Week Six - Study Break: Week Two

Wednesday 31^st of March

 We have now completed blocking the entire play, to a point. Without the addition of musical numbers and dancing, the production is almost complete. Blocking is important for many reasons. The whole cast has a fundamental idea of where they need to stand, how many times they’re on stage and the length of the production. With these things in place, the cast can concentrate on other aspects of their characters.

 I can now focus on the development of my character. My main focus centres on the learning of lines, as this is important for many reasons. The learning of lines will allow me to develop and create my character’s mannerisms. It is something I am doing already. I need to get to a point where I can stay in character no matter what is going on around me.

 Quite simply, the ‘early memorization of lines also helps the group move ahead’ (McCaslin, 1996:320). Once the lines have been learned, the production can start focusing on other aspects of the play. These areas include the introduction of song and dance arrangements, props, costumes and even sets. The quicker we can put down the scripts, the sooner we can start fine-tuning the production.

 Personally, besides learning lines, there are three aspects of my character I am currently working on. These areas of focus are my stance, my hand (paw) movements and the way I move around the stage. As kangaroo, I stand with my feet slightly apart and my knees bent. I have tried to adopt a traditional kangaroo posture that is also comfortable for me.

 I have also tried to develop my movement on stage. This is an area I am not entirely sure of. Jumping like a kangaroo currently appears to be taking the focus away from the other action on stage (or maybe it is my concerned and anxious character speaking). I find myself trying to decide whether to jump or walk like a kangaroo. I am currently trying to find an Aboriginal video showing tribal dance, as it is Australian animals we are focusing on.

 The last aspect I am working on of my character development is the use of paws. Being a kangaroo, my arms need to be short in length, only extending from about my elbows. This is becoming quite a challenge as it restricts my arm movements dramatically. The regular position I adopt is a high bent wrist with my elbows tucked into my hips. This only allows me to use my ‘paws’ to scratch my ears and nose, like a nervous twitch.

 This has allowed me to develop my character greatly. I use this awkwardness to my advantage as it presents Ares as inadequate and low in self-confidence. Development of characters is important, as ‘the audience must believe in the reality of the characters’ (McCaslin, 1996:320). If I cannot present a realistic character then I am not performing my job, and therefore may alter or misdirect the purpose of the production.

Wednesday 7^th April

 Today I received a handshake from Darren for learning my lines. It was great to receive such positive reinforcement for memorisation. It has been an important task for me to achieve. As I said last week, the quicker we learn the lines, the quicker the production can move ahead. The focus of rehearsals is to advance the ensemble into fully understanding and successfully presenting a story.

 As I have said before, the actors on stage provide vicarious reinforcement for the observing audience. Theatre in Education provides an interaction between the audience and the actors, which leads me to ask if either could successfully exist without the other? Can theatre in education exist with actors yet without an audience, or vice versa?

 Theatre in Education could indeed work without an audience. The construction of a play and the development of characters are important processes. Theatre in Education productions generally work on ‘some form of preparation such as the workshop component and followed by the post-performance discussion’ (Jackson, 1993:74). This is essential for the group to discuss the play and its purpose. Workshops and post-performance conversations allow the group to review the success of the production, but is this Theatre in Education?

 With the lack of an audience or a presentation, this would be closer to Drama in Education. The production would, in this case, be for the benefit of the actors. Through the creation of a play, the ensemble would develop life skills and acquire ‘prescribed theatre knowledge and skills’ (Jackson, 1993:39). The main purpose is to educate the actors, where the Theatre in Education purpose is to educate the audience as well as the actors.

 The meaning behind a theatre in education production is important. It is vital the subject of the ‘play has enough content to support the various workshops’ (Jackson, 1993:74). A production needs to entertain the audience but also educate them. The issues need to be important for the observer to understand and socially relevant. The production offers a lot to the ensemble as well.

 This production so far has developed many of my acting skills. My characterisation has improved and confidence on stage has been redeveloped. I find myself thinking more about ways to develop my character so he becomes more believable for the audience. One method I have found that helps is to draw a picture of my character to achieve an audience perspective. My aim is then to develop him until he becomes ‘real’.  I then find it hard to believe that Theatre in Education could exist without the actor component.

A Theatre in Education production requires an actor to guide the audience to the meaning of the play. There is a need for the audience to physically observe events rather than reading them out of a textbook. Zeus and Hera, for example, continue to direct the audiences’ attention to the subject reminding the observers of the purpose of the play. Actors are needed to guide and direct the audience, not instruct and preach the play’s message. It is the interaction between the audience and the actors that is important to a theatre in eduction production.

Tuesday 13^th April

 I still believe actors are vital for a theatre in education production, yet today I saw something that allowed me to question this view. I ventured into the city with my family today. We went to the Art Gallery of Western Australia to see an exhibit called Round and About the Rabbit Hole. This exhibit was based on the magic of the book Alice in Wonderland, and used lots of sculptures and paintings to attract the children’s attention.

 The exhibit didn’t use actors or guides to help the children investigate; the children received booklets instead. These booklets asked questions about certain colours in paintings, how the person in a portrait is feeling and even how many circles are in the art works. The booklet even used concepts such as symmetry, asking the kids if some of the artwork was equally proportioned. Why is this important?

Like this example, the purpose of a Theatre in Education production is ‘to engage and educate students’ (Jackson, 1993:76). The art exhibit has been constructed in a fun and enjoyable way for children to investigate, question and learn about a subject most would find boring. It is an exhibit that develops new skills, children find interesting and is informative. There is of course some guidance from parents required.

 The post-production workshop in Theatre is Education presents in a similar way. Children can learn and understand concepts through the presentation on stage. The subsequent workshop would be similar to the art exhibit, allowing children to investigate in more detail. Actors help guide students to discover meaning in a play, but are a necessary component for any theatre in eduction project.

Thursday 15^th April

 On Tuesday, while in the city, I saw a puppet show. It was boring, lifeless and uninteresting. Today, I saw a different puppet show; it was fun, enjoyable and educational. I wanted to comment on the reasons one worked and why the other did not, and attempt to compare both approaches to Theatre in Education.

 The Black String Puppet Theatre performed in the city on Tuesday. The performance lacked interaction with the children and used long sections of instrumental music. The production was detailed and clever, but almost instantly lost the attention of the audience. There seemed no meaning to the production, or any clear purpose for the characters. Characters included a dancing horse, an acrobat, a sad clown and a skeleton. ‘Pure entertainment alone is not T.I.E.’ (Jackson, 1993:74).

The other production was in a shopping centre; it was called The Bluey and Swampy Show. This was a completely different production that focused on education and entertainment through mainly song. The puppets interacted with the children asking questions and responding to situations. The production successfully interacted with the audience and entertained everyone as well as imparted information to the children.

 This production presented a lot of information, yet the puppets presented their messages in a fun and non-hostile manner. The puppets suggested the children should always use a helmet, shouldn’t play on the road, should avoid strangers and never litter. These messages were presented in song, and therefore in a more fun way rather than preaching. The production offered the point-of-view of a blue tongue lizard and a turtle, therefore allowing the children to think of others rather than themselves.

 Although both productions may or may not have been intended to be Theatre in Eduction projects, it was useful to look at how a production can easily hit or miss their purpose. The aim of a theatre in education production is to ‘enable the audience to think and act’ (Jackson, 1993:110). Productions should present and offer solutions to problems. A Theatre in Education production needs to enable children to develop new skills and different ways to view other situations.

Wednesday 21^st April

 Some very important points were raised in today’s rehearsal. The first point was that every character has a message. Each character has a purpose in the production, just as the production itself has a purpose. The other point being, how do I communicate this message to the audience? Every movement and step should say something about the character Ares, but not about myself, the actor.

 I have already developed many movements for Ares, especially the hand movements and walking. Recently I have started cupping my hands to resemble paws rather than keeping my palms flat as I had previously. This is an area I need to work on, and develop further while writing my essay. With this in mind I thought it was appropriate to view the unit objectives to see how I am developing in this unit.

Unit Objectives

 -         To develop performance skills. Through the work in this unit and ENG212 acting, I am finding time to expand my skills. Although I am not fully developed yet, this area will defiantly be refined by the end of this semester. A lot more work is required and I hope to communicate this fully through my journal.

 -         To develop an understanding of collaborative/ ensemble work in the theatre. This is an objective I believe everyone understands first hand. Simply losing one actor from the rehearsal harms its purpose. Every person in the production and performance department has a vital role in the success of the play.

 -         To develop a critical awareness of the tenets of T.I.E. (Theatre in Education). As I have recently completed the unit reader and the text Learning Through Theatre I have started to be able to comment on this area. Over the next two months in my entries and my essay I should be able to elaborate.

 -         To develop an awareness of the demands of a professional theatre company for efficiency, responsibility and commitment in theatre practice. Having already been in various productions myself, I know the demands and significance of theatre. This is obviously an important area that will be full experienced in the last week of the production.

By stating these objectives now and putting forward my thoughts on current progress, will allow time to correct any problems I have. The two areas I need to enhance are the development of performance skills and the development of a critical awareness of Theatre in Education. Presenting my weaknesses at this stage allows me time to improve in these areas and therefore my professionalism and my role in the production.

View other 'Children's Theatre' journal entries...

Week One - Week Five          Week Six - Study Break Two

Week Eight - Week Twelve          Week Thirteen - Week Fourteen

...or view other journals...

Semiotics and Performance: The role of the Actor (2005)     Performing Shakespeare in the Classroom (2005)

Drama and The Curriculum (Summer, 2005)     Children's Theatre (2004)     Acting (2004)

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