My initial idea for a solo performance was to present a story of grief. I felt that many people could relate to this, however it was also very personal to me so would be an honest approach. I didn’t want to showcase tears and sorrow because I thought this would be a bit too deep however I wanted to tell a story through a grieving process. I did think about linking my performance to my dissertation topic, so that I had incorporated performance and theory related to Morecambe and Wise. In my grieving process this famous double act aided me to cope and think positively. My original idea was to kneel on the ground , narrating a monologue about my grief . I was also going to record my voice, as Eric Morecambe. Thus, the live me on stage hears these words of encouragement and support and starts the healing process. I thought this was a powerful idea , involved modern technology and was very personal to my life, so a topic which I am very passionate in talking about.
However, this idea drastically developed when I took notice of theoretical works. “The energy and originality of this new solo work ” (Bonney, 1999,xi). My first idea relied on Morecambe and Wise’s material and , in portraying depression could easily lose the vitality and therefore the energy of the performance. Solo performance is furthermore based around “artists performing for their own communities” (Bonney, 1999, xi). What I display needs to be something that interacts with a wider audience , and something which incites an audience’s feelings, they relate to it too. It is also true that it is composed of “expanded performance style , written text and ultimately, a broader audience” (Bonney, 1999, xii). Although, Bonney claims that “the solo show expects and demands the active involvement of the people in the audience” (Bonney, 1999, xiii) this is not always the case. If the audience are experiencing the material on a metaphorical or symbolic level without actually offering a response they are still remaining active. I feel it is more appropriate to make an audience feel something than demand that they participate in the activity.
With these fresh ideas in mind it is time to develop a 5 minute solo performance.
Works Cited
Bonney, Jo (ed.) (2000) Extreme Exposure: an anthology of solo performance texts from the twentieth century, New York: Theatre Communications Group.