Throughout this process, I worked very closely with our scriptwriter and director Marcus, providing an objective viewpoint and an outside eye. After watching a full run through I discovered some characters and scenes lacked clarity. I noted these down and discussed them with Marcus, and we worked through ideas of how relationships, characters and intention behind movement could be made clearer to an audience. Looking at a timeline, created by Marcus, allowed me to understand the time frame of the world of the play. Here are some examples of moments or scenes that I have worked on.

When watching section 5 I realised that INKA could not show the memory of how the parents met, as Imogen and Isobel were not born, therefore they did not have this memory of the parents.  When watching the original movement between the parents, I also felt this scene did not truly represent the characters or the parent’s relationship with each other. Both parents are intelligent and powerful technologists, and I felt this scene only showed the loving side of their relationship, demonstrated by the awkwardness of them first meeting.  I worked with Poppy, Molly, Samantha and Will to rechoreograph this scene. We included the repeated motif of the gloves to show their power in creating INKA, a more powerful gait and more intense eye contact and smirked facial expression to show that they are both self-assured in themselves. The star gazing movement that followed allowed the characters to demonstrate how in love they were, which is equally as important in this scene.

(Figure 1 – Photographs of Grace and Andrew in Section 5. Photographed by Phil Crow)

In Section 6, I was confused as to why INKA said one of Isaac’s lines. After discussing this with Marcus, he explained that INKA was defending Isaac because Isaac couldn’t do it himself. This was made clearer to the audience by Isaac and INKA both saying, ‘you’re selfish’ at the same time before INKA continued to defend him. Marcus also added the movement of Isaac rubbing his chest which was a constant motif throughout the performance which symbolised his vulnerability and anxiety. INKA also performed the line in a naturalistic way, expressing anger, which portrayed her as having human emotion, and not as a robot, to show her progressing human development.

In section 7, Mia expresses her concern about INKA to Isaac, whilst holding each other by the hand, over the INKA device. I suggested when Mia says, ‘because I don’t want to be like you’, this connection was broken to show the breakdown of their relationship. This also allowed for Isaac to reach out his hand again and ask to regain that connection when he says, ‘so please, just trust me’. This simple movement clarified the breakdown in their complex relationship, with each other, and Isaac’s strong bond with INKA.

(Figure 2 – Photograph of Isaac, Mia and INKA in Section 7. Photographed by Phil Crow)

Something that I picked up on across the entire performance was the facial expressions of characters who were watching a particular scene, for example, the Investor and Mia. I was unsure if the actors who were sat on the rostra, facing the action, were still their characters or were neutral. I discussed this with Marcus and we decided that they were their characters, and could, therefore, comment on the action they were watching with their facial expressions and by standing up, instead of sitting. This was particularly useful to show Mia’s emotions when she watches Isaac with INKA, demonstrating her helplessness and sadness towards this situation. This also worked well for the character of the Investor as it presented her as an omnipresent figure, acting much like the chorus in Greek tragedy in the way she comments and describes the action.

I also assisted Molly with costume, helping her form a clear idea and concept to keep the world of the play strong and consistent. Molly wanted to make connections through the characters costumes. Because our performance presents the idea of corporate greed vs the family, I suggested costume would be a clear way of demonstrating this to an audience. For example, having those who want to sell INKA in one colour, and those who were against the idea in another. Instead, Molly chose to make family connections through costume, using certain colours to tie family members together. Working with Molly allowed me to make sure the world of the play was consistent throughout and worked well with the style of our performance.

(Figure 3 – Photograph of cast in costume. Photographed by Rosie Bingham)

– Rosie, Dramaturg

Photography Credit: Phil Crow