Last Thursday, we were given the opportunity to take part in a workshop run by the talented physical theatre group ‘Frantic Assembly’. The workshop was completed by GCSE and A Level Drama students.
The company of Frantic Assembly is led by Artistic Director and co-founder Scott Graham and Executive Director Kerry Whelan, who have created productions such as ‘Othello, I Think We Are Alone, The Unreturning, Fatherland, Things I Know to Be True and Beautiful Burnout.’ They have a distinct creative approach which has influenced contemporary theatre-making and foregrounded the use of movement directors and choreographers in new dramatic works.
I am extremely grateful to the Drama department for arranging these opportunities for us as they are extremely beneficial to help us to stage our devised and scripted pieces at both GCSE and A Level. Being frequently used as a demonstration gave me a deeper insight into the world of physical theatre and the way it works, which then allowed me to assist my peers in strengthening their understanding of the technique and safety.
Most of the workshop consisted of group tasks; where we demonstrated different types of lifts and explored ways to link our brains with our muscles as much as possible during warmups and exercises. We also looked at choreographing basic sequences for each other in various scenarios. I took away from the workshop different ways to transfer movement into stage performances using more fluidity and smoothness. Finally, my favourite part of the workshop was working with different people across different year groups in the school to create our own unique piece.
“I really enjoyed the workshop, the lifts and using your bodies physically really challenged all of us and I hope to take the things I learnt into my GCSE devised” – Ava H, Year 10
“I really liked the varying activities, getting involved in all kinds of physically and mentally challenging games” – Charlie W, Year 11
“It shed light on different aspects of theatre that I had not thought of before, or ever performed. I loved it!” - Jen R, Year 12
Finlay L – Year 10