Forced Entertainment Trip

Yesterday was mainly focused on "Creative choices". Not only did I help to chaperon for the students, but I also found the way in which lighting, sound, costume, make up and set design play a major part in theatre. This was demonstrated in the final performance of a scene from 'Cinderella', which contrasted greatly with the original performance, which lacked all of these things.

Later we went on a trip to a theatre in Cambridge to watch a production by a company called "Forced Entertainment". It was called "Tomorrow's Parties" and it involved a man and a woman having a conversation about the possibilities of things happen in the future. They mentioned everything- from the effects of global warming to aliens. Although, when answering questions, the actors told us that the play was not intended for a specific audience, I believe that the purpose of the show was to make people reflect on what they are doing now, and how it will affect the future.

'Tomorrow's Parties' was very interesting, as it is unlike any production I have seen or acted in before. However, I believe I can learn from there abstract ideas, and interpret these ideas for performance material. I also think that the idea of improvising a couple of times on a particular topic, recording it, playing it back and then editing it so that it only includes the best parts, is an interesting way to make a scripted play look more naturalistic.

Here is a link to Forced Entertainment's website
http://www.forcedentertainment.com/

And Here is the link for 'Tomorows Parties'
http://www.forcedentertainment.com/page/144/Theatre-Performances/132#-gallery

Exploring my character for panto, dancing and singing

The day began with a theory lesson. We were given a brief on Stanislavsi's method for acting, which luckily I learnt about while studying at home. It involves 'the emotional memory'-accessing emotions by thinking back to events that will trigger these emotions. I use this method generally, but it is difficult to feel and show the same emotion each time. I will benefit from using other methods, such as the Michael Chekhov technique, which involves exploring the psychology of your character by drawing inspiration from those around you and using your imagination, to decide what your character would do next.
Here is the link to a website that explains a range of acting techniques, used by different actors. http://www.acting-school-stop.com/acting-techniques.html

We were then asked to right about our character in the first person and to decide where they were physically and how they felt at the time. This took a lot of deep thought, which is a great contrast to 'The Hot Seat, where you are required to say the first thing that comes to mind. I learnt at college that it is better to go on your first thoughts as these are rawer and appear more naturalistic. When I was in 'The Hot Seat', I managed to respond in greater detail than in the past and remained in character. I must continue acting as this character throughout the entire pantomime. Therefore I need to work on further developing the character as self-set homework. A way of doing this is by improvising in character, to get a better acquainted with the way in which they would react in certain situations. You can then apply this to the task set.

Dance went well. I just need to polish each move by practising at home. I need to get the timing exact by listening to the music at home. Singing also went okay, but I do need to practise pitching (pitch is defined as the relative position of a tone within a range of musical sounds, as determined by this quality) at home, as otherwise I sing too low. I need to remember to listen to my voice through my forehead so that I can hear myself. I also need to learn the exact lyrics at home and record myself, especially when singing the new harmonies. Lastly, I had extra rehearsals for the performance of 'Shadowland'. I have learnt the harmonies, but I still need to practise, with the backing track at home.

Running Through Cinderella, Warm ups and Dance

Today we had to complete a variety of tasks. However, we began the day with warm ups and breathing exercises, so that we would have enough energy and were relaxed enough to perform. We also participated in a game in which we had to find a way to get to the other side of a jumping rope as it moved. I believe that we did this to test how willing we were to take risks. I didn't volunteer to do it on my own, which I should have. I did however make an attempt in a three and then in a pair. This shows that I need to be more independent when it comes to taking risks. It is good to take risks, especially in devised performances, as quite often, abstract ideas, that work surprisingly well come from risk taking.

Then we ran through act one of 'Cinderella'. At first, my character lacked energy, mainly because I was tired, but I need to stop letting this get in the way of my performance. The second time we ran through 'Cinderella', we had just had a dance warm up and I brought that energy into my performance. I should do this in the morning, so that my character constantly has the right level of energy.

We have started to learn the choreography for the opening song of The Pantomime, 'I've Got a Feeling'. I am improving greatly on picking up choreography and timing, but I need to stop making mistakes, and if I do, I must simply carry on and smile. I can avoid making mistakes in the future by practising the routine at home . I also need to work on getting the moves exactly right, by paying close attention to the choreographer.

My Character for the 'Cinderella Panto'

My character for the pantomime is named Veronica Anastasia Greene. She is 27 years old and is originally from The East-end of London. She therefore has a cockney accent, which is far more prominent when she goes about selling her goods at The Market. She wears a traditional Merrivale dress, has back hair and big brown eyes, impelling individuals to perceive her as a sweet and innocent young lady.

Veronica's relocation to Merrivale was due to her family disowning her after they discovered that she had a secret life as a thief. Despite this, she is a friendly, happy-go-lucky type of girl, who is not very lady-like at all. It was her cheeky and slightly mischievous persona that had gotten her involved with Mickey Richards when she was 14. He lead her into a life of deception, dishonestly and shoplifting, brainwashing her into believing that what they were doing was in no way 'wrong' and that it was the only way to accomplish her dreams of being wealthy. Although she was quite good at English, she failed every other class at her school and has always seriously lacked in common sense.

Nowadays, Veronica has discerned that most beneficial thing she can do for herself is to put the past behind her. She adores all of her fellow villagers and enjoys laughing and gossipping with her dearest of friends. However, she relentlessly goes about stealing vegetables from the local Grocer's and gives it away for free at her stall in The Market. She goes to these tremendous lengths because her primary desire is to be reacquainted with the fantastic warmth, comfort and love of a family and she considers the people of Merrivale the perfect candidates for new family members. Recently, she has also begun selling bread, as requested by the people of Merrivale, which are of course stolen form the local Grocers'.

While attempting to thieve an over-sized turkey from the dining room table of the Princes Palace last year, she was spotted by a guard. He mistook her for an excessively considerate guest, who had volunteered to set the table for The Royal Family. Subsequently, a day later, she was offered a part-time job as a servant girl- which she enthusiastically accepted. She has always dreamt about what it would be like to be posh and privileged, which is the sole reason why she began shoplifting in the first place. This job is the perfect opportunity for her to act ridiculously rich, and get on the good side of The Upper Class Members of Merrivale.

Veronica enjoys a good party and is a huge fan of The Royal Family. On the other hand she manages to restrain herself from getting too carried away at The Ball as she takes her part-time job extremely seriously. She gets on well with her fellow Servants and, like all of them, she wants to make sure that all The Guests at The Ball are satisfied with their service.

Running Through Cinderella and Preparing for performance of 'Shadowland'

Today we blocked through 'Cinderella' twice to make sure that we get enough practise for Act 2. I put a lot of energy into performing, but I just need to get the facial expressions, reactions and timing perfect. My timing has improved for Act 2, but I just need to make sure that I know my cues (a cue is the signal, such as a word or action, used to prompt another event in a performance, such as an actor's speech or entrance, a change in lighting, or a sound effect).

Later we rehearsed the harmonies for 'Shadowland'. I volunteered to perform this as part of work experience. I did go out of tune some of the times when singing, but I sung louder than usual. I need to make sure that I don't sing flat (a note lower than the intended note by a semitone) or too low. I also need to work on belting and hitting high notes.

Here is a promotional poster for the show I took part in for work experience at The Alban Arena'. We had to sing as part of a 7 part vocal group. We had to sing 'Shadowland' onstage and we sung other familiar songs from The Lion King in the wings (the sides of a stage that cannot be seen by the people watching the play) on microphones. It was important to remember our harmonies and cues, as well as the lyrics for 'Shadowland' off by heart.

 View of the stage, from the wings. 

Singing, Acting and Jogging

Today I pushed myself harder I have done so far at college. I worked at talking to new people in order to improve my confidence. I pushed myself to the limit while jogging and sung in front of everyone.

First of all we warmed up and then we went straight into running through the Act 1 of 'The Cinderella Panto'. I made sure that I made all of my facial expressions as big as possible and put a lot of effort into reacting to the main characters. I also added movement to my character at the beginning and when reacting.

Secondly, we had to participate in long distance jogging, in order to improve our fitness (especially our stamina) in general, so we are better able to provide the intense amount of energy needed for the long hours of work in shows. I am a lot fitter than I used to be, as I did not fall all the way to the back, which is what I normally would do. I have never been that far in front before and even when I did get tired, I power walked. I feel that I could not have done any more than what I did and so I only need to work on furthering my limits by working out more at home.

Lastly we had singing lessons. We sung 'Price Tag' by Jessie J in preparation for the Pantomime. I used the technique of listening to myself through my forehead in order to hear myself sing. Afterwards we were asked to sing lines from the song solo. Although I sounded shaky at first and went out of tune, this is the first time I have managed to sing in front of people without shaking and getting very nervous in general. I need to work on controlling my voice still, which I can work on by watching more vocal coaching videos and practising at home.

Blocking through Cinderella and Run Through

Today we blocked through Cinderella and then a ran through it. At first I thought that I lacked energy. I need to read the stage instructions carefully and highlight them. I also need to make sure that I am constantly putting 100 per cent into reacting to The Main Characters at all times.

I have been practising with monologues everyday in order to improve my sight reading. I am getting improving, but I need to work on saying the correct words and avoid stuttering. I also need to work on not gluing my eyes to the script so often, as it restricts my ability to react to other characters and also my movement onstage.

Blocking through Cinderella and Singing

We had to block through Cinderella today. I now have to serve drinks in one of the scenes, so I need to make sure I put enough energy into doing this. I also need to make sure that I pass the drinks around to everyone and move around continuously.

I imagine this to be the correct physicality for a waitress to The Royal Family in Merrivale. Though I may need to make some adjustments to show that I am still in character.

Later we had singing lessons. The harmonies for Shadowland are coming together really well, so I need to make sure I get the alto part right by listening to the recording and practising everyday. I am getting better at singing in large groups, due to this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK_42Vyo3iw

I also volunteered to sing in a show outside of college. I am getting better at putting myself forward. I just need to put myself forward for absolutely everything.

Singing, Dancing and Acting 3

Today was mainly focused on singing and dancing. I thought I put more effort into both lessons than ever before, and therefore the results were better. I remembered to keep the correct posture for dance, endured the entire fitness routine and sung louder than before. Although I stilll couldn't hear myself when I sung so I coudn't tell if I hit the correct notes. The best way I can improve this is to practice more singing at home.

I've been practicing sight reading and involving more movement when acting, using monologues from various websites. I've been using a diverse range of characters to develope a better sense of characterisation. When reading monologues it is important that I keep the necessary pace and rhythm to sound genuine and believable.

Blocking through Cinderella

Today, the casting list was revealed for 'Cinderella, The Panto'. I am one of the villagers. We had to block through the beginning of Act One of the show. So far I have to sell bread and react to 'The Baroness entering from stage left. I need to be more alert and listen to stage directions straight away. I also need to make sure that I keep the correct posture at all times.

This diagram illustrates some of the different postures that people can adopt when on stage or otherwise. The image on the far right demonstrates the way in which an actor should stand. Both feet should be on the ground, hip width apart, with all the toes on the ground. The spine should be straight, with the bottom tucked in and the shoulders down. The beck should also be straight and the head should be facing forward. This posture is also ideal for singing as this video explains:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO2lJCTPcjM

It is interesting that the Baroness enters from stage left as she is the villain in this pantomime and it is tradition that the evil villain to enter from stage left. It is also tradition that the fairy enters from stage right, as is done in this pantomime. The reason for this is that it comes from earlier theatre and religious plays where heaven was always portrayed on the right and hell on the left. The 'left and right superstition' is also demonstrated by people throwing salt over your left shoulder (into the face of the devil) and when the left palm itches it is a sign of poverty, but with the right it is the sign of wealth. Also the left ear itching is a sign that someone is talking about you behind your back. In addition, in Da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper, Judas Iscariot (the man who betrayed Jesus) is sat to the left of Christ. Another tradition is that the good fairy transfers her wand from her right hand to her left when dealing with evil foes.

It is ideal to volunteer for any extra roles, as an actor should take every opportunity to act and regardless of the number of lines you have it is important to poor yourself into any role. I also need to work on establishing my status as a character. Here is a video that shows how an actor can use body language, posture and the voice to show different levels of status.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/drama-creating-status/9895.html