Hand raise fall - (catch a clap)

Due to my absence of one the Theatre lessons I missed an exercise called hand raise fall, I checked out 3 peoples blogs and I got a general consensus of the game and now understand the purpose of the game. However I didn't wish to simply plagiarize someone else's hard work so instead I am going to write a small evaluation of the exercise of Hand, Raise, Fall that few people have actually decided to include in their blogs.

We were told to think about this game like a cake, and what do all cakes have? Ingredients of course! Some of the key ingredients that were needed in this exercise were:

• Good peripheral vision 
• Focus and concentration
• A "protagonist" (I'll explain) 
• A 100% organised ensemble 
• Trust in your fellow actor (2 tsbp)
• Quick reaction time
• Excellent hearing 
• Good sight 
• Fast feet 

We did this particular exercise in layers so the first layers was were the instructor would have the role of the protagonist who basically puts their life in the hands of the rest of the class. We told to walk around the room in a state of complete calmness. The protagonist would then plant his/her firmly on the ground, raise their hand and say "me" and would then fall backwards. The ensemble meanwhile would not be watching the protagonist so the must engage their peripheral vision to see where the falling person is and sense that the rest of the group is rushing to their aid. Once there the rest of the players protect the protagonist by not catching exactly but by supporting them as they descend then helping them back up and moving on. Not all of the group members would be used in supporting the protagonist but they would still be used to help in the effort. This helps us to form a stronger bond as an ensemble and realise that each part we do can help to support other actors one stage. 

The second layer was a direct continuation of the previous steps but now anyone in the entire group could become the protagonist and yell me. This means that I now had to be a state of 100% awareness at all times to ensure the safety of my fellow team mate. I can apply this exercise to my growing acting skills by the way it makes you become mindful of every single individual on stage whilst giving the illusion of being completely spontaneous when it comes to some movements on stage not giving away what's coming next. This exercise could be made harder by making the catches of the protagonist deeper putting the actor at more risk but enhancing our ability to react!