After spending around 3 weeks blocking the entirety of 'Our House'. We now decided to try out a full run of the show including songs as best as we could.
We only got around half of the play done as we blocked more of some scenes and added in background characters to fill out the space. For example, we added in background paired dancers at the very beginning as it is supposed to portray a dance competition. Personally, I thought this went well as we initially have only been through each scene once and to have gotten half-way through from memory only correcting minor things is an achievement we should be proud of. I feel as a group we are understanding the flow of the performance a lot better, and therefore are understanding the narrative that we had previously.
(An Aside WWW.)
I also feel as though the extra lessons on characterisation has helped people in different ways. For example, for myself I am more confident in my role and am trying to experiment with different pitchs/tones and am interacting with other characters as I am understanding relationships between them better.
WWW.
As a group we are experimenting more with space. From previous rehearsals we all have it in our heads to not be in lines when we are filling the space when we don't speak. Therefore, some of us are gathering in half closed groups, some of us are waking upstage and downstage in order to visually change proxemics.
Another thing that went well were peoples approaches to character. Everyone started to think about the physicality of their character and how they would sit/stand. This means that we are deeply exploring our characters in order to portray a convincing performance.
EBI.
There was a particular issue we witnessed early which was the choreography of 'Baggy Trousers' we had previously done doesn't fit with the music we have in our scripts. Therefore, I think to fix this we need to record the instrumental music with vocals and see how much of the original choreography fits with the music we have for the show. Rather than keep doing full runs and messing up/pausing when we come to a piece of music we don't recognise or if something gets cut out.
Then the next priority is line learning. This will make rehearsals run smoother as well as getting rough timings for scenes/costume changes and how to pace certain moments.
Thursday, 30 March 2017
Saturday, 25 March 2017
Character Development - Artaud, Random Lines, Masks
We did an Artaud technique where we faced the walls of the studio not facing/looking at anyone and had to represent an emotional through sounds and body movements. We weren't allowed to use dialogue.
WWW.
It got us to try to express an emotion without relying dialogue which we often do when it comes to performing. It made us think of how we could use sound and our bodies in a way to convey this. I felt as if my body movements and positions helped express the emotions I was trying to convey which was 'annoyance' and 'excitement'. I did this by, for annoyance, having a slouched posture resting my chin on my hand. Then for excitement, sitting in an up right position, in a firm stiff posture.
EBI.
I felt as a group that we didn't have a lot of energy with this exercise as a lot of people would feel awkward and silly doing this particular technique. Which is almost intended however, it meant that some people shied away from this activity. To perhaps help we could maybe do it in smaller groups then add more people gradually in a larger area.
Random Line - We were each given a random line that no one else knew. And we had to choose an emotion to say it in an go up to another person. They then had to react to our one liners and almost create an improve scene.
WWW.
I felt that people jumped straight into this activity with high energy levels when it came to voice and body movements. For example, when I said my line 'what did you dream about last night?' I bounded over to Naomi with high energy and positivity smiling and said the line with enthusiasm. This showed that I was excited and almost slightly younger in age in characteristics. Naomi reacted to this with a contrasting emotion - sarcasm/annoyance. Which completely changed the atmosphere and direction of how they improve seen could have gone making it more interesting.
EBI.
I could try and say the line in a different pitch and try different physicality's to see how the scene would change and how we would interact with one another.
We then did this exercise later on but this time performing them in our characters and reacting to other people in our own characters and how they would respond.
WWW.
I felt that I started to understand my character more and how they would interact with certain character's. For example, I found that my character thought Sarah was annoying at times but was still her close friend and that my character didn't like Joe at all and shut him down for conversation at every possible opportunity. The characteristics I found prominent for my character after doing this exercise were that they were fairly cruel to a lot of people but hid it with sarcasm/humour a lot of the time. Or hid it in presence of her sister who could be harsher than her.
Masks - we then did a duo mask exercise where we were given a scenario and we had to act it our completely with our bodies without any form of sound.
WWW.
This helped me focus on my body and how to move my arms, legs, fingers and head in a way to convey a certain characteristic/emotion. For example, I had a creepy looking mask so to interpret this I used jerky movements and elongated my legs and arms when moving. Using snappy head movements. This meant that my character came off as sinister and a trickster. Not to be trusted. Which was my intention.
WWW.
It got us to try to express an emotion without relying dialogue which we often do when it comes to performing. It made us think of how we could use sound and our bodies in a way to convey this. I felt as if my body movements and positions helped express the emotions I was trying to convey which was 'annoyance' and 'excitement'. I did this by, for annoyance, having a slouched posture resting my chin on my hand. Then for excitement, sitting in an up right position, in a firm stiff posture.
EBI.
I felt as a group that we didn't have a lot of energy with this exercise as a lot of people would feel awkward and silly doing this particular technique. Which is almost intended however, it meant that some people shied away from this activity. To perhaps help we could maybe do it in smaller groups then add more people gradually in a larger area.
Random Line - We were each given a random line that no one else knew. And we had to choose an emotion to say it in an go up to another person. They then had to react to our one liners and almost create an improve scene.
WWW.
I felt that people jumped straight into this activity with high energy levels when it came to voice and body movements. For example, when I said my line 'what did you dream about last night?' I bounded over to Naomi with high energy and positivity smiling and said the line with enthusiasm. This showed that I was excited and almost slightly younger in age in characteristics. Naomi reacted to this with a contrasting emotion - sarcasm/annoyance. Which completely changed the atmosphere and direction of how they improve seen could have gone making it more interesting.
EBI.
I could try and say the line in a different pitch and try different physicality's to see how the scene would change and how we would interact with one another.
We then did this exercise later on but this time performing them in our characters and reacting to other people in our own characters and how they would respond.
WWW.
I felt that I started to understand my character more and how they would interact with certain character's. For example, I found that my character thought Sarah was annoying at times but was still her close friend and that my character didn't like Joe at all and shut him down for conversation at every possible opportunity. The characteristics I found prominent for my character after doing this exercise were that they were fairly cruel to a lot of people but hid it with sarcasm/humour a lot of the time. Or hid it in presence of her sister who could be harsher than her.
Masks - we then did a duo mask exercise where we were given a scenario and we had to act it our completely with our bodies without any form of sound.
WWW.
This helped me focus on my body and how to move my arms, legs, fingers and head in a way to convey a certain characteristic/emotion. For example, I had a creepy looking mask so to interpret this I used jerky movements and elongated my legs and arms when moving. Using snappy head movements. This meant that my character came off as sinister and a trickster. Not to be trusted. Which was my intention.
Sunday, 19 March 2017
Dance lesson - finishing 'Baggy Trousers' 17th March 2017
In todays lesson we recapped the dance we had already devised of Baggy Trousers from previous lessons. Which was the chair movements all the way up to our little improvised/rehearsed fight school scene. We went through two or three times to make sure everyone was confident with the movement phrases before we moved on and devised some more.
The next part to our dance was the 'choir' motif. Where we all rush to centre stage in a choir formation in level arranged rows holding a stereotypical choir pose whilst adding in the religious 'Son, God and the holy ghost' phrase. After this we stand up, spin round then jump on the beats to then run into our next positions where we pull the teacher in a line to then snake around. It was clear early on that by each individual row jumping on the beats didn't give us enough time to get into our next positions ready to pull the teacher as we were almost a whole musical phrase late. We then decided to jump every half beat - this made the phrase and pace quicker but meant that we just about had enough time to get into positions and almost made it more effectively being rushed and scrabbled in a clump to pull the teacher. During this particular moment I personally found it difficult to get into this next position as when I turned round I often ran into the people in front meaning I stopped then meaning other people ran into me. Causing a slight delay. This created a comical moment for around half the lesson with Megan shouting 'Jennah!' at the exact same time as she often ran into me. We then decided that if I didn't get it right in the show that she would shout my character name 'Angie' in order to make it seem like it was supposed to happen. However, this wasn't necessary in the end as we had solved the position problem. I had to turn inwards and then run in order to be able to get into my next position quick and efficiently without running into anyone.
After snaking around in a line the group divides onto two sides to then run on to perform an unison duet phrase. This includes a fake fight motif ending with the two groups splitting again onto different sides. Sending on two individuals to perform a little gymnastical cart wheel. Everyone then comes back onstage into a semi-circle whilst we take it in turns to perform little motifs as either duos or trios. We then all perform a unison phrase before running off to our two sides again, getting ready to come back on and do our stereotypical Madness walk. The dance then ends with all of use sliding towards the audience on our knees creating funny positions.
WWW.
Everyone took to devising with high energy and enthusiasm which meant there was a very positive atmosphere and encouraged people to have fun and enjoy themselves. This also meant that we kept pushing forward rather than slowing down and lacking motivation to finish devising the dance.
I also think that everyone's duet pieces were strong and in unison with one another. Especially when we are all in pairs performing the little fight motif. Everyone attempts it with high energy and adding in little unique characteristics to make them a little different to show different characters.
I managed to overcome a problem during the lesson which was sorting out getting into one of my next positions in the song from a previous one. i.e. From the choir phrase into the snake line. I did this by attempting the previous move in a different way. For example, I spun the opposite way to how I had been before. This resulted in me being able to get into position for the next motif on time and without bumping into anyone.
EBI.
In order to personally make my individual performanc better if I attempt it with 100% energy I believe that it will visually look better. For example, the jumps with have more energy and may look better. By having more velocity and height.
I also need to continue to work on that little moment between the choir phrase and the line in order to make the transition smooth and rehearsed. I can do this by continuously practicing that moment until I am 100% comfortable and confident.
The next part to our dance was the 'choir' motif. Where we all rush to centre stage in a choir formation in level arranged rows holding a stereotypical choir pose whilst adding in the religious 'Son, God and the holy ghost' phrase. After this we stand up, spin round then jump on the beats to then run into our next positions where we pull the teacher in a line to then snake around. It was clear early on that by each individual row jumping on the beats didn't give us enough time to get into our next positions ready to pull the teacher as we were almost a whole musical phrase late. We then decided to jump every half beat - this made the phrase and pace quicker but meant that we just about had enough time to get into positions and almost made it more effectively being rushed and scrabbled in a clump to pull the teacher. During this particular moment I personally found it difficult to get into this next position as when I turned round I often ran into the people in front meaning I stopped then meaning other people ran into me. Causing a slight delay. This created a comical moment for around half the lesson with Megan shouting 'Jennah!' at the exact same time as she often ran into me. We then decided that if I didn't get it right in the show that she would shout my character name 'Angie' in order to make it seem like it was supposed to happen. However, this wasn't necessary in the end as we had solved the position problem. I had to turn inwards and then run in order to be able to get into my next position quick and efficiently without running into anyone.
After snaking around in a line the group divides onto two sides to then run on to perform an unison duet phrase. This includes a fake fight motif ending with the two groups splitting again onto different sides. Sending on two individuals to perform a little gymnastical cart wheel. Everyone then comes back onstage into a semi-circle whilst we take it in turns to perform little motifs as either duos or trios. We then all perform a unison phrase before running off to our two sides again, getting ready to come back on and do our stereotypical Madness walk. The dance then ends with all of use sliding towards the audience on our knees creating funny positions.
WWW.
Everyone took to devising with high energy and enthusiasm which meant there was a very positive atmosphere and encouraged people to have fun and enjoy themselves. This also meant that we kept pushing forward rather than slowing down and lacking motivation to finish devising the dance.
I also think that everyone's duet pieces were strong and in unison with one another. Especially when we are all in pairs performing the little fight motif. Everyone attempts it with high energy and adding in little unique characteristics to make them a little different to show different characters.
I managed to overcome a problem during the lesson which was sorting out getting into one of my next positions in the song from a previous one. i.e. From the choir phrase into the snake line. I did this by attempting the previous move in a different way. For example, I spun the opposite way to how I had been before. This resulted in me being able to get into position for the next motif on time and without bumping into anyone.
EBI.
In order to personally make my individual performanc better if I attempt it with 100% energy I believe that it will visually look better. For example, the jumps with have more energy and may look better. By having more velocity and height.
I also need to continue to work on that little moment between the choir phrase and the line in order to make the transition smooth and rehearsed. I can do this by continuously practicing that moment until I am 100% comfortable and confident.
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Variety - The progression of ideas
Following our previous performance of variety I didn't necessarily want to sing again. As I felt I relied on my voice a lot when it came to performances and following the months of my illness I didn't want to rely on it again.
Therefore, I started mind-mapping potential ideas that consisted of:
Comedy,
Drama
Voice
Instrumentals
Dance
The theme for our variety night was 'Cabaret' so I thought I could possibly perform a musical number whether it would be on my voice or on a instrument. Following this I researched into different musicals as I wanted to perform a piece of music that wasn't cliché but people would recognise that it would be from a musical. After this i then decided that instead of performing one whole song I could perform little snippets from a few numbers and create a musical mashup on the piano. In order to help aid me and give me a starting point I searched for musical mashups that had already been created to get an understanding of how to structure my performance.
I stuck with this idea for a few days. However, I very quickly realised without the aid of sheet music that it would be hard to learn the pieces themselves let alone create a mashup. Therefore, I concluded that doing a musical mashup wouldn't be for me.
Later on in the next lesson I went off into a room by myself to try and figure out what I would be doing. I wanted to play an instrument but didn't know quite what to do yet. My friend Harry then suggested that I do a mashup of non-musical songs. Play songs that people would know and potentially get them to sing if I didn't want to myself. I felt more confident with this idea as I previously knew a few pop songs on piano that people generally know and with a little work could make them into a mashup. I then spent that lesson playing 'Apologise' by One Republic and 'Numb' by Linkin Park trying to find a good place in the songs to cross over to the other. However, this was a little difficult as they were in different keys and tended to have very different melodic tunes. However, I was determined to stick with the idea of doing a mashup of pop songs that people would recognise as my act.
I then went home and started playing some different instruments (guitar/ukulele) as pop songs tend to be transposed into similar chords to one another. I picked up my Ukulele and started to play 'Elastic Heart' by Sia. Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of mixing up song lyrics and combining two songs without realising and this is what happened. I was in the middle of singing 'Elastic Heart' by Sia and then went into 'Bad Blood' by Taylor Swift. I then looked up the chords to both songs making sure I was singing both of the songs in the right key and making sure the chords were the same. They were. I then had the task of ordering what parts of the songs I would sing where. I decided that I would start with 'Elastic Heart' and only go into 'Bad Blood' as i was building up to the chorus to then make it more of a surprise to the audience when I performed it. I then continued this into the first verse of 'Bad Blood' with a typical strum, slap on my ukulele to give it more of an edgy vibe and to create a little bit of difference from what I had previously sung. Also to give emphasis that this is currently a different song. After running this a few times I wanted to add another song into the mix to make it that more interesting and keep the audience aurally engaged. From previous knowledge I knew that 'Say Something' from A Great Big World had the same chords just in a different order. Therefore, i added this into the mix changing up the chord patter and slightly changing the melody in order for it to fit the tempo of the previous songs. Then to add a little flair at the end I added a one liner from 'The Cup Song'. To give it a nice finish but to also give it that one last push to make it seem interesting and different.
Therefore, I started mind-mapping potential ideas that consisted of:
Comedy,
Drama
Voice
Instrumentals
Dance
The theme for our variety night was 'Cabaret' so I thought I could possibly perform a musical number whether it would be on my voice or on a instrument. Following this I researched into different musicals as I wanted to perform a piece of music that wasn't cliché but people would recognise that it would be from a musical. After this i then decided that instead of performing one whole song I could perform little snippets from a few numbers and create a musical mashup on the piano. In order to help aid me and give me a starting point I searched for musical mashups that had already been created to get an understanding of how to structure my performance.
Later on in the next lesson I went off into a room by myself to try and figure out what I would be doing. I wanted to play an instrument but didn't know quite what to do yet. My friend Harry then suggested that I do a mashup of non-musical songs. Play songs that people would know and potentially get them to sing if I didn't want to myself. I felt more confident with this idea as I previously knew a few pop songs on piano that people generally know and with a little work could make them into a mashup. I then spent that lesson playing 'Apologise' by One Republic and 'Numb' by Linkin Park trying to find a good place in the songs to cross over to the other. However, this was a little difficult as they were in different keys and tended to have very different melodic tunes. However, I was determined to stick with the idea of doing a mashup of pop songs that people would recognise as my act.
I then went home and started playing some different instruments (guitar/ukulele) as pop songs tend to be transposed into similar chords to one another. I picked up my Ukulele and started to play 'Elastic Heart' by Sia. Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of mixing up song lyrics and combining two songs without realising and this is what happened. I was in the middle of singing 'Elastic Heart' by Sia and then went into 'Bad Blood' by Taylor Swift. I then looked up the chords to both songs making sure I was singing both of the songs in the right key and making sure the chords were the same. They were. I then had the task of ordering what parts of the songs I would sing where. I decided that I would start with 'Elastic Heart' and only go into 'Bad Blood' as i was building up to the chorus to then make it more of a surprise to the audience when I performed it. I then continued this into the first verse of 'Bad Blood' with a typical strum, slap on my ukulele to give it more of an edgy vibe and to create a little bit of difference from what I had previously sung. Also to give emphasis that this is currently a different song. After running this a few times I wanted to add another song into the mix to make it that more interesting and keep the audience aurally engaged. From previous knowledge I knew that 'Say Something' from A Great Big World had the same chords just in a different order. Therefore, i added this into the mix changing up the chord patter and slightly changing the melody in order for it to fit the tempo of the previous songs. Then to add a little flair at the end I added a one liner from 'The Cup Song'. To give it a nice finish but to also give it that one last push to make it seem interesting and different.
'Our House' Blocking lesson - Independent blocking
In todays lesson we had the challenge of blocking some scenes ourselves with the occasional guidance of our main director Kim. At first I was unsure of this idea as I had never done this kind of approach with a large group of people and therefore was sceptical of whether it would work effectively. Knowing from past experiences I realise that some people are more comfortable with raising their opinion than others and can often get carried away. However, I was also excited to hear what ideas people had and to see how we would all work together when giving eachother directorial advice.
WWW.
I believe all in all it went very well and it was nice to see peoples perspectives and combinging ideas to create a different outlook to a scene. It was also effective as we would take everyones ideas into consideration and potentially run the scene a few times trying out other ideas to see which ones work well.
This was also good as it meant as actors we started to get a real feel for the scene and an understanding to how it ran and also potentially understanding character relationships when we blocked the scenes. For example, I understood that my character was sarcastic and fairly cruel when she was talking to 'Joe' meaning that she was a more harsh character than I originally thought.
I managed to contribute an idea towards the end of the session as i felt an idea that was mentioned could potentially take away the main impact of a particular moment in a scene. i.e Someone suggested that when Joe is in the process of being arrested that multiple officers from all directions come towards him. I then suggested that we didn't need that many officers or if we did we needed to move them from being infront of 'Joe' as it would take away the moment of when 'Joe' punches the police officer. And decrease the intense atmosphere it was in the process of creating. I suggested this as I felt people were getting lost in the moment of trying to make it their own as about 5 people were trying to talk at once and therefore making the scene far more complicated than it needed to be.
EBI.
I think it would be good if potentially people were called upon to suggest ideas for a scene to make sure that opportunities aren't being missed to discover and try out things that some people may not be so confident to vocalise.
I personally need to vocalise my ideas more often when i have them, even if they don't get used in the end. I also need to write down important pieces of blocking information in my script so if someone isn't here who is in that scene we can all understand how it was supposed to be if they were there.
WWW.
I believe all in all it went very well and it was nice to see peoples perspectives and combinging ideas to create a different outlook to a scene. It was also effective as we would take everyones ideas into consideration and potentially run the scene a few times trying out other ideas to see which ones work well.
This was also good as it meant as actors we started to get a real feel for the scene and an understanding to how it ran and also potentially understanding character relationships when we blocked the scenes. For example, I understood that my character was sarcastic and fairly cruel when she was talking to 'Joe' meaning that she was a more harsh character than I originally thought.
I managed to contribute an idea towards the end of the session as i felt an idea that was mentioned could potentially take away the main impact of a particular moment in a scene. i.e Someone suggested that when Joe is in the process of being arrested that multiple officers from all directions come towards him. I then suggested that we didn't need that many officers or if we did we needed to move them from being infront of 'Joe' as it would take away the moment of when 'Joe' punches the police officer. And decrease the intense atmosphere it was in the process of creating. I suggested this as I felt people were getting lost in the moment of trying to make it their own as about 5 people were trying to talk at once and therefore making the scene far more complicated than it needed to be.
EBI.
I think it would be good if potentially people were called upon to suggest ideas for a scene to make sure that opportunities aren't being missed to discover and try out things that some people may not be so confident to vocalise.
I personally need to vocalise my ideas more often when i have them, even if they don't get used in the end. I also need to write down important pieces of blocking information in my script so if someone isn't here who is in that scene we can all understand how it was supposed to be if they were there.
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