Part Two
This
was quite an interesting workshop today for me personally due to the fact that
the two acts were put together and we had an entire run-through of the play. To
me it was interesting because up till this point, we had been working on
specific areas in each act without really considering the whole story. It
allowed me to see the direction that the final product was heading in, showing
me what work I need to do to my character to make it believable on stage.
At
this particular stage, my character “Chloe the Crab” needs a lot of work.
Thinking about it, certain ideas are popping into my head based on the
improvisation and movement workshops from previous weeks.
For example, I am starting to get the idea of a very airy character (like
the wind) who is scared yet slightly aggressive towards others). I feel that I
need to apply the research that I have just done on crabs to my character. How
can I do this effectively? It is one thing to do a whole heap of research into a
particular animal, but there are millions of different ways that each individual
character can move, or think, or talk. What works for you in practice privately
may not work with the whole group dynamic of the play.
According
to Stanislavsky a production is a whole group effort, not
just an individual. If every actor in our production focused solely on making
themselves look or act the best, then the whole group situation would not work
because everyone has their own agenda. For example, if I were to go off and make
my character a very aggressive crab while the others all worked to create a
scared atmosphere, the audience would have a hard time believing the character,
and thus not enjoy the play as much as they would have if everyone worked
together.
Back
to rehearsals and I am finding myself enjoying the whole atmosphere that this
workshop group generates. Everyone wants to have fun and enjoy themselves while
at the same time everyone is prepared to put in the effort to create a fantastic
show for our audience. This was evident to me even in the first run through of
both acts. I am getting quite excited even though performances are a long way
off. I like how each actor is beginning to develop their character, as it is
starting to bring the play to life and everyone has a different idea and concept
of what they want to achieve. This in turn should hopefully make for a great
play!
HOMEWORK
FOR THIS WEEK: Learn my lines off by heart!!! ( hopefully if everyone does this,
our rehearsals will run more smoothly.)
Reflect
Two
This
was quite an interesting rehearsal from my perspective due to the fact that
there were many (including myself) people away for most of it as we had a school
experience meeting. To me, this has been a disruptive week preventing me from
adequately remembering my lines. Is everyone else finding the same thing or is
it just me? At rehearsals, everyone seems to be going quite well. Kate (who has
a large speech at the start) can remember the whole thing yet I am finding it
difficult remembering one line. I believe it is due to the disruptions that are
occurring at this particular time; I am also nervous about going out on school
experience. Hopefully, after that has ended I can go back to my preparation
properly. I might talk to the other “crabs” and see if they are having the
same problem.
The
play is really starting to take shape right now, with everyone starting to adapt
particular features of their character, which according to Stanislavsky is the start of creating a highly believable character. Why? If we
become the character, we are bringing them to life as a whole new person rather
than just something that was created on paper. To me, I relate it back to my
mathematics course that I am doing. A character can be either 2D or 3D; 2D if
you just read off the script and add no individuality whatsoever, and 3D if you
become the character, adopting their traits (good or bad). I want to make my
character 3D, with depth and different aspects that make them unique. This to me
this is the difference between creating a character that is just good, or one
that is believable and goes above what people expect.
I
have found it interesting to observe how the dynamics of the production can
change if the blocking (I have learnt a new word!!!) of a scene changes. For
example, if all of us crabs came on together at the start when we go off
scavenging, it wouldn’t be as realistic as if we came on severally due to the
fact that we aren’t scared at this particular point in time. This in turn
would probably impair our view of our characters. I believe that it could also
hamper the wow factor of the play. If everyone entered the same way all the time
the audience and actors could become bored quite quickly. They would be a lot
more interested to see a variety of methods. The entrances and exits also need
to suit the mood of the play at that particular time. For example, it is much
more practical for the crabs to enter together when they are really scared
(Octavia’s Grotto) rather than severally. This in turn will help create the
atmosphere that is needed for each particular scene.
We
get the music to the play next week (I am going to be away for two weeks due to
school experience) and to be honest I am not quite sure what to expect. I have
been observing different children’s movies (Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid)
and the music, although simplistic, is quite catchy. I hope that our score is
like that because I would rather have songs that stick in your head and are fun
rather than something that takes itself too seriously. It wouldn’t fit with
the genre of children’s theatre. Just because something is simpler doesn’t
mean that it is not of a high quality standard. I think that Nick will create
something that will be exciting to learn and will suit the nature of the play.
I love music, especially theatre music, and I am really looking forward
to listening and learning the songs needed to take this play into new heights.
Today was the big move into Nexus
Today
was the big move into Nexus, which for me is quite exciting as it signals the
start of the downhill run to performance week. The crabs are finally learning
their dance that they have to do at the start of their entrance. This should be
very interesting considering the fact that I am the world’s worst dancer. It
will also be interesting due to the fact that it is bringing together all the
aspects that we have worked on over the last few weeks in our workshops. For
example, we are using the skills that we have learnt in the movement workshop to
create an action that is entirely crab; grounded through our bent knees and
quick, sharp movements within the dance. I find this quite exciting as well as
being a little bit anxious because of my limited dancing ability. It is exciting
because we are going to see how what we can apply what we have learnt.
Today
my fellow crabs and I came to rehearsals an hour early in order to ensure that
we got our dance right. We are having a really hard time getting the words and
timing to our dance. I am finding it really hard to coordinate the dancing and
singing at the same time because I am trying to focus on one thing and the other
side is falling down. I don’t know whether the others are having the same
trouble, but I think if we work really hard out of rehearsals, we might just get
it.
The
move to Nexus was really good due to the fact that how we use the space here is
going to be slightly different to how we used it in the workshop room. Williams
(1968) suggests that different venues are going to affect the atmosphere of the
play and how the audience reacts to it. For example, if Captain Quokka and the
Adventures on the High Seas (CQATAOTS) were set in an outdoor theatre, we would
have to project our voices more and we may have more or less space to work in.
This would affect how each character interacts and would thus affect how the
audience perceives the play. Instead, we have set it on a stage in a smaller
theatre. This creates a more personal atmosphere where the audience feels more
comfortable and may therefore relate to the characters more. We have a set space
that we can work in, so we know our limitations. This may also be the case in an
outside arena, but for me, the smaller, indoor theatre creates a much cozier,
personal atmosphere.
Andrew
emailed me last night asking for a quote/message for his website (which I must
point out is fantastic. He has done an incredible job on it). This is what I
sent to him:
“I
have found the move to Nexus to be very interesting.
It
is one thing to be rehearsing in the workshop room where we have as much space
as we want, but applying our movements to a set stage has been different. This
was seen in our rehearsals where we seemed to be a little lost. However the play
is evolving in a way which is fantastic to see. I think it is really going to
help having the music and the sound effects as it will help us with our cues.”
I think it is
really important to help a person like Andrew out when they are doing something
that benefits everyone in this production, especially around this time where
everything is getting really hectic.
So far rehearsals are going really well. The entire play is coming along superbly and I think that this is due to the fact that we work so well as a team. As Jackson (1993) suggests, in a theatre production, it is not about the individual’s performance alone; it is the individual’s performance contributing to the whole group performance. I don’t think that anyone in this production can criticize this, as we are all working together. You find in some productions that individuals are only out to make themselves look good and this in the long run hampers the performance. We are working as a team and I think that this is really going to show when it comes to putting this on for the public.
View other Your Work entries...
Val's Journal... Week One - Week Six Week Seven - Week Eleven Week Twelve - Week Fourteen
Jodie's Journal... Part One Part Two Character Development
...or view the... 2005 Ed Pack
Go to Children's Theatre: My Journal History Notice Board Your Work
Contact Andrew @ thechaseison@optusnet.com.au
This page last updated: 17th February 2006