Task 2 - 'Bouncers' - developing and shaping ideas creatively - music and engaging audience

1. This week (3rd - 7th Nov), we focused on detailing the performance as a whole using an aspect of music. We decided as a company that as the theme of the play bouncers is all about a night out at a night club for the various different groups of characters, we thought that an appropriate decision to make was to have background music playing in the background to create the atmosphere of a night club and to strongly portray the whole aspect of the performance. but also, in both hairdresser/barbers scene with the 'girls' and 'lads', we have some typical radio music playing in the background, and in the pub scene with Lads, some typical pub music, just to give that extra feel of the contrast with the different locations within the play and further convey the change in atmospheres that comes along with the multi-rolling between the different characters. The songs we have chosen:

Bouncers, outside the club - 'dirty love' by wilkinson and 'Blue Jeans' MK dark blue club remix - we thought these songs were a good idea to have playing in the background (to symbolise they're playing inside the club and that the bouncers are outside), because they are both current club songs, and people in the audience can relate as it creates a nostalgic feel for the members that have experienced clubbing and the sort of atmosphere surrounding there. 

Girls, in hairdresser - 'shake it off' by Taylor Swift. Lads, in barbers - 'Fools Gold' by stone roses - We thought these songs would be perfect to have playing in the hairdresser/barbers scene as it creates a stereotypical chilled out atmosphere that is conveyed in a hairdressers or barbers - radio in the background playing typical radio songs. With the song in the Barbers with the lads, we looked at the characters of 'the lads' and decided that it's the sort of music that they would favour, also, this song is a song included on a FIFA game which is played heavily by the male population, further showing that this sort of song would be favoured in a typical place for male.

Lads, pub scene 'old yellow bricks' by Arctic Monkeys - we thought this song would be highly appropriate to create an atmosphere of a pub, as stereotypically, you get a majority of the masculine population in pubs - 'lads' - and the Arctic Monkeys are a very popular band within the male population, making this song suit a typical male place like a pub. 

We made a not of these songs, and I annotated my script showing when abouts the songs we have, so far, are played.

We also made an effort to talk about engaging the audience throughout the performance. We had ideas of when the audience are first coming into the performance - the night club - we act as our bouncers in a sort of real life situation where we are welcoming them into the performance - as bouncers would when welcoming people into a night club. We are also thinking about what the bouncers would be saying to our audience to create this illusion that we are bouncers welcoming people into a nightclub .... "Can I see some ID", "no trouble tonight please", "evening, love", "have a good night fellas" etc. and we would actually say these things to our audience.

The good thing about doing this is it really and further strongley creates this atmosphere of arriving and being at a club for a night out - which is really, the whole main essence of this comedic play by John Godber. Also, members in our audience that have been clubbing before and know how it feels and what it's like, can effectively relate, creating a real nostalgic feel for them - which is always an advantage.