Making Hip Hop Theatre: Beatbox and Elements

Description

Making Hip Hop Theatre is the essential, practical guide to making hip-hop theatre. It features detailed techniques and exercises that can guide creatives from workshops through to staging a performance. If you were inspired by Hamilton, Barber Shop Chronicles, Misty, Black Men Walking or Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster, this is the book for you. Covering vocal technique, use of equipment, mixing, looping, sampling, working with venues and dealing with creative challenges, this book is a bible for both new and experienced artists alike. Additionally, with links to online video material demonstrating and elaborating on the exercises included, it offers countless useful tools for teachers and facilitators of drama, music and other creative arts. Alongside this practical guidance is an overview of hip hop history, giving theoretical and historical context for the practice. From documentation of Conrad Murray’s major productions, to commentary from leading practitioners including Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens, David Jubb, Emma Rice, Tobi Kyeremateng and Paula Varjack, readers are treated to a detailed insight into the background of hip hop theatre. Edited by scholar Katie Beswick and genre pioneer Conrad Murray, Making Hip Hop Theatre is a vital teaching tool and provides a much-needed account of a burgeoning aspect of contemporary theatre culture. Cover Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Dedication CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS ABOUT THE AUTHORS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ON COLLABORATION AND THE VOICES IN THIS BOOK Here’s Conrad OUR COLLABORATORS WHY WE WROTE THIS NOTE FROM THE AUTHORS Some introductions Hip hop culture: A brief history Conrad on hip hop Katie on hip hop Conrad on the Battersea Arts Centre, the venue where it all started The Beatbox Academy: How it began PART ONE Getting started Hip hop principles, warm-up games and learning the beatbox basics Principles of hip hop The elements The cypher Freestyle Sampling Style and authenticity Warm-ups Simple warm-ups Warm-up games Beatbox basics Vocalizing Boom! Tee! Cla! Exercises for basic sounds Conrad has this to say about the importance of timing Learning the foundation beat Second foundation beat Progressing technique Circle Jams Relative pitch and harmony Practicing tempos Cyphers Battling Equipment Microphones Loop stations Metronome DAW (Digital Audio Workstations) Online teaching platforms Further resources Ending sessions PART TWO Developing ideas and making a living Tips on working with people, putting a show together and developing a career in the theatre Principles for working with . . . Working with . . . Stimulus and starting points Why? Putting ideas on their feet Exercises you can do alone or in a group Exercises for groups Devising and developing Practical tips for starting a theatre career Working with venues Money stuff Validation and success PART THREE How we made it Case study examples from Conrad’s hip hop shows Hitler Wrote 20 Pop Songs . . . Have You Heard Them? What is it? Why we made it Creative techniques Challenges Reception No Milk for the Foxes What is it? Why we made it Creative techniques Challenges Reception DenMarked What is it? Why we made it Creative techniques Challenges Reception High Rise eState of Mind What is it? Why we made it Creative techniques Challenges Reception Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster What is it? Why we made it Creative techniques Challenges Reception Against ‘spoken word’! Spoken word ‘Spoken word’ and UK theatre INDEX