13/2/15

Today was our performance of 'East-End Tales', and after 17 weeks of rehearsal, I was pleased with the overall outcome. The project was for our page to stage unit, in which we were being assessed on our storytelling, physical and technical skills. we brought Fin Kennedy's piece to life. The play was very physical, and Miss.Goodall aimed to keep it an ensemble piece as it could be by making sure that at least three quarters of us were present on stage at one time, and even fitting us all in, in the beginning and the ending performance with  all 25 of us , in which we used torches, music and a minimal prop list, which  consisted of red stools and two umbrellas.

In the development of the play,  we did multiple improvisations, using a section of a tale as a stimulus, urging us to make bold character decisions and scenarios. In the rehearsal process, discussing the text was useful in creating character objectives. I also think that being given a scene to be creative to work on allowed us as the cast to impose our own opinions of the piece, making us really form ideas and responses to the text.

Our relationship as a cast was very strong. We were able to cover each other if lines were forgotten and we were so comfortable with our work. I think the moments that worked particularly well were  the opening driving scene because of the complete darkness we were in - the lights emphasized drama and directed the audience's attention to different parts of the stage. In full light it wouldn't have been nearly so effective. Secondly where the driver's area is,is only lit by the lights of the headlights and the passenger.

I thought the rhythm of Tale 3, the Bar scene, worked well as the atmosphere was energetic and fun. Again, as we went into darkness it was a very dramatic scene change and a mood change from the light atmosphere of the bar to the retelling of Jack's story.

My favourite moment was Tale 1 when all the girls worked together the atmosphere was harmonious and we bounced energy off each other which made us personify the text .

The scene that featured another actor that I think was most effective was when Nina connected with Jamie's character and showed sympathy towards her, she also used her voice carefully and used full body language to express her feelings towards the opposite character and used the space wisely. My favourite moment in their tale was when we used physical theatre to become a counter at a shop.

For weaknesses, I think the play could have been improved if people used more characterization to make their characters more believable and project a lot more especially over the music. I think there could have been more moments where we just used used physical theatre to tell the story and would have made it more abstract. Also some of the transitions were a bit messy because i found myself bumping into people and having to be discrete not to show there was a problem.

This term, I have really improved my development of character objective, and physicality. I payed a lot of attention to characterization, as i'm slow at finding out my character and making them become realistic. Having to share lines with other people made me think of the decisions i should make for the character as not everyone else would have that perspective of the character i'm thinking of, and how I can respond to that. I don't think I was as focused with line learning as I could have been, and next term I would like to be really on top with my blocking and speech, so that I know my performance is the best it can be. I've realized that I need to improve my self-confidence, and not think/ compare myself to others, because I would find myself constantly saying that I wasn't good enough and that the audience would think I was terrible, but as a performer i need to be brave to take risks, overall i'm proud of the outcome/ideas contributed to the play.

To conclude, I've really enjoyed doing the play, and think that my characterization, imagination and creativity have expanded, whilst  I want to improve my vocalization and projection for next term, I know for a fact that my characterization and projection are my weakness.

29/1/15

Set yourself  three rehearsal targets:

1. Remember ensemble lines

2. Use more emotion in my lines

3. Be more present in the room

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?           

i have achieved all targets because i have remembered my cues and ensemble lines and also used more emotion in my lines by using Miss.Goodall's exercise  of using a lot of different emotions to say one line.

What would you give yourself for today’s rehearsal? 

Marking criteria:	Why?
P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process
M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.
D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.	I worked more professionally and contributed more to the class and had more commitment. i focused on myself acting than on others so i can build up self confidence.

22/1/15

Set yourself  three rehearsal targets:

1. enjoy rehearsals as much as i enjoy the text

2. be patient when going over the same tale

3. try to remember cues 

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?           

I've been trying to act to the best of my ability through every rehearsal and performing it as I would if there was an audience there  and also this has helped me develop a more understanding of each tale as we go over it numerous times.

What would you give yourself for today’s rehearsal? 

Marking criteria:	Why?
P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process
M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.	i was working at a merit because i felt i could push myself more in the development in my characterization and also commit more.
D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.

15/1/15

Today we focused on finishing Tale 5, and adding the last ideas to the tales we had been directing ourselves (Tale 7 in my case). I really feel like Tale 7 because we started cutting and developing our ideas we cutted the 'wandering around the aisles', and changing it to sharper lines in which we have created a routine.  Adding a routine is in keeping with the physical aspect of the play. As we all stand in straight lines there is the question of whether we are shoppers, or the shopping aisles, and how that can change the messages of those moments.

In tale 5, we have finished up the end of the scene by doing some lifting work. After the lines about the woman being killed are said, some of the cast congregated in a corner, and lifted Taffie up above them, as though bearing the weight of a coffin. I think doing this not only contributes to the literal sense of us taking her body out of the house. This could symbolise us bearing the weight of this tragedy, which I think the narrator is, as they might be wondering whether they could have done or said anything to change her life. Carrying her above our heads also makes her more precious, and sends the message that she died unfairly, for she was so good. 

Set yourself  three rehearsal targets:

1. Practise off script

2. Maintain focus throughout the rehearsal

3.  make definite choices in characters 

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?           

i have found a group to rehearse my lines with as well as my cues, i have used Miss.Goodall's exercises  at the start of the lesson to give me focus throughout the lesson, finally i decided what character i want to play before i decided how i am going to play it.

What would you give yourself for today’s rehearsal? 

Marking criteria:	Why?
P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process
M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.	i have demonstrated personal and technical skills and i have been able to make good contribution to ideas in tale 7.
D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.

8/1/15

In Tale 1, we are incorporating stereotypical east-end accents into the piece, I also want to work on saying my lines, without them becoming unrecognizable. 

Every time I say a line I change my action like texting, taking a photo or on the phone.

I enjoyed being able to direct Tale 7 with the cast rather than Miss.Goodall because it allowed us to express our creative side .

Our scene is about someone working in their family owned shop, and having faced racial abuse for ages, finally stands up to one rowdy customer in particular.

 we all turn into snakes, ganging up on those behind the till.

As each of us have the turn to say our lines, we morph back into humans one at a time, and join the others behind the till. This then leaves Connor on the the other side, alone, while we gang up on him. It's like a shift in power, as we all become the narrator and realize that what we were doing is wrong, and now attack Connor.

So far, we have blocked the first half of the scene, up until the line "The prices are on the front mate, I say, YOU picked em up". We decided to all start out as the narrator's brother, stacking shelves; being bored. However, after this, we become shoppers, wandering around the aisles. 

Unit 15 Performing Scripted Plays Rehearsal Self Observation

Marking criteria:

P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process

M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.

D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.

Set yourself  three rehearsal targets:

1. Take more risks the character I play in Tale 1 


2. contribute more in class

3. be more confident in my actions 

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?           

I achieved target 1 by being more open with my body language and focusing on my voice to get the right accent I need for the tale. I also achieved target 3 by not just relying on my facial expressions but on my gestures/body language. 

What would you give yourself for today’s rehearsal? 

Marking criteria:	Why?
P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process
M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.	I think i worked at a merit because i worked well on my technical and personal skills but i could of contributed more
D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.

18/12/14

Who am I?

In the prologue I am a headlight, i am part of the taxi that the main character needs to make a living. He talks about 'the baby on the way', which suggests having a partner. I am also a window wiper, I chose to do this because it  links to tale 4 which helps to bring the piece together, as ''it was raining'' as well. I imagine that whenever the taxi driver has an argument with their partner they'd go and sit in the taxi, which has become his second home, with how much time he spends in it, or go for a drive, and listen to the reassuring hum of the engine. 

In Tale 1, although I'm in a large ensemble of girls as we describe how we imagine our perfect boy to be in the east end , personally, I think my character is a young woman, who if she did have a relationship with this person, they'd most definitely be her boyfriend. Additionally, someone to appreciate her, someone who she has big plans for, which I think is evident in the line "But is unemployed "- which shows my character cares about what he's doing with his life, but his hatred for smoking and cigarettes ''but he hates cigarettes''. 

 in Tale 3 (I'm not in Tale 2) we all act as witnesses to Jack's crime, but also as reminders to his past. As we sit in a semi-circle around him it's like we're the audience to his guilt that has frozen him which then leads to my line ''frozen solid under the ice'' that he can never escape from.

 in Tale 4, i am an aisle with the rest of the ensemble accept from Nina and Jamie, this tale is about a young lady helping an elderly lady to cross the road and do her shopping my line in this tale is '' beans on toast is it? and she nods''.

Tale 5 everyone all plays the same person, apart from me  and Aaron, where our characters are the  parents. Next door there is a couple where the father is abusive to the mother, who knows what's right, but fights with being pushed over by her husband for so long and becoming dead to her own power, but my character is inbetween wanting to help or just letting sort it out for themselves. the line '' just a domestic'' suggests that the abuse happens quite frequently and my character has learnt to deal with it .

Lastly, in Tale 7 ( i'm not in tale 6), I play a person who has become tired of the same racial abuse, that a customer gives that comes to the shop regularly. In the beginning my character saw this racism as disgusting, and confusing, angry at their parents for not standing up for themselves. This can be seen in the line "Dad showed me the door, and I don't much work in the shop anymore" like their dad agrees with their stance on this abuse, they put up with the abusive language in fear of losing customers.  

Some of the objectives I've found are here:

Line: "i can't take this anymore i've got to say something you know do something" Objective: is that i am trying to express to my husband, that the abuse next door is affecting me and i feel like i need to try and help their situation.

Line: "but he hates cigarettes" Objective: i am trying to show the positive side of my perfect east end man and that there's more to him than meets the eye.

Line: "i don't work much in the shop anymore" Objective: my dad is now scared of what i might say to other customers and also, i am more sensitive to the abusive language than the rest of my family so i can't just brush it under the carpet.

11/12/14

Definition of an ensemble- my definition of an ensemble is something that involves a lot of people working together.

What has to happen in the rehearsal room to create a successful ensemble?

You have to work together and listen to each other's opinions and suggestions to have a healthy relationship with the whole of the ensemble for it to be successful. 

What was your favourite ensemble piece so far and write 4 sentences why

My favourite ensemble piece so far is tale 3 because I feel we worked really well together in that scene because the scene flowed really nicely and we had a really strong connection. The scene had a really jolly atmosphere unlike some of the more serious scenes which was a nice contrast to experience. We were all really focused during the rehearsals of that scene and that meant the way it was performed was successful. Also the staging was comfortable to work with and smart which made our performance stronger.

Tale 3:

We have staged Tale 3 in a way that uses the whole space, where the boys end their scene and use their transition to move the chairs as the girls stroll into the pub and take their places either around the boys' already formed groups, or making their own. In unison, we contort ourselves into the exaggerated stance of someone downing a pint. I would like to experiment with my position and perhaps use a different level because what I am doing now means that my back bends unnaturally, making it uncomfortable to hold. We then deliver our lines, and on the queue, we become tradesmen fixing up houses, and then form a semi-circle around the bar, which was being made out of chairs by some of the cast. The lights go out, and we use our torches to illuminate Matteo (Jack). Then, I crawl under a white sheet, which is then lit by the others; by this time everything is very central, and our bodies almost make a barrier in front of the audience.

In this tale I play: A loudmouthed pub goer, a tradesman and the victim of Jack's burst of rage in a pub one night (I am dead). As the pub goer I mess about with friends, and join the unannounced competition present in every pub, which is "Who can down their pint the fastest". As the tradesman I am a particularly shady builder, like a decorator that would be featured on 'Cowboy Builders' as I only take cash, do unnecessary jobs that cost more, and cut corners.

The atmosphere of Tale 3 begins as a somewhat jolly scene in my opinion with humour, and the sinister contrast towards the end makes the piece tense, as the swift contrast leaves the audience guessing. I think the physicality in this scene also makes us more than actors in the piece; we are the piece. With minimal setting, costume and lighting, we become the frame that holds the picture we paint, our bodies move the audience from one place to another, and it make this tale very vivid, as the audience are transported with us, and can't let go, adding to the tension I described earlier. 

It differs from our interpretation of tales one and two because I think both those tales use less abstract physicality, and often involve us solely sitting down or standing up, and in this tale I feel we tell someone's story, instead of just describing them, which is also down to the script.

Tale 4:

 So far, we have used a change of prop in tale 4, by employing umbrellas. This tale is appearing to be a very grouped piece in terms of physicality, as there are times where be congregate in a bundle and link together as a long line. However, it does appear that this piece has a few main narrators, making the story more personal to one actor.

Umbrellas are not unheard of on the stage in big numbers, like in the musical, The Umbrellas of  Cherbourg

In this tale so far I am a  narrator, and I have lines both as an ensemble and on my own like:

"Beans on toast is it? and she nods" said by myself.

In  this I think I am voicing the main character's thoughts, and judging by this person's actions in the scene, they are kind at heart, but sometimes struggle to do the right thing, as  they feel pressure from friends, and most likely parents.Perhaps being charitable to an elderly woman, who in our society is seen as unable to contribute to culture, would be seen as unnecessary.

Further Questions:

Over the past few weeks I have definitely developed ,my physical theatre skills and ability to throw myself in and contribute ideas, and just having fun. I have thought about my voice, as I've wanted to keep each of my character's tones, dialects and pitches varied.

Lastly, the lines I think sums up each tale are:

Prologue - Cab driver - "Nocturnal" or similarly "Shadowy"

Tale 1 - If the east end was my friend - "Going it alone"

Tale 2 - If the east end was my friend - She waits for the weather, for the weather girl's dress"

Tale 3 - If the east end was my friend - "For this lost little boy, Is frozen with guilt."

Tale 4 - Elderly loneliness -   "Nobody's ever helped me before"