Devised work

THE STIMULUS/ RESEARCH

As a group, we listened to our stimulus 'Let me off Uptown' by the Gene Krupa Orchestra and Anita O'Day to provoke an initial response- collecting ideas to build upon in attempt to make a piece of physical theatre lasting around 30 minutes (5 minutes of physicality for each 10 members of our group). We listened to the track three times; 1 for our first response, 2 to get ideas flowing and to become more familiar with the piece and 3 in order to interact with others and see what the music makes us want to do (so most of us wanted to dance as we felt the urge to).

My first ideas revolve the thought of the Great Depression and the small joys provided by jazz/blues. In addition, the piece reminded me of gangsters of New York in early/mid 1900s as the tune is upbeat and swingy, a popular type of music for the time. We then researched our initial and developed ideas- jazz roots and The Great Depression being my first thoughts.

JAZZ ORIGINS

During my research, I found that Jazz originated in African American communities in late 19th/ early 20th century USA, emerged in the form of independent traditional music and popular music styles. These all linked by common bonds of African and European American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz also spans a period of over a hundred years, encompassing a range of music from ragtime to jazz-rock fusion of the 1970s and 80s, and has been proved to be difficult to define.

STYLES OF JAZZ

New Orleans Jazz began in the early 1910s, combining earlier brass band marches, french quadrilles, ragtime and blues with collective polyphonic improvisation.

In the 1930s, heavily arranged dance-orientated swing bands (much like the Gene Krupa Orchestra) evolved and Kansas City Jazz (had a hard-swinging, bluesy, improvisational style) and Gypsy (a dark, chromatic style of jazz started by guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt) were the prominent styles.

Bebop emerged in the 1940s, shifting jazz from danceable popular music towards a more challenging "musician's music" which was played at faster tempos and used more chord-based improvisation.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION FACTFILE

The first thing that came to mind when listening to 'Let Me Off Uptown' was the time period- the 1920s and 1930s coming to mind as the music reminded me of John Steinbeck's novella 'Of Mice and Men' as the song came across jolly and playful yet I couldn't think that there wasn't a deeper hidden meaning behind it (as Of Mice and Men told the story of two friends during the Great Depression and weakness was a reoccuring theme that was expressed in the characters and locations). I say this because, as well as it is a dated song, it came across a tad eerie and creepy. However, I persued My Great Depression idea and found some key facts:

- The Great Depression played a key role in the lives of those in 1930s America as a severe economic depression hit and Unemployment rates rose rapidly, with a quarter of the country out of work.

- It started on September 4, 1929 in the US due to a fall in stock prices

- A stock market crash followed on October 29, known as 'Black Tuesday'

-Primary and Secondary industries such as mining and logging suffered the most

- Itenerant workers roamed America in search for a job and would earn low wages (normally just to be spent on prostitutes)

- Not all countries recovered quickly from this worldwide economic downfall (as most did by the mid-30s) and took until the beginning of the Second World War to achieve economic stability.

CATHOUSE POTENTIAL SCENE

Collectively, my group came up with a range of weird and wonderful ideas ranging from a 1940s cat house to a mental asylum; both of which we put into practice. We started improvising a strip joint/cat house scene where Yasmin came up with the idea that each male (seated) would be allocated a girl and we should start trying with some round-by-through or chair duets (but in this case chair solo as, rather than two chairs put together with the two interacting, this involved only one person being seated and the other being put more in control) but at the same time make it look as if a strip dance is occurring for each of the boys. To ensure this, I stated that we could all change our physicality to match our feelings toward the other person (eg. More abrupt movements, change in facial expression) as I thought it may appear more affective. Furthermore, we had spread out the chairs in order to make greater use of space and in doing so widened the performance area, providing us with more room to experiment in.

MENTAL ASYLUM POTENTIAL SCENE

The second scene idea was led by James and involved mental asylum inmates responding to the stimulus playing in the background. I thought maybe we could then set this piece at the time of the music, however made a group decision that it would provide a more eerie atmosphere if it'd been set in a modern day asylum as the music serves as a dark pointer as it symbolises that we are almost "behind times" and scared of change.

Each person created their own character with a disorder so that  we could improvise how the scene would briefly pan out; for example, I developed a character touching on bipolar disorder/ schizophrenia and would, during our first run, change the way I felt towards the music using facial expressions and abrupt movements.

In order to emulate our enthusiasm towards this scene, we included the energy states and how we could all have different methods of dealing with them according to our chosen "illness". We could incorporate this into the  energy states by how our character would react in the location; I would show this from changing how I would react towards the others and repeat these actions, steadily building up to standing in unison to the sudden halt of the music- replaced by static as we all stand with our heads down.

We made great use of proxemics as we spread out in the space we provided ourselves with to reflect how "apart" and "disbanded" we felt from society and one another. However, we felt that we should not portray these characters in time to the music as it felt too long- so we started from a minute towards the end and provided a more visually satisfying result. In addition, we received constructive criticism from Karen   involving the build of tension- stating that we should collectively make a build up to the static clearer and more defined so the audience could follow the vague storyline.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION POTENTIAL SCENE

Our next idea put into place was based around my idea of the Great Depression. Pau led the idea with me as we thought he could also bring his initial thought of the mafia/ gangsters as they were around the same time period. We admittedly struggled trying to adapt this into physical work so we attempted to tell a basic story of the Great Depression through a series of tableaux (with one person going into the performance space initally with people then joining them, improvising a freeze frame); each one establishing the everyday struggles of those affected by it.

Our first tableau included Logan standing tall in a pivotal position; holding a coin with others circling around him- in awe of just the sight of money as it was harder to come by during that point in time. The second involved James in the foetal position on the floor with Pau standing over him (perhaps to represent the metaphoric power the rich had over the poor) and the rest of the group had a choice whether to stand up to or join Pau to take their place in the social hierarchy- also making great use of levels as the higher you are, the higher your status. Finally, our third tableau saw Pau sit, clicking his fingers with James and Logan happily standing with him doing the same- linking to my other initial thought of Jazz roots as well as representing the (forced?) happiness during this time period, no matter how miniscule it may have realistically been. In contrast, Chloe and Mike in the scene are perhaps seen as the realism behind the 'mask' of fun- the fact that people are still living hopelessly without money and are unable to hold down a job. This we thought was effective as it shows the divide of how people responded to something so clinical in their lives.

SECOND RESPONSE/ GANGSTER BAR SCENE

Prior to our next session our group were paired up to create a mimed physical piece to your second response to the stimulus. For this, I was paired with Becky and we created a small piece based around the antics of the character Arlecchino from Commedia dell'Arte to capture the fun and light hearted side of "Let me off Uptown".

The short sequence saw me in action as Arlecchino (in mask) and  Becky as my dance/ fitness instructor; presenting classic slapstick as Becky would provide various moves in time with the music and I would do my best (worst) to reciprocate these.

I felt our scene was enjoyable to watch judging by audience reaction and feedback as I especially thought that we provoked the response at the correct moments (for example when the conflict between mine and Becky's character heightened to the point of us swearing at each other).

We then reassembled as a group and tried to create an original scene inspired by this activity; my first thought was that we  could use Pau's previous idea of an idea around the Mafia/Gangsters of the 1930s/40s and set a scene in a typical 40s bar (perhaps with the stimulus in the background serving as a reminder to the audience that these are stories from the piece of music AND is also relevant to the setting).

Pau led the idea that the guys should take part as the mafia (besides James as he is treated as an outsider in the scene- to show the brutality and dirty habits of the mafia) with the girls as waitresses; this is shown through the use of masks- with Logan, Mike, Pau and I wearing what we would percieve as 'strong' and 'physically capable' trestle masks to emphasise our togetherness and authority over the rest of the characters as they show high status.

The idea was that James, an innocent man, would walk into the bar which is "owned" by the mafia and how the mafia would react to this with him almost "waltzing" into hostile territory- with a build up of tension through movement into Berkoff-esque Clockwork in attempt to broaden our group's use of practitioner-based work and to provide the scene with quality in the pivotal moments. Our first thoughts were that 'The Mafia' would gang up on James and have a fight scene between the five of us; however we did not have enough time to put this in action and it is likely that we will come back to it in the near future...

LECOQ INSPIRATION/ FORCED COMMEDIA POTENTIAL SCENE

Before our last session of the week, we were thought the 6 energy states of Mime Practitioner Jacques Lecoq, which included:

1. Exhausted (limited body movement, close to the floor/laid down)

2. Neutral (walking normally without telling a story- no facial expression or funny movements)

3. Alert ( likened to the characteristics of a dog- very high energy and aware of surroundings and use of facial expressions should reinforce this)

4. Tragic (as if the worst thing possible had happened- melodramatic approach to this scenario/ distraught shown through rather over the top or minimal movements)

5. Laid back ( "hippie" like movements- loose and fluid with no real purpose or inhibitions)

6. Passionate (walking with purpose and pronounced posture to a distinct place in the room, likened to lovers from Commedia dell'Arte)

This helped me understand more about mime techniques and how to put them in action. We then decided that we would create a scene incorporating this idea and combine it with Commedia dell'Arte as it links in Lecoq's states and is very similar in the aspects that they are both creating comedy through physical theatre. Therefore, we improvised using different Commedia characters in the style of Lecoq to immerse ourselves in performance. Firstly, it started with James addressing the audience of the 'Murder Mystery' genre we were also keen to explore and thought it the perfect time to establish this, where the others (in character) would approach and correct him about his statements. However, James felt this awkward and that it would be hard to convey the characters due to this. So, we then tried combining Lecoq and Commedia with Forced Entertainment as it would then enable us to experiment with more improvisational skills and could perhaps interact with the audience. This worked well besides a few hiccups during our first few runs, however, after setting the basics on storyline, this changed as events in the piece became more fluid and Karen praised us on our efforts in managing time well around our newly developed idea.

CATHOUSE SCENE PART 2

Today we began to revisit there being included a 'Cathouse' scene- except with a more choreographed approach. Yasmin again led the session and thought we could develop the physicality in the scene and the character connections, suggesting the girls this time could go from one seated guy to another to implicate that it is in fact a strip club and character connection is minimal. Furthermore, this gave the group the idea that we could create our own couple scenarios and stories between us as we had five of each gender, which made this a likely storyline.

In addition, this gave us a basis to work on in this scene as the connection between James and Yasmin as a couple could seem strenuous in it as they could explore the sadder aspects of love. Therefore, we thought it suitable for the guys (besides James) in the scene to wear masks to show their unison perhaps against James or the fact that he has a connection with an 'object' in their eyes. On top of this, we also felt very awkward and restricted in what our reactions could be when the girls perform their erotic dances around us, so we thought it safe as we could also play off the masks and infuse with character.

'TAG' BASED SCENE

Next, we experimented with games in order to give us inspiration for a scene. Therefore, we played the traditional children's game 'tag' as it requires high energy to play right in my opinion. The idea based around it was that we could perhaps tell the story of lovers from when they were little to present day. However, we thought this cliché and decided against it. Additionally, we thought this would introduce the performance well as it would immediately gain the attention of the audience and interest them in the rest of the performance.

PAIRED WORK

As our group decided to divide into pairs, we challenged ourselves to create a scene about the different aspects of love; and with two couples already covering affairs and unrequited love, I wanted to do something on the darker spectrum of love. Domestic Abuse sprung to mind when Becky and I were first put together as I thought we could easily adapt the subject to make it physical as it is physical in itself- combined with the fact that we are both strong performers and work well together. Initially, we thought that we could have a transition into the scene where I would drag Becky on to 'I don't care' by Fall Out Boy as it has an upbeat tempo, which would match the tension entering the scene. My first idea for the actual scene involved playing it naturalistically, therefore creating a major contrast towards the rest of the performance. I thought this would be effective as it would serve as a shock to the audience- both visually and in resonance (thinking we could include some harsh lighting to complete the full contrast between the other scenes). However, it came to my attention that many spectators saw it as too much of a contrast and would, as a result, drag the piece down. Therefore, Becky and I changed the tone of the piece to match the rest of the performance; dropping the transition and performing simply through movement.

COURT SCENE

For our last scene, my group and I wanted to leave the audience in suspense and therefore required us to accommodate a significant ending to the Mafia after their capturing in the last scene. In order to create the tension we wanted, we thought it best if the scene did not include any sound effects or music as it simply makes it us facing the audience. Additionally, to symbolise how members of the Mafia are now disgraced, we showed their significance and authority through the use of masks- and when the charges are read out, they are taken off depending on which one applies to them (this is decided on what their character has done throughout the duration of the performance). For example, as I fought with Becky in our paired scene and helped do the same to James in the clockwork scene, my mask was taken off when the assault charge was read out.

Furthermore, to apply greater intimacy between us actors and the audience, the idea was that the girls would disappear with the masks and then return to just beyond the stage and look outwards, saying 'guilty' whilst doing this. Us guys then draw the curtains, enclosing the space between performers and audience, then we bond hands in unison until James says 'guilty' out towards the audience, triggering the rest of us to exit through the theatre doors. However, this idea was changed as we felt something was too awkward about it; this time the girls drawing the curtains (leaving the guys behind) and lining up through the theatre stairs. Next, each member of the Mafia is then shown to be forced from the curtain into the enclosed performance space, taking a stance to represent our crime (Logan and James separated yet looking for each other, Pau looking disturbingly at audience members with Mike and I clenching our fists menacingly). The girls would then demote this sense of pride by 'getting their own back' as it were, and slap us; this creates a powerful atmosphere as it seems the Mafia have lost all that they had at the start as the audience witness a dramatic fall from grace.

PERFORMANCE NOTES

We were able to perform our piece to the rest of the class and acting year 2's and their responses included positive feedback along with some constructive criticism; they said:

• We had a great opening scene as it was lively and would engage any age group due to its constant energy and focus
• The 'Slip' couple scene between James and Yasmin was excellent- described as 'beautiful' to watch, however mixed opinions followed as it was said to be 'clunky'
• To tidy up fight scene as it looked to all be set in one small part in the stage whereas we could use the whole thing in future
• We could adapt the club scene so that it appears Berkovian as it may bring more meaningfulness to the scene as it lacks it slightly
• To choreograph clockwork scene to make it less reliant on music (change walking pattern an option)
• Match each others speeds when it comes to slow motion- otherwise it looks badly rehearsed
• Fight scene intro and movements were outstanding and provided a good transition into the Benny Hill chase scene
• Overall, that we had utilised a full range of materials based around the stimulus and made good use of provided examples given in class

Business- My Own Theatre Company

BREIF

I have been tasked with creating a theatre company that will perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016. In order to do this, I must cover the basic aspects on how to create such a company and to establish a company structure that explains job roles incorporated in the business.

Stage Manager (http://www.aact.org/stage-manager)

The role of a typical stage manager involves giving organisational support to the director. They also give practical support to actors, designers and stage crew during rehearsals- ultimately making sure the production that they are working on runs smoothly.

During a production, a successful stage manager would also be seen as an assistant director due to the amount of support he provides to the director, making the job role one of the most important during performance. In addition, they would keep track of logistical and scheduling details in order for the director to focus more on their job. Furthermore, they would record notes from actors, communicate events and ensure all sets, equipment and props are ready for use during rehearsals. To enter the field as a stage manager, many begin and train as an assistant and progress- if they have suitable stage work experience going into it (for example working as a stagehand or an actor/ performer of any kind) however, most entry requirements for even smaller scale companies include a minimum of a Level 4 HNC Diploma in Performing Arts (Production) and foundation degrees in theatre practice, technical theatre or stage management.

To train for this job role, it would be suitable to attend Birmingham School of Acting (BSA) and taking a three-year BA Honours degree in stage management. Alternatively, a stage management course (from 1-3 years- depending on how much training is needed) at Edinburgh Stage Management School could seem more compelling to any post-graduates looking to pursue a career as a stage manager.

The average income for a stage manager working in the UK stands at around 27,000 per annum, however a heavy 49% of these are self-employed- suggesting that you need not always need to look for work in this particular industry but provide yourself with it instead by perhaps starting an independent small-scale depending on funding.

Personally, I would find this role restricting as I love to be on stage and perform. In addition, I think the average pay for a Stage Manager is shocking compared to how much work they have to put in to a production.

Director (http://www.aact.org/director)

The director is a vital part in any production and mostly involves bringing together the script, the set, actors, costuming, lighting, sound and music. In order to achieve this, a strong director needs to interpret the script, cast the production they are staging, collaborate with designers, plan rehearsals and guide the actors in their work during rehearsals- which usually sees the director work very closely with the actors.

The role of Director would interest me as it involves being a very creative and imaginative individual who works well with others however maintains a high work ethic and thrives on pressure.

Marketing Officer (http://www.aact.org/marketingpublicity-director)

Being a marketing officer involves managing or assisting in promoting the productions, services and public image of the theatre company they are representing. However, it is not always straight forward as responsibilities would differ according to the company that has employed them. But most marketing officers would be involved in the advertising side of a company/production.

During production, you could have many marketing officers with separate instructions/roles depending on how large the production. For example, if it were for the West End, there could be marketing officers with roles including; advertising, publications, public relations and media relations. In the case of advertising, a marketing officer would consult with an artistic director in order to capture the artist idea of the production's public image as well as the marketing officers' research behind it. In addition, a marketing officer may be tasked with organising promotional events and conferences or arranging media interviews- again depending on how the company divides up responsibilities.

Actor (https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/actor, http://www.aact.org/actor)

An actor communicates a character or situation to an audience through speech, body movement and language. This usually involves having to work closely with the director in order to interpret his insight on a scene to perform it in the way they have envisioned it.

Various Careers include being involved in radio, theatre-based work, television and film.
Typical work activities include liasing with an agent, job seeking and networking and discussing interpretation with his/her peers.

Sometimes an Actor could face a lengthy spell away from work, therefore need to occasionally work for free in order to get recognition and stand a better chance for work in the future. Therefore, an Actor would need to be patient and professional; especially at the worst of times.

To train as an Actor, you would benefit from training at drama schools such as the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) or Guildford School of Acting (GSA) to name a few.

Professional Stage and film/television actor Danny Sapani states "The big challenge as an actor for me has been to convey the full force of the character from behind a bear’s head mask." as he says how he is typecast as a 'noble warrior' and recalls how in rehearsals, he learned to use the mask as a way of amplifying what he does rather than as a shield to hide behind. Danny attended the Central School of Speech and Drama, graduated in 1992 and has barely been out of work since

Wanting to become a Professional Actor myself, I am aware how strenuous this role is and how hard it is to 'make it' in the industry as it is such a broad market- however this I believe will only make me work harder to achieve my goal.


Choreographer (https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/choreographer.aspx)

In order to pursue a career as a professional stage choreographer, you'll need to achieve a high level of dance training and experience. To make a start in the profession, many train as professional dancers and later combine this with the cheorography (especially in smaller companies). Most start this process at a young age, frequently taking graded exams then moving on to a vocational dance school in order to attend a three-year degree or one-year post graduate diploma in professional dance or musical theatre.

In my opinion, the role of Choreographer does not interest me as I am not dance-orientated, however, I very much appreciate the role they play in a production.


DATABASE


Equity
tel:02073796000, email:info@equity.org.uk

The UK's trade union for professional performers and creative practitioners and are known for their professionalism nationally and are a respected leading industry organisation. Equity generally do work with, an on behalf of, their members working across all areas of the entertainment industry- supporting a range of cultural community of members negotiating their terms and conditions including fee structures. They also provide a team of well trained, experienced full-time staff when it comes to advice and representation.

Other Businesses involved
Spotlight, The Stage

Why Equity?
I have chosen equity because they offer several benefits for crucial roles of the company- including protection of their clients- meaning they discuss with Equity before signing a contract for any local or overseas work and advise members on non-Equity contracts.
They also reserve member's professional names as long as it is not in use by another member, as names are crucial for the distribution of royalties and other payments, credits and casting clarity. In addition, Equity offer Careers Advice, a Bullying Reporting line, Legal support and provide Accident and Backstage insurance along with on line directories to support their working life. Being a member makes a positive statement about your commitment to your possible career path and place in the industry. An Equity card is universally recognised as a symbol of a member's professional status.

Company Roles Involved
Actors, Stage Managers, Dancers

Musicians Union
tel:02078405537

A globally renowed firm that represents over 30,000 artists working in all the sectors of the business, Musicians Union provides a range of services to tackle the issues raised by musicians in and out of work. Its full time officials are available to assist its members with any immediate problems such as copyright protection, contractual advice or the recovery of unpaid fees to crucial work in health and safety.

Other Businesses involved
Equity- provides a similar service, however just for musicians. In contrast, a joint Actor/ Musician could benefit from both businesses by becoming a member.

Why Musicians Union?
I have chosen Musicians Union because they too provide a very good service to the crucial roles in the company- however more specifically the musical side of performance. Services include; Insurance guaranteees (2,000 of instrument insurance cover, 10 million public liablity insurance cover, professional expenses cover- help when dealing with tax authorities and personal accident cover), Legal advice (Contract advice and negotiation service, trade union representation for problems at work and partnership advisory service- when working with other musicians) and Artist/ Client recognition (will forward you to other unions to ensure as the artist, you are well known and are provided with a mixture of job oppurtunities, improves your musician rights).

Company Roles Involved
Composers, Musicians

Stage Style Costumes
tel:07739364911, email:stagestylecostumes@gmail.com

A quality local costume supplier with over 12,500 high range products, Stage Style Costumes are a dedicated business with 40 years of experience and service under their belts. They supply costumes for any event for their client.

Other Businesses involved 
BBC- Stage Style Costumes have supplied this broadcasting giant with many of their props and costumes.

Why Musicians Union?
I have chosen Stage Style Costumes because they have extensive experience in their field and always support their potential client's needs- working within their budget and will give you advice surrounding this. They also deal with outfitting both young and adult casts and have a large selection of youth production costume sets.

Company Roles Involved 
Stage Manager, Production Manager, Scenic Artists

My Vocal Development Programme/ Voice Work

MY VOICE- ANALYSIS

My voice is naturally deep and therefore I am restricted to a low (and perhaps trapped) voice; and am also vulnerable to mumbling as I tend to speak at a very fast pace. This affects my performance as I can come across as very quiet although what I would be doing physically might contradict that. In attempt to widen my pitch ability, I shall focus on a series or exercises to support my voice and strengthen my overall speech. These exercises include tongue twisters such as "Chuck a chop of chicken or chuck a chipotle chilli up" or "Round and round the ragged rock the ragged rascal ran". Tongue twisters are proved to turn our brains on to fully pronounce each letter of each word and as a result, speak clearly and fluently without any major struggle- avoiding the mumbling. In addition, to get my higher resonators in shape, I could try humming through the nose and head; however starting from the chest as that is where it sits comfortably and can progress from there. Furthermore, gently tapping the sinuses supports this exercise as you are then preparing your resonators for action

MONOLOGUE/ PROGRESS

For my monologue, I have decided to read the character 'Mum' in Steven Berkoff's play 'East'- segment 'Mum's Speech'. The passage explains the Mum's role in her 'run of the mill' family and her place in society as she talks fondly about her television programmes and moans about her husband and dreams of what her life could've been with her ideal partner-just to return to reality quickly with a groan from her husband. I have chosen this particular monologue to read as it really stuck out to me when we were doing research into Berkoff- and I thought the character interesting as well as complicated as she has so many dynamics to her- the most obvious being that she has to be played by a man. This would provide me a varied way of portraying her- I could go down the route of playing her as she was at the time of the original performance or nowadays- however not much different, the script and perhaps the character's mannerisms would change or be slightly altered. However, I did not want to focus on this now as it was the voice I am going to be marked on, nonetheless it may guide me to improve my performance vocally if I am fully embodied as the eccentric character.

This week I performed my monologue to Karen and the class. For my mini-performance I used Logan as the dad and therefore my husband in the scene; I thought this may bring the attention to my character's journey in the speech and how it is very mental and the husband is there as a reminder that it is not in any shape or form physical or realistic. He is also there as a physical reminder that she is trying to reach out to her dreams, but there he is on her shoulder- almost dragging her down.

However, I was not yet fully adjusted to the script when I performed and therefore struggled with presenting, faulting and stuttering at main points in the speech and as a result, the character and style of the monologue was not really put across to the audience. In addition, I felt incredibly awkward as it was mistake after mistake in my mind and, instead of the script acting as support, I completely relied on it and that really hindered my performance and let me down massively.

Karen noticed that my performance was not up to its usual standard and said that I could really do with introducing the Berkoff-like movements and making sure that it is clear that the voice is actually in her head and she gets carried away.

I took the constructive comments and started to rewrite the script to contemporise it so that it would have the effect for modern audience as it did in 1975- when 'East' was first produced.

For this I firstly updated the television programmes that Mum talks of fondly; so that contemporary audiences would understand what the character was actually on about as the script has a tendency to jump from point to point as it is Berkoff and therefore very un-naturalistic. This entailed changes such as turning ‘On the Buses, What the Papers Say and Sunday Night at the London Palladium’ into ‘Downton Abbey, The X Factor and Poirot’; and then adding movements to the shows as Karen said it would make the piece less still and bring it to life. Therefore I would take my new additions and apply actions to represent the show; for example for Downton Abbey I would adjust my stance and poke my chest out and stiffen my lip to look ‘pompous’- the idea that that would be mum’s opinion on the dialect of the show as everyone is very well spoken. Then, for ‘Hawaii Five-O’ (which obviously wasn’t in need of changing as it is still on TV along with ‘University Challenge’) I focused on the action of the show and mimed drifting in a car- by placing both hands out and ‘steering’ frantically- then pretending to fire a gun. I plan to practice this piece to show to Karen next week.

This week I introduced my vocal exercise to the class and it was fair to say that most of the group struggled with the pronunciation of the ‘ch’ sounds in ‘chuck a chop of chicken or chuck a chipotle chilli up’- much like I did at first. However, during rehearsals for ‘Earthquakes in London’, I have noticed that I struggle with one line in particular that comes in Act Four when my character has his third and final encounter with Katrina’s character Sarah; it comes at the beginning of the scene where Katrina says ‘I’m feeling really good thank you’ after the character’s night out the day before, where they form a more than professional bond (as they meet through a business agreement). I respond to this with ‘Stronger constitution than the country you’re running. Not many people can say that.’ It is noticeable that I mispronounce the first line as it has been brought up that I say it too quickly and therefore I go back to my previous flaw of mumbling; as a result, I have been practising this line in order for me to execute it perfectly when it matters most- the performance. I can then ensure that I include a phrase like this in my vocal plan so that it can challenge me.

The build-up of phlegm and saliva in my mouth is a recurring problem when performing, yet it has got much better in time; ‘The Wardrobe’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard’ along with the Greek Chorus work provides a great example as I really struggled with‘s’ sounds put together in a line, especially noticeable when I attempted to speak Jewish in ‘The Wardrobe’. This may be because I have a slight lisp (perhaps caused by the build-up of phlegm and saliva in my mouth) which I had not noticed until recently, which would make sense as I am exploring my voice more compared to when I started the course. However, in ‘The Cherry Orchard’ it was diction that I struggled with as I was adjusting to a bigger stage space thus I had a tendency to be very quiet whilst upstage- above all when I had to engage in a kissing scene with Georgia; I felt it very hard to project whilst in such an intimate space.

On the other hand, during my Greek Chorus performance, I had none of my previous problems and spoke very clearly with great projection. This may be due to the fact that the piece was so grotesque that I grew into the bizarre and flamboyant nature of the characters that I was portraying at different times. As a result, I feel that my voice has strengthened both in diction and in clarity.

Physical Theatre- Frantic Assembly

'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'- Choreography

Having seen 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' at the Gielgud Theatre, I have seen first-hand the effect Frantic Assembly have on a performance. The visuals were amazing as they transformed the hypothetical plan for main character Christopher to fly into practice and, with clever use of positioning and lighting, created a unique environment on stage and engaged the audience even further into the performance. To do this, they put one of their adapted techniques 'learning to fly', also touching on 'jet packing' as they had to create the effect that the character was floating in outer space. The positioning of Christopher also saw him above his peers and therefore higher in authority, giving him more control although he was heavily relying on the people holding him so far up.


This was also a heart-warming scene in the play as main character Christopher deals with his severe autism, and the challenges he faces in life after a dramatic turn of events at the start of the play. In many ways, this scene can symbolize the hope in the play and provides the audience with more of an insight on Christopher's intentions and how innocent the character is besides his annoying qualities.

In addition, Frantic's 'walking on walls' method was also used during the performance as the walls surrounding him throughout the play may represent inside Christopher's head as people on the autistic spectrum see things as they are and tend to be tidy and well-planned people. This is infused by the performance space being very simplistic and representing a box-like space therefore linking to how Christopher may see everyday life. 'Walking' on the walls told us that Christopher was confined only to his head and represents how he is unbound from society and usually left to his own devices. However, this says that, as the play goes on, Christopher becomes more socially understanding yet is perplexed by the very concept of it as he sees it nothing more than illusion and prefers the company of his train set.

Frantic's round-by-through was used frequently during performance to represent the obstacles Christopher had to overcome/ the things in his way or just simple as one person acting as a door to Christopher's house. However, this technique was also used effectively when Christopher would feel uncomfortable in social situations. For example, when he gets lost in London and is panicked at a train station, actors would close in on Christopher, effectively trapping him- reflecting his feelings of isolation and fear.

The Cherry Orchard- Progress

From our very first read through, I found that I liked the script and had a good connection with the character I was assigned. Yasha, from first impressions, was quite suave and sophiscated ; especially for a manservant, and I felt that I could portray the role more than successfully as it seemed an exciting challenge. It was very different in comparison to 'The Wardrobe' as Benjamin could be seen as the complete antithesis of Yasha as both have very different intentions and objectives. For Example, Benjamin truly cares for his brother and perhaps even thinks more of Daniel than he does himself whereas Yasha only has his own best interests in mind.

I take the role of Yasha in Scene 1 and 2 and, as it was the first read through, we were not yet able to get into the character through obvious limitations however I still worked on becoming the character early so I could further develop personality and character traits towards the latter stages heading up to performance. From the very start it seemed people were already attempting to get into character and therefore stood out for me; these included Chloe S, Jack A and Sam. They seemed confident with what they were doing initially, however it was made much harder for us all when having to get up onto our feet and almost 'perform'; working on deliverance and figuring out where to place ourselves (of course as it is a play by Chekhov, we decided on very much open plan with actors spread across the stage). It took a while for me to adapt to this as our previous performance was no where near as fast pace and did not include so many actors on stage at one time. We were informed by Karen that almost entirely the whole performance had to be at an energy state 8 and could only drop down to a 7 otherwise the audience would get bored easily and therefore lose interest, taking away the naturalism in the drama as a result. I was keen to build on this as my character has bundles of energy due to his age and status of a manservant (is constantly running around for his employers) and then could at least match the energy state.

My only setbacks on achieving this thus far was the fact that I wasn't completely familiar with the script and had to look at it for guidance, and that I was almost trying too hard in matching the speed of the performance and getting my words mixed up or nobody being able to hear what I was saying. This bothered me as I was not able to perform to the already high standard I set myself and the fact that I had been told in the past that I, at times, could not be heard as I would know what I was attempting to say but could not actually speak the words without mumbling. This is a certain flaw I must certainly improve by the performance stage in order to maintain character as Yasha is a confident individual therefore would be whilst speaking- also in order for my audience to actually hear me!

On our second week of rehearsals, I was familiar with the script and knew most of my lines- breaking some barriers towards progress on my part; I now can experiment with movement and actions during scenes. Others I thought were disadvantaged at this point as some still relied heavily on scripts whereas I felt almost in control of my character- becoming Yasha by growing in immaturity and energy.

During our rehearsal of scene two, my character has to approach Katrina (Lyuba, the property owner and head of the family) in order to express how he feels living in the estate (and how he hates nearly everything about it) and to attempt asking to relocate to Paris once The Cherry Orchard and its estate is sold. I was told to go over my approach to Katrina many times in a search to find the truth in what I was trying so hard to ask for; this then took affect once I grew tired of repeating the same lines- this was the tone required for the line as my character would have grown tired of the residence by now as there isn't much to entertain him; so in many ways Yasha has the same mentality that of a petulant toddler...

The Cherry Orchard- Evaluation

EVALUATION

The aim of the task was to perform a piece of Chekhov in a naturalistic way. I think this was at a good standard in most senses as I feel everybody contributed and had a great part to play in the performances and the fact that everyone pulled together in a professional way. I feel that I did my up most in the shows however, when shown the Wednesday performance after show week, I realised that I could do with being louder and therefore using my higher resignators instead of my dominant lower resignators- made obvious by my deeper voice. This will be an obvious pointer to work on as from most audience comments/ feedback forms, my only obvious weakness on stage was the fact that at some parts (including the servant scene where my character pushes Dunyasha onto the piano further upstage) you could not hear me or what I was saying. However I was given great feedback otherwise as most said my portrayal of the character was subliminal, some read "Rhys was great, but a bit quiet at times", "Very consistent and a funny character" and "Scarily sarcastic". This I felt was a great insight on how others see my performance on stage and what I can thrive on and yet improve on all at the same time.

The play was hard to adapt at times with obvious limitations such as characters such as Firs being portrayed by Brad and the obvious age gap between actor and character. However, I felt Brad did very well despite this and was, in my opinion, one of the better actors during performance. In addition, I thought I was able to express my character's immaturity through his age as he would only be in his twenties, therefore an easier age gap to break down. I had tried to express this immaturity through his attitude towards Firs and others by facial expression and body movements around them. For example, in Scene 2 during the party, Firs and Dunyasha are seen to have a conversation about who Dunyasha has danced with and what "the boy from the post office" said to her, I acted curious towards them as I stood over by the piano on the other side of the stage, looking slowly from the floor over to

The Cherry Orchard- Character Profile

THE CHERRY ORCHARD

For our research task into 'The Cherry Orchard', I discovered this was the last finished play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov- written in 1903. The play is seen to be a 'realistic tragedy' and deals with themes such as loss, un/requited love, greed, hate and anger/wrath. These make for a insightful and touching play as the characters could be seen as everyday people (for the early 1900s) and therefore audiences may well share a unique bond with a character or appreciate the performance more for its subtleties. One being how the play could be seen as a comedy- the actors would have to perform with a light heart at times and make scenes come alive just through the deliverance of words spoken and how they were funny just because they left a certain character's lips.



YASHA

For our production of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", I was assigned Yasha, a witty yet manipulative, mischievous manservant who could be seen as the only real protagonist in the play. I say this as he is constantly looking for trouble and is successful in finding it. However Alexander could be seen as a real protagonist as well, I believe Yasha has more intent to truly make others lives a misery whilst he gets a kick out of it. In addition, Yasha has no motive and sees people as an opportunity to get his own way. For example, he is known to "befriend"; Simeon for comic relief, Lyuba purely for residential purposes and Dunyasha for his sexual desires as he merely sees her as an object and a 'toy to play with' when he is bored rather than a person.

For my research for the character, I stumbled across the same play that had been made into a short film in 1999 where Hollywood Star Gerard Butler played Yasha. Butler executed the role brilliantly and I enjoyed his moments in the film, yet the Yasha he portrayed was more scruffier and more masculine than mine. Yasha is not particularly liked by any other character but Dunyasha yet is thoroughly admired by the audience due to the character having very good comical timing and portrays a likeable evil in the play. His utter negligence and dislike of Firs is typical of a young hateful man as they both represent the gap in the society at the time and the difference between new and old Russia, suggested by the scene with just the two characters as Firs tells Yasha of 'how it all used to be' and Yasha responding with "Fuck me you're boring".

Previous performances have seen Yasha dressed very smartly, especially for the time period. He is renowned for his stylish and slick looks and the actor portraying him usually has neat and appropriately styled hair and minimal facial hair. The only exception being Gerard Butler in the film adaptation to match his rugged method of playing him, the character then modelling a full beard and shaggy hair.

Yasha does not seem to care for anyone else but himself and could easily be seen as the most selfish character in the play. Supported by his lack of empathy for his mother and the fact that he is known to roll his eyes or sigh whenever she is brought up in conversation, although she is eager to see him. This could be seen as the most discouraging factor about Yasha as he cannot relate to his own mother's love for him, however I do not think that this is expressed enough in the play. His main objective is to cause havoc within the estate in attempt to humour himself as he seems constantly bored (indicated by consistent yawning and fidgeting). In addition, to remain in character I added slight movements and responses towards other characters to appear as I'm listening.