Lesson 6 Homework 6 - 11.12.2014

Q1: Tale 3 - How have we decided to stage Tale 3? What characters do you play in this tale? What is the atmosphere of Tale 3? How is this different to what we have created for Tale 1 & 2?

A1:   The scene opens with the boys moving the stools into the space like a mexican wave while everyone chants 'east end' slowly getting louder and louder. The song Londons calling then plays and the girls enter as if they are rowdy men. The scene is set in a bar. We then all in unison lean back as far as we can as an exaggerated drinking motion. In counts of 8 we then tip back and then bring ourselfes forward. As we finnish the last count of 8 we open with the first line. After a point, to make the transition into the staging of the bar we turn to the audience and act as if we are a tradesman like a boiler fixer or a maintenance man who is talking to a client about a repair. At the point where Matteo bangs his stool down we all move and sit in front of the audience as if we are all watching the bar and Matteo who plays the person we are all describing. Here we have used the stools to create a bar by stacking them up in a line with hight. The boys then lean on them as if they are bartenders and Matteo sits in front of the bar as if he is ordering a drink. As the lines echo around the room everyone else looks sharply at the speaker drawing the attention to them. At the line 'Where the body of a man lies covered in snow ' a sheet is pulled across the space and is lit by our phone lights around the edge. It represents the snow and Roseby,who is now lying underneath, represents the body of the dead man. However, when the lines start to talk about the vunrablilty of Jack there is a transition from the sheet representing the snow to it representing the quilt that Jack cuddles at home. 

 In Tale 3 I play the character of a tradesman who fixes boiler, a rowdy man in a pub and a spectator on Jacks life. The tradesman is a con-artist who is trying to convinvce his client that the prices he charges are the going rate when in fact there way over priced. He radiates confidence in his job to convince people that he genuinely knows what hes doing. However, often his skill and ability is doubted by his clients resulting in few jobs. He is the type of person that won't be put of by few jobs or doubt in his work. The man in the pub is your sterotypical drunk lad whos having a great time with his mates. Their rowdy and unaware of whats going on around them. He outgoing, loud and will speak his mind without thinking it through. The last character watches Jack and evaluates what hes really feeling and thinking. Sort of like a parental figure who cares for him and reads between the lines.  At the beginning its very lively and energetic creative a posative and fun at atmosphere. This is in the pub scene. However, when the focus changes from the pub asa  whole onto Matteo who plays Jack the atmosphere becomes a lot more somber and serious. When it gets to the topic of Jack having killed a man the atmopshere becomes even more grave. This Tales doesn't incorparate light as much as Tales 1 and 2. Also, instead as working as one massive ensamble to create the piece we have been split into smaller working groups out of the one ensamble. For example, in Tales 1 all the girls are working together to show one character yet in Tale 3 you have the actors who line the outskirts of the stage, the people at the bar and the Matteo. This looks a lot more separeate then Tales 1 and 2. 

Q2:Tale 4 - How have we decided to stage Tale 4? What characters do you play in this tale? 

A2: We staged Tale 4 using umbrellas to create the aspect of it raining. We are working alltogther as an equal ensamble with a couple of people representing key characters. This peice is very physical as a lot of the stage is created using ourselfs to represent objects. For example the shopping asiles are created using our bodys standing in three large lines. We also sit in a diagonal line to represent the road. This Tale seems far more physical based than the rest of the Tales. In this Tale I play a narrator, someone whos an onlooker onto this scene. I have five lines which are 'It was raining', 'And she looks up slowly ', 'And her eyes ', 'these watery eyes' and 'she says'. Even though I am a narrator you still hear the emotion of what you are describing as the scene is reflected in your speech. 

Q3:  What acting skills have you continued to develop over the past few weeks? Is there anything new you have discovered about your own skills?

A3: Over the past few weeks I have developed my backgroud acting. Its all very well to be able to act when you have a line but this play isn't focused on speech. Each person has a small amount of lines. Therefore you must act without the lines. Just because you aren't speaking doen't mean your aren't in character. This is what I have been working on, the ability to act your character or scene without lines. Being constantly engaged in the scene emotionly and phyisically even when the focus isn't on you. This skill can be developed by building smalll characters for evey line you have even if its a short line. Constantly think about characters and their emotional outlook on the scene even if you haven't got a line. As long as your on stage you must be acting and in character. I have also discovered various things about my phyisicality and how it changes depending on the scene or situation.

Q4: Return to all of the sections of the text we have staged so far. Select a line from each that sums up that tale.

A3:  

Q4: Write your own definition of what ensemble means in theatre. What has to happen in the rehearsal room to develop a successful ensemble? Write about your favourite ensemble moment so far

A4: An ensemble is when a group of people work together to form a piece of art. They support each other and work as a team to create a unified piece. My faviourte ensamble moment was when we were preforming and blocking Tale 1. The atmosphere was very focused and full of energy, everyone seemed very keyed into the moment causing us to work as one unit. I got this impression by how we timed the changing of light. There were certian moment were we turned our light on and off. After a while we seemed to have developed a rythem for it allowing us to change our lights at the same time to each other.  To develop a sucsessful ensamble you must be focused so you can be aware of what everyone else in the room is doing. A sense of commitment is also important, especially when the work is physical. If you don't commit to your actions or lines then other people fin it hard to bounce off your line or action and work with you to create a unified peice of work. 

Research: London on Film - The East End

- This is a documenty on youtube about The East End. It shows footage from different time periods in the East End showing me the changes throught time and also showing me whats been a strong aspect of The East End throught the time periods. It shows the important things that make up the East End like The Markets, The Pubs and The Football.

Lesson 5 Homework 5 - 04.12.2014

Q1: Give an advantage and a disadvantageof using Thrust Staging.

A1:  Advantages - 

The main advantage of Thrust Staging is the freedom it gives you to stage a scene. You don't constantly have to turn to face the audience making some scene seem unrealistic as you need to face the audience even when speaking to one another. With Thrust Staging it gives you the freedom to roam around the space without having to keep your body facing forward at all times. It also gives the audience a very intamite feel, that they are a part of the scene rather than excluded from it. It gives them a sense of being a part of what is going on stage meaning they feel included and can often make the play more relatable for the audience.

Disadvantages -
A disadavntage is that sight lines may be a problem as there are three places that the audiences view could be coming from. Plays using this staging are often staged more naturaly as you don't have to always direct it to one plcae, this means the actors will have there backs to one side of the audience at various time blocking their view. It also makes moving across the stage harder as their are three different sigh lines coming too you, therefore you must work out the way you cross the stage without blocking other actors from view. The fact its a square also means the number of ways you can move across the stage increase because you can move in different directions, not just up and down.

Q2: As an actor what are the challenges you think you will have personally being directed in this space?

A2: Some challenges I will have are understanding the concept of this stage. As an actor i'am used to being diected in a Proscenium stage. I find it hard to understand thst in a thrust stage having your back to the audience at points is okay as I'am used to always having o be aware that your back is not to the auidence. Obviously I will still have to be aware of my position as their is a limit to how much you have your back to the audience. Therefore it is about finding a balance as you still must be spatialy aware. A challenge is that as I start to adapt to this staging I may start to lose my awareness of positions. This is because its easier to adapt by forgeting your spaitial awareness rather than slowly change your think process through hard work. If this happens then I may start to close in and block the audiences view completley. This means I must work hard to find the middle ground between the two stagings. 

Q3: How have we staged the prologue? Why have we made these choices? What is the effect that is created? 

A3:  The prologue has been staged using light. We had around 8 groups, each one representing the same taxi. Each group had about 3 to 4 people in them, the main boy who had the lines would sit on the stool and the other 2 or 3 people would represent the headlights and passenger if theres a 4th person. The groups would be scattered about the room facing different directions apart from facing the back. Each groups torch light would turn on when it was their time to speak, so you get the effect of it rippling across the room from group to group. We made the choice to have the lights on one at a time to draw the audiences attention to that particluar groups piece. Lights are very interesting to work with and can easily distract an audience member if everyones lights are on at the same time, drawing them away from the piece as a whole. The choice to have small grouped taxis rather than one whole taxi was done to represent the aspect of many taxis and how they are all linked. It is one passage of text yet it is shared between many people. This shows how things in the East End are all connected and you can't have one incident that doen't affect other people. It also links back to the conversation the taxi driver is having with his passenger. The effect of darkness with small amounts of light creates a sense of intimacy and enhances the connection the audience has with the play. This also links to the intimacy that is created with Thurst Staging. It creates an effect of mysteriousness as with the lights off its hard to see whats going on in the background. This atmophsere also links to the East End as its a very mesterious place where no one knows whats going on behind closed doors or down the ally ways. Overall, the atmosphere created is very intamite yet distant as you feel connected and close to whats happening on stage yet the full picture isn't shown so you aren't completely aware of what you are connecting to.

Q4: What is your role in the tale 1? How has it been staged? Why have these choices been made? What are the strengths of this piece so far? What developments need to happen throughout the rehearsal period?

A4: My role in tale 1 is the role of a young girl, probaly quiet a gossipy one who texts her friends a lot and enjoys social media.We represent the use of social medias and socilaizing like phoning, texting and reading tweets. I have the lines 'so 18', 'sort of' and 'doesnt even see them anymore'. The lines 'If the east end was my friend', 'which is a start' and 'even the traffic stops for him when he crosses the road' are said altogther as an ensamble. My first line is said sitting down as if your reading a twitter post. The second line is said as if it was a text and the third is as if it was a phone call, while saying the third line i must stand up and walk arounnd the room to add some movment to the piece. The ensamble ones are said with strength and power. There are 7 to 8 stools with are put in the centre of the room is a staggered line with one person sitting on each chair. In between the chair yet slightly in front one person sits. Each person is activley acting on their phone while they sit. The lines then echo around the room untill a certian point where you stand up and move away when it your line. Different people were given different phyiscial things to go when they stand up. Through out all of this your phone is near you face with the torch pointing towards your face. The atmosphere of a connection yet distance is again created to represent the East End. At first everybody is stitting together is a culump. This represent the connection between each other and how everybody is entertwinned in each others lives. However, as we start to move away one by one the distance is show as we are no longer connected. To me, these choices were made to show how people in the East End may look like they are in each  others lives they are actually distant from society. It shows how what looks like something is not the realtiy of it and how their are always hidden messsages in everything in the East End. I think the strengths of the piece so far are that everyone knows what they are doing and preformes their actions accuratly. Secondly, when the direction was given to be activly acting on your phone everbody took that on boared and it made the piece seem a bit more real. The focus in the room was intense as everyone was working hard to act like your on your phone. Even though everbody know their actions the times of lights going on and off are not precise. This then means some of the effect is lost as its not a sharp drastic change in lighting, its a slow comftable change. Maybe some counts should be introduced so everybody knows exactly how long to have the lights on for. If not an actual count then a rythem should be found that everyone can tune into.
 

Lesson 4 Homework 4 - 27.11.2014

Q1: Either take a photo of your monologue and upload it, or type your monologue onto your blog.

A1: Monolouge for the Hard Sly Man.

You see me in the street... What's the first judgment you have. Dangrous? Sly? Aggressive? No, your are blind. You see only what is put in front of you. You refuse to see beyond an image. Do you see the struggle? No. Do you see the pain, the regret, the lonlyness? Course not. No one ever does... My mum used to say that lying is the worst thing you could possible do. But how can that be true when I wear lies like a mask - and everyone sees my lies - or what they believe to be the truth. This town, they had judged me, branded me and tossed me out because they lapped up the lies like it was the truth. I'm not a bad person... I never have been. I'm just a good person trying hard to corret the mistakes I have made. Yet im trapped inside - reputation from the past, a mask showing every flaw i've ever made. An image - constantly flickering with truth, yet how can I ever be free, if no ones there to see the truth inside of me. 

Q2: You then worked in pairs to stage the pieces. 
What choices did you make when staging your monologue? Think about how you used your voice and physicality.  How did the monologue task help you to understand the play further?

A2: When staging my monolouge I choose to preform it standing up as my character is speaking out their views, almost preaching, therefore the energy and passion needed for this monolouge can only come from standing up. I choose for my monolouge to be prefromed with me speaking directly to the audience and acknolwedging their exsistance, there is no forth wall. It was the opposite to a preformance that is cut off from the audience and the audience are looking into another world, the fourth wall is in place. When preforming it my voice went through a variety of tones and volume creating a dynamic and effective atmosphere. It also made it very passionate, as my voice wouldraise and accelerate in parts that were particularly important to me, however my voice would then drop and I would speak slowly and quietly in parts that I wanted the auidence to think and reflect on. My phyisicaltiy was projecting confidence as I was speaking out my emotions and trying to get the audience to relfect on their actions, therefore in order to make them believe and convince them that this is the way to think you must be confidence with the ideas you are putting out their. To show confidence meant I stood up straight with my head held high to show no weaknesses. The monolouge helped me enormasly as it almost reflected the subtext.

Q3: You performed and watched your peer's work. 
What monologue performed by a peer worked well and why? What had they written about? Who performed their monologue successfully and why?

A3: I thought Rory's was very good as the style of the monolouge really stood out. Instead of having a monolouge which that reflected his emotions or an event, he choose to play out a scene yet without the other characters. For example his first line was an answer to a question,which he specified in his line, making the audience wonder what the background context is. This set up then continued and it became clear he was being questioned about the death of his wife, yet any knowledge prior to this scene was not given. This gave a lot of freedom for the audience to fill in what he isn't telling you. It worked well as his character underwent changes during the scene. At first he was presented as a normal guy who looked perfectaly harmless and conserened about the welfare of his wife. As the scene progressed he started to revel a violent nature about him as he started to get very angry and swore to hunt down and kill the women who murdered his wife. It was then reveled that he was the murderer, however it was reveled ion a very effective way. This was done by Rory slowly saying one word and that's 'me'. This then showed us with the last change, he went from violent to aggressivce and then back to what looked like shock and thoughtfull silence about what he has just been told and the horror of the event. It gave me the impression that he actually did care about his wife and the murder although aware of what he was doing wasn't delibarate. It seemed he had some sort of ange managment issues and that caused him to be violent. 

Q4:  Task 2 - East End research devising task

• We never did this exersice in the lesson, so I can't complete the homework.