Evaluation

Today we performed our show in front of an audience and overall it was good!

What went well?

• The audience laughed and enjoyed the show so we fulfilled our purpose to entertain the audience!
• In the adult scene their was never an awkward silence so it flowed well
• The whole group stayed focus therefore when mistakes happens we knew what to do and reacted in a right way
• Personally I only made one mistake which wasn't a massive one, I'm proud of this as I didn't mess up
• I did the best performance I could possibly do
• The group as a whole are proud of the performance

What could of been better?

• I think I could of spent more time on characterization at home which would of boosted my performance
• I didn't complete my costume change 
• We missed a couple of small bits in the show and came up with new stuff

What I would do to improve?

• I think we should of had more time rehearsing on the stage as we only did two run through on there
• I wish I got my play house a little bit earlier so I could of played with it and found more funny ways to get out of it
• We could of got sheet music for the performance and added my song into the show

For our first ever performance as a group we did do well and we have also created a good bond between each other, I'm glad I did this play as I don't normally do comedy's because I don't like them but this performance has opened my eyes to different types of theater which I might be interested in. This show has also enhanced my acting kills and have aloud me to work on different characters.This performance has also made me realize the time and effort I need to put into a performance in order to get the grades I want.

Show day!

Today we will be performing our show in front of an live audience!

We started off the day by clearing the stage, this will make it easier of us to put the set up.
The set is:
 A Christmas tree, Space project worksheets, nativity pictures, "who's been good chart", play house, tables and chairs, coloring stuff and for the adults drinks and food!
Now the stage looks like a class room, and now we can refer to the pictures as it part of our script.

The final thing we had to put up was the decking this was to establish that we are in Mrs Horrocks cupboard and that the Innkeepers "base" the home corner is higher than everything which shows power.

After that we did a run through so Miss can establish the lighting and music plan, and so we can get used to the stage with all of set on there! This run through was really good it enabled me to play withe my Home corner and see what we will make the audience laugh, as well it got me into the Christmas spirit for the show as it is set right before Christmas.

Overall I think its ready to be performed in front of an audience but the main problem which might occur are the songs as not everyone is confident with them

In the end we decided to do the songs acapella as we couldn't find suitable backing tracks for the songs and most of the songs had extra verses so the music would of finished earlier.

The rest of the day I have been looking at my lines and I was experimenting different ways I can come out of the play center to create a comic atmosphere.

I cant wait for the show and I'm looking forward to the show and I know I will do well!

First time on Stage

This lesson was the first time we went to the stage and performed this was to get used to the stage and see if we need to change a scene. Today I've brought my costumes in for the Innkeeper: Shirt, trousers,trainers,a tea towel and a school tie, I picked this for the Innkeeper as he doesn't care what he is wearing and as the teacher wants him to look like an Innkeeper she just puts a tea towel on his head; and for Innkeper's dad a whole suit with shoes( I picked this as my character is the mayor but I wont be able to get a mayors chain so instead I'll just wear a suit!

As last rehearsal was a disaster for the adults we decided to polish the scene,the first time we did it it was blunt and boring and it didn't look real therefore the audience wouldn't really care but the next time we did it was the best we have done it, "Sarah's breakdown" was really effective! This was because everyone knew their lines and cues and didn't stop if they made a mistake.

After that we started the play from the beginning, but didn't get to finish the first act! However from then it was really good and I can see the performance shaping. The costumes helped everyone get into their character!

Now all we need to do is to finish the stage and for the other people to bring in the rest of their costumes, tomorrow we will be spending all day rehearsing and sorting out the stage for our performance.

Another run through

In this lesson we did another run through as there is not much to do performance wise. Today everyone was on top of their game, this was because we were all happy and looking forward to the show.The first act was Brilliant and no problems with it, however the second act did lack a little, this was because everyone forget their lines for the adults I think this happen as we have spent a lot of time on the kids and not enough on the adults, this caused irritation in the group and some falling outs , but I think this was partly everyone's thought, everyone will look at their adults lines prior to next rehearsal.

Commedia dell'arte

Our new unit is Commedia dell'arte, this at form of theater which is believed to be made back in the 16th century in Italy. This form of theater is known to use masks. The closest translation is 'comedy of craft' this form of theater is revolutionary for improvisation and comedy.Most Commedia dell'arte scenarios are based on the stock characters:

In this hierarchy you can see who is the king and who is the peasent.The first character is

Zanni:the peasent of  Commedia dell'arte, he is the most hated character by the other stock characters, how ever the most symphsised  character in the whole of Commedia dell'arte.

Captain: he is the second lowest however sen to be a hero, however he ascts he is all big when he gets in a fight he wimpers out of it

Brighella: He is the head of the servants, he is not stupid as Zanni therfore promoted to head servant, he is very devious and he has known to murder to get his own way

Harlequino: he is the brother to Brughella however the opposite, he listens to Magnifco but no one else, he is always hungry and is described to be a party animal

Columbina: she is connected to everone somehow and she doesnt wear a mask, she likes to to be flirty to get her own way

Pantolonie: he is a retired Magnifco, who is known toi be very grouchy, he is bestmates with doctore, and he also likes to protect his oney pouch

Doctor: He is described to know everthing but yet to know nothing, he also argues a lot with Pantolonie, he also knows how to use poison

1st actor and actress: they also dont wear mask, they are like Romeo and Juliet however they never touch eachother they are normally the son or daughter of Pantolonie and Doctor

Magnifco: he is the boss, he can do anything he wants, he's known to be cruel especially to Zanni

This heirachy is very important to any show put on any show with the style of Commedia dell'arte. This type of thatre is what created comedy, they normally spoke in gromolote so anybody can understand them.

Gromolote is a made up language the main point of it is to use words to express emotion. Therfore anyone can understand what they are saying.Commedia dell'arte needs to be over the top to show the audience what is happning.

Commedia dell'arte

Now we have Finished Fantatstic Mr Fox we move on to a new unit, this unit is called Commedia dell'arte, this is a special form of thatre I'll make a seperate post on it.

We started off by speaking Gromolot, I found this very hard as you have to convey your emotion without words , and you have to somehow have to engage and for the audience to understand what is happening without speaking, this rquires very OTT movemnets and facial expressions this also made me think of how I can just use my voice to convey more emnotions.

Today we learnt 4 of the main stock characters and how they move: Magnifco, Zanni, Brighella, Harlequino

Magnifco: He is very up right and smart therfore he takes his time to get stuff, he leads from his chess and tends to look down to everyone

Zanni: has a arched back, leads from his nose, and he is curious about everything therfore finds everything entertaing, he stupid so he may also find things very scary

After that we decided to interact, and their relationship is the most contraversal in Commedia dell'arte , their relationship consists of worship and commands, as Magnifco doesnt like Zanni he is sometimes very abusive with him, As Zanni is the at the bottom he has to obey Magnifco or there will be a big out come

Brighella: Arched back like Zanni however not as arched, leads from head as he is smart, walks slowly as she is cunning and thinks a lot, he has his arms up by his chest and looks down on people who is below him

Harlquino: Arched back like Brigehlla, but he is very laid back and doesnt really care about anything, he leads from his hips and he is up himself, he also seems to be hungry all the time, he'll listen to people but when they are gone he wont do what he is told

We then experimented with their relationshp, they are at the same place in the pecking order which means they dont have to obey eachother, however Brighella gets irrated by Harlquino as he never listens she will stry to boss him around but he wont listen, Brighella gets really annoyed and may result in violence

After this we got put into to groups and experimented the relationships. I found this a bit confusing however it is intresting I'm looking forward to learning more characters. I think this unit will help me with my movements and voice as a whole. 

Songs ... again

Today's lesson we focused on songs again. As I didn't learn mine it got cut out of the show, I was disappointed however it is my fault, I will ensure that this wont happen again for a show.

The songs were okay but they lacked confidence as people were worried if they were going to forget a line."O come all ye faithful" is good we also came up with a thing were we crouch down when we go quiet and then we jump up when the song gets louder, this is because we are copying Mrs Horrocks and she is going down to tell us that we need to be quiet.

I think the songs need some individual work on, it'll be improved.

Polishing our play

Today's lesson we did a whole run through. Overall the run through was good and I think that their was a massive improvement with my characterization with Innkeepers Dad, this was because the scenes with Lewis and I flowed smoothly will barely any mistakes.At home I have been trying to find away that will make my character look creepy however needs to make the audience to laugh as our play is a comedy.

This lesson there was some confusion with scene order as Lewis and I skipped a little scene which happens in the play, I think this happend as Lewis and I wasn't entirely sure when we should come in. If this would happen in our real performance we would have to carry on, and somehow go back to the scene without anyone repeating their lines.

Next lesson I will make sure that I know all of my cue's and lines.

Final Rehersals!

Today will be the last time we would rehearsal for FMF this term. This lesson went really well, we did a run through, the only thing I found difficult was to maintain the line between too creepy and just right, however I think I did the best I could do!

After this we decided to perform the show to year nines, this wasn't as good as I expected as they wern't the right age group therefore they didn't interact as much as little kids would however they did appreciate the show and we got good feedback.

My notes:
Need to be less creepy as this will scare the kids
Remember to maintain your stance

Evaluation

Today we performed the show at Thamesview RE group. The show went well with only a few mistakes, but our audience enjoyed it! I enjoyed performing to a younger audience but I think the show is designated for year two as they will be more interactive with us and will get the joke ore for example the kids didn't get the "Xfactor"joke as they don't really watch TV a lot unless it's Cebeebies as they are young. I played the roles of : Bunce and Fox cub.

What went well:

• My use of voice was well. It helped me become more like a character.
• I think the race scene went well and my use of facial expressions in slow motion, this made the kids laugh, which means we succeeded our purpose which is to entertain.
• My use of facial expressions was good, this made it clear what emotion I was putting on and how I feel about
• I think my interaction to other characters was good and was very simple this made the audience understand on what is going on

However to improve my grade I need to:

• My characterisation for the fox cub was bad, this was because I didn't move my whole body as a young fox cub, I found it difficult to find the contrast between these two aspects of my character. As I didn't do this properly I was unable to show a clear contrast between my two characters.
• I didn't maintain the stance for Bunce this made the audience confused if I was still Bunce or the Fox cub, I think my stance was too weird and I need to do more of a squatting motion; with my arms out to make my self look more masculine and smaller.
• I need to tone down Bunce as the kids found him more of a scary character when he suppose to be grumpy and he needs to be funny to watch. I can do this by altering my voice and facial expressions, for example instead of pulling a really "murderous" facial expression instead I should be more grumpy
• I need to focus more as this will improve my performnce and I will know what is happening at all times so I wont be late on going on stage and missing my cues, if I focus more I could also improvise in case their is a mistake and we need to cover it up.
• I need to maintain my character when the audience is not focusing on me. This will improve my performance and characterisation skills as I will wonder what my characters would do when they are not talking

What I would do to change the performance:

• I think we should of performed the show to an older audience as the kids were too young to interact with
• I think Bunce and Boggis should of interacted with the audience as they had no chances to interact with the kids
• I think the Fox family should of had a song to introduce themselves as the Farmers introduction was strong
• I think the Farmers should of done the final scene of just waiting as it could create a comic moment for the kids

This was our first ever unit for Double and I think it went really well. This show was funny and made has improved my ability to perform. On top of all of that we have created a strong bond within our group. 

Unit 13 contemporay Theatre

Discussing one activity or exercise, explain how this has developed your own skills and understanding as an actor.

The exercise which I have valued the most in the time period of our rehearsals is the one where we had to act extremely over the top, the task was basically to act extremely over the top through out the entire show for one rehearsal, by the end I was exhausted but it was a good learning curb. This exercise opened my eyes to many different way I can interpret my character (The Innkeeper), for example, I now play my character in a creepy way, this has improved my performance in many different levels! The task helped me to figure out how I need to move as my character,  currently my movement is slow and sustained as the Innkeeper keeps himself to himself, this create suspense and makes the audience wonder the Innkeepers next horrific move. I think my character would also move like this to scare Lewis' character(Star). This exercise also helped me to realise that my character is suppose to be a kid not an adult however I cant play too childish or I'll milk the performance and the audience wont find my character funny this will oppose my purpose which is to entertain the audience; which led me to think that I need to change my use of voice as my voice will be a main aspect I the performance which will indicate the audience that I am acting as a seven year old. The main aspects of my voice which I need to concentrate are: Pitch, diction Volume, accent and my articulation, as the Innkeeper has be brought up in a pub he needs to have a Cockney accent, I think he will speak loudly as he lives in a loud environment and his pitch and tone will be very flat as he is trying to act creepy. The impact of this task has helped me improve my characterisation skills and my enthusiasm to be the Innkeeper.

What research have you done?

The research I have partaken in are: research into Jason Statham, he is a stereotypical lad like Innkeepers dad, therefore I researched him speaking on YouTube, this helped my characterisation skills for the Innkeepers dad. I also did some research into my little bother as he reminds me of the Innkeeper, I think I'm still a little bit confused on how to play the Innkeeper until I do more research. I've also read articles online describing the traits that young kids face, for example is that they want to be more independent therefore they will try to do tasks which they think adults will do, this made me understand on how to say a few lines.

What are your recommendations for developing the production further?

• Partake in after school rehearsals, so we have more time to stage the songs as this will boost peoples confidence, for singing their songs
• Bond more as a class as this will improve the chemistry of the group and improve the performance
• Go through every scene and evaluate them to see what scene needs the most work on
• Record us doing some scenes to see how we act and see if we need to change the way we act to get the highest grade possible
• Have dress rehearsals to embody our characters more
• Do as much research as possible to make us understand our characters more

Dress Rehersal

This lesson we  did a full runthrough with props and costumes. This made me realize that I need to have quick costume changes.
Heres a list of the props/costumes we used:
Fox ears and tails (for the four foxes)
Spoon for Bunce
Cardboard cutouts of the cider and chickens
A walkie Talkie for Bean to call Mable
A fake belly for Boggis
Rat nose for the rat to make it obious that Lorna has changed character
Guns for the shooting
Spades for the race
Farmer hats
A dress for Mrs Fox
A suit for Mr Fox
waistecoat and trousers for Badger
Everyone else wore all balck as we have to change characters

 These props and costumes which was included made our show the immersive and more realistic. The props improved our performance how ever it wasnt the best we did I think this was because we didnt have enough energy.

This run through was alright but its clear that I need to improve.
Todays comments:
I need to improve my diction
improve the poke scene
More characterisation for fox cub

We are getting there!

In todays lesson we ran the entire show and stopped at the end of each scne to get comments and discuss what we need to do to improve our performance. Performing the "Three Farmes"scene it was obivous that it has improved a lot, this created a energetic atmosphere which flowed through the whole show.

"We'll never let him go" was a bit of wreck so Robert, Lewis and I, had to alter the scene, we decided that we would remove the chase scene. After this their was a nice flow to the scene which turned out to be better.

We chorgraghed a new bit of movement for Beans cider celler:
On "dashed behind" we would all run into a line (Ollie, Charlie,Robert, Lewis and I).
On "breath" we would poke ur heads out (Robert and I poked our heads to the left, I go low and Robert goes high. Charlie and Lewis poke their heads to the left Charlie went low and Lewis went high)- this was very funny for the kids.
On "breath" we changed sides
On "heart" we went back into the line
When everyone have their lines they go to the original  side they poke their heads out.
When I say my line Charlie gets annoyed and walks out of the line then everyone calls him back into the line
Everytime the woman grabs a cider jar we reapeat the action, showing our facial expressions to the audience this should be funny to watch

Next secne is the great feast where we sing "you got a friend in me" I printed out the lyrics for this song, and it went quite well.

At the end of the lesson we got given key notes which will help our performance grade. My list is:
Learn lines
Tone down Bunce as I can be scary sometimes
Be more enegetic
More characterisation for te Fox cubs

For next lesson I will focus more on the Fox cub.

I think this lesson went well, the only thing we need to now is to perfect the our performance and to add more energy as the kids will cheer us on if we give out an energetic vibe!