Ending Evaluation

Ending Evaluation: 

The ending of our performance was very difficult to devise, not only because it is the last thing the audience will remember and we want it to be effective but also because it is a full ensemble piece with the whole of the theatre year group - all 75 of us. In the end we finally figured out the piece will end as follows: The stage will be split in two by a black curtain with the majority of the cast standing one one side of the curtain whilst around five cast members stand on the other side with the audience playing mad scientists. Eventually the curtain falls down and all the cast members run in a circle around the audience slowly increasing the pace ad then freeze. We then have selected cast members walk in between the cast members using cello-tape to bind the wrists and arms together. The lights have been lowered by the end of this point ad then phone lights and flash lights are used to travel in and out of cast members making sure the cello-tape is hit by the light. We then form 5 lines and proceed to pass balloons to the audience members. When that is completed we each say a fear that we have and pop our balloons before walking out.
I think that our ending is effective because for many different reasons. One reason i think that our ending is effective is because it immerses the audience completely into our performance and makes forced to face what we are talking about and how they feel about it. I was a little wary of the ending and thought that it might not work due to how close we were to the audience and the fact that the audience may have been squashed and a bit uncomfortable but after performing i think that just added to the audience-actor relationship and created almost an understanding and intimacy that may not have been there if not for the close proximity. 
Another reason as to why i think that our ending was uniquely effective is because we worked well as ensemble together. The fact that the audience would have seen the three separate pieces and then see all the characters come together in the end to almost 'solve' the problem that mental health presents in itself is extremely effective and would make the audience feel as though they were apart of the play and almost as if they are on a journey.
The use of the cello-tape and the flash lights created a very nice visual for the audience and would keep them interested in the play as the lights lower however i think that they not understand the message that we are trying to portray. That they are safe and we are not alone as we are connected in way or another but the visual created is effective.
Furthermore the popping of the balloon at the end of the play is effective because it as if we are letting of our fears and stopping hiding for the first time however i think that the audience may have taken it as a joke and may have popped the balloon for the sake of it and not because they were thinking about their fears, furthermore when the cast were saying the fears we always ended up talking over each other and making our fears inaudible to each other and the audience so if we had more time to rehearse it may have been better if we could set an order for at last 12 actors and then everyone talks over each other. That way the audience could have heard at least part of what we were trying to portray.
Overall I think that some the ending could have been slightly adjusted to make it the best it could be but it was very well planed and went off without a glitch when being performed on the day, furthermore i enjoyed performing the ending and being that close to the audience and feeding off of their energy.