after you see the one sure thing practical responses
spatial awareness Spatial awareness is the ability of the actor to be constantly aware of where he/she places him/herself on the stage. The following activity is designed to help you develop your sense of “placement” within the performance area.
classroom activity
Shaun Foley Photo: Claire Harris
PRACTICAL TASK
Begin walking around the space with your class. Imagine that you are all moving on a finely balanced plate and the class must be spread evenly over the floor to keep the plate from falling. Keep walking around. Fill the gaps as you see them. When the teacher beats a drum, freeze. Look around to see if you are equally spaced. Moving to different types of music, initially walk around the space again. At your teacher‟s direction, walk forwards, backwards, sideways. Walk quickly, slowly, on the ball of your feet, on the heel, on the sides of your feet. Add the directions “stop”, “lie down”, “kneel”. With the music you may use any of those directions as you please. You may copy what you see someone else doing, or you may choose to do your own combination of the specific movements. Split the class into two groups. Have one group “perform” for the other and then swap over.
REFLECTION
What did you notice when you were performing? How did it feel to use the space fully? How did you respond to other members in your group as you moved? As an audience member, what did you notice about the movement? What had the most impact? Where were the most prominent spaces on the stage? Which positions lost focus? What could there have been more of?