Ways of Seeing Overall Evaluation 13

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October 2014

AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY
'Ways Cf Seelng' has been an amazlng roller coasLer of a [ourney! lL has been an eye
opener and we have worked ln a way l have never experlenced before. l am really
geLLlng a LasLe for whaL lL feels llke Lo be a parL of an lndependenL 1heaLre Company.
1hls comes wlLh lL's own demands as an acLor buL also as an lndlvldual.

Where did we start?

When we sLarLed l was exclLed abouL Lhe
posslblllLles LhaL were open Lo us. lrom day one
we were deLermlned Lo make our plece dlfferenL
and push Lhe boundarles. Pavlng already done
'WlLhouL Words' we wanLed Lo really push
ourselves and explore furLher lnLo hyslcal
1heaLre. l was looklng forwards Lo learnlng more
abouL Lhe company and how we were golng Lo
run self sufflclenLly, havlng no seL dlrecLor buL
devlslng as acLors on Lhe floor and maklng
lndependenL declslons. When we sLarLed, some
acLors were unsure abouL Lhe process because of
hyslcal 1heaLre noL belng a maln sLrengLh.
Powever, l belleve LhaL Lhe Lerm really ls so broad
and lL ls whaL you make lL, so you can sLlll play Lo your sLrengLhs buL ln a dlfferenL
way.

When we recelved Lhe sLlmulus lmage LhaL was a real key momenL. l had no ldea
whaL Lo expecL! l really llked Lhe facL LhaL Lhe second years chose Lhe lmage and Lhe
dlrecLors were also unaware of Lhe sLlmulus maLerlal. lL puL us all ln Lhe same boaL
and meanL no one had any pre concelved ldeas abouL whaL Lhey were golng Lo creaLe.
lL made me reallse LhaL you really can make 1heaLre ouL of anyLhlng. WlLh creaLlvlLy,
lmaglnaLlon, passlon and commlLmenL you can make anyLhlng happen.
Key Moments of the process.



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1haL's why l love 1heaLre so much and Lhls process has relnforced Lhls vlew, ln Lhe
1heaLre you are free Lo creaLe and express whaLever you wanL Lo. l love Lhe
exploraLlve feel and LhaL Lhere really ls no rlghL or wrong.
AnoLher key momenL for me, was when
we sLarLed Lo make progress and develop
a love for Lhe shadow work we were
dolng! When we explored wlLh Lhe eLer
an sLory Lhls ls when lL cllcked for me
LhaL Lhere were so many posslblllLles. lL
exclLed me abouL Lhe poLenLlal of Lhls
form of 1heaLre, buL also abouL Lhe
challenge LhaL was ahead. When we
waLched oLher shadow companles, lL was
overwhelmlng how smooLh Lhelr
LranslLlons were and how amazlngly
skllled Lhey were Loo. Powever, l dldn'L once Lhlnk we needed Lo lmlLaLe Lhls. My goal
was always for us Lo puL our own spln on lL and lnLerpreL shadow ln an orlglnal way. l
really belleve LhaL we achleved Lhls goal because whaL we dld wasn'L acLually LhaL
Lechnlcally complex once we goL our head around lL, buL Lhe sLory, meanlng and
characLers were sLrong and made lL work.

ln addlLlon, anoLher key momenL was when we all sLarLed Lo make Lhe connecLlon
beLween Lhe Lwo secLlons of our plece. AL flrsL, Lhey felL dls[olnLed from one anoLher.
Powever, as we sLarLed Lo progress wlLh Lhe ldea of lsolaLlon, l sLarLed Lo see lL all
llnklng LogeLher. 1he ldea of Levl represenLlng Lhe dog/feaLher and belng lsolaLed for
me really worked. 1he sLrengLh of Lhe force LhaL we creaLed as an ensemble was a
LhreaLenlng one and l belleve we dellvered our message well. 1he absLracL and llLeral
slde Lo our plece was someLhlng we found ourselves debaLlng abouL a loL, buL l feel
LhaL Lhe way we merged Lhe Lwo and were noL afrald Lo sLlck Lo our orlglnal
lnLenLlons worked.




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Overall, was the process a success?
Cverall, l belleve Lhe process was a greaL success and l was exLremely proud of our end
resulL. 1he maln Lhlng for me ls LhaL facL LhaL we creaLed a unlque plece of 1heaLre LhaL
was a creaLlve, lmaglnaLlve and lnslghLful response Lo Lhe sLlmulus maLerlal. We really
Lold a sLory and provoked a loL of LhoughL amongsL our audlence. l don'L mlnd lf people
dldn'L necessarlly see Lhe connecLlon ln whaL we produced, l belleve LhaL Lhe success ls
based on Lhe quesLlons asked and Lhe memorablllLy of whaL we dld. We Look a loL of
rlsks as a company and ln Lurn Lhls led us Lo produclng someLhlng ouL of Lhe box and
orlglnal.
1he facL Lhls process allowed us Lo form our company makes lL a success lL lLself. lL
challenged all of us and proved LhaL we can creaLe greaL work, we [usL all need Lo be on
Lhe same bus and puL everyLhlng lnLo geLLlng Lhe ball movlng ln Lhe flrsL place. l found
geLLlng sLarLed Lhe hardesL Lhlng on Lhls process, buL once lnsplraLlon sLarLed Lo flood ln
Lhere was no sLopplng us and l know LhaL all Lhls maLerlal, sponLanelLy and drlve led us
Lo Lhe successful ouLcome.
1hls wlll be an unforgeLLable process also for Lhe facL LhaL we became '1lghLrope
1heaLre Company' we are flndlng our feeL and undersLandlng Lhe Lype of company we
wanL Lo be.
1here were oLher parLs of Lhe process LhaL were noL qulLe so successful, buL l know we
wlll be able Lo learn from Lhese weaknesses ln Lhe fuLure. 1here was Loo much
dlscusslon and noL enough dolng - (a company weakness dlscussed below!) 1hls
hlndered Lhe amounL of play we had and we resLrlcLed ourselves, almosL maklng up
rules of whaL we could and couldn'L explore. 1he rehearsal process would have been
more successful lf everyone had Lhe same aLLlLude Lhey had a couple of days before Lhe
plece wenL ouL. l undersLand LhaL declslons need Lo be made, buL l don'L belleve we
used our dlscovery Llme wlsely enough, we should have been more on Lhe ball Lrylng as
much as posslble.



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l belleve LhaL a personal sLrengLh on Lhls process
has been drlve and commlLmenL. l feel LhaL
LhroughouL our ups and downs l have remalned
focused and commlLLed Lo Lhe work. l was noL
afrald Lo [usL keep golng, even lf lL felL llke Lhe
company was falllng aparL. l really wanLed our
plece Lo be a success and LhaL was a huge drlvlng
force for me as an lndlvldual. l am noL afrald of
hard work and wanLed Lo make sure LhaL we made
lL as good as lL could be. AnoLher sLrengLh l have
had on Lhls process has been Laklng rlsks. l have
pushed myself as a physlcal performer and also
sLepped lnLo role of choreographer aL Llmes,
Leachlng new movemenLs Lo Lhe company and
Laklng more of a leadershlp role lnslde some
workshops. 1hls has helped me Lo be more
confldenL ln my ldeas and Lhe maLerlal l produce.

My weaknesses on Lhls process have lncluded
LrusLlng Lhe maLerlal we flnallsed for Lhe plece.
lor example, on show day before performlng for
Lhe dress run l was exLremely apprehenslve abouL
our maLerlal. Worry ls a sLrange emoLlon because
as an acLor you have Lhls confldence LhaL lL wlll all
work ouL, buL anoLher parL of you geLs worked up
and sLarLs analyslng all Lhe small Lhlngs LhaL could
be Lweaked or beLLer rehearsed. 1hls ls someLhlng
l am golng Lo work on LhroughouL Lhe nexL
process. l know LhaL we wlll geL Lhere ln Lhe end
and l need Lo free myself up Lo play ln Lhe
momenL more. l shouldn'L be caughL up ln Lhe
Lhlngs LhaL cold poLenLlally go wrong buL raLher

embrace Lhem as a challenge.
As l learnL ln my prevlous 2
years as Lhe Mlskln, a blL of
nervous energy can acLually be
a really good Lhlng. l need Lo
learn Lo Lhlnk of Lhls as a
poslLlve and [usL LrusL LhaL deep
down l would know how Lo
respond lf someLhlng dld go
pear shaped! A parL of LhaL ls
also abouL LrusLlng Lhe
company more, and knowlng
LhaL we are all Lhere for one
anoLher. We wlll be a sLronger
company golng lnLo Lhe nexL
process. 1he facL we dldn'L
have a conslsLenL dlrecLors eye
also as Lhe acLor makes you
quesLlon yourself more. lL
means you have Lo rely on whaL
feels rlghL and Lhe responses
from your peers. 1hls can be a
challenge, buL l am so glad we
dld lL. lL broughL us closer
LogeLher and enabled us all Lo
be crlLlcally reflecLlve on Lhe
work we were produclng.

Individual Strengths and
Weaknesses



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As a company, Lhls process has been a
challenge. We have acLually faced
many Lhlngs l never belleved would be
an lssue, buL lL has opened my eyes Lo
how hard lL can be. l passlonaLely
belleve Lhough LhaL Lhese ups and
downs have made us a much sLronger
company Lhan we were aL Lhe sLarL of
Lhe process. l now undersLand whaL
lndlvldual acLors sLrengLhs and
weaknesses are, and how we can use
each oLher Lo collaboraLe and play Lo
all of our sLrengLhs.
SomeLhlng Carlelgh sald ln Lhe debrlef
LhaL sLood ouL Lo me was LhaL 'Cur
blggesL sLrengLh ls our blggesL
weakness.' We do have such a dlverse
company wlLh so many sLrong
oplnlons, whlch can aL Llmes be
dlfflculL, maklng lL can be hard Lo
reach conclse and falr declslons.
Powever, on Lhe oLher hand, lL ls such
an asseL. lL means LhaL we have loLs of
maLerlal, ldeas and concepLs Lo
dlscover. We [usL need Lo learn how
Lo explore posslblllLles effecLlvely and
know when lLs rlghL Lo move on or
delve furLher ln dlscovery. We need Lo
learn how Lo hone ln Lhe ldeas LhaL
are worklng wlLhouL cuLLlng off oLher
proposals and maklng sure we are
maklng declslons effecLlvely.
As a company, we are qulLe a
conLradlcLlon! An example of Lhls ls when
we were Lrylng Lo declde on an ldea/
overall Lheme of Lhe plece. 1here were so
many ldeas, even sLreLchlng Lo dolng lL
abouL Lhe exLlncLlon of Lhe dlnosaurs!
1hls seemed Lo cause more dlscusslon
raLher Lhan dolng and dldn'L cause Lhe
amounL of exclLemenL lL should have, we
were Loo caughL up ln worrylng abouL a
declslon. Looklng back l see all Lhese
ldeas LhaL were ouL of Lhe blue as such
sLrengLhs. We were noL holdlng back, we
were belng creaLlve and leLLlng go. l
belleve LhaL as a company we need Lo
change Lhe way we look aL Lhlngs. We
should have [usL embraced Lhe absurdlLy
and goL up and explored on our feeL!
Also, we had polnLs where acLors were
noL ln Lhe room and presenL ln Lhe
progress we were Lrylng Lo make. 1hls goL
parLlcularly frusLraLlng when Lrylng Lo
creaLe shadow lmages and noL belng able
Lo because of Lhe lack of acLors ln Lhe
space. lL ls naLural Lo have ups and
downs, buL Lhe process was noL a success
all Lhe way Lhrough and we dld have days
when lL felL llke we were hlLLlng a brlck
wall. lL shows LhaL lf everyone was always
on lL, Lhe posslblllLles really would be
endless, because we had a rocky process
buL sLlll managed Lo produce a plece we
were proud of.
Company Strengths and
Weaknesses


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A blg sLrengLh Lhough was Lhe company splrlL on performance day, we were pumped
for Lhe performance and Lhe adrenallne goL us Lhrough. l was nervous, buL l felL
reassured by Lhe company around me. lL felL sLrong, on Lhe ball and responslve. l was
exclLed abouL whaL we were golng Lo perform. 1hls ls LhaL aLLlLude l belleve we need
Lo apply Lo all LhaL we do ln Lhe fuLure and ln an everyday rehearsal, LhaL's how greaL
1heaLre wlll really come Lo llfe.

AnoLher company sLrengLh was Lhe rlsk we Look. We all Lrled someLhlng new and
wanLed Lhe plece Lo be dlfferenL. l see lL as a real sLrengLh LhaL we Look a chance and
dldn'L [usL opL for whaL we knew would work ouL.

Moreover, as a company we are really lmaglnaLlve. We are noL a llLeral company!
1here ls always an lnLerpreLaLlon someone has made or an observaLlon LhaL l dldn'L
see, whlch makes lL a [oy Lo be dlscoverlng on Lhe floor, as l never know whaL's golng
Lo happen! We are also a company wlLh a loL of fun. AlLhough Lhls lsn'L always
reflecLed on Lhe floor, Lhe hearL of Lhe company ls playful and l Lhlnk LhaL ls really
lmporLanL.

How successfully did you complete tasks that were set?
1he maln Lask Lo devlse a 7 - 9 mlnuLe plece of physlcal 1heaLre, we fulfllled
effecLlvely and lmaglnaLlvely. l also belleve LhaL as an acLor l was able Lo compleLe
oLher Lasks effecLlvely LhaL alded our flnal performance. lor example, researchlng
1heaLre Companles opened my eyes Lo a world of devlsed performance LhaL l dldn'L
know abouL, and lL enabled me Lo reallse [usL how powerful devlsed 1heaLre can be.

Also, when we spllL off lnLo groups Lo devlse work l was able Lo brlng a creaLlvlLy and
open mlnd Lo Lhls, Laklng on each challenge wlLh an enLhuslasm and eagerness Lo
explore. 1he blg Lask of Shadow 1heaLre aL flrsL dld seem llke a daunLlng one. 1here
were days when we would experlmenL creaLlng lmages and noL really geL anywhere,
feellng frusLraLed LhaL we couldn'L geL lL exacLly rlghL. Powever, lf we dldn'L make
Lhese mlsLakes and go Lhrough LhaL learnlng curve we wouldn'L have goL Lhe same
plece we dld aL Lhe end. 1herefore, l am proud of Lhe facL we were noL afrald Lo Lry
new ldeas ouL, and Lhen Lhrow Lhem away and sLarL agaln lf lL wasn'L worklng. We
may noL have relalsed lL aL Lhe Llme, buL all LhaL dld conLrlbuLe ln an effecLlve way Lo
Lhe ouLcome. ?ou have Lo explore oLherwlse you wlll never know whaL's posslble.


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If you had more time, what would you change and why?
lf we had more Llme on Lhls process, l would wanL Lo really focus on physlcal clarlLy
and Lhe overall effecLlveness of Lhe physlcal secLlon. l wouldn'L change anyLhlng
abouL our cholce of movemenLs, l would [usL wanL Lo be more speclflc wlLh whaL we
were dolng. Lspeclally Lhe fasLer secLlon and Lhe llfLs because l belleve lL could have
been dellvered wlLh more fluldlLy and conLrol.

l would also wanL Lo explore creaLlng a soundscape so LhaL we were uslng more
vocals. 1he name changlng from 'WlLhouL Words' Lo 'Ways of Seelng' was acLually
very slgnlflcanL Lo me. lL opened my mlnd Lo loLs of posslblllLles and ldeas abouL
lncorporaLlng vocals and uslng our bodles Lo creaLe sound. l belleve Lhls ls an aspecL
we mlssed. We could have creaLed more opporLunlLy l Lhlnk Lo be creaLlve wlLh Lhe
accompanlmenL. Powever, desplLe Lhls l was really pleased wlLh Lhe muslc cholces we
had. 'A 1housand ?ears' for Lhe shadow was hearLwarmlng, emoLlve and helped draw
Lhe audlence ln. Also, Lhe muslc for Lhe physlcal secLlon had a good Lempo and greaL
dynamlc shlfLs. 1hen, golng lnLo Lhe lasL plece of muslc for Lhe Learlng of Lhe cloLh, l
felL LhaL was hlghly approprlaLe and gave Lhe chaoLlc, eerle and menaclng effecL we
wanLed.

l would also have llked Lo spend a llLLle longer on Lhe llghLlng. l was really pleased
wlLh Lhe overall aLmosphere lL creaLed buL small Lhlngs llke blackouLs belng more
exacL and us uslng LhaL ln Lhe way we lnlLlally lnLended would have been good Lo
explore. AL Lhe sLarL of Lhe physlcal secLlon we had a blackouL so LhaL we could swap
places and surprlse Lhe audlence. Powever, l dldn'L Lhlnk Lhe Llmlng of Lhls was ever
qulLe rlghL and as acLors we were noL Luned lnLo lL enough Lo make Lhe llluslon work.

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8
Ways of Seeing Overall Evaluation 13
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What have you learnt as an actor that will influence your next
process?

As an acLor, l have dlscovered a huge amounL on Lhls process LhaL l wlll lndeflnlLely
Lake wlLh me noL only onLo Lhe nexL process, buL also LhroughouL Lhe resL of my
acLlng Lralnlng. llrsLly, l wlll LrusL Lhe company more, Lhls comes from havlng more
knowledge of whaL we can do and we wlll be much more ln Lune wlLh one anoLher. l
belleve we wlll be able Lo communlcaLe more effecLlvely and undersLand dlfferenL
peoples perspecLlves ln a more well rounded way.

As an acLor, l have learnL LhaL Laklng rlsks doesn'L geL easler buL LhaL's when Lhe mosL
exclLlng Lhlngs happen. l have learnL LhaL when you really push Lhe boundarles you
don'L have anyLhlng Lo loose. l wanL Lo Lake Lhls eLhos wlLh me on Lhe nexL process
and noL llmlL myself. l would llke Lo explore everyLhlng and be open mlnded abouL
new Lechnlques and ldeas comlng forwards. l have also learnL noL Lo feel llke
declslons have Lo be made so abrupLly and deflnlLely. When you gaLher up loLs of
maLerlal, you can acLually leL all Lhe dlfferenL sources lnsplre you and lnLerllnk Lhem.
?ou don'L have Lo [usL be clued ln Lo one concepL. ?ou make someLhlng more Lhree-
dlmenslonal lf you layer lL and keep looklng for ways Lo push lL forward.

1hls process has been a huge learnlng curve for us all and l feel poslLlve and exclLed
abouL where we can go now as a company. l belleve LhaL Lhls ls [usL Lhe Llp of Lhe lce
burg and we should conLlnue Lo sLrlve Lo be unlque, orlglnal and creaLlve ln all LhaL we
do.

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