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September 13th 2023
Recently, the Lower Sixth were joined by Steve Kirkham for a workshop on Physical Theatre. They had the opportunity to work with and host students from Salesian College, Farnborough who brought a different outlook and energy into the working space. They began the day with a particularly intense warmup, that included a pretty high-energy dance routine (with an amazing playlist) and an activity called a slalom which included running with a partner around two chairs in a ‘figure of eight’ and changing direction. Eventually, this led to running without the guidelines of the chairs and having to trust their partners (so that they would not crash into each other). Later in the day (after learning each other's names) they welcomed the challenge of learning lifts. While some found this easier than others, their trust in one another grew as the group became more comfortable in the space.
Later in the day, Steve taught the group a technique called ‘push hands’ which they then developed into a skill called ‘the three touches’, both were skills which also involved working with a partner and trusting them. Each person in the pair came up with three ways of interacting with the other which became the start of a story. After inputting different movements and linking together the interactions, Steve cleverly used an interactive approach to teach them how to devise a short piece of drama without actually sitting down and talking to the group.
Eventually, towards the end of the day, the Lower Sixth performed as a group and working with each other with ease. This was demonstrated when they girls partnered with others from Salesian College to create a short piece about a door and what could be behind it. This workshop pushed the group to their limits, but found themselves gaining confidence throughout the day. They learnt a lot about how to devise a piece when they have no ideas, which they can see being extremely helpful in the future.
Below some of my the Lower Sixth's thoughts about the workshop.
The workshop helped us learn methods that can inspire stories and ideas from a few simple movements. I found this particularly helpful as knowing where to start is often the hardest part.
Natalia (L6SWI)
The workshop pushed me to trust my fellow actors in a performance. It also increased my stamina. Physical theatre is very demanding as you have to think with your body rather than your mind.
Megan (L6MAC)
