Casey's Viewpoints Session for Back to Basics

Forty Minutes

Overall goal- to ground the group in the basic elements of Viewpoints

1. Goal To open physical awareness
Method- (5 minutes)
Walking- heel flat toe, heel flat toe with soft eyes and peasant feet
Find the empty spaces in the room.
Enter the passages or windows between people.

2. Goal To engage the body/mind in specific physical actions and tasks
Methods- (6 minutes)
Follow one person without them knowing it. Then choose another person and follow them.
Choose two people in your mind and form a perfect triangle with those 2 people.
Choose two different people and form a straight line with them with you being on either end of that line.

3. Goals- to provide clear guidelines and specific actions in order to focus the flow of the Viewpoints. To establish personal choices while heightening awareness of the whole.
Methods- (6 minutes)
Line up at the back of the space in a line facing forward to form lanes.
In the lane work you have the following options- you can walk, run, jump, or stop
Now enfold an awareness of Tempo... now Kinesthetic response... now Repetition... now Duration.

4. Goal- To heighten interactions with others while maintaining structure, direction, and purpose.
Methods- Open up to a grid- (6 minutes)
Walk in straight lines and make right angle, 180, 270, or 360 degree turns.
Add the Viewpoint of Spatial Relationship.
Heighten Tempo, Kinesthetic Response, Repetition, Duration.

5. Goals- To allow free flow of creative impulse.
To build ensemble.
To develop trust and confidence within the context of free play.
Methods- Move into open Viewpoints- (6 minutes)
Become conscious of Floor Pattern
Add in Shape- angular shapes and curved shapes
Become aware of your body's relationship to Architecture.
Heighten Viewpoint of Kinesthetic Response... Tempo... Spatial Relationship.

6. Goals- To heighten awareness of relationship to audience
To witness and be witnessed while staying with the work of the moment.
To focus the free play within the fire of performance.
Methods-
Four up/ Four down- (12 minutes total)
Listen for a starting point based on your awareness of your self, each other, and the space.
You have already begun.
Use all the Viewpoints.
Heighten Kinesthetic Response and Repetition.
Ask- How was that?
-Next group-
Listen for your starting point
You have already begun
Use all the Viewpoints.
Heighten Gesture and Spatial Relationships
Ask- How was that?

You've seen the show, now share your thoughts!

It was great fun bringing Frances Burney's text into the limelight with our production of "The Witlings." The company enjoyed great response from our audiences, kudos from Burney scholars, and interest from the press.
While some critics felt the emphasis on the comedy of the piece eclipsed our intent to highlight Burney's thoughts and concerns, many others commented how the satirical farce was well placed and made Burney's ideas accessible to audiences who otherwise would not have been exposed to them.
Send us your thoughts: we would enjoy good a dialogue about your experience of "The Witlings"

Innovative Theatre Award Nominee!

The Innovative Theatre Awards recognize outstanding work off-off Broadway. We are very pleased to be considered for this honor. Please go to their site to cast your vote for The Witlings!
http://www.nyitawards.com

Two more weeks of Witlings!

Don't miss Frances Burney's The Witlings, playing for the next two weeks at the West End Theatre in Manhattan! Burney scholar Dr. Peter Sabor, Director of the Burney Centre at McGill University in Canada, joined us for our show on Sunday and spoke at our talkback. "This is a historic event," he said, "this premiere performance of The Witlings will be mentioned in journals and books in the years to come."

Please join us! And if you do see the show, please vote for us! We've been nominated for an Innovative Theatre award!

http://www.nyitawards.com


photo credit: Brian Diaz, www.briandiazphotography.com