This session, A.B.L.E. has three different ensembles - 2 for teens (ages 15-21) and one for adults (ages 22+). Each ensemble is led by a pair of teaching artists, and supported by a team of volunteer facilitators. These groups will work together to devise two original shows. Each week, we share updates from the rehearsal room. Click here to read past installments, and read on to learn about week 4 of rehearsals!
Devising a play can be daunting. It’s not a straightforward path. Sometimes we have great ideas that we have to let go of because they don’t fit wit the rest of the piece. Sometimes we have what we think are great ideas that don’t actually work in practice. But, as the weeks go on, slowly, a script starts to form. We start recognizing what stories have potential and building on our actors’ ideas to shape one cohesive piece. Through it all, we work together and support each other and have a ton of fun playing with different ideas! We’re deep in brainstorming mode right now, and having a ton of fun trying out ideas.
TEEN ENSEMBLES
This week the Monday and Friday ensembles continued to dig into personal stories that will make up our devised show.
On Monday, we focused on building physical objects and spaces with our bodies in a game called Tableau. During check in, we talked about our favorite sports or physical activity. We used these answers as the starting place for our tableaux. We made a track and field event, a dance class and even a bike! If you follow us on Instagram, you might have seen these in our stories
On Friday, we got moving with a game of center which involves following directions and moving through space. The check in question was: what would be the title of a movie about you? and we got great answers from Teen Side Story to Life at Misercordia to Tacos! Then we broke into small groups and each put together a short skit that had to do with an answer from our questionnaires. It's amazing how much you can create in just 30 minutes!
ADULT ENSEMBLE
This week, our adults focused on using our bodies and finding BIG physicality. We thought of a thread to connect all of the stories we’ve created that involves staging a play within a play. This week, we got started on some choreography for a group dance number that’s part of the play within a play. This is our version of a Galliard - a lively Elizabethan style dance. It was fun to work with partners and do a lot of stately spinning.
We continued to incorporate some Shakespeare and played a round of lines from the hat. Actors got to run up and pick a line and perform it as big as possible. Each line was either “cursing” or “wooing” - we never knew which we would grab so had to be ready to get into character quickly. This was also a nice chance to practice dropping in.
Lastly, we revisited our big bears for our “Exit pursued by a bear” sequence which got us moving as a team. We paid extra attention to weight and speed to bring our bear to life.
Because our devised shows come from their own stories and imaginations, our ensembles are deeply connected to them and extra proud of what they create. We hope you can see our performances:
Friday December 13th at 7pm (adult ensemble)
Saturday December 14th at 11:30am (teen ensemble)
Ticket info coming soon!
