Today was show day , and we got a chance to run our first performance in front of a student audience to have a professional performance environment for our marked performance in the evening. I thought it was a good idea to have they audience there because it helped me as a actor get in the right professional mind set as I would be for the real performance . Also after the audience where able to do a question and answer with our cast and also tell us what they thought worked well and what they liked and also what they thought was unclear.
Overall I was proud of my first full run through and performance. Strengths that particular stood out for me where my characterisation In lift , guard scene , goat scene and act2.
For example I thought my facial expressions in the lift scene contributed to the laughs that scene got. I really over exaggerated my facial expressions to add to the element of humour in this scene.
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Tuesday 14th tec Run
Today we ran a que to que tec run for those in charge of lighting and sound. This is so they know when lights change or flash and when there needs to be sound effects to help compliment a scene. For example the scene where Jane and Lisa are in the plane needed to be ran with sound effects for the bombing to go with the mimes Liviey was doing to represent her dropping bombs over the west.
My cast did a que to que of act 1 and Holly's cast did act 2 . Act 2 was a complete experiment with lighting as we decided we wanted to use the house lights to show the raw naturalistic environment of a psychiatric ward . It worked really well because It gave the act an uncomfortable and sterile feel. We also set the staging to 'In the round' so we could experience what the audience will during act 2.
Also In act 2 I was in charge of switching the house lights on and off. We thought that doing it manually with long pauses in between would seem more naturalistic of nurses in a hospital turning on lights . Also the long pauses would represent the time passing during the course of Lisa's recovery.
It is really important to remember que lines as they can be que for lighting , sound or entrances
for other characters. I felt as though the tec run went well and I remembered the key changes in the scenes. I know where to stand on the stage to be lighten up as much as I can , and I also know where to move to , to let other characters be at the front of the stage .
My cast did a que to que of act 1 and Holly's cast did act 2 . Act 2 was a complete experiment with lighting as we decided we wanted to use the house lights to show the raw naturalistic environment of a psychiatric ward . It worked really well because It gave the act an uncomfortable and sterile feel. We also set the staging to 'In the round' so we could experience what the audience will during act 2.
Also In act 2 I was in charge of switching the house lights on and off. We thought that doing it manually with long pauses in between would seem more naturalistic of nurses in a hospital turning on lights . Also the long pauses would represent the time passing during the course of Lisa's recovery.
It is really important to remember que lines as they can be que for lighting , sound or entrances
for other characters. I felt as though the tec run went well and I remembered the key changes in the scenes. I know where to stand on the stage to be lighten up as much as I can , and I also know where to move to , to let other characters be at the front of the stage .
Monday 13th Lena's lesson run of act 2 show week
In Lena's lesson we where able to do a run of act 2 in Dissocia. This is the act we have spent the least amount of time on as it has simple stage directions and little dialogue. In this act there is a complete contrast in theme , style and attitudes. In act 2 Lisa is revealed to be a patient on a psychiatric ward so the style is naturalistic and the themes are hostile , disconnected , repetitive and there is a new form of structure Lisa has to live with. I imagine her attitudes would be confused, scared , disconnected.
It was a useful rehearsal and it was good to see how the other cast interpreted act 2 . Small
things stood out like facial expression and body language . Generally everyone's body language was closed and restrictive. An example to who I watched was Holly . I wanted to see her body language during the section when Lisa leaves her room. I noticed that she picked up some objects to take out with her when she left. This made the whole scenario look more purposeful. However I noticed that her confrontation with the nurse brining her back to her room was more calm and pleading then how I interpreted that dialogue . Personally I deliver that dialogue with anger and annoyance. I feel as though this makes Lisa look more aggressive and furthermore disconnected. Both ways of delivering these lines from myself and Holly where appropriate and unique to our own performance.
I feel that my cast gave a great level of energy in this act . The energy from the nurses and doctors where flat , distant and naturalistic . The energy was appropriately dropped or risen when necessary for example when Lisa starts manically dancing around the room. As well as my energy change the nurses reacted with good energy and responses.
The hardest part personally in this scene is remembering that when the lights go out the next movement may just be a nurse coming in to check on me . To help, Katie would read out the stage directions so we could act accordingly and make a mental note of the order of minimalist stage directions.
Overall it was a helpful rehearsal and has shown me what elements I really want to work on. I feel I need to pay close attention on how Lisa has mentally deteriorated . This needs to be obvious to fit the naturalist style of act 2 and the low , ominous theme . Also I want to work on the dialogue between Lisa and Vince, I feel as though there is too much aggression between them and it should feel more awkward and disappointment between them.
It was a useful rehearsal and it was good to see how the other cast interpreted act 2 . Small
things stood out like facial expression and body language . Generally everyone's body language was closed and restrictive. An example to who I watched was Holly . I wanted to see her body language during the section when Lisa leaves her room. I noticed that she picked up some objects to take out with her when she left. This made the whole scenario look more purposeful. However I noticed that her confrontation with the nurse brining her back to her room was more calm and pleading then how I interpreted that dialogue . Personally I deliver that dialogue with anger and annoyance. I feel as though this makes Lisa look more aggressive and furthermore disconnected. Both ways of delivering these lines from myself and Holly where appropriate and unique to our own performance.
I feel that my cast gave a great level of energy in this act . The energy from the nurses and doctors where flat , distant and naturalistic . The energy was appropriately dropped or risen when necessary for example when Lisa starts manically dancing around the room. As well as my energy change the nurses reacted with good energy and responses.
The hardest part personally in this scene is remembering that when the lights go out the next movement may just be a nurse coming in to check on me . To help, Katie would read out the stage directions so we could act accordingly and make a mental note of the order of minimalist stage directions.
Overall it was a helpful rehearsal and has shown me what elements I really want to work on. I feel I need to pay close attention on how Lisa has mentally deteriorated . This needs to be obvious to fit the naturalist style of act 2 and the low , ominous theme . Also I want to work on the dialogue between Lisa and Vince, I feel as though there is too much aggression between them and it should feel more awkward and disappointment between them.
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
Easter Term Rehearsal
Today was a positive rehearsal . It gave all of us a great insight to where we are strong within our performance and where we need to improve. Personally I feel my weakest scenes are the Britney and Jane scenes. The dialogue exchanged needs work on pace and line confidence. My cast's performance is on Wednesday the 15th so this was a great opportunity to see how much time we had to improve on lines and interaction.
A worry I really had was a movement element with the Jane scene. We have most definitely developed our ideas from blocking the Jane scene on the floor. Today we tried to run the scene on a two person tricycle which proved to be very uncomfortable and distracting. It really effected my concentration on lines and I would find myself skipping some important dialogue. This will be a target for myself and Liviey to overcome as she had the same problem and was concentrating on pedaling. It was a good opportunity to see what ways we could try with the tricycle and how we would mime dropping the bombs out of the plane to sound effects.
However even though the tricycle was a challenge it added a great sense of humor to the scene and was visually interesting and attention grabbing for the audience. Also I saw it as an opportunity for improvisation on performance night which could make the scene even more humorous.
Also today's rehearsal helped with entrances and exits . Myself and Holly as Lisa find that there are very few times we are off stage. This makes sense as it is a world that Lisa has created in her own mind as a result of her dissociative disorder. Also que lines for when im off stage are very important to pick up . For example one I will always remember is with the guards my que line is "I'd kill for an arse like yours'.
Overall I feel confident with the Victoria scene , the lift scene , the guards, Oath taker , goat , my song , polar bear and second act. I feel that i need to work on line confidence for The Jane and Britney scene .
A worry I really had was a movement element with the Jane scene. We have most definitely developed our ideas from blocking the Jane scene on the floor. Today we tried to run the scene on a two person tricycle which proved to be very uncomfortable and distracting. It really effected my concentration on lines and I would find myself skipping some important dialogue. This will be a target for myself and Liviey to overcome as she had the same problem and was concentrating on pedaling. It was a good opportunity to see what ways we could try with the tricycle and how we would mime dropping the bombs out of the plane to sound effects.
However even though the tricycle was a challenge it added a great sense of humor to the scene and was visually interesting and attention grabbing for the audience. Also I saw it as an opportunity for improvisation on performance night which could make the scene even more humorous.
Also today's rehearsal helped with entrances and exits . Myself and Holly as Lisa find that there are very few times we are off stage. This makes sense as it is a world that Lisa has created in her own mind as a result of her dissociative disorder. Also que lines for when im off stage are very important to pick up . For example one I will always remember is with the guards my que line is "I'd kill for an arse like yours'.
Overall I feel confident with the Victoria scene , the lift scene , the guards, Oath taker , goat , my song , polar bear and second act. I feel that i need to work on line confidence for The Jane and Britney scene .
Thursday 26 th Lesson A
Today's lessons was the last lesson before Easter. So we had a chance to discuss any problems or concerns we had. The scene we focused mainly on was the oath taking scene. We had done most of the development of this scene however we wanted to go over it and stage the actors in a different formation to see if it looked neater and more put together.
Personal I feel confident in the way i have presented and portrayed the character of Lisa. I understand that she shows confidence and willingness in Act 1 however this contrasts in act 2 where Lisa proves to be hostile and disconnected in act 2. I feel I understand Lisa's reaction to the oath taker, I believe that Lisa is confused and finds the oath unnecessary and also finds it abit of an effort to take part in the oath taking . I showed this by having one hand on my hip to show the disrespect Lisa has of the 'unnecessary' oath. And I would occasionally roll my eyes to show how Lisa was finding the oath boring. I would also sigh to show how uninterested Lisa was and also how impatient she is a this point.
Overall I feel that with abit more line confidence I shall have a good understanding and positive out look on act 1 as a whole.
Personal I feel confident in the way i have presented and portrayed the character of Lisa. I understand that she shows confidence and willingness in Act 1 however this contrasts in act 2 where Lisa proves to be hostile and disconnected in act 2. I feel I understand Lisa's reaction to the oath taker, I believe that Lisa is confused and finds the oath unnecessary and also finds it abit of an effort to take part in the oath taking . I showed this by having one hand on my hip to show the disrespect Lisa has of the 'unnecessary' oath. And I would occasionally roll my eyes to show how Lisa was finding the oath boring. I would also sigh to show how uninterested Lisa was and also how impatient she is a this point.
Overall I feel that with abit more line confidence I shall have a good understanding and positive out look on act 1 as a whole.
Tuesday 24th lesson A Act 2 run
In today's rehearsal we all decide as a class that we should focus on act 2 as it is the scene we have payed less attention too over the rehearsal process. To start the lesson off we discussed our production roles. Myself and Holly Hos where in charge of lighting . To be successful in our production roles we would make notes of when the lighting would change and what colours we wanted to use as we read through the script . For example When Lisa is in the field with the goat we noted , green , blue and yellow light to show the change of an out door environment to the audience.
Holly wrote up a full lighting plan for the show with our notes and I went over it highlighting key changes in colour, scene and any flashing sequences to make it clear to anyone do lighting.
First Holly's cast went through Act2 and my cast sat and watched. It was clear that people where unsure of ques and simple stage directions, which is understandable as there is alot of simple repetition in act 2 and it is easy to get lost in what section you are at . Especially for myself and Holly as we are just lying down and sleeping in some sections of act 2 . To peer support holly I remember when she had dialogue after a long period of time after just stage directions. I told her to count each time a nurse came in to give Lisa her drugs . For example 1. Nurse come in and gives Lisa pills , no dialogue. 2. nurse comes in and gives Lisa pills no dialogue . 3. Is the first bit of dialogue and moment. This was useful for Holly and myself as it meant we could tell when movement and dialogue was coming up n the form of counts. This was my ow creative idea.
It was then my casts turn to run act 2 . I think we did really well to portray the level of tension and discomfort and the naturalistic and structured theme and style of act 2. Also I thought i understood the expressive contrast in act 2 . Unlike act 1 Lisa is very hostile and disconnected in act 2. I picked up that again unlike act 1 where Lisa is in control of her fate and can be of high status , Lisa is of a low status in act 2 with all of her choices being made for her . However like in the other cast lines and ques where a problem . Once the lines are sharper and more fluid myself and Luke will be able to portray our characters relationship with a clearer understanding of distance between Vince and Lisa.
Holly wrote up a full lighting plan for the show with our notes and I went over it highlighting key changes in colour, scene and any flashing sequences to make it clear to anyone do lighting.
First Holly's cast went through Act2 and my cast sat and watched. It was clear that people where unsure of ques and simple stage directions, which is understandable as there is alot of simple repetition in act 2 and it is easy to get lost in what section you are at . Especially for myself and Holly as we are just lying down and sleeping in some sections of act 2 . To peer support holly I remember when she had dialogue after a long period of time after just stage directions. I told her to count each time a nurse came in to give Lisa her drugs . For example 1. Nurse come in and gives Lisa pills , no dialogue. 2. nurse comes in and gives Lisa pills no dialogue . 3. Is the first bit of dialogue and moment. This was useful for Holly and myself as it meant we could tell when movement and dialogue was coming up n the form of counts. This was my ow creative idea.
It was then my casts turn to run act 2 . I think we did really well to portray the level of tension and discomfort and the naturalistic and structured theme and style of act 2. Also I thought i understood the expressive contrast in act 2 . Unlike act 1 Lisa is very hostile and disconnected in act 2. I picked up that again unlike act 1 where Lisa is in control of her fate and can be of high status , Lisa is of a low status in act 2 with all of her choices being made for her . However like in the other cast lines and ques where a problem . Once the lines are sharper and more fluid myself and Luke will be able to portray our characters relationship with a clearer understanding of distance between Vince and Lisa.
Friday dance two hours
In today's lessons we started off by running through the first part of the dance that we had already learnt. We always run rehearsals with the staging blocks through the center of the dance studio as this will give us and idea of what it will be like to dance on the stage and the space we will have next to the cat walk.
We then learn the second part of the 'peaks and the pollicols' dance. It involved a lot of turning and jumping. The hardest part for we was my co-ordination and balance . I will have to think about how to make my travelling and landing tighter and neater. Also we will have to sing whilst we are dancing . This will be challenging because I know I will be concentrating on the dance moves and counts of 8 and this will distract me from singing as well. This is something I will have to focus on next rehearsal.
Finally to end the lessons we had to come up with our own solo in a 32 count beat. I used lots of repetition and levels in my solo to make it look simple yet effective. And I based my movements on how they will work around my prop which is a camera. My targets for next lessons will be my facial expressions and focus during my solo especially for when I am singing during the dance too.
We then learn the second part of the 'peaks and the pollicols' dance. It involved a lot of turning and jumping. The hardest part for we was my co-ordination and balance . I will have to think about how to make my travelling and landing tighter and neater. Also we will have to sing whilst we are dancing . This will be challenging because I know I will be concentrating on the dance moves and counts of 8 and this will distract me from singing as well. This is something I will have to focus on next rehearsal.
Finally to end the lessons we had to come up with our own solo in a 32 count beat. I used lots of repetition and levels in my solo to make it look simple yet effective. And I based my movements on how they will work around my prop which is a camera. My targets for next lessons will be my facial expressions and focus during my solo especially for when I am singing during the dance too.
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