Today's lesson was spent reading and performing different sections of the script as different characters and in different pairs!
The first section of the script I performed was from "Thank you. No mics. No Telescreen!" on page 43 to the bottom of page 45. The characters in this section are Winston and Julia. I was partnered with Robert for this section. We began by reading through this section together, as neither of us read as these parts during the read through as a class. We then staged our version of it - we set up two chairs adjacent to each other to act as the edge of the bed. For the majority of our piece we stayed seated but moved whilst on the chairs - but to avoid us being stuck to our chairs, Rob stood up when he exclaimed "Stop it stop it can you please stop it please please stop!". This was an ideal section for Robert to get up and have more movement, as it is the climatic part of the scene (also it meant I could bring him back to the edge of the back in a calming manner). In between watching other pairs perform the same section and mine and Robert's performance, we were told that Julia and Winston are in their thirties. Therefore when we came to performing we had to change our voice and adapt our body language. When we performed, I articulated more, made my voice a little deeper than normal and acted more sincerely. I tried to have a more mature acting style. I didn't slouch as much as I did in the rehearsal, and I was conscious of how I sat - I didn't sit cross-legged this time, and instead sat up with just my feet crossed.
The second section of the script I performed was from the bottom of page 12 to "but what is he saying?" on page 13. This section is said by the character Host. Hope and I paired up as we were both performing this section. We listened to each other read and helped each other improve our sections. For this section we had to speak in a "gentle" and "benevolent" manner. We had to speak soothingly, but very clearly as this section is very important as it is telling the story. We had to read as if we were telling a story. I focused on my diction to ensure that everyone could understand what I said. I also focused on my pace as I didn't want to rush yet I also didn't want to speak too slowly that people lost interest. Finally, I considered what words I would emphasise and where I would breathe to give the audience time to think and register what I was saying.
