We have been experimenting with our sweet and sour element of the show, looking into sleep myths specifically the mysterious ‘Sandman’ which is a “man who,infairytalesorfolklore,puts sand intheeyesof childrentomakethemsleepy” (Dictionary.com, 2018). Above is some snapshots of a few company members creating a movement sequence revolving around the light and dark aspects of the myth. We are also exploring other myths and experimenting with their light and dark elements, which we think is a great representation of who we are as a company.
Practising the sheet for the sandman sceneSandman scene blanket
(Denby, 2018)
C.D.
Works Cited
Denby, C. (2018) Sandman [image].
Dictonary.com (2018) Sandman. Available from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sandman [accessed 21 February 2018].
On 9th February, a few of our company members went to see The Duke (2017) produced by HoiPolloi, PBJ Management and Theatre Royal Plymouth. The Duke is a solo show, which is very different to our production with 8 actors. However, we did take a lot of inspiration from the show. There are two main influences we took from the show which was the essence of the stage manager in performance and the simplicity of storytelling.
Shôn Dale-Jones, the only actor, greets every audience member as they enter the theatre, shaking their hand and asking how they are. This instantly allowed me, as an audience member, to feel very involved within the performance and the experience as a whole. This was something that, as a company, we discussed the impact of and how this could be incorporated within our piece as we are aiming to creating an inclusive and immersive experience for our audience. We then explored the idea of offering each audience member a hot chocolate as they enter the theatre as hot chocolate is often associated with helping people fall asleep.
‘The Duke’ (2017)
Dale-Jones, for the entirety of the performance, is sat behind a desk with a laptop, to control the tech, and a microphone. The essence of the stage manager incorporated into performance was very interesting to me. I think that with the space we are trying to create, an immersive sleepover experience, having a desk on stage with laptops to control the tech will clash with the aesthetic. However, the involvement of the stage manager was definitely something we wanted to consider in our production. We have discussed potentially making reference to the stage manager’s presence, acknowledging that perhaps the sound is too loud or asking for a certain lighting cue. I think this is a nice idea to explore as it rips apart the conventional theatre experience, allowing the audience to forget they are watching a piece of theatre and fully emerge themselves in the art surrounding them.
The Duke was a fully emerging piece of theatre through the simple art of storytelling. The show did not need a lot of things happening on the stage to portray the story and this was something I found fascinating and interesting. This has taken an inspiration in the rehearsal room, allowing us to focus on things in a more sophisticated and simple manner as opposed to trying to imitate sleep disorders in a perhaps, gimmicky and immature fashion.
C.M.
Works Cited:
Dale-Jones, S. (2017) The Duke [live performance]. Performed by Shôn Dale-Jones. Lincoln: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, 9 February.
Dale-Jones, S. (2017) The Duke. Cambridge, HoiPolloi.
The first step to making our presence as a company known involved creating a name that would stand out and reflect our attitude towards performance. We knew from DAY ONE that we wanted to create work that was playful and explored topics that were easily relatable to everyone. We wanted our name to be familiar and universal. Our company aims to devise performances that highlight the sweet and sour of our everyday lives. And so, Sherbet Lemon was a perfect fit!
We experimented with multiple name ideas and nothing seemed to capture the essence of our theatre style like Sherbet Lemon Theatre does. From here we have created a couple of logo designs that can be used in different formats for our branding. Figure a). shows our full logo that will be used on our social media and company promotion materials. Figure b). shows our font only logo that will be used for all ‘show-related’ marketing materials as the colours are more compatible with other schemes. The designing of the logos was another trial and error process, there were multiple designs that were discussed between Amanda and myself before deciding on these two. Many of the logos we discarded were quirky and bold but didn’t quite fit in terms of the aesthetics of the company.
Let me start this off by saying I love sleep. I absolutely adore it. If I could sleep for 10 hours a day I would. Unfortunately, sleep does not love me. I’ve struggled with my sleep for several years, been diagnosed with insomnia and been through my fair share of sleep medication. Though my sleep is much improved I still have bouts of insomnia and I’m a very fussy sleeper.
I always try to stop doing work around 6 or 7pm, taking the evenings off in the hope that I can unwind and therefore fall asleep more quickly. Generally, I will have a shower in the evening, the hot water relaxes me and helps me to wash off the stress of the day. Around 10pm I will begin the bedtime routine. Firstly, I go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I pass through the kitchen on the way back to my bedroom, so here I will make a stop to fill up my water bottle for the night. When I return to my bedroom I shut my door and turn on my bedside lamp on to the brightest of its 3 settings; I have one of those touch lamps with 3 settings, I don’t know what I’d do without it as dimming my room really helps to relax me and put me in the frame of mind for sleep, I warned you, I’m a fussy sleeper.
Next, I get changed into a comfy pair of pyjamas, brush my hair into a pony tail, put my large pillow on my bed and sit, with the duvet over my legs, in my bed. I then dim my bedside lamp to the middle setting. Here I take my contact lenses out and put my glasses on (always the best part of the day) and start my skincare routine. Firstly, I remove my makeup and cleanse my face (also a wonderful moment in my day) then use eye cream and moisturiser. At this point I dim my light to its lowest setting, so that the majority of my room is relatively dark and lie down with my big pillow still propped underneath me. I will normally watch a bit of Netflix after this, probably something mindless (but wonderful) such as Gossip Girl or Friends. Now, I used to always have to read before I went to bed, firstly because I enjoyed it and secondly as it was the only way I could sleep but I seem to be skipping this stage of the night-time routine at the moment as I’m so tired. However, sleep and I are once again not friends so maybe I need to get reading again!
After watching Netflix or reading, whichever comes last, I take my glasses off, put my phone on charge and lie it face down on the bed next to me (so that the brightness doesn’t wake me up in the night), throw my big pillow on the floor and and turn off my lamp. I end the evening by rolling onto my right side, tucking my arm underneath my head and most likely stressing about the amount I need to get done the following day.
So there we have it! That was my very high-maintenance bedtime routine.
I believe I am settling in nicely with my role as creative designer. As a group we have recently discussed the topic of sleep. More specifically looking into things that affect sleep, such as sleeping disorders, dreams and sleep myths. We found that each member had an interesting story to tell relating to sleep which then created a discussion around the importance of sleep to human survival.
Recently a few members of our theatre company attended Lincoln Performing Arts Centre to watch The Duke (2018). From the very beginning, when the audience first entered the theatre, the fourth wall was broken. Which is an imaginary wall that separates the audience from the plays action, typically used in traditional, proscenium art theatre. This unconventional style of theatre really inspired us, as the actor waited to greet every audience member, shake their hand and ask how they were, which as an audience member made me feel relaxed and part of the performance. Relating back to our own ideas around the theme of sleep, we want to invite the audience members to relax, feel involved and understand the importance of sleep. To help with this, I believe they should see that the actors are also comfortable and relaxed, and with our current ideas, I decided I would like to enhance this by having our actors in pyjamas throughout the performance. Although I decided against the actors wearing the exact same pyjamas, as I believe that would take away from the relaxing atmosphere we want to create, as the costume would then be more of a uniform.
Throughout my individual research I found that the colour blue was related to the best sleeping patterns, as “blue is thought to slow the heart rate and even reduce blood pressure” (McCann, 2013) and “those with bedrooms this colour tend to get the best rest – nearly eight hours a night – and wake feeling happy and positive” (McCann, 2013). This particular thought is something I found interesting, because it is not usually something considered when decorating a bedroom. I know it is certainly not something I have thought about until now. I decided to incorporate this into our costumes, by introducing a blue theme with all sets of pyjamas and asked members of the company to check their own wardrobes for such clothing.
L.F.
Works Cited.
Dale-Jones, S. (2018) The Duke [live performance]. Performed by Shon Dale-Jones. Lincoln: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, 8 February.