We used the building blocks to make the show, but we got marked down because we didn’t have any “Frantic” lifts. Do we have to use lifts for it to be “Frantic”?

I would say no, of course, and it seems reductive for an examiner to say no. I have been getting the impression that, if it was run by examiners, there is a good chance we would come third in a Frantic Assembly look alike competition. But I have my sympathy for those examiners. They must be looking for something that is recognisably Frantic, whatever that means. It is problematic as I have been trying to find something different to present, to surprise and challenge the expectations. The reality is that there will be something that will give me away, even if I only win third prize at that look alike competition. I have patterns and structures that I return to and probably can’t escape. What is more problematic is what appears to be a presumption that using the Frantic Method must result in something that hits a predetermined and recognisable outcome in your work. That is the opposite of what I am trying to develop.

I see the Frantic Method as a way of reinvigorating your work. I see it as a way of sparking creativity without dictating what that work will be. I hope it invites you to think differently about your creative process. To break it down and take the pressure and intensity off teachers/directors and students/performers. That does not mean I see it as a series of lifts you must hit, even if you can see that as a pattern in my work!

My problem with your predicament is, are you being assessed on your ability to understand that process and apply it or in your ability to pastiche or copy its former results?

Back to the questions, Building Blocks should not be apparent within the work. They are just the steps you take to get there. That said, it is always worth documenting those steps as they can be applied to different situations. Not every Building Block takes your work forward and you may make discoveries that are much more applicable elsewhere. Taking note of that can be very important. That is why I say you should aim to leave a rehearsal room with more in your notebook than when you entered. Don’t simply set out what your plans are going to be. Write down what steps actually were taken.

Falling foul of the examiners is not just something teachers and students experience, however. We have had reviews that have used the phrase ‘not Frantic enough!’