The mother of all frightening experiences, the Solo Performance can give you everything from terrible stomach cramps to migraines. Does it get better with experience, you ask. Hmm... not really. Perhaps the butterflies in the stomach don't flutter that violently anymore; in some instances you learn to turn those butterflies into something creative - turn them into an appropriate emotion - for example, the violent trembling of your hands could be converted to anger, desperation and of course, fear.
How do you handle that part, though, where the team you thought you were a part of has suddenly turned into an audience of critics? Friends who will give you the most honest feedback - when all you want is to feel reassured that you will manage to clear this hurdle? And how exactly do you remember, from one improvisation to the next what worked, what didn't, and what more can be done?
Each one of us has to discover these answers for ourselves. Most of us stumble across the answers because something you didn't intend to do but we improvised and it worked out well.
One technique which you have already learnt that may help is hotseating. However, this one comes with a twist - you have to hotseat yourself. There are many ways of doing this: you can put the mirror to better use than brushing your hair, if indeed you do brush your hair [OK, Chirag, I won't let out the family secrets :)]. Talk to your mirror image as though s/he is the character you are about to portray. Ask him/her searching questions. Another way to hotseat yourself as the character is to play 20 questions. Use a chair for this - whenever you're seated in the chair, you are the character; when you want to be yourself, stand in front of it. You should know the character down to the last hole in the socks.
Examine, closely, the motivation of the character - the larger motivating factors (career, life path, life choices, etc.) and the immediate motivations (for instance, in Aayesha's performance today, one could ask the character she played, "Why are you talking to your mother in this way? What exactly do you hope to achieve?"). You could've asked Chaitanya's character, "Why are you crying for Tom now? When he was alive, how much did you really care about his welfare?"
[By the way, I didn't quite agree that you can't kill another character off. All of you gave Tom eight kids and a "mental" wife! I am willing to bet that Raghav did not conceptualize either of those two "facts" about Tom!!! However, I was filled with admiration at what he did do with both - and adding the child who wants to go to school because of the drama teacher was delightful; thanks, RGV :).]
Sampriya's "Philosopher" could certainly have been asked, "Why did you choose to be a life coach - you don't really like dealing with other people's problems!" The answers to that would be very revealing - what really motivates that character into actively taking on people with problems and trying in some really warped way to help them find solutions. [By the way Sampriya, the character you created as the "client" was really delightful... extremely funny in a pathetic sort of way... someone who would indeed seek advice from a confused Philosopher.]
The only bit of advice I would like to put down here, quite reluctantly [because as you know I'm not a fan of advice!] is that you find a way to enjoy the experience. Think about it - is it really that different from being on stage with other people? It's more or less the same sort of stepping into another's shoes; the adrenalin rush comes in even with other performers there. The heat of the lights makes your eyes water, your skin heats up... and the audience, ah, don't forget the audience - it makes you nervous in either instance. And always remember, in a devised performance there is only belief and conviction that will pull you through: no one in the audience really knows what you had planned to do!
Mostly, though, it is a matter of practice. Just like any other muscle in the body, the Solo Performance muscle is one that works better and better the more you use it! So, go get it, gang!
How do you handle that part, though, where the team you thought you were a part of has suddenly turned into an audience of critics? Friends who will give you the most honest feedback - when all you want is to feel reassured that you will manage to clear this hurdle? And how exactly do you remember, from one improvisation to the next what worked, what didn't, and what more can be done?
Each one of us has to discover these answers for ourselves. Most of us stumble across the answers because something you didn't intend to do but we improvised and it worked out well.
One technique which you have already learnt that may help is hotseating. However, this one comes with a twist - you have to hotseat yourself. There are many ways of doing this: you can put the mirror to better use than brushing your hair, if indeed you do brush your hair [OK, Chirag, I won't let out the family secrets :)]. Talk to your mirror image as though s/he is the character you are about to portray. Ask him/her searching questions. Another way to hotseat yourself as the character is to play 20 questions. Use a chair for this - whenever you're seated in the chair, you are the character; when you want to be yourself, stand in front of it. You should know the character down to the last hole in the socks.
Examine, closely, the motivation of the character - the larger motivating factors (career, life path, life choices, etc.) and the immediate motivations (for instance, in Aayesha's performance today, one could ask the character she played, "Why are you talking to your mother in this way? What exactly do you hope to achieve?"). You could've asked Chaitanya's character, "Why are you crying for Tom now? When he was alive, how much did you really care about his welfare?"
[By the way, I didn't quite agree that you can't kill another character off. All of you gave Tom eight kids and a "mental" wife! I am willing to bet that Raghav did not conceptualize either of those two "facts" about Tom!!! However, I was filled with admiration at what he did do with both - and adding the child who wants to go to school because of the drama teacher was delightful; thanks, RGV :).]
Sampriya's "Philosopher" could certainly have been asked, "Why did you choose to be a life coach - you don't really like dealing with other people's problems!" The answers to that would be very revealing - what really motivates that character into actively taking on people with problems and trying in some really warped way to help them find solutions. [By the way Sampriya, the character you created as the "client" was really delightful... extremely funny in a pathetic sort of way... someone who would indeed seek advice from a confused Philosopher.]
The only bit of advice I would like to put down here, quite reluctantly [because as you know I'm not a fan of advice!] is that you find a way to enjoy the experience. Think about it - is it really that different from being on stage with other people? It's more or less the same sort of stepping into another's shoes; the adrenalin rush comes in even with other performers there. The heat of the lights makes your eyes water, your skin heats up... and the audience, ah, don't forget the audience - it makes you nervous in either instance. And always remember, in a devised performance there is only belief and conviction that will pull you through: no one in the audience really knows what you had planned to do!
Mostly, though, it is a matter of practice. Just like any other muscle in the body, the Solo Performance muscle is one that works better and better the more you use it! So, go get it, gang!
