The rehearsal process:
We all worked as a team especially due to us sharing roles. This meant we developed characters together and shared our interpretations to make sure there were clear similarities and characteristics. We also organised various rehearsals in our lunch time to do staging and line runs. The cast seem to be a bit shaky on there lines as a whole which meant these sessions really mattered. Once everyone got in role and instead of just saying the lines and actually felt them, it made the whole piece seem more real.
The performance:
The cast worked professionally and were able to help each other with sues behind stage. Imogen took the lead and volunteered, running to get people who should have been on stage. She showed initiative and I learnt a lot from her. I was able to improve my improvisation skills, working off other people and my lines to be able to instantly fill silence if a fellow actor forgot there line.
Sunday 18 May 2014
Wednesday 18 September 2013
Childrens Theatre Evaluation
The Rehearsal Process
It was both enjoyable and repetitive. Having to put on a smile throughout really took it's toll and made me start to be more professional. In acting you have to push yourself and endure things that you may not choose to endure. I think working as a team was a main factor in the success of the final shows, all our commitment within rehearsing ensured our real performance flowed almost effortlessly. I think one thing I could improve on would be my pessimistic attitude when I heard the words - singing and dancing. I think I need to be up for doing things to make a show how the director wants and to co-operate more when being asked to do so.
The Final Shows
Costume and make up really allowed our imagination to thrive and to actually start to make us believe that we were the characters. Also have our target audience there allowed us to work off of the audience as well as each other. Making us have to push ourselves through audience participation and improvisation. I think this topic really opened my mind to the possibilities of children's theatre and another pathway I could take in my career.
It was both enjoyable and repetitive. Having to put on a smile throughout really took it's toll and made me start to be more professional. In acting you have to push yourself and endure things that you may not choose to endure. I think working as a team was a main factor in the success of the final shows, all our commitment within rehearsing ensured our real performance flowed almost effortlessly. I think one thing I could improve on would be my pessimistic attitude when I heard the words - singing and dancing. I think I need to be up for doing things to make a show how the director wants and to co-operate more when being asked to do so.
The Final Shows
Costume and make up really allowed our imagination to thrive and to actually start to make us believe that we were the characters. Also have our target audience there allowed us to work off of the audience as well as each other. Making us have to push ourselves through audience participation and improvisation. I think this topic really opened my mind to the possibilities of children's theatre and another pathway I could take in my career.
Wednesday 20 February 2013
Utopia by Dennis Kelly
It was also so amazing to see Dennis Kelly's work after DNA. To see another story made by him and his techniques with script even within Utopia showed how he has a certain style. As well as this, it was reassuring to see other professional actors dealing with subtle things like interruptions which we found very hard grasping the timings for in DNA. Furthermore, it allowed me to see more into the mind of Dennis Kelly. He shows a pattern of thinking up very dark stories that are gripping and interesting. Also he shows young children having a tendency to kill just the same as adults. I was also attracted to Utopia because of the fact it had Nathan stewart-jarrett, an ex brit school student in. I was proud to see a good gritty drama on TV for a change with talented actors and brilliant script writers behind it. It was very refreshing for me to see as an aspiring actress and helpful to my part in DNA.
The Performance
My overall opinion of the performance is that we all worked as a team and everything went close to perfect. I think what went well for me was overcoming illness and looking past it with a a professional mind. Also the weeks of time put in my character, all my thought of physicality and feelings of my character. To put that of stage and to show it off gave me a kind of triumphant feeling.
I found that Tia was brilliant and showed a very clear and realistic character. She brought energy on stage and bounced off other actors in her scene. She also had great physicality almost leading with the chest showing she was an aggressive character.
Our piece was effective because we were all committed to our character and we also worked very hard in our own time helping each other. The costumes, props and music really brought it to life.
One of the main strengths of the performance was that everyone knew there lines, we had a few low points where we were in doubt that people would remember there lines but at the end everyone was amazing. Another main strength was the way the other actors learnt to react off each other making a believable performance.
I think the weakness' of the performances was the fact that it was quite hard not blocking the audience when performing in a Thrust stage and I think that we defiantly still need to learn how to master the thrust stage. As well as this, behind the audience it was very hard when moving to your different stage entrances not to distract the audience with this movement. Maybe the cast could have stood closer to the audience and people that needed to go to the entrances could have walked behind them creating a kind of black curtain using the rest of the cast. As well as this, I found with the feedback I received that the shared characters confused the audience at some points within the show. I don't think there is a solution to this as the number of roles was bigger than the amount of cast members.
Other than that I think everyone deserves a well done!
I found that Tia was brilliant and showed a very clear and realistic character. She brought energy on stage and bounced off other actors in her scene. She also had great physicality almost leading with the chest showing she was an aggressive character.
Our piece was effective because we were all committed to our character and we also worked very hard in our own time helping each other. The costumes, props and music really brought it to life.
One of the main strengths of the performance was that everyone knew there lines, we had a few low points where we were in doubt that people would remember there lines but at the end everyone was amazing. Another main strength was the way the other actors learnt to react off each other making a believable performance.
I think the weakness' of the performances was the fact that it was quite hard not blocking the audience when performing in a Thrust stage and I think that we defiantly still need to learn how to master the thrust stage. As well as this, behind the audience it was very hard when moving to your different stage entrances not to distract the audience with this movement. Maybe the cast could have stood closer to the audience and people that needed to go to the entrances could have walked behind them creating a kind of black curtain using the rest of the cast. As well as this, I found with the feedback I received that the shared characters confused the audience at some points within the show. I don't think there is a solution to this as the number of roles was bigger than the amount of cast members.
Other than that I think everyone deserves a well done!
Sunday 3 February 2013
Common Ground
I watched all three shows in Common Ground and to see actors only a few years older than us be that good was so inspirational. It set the standard for theatre strand! They all used Thrust stage which DNA will be using, I noticed how it was effective in there performances and how spatially aware you have to be. I found Earthquakes in London one of the most enjoyable as it was very contemporary and the jokes came across well to all of the audience members, young and old. All the actors stayed in role throughout the performance, even when it wasn't there scene. The technique that was mind blowing was the rave scene where they were all dancing and when another scene started they all suddenly were dancing in slow motion, it worked because they were so committed. It also showed me that physicality plays a big part in creating your characters image. Welcome to Thebes and Anne Boleyn were both incredible, they have got me very excited for year 13 as they incorporated a brilliant set, music and beautiful costumes to make the performance seem more and more real. As well as this, one of the main things I have taken away from all the performances is that the more risks you take as an actor the more it pays of. The gay kiss in Anne Boleyn and the stripping scene in Earthquakes in London showed actors pushing themselves to the limit, doing whatever it takes to be the character completely. As an audience member it left me dazed at the outstanding performances of those actors and to look forward to mature professional actors as I don't think some people in my year are there quite yet. A big well done to Common Ground 2013!
Monday 21 January 2013
Rehearsing
My 3 targets for myself would be:
- To learn my lines.
- To get a better understanding of my character as I think I can find out even more about her, than i already have.
- To connect more with the other Jans, even adding subtleties to help the audience connect our characters together.
As well as this, rehearsals have been an amazing way to work off of the other actors in your scene using things such as guilty glances to another character to create another story within the scene or when a character enters the scene acknowledging that they have arrived. It's quite challenging remembering little things like that on top of the fact you need to know when you next say your line and your stage directions. Multitasking is a brilliant skill to develop when rehearsing.
Writing In Role
When writing this I found I was free writing within the mindset of my character. This technique helped me get more in role and allowed me to mould the vision of how I should play my character in future scenes. I used my interpretation of Jan from the lines in the play, to try and give a believable diary extract.
Dear Diary,
It wasn't my fault. He was never a part of our group. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. He's dead. Adam, a human beings life gone. I just wanted to feel a part of something, feel accepted in the group. Why didn't he leave before it was too late, I left before it happened. Therefore it can't be my fault, it isn't my fault. It was banter, a laugh, he was up for it. We didn't force him into anything, he agreed. Everyone else did it, so i thought it was what I had to do. To feel a part of the group, I guess Adam was trying that too. Adam never really fitted in. Whereas me, I have Mark. Thats why i'm there, no one liked Adam but he came everyday thinking he was part of the group. why didnt he see the signs? He had it coming.
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