HARGRAVES ST. PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS...
MADELINE BOURKE
Portfolio 2020
OVERVIEW
For our final project at Deakin University, the women of Hargraves St. Productions produced, directed and performed a show called START FROM THE BEGINNING. An approximately 25-minute live performance (with a mix of pre-recorded videos) premiered on Zoom Webinar between 10-11 December 2020.
​
As a team of purely female-identifying actors we wished to create a piece in which supports and empowers the female population. Our main objectives with this show was to raise awareness and to educate all members of society regarding the issue of domestic abuse towards women in Australia. Henceforth, our target audience was aimed towards all individuals spanning various genders and backgrounds, however we felt it may not be suitable for children. With the desire to create a personal and honest experience for our audience, we decided to highlight the female population through the lives of four female characters and their experiences throughout a single day, as well as the events leading up to an assault witnessed by all.
EVOLUTION OF THE SHOW
When seeking inspiration for our show, I conducted interviews with my Mum, 7-year-old sister, and 10-year-old brother. These interviews highlight that there really is no one correct definition of ‘womanhood.’ These interviews can be found below.
The ensemble agreed that we too as individuals feel differently when it comes to defining what being a woman means to us. This is somewhat due to the circumstances within our own personal lives. That is why we decided to highlight the lives of four individual women, but we still initially felt the need to connect them by scripting them to board the same train at the end of the performance.
​
However, the thought of ending this way eventually left us pondering over whether the audience would feel engaged or not. Why were these women boarding the same train in the first place? Honestly, we weren’t really sure of the answer ourselves. And we felt the need to answer the question of ‘where is this piece heading?’ So, we then introduced the significant issue of domestic abuse towards women in Australia within our piece and decided this issue would ultimately dominate and drive the storyline.
​
It felt appropriate to present such a significant issue, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic of which has seen a spike in domestic violence cases. The restrictions forced us to wear masks while performing, however I believed it helped differentiate the pre-recorded scenes to the live. By wearing these masks during the performance, I believe we represented the women of Australia: it is like the world wishes for us to stay quiet (facemasks covering our mouths), however we won’t allow ourselves to be.
Our show was originally set to be presented as pre-recorded videos – but the thought of this did not sit well with me. I reached out to our Technical Advisor Thomas Salisbury and the decision was flipped – the platformed changed from YouTube to Zoom Webinar. I felt this change in platform improved the delivery of performance. And like Bryony Kimmings’ stage show ‘I’m a Phoenix Bitch’ (Arts Centre Melbourne 2020), an immediate connection formed when we as actors spoke directly to the audience in real time. While creating from home due to COVID-19 restrictions, we found the transformation of preforming within our bedrooms to different spaces within our homes helped to differentiate the character’s storylines.
​
We also turned to Beckett on Film’s (Minghella 2001) version of Beckett’s stage production ‘Play’ for the inspiration of our set within our pre-recorded scenes. We substituted Beckett’s urns on stage for four black boxes as they set out in a rhombus shape and twinkled under the theatre lights from the help of our Technical Advisors Thomas Salisbury and Olivia Fisher. We also adapted Beckett’s camera angles within our show, filming wide, mid and close up shots. This is explained further within the pictures and video below.
DEVELOPMENT OF MY CHARACTER
I turned to the stories of the women around me and used Verbatim Theatre to aid my writing and to ensure it was appropriate. My character was a 23-year-old female who had just discovered she was pregnant, and so I found it necessary to turn to my Mother who underwent a similar experience when she was younger.
Mentor Morgan Rose advised us to improvise most of our lines to ensure we embody the anxious and hesitant feeling of being interviewed. I also watched Netflix’s ‘Criminal: UK’ (Smith 2020) for inspiration when developing Rachael’s character throughout the pre-recorded interview scenes. You can hear in the recording below how emotional the women’s voice comes across as she recalls the night of a crime. Audio can be found below.
PRODUCTION ROLES
Who took leadership for particular aspects of the final work?
MADELINE BOURKE
Public Relations and Marketing Manager
ANNIE FITZER
Creative Devisor and Photographer
STEPHANIE MANN
Director and Web Designer
EMMA PEEL
Production Manager and Editor
MY CONTRIBUTION
As the Public Relations and Marketing Manager I was responsible for reaching out to two organisations: Domestic Violence Victoria and Women’s Health West. Mentor Gorkem Acaroglu aided in drafting the emails to said organisations, as this was my first time in a public relations role. She ensured a sense of professionalism was delivered through my communications. In response to the emails, both organisations allowed us to promote their services to our audience and encourage donations. If I had of contacted the organisations earlier, then the organisation may have possibly promoted our production to their community. Now that I feel more confident within this role, I feel next time I won’t feel as nervous to reach out, and the collaboration process can develop further.
I was also responsible for creating and posting on our ‘Hargraves St. Productions’ Facebook and Instagram page. Melbourne Theatre Company’s (MTC) media pages became my inspiration. Personally, I find their posts inviting as MTC ensures most of their posts are accompanied with a photo to capture the audience’s attention and they use descriptive language within their captions which is easy to read. I tried adapting this sense of professionalism within my own writing when promoting our show. Screenshots can be found when you swipe below.
Being a 2016 MTC Ambassador meant I was able to reach out to the education department and ask if they would kindly promote our performance.
REFERENCES
Arts Centre Melbourne (2019) I’m a Phoenix, Bitch, Arts Centre Melbourne, accessed 7 August 2020.
​
Minghella A (director) (2001) Beckett on Film: Play (Film), Tyrone Productions, Ireland.
​
Netflix (2020) ‘Stacey’ (television program), Criminal: UK, Idiot Lamp, UK.