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5Rhythms Tribe | Notes from the theatre wing: Using the Rhythms in the Exploration of a Character

July 19, 2017

by Lorca Simons, United Kingdom

Each scene in a play holds different rhythms, undercurrents and clues into the world of the script and the character I am portraying.

Let me break it down for you. There is my rhythm, the other characters’ rhythms, the rhythm of each particular scene, the unspoken undercurrents of rhythms running through the storyline, and the rhythm or spine of the play which is the big bad reason why we are telling the story in the first place. All of these forms hold a rhythm which comes into action.

By paying attention to these glorious treasures – Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness – I am informing my choices and actions on and off stage in a heightened, fully fleshed out, organic way, rooted in breath from my feet, reaching out through that fourth wall and breaking it down with all my heart and soul. When I am inside of my breath, there is no room for thinking – only experiencing.

I find that utilising the rhythms in my creative work allows me to alleviate the need to be thinking, worrying or planning on or off stage. Ultimately, by putting the trust inside of my body, into my breath and unplugging my head, the play just drops inside and I am present in a way that is indescribable. I had never fully experienced this level of depth as an artist until I met Gabrielle and we began our creative journey investigating and making theatre together.

I’ve learned to work without inhibitions, letting go of my fear of not knowing. Not thinking, but listening, not pretending but experiencing what is happening in each present moment. When I begin from this place of truth, when I feel alive on stage to this degree it becomes so personal, so real, so rich, honest and explosive it makes me cry thinking about it. To experience true presence is a gift. To serve from this place of rhythm is powerful.

The beauty of our practice from a theatre perspective is that we have the opportunity to mirror life, absorbing every morsel of its offerings and giving it back to the dance over and over again. Manifesting change, offering ourselves and our stories, helping others feel more deeply, more truthfully with faith, humour, love and trust.

In living this practice, we as artists embody all the rhythms through every breath we take, through every offering we make. Each gesture is an extension of our body, heart, mind, soul and spirit. A poetic landscape of offering. A free fall, a footfall, a response to what is happening in us, around us and universally.

I want to live and breathe here forever.

Lorca

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