Private and Public
This week Steffan Donnelly from the Invertigo Theatre Company came to speak to us about his one-man performance, My Body Welsh. The
performance is heavily inspired by Welsh folklore, and it explores the ways in
which mythology has been used to connect people to their culture throughout history.
However, the play also questions the concept of identity, especially the ways
that folklore has been abused historically to promote ideas such as nationalism,
that may arise from a strong sense of shared identity. I found this fascinating
as I have a particular interest in the subject, and have actually been
considering using local folklore in my own performance. The ways in which old
local stories are used to explore more current themes is something I find
intriguing.
We were also visited by Karen da Silva, a Meisner technique
specialist. She also had us contemplating ideas of shared culture and localised
stereotypes, getting us to think about what connects us to the places we come
from. Combined with Donnelly’s concern of when this becomes a problem, I am
considering exploring similar themes in my own work. She then gave us a short
Meisner crash-course, explaining the basis of the acting technique to be
focusing wholly on the other characters on stage etc. and responding to them as
naturalistically as possible. This made us more conscious of how we behave when
we know we are being watched, linking back to the themes of identity that we
have been exploring, especially the ideas of how we are perceived versus who we
are. She linked these ideas to this Marina Abramovic piece, which explores the concept
of “looking” and “seeing” one another.
- Robinson, Tara. and Donnelly, Steffan. My Body Welsh, [London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2017]
- The Artist is Present, Marina Abramovic, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS0Tg0IjCp4
- Moseley, Nick. Meisner in Practice a Guide for Actors, Directors and Teachers. [London: Nick Hern Books, 2012]
