10th September

Performance Workshop 

Today we looked into devising our own play and using a scripted play. As a class we brainstormed idea's for types of plays and plays. We all decided as a class that doing a serious play was best because was have already done 2 comedy's, also it is more challenging.  

Once we finished Megan, Fran and I decided to do The Grandfathers because it is quite comedic but has really serious undertones. However we are going to have to condense it down as there are only 3 actors playing a 9 part play.

I am going to get a copy of the script and work with Fran and Megan to condense it down. Then I will write up notes about my character and work on where the humour is and where the points are that are impacting to the audience. 

We looked at the song Nothing from A Chorus Line. We looked at the lyrics and try to find the humour in the song.I think a lot of the humour could come from how the other pupils are acting in the class. I also think there could be some humour when she says 'I feel the snow... I feel the cold... I feel the air' Morales could mimic the pupils in the class, as if she was making fun of them. 

Then we turned the song into a mini scene. I had an idea of rather than just having 1 Morales we switch between 3, this gave everyone in our group a chance to be the main character. I also had the idea when Morales is singing about how she is trying to feel how an ice cream cone feels, that she could us her arm and body and try to be an ice cream cone. This could be quite comedic as it shows the audience that she is really trying to feel like an ice cream cone which is really comedic as ice cream cones don't have feelings and its also very stereotypical of an acting class.

Evaluation of the Performance

I think our play went really well, we messed up on bits but I don't think the audience noticed, we managed to save it.

I think as a cast Chelsea, Dan and I all bounded well. We laughed at each other like school kids and when we were walking off we would stay in character and make random conversation. For Example in scene 6 when we are making fun of the people in the class we all laugh together. Also at the end of that scene when I say 'Yeah but you hate being called Lillian' me and Dan laugh at her real name, then at the end of the scene when we are walking of we laugh at her name and make fun of her. This is effective because it keeps energy levels up and we also stay in character. It also looks for effect because it looks like we really are friends.

We messed up our lines a bit in scene 8 and got them in the wrong order, because of this Mr Nixon didn't have the chairs in the right order when he was meant to put them in a half circle, it also throw of the timing. But we saved it by improvising about milkshakes. However our chairs where in the wrong order. But we managed to swap chairs this actually worked really well as we where meant to be naughty kids and by swapping seats during Pete Saxons monologue it kept energy levels up and showed that we were naughty kids, but it didn't distract from Pete's monologue.

Scene 28 The End

Me, Chelsea and Dan blocked the end scene. We originally planned for salty and hobby to walk off in different directions and have Gail left in the middle on her own. This shows that the kids are going in different directions.

But we decided to change the scene, as we say our finally goodbyes, slowly the staff member and pupils come out and stand around us in a huddle, while Mr Nixon is on the back platform. Then once we finish our lines all the staff and pupils turn there heads and look behind them at Mr Nixon. This works best because it shows the audience how Mr Nixon has influenced all the people on stage. This goes back to our message of how one person can be so influential.

Scene 25 Tennis Court

In the Tennis Court scene Hobby and Salty play Ball Boys, and Gail holds the net. I mostly narrate to the audience. So to show when I'm talking to the audience and talking in the scene I lift up onto my knees.

I also play Miss Fisher in Cast 2. To show that I am playing a teacher and not a student I stand up straight and fold my arms. It says that Miss Fisher has bow legs, so when I walked onto the court I separated my legs. When Mr Basford wins the point I thought it would be good if because I had bow legs that the ball would fall through my legs. 

25th June

Today we ran though all of Act 1 and Act 2. We also blocked the second to last scene, and changed the ending.

I think the rehearsals went okay, as we have not rehearsed the second to last scene a lot I messed up a bit, but tonight I am gunna look over my lines and make sure I know them.

I relieved some feed back from saying that I should be loading when I am talking to Oggy in the Disco scene. Also that I need to annunciate my words, so when I say my lines im clearer.  

Scene 23 Asylum Scene

Today we worked on the Asylum scene, this scene is one of our drama classes. Its very important that we don't looks like we are messing on in the class, and that we are actually doing work.
 We had to think of a few different characters to play. I picked a baby and a bull. I think these work well because when I am a baby I just sit down and cry, because i'm crying loudly it makes loads of noise and it really effective, also it shows i'm playing a character and not still Gail messing around in a classroom. Then I play a bull this is good because when I can see space on stage where no one is stood I can run into the space and fill it up. Also I can use other people in the class to be a matador.

11th,13th and 14th of June

11th

Today we ran most of Act 1 without scripts and with scene changes. We had made some changes to Scene 2, which shows the different between how teachers and students move though the corridors. In scene 6 we added some music between the scene changes. I push Simon off 2 chairs then move then around and sit on them. When I sit on them I but my feet up on the other chair.

13th

In the morning we rehearsed Scene 1. We where think that if half way though Hobby could get some crisps out and start eating them when Salty says his part about sitting on the floor freezing his Knackers. I thought it would work well if when Salty says knackers she could spill them on the floor, this would also work well because at the start of the next scene Doug the Caretaker cleans the floor and he could clean up the crisps.

In the afternoon we ran Act 2 without scripts. We play around with different entrances, say my lines as we walked on, also says them after we walked on. I think it walked best to say then once we had walked on to stage.We also blocked the car scene, where Mr Nixon hits Oggy. 

14th

We did scene 20, however after getting feed back some people thought it was to busy and that there was to much running around. Instead we can up with an idea that when Hobby say "The ninja's are in action" we all pull different Ninja poses we thought it would be good if in the background we played some Ninja music. Also when I turn into the French assistant I changed my posture so I was sat up right and also wagged my finger when I was shouting at Rachael.