PART OF THE CROWD

In today’s rehearsal we all participated in a pig workshop to help to achieve the physicality and mentality of those being possessed. We created snorting by lifting the soft palate and inhaling and exhaling through it, while using our faces and hands to ‘dig for truffles’. I think this helped the nuns and the others being possessed as they could practice and try to find their character with everyone so they didn’t feel self-conscious, worried about embarrassing themselves or looking attractive.

In addition to this, we created a flock of people as the crowd for the public possessions; changing positions, levels and gestures every few seconds to create the mood of awe, horrification, fright and amusement. I enjoyed this exercise as it challenged me and I had to remember other people’s gestures whilst remembering to move forward or backwards depending on my previous position. I think the flock looks good and suits the experimental adaptation of the play, honestly, I think there needs to be more moments like this in the play; moments when the literal is developed into the abstract. Maybe more movements like this will be added after we have completed the play, but to make it more than a naturalistic play with some strange bits, it needs to be left to interpretation; simplicity is effective.