Blog #11: Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.

Description:

The second week of June just passed and we are exactly 4 days away from the premier of "Romper la Piel". This week, we had our general rehearsal in which we were able to fix any last minute details in order to make the play work in the best way. In my case, I worked and contributed to the process in a practical way, although sometimes I had to be the leader, specially with the 6th graders that worked in the tower with me in order to make the entrances as exits as clean as possible.

Analysis:

This week, as I already mentioned, we had the general rehearsal for the school play and therefore the actors and the musicians had to work hard in order to have the cues clear. As I have mentioned on previous entries, music is a really important factor capable of increasing tension, rhythm and pace  to the scene depending on the amount of dissonance and the pitch of the instruments the musical piece has. Taking as an example the ending of scene 6, Las Pruebas, the inclusion of the staccato bowing by a single violin during "el proceso de inducción" helped to increase tension as it gave the idea of individuality and uncertainty. Why? In my opinion, the fact that there was just one violin playing it gave the idea of individuality, reassembling more or less "el hombre" itself, likewise; the fact that it was doing staccato bowing gave the idea of uncertainty as if "el hombre" wasn't sure about what was going to happen. Furthermore, we could argue that the fact that it was just one violin, made the volume be low showing the impotence of "el hombre" who is incapable of changing his destiny; he simply does not show the strength and power of will it takes to step up and stop being the underdog to become something more. Therefore, I believe that music has a great influence on the dynamism it can add and bring to the scenes. The audience could feel what was going on, I think they were able to get into "el hombre's" shoes for a moment and realize that the lack of stability in his life is something really 

Furthermore, we could say that the effect that Jake implemented to the transition between scene 6, Las Pruebas, and scene 7, Sueño Fucsia, increased the tension and instability of "el hombre" as well. In my opinion, this "wah wah" effect rapidly varied between high and low pitches which gave the effect of oppression, overwhelm and instability. In a way, it gave the audience a glimpse into "el hombre's" soul and mental state; it was as if we could hear his thoughts and the fact that it was an unclear sound gave the impression that he didn't have his ideas well settled. Therefore, we could argue that the music followed the concept of an overwhelming reality, as it contributed to "el hombre's" moral decay. Clear dissonance, variations in the pitch and volume, and a chromatic scale helped to give the audience a clearer idea of how "el hombre" was feeling. This was of great use for the scene changes or transitions because it gave the feeling of blurriness required for the changes between reality and dreams.

Another design element that really helped to improve the scenes and give the sense of blurriness and uncertainty, was lighting. The adjustable light that managed to give a sense of hierarchy was the light propeller at each of the edges of the stage, the LEKO.  These managed to cast a shadow on the tower, which at the same time created two different effects. On one hand, we could say that when "el hombre" is being questioned by "el psicólogo" the shadow created on the wooden plank gave the impression of "el hombre's" inner self which little by little is starting to get bigger and bigger until the final outburst in the last scene of the play. Since the LEKOs were illuminating from the bottom-up, the shadow created was even bigger than Eduardo himself. Therefore, we could say that it gave the idae of "Romper la Piel", of "el hombre" going through these different stages in his life until he changes; until he reaches this different stage in which he first need to change internally to change on the outside as well. Moreover, we could argue that the shadow created on the tower gave the impression that "el hombre" is still being diminished by "el jefe", since in the tower, we had light striking right into "el jefe's" face creating a sense of spookiness and power. Although the shadow on the tower was pretty big, the fact that "el jefe" was on a higher level helped to create with the help of the lighting on his face the idea of him being superior and more powerful than "el hombre". The shadows created on the back of the scenery, in the case of "el jefe"  as I already said, gave the sensation of power and predominance, reinforcing his empowered status.

Furthermore, I could argue that the shadows created on the scenery, such as the tower or the wooden planks at the sides managed to depict one of German Expressionism's main ideas and purposes. Taking into account Germany's status in that time, we could say that these type of plays dramatized the "spiritual awakening" and suffering of their protagonists; in a way they intended to atone the feelings of these people. Germany at that time was going through the stages of World War 1 and suffered its terrible consequences. The country was in a state of depression and people had an undefined identity. Therefore I believe that shadows helped to portray that, the undefined identity of these type of people who aren't sure of what is coming next, who aren't sure about the power they are capable of having, etc.

Connections:

I have managed to reinforce a connection that I found when we were first starting to implement music to the rehearsals. It is a connection with "El Ultimo Ensayo" and all of the scenes of the school play. In "El Ultimo Ensayo" there are no clear changes between the scenes; lights do not fade nor they turn off, therefore the use of of props and music is essential in order to make a clear contrast between scenes. In the school play, we had in mind the idea of scenes being connected with no abrupt scene changes of cuts; the purpose of this was to give the idea of constant oppression in "el hombre" who does not have time to stop for a minute and reflect on the different things that are happening to him. We did this by using music and slight changes in the use of lighting and props. This intends to maintain the energy, pace and attention of the audience at its fullest. As I previously mentioned, the use of music accompanied by a series of actions is really effective in the transitions. The progressive changes in pace is useful to create another level of reality from scene 1 onto scene 2, scene 2 onto scene 3, etc. the grotesque and bizarre movements made by the workers give a sense of dreams and illusion. By changing the pace, rhythm and volume of the music, we can determine when the scenes are changing or when we are getting into a dream or back to reality. The use of lights was clearer in this manner as each dream had a color, and thus by using gels we gave the stage the color of the dream... making it clear for the audience that a dream was taking place.

Reflections:

I have been able to realize that music in fact helps to create a feeling of paranoia, in this case the paranoia felt by "El Hombre" since he will now feel that he is always being judged due to his quality of "inutil". The music therefore makes the listener/audience feel as if they were in a maze without a map; lost and confused. Instruments such as violins and violoncellos were useful to depict changing moods in the scene; the use of staccato bowing generate tension and uncertainty due to the speed and length of the notes they make. I can therefore say that the scenes solidified and became more complete as the implementation of sound designwas useful to make clearer the ideas that want to be transmitted. Music also helps to establish a better connection with the audience as it might help to bring them back memories of their past in which they remember situations that are similar to the ones being presented in the play. I also noticed that lighting is a really important factor in order to create a difference in hierarchy and power due to the shadows and their size. Likewise, these shadows gave the impression of the instability that "el hombre" and many of the other characters in a way feel in their lives. Now the questions is, if these will manage to establish a stronger relationship with the audience as they feel more identified. 

Will design elements be appreciated as much as they deserve by the audience? Will we manage to give a performance that will be valued by many? It all depends on how well the three days work out...