The Flint Street Nativity - Play, by Tim Firth (21) (Evaluation)

On the 16th we finally performed "The Flint Street Nativity" to a live audience. On the whole the piece went really well though there were definitely areas for improvement.

What generally went well:

• The lighting was effective for representing Miss Horrocks changing from satisfied to angry (white wash to red wash)
• The set looked realistic as a classroom and worked well for our play
• The majority of the jokes were well received with the audience laughing throughout 
• The majority of us projected well
• The songs were comical, and there were no major issues with timing.

What generally could have been better:

•  The trolley and chairs were noisy when being moved
  
  • The wheels should have been oiled, padding could be added to stop the trolley rattling and padding could have been added to the bottom of the chairs
•  We didn't always stand in the spot light correctly
  
  • We should have had more rehearsals with the lights or taped the floor
• The verse of Silent Night that we sang as adults wasn't great...
  
  • We should have rehearsed this more to ensure we all knew the words!
• The tension built to quickly prior to Sarah Bennet's breakdown in the adult scene
  
  • Should have had cue lines to build tension up further at different points
•  At times, some members of the cast needed to be louder
  
  • These actors should have projected more or we could have used radio microphone headsets
•  The joke of the adults thinking Hope's baby doll was a real baby was lost as she clearly used the headless doll
  
  • She should have used the other doll (which had a head attached to it!)

What I think I did well:

• I projected well so that I was audible all the time
• When I pretended to throw up it was apparently very realistic 
• I think I portrayed my character well as I fiddled with my dress to show my characters age
• I used my initiative by deciding to tidy the pens away on the table (during my scene with James) to make the table easier to move. This also avoided pens falling of the table and making a noise whilst it was being moved  

What I feel I could have done better:

•  My costume for Jenny Bennet didn't look right as I looked older than 7 or 8 due to my bust
  
  • I could have used breast binding tape or worn more of a frock style dress 
•  During my duet with Rhiannon, I was too loud as Rhiannon was quieter than I was and her part was the parody version

Cover-ups!

• The curtain wasn't open for my instructions to Robert's character so I said them from behind the curtain (which made sense as this would be what my character would do)
• Robert didn't sit on the apparatus before our duet so I changed my line to make sense in the scenario
• Robert made a mistake during our duet but he improvised and made the lyrics rhyme! Instead of singing "Hallo? No. We're only learning carols. No, you're interrupting nothing, Paul", Robert sang "No, you're interrupting nothing Paul; we are only learning those carols"
• Thankfully, I noticed that my doll's head had come off before it was supposed to, so I ensured I held the doll in a way that the head wouldn't fall to the floor too early
• Charlie stayed on the stage for too long after the birth of Jesus, but when he realised he left the stage in character and made it look as if it was supposed to happen
• I left Jesus on stage as I had to run off to find Ashley, but Hope picked it up in character during her scene with Cel. To make it look like a part of the play, she sat down next to Cel and fiddled with the doll's head!
• I didn't know where Hope had put the doll so I had to go on to the stage without it, but Katya passed me the "sheep"/wig for me to use as Jesus. Although this was not supposed to happen, this was actually very comical 

If we were to do the show again...

• Have more rehearsals on the stage with lighting and in costume
• Rehearse with props from the beginning 
• Get the sheet music and learn the songs properly
• If someone can't make a rehearsal, film it for them to watch in their own time

The Flint Street Nativity - Play, by Tim Firth (20) (Final run)

Today we had a full day off of our normal timetable so that we could rehearse on the stage.

The first two periods were spent setting up the stage and sorting set. Lewis, Charlie and I put up the artificial Christmas tree. This proved surprisingly difficult as we didn't have a stand for the tree! Therefore, we had to lean the tree up against the wall. Afterwards, I helped secure the "brick walls" flats. I supported the stepladder that Miss Cordell was standing on so there was less chance of an accident occurring (e.g. the ladder toppling over). Whilst I was supporting the ladder, the top of the flats was having wire attached to the top of it, connecting to the bar of the lighting, as to give the flat extra strength, making it more stable and less likely to fall over. I also noticed that there was a screw poking through the flat, and that this screw was not needed, so I ensured it got removed. If it wasn't removed someone could either snag their costume on it or, even worse, could scratch themselves on it. Afterwards, I drew stars on the "Who's been good?" chart and attached it to the wall. For each character, I put them number of stars I thought they would be likely to get (so Jenny having the whole chart filled and some extra, whilst Ashley only had two). I also cut out the letters spelling "OUR SPACE PROJECT" and stuck them to one of the flats along with drawings and "class work" related to space.

The second two periods were spent finishing the set, going through songs and working with the lighting. The set that was put up was additional staging and the "Home Corner". The additional staging was positioned at the back of the stage to add depth and levels to our play. The only people that stand on the additional staging are Lewis and James, as this level represents "Miss Horrocks' special cupboard". However, it will also be used to sit on by Cel and Hope (when Cel's character is crying) and by Rhiannon (when she looks through Miss Horrocks' bag. The "Home Corner" is a child's fabric playhouse. We positioned it on the far stage right of the additional staging, so it was visible and also so it didn't have to be moved throughout the show. With the songs, we decided not to use backing tracks as we couldn't find appropriate ones regarding length, timing and key. Therefore, we decided to do all of the songs a Capella. This also allowed us to end the songs whenever we wanted to do. We set up the lights in the correct place and worked out what parts of the stage the lighting would illuminate.

The final two periods were spent running certain parts of the play. We decided to run from the slow motion section to the adult section so we could all try our costume changes. This was important so we knew how long exactly we had to get changed and if we could all be ready in time. We also worked out where we would get changed (what wing was most convenient for each person) and how we could make the change quicker (if we could wear certain parts of our adult costume under our children's costume and vice versa). We also ran the play up until the slow motion section. We had a lot of trouble with the lighting as we couldn't find the spot lights when we were on stage, we didn't stand in the light. Therefore we decided to play a little game called "find the light"! This was where we had to run to the light and stop once we thought we were in it. We managed to stand in the circle of light on the floor but we didn't manage to illuminate our faces! We hoped that this wasn't going to be a problem in the actual performance.

Storytelling (13) (The Snow Queen)

15/12/15

Today I helped James with some of his scene (Scene Two).He decided that he wanted to use the idea of silhouettes. His narration will be live, and he wanted to have some music underneath. He told me what he wanted to portray in this scene and what sort of atmosphere he wanted to create, and then he asked me to help him choreograph this. Today, we choreographed a dance section, consisting of lifts and supported leans to symbolise the relationship between Kay and Gerda. The two lifts are very close and intimate which show the children's close bond. The supported leans show that they care for each other and look out for one another. Below is a video of what we have choreographed so far.

 17/12/15

Today I choreographed more of the dance and taught it to the other three. The new chroegraphhy involves more lifts, and even a short game of pat-a-cake (to show that we are representing children). As James wanted to use the idea of silhouettes, we decided that Lewis and I will be in front of the sheet (as we are Kay and Gerda), whilst Charlie and Oliver will be behind the sheet, so will appear as silhouettes. Next lesson, we shall complete the duet sequence and fit it with the narration, and also film it so we can watch it back and decided if we need to adjust anything.

The Flint Street Nativity - Play, by Tim Firth (19) (On stage)

Today was our first time of bringing "The Flint Street Nativity" onto the stage. We began today's rehearsals by sorting costumes and ensuring we have everything ready for tomorrow. My costume for Sarah Bennet was already sorted, but I have now sorted the costume for Jenny. Now I shall be wearing white lacy socks, pink ballet shoes, a white flowy dress, a blue head dress and a white blouse. The reason for the white blouse is to cover my shoulders as the dress has very thin straps. I shall also wear black shorts underneath the dress so when I sit down on the floor, I shall be covered. The only prop I still need is the "Jesus" doll (which the head will fall off of).

When in the hall, we decided to perform the adult section first (as this wasn't so good last rehearsal). The whole section went fairly smoothly, apart from the page leading up to my characters' breakdown. As everyone was focusing on getting there line's correct and in the right places, the tension didn't build enough to make my breakdown look realistic. Therefore we decided to try it again, but this time adding in whatever we wanted to say (that would make sense - for example "have you got a spare lyrics sheet?" or "does anyone want another mince pie?") at any point. This ensured that the scene got louder and busier and increased in tension, thus making a larger contrast when it goes silent and making my breakdown look realistic.

Afterwards, we ran the play from the beginning up until page 29, when we ran out of time. Overall, we were pleased with how this section went today as there was no need for prompts, and when there was issues with remembering cues, we covered each other well and got back on track. I found that the costumes really helped us get into character today as we fiddled with our outfits like children would.

What we have left to do is put the paintings on the wall, get any remaining props and costumes, work out the staging for the "apparatus" scenes and rehearse the play in full on the stage with lighting.

Commedia dell'arte (2)

14/12/15

Today we began making the masks. As we haven't looked at all of the characters yet we haven't decided who shall perform what role, therefore we didn't make the entire mask. All we did today was make the base of our masks using plaster of paris, so that our masks would only fit ourselves. Next lesson we shall look at the remaining characters, decided who is playing what role, and design and begin to make more of our masks.


08/01/16

Today we had a research lesson. We all broke off and did different things. Lewis, Rhiannon and Robert researched the stock characters of Commedia dell'arte whilst James and Ollie researched the history of it and I designed the masks. I decided to research the masks for each character and drew a version of each character to help us when we make our masks.

The characters were also given out this lesson. The cast list is as follows:

• Zanni = James
• Brighella = Lorna
• Il Capitano = Robert
• Harlequin = Charlie
• Pantalone = Lewis
• The Doctor = Ollie
• Columbina = Rhiannon
• 1st Actress = Rhiannon
• 1st Actor = James    

Brighella Research

• cunning servant - "master of servants and servant of masters"
• a brain character - worked hard to get to their position
• can be a great womaniser, can fall in love with people
• 1st actress can be tempted by him because he's cunning
• he thinks ahead to see how the situation can benefit him
• animal equals are rats, snakes or large cats
• he thrives on double dealings, intrigues and foul play
• he is sleazy, seductive and dangerous
• often cruel to those beneath him on the social ladder, would even go as far as to kill on occasion
• can make up spur-of-the-moment lies for any situation

• medium level and pace
• fairly low pitch voice
• leads with head, elbows out to the side with hands in front of chest

The Flint Street Nativity - Play, by Tim Firth (18) (Full run // Costumes // Research)

Today we did a full run-through, including songs and some costumes. Not everyone has all their costumes or props yet, but we rehearsed with what we have so far. Below is a list of everything I personally need/have for the show:

  Jenny Bennet:                                                                   Sarah Bennet:
  - White lacy socks (sorted)                                             - Black jeans (sorted)
  - White lacy blouse (sorted)                                            - Christmas jumper (sorted)
  - Grey school skirt (sorted)                                               - Same socks & shoes (to save time)
  - Black plimsolls (sorted)
  - Black shorts to wear under skirt (sorted)
  - Comb for Robert's hair (sorted)
  - "Baby Jesus" doll (still needed)
  - Blue dress (still needed, though back-up is sorted)
  - White headdress (still needed)

The majority of the child section went really well today. The costumes made us connect to our characters more and we got into and staged in role better. There were only a few occasions where lines were forgotten, but at these moments we improvised to get back on track. Although we didn't use backing tracks today (as we didn't have the speaker and not all of them have been sorted) the songs went quite well. The first song ("O come all ye faithful") was the best we have ever done it today as we all remembered our lines, the timing was fine, and we kept up our childlike movements throughout the song. My duet with Rhiannon would have been fine if we both remembered our words, though we shall work on this in form time on monday. My duet with Robert went well today; all we have left to do is sort out our movements throughout the song. "Silent night" was a lot better today too as we remembered our movements and the timing was a lot better. Unfortunately, the adult section was rather weak today. This was because some people didn't remember their cues or the order of the conversations in the scene. We had to run this scene a couple of times, which took up a lot of time, so we didn't have time to do the final song.

What I would like to do next lesson is run the adult section through once, and then do another full run but on the stage this time. I am worried about the staging and am unsure on how we are going to stage the scenes set around/on the "apparatus".

13/12/15

Tonight, I watched the 2009 film "Nativity". The reason I watched this film was to see how the children moved/stood when they sang. I also took note on how they behaved when listening to a teacher and when the teacher told off another child in the class. When singing, the children all did different things. The majority of the children looked around them or down whilst tugging at their clothing. Although this was obviously convincing movements for children, I will not be using this for my character as Jenny Bennet has been coached by her mum and taught to "do it like proper acting that you see at The Empire or on television". The children never sat still during the film either; they were always fidgeting. Some children fiddled with their clothing or hair, one picked their nose and others interacted with their peers. I think my character would do the latter as she would check on what everyone was doing and that they were doing the right thing. When another child in the class was being told off, they seemed to freeze completely and stare at the action, like rabbits in the headlights.

Commedia dell'arte (1)

This was our first lesson on Commedia dell'arte. We began by exploring Gromalot - the type of voice used in this form of theatre. We began by getting in a line and playing an improvisation game. For this, the first two people would improvise a conversation using Gromalot and then they would be stopped and then a different conversation is started between the next pair and so on and so on (A&B, B&C, C&D, D&E, E&F, F&A).

We didn't have time to explore all of the stock characters but we explored some of them. We learned what sort of pitch and tone each character would have. We looked at how these characters moved - so what part(s) of the body they lead from, what level they moved on and what speed they would travel. The characters we experimented with are as follows:

• MAGNIFICO - high level; slow pace; large movements; takes a lot of space; leads from the chest; deep voice; beckons and shuns
• ZANNI - low level; leads with nose and toes; quick pace; high voice; hands in and in line with shoulders; indirect
• BRIGHELLA - medium level; medium pace; leads with head; elbows out to the sides with hands in front of chest; voice fairly low pitch
• HARLEQUINO - very active; leads with pelvis; always dancing/moving; squeaky voice; excitable; fast pace

After exploring these characters, we got in to two groups and picked a character each: I picked Brighella, Charlie picked Harlequino and Lewis picked Magnifico. We were told to improvise a short scene involving the three of them to explore their interactions. Our scene consisted of Magnifico telling Harlequino and Brighella what he wanted doing, and Brighella trying her best to get Harlequino to actually do what he has been asked for once. I think our scene went well as our body language and voice was consistent throughout. 

Commedia dell'arte (Research)

Commedia dell'arte is a 16th century form of theatre that started in Italy. Every member of the performance (apart from the 1st actor and the 1st actress) wear masks. Each mask is different and tells you a lot about the character. The longer the nose on the mask, the more silly the character. A "pig snout nose" also represents stupidity in a character. Moreover, actual words are not used in Commedia, instead Gromalot is used. Gromalot is "emotional babble speak", so you can't understand what is being spoken, but you understanding the meaning and get an idea what is being said through the way it is spoken. This form of theatre is based on improvised scenarios between the stock characters. Below is a list of these characters and a brief description of each of them:

• MAGNIFICO: Most authoritative. Mask is like an eagle - he looks down on everyone. Leader of the city.
• 1st ACTOR & 1st ACTRESS: The lovers. Aristocrats. Grand movements. 
• THE WITCH: (20th century invention) Outsider. The Magnifico of the countryside. The supernatural element. Moves in figures of eight. 
• 2nd ACTOR & 2nd ACTRESS: Teenage pair of lovers. Children of Pantalone and The Doctor. Well educated
• PANTALONE: Master. Old man. Very needy.
• THE DOCTOR: Master. Old man. Man of learning.Waffles.
• COLUMBINA: The servant girl. As cunning as Brighella. As playful as Harlequino. Knowledgeable.
• BRIGHELLA: Master of servants & servant of masters. Very cunning.
• HARLEQUINO: Servant. Stupid. Thinks he's perfect. Amoral. Lives in the moment. Cheeky. Always hungry.
• THE CAPTAIN: From elsewhere. Often a soldier. Brags but is actually a bit of a wimp.
• ZANNI: Least authoritative. Peasant who's come to the city. Extremely curious. Wants to please. Magnifico's servant.

The Flint Street Nativity - Play, by Tim Firth (17) (Songs // Promotion)

Songs

Today we had a lesson on songs. We went through them in order and found appropriate backing tracks for them. The first song ("O come all ye faithful") we were all confident with, so we rehearsed it with movement too. My duet with Rhiannon ("A way to kill Mary") was altered today as Rhiannon was having trouble fitting all of her lyrics to the song. We decided to cut out the middle verse, which thankfully for me is the verse that I "la" and dance to! For my duet with Robert ("Watch how Mummy does it"), we decided to end the song on the line "and go!". This is because we are not sure how to fit the rest of the lyrics to the tune. Although the line "and go" is only Mary's line in the script, we have decided that both of us shall sing this line to add closure to the song.The ensemble song, "Silent Night", needed a lot of work today. Although we knew the tune, lyrics and the spoken lines, we were unsure on our cues and so we got confused, thus resulting in our movements not being convincing.

Advertising

I have set up a Facebook event to advertise the show to ensure we have an audience! As we have worked hard on this play, we would like to have a decent sized audience. The other reason why I set up this event was to get feedback. From other events I have been apart of, people often put feedback on the event page, so hopefully we might also get feedback which we would be able to use in our evaluation. Since this screenshot was taken, many more people have been invited and I am constantly getting notifications informing me that more people are attending.

Storytelling (12) (The Snow Queen)

Today we planned to work on the second scene, but as it wasn't prepared, we worked on the third scene. Lewis is in charge of this scene, and he had a Brechtian approach to it. Therefore placards are used throughout this scene (as this is a Brechtian technique).

• We begin this scene in a circle; this is because we want to begin and end each scene in a circle so we had a returning position to show the audience the development/change in scene/narrative.
• Rhiannon will hold a placard saying "Gerda". This is so the audience knows who Rhiannon is portraying without them becoming too emotionally attached to her.
• After we've divided into groups and shrugged, we all pretend to cry. We have included levels in this section to make the piece look more pleasing.
• When only Rhiannon was needed, the rest of us made a line at the back and faced the back.
• We all lay down, on our fronts, in a straight line to form the path of the river. To show the river is moving we lift our limbs alternately.
• To represent the shoe moving in the river, the shoe is passed from actor to actor and then thrown back.
• To represent the cottage, Charlie stands up holding a placard simply saying "cottage".
• To represent the old woman being in the cottage, I hold a placard saying "old woman" and I stand behind Charlie. When my character come out of the cottage, I just step to the side of Charlie.
• The narration for this scene will be pre-recorded, but I have been given a line in this piece. I have decided not to say this live; I shall also pre-record it. I won't mime this line, but I will present the emotion behind through my use of facial expressions and body language.
• To swap from "picture book" or "cherries" to "flowers" they will simply turn the placards around. The placards will be double-sided as to avoid having multiple different pieces of paper or card.
• On the line "the next morning" we perform a small full spiral turn (from high level, to low, to high). This is to represent a change in time.
• As opposed to making set for this piece, we have taken a minimalistic approach, and we multi-roll and become the trees.
• To end, we form the circle again to show we are moving on to the next scene, but also to show how Gerda feels lost and isolated.

Historical Context (1) (Elizabethan)

ELIZABETHAN & JACOBEAN (1562 – 1625) 

• Inn-yards: 
  • Performances held in private London Inns. 
  • Inexpensive (1 to 3 pennies) - but additional fees for balcony levels
  • Held indoors or the yard. 
  • Audience capacity up to 500.
  • Major inns had large cobblestoned yards.
  • Some Inn-yards were eventually converted to Playhouses.

•  Indoor Playhouses:
  • A small, private indoor venue with a roof. 
  • Small fee, but more expensive with more select audiences. (2 to 26 pennies).
  • Audience capacity up to 500.
  • Suitable for winter and evening performances.
  • Lighted by candles so suitable for the evening.
  • Good acoustics. Music and song was strongly featured.
  • Food and drink was served in the interval.
  • Beautiful scenery introduced.

Playwrights:

During this period was William Shakespeare’s work. He wrote many tragedy plays (including “Hamlet” [1599 – 1602], “Othello” [1603] and “Romeo and Juliet”) and comedy plays (including “Midsummer Night’s Dream” [1590 – 1597], “Much Ado About Nothing” [1598 and 1599] and “Twelfth Night” [1601 and 1602]. Shakespeare used levels in his work to show authority between people.

Also, during this period was Christopher Marlowe's work. His plays are known for the use of blank verse and overreached protagonists. His plays were tragedies and they included "The Jew of Malta" [1589-1590] and "Doctor Faustus" [1604].

John Fletcher was another playwright at this time, writing both comedy and tragedy plays. His work includes the tragedy "Valentinian" [1610-1614], the comedy "Wit Without Money" [1614] and the tragicomedy "The Wild Goose Chase" [1621]. 

Tragedy plays:

1.  The main character will die  
2. The death of the main character can not be by accident  
3. The audience must love the hero more than anyone else

Staging & Costumes:

Plays were normally performed in proscenium arch, though thrust was also used. Playwrights at this time wrote in a way to encourage the audience to imagine the sets. These plays were also written very practically as they didn't use blackouts to change sets; a way to clear the stage was worked into the narrative. As the plays were put together in a short amount of time, the actors tended to wear the clothing of their day. However, as women were not allowed to act at this time, young boys were used to play these roles. These costumes were very elaborate, consisting of many layers. The makeup used for these roles contained a lot of lead so was actually poisonous, giving the young actors unpleasant facial skin diseases.

Presentational Acting Style:

Plays at this time were more of a "performance" with clue the actors were aware of the audience's presence (instead of completely ignoring the audience). Prologues, epilogues and word puns were also to engage the audiences. Extravagant gestures were commonly found too.

How this era of theatre began:

Medieval theatre was the era of theatre before Elizabethan. Medieval theatre ended as the power of the Church and of religion in general decreased; it was the Church who had controlled theatre and put it in place during this time (as it wasn't around for a long time before this). 

How this era of theatre ended:

This era ended when both Elizabeth I and James VI died. After this, there was a period when the country did not have a monarch and was run by the government.  A group called the Puritans came in and demolished theatre. They disagreed with it as it distracted people from the Church.

The Flint Street Nativity - Play, by Tim Firth (16) (Evaluating progress)

Today we did a run through of the whole play up until midway through the adult section (as we ran out of time to finish). However, we didn't do all of the songs as we haven't got the sheet music yet for the songs we are unsure on.

WHAT WENT WELL:
-  Almost everyone remained in character at all times
-  Everyone remembered the blocking
-  Everyone knew their cue lines
-  Character interactions were stronger as we understand them better now
-  Children and adult characters had strong similarities where appropriate
-  Better understanding of adult section staging

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
-  All scenes were learned as opposed to just cue lines
-  Know order of the scene, as we muddled the order a couple
-  To not need any prompting at all

WHAT I THINK WE NEED TO DO NOW:
-  Learn and sort or cut songs
-  Practice on the stage in costumes

Theatre for Children (19) (Evaluation)

This afternoon we went to Thamesview Infant School to perform our version of "Fantastic Mr Fox" to 60 four and five year olds.

WHAT WENT WELL:
-  Transitions were smooth (especially regarding the lack of rehearsal in the space)
-  We used the space well and made adjustments to suit the performance space
   [We stood in appropriate places when not performing]
-  LF interacted with audience well, despite challenging responses
   [A few children put their hands up to say "I don't know", but Lewis had this covered]
-  CS covered the fact that his tail fell off early
   [Realised children were watching the farmers, so positioned himself in a way he could reattach it
   without anyone noticing]
-  CS interaction with audience. He responded well and used their suggestions
   [Gave suitable responses to the unexpected suggestion (e.g. "ask the other foxes for food")]
-  LC performed to audience and involved them
   [Made eye contact constantly and encouraged them to join in]
-  OK came down to their level and involved the audience
   [Had friendly body language and physically lowered himself to be more engaging]
-  The audience were so engrossed they followed where we were looking
   [They looked behind them for "The Woman", despite there not being one]

WHAT COULD HAVE GONE BETTER:
-  Some actors should have been lighter on their feet
   [Moments when some of us were too noisy on our feet]
-  CS had his tail fall off too early
-  RD needed to project more
   [Wasn't always clear]
-  Timing on the song could have been better
   [We should have rehearsed with this version of the backing track earlier and more often]
-  Could have got there earlier to set up sooner and discussed any changes needed
   [Audience arrived when we were still setting up]

WHAT WE WOULD DO NEXT TIME:
-  Get there earlier (to give us time to rehearse in the space and to make possible amendments)
-  Change some jokes to make them even more suitable for the age
   [E.g. change "X-Factor" to "Tweenies" or another programme they are more likely to watch]

Theatre for Children (18) (Practice performance)

Today we performed our piece to the Year Nine's as a practice run. We found this run quite difficult as our audience in this run was over double the age of the audience we were performing to later. However, thankfully the Year Nine's understood this and responded to the piece as if they were four or five years old. Our transitions were smooth and our characters were very exaggerated as we knew that we were going to have to captivate very young children's attention. Unfortunately, there were a few moments where some lines were forgotten and not covered up quickly enough. Our feedback from the Year Nine's was that they loved "The Race" scene and the journeys to the storehouses and cellar. This was because they loved the exaggerated facial expressions (e.g. the cross-eyed expressions).

Theatre for Children (17) (Preparation)

Preparing for tomorrow...

I have worked out how to make my individual transition from the "Cider Cellar" scene into "The Great Feast" scene smoother. As I need to get changed from Rat back into Fox Cub, it would make sense to have my costumes on the correct side. Therefore, as I pick up the stall from USC and move it to DSR and then walk offstage, I shall take the fox ears with me, hidden by the stall. As I am offstage to pick up the cider jar, I shall put the ears to the side. After the scene has finished, I shall take the stall offstage momentarily for me to take the rat mask off and put the ears on, and then go back on stage with the stall to put it in the correct place again. This means I would not have to go on stage in all blacks; I will be a character at all times whilst on the stage.

Furthermore, I have come up with an idea which I shall share with the group tomorrow. At the end of the performance tomorrow, I thought it would be nice if the children wanted their pictures taken with the characters. The school could either take them, or our teacher could take them (as she is CRB  checked but we aren't) and she could email them across. I thought this would be nice for the children, and the pictures could be put in their school newsletter or something similar.

Theatre for Children (16) (Dress run)

Today was our first complete dress rehearsal for FMF. Below are bullet points of what went well this rehearsal, what we need to do to improve and a list of what we need to take with us and what we need to wear.

What went well:
-  (Charlie) Engaged audience instantly with his character
-  (All) Costumes looked effective. Instantly understood who characters were
-  (Lorna) Characterisation of Fox Cub and Rat were convincing and contrasting
-  (Lewis) Characterisation of Rabbit was hilarious! Movement was very comical
-  (Lewis) Bean's voice was maintained throughout and was a contrast to the other farmers
-  (Rhiannon) Softer approach to Mrs Fox was refreshing and endearing
-  (General) All music worked effectively at creating the right atmosphere
-  (All) "The Race" scene was very comical and timing worked well
-  (All) "You Got a Friend in Me" song was a nice ending
-  (Lorna & Lewis) Good consistent focus

What needs improving/changing/adding:

• (Majority) No talking in the wings
• (All) Transition between Fox introduction and Farmer introduction needs to be smoother - as to ensure a seamless performance and to make the piece easier to understand
• (Charlie) "Fried chicken" section needs to be louder - so he is heard
• (Oliver & James) Learn lines - to ensure all of cues are there, both for cast members and for music
• (Oliver) Have more energy and involve kids more - to ensure their attention is kept
• (Oliver) Repeat farmers rhyme/song about four times so audience can join in - young audience will enjoy joining in
• (Robert) Eat food during the shooting scene to make it more comical
• (Lorna) Have a backpack for after I've been told to "get my things" - to make the narrative make sense
• (Lewis) Have a walkie talkie prop for Bean contacting Mabel
• (Charlie) More dad dancing during the song - to make it more comical
• (James)  Make fox cub more convincing and maintain Bunce stance - for continuity and entertainment

Costumes & Props:

• CHARLIE: Blue suit trousers, blue jacket, white shirt, black bow tie, black shoes, fox ears, fox tail
• RHIANNON: Dress, leggings (under dress), apron, vest top (under dress), fox ears, fox tail
• JAMES: Black joggers, black top, farmers hat, spade, gun, fox tail, fox ears
• LORNA: Black leggings, black top, fox ears, fox tail, rat mask, backpack
• LEWIS: Black joggers, black top, farmers hat, gun, shovel, necklace (to attach tail to later), rabbit ears, rabbit tail
• ROBERT: Black joggers, black top, farmers hat, spoon, food, inflatable belly, glasses
• OLIVER: Black trousers, white shirt, black waistcoat, glasses, smart shoes
• GENERAL: Three stalls, eight chickens, cider jar, speaker and Lewis's phone (for music)

The Flint Street Nativity - Play, by Tim Firth (15) (Character development)

                                                      

Today we did an activity for the whole of the second act: when we were supposed to be children we were our adult characters, and when we were supposed to be adults we were our children characters. We did this so we got an idea of how our adult characters would react around each other in a different scenario, and so we could see what the adult section would look like with our different interactions and relationships.

In the video above we are our adult characters performing the children's lines from the script. I decided to look around at the other characters constantly, as if I was checking that what they were doing was correct, as my character is a perfectionist. I also acted quite laid back, as I felt my character believed they had more important things to be doing. I also believe that my character would be too busy checking that everybody else was doing the correct things to be focusing on herself. Looking back, I feel like I should have intervened with other characters more, correcting them, and that I would have been more theatrical when saying the actual lines in the nativity (as Sarah Bennet is a perfectionist as she teaches Jenny to do "proper acting like what y'see at The Empire or on television").

I think that the adult section as children was more successful. I managed to maintain my voice throughout this scene as well as my body language. The interaction between mine and Rhiannon's characters was completely altered as we strongly dislike each other as children. Therefore, every line was more sarcastic and had more attitude as we are constantly trying to be better than each other. Although we learned more about the similarities and differences between our children character's relationships and interactions and our adult character's relationships and interactions, we did struggle to remember our lines. This was because we had to really focus on the whole new atmosphere and environment created by using different voices, body languages and interactions.

The Flint Street Nativity - Play, by Tim Firth (14) (Script work // Evaluating progress)

01/12/15

Today we ran the  beginning of the show up until page 53 without scripts but with the majority of the songs (excluding mine and Robert's duet, and Charlie and Oliver's duet as we are getting the sheet music for these two songs). This run went better than expected. I was relieved after Rhiannon and I had finished our duet as I had to improvise a little dance as my character "la's and dances" one of the verses. However, the class found it funny and complimented me for staying in character the whole time. Although some prompting was needed at times the majority of the piece ran smoothly. What we need to work on the most is learning our songs without our scripts, get our costumes sorted and rehearse with all costumes and props.

03/11/15

We began this lesson by filling out a worksheet. My questions and answers are as follows:

Discussing one activity or exercise, explain how this has developed your own skills and understanding as an actor. One lesson we ran the whole of the children's section at double the speed we normally do. I found this useful because I had to ensure I knew all of my lines in the correct order and my cues. I also got a better understanding of my characters development throughout the show, and how the relationships between mine and other character's change. Moreover, I had to really concentrate on my blocking - I had to be certain on where I was supposed to be as everything was sped up, thus we had less time to think.

What research have you done into the play itself? I watched the film version of the play to get a better understanding of character interactions and a better understanding of the play in general. I also learned that Tim Firth wrote the play after speaking to his friends who are teachers, who told him about certain children they have taught that they remember the most. From my research I also discovered that the Flint Street Junior School is based on Stockton Heath Primary School, where Tim Firth attended and where his mother taught.

What are your recommendations for developing the production further?
-  Rehearse on the stage
-  Get sheet music for songs we are unsure on
-  Rehearse with props and costumes
-  Practise the costume change in time
-  Time the piece as a whole
-  Develop the lighting plan and finalise it
-  Advertise the show and start making and selling tickets

This worksheet was very useful as we had to reflect on what exercise we have done in the past to prepare for the play that benefitted us the most. We also had to see what we remembered from our research about the play itself. Finally, we had to state what we would do next if we were put in charge of the play at this point.

After this worksheet, we ran the children section of the second act up to page 53, as we didn't manage to get any further this lesson due to time restrictions. Unfortunately, quite a lot of prompting was needed in this rehearsal, as this section is the section we have done the least in the play. However, I think I did well with my lines today as I only needed prompting once (although I did actually know the line, I just need to have more confidence and trust in myself).

Tonight, I did more research to help me with my characterisation of Jenny Bennet. I decided to watch an episode of "Doc Martin", as his partner in the programme is a teacher at a primary school. In this episode, the school caretaker had given himself carbon monoxide poisoning so was delirious. He therefore got cleaning products and fertiliser the wrong way round, and made many of the children ill. The children threw up in this episode, which was useful for me as my character is sick during the play. Therefore I focussed on their body language and their gestures. The girl in this episode held her hair out of the way when she supposedly threw up. She also wiped her face afterwards and stared at what she had just done. I shall include these movements when I perform the "vomiting section". I also paid close attention to how the children stood when waiting: none of them stood still; they all were fidgeting in some way or another.

Theatre for Children (15) (Props)

Today I almost completed the props for FMF. I cut out all of the chickens and the cider jar. I then went over the black pen to make it stand out more and to neaten the edges of the cardboard. I realised that it was important that I re-enforced the chickens and the jar as I didn't want them to bend and get weak whilst rehearsing with them and during the shows. If I didn't re-enforce them, they could bend and possible rip, making them look less professional for the next performance and also being an inconvenience to us. I re-enforced the props by sticking more cardboard to the back of all them, especially to the places where the cardboard is narrower and more likely to bend (e.g. the bones of the chicken legs and the handle of the cider jar). Originally, I wasn't going to paint the rest of the cider jar; I was just going to leave it brown, as the jars are normally a shade of brown. However, as it is a children's theatre piece, I wanted to make the jar stand out more and look a little bit more exciting, so I thought that yellow would brighten it up a little bit. It would also form a contrast to us actors as we are all wearing black.

Storytelling (11) (The Snow Queen)

Today we completed the first scene of "The Snow Queen". Below is what we did...

• "dashed in a hundred million and more pieces" - all lay down
  
  • represents the mirror being smashed into small pieces
• "as a grain of sand" - contract into a small ball
  
  • represents size or mirror pieces
• "evil" - get up
• "the very smallest bit had the same power" - CS is hoisted up by LF, OK, RA and RD. JBC and LC mime pulling him up
  
  • represents the mirror's power as a whole formed by all the little pieces
• "Some persons even got... for their heart became" - CS in centre with everyone else moving in towards him moving their hands in and out quickly twice on each step
  • represents the heartbeat of the people and death slowly encasing them 
• "lump of ice" - form circle around CS
  
  • represents an ice block encasing the heart
• "Then the wicked sprite laughed..." - everyone performs a backbend in accumulation around the circle, starting with me. We all come up to standing at the same time and remain there

The rest of this lesson was spent cutting down the next scene as a group. The scene was far too long so we started cutting out parts that we didn't think we needed.

Theatre for Children (14) (Full run)

In this lesson we did our second full run-through. We worked on transitions primarily and worked out what scenes needed amending. We are happy with the farmers introduction scene as it instantly shows the relationship between the farmers and engages the children straight away (due to the music and comedy routine). However, we were not happy with the next scene - the introduction to the fox family. This was because it was lacking in energy and didn't give a clear introduction to all of the characters. Moreover, we knew that the audience needed to instantly love the character of Mr Fox, so we needed to alter this scene to make him more likable from the very beginning. We have made Charlie's character a little bit less cool, but more cheeky instead, this instantly made his character have more energy and more comical too for our young audience. As we want it to be clear to our audience that Charlie is the main character, we are swapping the farmers introduction scene and the foxes introduction scene. This also means that less transitions are needed as the farmers are on the stage for two adjacent scenes.

The only other scenes we felt needed altering were "Bean's Secret Cider Cellar" and "The Great Feast". For the cider cellar scene, a bit of movement was added for when the animals (excluding rat and Mrs Fox) are hiding behind the cider jars. They form a line going from downstage to upstage (with Oliver at the front, then Charlie, Robert, Lewis and finally James) on the line "dashed behind". On the word "breath" they poke their heads out alternately at different levels, as so all characters can be seen. On the word "breathe" they swap what way they have peaked out to the other side, but kept the same levels. On the word "heart" they all come back in to centre. The purpose for this was to make the scene more interesting for the children to watch and would therefore hold their attention better.

Next lesson, we will be adding in a bit of dialogue between little groups of pairs of characters before "The Great Feast" scene. Rhiannon and I improvised a little section for us two to use, with my fox cub character pestering Mrs Fox whether dinner was ready or not. By next lesson, I hope to have finished making the props so we can rehearse with them. Also, our costumes should be arriving shortly for us to practice in too.