Withering Tights By Kate Newman

Pictured above is a the basic idea for the set and staging of Withering Tights. I have chosen to use a diagonally placed beam of light across the stage to replicate a catwalk. This has connotations of not only fashion, women and body image but, metaphorically has connotations of life and of life reaching the end of the catwalk. Along the catwalk are the three sets for the monologues, starting from upstage left and ending at downstage right, the monologues are in chronological order as the women progresses down the catwalk, also showing a progression of age. Surrounding the catwalk beam of light will be washing lines filled with various pairs of tights. Not only does this create a strong image of washing, and stereotyping women and of the cliche of dirty laundry, but it also shows the progression of age. Upstage left where the first monologue will take place I want to fill the washing line with many pairs of tights gradually getting less and less along the washing line. In the third set up downstage right, I want there to be one pair of solitary withering tights. These tights would be selected and worn during the performance, leaving the washing line bare.

After trying desperately to get my previous idea to work, I am having to alter it drastically. The problem with a piece having three equally weighted roles and only one performer is proving hard to physicalise on stage. There are definite ways round using video and screens and silhouettes, but I feel to piece is becoming more and more complicated. I am a great believer in beauty of simplicity. However all is not lost. I am certain the piece should be about women and body image. It should also be about music. Throughout this process, wether it be my love of Kate Bush or various songs that have inspired me. Music is a very important part of my life and I know will be apparent in my solo piece.

I was inspired today during a morning work out on my cross trainer. I have had a strange relationship with a somewhat battered cross trainer, which I have had since I was thirteen. At several stages in my life during adolescence I have resorted to using the cross trainer, often in moments of desperation over the way I look. I have always been slightly curvaceous, shall we say, not that I hate the way I look but have struggled to maintain a figure I feel happy with. When I am on my cross trainer, I play songs that have a strong resonance with me. Songs from my past the evoke very powerful memories in order to get me through the vigorous exercise. I want my piece to be about this. This power of feeling through music. For the audience to gain some insight into the goings on in my brain when I attempt to get fit. Some songs I know will create a comic effect, sometimes I choose a power ballad and pretend I am a performer in a music video… embarrassing bit true. Some songs hold more melancholy and personal memories. I like the idea of the audience working out alongside me, but not physically but emotionally.

I have found my skills in creating solo performance thus far can be useful in other ways other than for the purposes of this module. I was lucky enough to receive a callback audition for a show going up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year, and surprise surprise I was asked to create a 5 minuet solo performance for my audition. I originally thought I’d create take something from my previous idea of Withering Tights, but I decided to try something completely different to see if any new material of ideas can come from it.

I have recently been to Amsterdam and visited Anne Frank’s House and felt quite inspired by my visit there. I decide to do a comparison between Anne Frank’s Diary and a more modern way of expressing oneself nowadays and creating a fake YouTube video. I separated the fake YouTube videos with sections of dramatic reading from Anne Frank’s Diary to show the difference in the lives of young women today and in the 1940’s. It was very refreshing to be able to see how how mush I have learnt about solo performance and putting into use in an entirely different way.

 

 

 

After establishing my strengths in dark comedy and wiping the slate clean. I have endeavoured to create a new solo performance and believe I have one. The piece will be entitled ‘Withering Tights’ and is about women and their vanity with body image and their appearance. The piece will follow the story of three main characters. A young teenager who struggles with the way she looks in comparison to photoshopped celebrities. She is very tomboyish and struggling with her sexuality. She attempts to wear a dress and a pair of tights to appear more feminine.

The Second is a model at the peak of her career, she is similar to the young teenage character away from the camera, but as she dresses for the catwalk and puts on her tights she adorns her role as beautiful, confident and sexy woman.

The third character is an old lady who is struggling with the fact she no longer is young and beautiful. She still has kept her clothes from her younger days and everyday attempts to wear them, before giving up humiliated.

Below are the basic notes I have about beginning to create this piece;

-Comedy about women and their obsession with achieving the perfect body image.

– Music to communicate feeling and use of comedy in places. Almost like a musical.

– Playing with Mirror and images.

– A pair of withered stockings hanging from the ceiling.

– The young girl communicates through YouTube.

– Are the three characters connected? – Old lady’s granddaughter is young girl who aspires to be model.

– What do the tights represent for each character?

– Young girl – The tights are a barrier between her and her acceptance of her own body image.

– Model – The tights give her her sexuality.

–  Old Lady – Tights are a physical representation of her beauty now lost.

-Endings?

– Young Girl – Feels unattractive and so tries to change her image to fit in. It back fires, humiliating her. She hangs herself with a pair of tights.

– Model – Gets ready for a casting meeting, she is oozing sexuality. Her casting is successful but only because she sleeps with the director. She consents, but feels cheap. Her tights are laddered and torn. She uses the hanging stockings in some bondage withe the casting director.

– Old Lady – Eventually accepts her older image and finds some comfort in it. She throws away her young clothes and puts on her granny clothes. She looks in the mirror and smiles.

I have always been aware that devising is a matter of trial and error. After a 1 to 1 meeting where I tried to expand my ideas and better see how they were to fit in the space, new ideas kept being thrown in my direction. Which made me think perhaps my idea is not a fully formed idea of just yet.

So previously my idea was to show the volatile relationship between Heathcliffe and Cathy in Wuthering Heights. I would show this using sound waves of extracts of the texts being read out, and a lite motif of performing Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights dance to lull the audience into a false sense of security. However after discussing the idea, it didn’t feel very personal to me. The piece had developed into a type of performance art whereas that is not where my strengths lie as a performer.

Being able to bounce some ideas with Lisa, we came up with ideas that the piece should be about women, identity. Perhaps the timeline of Emily Bronte contrasted with Kate Bush. Music should play a big part, as music is important to me and I believe helps transport audiences to different places.

Deciding not to carry on with my original idea has not scared me, but excited me. Im starting from scratch and want to push myself and my ideas so they can be the best they can be.