the use of the space

Description:

This week we discuss about Paucartambo PPP. The main discussion we had was about the space.

Analysis:

As an Andean theatre convention the space would be open. In paucartambo the celebration takes place in a whole city and each “scene” adapts to different parts of the town. The main difference that made this impossible to us was because we way less actors. Only 7. How many people act makes a difference on how much space and how would the space will be used. The function of the space is the function each actor gives to it. The magical thing about theatre is that actors can transform something into another. The same happens with scenary. As the space infront the school theatre is too big the actors would look to small, will be “lost” in the space. The presence of the actor is essential in theatre as without actors there`s no theatre, so what impression would it cause a big space in which the audience can’t find the actors.

The space on the kiosk was different. We had different spaces, the one at the sid of the kiosk in which we could act but what was more interesting was the roof of the first floor, there was space around the kiosk, like roofs in which we could also act. Although this doesn’t look like paucartambo city the thing is transform the space. The infrastructure of this gives the possibility to maintain many of the space conventions. As first we want to “take” the kiosk this would be like a guerrilla and the space gives the possibility of acting in circles, as in a “ring”. This can also be done in this space so that the audience can give a better view. This space makes it possible as it isn’t to big so if actors disperse in this space the actor can have a presence.

The space also makes it possible to do the bosque here. The space around the kiosk, the roof of the first floor could be used for the bosque. It is like a fixed plataform and infront of this the audience would be situated. Infront of this space, in the first floor many people will be present at the time of performance so the “bosque” would have a good response as the audience here could be easily attracted and even more if the space for performance is this one as is a place where usually nothing happens, people haven’t notice.

Connections:

A matter of dissection: The space we used for this place was reduced. It all happened around a table and the table made the space even smaller. What made the space smaller was also the morgue’s door. Another thing that helped was the lights, as it was focused then we could also reduce the space to the sides. This strategies show how space can be modified by how you distribute scenary, so as there were few actors the space could be reduced using this strategies.

La cocina: The space for this play was big, it even had a second floor. The kitchen first floor space was reduced by the tables and other kitchen furniture. This helped to form the feeling of disorder because it made the space to feel like overcrowded. The second floor by the lights was reduced and this had a different atmosphere than in the first floor. This made that the same space have different atmospheres.

Hebras: The performance space for Hebras is round and the audience surrounds as in a ring the space for performance. This play shows us how the actors adapt to the space rather than the space for the actors. The open space without any props required of big movements as in Paucartambo.
La falsa criada: In this play the space was adequated to the actors. I think this was a big problem for the performance as no imagination was left, no creativity all was to concrete. Here we can see how the space was adapted for the performance rather than the performance to the space. I think that this shows how when we leave no chance for the actor to adapt to the space and just adapt the space for everything the actor would need takes out the theatricality, in the way that no room for the audience interpretation is left, also we have to think that theatre is not like a movie, although it can be similar scene changes need that space sometimes remains abstract rather than making it explicit so scene changes would be easier.

Reflection:

The space can be adapted for the actors and the actors can adapt to the space. The space can be adapted by the use of lights, props, furniture, etc. But how can the actor adapt to the space? In Paucartambo we see how the organization the actors have, acting in rows or in circles and doing big body expressions for example, but are there any other techniques?

Also the fact that is better to remain a scenary abstract may help for the performance, but we can't leave things unclear, atleast we need to suggest it so how will this affect the performance? I think that for the kiosk for example we would need it to do it abtract but because of "salim" and the fact that the protest in day 1 with the cartels making reference to the kiosk will help to carify that what the maqtas will rob in our performace will be the kiosk. So if we arent having a concrete kiosk we may have a tent, as in "La Guerrilla" in Paucartambo.