Monday, June 24, 2019
Monday, January 7, 2019
Hamilton
Hamilton
October 17th: Visit from the Cast
November 6th 2018: Watching Hamilton
Hamilton: An American Musical was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda (playwright, composer and lyricist) who was inspired by the book, Alexander Hamilton, written by Ron Chernow. The musical tells the story of one of America's Founding Fathers through singing and rapping. Hamilton: An American Musical debut in February at The Public Theater, which is located in New York City before transferring to Broadway in August 2015. The musical has since won 7 out of 14 Drama Desk Awards, 11 out of 16 Tony Awards, Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the West End production of Hamilton has won 7 Olivier Awards. The show is currently based in CIBC Theater, Chicago and Victoria Palace Theatre, London. They are also touring the USA and will soon tour Puerto Rico.
One of the recurring themes in Hamilton is Legacy, the importance of legacy is constantly being highlighted throughout the musical and it is turned into a question.
Songs like the opening number 'Alexander Hamilton', where the characters are already telling the audience who he is and what he will be or, 'The Story of Tonight', where they sing about having someone to tell their story. 'History Has Its Eyes On You', a reminder that there will be someone to remember you and what you did, whether it's your mistakes or achievements. 'One Last Time', is about George Washington's legacy and what he left behind for America, 'Hurricane' and 'The Reynolds Pamphlet', legacy is something that you leave behind but Hamilton thinks he can control what his legacy will be just by writing. 'Blow Us All Away',is Philip Hamilton feeling the pressure of leaving behind a good legacy and also protecting his families legacy due to him feeling like he has big shoes to fill. 'Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells your Story', Hamilton's wife, Eliza spends the rest of her life being the one who tells not only Alexander's story but the people he fought with, Washington and the politician's story. The importance of legacy and its true meaning is also challenge in the musical with 'Burn' (First Burn), where Eliza erases herself from the narrative and reminds Hamilton that their family is also his legacy and they are just as important as his work life.
"Legacy. What is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see."
- Alexander Hamilton
In the musical Forgiveness is also a theme, Hamilton has an affair with Maria Reynolds and later writes the Reynolds pamphlet to clear his name, Eliza is hurt and angry, later their son dies and "the Hamiltons move uptown". The theme of forgiveness is shown clearly in 'It's Quiet Uptown', where after all the pain and anger Eliza somehow manages to forgive him.
"She takes his hand" - Angelica Shuyler
"It's quiet uptown" - Eliza (Shuyler) Hamilton
"Forgiveness. Can you imagine?" - Company
Not having enough time is also a recurring theme in the musical, Alexander seems to be in a constant rush with the not wanting to throw away his "shot". The (callback) lyrics
"I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory" from My Shot, Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down) and later The World" Was Wide Enough, could also be said that Hamilton was repeatedly looking forward to what his legacy would be like if he were to die in that exact moment, this then contributes to the theme of not having enough time. Hamilton feels the pressure to accomplish all his 'dreams' before he dies, especially after 'Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us'. This is the scene where Hamilton learns about John Laurens death, Laurens died before accomplishing his dream and Hamilton fears that will happen to him, which causes an immediate change, you see the beginning of Hamilton becoming more urgent in creating a legacy.
"How do you write like you're running out of time? - Aaron Burr
Another theme in the musical you see two contrasting approaches to life, taking action and waiting. Hamilton chooses to take every opportunities that comes his way and Burr chooses to wait for a moment that never seems come. It seems that Hamilton makes Burr insecure and self- conscious even when Hamilton admired Burr. Hamilton's approach to life leans more to being impulsive, whereas Burr's approach is calculating, in the end you see their hamartias and the realisation that they could've accomplished more together.
"
"I'll write my way out... Overwhelm them with honesty" - Hamilton
"I'm willing to wait for it" - Burr
(Taken from the programme)
1757: Alexander Hamilton born out of wedlock on the British island of Nevis (in the Caribbean) and later orphaned.
1765: Hamilton's family movers to the Caribbean island St Croix. Stamp Act: Congress protests first direct British tax, setting up a model for the future Continental Congress.
1766: Father abandons family.
1768: Mother dies; Hamilton begins clerking in St Croix.
1770: Boston Massacre: British soldiers open fire on a group of American colonists, killing five men. Event helps galvanise the colonial public to the Patriot cause.
1772: Fifteen-year-old Hamilton's 'Hurricane Letter' is published in a local newspaper.
1773: Hamilton sent to King's College (later Columbia University) in New York City - a hotbed of political and revolutionary activity. Angry colonist protest taxes at the Boston Tea Party, dumping 342 chest of tea into the barbour.
1774: At only 17, Hamilton publishes his first political article 'A Full Vindication'.
1775: George Washington appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental forces. Hamilton joins a militia.
1776: The Declaration of Independence on 4 July by the Continental Congress of the newly proclaimed United States of America.
1777: Hamilton appointed Lieutenant Colonel and aide-de-camp to George Washington, drafting letters, composing reform reports and restructuring Continental Army.
1778: Francs recognises US as an independent nation.
1780: Hamilton marries Elizabeth Schuyler.
1781: British Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis defeated at Yorktown, the American victory that started the end of the Revolutionary War.
1782: After only months of self-education , Hamilton admitted to NY Bar as a lawyer and elected to the Continental Congress as an NY delegate.
1783: Britain recognises the independence of the United States of America in the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution.
1784: Hamilton founds and becomes director of the Bank of New York, modelled after the Bank of England.
1787: The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia meets to decide new America is to be governed. Hamilton begins writing The Federalist Papers - authoring 51 of 85 essays. These were written to persuade the populace of the value of and need to ratify the new constitution
1789: Hamilton appointed first Secretary of the Treasury as Washington is elected as first President. In Paris, the French Revolution begins.
1790: Talks between Hamilton, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson result in the Residence Act- which moves the capital of the new nation to 'south' (DC) in exchange for legislation mandating the assumption of all of the states' debts by the Federal government. Hamilton's move results in the foundation of the nation's financial system.
1791: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison form the Republican Party to oppose Hamilton. Hamilton begins affair with Maria Reynolds in 'America's first political sex scandal'.
1794: Hamilton helps suppress the Whiskey Rebellion. John Jay is sent to Britain to negotiate a treaty settling unresolved issues of the American Revolution.
1795: Hamilton resigns as Secretary of the Treasury.
1797: John Adams inaugurated as second President In the 'Reynolds Pamphlet', Hamilton admits to an adulterous affair with Maria Reynolds in order to refute accusation of financial fraud.
1801: Hamilton advises the Federalist to back Thomas Jefferson over Aaron Burr in an Electoral College deadlock. The House elects Jefferson the third President, and Burr Vic President. Hamilton founds the New York Evening post. His eldest son, Philip, is killed in a duel.
1804: Burr loses governor of New York election, due in part to Hamilton's opposition. Hamilton is killed on 11 July by Aaron Burr in America's most famous duel - ending a long and bitter rivalry.
1807: Aaron Burr is tried for treason and acquitted.
1854: 'Eliza' Schuyler dies 50 years after her husband.
The skill that I further understand and the value that requires you to be part of the production is commitment, each actor was committed to their role throughout the musical, which plays a big role in helping the audience really get into the musical and to both understand and relate to it well, not only that, there is the commitment of showing up everyday because there will be some weeks where there will be 9 performances in 1 week so even if you're not feeling 100% , you just have to remember that there are people that are counting on you to be there and you can't let them down just because you're not bothered so you have to be committed to your character and to your fellow actors.
Some of the challenges of working as a performer in the industry is that you obviously won't get every role you audition for and that you need to be okay with that. Another challenge (for some) is actually loving what you're doing; people can tell when you don't really care about the role you're acting in or when you're bored, your true feelings for the role can take away from what could have be a special performance. In approach to my training, this can help me to remember not to hesitate or let fear stop me from auditioning and to continue to love, care for my work and even if I get bored, I will try not to let that show on stage.
The story of Alexander Hamilton was told through singing and rapping. Music has a way to connect with all kinds of people and this alone helps to clearly form a connection with a modern audience, to add to that hip-hop is one of the most listened to genres in the world so that contributes to the audience to willingly listen to what is happening on stage and to understand the historical context of the story being told.
The performances in the production was very successful, a reason for this is that you can clearly see how much it means and how important the story of Hamilton is to every single cast member. There wasn't a moment where the energy on stage dropped. Choosing one character that stood out is difficult because of how each actor brought out the best in another actor however, you can say Rachel John, who played Angelica Schuyler because in her song Satisfied, you are able to relate if you have a sibling because of the idea that you'd do almost anything for them, even if it mean sacrificing your own happiness and in the moment when she performed she made it feel real and that is what made it so special.
During songs like 'Say No to This' or 'It's Quiet Uptown' really made the communication between the audience and the performers successful as the ensemble were the voice in the audience's head and as they were singing we were thinking the exact same thing.
Q&A with the Cast of Hamilton WestEnd
1. What challenges do you face to perform to the high standards every day?
The company around you helps keep up a high level of performance.Drinking water and self care both mentally and physically also helps.
2. What was the first step in the rehearsal & how did you build your characters?
First of all, listened to the music, look at the songs you're doing and how you interact with other characters, see how you relate to the characters, ask questions as acting comes from the truth, enjoy it and just prep yourself for it.
"I am because We are."
"We are working together to create."
3. Any songs that is emotional to perform?
Cleve September said 'Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us' and Stay Alive (Reprise) because he has to genuinely feel that some days and he crosses a line and he cries too much.
Curtis Angus: 'It's Quiet Uptown' because it is about forgiveness and he has had to forgive people in his life that don't necessarily deserve to be forgiven.
4. Who is a modern day Hamilton?
You, because you can come from nowhere parents can be an immigrants or you but then you can still have the ability to inspire someone and anyone has it in the
5. Who in the show is most like their character?
Tarinn Callender when he plays Hercules Mulligan
6. How did you get into the performing arts industry?
Leah Hills: Started dancing at 3: ballet, jazz, tap, went to Arts Ed and went through a total of 10 auditions for Hamilton.
You watch and study people around you. No one is your competition, just someone you can learn from.
7. What is the legacy of Hamilton?
You, performing it in the future. We want the climate to change not the weather
You have a voice and you can make the theatre and media more diverse.
No one gets there by themselves.
8. How do you think they can do it, bring in more of a diverse audience?
We need diversity so you write it.
You have a mind of your own and you unlock it and climb the ladder, as they are inspiring our minds and we can then inspire others and that's legacy.
The story to be told and so much of black history that is untold so we can tell it.
We can create the diversity on stage.
"Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story"
Giles Terera Masterclass
Date: Tuesday 8th January 2019
What's your advice to young actors starting out?
Try and be honest with yourself about what it is that you want.
Know what your strengths and your weaknesses are. Decide to work at your weaknesses or focus on your strengths. Know where you are grounded.
What we do in art is the same in the real world so it is good to be focused on something but also equip yourself with as many skills as you can.
What did you want that became your focus?
Didn't realise that you can be actor, didn't do that well at GCSE, ended up doing a BTEC in performing arts, later auditioned for Mountview and focused on that.
(He audition with peter pan as his "classical" and kicked a chair at the table."
He didn't know what you were meant to do or what you're supposed to do, he just went for it.
What challenges with the accent and singing with the accent did you have and how did you choose to have a lisp? (Aaron Burr)
Took what he knew, that Aaron Burr is educated took the fact the Burr was different than Hamilton and his friend (contrast). Aaron Burr is specif in the sense that he is controlled.
"so much of being an actor is listening"
He watched with his script and saw how the other actors spoke and marked where he spoke and ended the line, where he paused.
You have to know who the character is speaking to, you are never alone.
Think what if you take the text literally, you can take it on the surface or you can rake it in deep for example "I will never understand you." - Hamilton is self taught, how can he not understand.
Burr is calculating, long term thoughts, wait for it is like asking the audience if going for it is right but a rhetorical question because he "knows" he is right.
"Hamilton doesn't hesitate", Burr nearly second guesses himself and if he broke down that barrier then it could have been different but he's like "no I'm just going to wait for it"
What is your writing processes?
If it interest me and I can't stop thinking about it, I do some research and try and write something in the morning because my brain is better in the morning
Relationship with Actor and Agent?
The actor is working for the agent but the agent is really working for you.
How do you know how to balance both sides of being an actor or writer?
Don't let them box you in or control you. Don't limit yourself.
What is the difference between television and theatre?
Less time for TV but more time for theatre.
As a writer and director do you have a preference for screen or stage?
You don't have much of a chance to mess up on the screen.
As an actor what keeps things alive and in the moment?
What the other person is saying and listening is what keeps it alive. It does not get boring, it will be different as long as you are alive in that moment on stage.
The best piece of direction you have ever received?
"You imagine that you see that, don't bullshit, see it, have imagination, engage with your imagination and stimulate the audiences imagination."
Do you think every actor should train at drama school?
Not all but some. Experience is good to have. Learn.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Units 1 - 4 Greek Theatre
Thursday 6th - Monday 10th September 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
My course began with an induction, this entailed grasping an understanding of the course and getting to know my peers. The first exercise we were given was to walk around the room using all the space, whilst listening out for instructions to act on. For example, if Rob clapped this meant I had to jump, if he clicked his fingers this meant I had to stop. The purpose of this task was to focus on my listening and coordination skills. To begin with I found the task challenging. However, as I progressed through I realised I gained spacial awareness and became more attentive. Later we got into small groups where we had create to freeze frames and hold them.
Today in class, we started off with discussing our skills, fears and hopes.
Some of the skills that were discussed as a class were confidence, creativity and listening. Common fears the class experienced were fear of failure and shyness. Lastly, our hopes were developing long-term friendships and being success. Personally, a skill that I have is creativity but I would like to improve on my body language and facial expressions. My fears are not doing as well as I would want to and my hopes are to be successful.
Today we started the class with some acting exercises and then we went on to work in pairs.
Rob gave us a sentence to begin with and we improvised a couple sentence from there, after that we performed it in front of the class.
What I think went well is: 1. we accepted each others ideas (we did not block them)
2. we kept the energy going
3. we let the conversation flow
However, the exercise would have been better if we were not so repetitive and if we used more space.
Today we continued with improv and learnt 4 different exercises for them. The first exercise is an alphabet exercise where your first sentence starts with an A, and then the next sentence with a B, and you then continue through the alphabet to end with Z.
For example, Human 1: " Alex, stop screaming"
Human 2: " But Got7 just released an amazing song.
The second exercise was starting your sentence and the next person has to pick the last letter that was at the end of the previous person's sentence and start their sentence with whatever letter that was.
For example, Human 1: "Present: You is the greatest album!"
Human 2: "Maybe I'll give it a listen."
The third exercise consisted of a person getting into a freeze frame, then the second person improvises based on their partners action.
The last exercise was having a conversation in pairs but you are only allowed to use one word.
For example Human 1: "Walk?"
Human 2: "No."
Human 1: "Train?"
Human 2 : "No."
Human 1: "Bus?"
Human 2: "No."
Human 1: "Car?"
Human 2: "Yes!"
For me, a majority of the tasks were straightforward. Nevertheless, when you have strict rules to follow it becomes difficult as you are not only restricted but you are also bouncing off your partner. Therefore, you can only be as good as whoever you are working with. Chemistry and building a trusting relationship (not putting each other down) is very crucial. Moreover, creating an atmosphere and character that makes sense is important. Another thing that is key is learning to continue even when you make a mistake. Accepting other people's ideas, replying naturally and truthfully can make it even better. These factors all contribute to a good improvisation.
Summarising, my improvements are to not hesitate and I will become more natural in my response when doing improv.
Wednesday 12th September 2018
Teacher: Sharon McKevitt
In class today, we were put into groups and asked to come up with five different movements that we can perform together in unison. A purpose of this task is that in acting we will always be expected to work with other people and to be aware of the space being used. My group and I came up with five movements to perform in unison, what went well is that we were aware of the space being used, however it would have been even better if we the moves were simple so that we can have enough time to learn them and do them in perfect unison.
Our next task as a group was to use our moves and the title "A Day in the Life of a Superhero" to improvise a three scene, three to five minute play. What went well was that it was creative and everyone in the group was reacting well through facial expressions and body language. An improvement that I would make would have been to pace ourselves and so it's not as rushed but take our time, also to make exiting the stage and going onto the stage neater so it can make us more aware of our space and each other.
Thursday 13th September 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
Today's lesson started with some acting exercises. First we walked around using the space in the room and whenever Rob hit the drum we changed direction, next we were asked to follow someone in the class while trying to stay away from another person in the class. The purpose of these acting exercises was to constantly be aware of not only the space that you are using but of those around you, the effect of this while acting would be that we will be aware of whose is around us and our stage presence. Our next acting exercise was to lie on the floor, relax and focus on our breathing, and then we were asked to breath through our nose and then let out a hum, after that we stood in a circle and did some voice exercises to help with our articulation some examples are "oo, oh, ore", this voice exercise will help us to avoid glottals and then we worked on our constonats, first we "cah, gah" then "L" which is when the tounge touches the pallet and then we did "N,D,T" which is when the tip of the teeth is used and then we ended in "M,P,B,BAA".
We were then asked to read a poem, my poem was, "Of Love by Nichita Stanescu".
The class feedback that was received was to avoid glottals, speaking in a flat way, telescoping our words and to have energy through the line. My individual feedback from Rob was that while I was reading the poem, I was getting inhibited because I was too aware of how I was sounding, also I need to pace myself so that I don't rush certain parts and keep the energy through the line.
The reason that we did poems, is because, as actors it is hard to be truthful and speak how we normally sound like because we get caught up in reading things like scripts, poems, books ect. how we think it should sound like.
Monday 17th September 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
"All Art Is A Metaphor"
We went through the units of what we will be learning throughout the duration of the course.
We bounced around ideas that will not only help us learn our lines but to also perform well.
1. Reading the play/synopsis
2. Taking my time in rehearsals
3. Learning the lines, ASAP
4. Look online, clips, Youtube
5. Underline words you don't understand and look them up
6. Avoid "exclaiming" >>> dial it down.
7. Actions - What will help me in my interpretation?
8. Listen. React.
We were then put into groups for our Greek Scripts. My group was given Antigone, a play by Sophocles.
Ben. T: CREON
Katie. M: ANTIGONE
Daniella.O: ISMENE
My character is Ismene, daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Her sister, Antigone wants to bury Polynices, their brother but Ismene does not want to defy Creons orders, which is stereotypical at the time period as women at were subordinate to men. Her situation is tragic as she loves her sister
in spite of her sister disobeying Creon by burying (then reburying) their brother and consequently getting caught.
My character is quite brave as she wants to accept the same fate as her sister even though she had no part in the crime. This also shows character development as Ismene is willing to allow Creon to believe that she disobeyed his orders, even after telling Antigone not to disobey him.
Katie is Antigone, daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, sister to Ismene. Antigone is a strong willed character with a strong moral compass. She believes that it is the right thing to bury her brother and she is willing to face the consequences for her personal conviction. It can also be said she does not value Ismene as much as Ismene values her and this contributes to her story not being as tragic.
Taylor (Ben) is Creon, Brother to Jocasta and Uncle of Antigone and Ismene. He wants to be a good King and puts being a good King before his family. However his story is tragic as he generally believes that he is making the right decisions and when he sees he is wrong and tries to make things right, it results in him losing his family and he then wallows in self blaming.
"Acting is merely REacting"
&
"Acting is behaving truthfully"
Tuesday 18th - Wednesday 19th September 2018
Teacher: Sharon McKevitt
We were given scripts for Medea which is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides and then put into groups to perform the modern version, a reason for this could be so it can connect with audience more and so they can understand the emotions being conveyed as the themes in the play are still relevant in today's society.
As a group we then decided that we were going say one sentence each and then tried that out, it worked well because everyone was equally as important and we needed each other to finish the script and everyone was reacting to the person speaking before them so it became like a conversation instead of a one woman show.
In our next lesson we got into a circle and did some vocal warm ups, we started off by humming low and then we made "aah" sounds with our voice. After that we walked about the space and tried stopping as a group without saying anything and then we did some breathing exercises. The use of these warm ups is to be aware of our space, to be mentally connected to our surroundings, to release any body tension and to be aware of our body, to also better pronunciations and voice range.
We then went back to rehearse and the feedback that was received from our teacher, Sharon was that our ensemble was good and so was our pair work, particularly, Katie and I had strong actions. to make it even better we should have a sharper ending, not let our words get lost while moving, keep the energy in the freeze frames, use up all the stage, and for the other members in the group to also have strong actions and lastly for the group to polish up the ending lines.
We then worked on our ending and made it stronger as before we did not have a clear, strong ending and change the part before the ending line to cannon, we then moved then said our lines so it doesn't get lost and worked on our inner monologue so we're still in character even when we weren't speaking. We were joined by another group and asked to put the two pieces together and make it into more of an ensemble. The feedback that we received from our peers, when we performed it in front of them was that we used the stage well, we were synchronised and had a strong ending. and the cannon towards the end was great.
Today in that lesson I learnt the important of spacial awareness as while performing I had to move individually around my group into a new space and we had to move at the same time at certain moments while performing.
Monday 24th September 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
Greek Theatre
Subtext is the hidden meaning.
Objective is playing and this means behaviour change.
"Acting is behaving truthfully in imagined circumstances"
The lesson started with the following tongue exercises. Moving your tongue to the top lip, then moving it to the bottom lip. The next one is to lick your lip without any movement of your jaw and the last one is to put your tongue on the inside of your bottom teeth and then push out of your mouth.
These exercises help warm up the muscles and also help to prevent strains while rehearsing or performing.
We then went on to focus on the objective of a character. In this we were given a scenario where we had lied to our boss and said we were sick so we could leave work in order to go to a concert with our lover. We were on platform 1 and our lover is on platform 19 and we have to meet them on platform 19, meeting our lover is our objective so we have to play that objective by showing through our actions, like "pushing",how much we want to get to them. The next part is you have to message your lover and check if they still have the tickets but then you see your boss and you have to hide from them while trying to get to your lover, this is your next objective that you have to play and you have to choose what action you want to use to show that, this could be something like hunching over while walking. This helped me to reflect on the objectives of my character, Ismene and to become more aware of when the objectives have change.
Then we got into pairs (A + B) for a spacial awareness exercise. A and B were to go round in the given space and A's eyes are closed and B is behind them. If B put both hands on their shoulders it means stop, if B put their hand in the middle of A's back then that means go left and a tap on the right shoulder means go right and on the left shoulder it means go left. At first it was testing as you can get confused and bump into another pair or they can get confused and bump into you but after awhile everyone seemed to move in "harmony" and become aware of their movements and who was around them even if half couldn't see, this is like being on stage and not always being able to see another person when you move but being aware that they are there so you don't bump into them.
We rehearsed in our groups and then performed what we had so far in front of the class
Group feedback:
Act truthfully only act how your character will act so don't fix your hair or clothes because your character wont do that.
Stand still (something) and let the words speak for themselves.
Be mindful of exclaiming lines.
Thursday 27th September 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
Rehearsals and Why is my character going on stage?
My character Ismene, is on stage thinking/looking for her sister, she has had news that Creon knows that her sister disobeyed him and he has sentenced her to death so she is distraught.
Rehearsal feedback:
Ben.T:
come down the stage to the audience.
say the line "Antigone must die" to her (Katie's) face.
"other fields for him to plow" is a sexist comment, so push that.
All: (less is more)
keep the eyelines up - keep face up
Monday 1st October 2018
Teacher: -
We rehearsed and went through the staging to fit what Rob had said.
We found that it worked nicely and that we liked it better as it felt more natural so we went with the change.
Wednesday 4th October 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
Creon and Antigone are talking and I enter the stage, distraught because I think that sister is going to die, my objective is to attempt to convince Creon that I am also to blame for what my sister did (burying our brother). My sister tries to discourage me and she says that I didn't do anything wrong
My next objective is to try and save my sister life.
Tongue twisters are good for articulation. As an actor articulation is needed so people can understand what you are saying
Some tongue twister that we did today.
Red leather, Yellow leather
Which switch is the switch, Miss, for Ipswich?
It's not what you say but the way that you say it that tells us the subtext.
Rehearsals.
Feedback:
All -
Grab Hair
Careful eye lines.
Standing in a line - don't do that.
we changed the hair grab suggestion to a shoulder grab.
Evaluation for Greek Theatre Performance
The background research of understanding what was happening socially at the time,. The play and the themes within the play has really helped my understanding of not only the piece but my character and reasons behind her actions. It bettered my understanding as to why the other characters reacted to their situations in certain ways. It made me think about what Antigone and Ismene could represents in modern times and helped to further develop the piece. Using our background knowledge we were able to add movements/actions to our piece, react better with each other and build our connection with our characters and create a past relationship with the other characters as we can now relate more to the the characters emotions. Making it easier to not pretend to be the character but to make the character more like us and to behave truthfully.
In relation to an actors skills set, an interesting challenge that I've set myself while working on this piece is to know my lines, this is interesting because I know the lines of the people not only in my group but other groups, however my lines somehow don't come out as naturally so during this piece I worked hard at that. In the rehearsal room I notice about other works the vocal presence and how people within the all the groups controlled their voice well and how big stage presence were, I also noticed how individuals engaged with the audience and also the confidence everyone had.
It is important for actors to do vocal warm ups as it helps actors pronunciation, it makes them more comfortable in their own (true) voice, helping them move away from being inhibited and to sound more like themselves when acting.
An exercise that I have carried out on youtube is Speak as clearly as an actor (https://youtu.be/AQNMCgKvOk0)
Feedback
"You've all done really well with this stuff"
Made it your own
Dan: Kat: Ben:
Good listening and reacting
Don't look down if someone else looks down
Subjectively Strong
Subtexually Strong
You need to pause and take our time with things -try pausing for a moment
Good
MaD Kat Theatre Company
A opportunity was given to us to to work with a theatre company called PAPAtango. Our task was to write a 5 scene play with 3-4 characters in our "Theatre Companies".
I worked along side Katie, Maya and John Paul (MaD Kat Theartre Company)
to create our play "Take Two".
A short preview of our one act play:
CHARDONNAY: No! No! Please!
spotlight on centre. Show Michelangelo standing over Chardonnay's dead boy. Michelangelo is wearing a highwayman costume. He takes a photo of Chardonnay and sends it to his boss. His phone rings straight away.
MICHELANGELO: Alight Maj, the job's done.
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We wanted to do a conspiracy theory so we went with the Princess Diana's death being a set up by a member of the royal family. We also wanted for the play to be somewhat of a dark comedy.
The process of this was creating individual characters, deciding where the play should be set, thinking of the objectives of each character, reasons and what they can do to achieve their objective and how they plan to do it.
The layout of a one act play is normally:
Exposition
Build Up
Climax
Consequences
Resolution
We decided to have the Build Up right at the beginning to encourage our audience to immediately start asking questions and to be drawn in.
A few weeks later, PAPAtango came back with our plays, published. They allowed us to be directors and make our vision for the play become reality. Then they performed our play.
Thursday 1st November 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
In pairs we devised a scene in a shop.
The time is 4:55pm
The objective is that the Pair 1 is a customer that wants their money back.
Pair 2 is the sales assistant and their objective is that they need to leave at 5:00pm as this is when the shop closes.
Their second objective is another reason that they need to leave at 5:00pm. They have a concert.
The subtext is that they are overly polite.
Verbs = Action, Reaction, Decision.
Verbs are the key to unlocking your objectives and how you personalise the role reveals (or not) what your character thinks or feels. It all adds to your creative inner monologue.
Objections have actions to help with this you can observe the world around you because there are tiny moments that happen that can help you build the objective.
"Acting is behaving truthfully in imagined circumstances"
&
"shave off the showing"
The challenges that you can often face with this is being unable to fully understand their reasons so then you fail to understand or know their objectives, you can meet these challenges by finding the smallest similarities and observing the round around you and understanding people in general.
Thursday November 8th 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
Stanislavski
Stanislavski started working from when he was a teen to the age of 33 as a performer and director, he later went on to co-found the Moscow Art Theatre before going on to direct, teach and write about acting up until his death.
Chekhov worked with him and the theatre on productions of his plays like The Seagull, The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.
Socially, during the life of Stanislavski the Russian Revolution and the rise of communism was taking place. After the Revolution his work was criticised due to him not producing communist works however, Lenin, who rose to power and governed to 1924, visited him at Moscow Art Theatre and supported his work.
Stanislavski believed that whatever happens on stage must have a purpose and that in order for actors to act truthfully they should be interested in something on the stage and presence in the scene. You should have a connection with your partner and you should put yourself into the given circumstances, with your characters objectives. Act using your experiences and past emotions, be relaxed and listen to your partner then react.
Stanislavski Terms
Subtext: Hidden meaning(s) under the lines/dialogue
Objectives: What are we trying to achieve? Our goals even through Life, people and circumstances constantly put up barriers in our way.
Given circumstances: The information about the character that you start off with and the play as a whole.
Through Line: The logical coherence of a characters role, including their off stage life.
Magic If: 'What would I do if I was in this situation?'
Action: How we achieve our objective.
Emotional Memory: When the actor finds a real past experience where they felt a similar emotion to that demanded by the role they are playing. They then 'borrow' those feelings to bring the role to life.
Circle of Attention: Awareness of space around us, from small to large.
The Seagull
My character is Nina Mikhailovna Zarechnaya, she is 19 years old and 1 of 4 protagonist.
Her mother dies and leaves everything to her father who remarries and puts the inheritance from the mother in his new wife's name. Nina does not have a good relationship with her father or step-mother as her father is not kind to her. Nina's two love interest is Treplyov and Trigorin. Nina does not really love Treplyov but she loves the idea that he has the power to make her an actress like her mother, she thinks being an actress will make her closer to her mother. Nina likes Trigorin however, he is with Arkadina.
Trigorin then begins to like Nina too, this could be because she reminds him of his lost youthful, romantic experiences, he lost out on theses experiences because he was writing. He ends up having an affair with Nina. Treplyov is bitter and jealous of Trigorin. Treplyov craves the love and approval of Nina and his mother, he is an insecure writer. The play is set in Sorin's estate.
Who loves who?
Arkadina loves Trigorin and he love Nina.
Treplyov loves Nina and Nina loves Trigorin.
Medvedenko loves Masha and Masha loves Treplyov.
Dorn loves Polina but Polina is married to Shamrayev, they are not in love.
Shamrayev adores Arkadina.
Nina's Objectives: She was in a rush to leave before her father and step-mother catch her going to her audition, getting to that audition is her goal but her father and step-mother are her barriers. When she enters the scene, an action to show that she was in a rush could be her being out of breath. Treplyov then becomes another barrier for her because he just wants to be alone with her but she doesn't really want that.
Nina's Given Circumstances: She wants to be an actress like her mother. Her mother didn't leave anything to her so this is her way to get closer to her mother. In this scene she is with Treplyov; he loves her.
Nina's Through line: She has a poor relationship with her father, he doesn't want her to act. She doesn't truly love Teplyov. She just wants to be an actress.
Magic If: I would leverage my resources.
Monday 12th November 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
During rehearsals we focused on playing the objective, when you are playing the objective you are acting, then we went on to work on listening and reacting, moving away from the my line, your line, after that we practised being "other directed" where all our attention is geared to others, not ourselves.
Feedback: the energy was good, continue to make it your own, keep the dynamic, really nice when you play those moments, continue to feel the awkward moments with Treplyov.
Think about what you objective are and break it down into sections and what do you want to make the other person do because your dialogue is to get a reaction from the other person.
Tuesday 13th November 2018
Performing Arts is creative individuals who perform in front of people for entertainment, the roles you will find in the world of performing arts is actors, dancers, singers, musicians, comedians, magicians and circus artists.
In order to work as an actor, my chosen career path would be to finish this course and go to a drama school, some drama schools that I am interested in attending are Identity School of Acting, Royal Academy of Dramatic of Art (RADA), London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) or Mountview Academy Of Theatre Arts. Then get an agent and start auditioning for different roles and then at some point go back to a drama school and further my education.
Thursday 15th November 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
We rehearsed for a while before going on to doing an acting exercise. Rob gave us different genres and then we acted our scripts in those genres with improv. The purpose of this was to be as comfortable as possible and to be in that moment with your partner. The next acting exercise that we did was four actors on stage, two were are given a title and they have to act it out but are only allowed to say "blah" and the other two were their translators and they have to translate what they say. The purpose of this was to not block ideas but to accept them and build. Lastly, an actor goes outside of the class room and they are "endowed" with a famous person and we improv around them and they have to guess who they are.
Monday 19th November 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
Today we got into our individual groups and rehearsed, Rob suggested that in order to make it feel more natural Lucky should cut me off at "and Tresor", after trying it out we decided to keep it like that as it felt like we weren't just reading our lines but having an real conversation. Feedback from Rob: I should be less conscious of Treplyov's feelings and not notice how every word I say means something to him. Be careful pointless moving (dancing).
Tuesday 20th November 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
General feedback: Be active listeners. Avoid being tentative (careful). Cues. Voice.
Eye contact. Dancing, stand still. Words have to go into your skin and bones, they must resonance.
Lucky and I's feedback: Don't move, instead stand still and keep eye contact and I should have an inner panic monologue to make the audience to be more drawn in. Keep moving closer "mentally" then physically.
Wednesday 28th November 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander and Sharon McKevitt
Rob's General Feedback for the class:
Cues Speak up - mumble actingBecomes too televisionEyes, look up not at floor, no looking downDancingPropsScripts, go over the though processGood circle of attentionPhones away
My feedback:
I rearrange my lines
Lucky missed his cue.
Sharon's Feeback:
Lovely
I had a real sense of who you are as a character
During your script and try dialling it up and down
Really show the conflict between your step-mother and father not wanting you to be an actress and you being flighty.
Monday 3rd December 2018
Teacher: Rob Alexander
Feedback for performance:
All:
Made it your ownGood focus and dynamicGood understanding and practice of Stanislavski
The Seagull:
Me:
Took it into your bodyThe thought and moment were there in time > An improvement from rehearsals where sometimes it was my line, your line.Made it your own, energy and complicity
Peer Feedback for performance and past 7 weeks:
Ben Taylor:
Good at compromising and directing CommittedGood voice projectionAmazing energy
Ben Mills:
Tolerant
Great leadership skills
Creative
John Paul:
Not afraid to take leadership or give ideas
Good communication
Always attentive and prepared
Mya Howlett:
Displaying the subject by showing in my tone of voice the subtext
Good listening
Good multitasking on stage
Grounded- Stage awareness
In the moment
Rose:
Great projection
Awareness
Creative insight
Good communication
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