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
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Monday, 7 December 2015
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]
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).
Sunday, 6 December 2015
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.
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.
Friday, 4 December 2015
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:
Costumes & Props:
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.
Thursday, 3 December 2015
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.
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.
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