Reflective Theory In Use

It is all well and good reading theories and understanding them. However, as practitioners, we must relate these theories to our professional lives to gain any real use from them. In doing so, we can clearly outline which theories are effective in regards to our professional practice, and which pose questions or problems.

DEWEY

'continual reorganization, reconstruction and transformation of experience' (Dewey, 1916). 

My script writing has been a continual artistic learning curve. The 'transformation' of my script writing experience was the solid feedback I received from my agent on the filmed scene.

Journal entry about scene feedback - 27.03.2017

 Following on from actually having the experience, i.e. filming the scene, it was then valuable for me to listen to the feedback. I could link the feedback to my experiences. During my training as well as in professional productions; taking on constructive criticism in order to progress and improve is something I am familiar with. It is a strategy that bodes well for me. Rather than getting bogged down with negativity - I have adapted to having belief in myself and my work. This, in turn, allows me to find meaning in my work.

Nothing worth achieving is easy - it's a progressive journey.

LEWIN

To put my reflective thought into practice - I turned to Lewin's 'set of spiral steps' (Lewin, 1997).

1. Cycle of idea: The beginnings of my idea to script write began with casual conversations with my friend, modest brainstorms penned on paper and creative thoughts and topics in my head. An idea can't progress without it being fabricated in the first place. I realised that the cycle of idea is an essential stage in any reflective experience.
2. Fact finding planning: This section of Lewin's steps almost had to break up into two different pathways in regards to my ultimate goal - the creative pathway and the practical pathway. In regards to my creative work, the script, I had to dissect it with my co-writer. We refined it to its purest state - and the most natural to our native dialects. On the practical aspect of this stage - we had to research and plan the filming process. We had a few different options of film-makers, but we had to decide which person was going to work best for us. Once we decided on this - we had to plan a date. This proved to be a difficult step. Creative people are arguably the busiest people in the world.
3. Action: This step accumulates to the filming of the scene we had written. It felt incredible that an idea that began in our heads and furthered on paper; was now actually being documented and could be used for reflective experience.
4. Evaluation: Once I had received the final filmed scene - I could then review it. The feedback from my agent, which I mentioned earlier, also helped to give me a clear understanding of how I can improve on aspects of acting for camera. I watched and re-watched the scene many times in order to pick up on what I found effective and pleasing, and also what I found to be static or unnatural.
5. Planning: What I find interesting about Lewin's set of spiral steps is that the process goes around in a creative circle. The creative practitioner never stops. My practice is an ongoing experience of challenges, achievements, improvements and learning. The feedback and response gathered from the filmed scene spurred me on to start planning a live performance - I sent emails, contacted some industry people and began rehearsing with my co-writer.
6. Action: The result of this particular creative process was a performance in The Constellation Creatives CoLab at The Hospital Club, Covent Garden on Monday the 27th of March. This proactive action solidified the importance of putting words into practice within my profession.

   

   My co-writer and I at 'Constellation Creatives CoLab', The Hospital Club, Covent Garden 27.03.2017

KOLB

I related Kolb's learning cycle (Kolb, 1984) to the rehearsal and filming process. 

1. Concrete experience: I learnt different tips whist filming. This included 'the doughnut' - which is a screen acting technique used to visualise the best points to concentrate your gaze when working on camera. These include around the lens (hence, 'doughnut' around the lens) - this is to draw in the audience because the eyes are the windows to the soul.
2. Reflective observation: When I watched myself acting on screen, I was instantly able to pinpoint what I liked and disliked about my performance. This gave me creative leeway to discuss with the film-maker what needs to be changed.
3. Abstract conceptualism: I worked out roughly in my head where I wanted the lifeline of my dialogue to go. However, with acting, thriving off natural instinct is valuable. I found this step in the cycle is only useful when used sparingly.
4. Active experimentation: When rehearsing our scene following the filming and preceding the live performance; we began to experiment with different techniques to see what worked. I found the speed line read effective as it didn't leave room to lose intention and also it was a good test to see was my head fully wrapped around the dialogue.

GARDNER

After previous study on Gardner's idea of multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983); I concluded that I am a verbal-linguistic learner. I tend to think too much whilst acting - and this perhaps doesn't bode well for naturalism. I want to work more on spontaneous chemistry and not heavily reflecting-in-action whilst acting. Over-analysis whilst acting can be counter-productive. 

On a brighter note - being a self-confessed verbal-linguistic learner is a perk for my ability to script write.

HONEY AND MUMFORD

Following on from Kolb's ideas, Honey and Mumford created a model of four 'stages' (Honey and Mumford, 1992) to do with experiences and reflection. 

1. Having an experience: Myself and my co-writer had a creatively positive experience at the Constellation Creatives CoLab. This experience allowed us to discover more about our practice.
2. Review: I personally reviewed the experience with a lot of nerves. I asked myself questions such as 'What if the audience hated it?' and 'What if they thought we were terrible?'. These insecurities revealed an important learning curve for my creative progress - Other people's feedback is as valuable as our self-analysis. We got first-hand, non-biased feedback from actors, writers, film-makers and directors. This was highly valuable and encouraging to me. 
3. Concluding from the experience: This experience led to film-makers, film production companies and directors contacting me directly. This form of networking opens up opportunities for future projects and jobs. 
4. Planning the next steps: The high of performing combined with the feedback we received encouraged myself and my writing partner to continue on from where we had started and write more material.
   

   

   This Film Production Company used Twitter as a forum to contact me

   All in all, these four 'stages' were a helpful analysis for me to come to terms with my experience and to form my own ideas and opinions on it.

SCHÖN

As discussed earlier in this blog, the use of reflection IN action and reflection ON action is valuable to practitioners. (Schon, 1987) To further reflection-on-action, social media has allowed us to share our reflection with our peers and industry professionals.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSIqSbhDjyl/?taken-by=eleanor_actor

Here I have linked a clip of my final filmed scene. By sharing this clip on Facebook and Instagram - I allowed a wider spectrum of people to reflect-on-action with me.

From my study of these theories - I can conclude that I believe people's experiences to be different when it comes to putting them into practice. Some of these theories and ideas may have worked efficiently for the filming process - however they make not work quite as effectively when it comes to a live theatre piece. The next time I am in the rehearsal room or do a performance - I will make sure to refer back to these theories and correlate the most effective theory to that experience.

References

Dewey, John (1916) Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education, facsimile of edition 2010, Charleston: Nebu.

Gardner, Howard (1983) Frames of Mind the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, New York: Basic Books

Honey and Mumford (1992) The Manual of Learning Styles (Third Edition), Maidenhead: P. Honey

Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning, Englewood NJ: Prentice Hall.

Lewin, Kurt (1997) Resolving Social Conflicts, London: AMerican Psychological Association

Schon, Donald (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner, San Francisco: Josse Bass

The Art of 'The In-Between'

Question: What does a performer do when they find themselves floundering in unfamiliar territory that is not the stage / studio or rehearsal room? How does an actor stay motivated and engaged in their craft during 'out of performance' hours?
I am beginning an inquiry into 'The In-Between' times which every actor experiences. These are the times when we are out of work based solely around our professional practice. I would love for people to comment their experiences and solutions to these times.
There is no quick fix to these out-of-professional-work times - everybody has to find their own rhythm of life and find out what works for them. Initially, when I was first graduated from college, the real world swallowed me up whole and it felt like a race to try and keep up with looking after my well-being alongside getting enough hours of work to make ends meet. It's only recently that I feel as if I've gotten into a sort of comfortable pace of life which I am in control of. Here are some ideas which I have thought of during reflection-on-action that sum up the factors that work for me to stay 'in practice' when technically I am 'out of practice'.
When I returned back from my panto contract; I got over-consumed with 'normal' work. After an unhealthy month of crazy shift hours and tiredness - I made a conscious decision to myself to become in charge of my timetable and make it work around me, and to know when to say no to things. I thought to myself - what is the definition of 'self-employed'?
The definition, according to Google search, is 'Working for oneself as a freelance or the owner of a business rather than for an employer' Synonyms include: 'freelance, independent, casual'.
I related these synonyms to my life. Am I independent of an employer? Do I take my money-maker work casually? Or is it consuming my life a little bit more than I would like as a seemingly 'freelance' artist?
It was these questions that made me conclude that I want to view the everyday work I do as 'in-between'. As a performer, I never know when my next contract could come up. Therefore it is a positive mindset to view my in-between work in this light. It resulted in the workload becoming more casual and made me focus less on merely work hours and more on the valuable time I had outside of that work.
I want to outline some of the techniques and steps I have undertaken to make my life in the 'actor's purgatory' more liveable and beneficial. PLEASE feel free to add suggestions of your own.

1. WORK

I evaluate the work I do regarding the benefits, the value for time, enjoyment and what it gives to me creatively. I have a part-time job at a gym which I thoroughly enjoy on a social level, but more importantly I can train for free in a top range facility. This particular gym also offers classes which include ballet technique classes so as I can benefit from these also and work them into my routine. Instead of having to commute to a gym after a long day at work, I can choose to train before or after work or during my break without having to worry about getting to another job on time. On top of this, many of the casual workers alongside me are performers and we forever help each other out in regards to covering shifts for auditions. It makes me feel in touch with the performing world when I am not directly in a show.

I have gotten a lot more teaching work since the New Year. I enjoy my weekly class of teaching tiny tots. It makes me reflect upon how much I loved my performing arts classes when I was a kid and the whole reason I wanted to go into it in the first place. Besides being good hours for pay - more importantly it gives me a weekly dose of creative passion for my craft. I have concocted many musical theatre and acting workshop classes over the past few months and I have to say I thoroughly enjoy sharing my passion with the younger generation. They give me a positive outlook on my practice.

I have landed on my feet in terms of getting involved with good hostessing companies and jobs. I used to do any promotional work available (BIG UP TO YOU FLYERERS OUT THERE - I'VE BEEN THERE AND LITERALLY WORE THE T-SHIRT) - however, I soon realised I can value myself in the promotional work I choose to do. I take hostessing work as an unreliable bonus each month and generally thanks to the right connections I get a few hostessing shifts a month which sees me over. I enjoy this line of work because, again, I am mainly working alongside performers; the work is very social for a naturally friendly person like myself and part of the job description is to be well-presented which is part of my professional practice anyhow.

I think the trick is finding out what work suits your personality, lifestyle and location; alongside somewhat aiding your career and creativity.

2.                                                                STAYING ENGAGED

Leading on from 'perfecting' my in-between rent-paying jobs - I then realised the advantages which being in charge of my own timetable offers. It gave me more time to meet up with my friends - and not being too tired and stressed about work to enjoy it. I go to see my friends in their shows. Cast discounts are generally never over £15 and sometimes even free! I put my local Picture House to good use and often go to see new releases for only £7 a pop. I began to try out new things - i.e. a free kick-boxing class trial. All of these things contribute to helping me stay engaged and motivated in my practice. They add to a higher standard of living. I was beginning to feel like the free 'self-employed' person described in the definition of the adjective...

3.                                                          ENHANCE CREATIVE LIFE

The cherry on top of taking control of my life was perhaps the energy and drive this gave me to develop creatively. I felt like I could focus my energy on my degree course. A knock on effect from this meant that I realised how much I missed creative writing and literature in my life, which followed on to my own script-writing. These series of events may have happened in a different order - who knows? The fact of the matter is that:

Instead of feeling isolated from my practice in an all-consuming job; I felt creatively liberated and made the conscious choice to feel more involved in the progression of my practice.

Writing my own stuff - however small and insignificant it may seem - has worked wonders on the creative clogs ticking away in my mind. I am enjoying the freedom of being self-employed. I am actively engaging in my professional practice. I am a working actor even if at times I am technically 'out-of-work'. I engaged in a very interesting conversation with an actor in a bar during one of my hostessing shifts about our trade. He said, if an athlete said he wasn't training hard for their next competition - everybody would look at them as if they were mad. Therefore when people ask 'So what have I seen you in?' to an actor - we have every right to say we are taking classes / writing / engaging in aspects of our practice. This is the equivalent of a marathon runner replying to the question of 'So what are you working on at the minute?' with 'I am currently training for my next marathon'. As actors, we deserve the same reaction to our reply as an athlete would receive for their reply. If we are constantly training towards our next 'professional' job; then we are working actors.

I believe the key is to make the in-between employment as beneficial / enjoyable as possible; without it becoming your life.

No matter how much I may ring my Mam up and overload her with worries about 'Where the hell is my next rent money gonna magically appear from?!' - I know I would turn stir crazy with a reliable 9 til 5 job. The monotony would over consume me. There is a certain exhilaration I get from having a different timetable each week. I receive reliability from weekly work such as the gym and teaching; and I get new experiences from doing different jobs at various locations. After all - the in-between job just has to get you over the edge.

So what if you are debating whether or not you can afford the 'luxury' of orange juice one week, if you are happy?

Hostessing Work Never Fails to Surprise

Self-employed 'in-between' work can be exciting and creative, based around performance

Being self-employed means making decisions and choosing work options which benefit your practice

*SIDE NOTE* It would be rude not to mention the musical 'The In-Between', give this song a listen if you have a chance and see if you can relate... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09NQiXTAM_A

Campus Session

The above photo was my first impression of Middlesex University, Hendon Campus. I was eager with anticipation for my first on-campus session for BAPP.

As discussion ensued between the small group of Module 1 and Module 3 students and Adesola; one thing became clear - the journey of this course is not about ticking boxes but more about exploring branches of ideas and analysing events that relate back to our professional practice. The outline of the course became clearer - and it reassured me that this course is a discovery and analytical process of our professional practice.

Theories

We explored how theories are the core of our practice - they are at the heart of our actions, reflection and practice. I visualised this as the theory to be the core of the Earth. Events are the wave fronts and faults which result in the discovery of ideas or realisations on the surface - epicentres, if you like.

Many ideas and observations branch out of the theory as we study our practice deeper.

Ethical Issues

On reflection, I began to think of ethical issues as the fault scarps on the surface or the tremors which occur from underlying activity. Effectively, ethics are another theory which need to be addressed within our study of our practices. These may open questions and vary in opinions to shake our initial thoughts - but it is essential that they are present.

Rhizome Learning

This imagery reflects the rhizome idea which Adesola brought up today. This idea of learning really made sense in my head. The study of our professional practice is not one that goes in a straight line. We can envision the three main theories - Communication Technologies, Reflection and Networking - as blades of grass and the exploration of these as roots interconnecting and overlapping under the surface (Or magma bubbling and stirring beneath the Earth's crust).

Relating Theories to my Practice

I will read about the theories but relate them to my practice and my creative work. I aim to use ethical issues and values to explore the theory and not take the theory itself for granted.

I realise rhizome learning was present as my study on communication technologies brought to light Gardner's theory of the different styles of intelligence (Gardner, H, 1983). This proves to me that the theories do in fact overlap.

Bechdel Test

A theory which I want to explore more is the Bechdel Test. This is a test initiated by Alison Bechdel (Bechdel, 1985) that studies Hollywood films and the rules require a film to include:

1. The movie has to have at least two (named) women in it.
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

A character in Dykes to Watch Out For explains the rules that later came to be known as the Bechdel Test (1985)

I reflected upon my own script-writing and whether or not my material would pass the Bechdel Test. I concluded the first scene I have written would not pass the Bechdel Test due to the content on conversation circling around a man / men and their actions. How did this make me feel? As a young woman facing a career as an actress in the 21st Century, I am not entirely sure how I feel about this realisation. Perhaps it is not an apt reflection of my work and thought process as it is only the first scene I have written - I know I have many other ideas of material topics. I will perhaps observe my work in the future once I have a bigger body of work. Reflecting upon my study of acting during college, the majority of monologues and duologues I performed would not have passed the Bechdel Test. Does this make me rethink the industry I am in and how I want to be perceived in my profession?

Journal of British Cinema and Television 'Old Age' Films: Golden Retirement, Disposession and Disturbance

This is the journal which I picked out today during the library section of the campus session. It was written by Josephine Dolan. One of the references in the journal sparked my interest - 'Aging Femininities Troubling Representations' (J Dolan and Tincknell, 2012) 

To coincide with my study of the Bechdel Test - I figured this book may be of great interest to me in the studies of the history and progression of the acting industry.

In writing it's easier for random additions to go unnoticed. This is why reflection on action is so valuable to me as a practitioner. Everything, as disjoint as they may seem, must be connected and related with my thoughts. This is most evident for me at the minute with my script writing. I am beginning to think WHY do I put certain subjects in the play I am working on. These subjects are not random or disjoint - they have reasoning behind them.

Perhaps my first piece of writing not passing the Bechdel Test tells me something about my mind set at this moment in time. My study of these theories and heavy influence of reflective practice may result in creative ideas seeping into my writing.

'Aging Femininities Troubling Representations' - A Book To Read



References:

Bechdel, Alison (1985) Dykes to Watch Out For, Firebrand Books
Dolan, J and Tincknell (2012) Aging Femininities Troubling Representations
Gardner, Howard (1983) Frames of Mind the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, New York: Basic Books





Task 2a: Reflective Practice

My Reflective Journal

Pages in my Reflective Journal

Task 2a asks us to explore the use of a reflective journal and to do so in a format appropriate to my needs. I have been using a reflective journal casually since the beginning of this course - to jot down thoughts and ideas or events during the day to later put into blogs or else just to record material for my own future use or reflection. However, now in part 2 of the course I plan to expand the effectiveness of my use of the journal.

So far I have been writing all of my thoughts. Since my Skype session on Part 2 of the course with Paula & Amanda, I am interested in incorporating visual aspects into my journal. This will potentially make reading over it in the future easier to pick out the relevant information I may need to validate a point in my essay. 

After all, visual-spatial intelligence (Gardner, 1983) is a wholly valid form of learning.

I aim to try and write in my journal each evening / morning (depending on work hours) and keep in touch with my analysis of every day's events. 

Gardner, Howard (1983) Frames of Mind the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, New York: Basic Books

Task 2c: Reflection-On-Action

'The actor is the sole collector of data on the event'

(Kottcamp, 1990)

After my initial reading of Reader 2 - I began to relate it to my professional practice. Professional artists are used to being the 'sole collecter' (As Kottcamp puts it) / authority on their own work and ultimately they decide what they think of their work.

This leniency and ownership of our professional work leads to reflective practice. An actor must think about the work they are producing. In college I was always told I approach practical subjects with an academic mind. I viewed this comment as a negative because in a predominately practical course, where kinaesthetic learners could thrive, I sometimes felt slower to the mark. However, it came to light in my final year that my verbal-linguistic approach to my studies was entirely effective within my Shakespeare study. I believe actors can have any of the different styles to engage with understanding and learning (taken from Gardner, 1983) - and yet we can all be equally compelling in our performance, regardless of what style of learning we gravitate towards.

This leads me on to my 'reflection-on-action' (Kottcamp, 1990) study in regards to my professional practice. Last week I had a scene filmed which myself and a friend co-wrote. When I initially looked back on my first take, I was highly self-critical. I nit-picked every little thing I was doing that I disliked. After retaking the scene I felt better watching it back but there was still a load of things I could have done better. After lightly beating myself up about this - I decided to look at it in a positive light.

1. Nobody can get better at their profession without practice.
   Conclusion: Therefore I have taken the first steps on this journey specifically to get better at acting for camera and the subtle nuances and techniques which are effective on screen.
2. This was my first self-written scene so it was a bit of an experiment to see what works and what doesn't. Instead of criticising what I don't like about the scene - I could take this self-analysis as an exciting step toward writing more material. The idea would be to make each piece slightly better than the last and learn along the way.

I know my heart is in the writing and I know it is raw. I just need to use trial and error to see what works and to stay motivated.

Yesterday I received the first draft of the edited scene. I began to use the technique of reflection-on-practice to self-analyse my performance. There were aspects I picked up on which I hadn't initially when I had first watched the snippets on camera. Once the scene was pieced together I trusted more in my ability to non-judgementally assess the scene. My head was clearer as I reflected-on-action. I was able to single out sections and moments which I really enjoyed as well as take mental note of what I wanted less of for next time.

I think stepping away from the action helped me evaluate my experience better.

'Acting is great. You spend your whole life trying to get it right.'

(Stuart Townsend)

References

Kottcamp, R. B. (1990). Means for Facilitating Reflection. Education and Urban Society, 22, 182-203

Gardner, Howard (1983) Frames of Mind the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, New York: Basic Books

Stuart Townsend. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved March 14, 2017, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/stuarttown207525.html

Unveiled Opportunities

I went to see Ceara Dorman's self-written and performed play - 'Unveiled' on Thursday the 9th of March at The London Irish Centre located in Camden. I became aware of this one-woman play via my Twitter feed. This consolidated for me the importance of using social media by means to network and self-promote within the industry.

I felt as if I could equally and as effectively use this forum to advertise my own work. I have just filmed a scene of original material with my friend and I am becoming more tempted to share my professional practice work on social media sites (obviously only after they have been edited). I want to get a realistic and across-the-board response from friends and industry bodies alike. The only way I will get better is by throwing myself into a project, self-critiquing and from there creating more work and scenes which I am happier with. That way I can start to build and mould myself into the actress I aspire to be.

The play itself stood out to me on the Twitter platform because its subject matter - The Magdalene Laundries. This is long period in Irish history of a major injustice against young women which has been swept under the rug socially and creatively - with the exception of a handful of plays and the iconic 'The Magdalene Sisters'. I have a scene from this movie in my current screen reel.

The severe injustice thrust upon these innocent women was horrific and it resonates with my historical past and heritage.


I am passionate about this subject so it excited me to see new material performed by an Irish actress about the often untold stories of women victims at the hands of the Catholic Church.


I attended this show with my actress friend and co-writer. We assessed the venue and discussed a few pointers about putting on a production there with Ceara after the show. The show took place in The Chapel in The London Irish Centre.

AFTER-THOUGHTS / RELATING THIS EXPERIENCE TO MY PRACTICE

I loved this intimate venue and saw this experience as an opportunity to begin to plan my own project. Myself and my friend were full of ideas to put on our own play of the writing we're currently working on. Hopefully this venue could be a perfect stepping stone for us.
We are performing one scene from our work at The Hospital Club, Covent Garden on the 27th of March 2017. We are part of the show called 'The Constellation Creatives CoLab'. This will be a good event to test the water of our new material.

Coffee Shop Chat - Analysing

The 'coffee shop chat' Skype this evening with Adesola and other students from various modules highlighted to me the importance of analysing throughout my studies. So far when I've been blogging or writing in my journal about subjects which I have come across / experienced, I have been touching on analysing each event or theory mentioned. However, this evening's Skype emphasised the importance of analysing for later reference towards my previous work. Analysis is the key to our overall study of the professional practice. Continuing on with the studies of my professional practice I am going to concentrate more on my in-depth analysis. This may relate back at the end of this module or later modules. Also, it develops my reflective practice throughout my studies. By not just stating facts - but actually taking the time to look into things or questioning subjects.

Task 1c: 45 second (ish...) Visual Audio Clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTQyLltyRO0

In this visual audio clip I have mentioned some experiences which I have come across since starting module 1 of BAPP. These experiences have influenced my aspirations and intentions as a student studying the Professional Practice of acting. I reiterate how much I enjoy blogging and how this is something I can see myself doing alongside my professional career in order to reflect upon it as well as develop it.
Many actors I have come across have a keen interest in writing - whether it be columns in a magazine, blog or website... Surely it is a way to express our ideas with people who are like-minded (or alternatively, for people who are ignorant to our craft and something we write might spark interest in them).
Watch my short video (I swear I don't babble too much...) and please excuse the clothes horse in the background #LondonLife