Interview and Increasing Thoughts

A few days ago I undertook an interview with Participant 1. What I loved about this particular interview is it got me thinking beyond the questions I had written down on paper. It was a sort of light bulb moment, a snapping of the fingers as an idea popped into my head.

This participant wasn't necessarily aware of how the technical side of theatre works but they did mention one production that caught my attention - War Horse. For those of you who don't know the premise of the show here's a link to their website: http://www.warhorseonstage.com/

The reason this caught my attention is because puppetry is a technical skill in performance. So I took this thought and looked into puppetry courses to see what skills they offer. From the University of Melbourne's website I found a course that listed the skills one would gain if they were to undertake the course:

I can see so many of these that apply in my job too, but being able to see how they can be transferred to a form of performance was really interesting.

As I looked further at the skills needed to be a successful puppeteer, I again found another list which has lots of cross overs between the skills of performing and technical from the Creative Skillset website: 

Perhaps there is hope yet for this inquiry. 

Literature Review, of the 1st edition

Hello all, inquiry research is in full swing. A few weeks ago I made the survey I created live and people have been busy answering it with some interesting results. However that's for another day's blog.

What I've learnt over the last few Skype and campus sessions is that I shouldn't be reading literature to affirm my own ideas, it should be the ideas of others that make me think and further develop what I think. So, with this in mind I began to read streams of articles on actors and theatre techs. What I noticed is the cross over of skills between the two professions, the basic groundwork for each job is very similar. So, for an easy visual representation I created a Venn Diagram.

In red ink are the skills that some consider to be 'technical' but I believe they fit into both categories.
In blue ink are the skills mainly associated with performing but again, fit into both categories.

Of course, I couldn't list every skill under the sun because the diagram would be huge! However, if anyone thinks I have missed vital skills/crossovers or wants to challenge/ask why I put some skills where they are, please comment below or get in touch. Your opinion is very valuable.

Survey Time!

Hi everyone, please take the time to complete my survey for my inquiry!

Any comments/thoughts/suggestions are much appreciated! If you would like to be interviewed let me know!

Thank you in advance!

Tuesday Discussion Skype 20th February 2018

Last Tuesday, a small group from all modules joined Helen to discuss a number of topics where we felt we needed help and/or more clarity.

Literature

This mainly came from module 3 students (myself included). How we incorporate literature seemed to be the biggest query. Helen made it very clear that when looking at literature we shouldn't just 'look for the answers we want'. The point of reading a wide range of literature is so we have an understanding of the field in which our inquiry belongs.

Helen describes it as a party.

You (the host) invited the guests (the literature) the guests mingle with each other (they may have some share knowledge but may not all get along) from this You can get their views (buy reading the literature) and from that you form your own view and opinion.

Important point to remember as you host your 'party' keep note (Harvard reference) of all those who made you form a view or make you ask questions.

One literature review should contain lots of difference sources/resources/literature. 

Don't look at literature as two sides (those that agree with your inquiry and those that don't) Look at it as three dimensional. A body of voices to open a discussion (the party!).

Analysis

This is what I really wanted to talk about but unfortunately we only touched on the subject briefly. Never the less, I learnt that analysis is my role as the researcher - I am making the cross overs between points.

'I've read this and this, my data shows this.' My analysis is of the cross over between all of it or lack there of and how it fits with my inquiry. I would love to hear some other ideas about analysis and I still feel like its a bit of a grey area for me.

To end this post, an important quote from Helen herself:

'You're not trying to re-invent the wheel - you're trying to contribute to it'

So I roll onto survey making and interview undertaking. 

And Thus, Module 3 Began...

It seems that some time has passed since my last blog post. So, a quick catch up with what's been going on.

Towards the end of Module 2 a bit of panic set in, to begin with I did the final assignment completely wrong and spent a solid day typing and re-writing ready for the 'final marked hand in date'. Whilst this panic wasn't pleasant at the time, it did get the work done and ready for the real final submission on January 5th. I was so busy working on my proposal that blogging took a backseat.

Panto season has come and gone. Due to the huge amount of work that I was involved in over the festive period, I'm glad I got our assignment done earlier - it gave me time (the little spare I had) to edit and re-draft. This echoes a point on Adesola's latest blog: set the finish date earlier than it actually is, allowing yourself that little extra time at the end.

A few weeks ago I also attended the Module 3 presentation on campus, to get a better understanding of what I would be doing come June time. Two important points that I noticed came up quite frequently were:
1) How what I have discovered through my inquiry applies to me and my practice
and
2) What have I gained from this inquiry?

I think the danger with the inquiries is getting bogged down with trying to answer our 'big question' (which was brought up in a previous campus session) and I need to remember how my inquiry is relevant to my practice.

Where to go from here?

My inquiry title is  

‘Does working in technical theatre enhance and advance your skills as a performer?’

Here's a quick list of what I'm beginning to do:
- Complete feedback form
- Read Module 3 Handbook and annotate where I need
- Continue my search for literature for my inquiry - review these in relation to my inquiry
- Get organised
- Think about ideas for my artefact
- Communicate with my designated tutor and SIGs more

I aim to attend as many campus and skype sessions as I can, but we all know how difficult it can be with such busy work schedules. But unto the depths of Module 3 we must ride. Hazaar!

SIG - Sitting In Gnomeland

Now that I have your attention, I wanted to take some time to talk about how valuable SIGs are.

SIG - Special Interest Group

When I began Module 2, I remember thinking to myself  'what on earth is a SIG?' I had seen them mentioned left, right and centre. I have previously written about how finding and participating in SIGs was initially very difficult, for an array of reasons such as time and not knowing my inquiry question. However, it is because of these groups that I discovered what I wanted my inquiry to be.

Throughout my time on this course, not only do I read the blogs of students on the same module as me, but also those on all other modules and past students. I have found it incredibly helpful if I'm stuck or looking for a bit of inspiration. So in the hope of a future student reading this 1) Hello and welcome 2) don't see the SIGs as an immediate right off, they're worth it I promise.

So why have I found them so valuable? Well here's a quick list:

- They offer support and encouragement
- They can be a fresh set of eyes that you need, when you have been focused for too long
- A good source for discussion whether it be for your inquiry or otherwise
- More opinions give you more to consider and talk about
-  It is a good way to discuss the course and provide more professional connections
- It's a constant stream of communication which keeps you thinking about the course

So, thanks to the SIGs I found my inquiry title. Instead of listening to the millions of ideas whirring around inside my head, I listened to others who were looking onto my practice and work. Equally, the blogs are a fantastic discussion and conversation source, but using the comment function can be hard to keep a running conversation going, so the SIG does this brilliantly.

Throughout my Inquiry, I aim to use my current, and hopefully new, SIGs efficiently as a tool to aid my investigation.

The Cirle of Life of My Inquiry

So, I have actually been hard at work developing my inquiry but I haven't had the time to blog about it. Thought I'd do a quick summary of what's been going on.


I have been struggling with what I want my inquiry question to be for a long time now. My brain has flitted between a million different ideas. My blog posts are very good evidence for that. I know that I tend to over think and over evaluate things, so when I think about it my inquiry question has been right in front of me the whole time.

It took a few SIG conversations for me to come to the realisation that whilst all the 'possible inquiry questions' I have written about are interesting, they're not necessarily involved with my daily practice.

Adesola would constantly say 'Yes, but what is your practice?' and I would get flustered and confused. A brain overload between all the skypes and reading and blogging. I'd forgotten to look right at the heart of what I do.

'Hi, my name is Jess Dinmore and I'm an actor, currently working as a theatre tech'.

That is my practice. I love my job and the incredible team of people I get to work with but I started to think about WHY I love working backstage so much. I decided to jot down a few ideas in my journal from Module 1:

It was that last point that really struck a chord home. What exactly are the skills I have learnt and how can I bring them into the performing world. Thus my inquiry title was born. 

 'Does working in technical theatre enhance and advance your skills as a performer?'

The only way I can describe how it felt to finally have made a decision on my inquiry title and how inspired and excited I was and still am about looking further into it, is by this image:

I'm fortunate enough to be a part of a few SIG groups, so I pitched the idea to them when it was still in the early stages. I was (rather thankfully) greeted with positive remarks:

                 

I have completed my basic inquiry plan with all my intentions mapped out. My next immediate step is to start looking further into literature to read, then write reviews on said literature. I'm excited to see what my inquiry will bring.


Someone get me a brew.