As you can see this was our first lesson blocking scene 1 where the Witch is first introduced . I think i did well on getting the Witches persona the stereotypical villain. The hardest part of scene one for me was the witches rap . It was hard to concentrate on the words as well as the 12 beats i had to fit the dialogue into before i started my song. Also with kim i had to practice where to breath. Breathing at just the right place in the song was very important because you need to get the timing exactly right to make the lyrics fit with the complicated sacartto of the song. My movement in this scene is very harsh and sharp. I wanted to show the witches high authority and power.
For example there is certain emphasis on some words in the song like "SQUARE" as well as making this word snapping and sharp i would also focus on how I held my body language . I would make my posture bent over and hunched however my head would be held high as I would always find someone to make eye contact with in the audience to come across as an engaging actor and imposing character. My arms would either be crossed , held on my hips or i'd have my hands clasped together in a menacing way .
I thought this would be effective because a stereotypical Witch would strut around with purpose and meaning . Also this would contrast with the baker and bakers wife showing a clear and strong difference in character persona. I did this to create a imposing atmosphere to make my characters persona convincing . I did this through an animated style of body language in which I exaggerated every movement . In my opinion I did this in a confident and concomitant manner.
Also there is a dramatic pause in which I would hold a striking pose to again show how the Witch dominates this scene.
As is shown on the photo i have written myself notes on miming not tell the baker about his long lost sister."mime fingers on lips" little notes like these can really help when reading the script over. It helps refresh movement ideas and emotions in the scene.
Again there is alot of key notes "spin" "point to garden" "change accent" these types of notes are really good to write down when the director is making changes to how they want the scene to look because you can then remember what you were told to do . Its also good put to down notes because you can then be quickly reminded of your characters mannerism, thoughts and feelings and if you have a clear understanding of those element the persona your trying to portray will be successful.
Here there is alot of engagement with the audience. My director told me to tell sing the song as if i was telling a story so as well as interacting with my peers on stage i would toy with the audience making the witch seem more impressive and important.
In the last verse of the song i wanted the witch to go out on a impressive and memorable note.
I have made notes to throw a spell at the baker to add more tension to the piece and to make it clear to the audience that he has been cursed. Also the dramatic pause added suspense to the piece making the Witches exit over the top and grand.
