Beginnings

The Beginning - "The point in time or space at which something begins."

Following on from Adesola's blog post on "Beginning", please find the link below for further reading: http://adesolaa.blogspot.com

September 2018

The start of a new academic year, a new job for me and the first moments of my BA course in Professional Practice. The Beginning.

That is a lot of beginnings I have to admit. Over the past few weeks I have felt somewhat overwhelmed. The unknown, the unexpected as I have been muddling my way through the first steps of everything.

Last week I taught a new Junior LAMDA group class. A little boy of 7 years old balled his eyes out before coming in. He was afraid, he didn't know what to expect and I thought, goodness I know exactlyhow you feel! A little reassurance that I wasn't a horrible goblin teacher and a warm smile, he then hesitantly walked in (with a gentle nudge from his mother I might add). Once we got started with the tasks at hand, he was absolutely fine, he even started to enjoy it. By the end of the lesson the scary start was a distance memory and the present moment was all that mattered. The point was he got on with it and so did I; and once the ball was rolling all was well. So many people talk the talk in life but never walk the walk, I suppose they just never really begin.

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Adesola my course tutor has asked me to reflect upon some shows I have seen that have a poignant beginning.

A brilliant example of this was a Greek Tradegy that I saw 10 years ago set in an old London abattoir. What a fantastic setting! Arches, bare bleak stone, blood stained walls, rusted chains and the ominous tiled floors. An hour before the show started, the audience was invited to observe and peruse the set. Each character had their own zone, completely personalised to their character. The character's stayed in their zone and fully in character for you to view. The set, entirely lit by candles threw flickering shadows across the walls, the sounds of certain characters muttering, singing, being; this built atmosphere and a great sense of tension, it was hands down one of the most exciting starts to a show I have ever seen. Before the show had officially started, it had very much begun.

Another example and perhaps a slightly odd one to follow. I used to work at Thorpe Park during their "Fright Nights" seasons. I worked as an actor in the horror mazes. The audience found their way around each horror maze in the dark, coming across various things to scare them. Loud noises, a lunatic in an asylum, a zombie chasing them, that kind of thing. Absolutely ridiculous and so much fun for us actors scaring the living daylights out of Joe public. A job that always made me laugh but always amazed me just how scared people were, when the reality of an actor pacing back and forth in a silly costume and fake make up seemed almost laughable. But the point was the audience had built up their fears and tension long before they had entered the show. As they waited in the queue they listened to ominous music, heard the screams of those inside and walked through a basic yet effective set. The longer they waited, the more scared they were. By the time the official performance had begun, the audience were often so frightened that the slightest noise or movement sent them running.

The build up enhanced every experience and every performance. The performances had begun before they begun. 

So what do these reflections teach us? From a performance perspective it can be a very effective tool in enhancing live or an immersive experience.

From a practical prospective, I think that beginning gives us a sense of purpose, an exciting if not scary new adventure. But most of all, its a new chapter to commence forward in our lives. So what are you waiting for?