Pirates Plagued By Pollen: Vocal Warm-ups for Outdoor Theatre

Before we get into this, a special thanks to our readers who helped us get to 3,000 pageviews this week! Thank you so much!

It is often said that 80% of theatre is what the audience hears. We like to think of the voice as the limb of the body, actively spanning the distance between characters. More profoundly, actors are story-tellers--they embody both the character and the voice of the author simultaneously. Their sounds should create auditory pictures in the minds of the audience.

So, vocal health and maintenance is very important for the actor. Many things can affect an actor’s voice: heat, humidity, dust, allergies, illness. Often regular remedies, like antihistamines can cause swelling in the vocal folds (most people call them vocal cords, but they most clearly resemble folds) and make the actor sound hoarse. Colds can cause congestion in sinuses, which are the resonators of higher pitched sounds. Chest congestion can reduce resonance in the lower register.

We use various exercises that help an actor reduce swelling in the vocal folds and open up resonators. Gentle humming and soft, open vowel sounds create movement in the folds as well as circulation of air that moves phlegm more gently than coughing or clearing the throat. Gentle shaking or tapping on resonators can help open up these resonators by dislodging mucus, therefore helping the actor focus on the areas that their voice can rest in most comfortably. Vocal exercises can help them learn which resonators they can use best to continue even when ill and use their voice in a way that will not cause vocal damage.

Also, in a given performance, the actor may have to adjust their use of voice to help them continue a performance. Changes in barometric pressure can create pressure in higher resonators, and if an actor is using those to avoid straining his or her folds, a change in tactic is called for. This is just another way actors strive to give you the best entertainment they can.

Next time you have a cold, talk to an actor friend! They will help you get through it smoothly with as little discomfort and strain on your vocal folds as possible! See one of our pirates and Director Mark Hardiman do a shortened version of vocal warm-up before the show here.

On The Many Jims: Life-Long Learning

The Many Jims

We have had some really informative feedback about this show, through Facebook, word of mouth and the blog. We are so grateful, because this helps us continue our mission of learning even as we teach at LLCC Theatre! Thank you so very much! And thank you to our international friends and readers in Ireland, France, Iran, Portugal and Germany for joining us these last few weeks!

The comment we have gotten most is confusion in the beginning about the number of Jims. In total, there are four. You can see our clip of an introduction and invitation! Today’s post is partly describing why Director Hardiman felt it was important to have so many Jims.

Treasure Island is almost always described as a coming-of-age story. What better way to illustrate that than to have Jims from varying ages experience the story for the first time, return to it, and then pass it on? This is not only a symbol of raising children, but also of teaching, inspiring and connecting person to person. Theatre would be nothing without a story inspiring interconnections that cause us to grow and learn as actors, students, directors and people.

In the year 2016, women still face many obstacles to equality, especially in the arts. Historically, women were, at times and in various cultures, forbidden from being on stage at all. The dynamic, however, has changed. We wanted to illustrate this changing dynamic by including female narrators. Mother Jim reads to Young Girl Jim, passing the story on to her. As Young Girl Jim matures and becomes Young Woman Jim, she reads the story again, and sees it in a new light. Identifying with the Squire, Young Woman Jim casts herself in that role and sees herself in a position of authority. In this way, we bridged the gap between a time when women were barred from powerful positions and now, when we are continually striving for equality for all peoples in all career positions, creating role model opportunities as well as generating diverse casting opportunities within the show.  

Not only are we dealing with role models, but we are dealing with how there is not one coming of age, but many. As the Youngest Jims discover the story for the first time because Mother and Father Jim read to them, Mother and Father Jim are rediscovering how they learned from the story, perhaps learning something entirely new from it. The Young Woman and Young Man Jims are rediscovering it at a younger age, with a particular fondness for connecting with the story and their parents, remembering how they knew it the story first and learning something new again with their maturing perspective. They remember fondly a world in their minds which did not bar them from fulfilling their passion for adventure and learning--a world which emerges on our stage.

Each re-connection made by the narrators in this show is a bold example of what each of our cast and crew are trying to achieve in theatre: connecting something or someone we know to a new idea, thought, feeling, perspective and image. This is really how the arts serve humanity, and what each of us complex human beings desires in connecting to one another. In turn, each of these amazing interactions drives LLCC to keep working with local art communities to create more exchanges of humanity.

Hopefully this has helped you see our story in a new light, and maybe with this in mind you will come back and see it one last time before it is done! Thanks for reading!

Browns Brass and Burnished Steel Harmonizing the Look

When working on a production there are a number of considerations, one of the chief ones are what is the overall look and feel of the production, will it be realistic or stylized? How does this support the entire concept? When looking at the production in design of props and scenic elements. I wanted a kind of neutral harmony--something that would really make the characters stand out from the space and the text, much as one would experience when reading a book. The pages are neutral and flat but what comes out of them is the filled with life by the imagination. So, I was immediately put in mind of the pages of an old book, or parchment. So as I began to assemble elements of the production, particularly furniture I looked for things that had a soft brown hue.

For a long time here at LLCC we have been using Muslin for all kinds of things, this has served us well as the neutral background and even scenery in numerous productions and more, this mixed nicely with the stained wood tones I was beginning with. I began adding accents of muslin and, of course, the silver of the swords. When it came to drinking vessels, tankards were found as well as pitcher like flagons in silver tones. Real objects when we needed them but where they were not, for instance crates that were being carried “full” onto the ship were filled with muslin. The sailors carry large muslin bags with what we assume are sails, or flour or the like. Other props like chests were purchased with a soft color of stained wood. The flintlocks are brass, silver and wood continuing with the visual harmony of the production. From this I arrived at a stylized neutrality.That worked well with the browns of the platforms at the Theatre in the Park Stage forming a page if you will from which the characters come bursting forth with life.

Silver's Striking Staff

Long John Silver in Treasure Island is described as having one leg (in our production a peg leg made out of what appears to be whale bone). To assist him he walks with a staff as well. This presented some truly interesting possibilities with regard to stage combat. You can see the full fight we describe below here.

Silver’s character is written as unpredictable and explosive. Generally, he works to get what he wants through lies and subterfuge, but there are a few moments in the text where his explosive anger comes to the fore shocking everyone. In one moment which we featured on video, his crew of cutthroats turns on him, attempting an attack on young Jim; Silver (Briar Fortkamp in our production) violently protects him and with equal rage subdues a physical attack from a second mutineer. Director Hardiman, wanted to have this moment a complete surprise: At the moment of the attack on Jim, Silver is technically unarmed. Silver with alacrity uses what he has about him. He uses, in order, his staff, his peg leg, his fist and again his staff. Seemingly, he breaks his opponents arm disarming him. Finishing the second mutineer, he uses his staff again to disarm and strike. At the end of the scene Silver has disarmed both mutineers and retains their knife and cutlass, which he subsequently carries throughout the remainder of the show symbolizing his acquisition of violent authority.

The crutch built for Silver was especially designed to be, effectively, a quarterstaff, and Director Hardiman and Assistant Choreographer John Osborne taught the use of the crutch the same way they would teach quarterstaff. (You may have seen a quarterstaff used in many places: by Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, or by the training soldiers in Disney’s Mulan, and it's even in Kung Fu Panda.) Revered by the old masters as the easiest and most dangerous weapon to wield, even a soft smack from this oak pole could break a bone or cause severe bruising, while the length of the staff keeps most swords and bladed weapons well out of reach. The length of the crutch allows it to be used in a long or short form just like with a quarterstaff, held in pike style and in thirds respectively. The key to success and safety with these fights ,where Silver does not use his staff for balance and movement, was the actor’s familiarity with the peg leg. Watch this video to hear how Silver got used to one leg!

Blind Pew also uses some forms of quarterstaff, so be sure to look for him in the show!

Walk The Plank! Pirates Doing Pilates

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!

Slashing with Sabre Cutting with Cutlass - Wielding the Weapons

Sabre and Cutlass

Of the bladed weapons we use in the show, the most prominent are the sabre and cutlass.

Sabres are single-edged swords that are curved slightly used in the cavalry from the 1700s to the 1900s. This weapon is the perfect tool for cutting opponents from horseback or thrusting while on foot. Our sabres were modeled after the Hutton Sabre, developed by Alfred Hutton. Hutton served in the King’s Dragoons, updating sabre dueling and trying in vain to reintroduce the sword as a military weapon. Meanwhile, he was greatly influential in the resurgence of fencing as a study and pastime in England during the late 1800s. The theatre owes Hutton quite a lot with regards to stage fighting: he worked in the early 1900s as a fight instructor with a group of actors incorporating both Jujitsu and stick fighting at the Baritsu Club.

In Treasure Island you will see that Doctor Livesey and Squire Trelawney both have sabres. We used the sabres to help us illustrate upper and lower class divisions between the characters. While the sabre and cutlass are very similar, there are subtleties about the sabre that make it slightly more sophisticated.

Cutlasses are a shorter, broader version of the sabre. Its curved blade was well-suited to use aboard ship, allowing for use in close-quarters and around rigging that surrounded fighters aboard sailing vessels without getting hung up. The style of fighting aboard ship was slightly different as well. While the cutting style remained the same, with slashing being the most prominent way of fighting, the stance was much broader and lower to help the fighters stay balanced on a moving deck. Also, in the close-quarters, the hilt of the weapon was used  for punching. Sabre is used with distance and form, whereas cutlass is used very close and the fighters often used their entire body to attack.

If you would like a brief overview of Hutton and his impact on stage combat, Britanica has a great selection of his texts here: http://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Hutton

If you would like to know more about any of these weapons contact LLCC and sign up for the knife class in fall of 2016! Professor of Theatre Mark Hardiman does a different weapon each semester. Check it out on the LLCC Theatre webpage here: http://www.llcc.edu/academics/academic-departments/arts-humanities/theatre/

Duties of Dueling: Progeny Against Pirates Edition

FIghts

This is one of the most fight-heavy shows LLCC Theatre has created, with the most people per fight than even the two previous Swash Is Unbuckled shows. The most important thing for actor-combatants and fight directors to deal with is safety. Each actor-combatant must be safe and completely unharmed, each audience member must be well out of the way and anyone else on the stage not involved in the fight must be kept clear as well. Each fight becomes similar to a mathematical equation where the solution, x, is known but the rest of the equation is unknown. Sometimes there are clues, where part of the equation is already there. Other times there is nothing to go on but the solution. Factors that make these equations more complicated are the kind of weapons used, such as cutlasses, sabers or firearms, and who is doing the fighting. Paying close attention to sightlines, contact strikes and distance, the fight directors and fight captains must work to keep the flow and tempo of the fights consistent while maintaining realistic damages.

Working with children is a delight not all theatre are able to have. In Treasure Island, however, LLCC Theatre and TIP are lucky enough to have three younger actors in the cast, as the Young Jims. Choreographing stage combat with young actors is intensely important, for both the director and for the aspiring actor. Just like in dance, music, languages, or any other martial art learning a skill while the brain is still in it’s crucial developmental stages can prove more productive. Stage combat is an integral part of classic and modern plays. Hardiman includes a special choreography section in his Stage Combat Courses at LLCC to help students deal hands-on with safety. Teaching students and young actors about looking for safety issues sooner rather than later means they will be ready to look for safety issues when they encounter it later in their careers.

Storytelling in combat is the second most important part of choreographing a fight. Going back to the math metaphor, does the equation match the outcome? Does the solution for x line up? Is each attack and defense properly motivated? Do they flow smoothly, moving from one parry into another strike? Does the motivation work with the characters action range and cultural history?

A very important aspect of rehearsal and pre-show prep is fight call. This is where the actor-combatants come together and run through their fights before a performance or rehearsal. Doing a fight call serves a number of purposes:

1. The actor-combatants are reminded of the fight, any tricky bits that they may have trouble with, and any safety concerns can be addressed.

2. There can be adjustments made for anything different- perhaps the costume has been altered, maybe the stage is a bit damp, perhaps the actors are on an entirely different stage if we have to move the performance inside due to rain.

3. The fight call serves as a vitally important re-connection and grounding experience between the actors to rebuild any character or actor bonds between when they last did the fight and the fight call.

Included in this post is a video of our Girl Jim Understudy (Anna) working with Arrow (MacKenzie) and (Kennideigh) on their fight during fight call. This is a clip of the first time Anna has done the fight on the outside stage. Weapons used in this fight are shovel, knife and cutlass.

They are moving much slower than fight speed, which is sometimes done in a fight call. The first thing our actor-combatants do is make eye contact with each other, so they know that everyone is ready to go. Next, Anna cues the first head cut by holding out the knife at the angle and height she will be cutting, so the others know how low to duck. Next she uses the Magical Floating Head Technique: she sets her eyes where her opponents heads used to be. This way, when they duck, she doesn't track them with her eyes because the weapon will certainly follow her gaze and really get them in the head. We can't have that! She repeats the same process with the second cut. Her opponents do a lovely job of keeping eyes on her and her knife, to know when it is safe to stop ducking.

You may also notice that Kennideigh takes the shovel and "punches" it into her own stomach, rather than letting Anna really hit her with it in the gut. This is a precaution we take in stage combat with almost all contact strikes with a weapon. Using this technique, Kennideigh remains in control of the weapon, where and how hard it strikes. Anna simply offers the handle to Kennideigh and she grasps it with her hand, guiding it to the right place. Using physical weight shifts and this other magical thing called Acting, Anna and Kennideigh can make it look like Anna is the mightiest of young girls and his giving this pirate a punch for her money.