THE UNIVERSITY of HULL 'The Audience Enjoyed
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THE UNIVERSITY OF HULL ‘The audience enjoyed the audience’, a Practice-as- Research Based Investigation into Space, Proxemics, Embodiment and Illocution in Relation to Young People’s Reception of Shakespeare. being a Thesis submitted for the Degree of PhD in Drama (Theory and Performance) in the University of Hull by Henry Bell, MA & BA. September 25th, 2015. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract p.6 Acknowledgements and Credits p.7 Introduction p.9 Chapter One: A phenomenological description of the interpretative process undertaken by young people in relation to the embodied Shakespearean world. p.26 Chapter Two: A social product: the embodied audience experience of in-the-round theatre space with young audiences and Shakespeare’s work. p.92 Chapter Three: The Performed Performative: The linguistic behaviour of a practical approach to Shakespeare on stage and in the classroom p.134 Conclusions. p.173 Appendix 1: Secondary School Feedback from the Audience Members of Romeo and Juliet. p.185 Appendix 2: Letter Feedback from Julius Caesar audience members from School 4 and School 5. p.220 Appendix 3: Group Feedback from audience member of Julius Caesar from School 6. p.231 Appendix 4: Teacher Feedback from Schools Attending Julius Caesar. p.241 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Appendix 5: Teacher Feedback from Schools Attending Romeo and Juliet. p.245 Appendix 6: Interview with Sir Alan Ayckbourn. p.249 Appendix 7: Interview with Chris Monks. p.259 Appendix 8: Interview with Sam Walters, MBE. p.276 Bibliography. p.289 A Video Appendix DVD is attached with this dissertation. These fourteen videos are an essential part of the illustration and analysis of the research conducted. 3 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Nik Drake and Mona Goodwin selecting audience participants for Julius Caesar. p.58 Figure 2: Child participant Soothsayer. p.58 Figure 3: Audience member rehearsals for Julius Caesar . p.59 Figure 4: Physical actions of Caesar’s assassins. p.61 Figure 5: Raised plinth in Julius Caesar. p.61 Figure 6: Potential Proxemic Distances between audience members and performers at the Orange Tree Theatre. p.66 Figure 7: Illustrations of potential interactions at Intimate Distance in Romeo and Juliet. p.68 Figure 8: Illustrations of potential interactions at Personal Distance in Romeo and Juliet. p.69 Figure 9: The furthest possible distance between audience members and performer in Romeo and Juliet. p.76 Figure 10: Social Distance Proximity Ranges Between Audience Members and Performers in Romeo and Juliet. p.77 Figure 11: Charlotte Powell, as Mark Anthony, utilising the raised plinth and rope ladder in Julius Caesar. p.79 Figure 12: Action of Julius Caesar taking place in the upper gallery of the Orange Tree Theatre. p.80 Figure 13: Height of audience members in relation to performers during Romeo and Juliet. p.81 Figure 14: The use of technology in Julius Caesar p.87 Figure 15: Nik Drake, as Brutus, e mailing. p.88 4 Figure 16: A Young Person’s Embodied experience of Theatre Space. p.106 Figure 17: Illustrating selected audience members’ visual focus during p.119 Julius Caesar Table 1: Frequency of mentions of recalled moments in Julius Caesar. p.44 Table 2: Responses to ‘How do you feel about studying Shakespeare’s plays in the future?’ p.51 Table 3: Edward T.Hall’s Taxonomy of Proxemics. p.64 Table 4: Mentions of the Harlem Shake in audience feedback of Julius Caesar. p.85 Table 5: Responses to Question 1. p.121 Table 6: Responses to Question 7. p.122 Table 7: Responses to Question 4. p.123 Table 8: Percentage breakdown of responses to Question 1. p.130 Table 9: Comments relating to Understanding or Not Understanding Shakespeare’s Writing in Julius Caesar. p.175 Chart 1: Frequency of mentions of recalled moments in Julius Caesar p.45 Chart 2: Mentions of Modern Technology in Julius Caesar p.88 Chart 3: How Do You Feel About Studying Shakespeare’s Plays in the Future? p.176 Chart 4: Pupil Age Break Down from 'Romeo and Juliet' p.208 Chart 5: Gender Break Down of Participants. p.212 Chart 6: Breakdown of Workshop Attendance for Participants of p.216 'Romeo and Juliet'. Tag Cloud 1: Responses to Question 1. p.71 Tag Cloud 2: Responses to Question 8: Describe what it was like being close to the stage and the performers? p.73 Tag Cloud 3: Responses to Question 7. p.122 5 ABSTRACT. ‘The audience enjoyed the audience’, a Practice-as-Research Based Investigation into Space, Proxemics, Embodiment and Illocution in Relation to Young People’s Reception of Shakespeare. This dissertation is the written component of a practice-as-research based investigation into the reception of Shakespeare’s writing by young people via performance-based methods. Participants in the research took part in a twofold process, firstly attending preparatory workshops utilising active storytelling and active Shakespeare approaches, before attending an abridged performance, which was performed in one of a number of in- the-round theatre spaces. The study explores the responses and behaviours of primary school aged children who attended Julius Caesar performed at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, London and secondary school aged pupils who attended Romeo and Juliet at various locations in schools and a specifically constructed in-the-round auditorium in Hull and Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Firstly, this dissertation uses ideas stemming from Maurice Merleau Ponty’s existential phenomenology to describe the skills development of the participants in the preparatory workshops, before providing a wider phenomenological theoretical framework to justify and explain the practical deployment of aesthetic and architectural design choices in the research conducted. The spatial investigation is continued by applying Henri Lefebvre’s theories of space to explore how considerations of space can realign the position of Shakespeare’s writing within the hegemonies of the various youth cultures of which primary and secondary school age groups are a part. This framework is then used theoretically to analyse the theatre spaces in which research took place; the spatial dynamics of the audience and performance spaces found within theatre in-the-round are analysed using existing, contemporary audience reception theories alongside original research conducted with practitioners of this theatrical configuration. Finally, the treatment of illocutionary acts, both in the performances conducted as part of this dissertation, and in UK classrooms, by young people, are investigated via the concepts of J.L. Austin and John C. Searle’s Speech Act Theory, in order to provide a methodology appropriate for analysis of the linguistic behaviour of Shakespeare’s writing in performance. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to many people for their support, guidance and hard work which has assisted the completion of this dissertation. Any PhD requires collaboration and support but a performance-based, practice-as-research investigation is reliant on a large team of people with creative, administrative and technical expertise. Bearing this in mind, I would like to thank Stuart Burgess, Rebecca Kirk, Corinne Meredith and Gillian Thorpe at the Orange Tree Theatre for their assistance in enabling the 2013, ‘Primary Shakespeare’, Julius Caesar to be the first piece of PaR for this dissertation, Sarah Gordon from the Young Shakespeare Company for her permission to use her storytelling workshop and Denise Gilfoyle and Diana Logan, part of the Outreach Department at the Stephen Joseph Theatre for their work in the administrative realisation of Romeo and Juliet. The technical resources of Hull University have been at my disposal throughout the writing of this dissertation and I would like to thank Tim Skelly, Richard Tall and Duncan Woodward-Hay for their essential guidance throughout as well as Dr Pavel Drabek, who, as my second supervisor, gave me many hours of his time. I feel lucky to have managed to spend time with, and interview Chris Monks, Sam Walters and Sir Alan Ayckbourn, all hugely experienced and inspirational practitioners of theatre in- the-round. I am hugely thankful for their time in relation to this original research but also in my professional directing career – these three mentors have provided the inspiration for my work as a director of theatre in-the-round which led to the writing of this dissertation. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the charm and wit, time and inspiration and care and support of my supervisor, Dr Christian Billing. Throughout the three year process of writing and researching this dissertation he has given me his unwavering attention – it was a true privilege to be supervised by this virtuoso academic who, at the same time, manages to be a lovely human being. Finally, without the help, care and time of Alessandra Sau this dissertation could never have been written. Laying all my fortunes at your feet was the best decision of my life. 7 PRACTICE-AS-RESEARCH CREDITS. Julius Caesar at the Orange Tree Theatre, 2013. Julius Caesar/Octavius: David Antrobus Brutus: Nik Drake Cassius/Calpurnia/Flavius: Mona Goodwin Marc Anthony/Portia: Charlotte Powell Director: Henry Bell Workshop Author: Sarah Gordon Designer: Katy Mills DSM: Rebecca Kirk Assistant Director: Nadia Papachronopoulou Romeo and Juliet at University of Hull, 2015. Juliet: Nancy Ackland Romeo: Mikey Barker Friar Laurence: Angus Fisher Tybalt: Annabelle Greenwood Benvolio Emily Grimes Nurse Becca Hassell Peter/FriarJohn/Apothecary Keri Hopwood Lord Capulet Matt Kennedy Lady Capulet Katie Manock Paris Henry Inman Mercutio/Montague Jake Smith Prince Jenny Stephenson Director/Workshop Author: Henry Bell Assistant Director: Angus Fisher Production Manager: Richard Tall Stage Manager: Sam Warrington Deputy Stage Manager: Lois Wright Lighting Designer: Tim Skelly Costume Designer/Supervisor: Charlotte Kazmeirow Set Designer: Duncan Woodward‐Hay Construction Manager: Nick Sheppard Fight Director: Renny Krupinski 8 Introduction. 9 i.