Performing the World: Challenge 2

A PLACE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN

Forced Entertainment is a company that leans into “the absurd juxtapositions of stories – commonplace tragedies next to almost-comical melodramas and stupid or unbearable accident” (Etchells). Anything that happens in the rehearsal room is potential performance material, including any accidents that may occur. 

Recently, I was with a friend who needed to drop an assignment to the top level of the Old Kirk building, a place I had never visited before. It was there that I realised that not only can actions be accidental, but so too can places. In the corner of the building, so innocuous that one could easily walk past, was a small, tranquil staircase that did not appear to lead anywhere, adorned with plants and a pleasant view. 

The beauty of the space was that it was entirely unexpected, and moreover, contradictory, which made it somewhat magical. It seemed leftover and forgotten, because it could not fulfil its primary function of taking people between floors, but perhaps was better for it, as it could then take on other functions, such as a quiet spot to read in the afternoon sun. 

An accidental space seems then to be tied to whether it can be used to its intended function, and considering a theatre space in this way could lead to great devising exercises, for example analysing what the audience seats could be used for if not seats for the audience.

Referenced:

Etchells, Tim. "'Exquisite Pain' Programme Note." April 2005. www.forcedentertainment.com/exquisite-pain-programme-note-by-tim-etchells/.29 August 2018.