stories more active, while also illustrating how close, yet distant, loves lost can be. 

From the Director: Synaptic Connections and Memory

Synaptic Connections and Memory

Poe in Process

Mark Hardiman

I am becoming aware through this collaborative process that the group and I have begun to function like a brain, or rather memories within a brain. We have worked through various iterations of ways to stage scenes within the production and left them in a progressive state of development. Each time we work a scene we create an imprint on the group-mind. Over time, that memory changes, and in fact, we hope that it does. The highlights, the brilliant moments, remain glimmering and when we return to the piece we capture and recapture that. The synaptic web of our consciousness is constantly paring off what is less exceptional and helping us to both consciously and unconsciously capture the best of our work.

Actors Devon and Brandon exploring Cask of Amontillado.