Within Rock Chick, it is important for me to not just create an environment that fosters an appropriate tone that compliments the music, but to also showcase some of the most personal sides of my personality that have been influenced by the culture behind heavy metal. Whilst I was initially considering the staging of my piece, I knew that in order for the set to be effective in communicating my journey through heavy metal with the audience, it had to be comprised of materials that meant something to me whilst I was growing up. Therefore, I went back to my family home in West Yorkshire and brought back a selection of clothes, albums, magazines and DVDs that I have collected over the years. Here are some images of the set that I am planning to use within my final performance.
Within both images, you can see that around the edge of the space, there is a plethora of albums by heavy metal artists that I collected during my teenage years. Within this idea, I thought it would be important for me to create a physical manifestation of my interest in the genre of heavy metal as this would provide a more personal connection between me and the space that I occupy. This is done with the intention of creating a space that works perfectly for my needs as a performer and captures the inner workings of my mind during my youth.
In addition to this, there are also a combination of shirts and magazines placed around me in a circle. This will be the first image that the audience sees as they enter Studio One. I will also be using this configuration in order to show a movement sequence during the opening of the show where I will be flicking through some of the magazines in order to reflect my interest in the genre. I will also be using the shirts and magazines as stepping stones during the concert section of my performance in order to emulate how I was able to get right to the front of the audience to see The Defiled play live. By doing this, I wish to capture how heavy metal supported me when I was vulnerable and less confident in my identity and my abilities. Furthermore, here are some examples of the props that I shall be using.
These next two images capture a collection of pots and pans and some washing up gloves as well as a pair of glasses and a presentation pointer. The pans shall be used in a section based on a childhood memory of mine in which I shall be drumming along to a song by Iron Maiden. In addition, the glasses and pointer shall be used during a presentation of various bands that influenced me as a teenager. The use of these props is partially humorous and tongue-in-cheek as I want my final performance to be as fun and rugged as possible in it’s execution, with everything being present as and when I need it. However, I also wish for the props to represent a further dramatic element to the piece. By adding multiple layers to my experience with heavy metal music, I want the final experience of my show to be multi-dimensional, with some sections being more humorous and others being slightly more authoritative.
In addition, I also knew that the set couldn’t look too organised or clean. I intend for this show to be care-free and visceral in it’s presentation, echoing the experiences of heavy metal fans. Whilst the genre of heavy metal may be seen by those who are less familiar with the style as chaotic and thoughtless, there is a lot of planning that goes into it. Therefore, whilst the outside may seem disorganised, the amount of hard work and passion behind heavy metal cannot be ignored. This is what I want to be echoed within Rock Chick; whilst the set may look chaotic, there is always a method behind it and I am able to easily access everything that I need in order to tell my story.