Withering Tights By Kate Newman

Well it’s all done…

I really don’t know how to feel. I am elated, delighted, drained, apprehensive, pensive, frustrated, humbled, proud all at the same time. I am very pleased with the reception Withering Tights was given. People laughed at the Dominoes bit. Cried at the old lady’s speech and joined in with the Kate Bush pre-set. I couldn’t have asked for a better response. I was truly humbled to have not only a sell out show but to release extra tickets and even sell out those too. To have so much support and people wanting to pay money just to see me, really is an actor’s dream, and consequently my dream. I feel like a professional actress after creating and performing Withering Tights. No not everything went to plan, and I will be the first to point out the show is defiantly a working progress, with still some issues that need fine tuning. I was very disheartened to have to contend with technical issues in the 2 hours before the show. For some reason we ran out of time with sorting out the tech that I didn’t get a full run through done. There were a few tech issues that I felt was cutting it a bit fine in terms of time, but these last minuet scares are to be expected… it is theatre darling! I feel the best way to comment on my show is to interview myself and give my responses…

What part of this process are you most proud of?

I have been very proud of the writing involved during this module. Looking back I have written several monologues and several different fleshed out plays that have all stemmed from various inspirations during these few months. I have discovered a real love of script writing and I think a style (dark comedy) that is just me personified. I have also enjoyed being able to comment on the work of my fellow soloists and help them out with ideas. Again it makes me think of one of the very earliest solo lessons where we wondered if solo performance was ever really solo? I have learnt that it absolutely isn’t. As so many people have helped and inspired me to write Withering Tights, and I in return have helped others. There has been a massive sense of  community between all the soloist endeavouring to create our own mini performances. It has been quite a pleasure actually.

Are there any bits of your show you would change?

I don’t know if I would drastically change the piece but there is a lot I would like to fine tune. The catwalk beam of light I so desperately wanted was not possible in the time I had with the technicians. The three spotlights I used as a substitute did not work as well for me. I would have spaced the set out a lot better, on paper and in my mind I pictured the set looking quite minimal and spacious. Actually Studio 1 was not as big as I anticipated and my set looked a little bit too cluttered, which I would defiantly change if I could do it again. From a performer’s point of view, the first monologue I was not happy with. I defiantly let the nerves get to me at the start and as result I skipped a few lines and I think my voice sounded a bit shaky at points. However I defiantly settled into the piece as I am very happy with the way I delivered the second and third sections.

Were you at all influenced by anyone?

Well apart from the obvious answer of Kate Bush who has been my muse throughout this process. I think in the beginning stages when I was looking at doing a more performance art installation type piece I was defiantly influenced by Marina Abramovich. For me, she is the Kate Bush of the performance art world. Just beautiful and wacky and inspirational. When i realised performance art is not my strength I did look at the work of Laurie Anderson, who focusses far more on the autobiographical. But really, Withering Tights was inspired by me. I am aware how arrogant that sounds. But I wrote a show for me, I wrote a show that I would love to see and that I would pay money for. The style of the piece is completely parallel to my personality, incorporating elements of everything I love. I think any artist when they create whatever work, need to do it for themselves ultimately. This I believe is even more important with solo performance.

What sort of feedback did you get and can you comment on it?

So far I have had nothing but positive feedback from the piece, which is fantastic to hear. Of course all my nearest and dearest friends were the critics so I doubt they would be too critical, but even still it is a great achievement. Everyone LOVED the Dominoes sketch… and I think it was one of my favourite bits. It was certainly fun to perform. I think it has been received so well because it rings true with so many of us. Dominoes is a very sexy thing to a lot of people. Not just myself. I wanted the Dominoes sketch to be one of those things that effects the audience members long after the show, but next time they order a pizza they remember my performance. I think I achieved that.

What is next for Withering Tights?

I would love to continue and develop Withering Tights further. I think it has a lot of potential. I originally didn’t like the idea because I didn’t think it could be a solo show. I thought it would work better with three women. I would like to perhaps adapt the piece and get more actors involved. I think that could be quite interesting. Although saying that, I have defiantly got the soloist bug. I think I could be quite happy working solo forever. It is such a wonderful opportunity to show off. And lets face it what drama student doesn’t want to do that. I would love to adapt Withering Tights or perhaps write a completely different show and take it up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival… now that would be a dream come true.

Twas the night before the performance and all through the house… Kate was stressing out because her performance is double the length it’s supposed to be!!! Today has been very productive. I have purchased all my props and rehearsed all the costume changes so they are as slick as possible. I have practiced my pre-set, and am so excited to be performing one of my ultimate fantasies as part of my final performance at the University of Lincoln. I have rehearsed the monologues several times in front of the mirror trying to perfect my facial expressions and posture. The hard part has been rehearsing the old lady monologue without moving my eyes. This has particularly tricky as the monologue is reliant on iconic facial expression and not being able to move my eyes tends to make my recital sound stilted. I am feeling prepared… or I was until I did a full timed dress rehearsal and found the piece finished on 21mins. It is a shame to cut some of it, but I’am defiantly getting rid of all speaking in the second set up and just making it a physical/mime piece to music (with the exception of the Dominoes song.) I feel the second set up becomes much clearer and much funnier without the dialogue. The dialogue sometimes felt awkward when rehearsing. I am also scrapping the opening section of the princess monologue, when the toddler was talking to the parents. Although this part of the speech is a nice way to set the scene and begin the piece, it is not necessary and the main focus of the opening monologue should be the notion of seeing your own image and not recognising it as your own. The notion of self critiquing which is apparent in every stage of a girl’s growing up. Even at the very beginning. Iam very excited to show and share the work I have done during the past weeks. It has been a very rewarding experience and I have loved creating, writing, directing and performing my own work. I just really hope the people understand the slightly dark/risqué humour of mine. I just need to tweak a few aspects of the tech tomorrow, hopefully get to do a full run and then its show time.

So I have been purposefully putting off writing the last monologue. The speech of the old lady. Partly because the other set up’s have been easier to write in regards to they are more comic and more based around my sense of humour. In that sense I guess you could say they have come naturally to me. Also I have experience of being a toddler and am currently a young 21 year old woman. I have never been nor had any experience of being an old lady. She should defiantly be the most relatable and it is ironic that she is to me personally and currently the most un-relateable. To combat this problem, I could make the old lady more current, give her a young spirit or an essence of myself. Instead I have decided to make her even more un-relatable to me and make her blind. However this decision is 100% the correct one, and when I thought of the idea it was like I could finally see the piece as a whole (again the irony.) I have decided the old lady should be blind because without sight we would no longer be bombarded with image. As tragic as being blind is, I want to turn the tragedy on its head and make it a blessing. No longer can the old lady obsess over the way she looks, and no longer can she judge others by the way they look. By making the old lady blind she can finally be at peace with you she is, and accepts her image based on those who love her. I am quite happy with the way that sounds, I think it makes for a heartfelt ending…

 

Oh I give up. I’m too old for these now. You spend 20 minuets trying to pull them up and within 5 minuets there down my ankles again. Oh and what a faff on it is every time I have to spend a penny. No, I’m giving them up. Would you like a mint? I’d take one while you still can. Someone keeps pinching them, I reckon it’s that new nurse Anita. She’s very shifty. I think she’s foreign. You can’t trust anyone round here. That’s why I hide my books, well they’s think it was a bloody library round here. I love my books. I can’t read them but I don’t have to. I know all the stories off by heart. Ive read them that many times see. I love all those romantic novels. Wuthering heights, that one of my favourites. My mother used to tell me, I used to dance to a song called Wuthering Heights. In front of the mirror in the bedroom. My mother loved the singer. Bit screechy for me. Not my cup of tea. Jane Eyre, now that is my all time favourite. You know it still get me at the end when Jane goes back to Mr Rochester. Now thats romance, not like these modern day rubbish… what’s it called… 1000 shades of grey or what not. I can’t believe girls these days want to be slapped about by their fellers, and thats romantic! I worry about these youngsters. The ones that come in here. Anita tells me they’re all so caught up with images. Whether its on their phones or looking in the mirror or a kindle… Oh a kindle. Now don’t get me started on Kindle’s… what a travesty they are. I think they’d be better off without it all. It’s surprising what you can see when your not looking. I should know. Well I’m off to the lounge. I’m meeting Eric. He’s a lovely man. Were reading Wuthering Heights together. He’d never read it before, so I suggested we read it together. Mind you I know whenever he skips any of the boring bits. How do I look? Maybe a bit of puff eh? Not that it matters, I’m not dressing up for anybody. Eric likes me just the way I am, wrinkles an all. Yes that will do. You know Eric’s a lucky man… I feel as pretty as a princess.

For the second set up, I have decided not to write a monologue but rather make it about movement and song. The transitional song Physical by Olivia Newton John will play and I will change into my fitness outfit. As the chorus starts up I will begin to work out on my exercise bike. Towards the end of the chorus the music will fade as my character becomes more frustrated with exercise… and cue the Frozen/Dominoes reprise. After I sing the Dominoes song, communicating to the audience my internal struggle of being healthy or being lazy, I will then sit at the desk where there will be a pizza box. Every time I open the box I want there to be a snippet of R Kelly’s song Bump ‘n’ Grind. I want it to appear as if the pizza is talking to me and tempting me to eat it. I am hoping the audience will buy into this personification and the sketch will be very funny. Further to this I will then endeavour to eat the pizza drawing comparisons sexual acts. The pot of garlic and herb dip that is infamous with Dominoes will be used to replicate penetration, as I repeatedly dip the pizza crust into the pot. The sketch will end when my character realises her disgrace and removes her fitness leggings (smothered in garlic dip)and hangs them on the washing line. Truly the act of airing out you dirty laundry.

 

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