So, after weeks of rehearsals, it was performance time! Abigail Earlie and I worked really hard on developing our idea, based around the concept of ghosting, the theory that all performance is in some way haunted by that which has gone before, whether that be an actors previous roles, the theatre space you are in or even down to something as apparently trivial as a costume you may have seen before.

The performance itself went very well, no forgotten lines, no wardrobe malfunctions and no crippling nerves! We chose to focus on Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart and their very prominent roles in The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Waiting for Godot, No Man’s Land and X Men, which for many have coloured their views on the actors and their current roles. In an interview with Time Out magazine, Patrick Stewart comments “I’ve no doubt that some people come to see Gandalf and Jean-Luc Picard” (Time Out, 2009), explaining that he is acutely aware of the nature of ghosting and the effect it can have on audiences. We created a short film, a ‘mash-up’ of clips from some previous performances by McKellen and Stewart, both stage and screen, to play behind our live performance to further confuse our audience and encourage them to question the nature of what, and who, they are seeing. I have included this film above. We also included some information, taken from books we had read during the module, at the beginning of the performance, to add an extra layer and prevent the piece from appearing too comical or lacking in gravity.

We hoped that by combining extracts from both Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land, the use of the short film, the signs around our necks, the small items of clothing and props and the setting of the furniture on the stage, it would create an overall sense of the confusion and misinterpretation that can occur when trying to effectively ‘forget’ what has gone before and be present in the moment. And drinking fake whiskey for a performance is always a good thing!!! (It was actually pear juice!)

Bibliography.

Time Out (2009) Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen: Interview. London: Time Out. Available from http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/patrick-stewart-and-ian-mckellen-interview [accessed 22 January 2017].