Our performance of 'Black and White' turned out to go exceptionally well, at least it definitely did to me. I found that all of our hard work that was put into this play payed off and we all got lovely comments that left us all glowing by the end.
Delivery of the Lines:
For my character 'Slave' I would personally rate the delivery of my lines a fair 8/10. I think I did really well to put across my lines considering I had to deliver them with what I tried to portray a polish accent that I have never really had a lot of practice or experience with. I believe I held the accent together well and I even got good feedback from members of the audience on this particular subject. I think I would rate my chorus line delivery a bit higher as it was less pressure to deliver them and felt they were easier to get across to the audience as I didn't have the accent. Though I think I have set myself a goal, as to which if I ever get the opportunity to play a part with an accent again, to focus on this aspect more. Overall for everyone I think this subject was very well held together.
Entrances and exits and scene transitions:
For my character in act 2 'Slave', I was given the responsibility to move on and off the mirror a number of times during the act. This was ideal as it fitted with the characters responsibilities and therefore made the transitions look smoother and more together. The mirror was such a pain to move off, only because out of the whole performance this was the part that made me anxious because I was so afraid of something going terribly wrong. For example one of the few perfumes on the dressing table which was attached to the mirror could have fallen and smashed or I could if messed up the transitions completely by easily stubbing my toe on the mirror which thankfully only happened back stage or in rehearsals not seen on stage. Act two was the busiest act for myself, because not only was I in charge of most of the set moving, I was assigned the drummer in a particularly choreographed scene. This luckily all went well on the night, though it was a bit of a challenge when the actors on stage were improvising lines as I had a set script to follow for when to beat the drum. I didn't mind this at all as I was very aware of how much some people had to learn and I was also very proud of everyone for performing so incredibly. So as I was in charge of the drumming this meant drumming in between scene transactions for act 1 'The chair scene' or 'the last chorus scene' and in act 2 'the debate between Electra and Tynadarious' which included the lines 'because you are beyond the law, you put yourself beyond the law'. I also had to be on cue for one of many times i had to sing, one being back stage and so this meant listening very carefully to the cues. All in all the transitions for the whole performance went very well and I was relieved when I didn't have to take the mirror off anymore and that it went so well.
The pace of the performance went very well, especially on Wednesday nights performance as I think this was the best performance out of all 3. All of them were good but I think this night seemed to flow the best. The only thing that didn't go to plan was during my scene with Electra my costume got caught on the box and someone in the audience laughed. Though luckily it wasn't all that bad as it only lasted for a second or two and we both covered it quite well.
As a chorus, all of us did brilliantly to deliver lines, a individual and quirky character as well as enhancing the performance with engaging movement. My aim was deliver my chorus character as a bit naughty and greedy, and my biggest aim was to put across a cheeky side of me to amuse the audience, which by the feedback I did achieve. Not only did I think the chorus worked well at their individual characters but I also think we worked nicely as a team and as a whole to create just the right timing in the scenes where we relied on each other to present a smoothly running scene. For example in what I would call 'the snake scene' where some of the chorus do movements to the lines 'clawing the walls of the bedchambers' we had to trust each other to then go on to do the next movement.
The acting style was achieved by everyone, as the modern concept of the journalists lightened the dark and sinister style of the Greek tragedy. Everyone presented their individual characters to their full potential and created a great atmosphere. I also think the performance of the actors was enhanced and worked extremely well with the music and sound effects.
I am quite pleased with how I have come along from the first rehearsal to the show as when I first started with my lines I was not projecting as much as I could have been, and during the show I projected, and this makes a huge difference to the quality of skill you are trying to present, and just gives the audience what they are expecting. Everyone projected well and delivered with a nice pace and I could tell that a few individuals worked really hard to try and improve their diction and pronunciation when they needed to.
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Greek week 7
Monday we presented our presentations and dedicated the day to that and so we mainly focused on context work for that day, although we managed to run act one with Kirsty in movement development. In movement we ran act one to see what we needed to focus on, at this stage the whole act wasn't very smooth, but this was probably due to not everyone knowing lines, the fact that we were hesitant of what came next, and where we needed to be. Our biggest issue was the transitions, I felt like most of us, were not confident with the transitions and so in Kirsty's lesson we tried to smooth these out. I also managed to get some suggestions of the drum beat that I am in charge of during the closing scene of act one. I find this challenging because the pace of the way the chorus is moving differs for each person, and though it might sound like it makes sense for the chorus to follow the beat, it would be tricky for them too. I think I have decided to keep a steady beat of 1 for the first few members of the chorus, and then changing when the chorus' tempo goes. This looks good though as it up's the pace and gets the chorus' energy flowing more fluently. I am also going to drum in the chorus and drum them out during transitions, to smooth over any cluttering noises.
Things I need to focus on:
Learning my lines:
The show is less than a week away so I need to make sure I am comfortable with my lines.
Knowing what I am doing:
To be honest, I haven't been extremely confident with where I am, but I also feel I am not the only one. I have also got quite a lot to do in this show.
Putting in more time after school:
After Karen spoke to us on Monday, I realize that I need to put in more time after college in order to get the marks I want.
To ask if I don't understand something:
Sometimes I want to clarify things in order to make sure I understand them, although sometimes I'm afraid to ask because I don't want to sound stupid, and that can be extremely embarrassing!
On Wednesday, we focused on act 2, and I sang Hushabye Mountain for the first time. I didn't know the words but that is because I wasn't sure what song Karen wanted me to learn, as she had asked me to research some songs for my character, which I did and posted on my blog. I really like the song I get to sing, and I hope it will bring something special to the scene.
We finished act 2, and finally the show is coming together and starting to run smoothly. I worked on a chorus piece that I do with Yasmin, Alicia and Paige which is after the piece that we had choreographed ourselves with Reece as Orestes. We worked on the timing as Orestes shows the killing of Clytemnestra's lover.
Karen experimented with some music tracks, that really brought different energies to the scenes. I loved most of the music she played, as it brought some sort of desired tension, which completed the atmosphere that was needed. I particularly like the music she played for the very end, when it is an emotional scene and Joe (Orestes) jumps to his death with the baby in his hands.
This week was mainly about getting the show to a confident place, for example smoothing out transitions, getting people to know where they need to be and to get the right energies needed for there character. A way we did this 'new energy building' was by introducing a activity that Karen got us to do. This activity was running the play, but in a different style. For example when we ran the first act if she shouted 'Vampires' we would all have to play our character as a vampire. In act 2 when I had to sing my song, she shouted 'Musical Theatre' and suddenly I had a more vibrant, up beat energy and was using jazz hands. The activity was a lot of fun and really makes who look to see what different energies would work with your scene. I liked the 'New York Gangster' energy as it made me realize what would work between me and Joe when he is asking me for information.
My strengths this week:
I think I have been delivering my character the 'slave' really well this week.
I'm starting to believe in my ability, which is something I'm always told I need to do.
My weaknesses:
I hadn't learnt all of my lines.
What my aims are for next week:
-To have complete focus for the show
-To be fluent with my lines and with my song
-To know where I have to be to move set
-To know where my props are set
-To have costumes completed/sorted
-To give a great performance and enjoy it
Overall I have enjoyed working on the Greek Tragedy project, as it has taught me skills that I had not been able to grasp before. Though I am also looking forward to the next project, to see what I can gain from that.
Things I need to focus on:
Learning my lines:
The show is less than a week away so I need to make sure I am comfortable with my lines.
Knowing what I am doing:
To be honest, I haven't been extremely confident with where I am, but I also feel I am not the only one. I have also got quite a lot to do in this show.
Putting in more time after school:
After Karen spoke to us on Monday, I realize that I need to put in more time after college in order to get the marks I want.
To ask if I don't understand something:
Sometimes I want to clarify things in order to make sure I understand them, although sometimes I'm afraid to ask because I don't want to sound stupid, and that can be extremely embarrassing!
On Wednesday, we focused on act 2, and I sang Hushabye Mountain for the first time. I didn't know the words but that is because I wasn't sure what song Karen wanted me to learn, as she had asked me to research some songs for my character, which I did and posted on my blog. I really like the song I get to sing, and I hope it will bring something special to the scene.
We finished act 2, and finally the show is coming together and starting to run smoothly. I worked on a chorus piece that I do with Yasmin, Alicia and Paige which is after the piece that we had choreographed ourselves with Reece as Orestes. We worked on the timing as Orestes shows the killing of Clytemnestra's lover.
Karen experimented with some music tracks, that really brought different energies to the scenes. I loved most of the music she played, as it brought some sort of desired tension, which completed the atmosphere that was needed. I particularly like the music she played for the very end, when it is an emotional scene and Joe (Orestes) jumps to his death with the baby in his hands.
This week was mainly about getting the show to a confident place, for example smoothing out transitions, getting people to know where they need to be and to get the right energies needed for there character. A way we did this 'new energy building' was by introducing a activity that Karen got us to do. This activity was running the play, but in a different style. For example when we ran the first act if she shouted 'Vampires' we would all have to play our character as a vampire. In act 2 when I had to sing my song, she shouted 'Musical Theatre' and suddenly I had a more vibrant, up beat energy and was using jazz hands. The activity was a lot of fun and really makes who look to see what different energies would work with your scene. I liked the 'New York Gangster' energy as it made me realize what would work between me and Joe when he is asking me for information.
My strengths this week:
I think I have been delivering my character the 'slave' really well this week.
I'm starting to believe in my ability, which is something I'm always told I need to do.
My weaknesses:
I hadn't learnt all of my lines.
What my aims are for next week:
-To have complete focus for the show
-To be fluent with my lines and with my song
-To know where I have to be to move set
-To know where my props are set
-To have costumes completed/sorted
-To give a great performance and enjoy it
Overall I have enjoyed working on the Greek Tragedy project, as it has taught me skills that I had not been able to grasp before. Though I am also looking forward to the next project, to see what I can gain from that.
Character Study
Character Study
Character: Slave
Character Name: Rozyuka
Character Age at time of play: 21
Played by: Charlie-Rose Lane
Picture represents slavery in Ancient Greece.
Character Name: In the play she is just known as the slave, this is because her importance to the Greek community isn't enough to call her by her real name. I decided I wanted my characters name to be called Rozyuka. The name 'Rozyuka' is polish, and I have found a couple of quotes from the internet that suggests it's meaning.
'People with this name have a deep inner desire to use their abilities in leadership, and to have personal independence. They would rather focus on large, important issues, and delegate the details.'
I quite like this one because when I read it, it really made me relate back to my characters 'inner animal' as all of the animals I chose could be seen to show independence, for example the dove; a bird and so from the very first moments it hatched it was already needed to be quite independent, though the independence of a bird comes quickly as soon as they spread there wings and leave the nest.
'People with this name tend to be passionate, compassionate, intuitive, romantic, and to have magnetic personalities. They are usually humanitarian, broadminded and generous, and tend to follow professions where they can serve humanity. Because they are so affectionate and giving, they may be imposed on. They are romantic and easily fall in love, but may be easily hurt and are sometimes quick-tempered.'
I love the fact that in this quote the name suggests passion and generosity, two traits I tried to deliver my character across with, however I didn't just decided on the name through her traits, because there is many more aspects to Rozyuka than there is in the quotes.
Family Life: Rozyuka has 2 children of her own, and raised 4 younger siblings due to her mothers poor health. Each child she adores lovingly. When a child got to 9 they were sent out to find work, as they struggled to find the money for food, and for rent. Rozyuka married on her 16th birthday after her father passed away, as her mother hoped this would bring wealth into the family. Rozyuka's husband was killed and Rozyuka went back to aid her mother and her younger siblings. After a war started between Poland and The Greeks Rozyuka was separated from her family and was brought over to Ancient Greece, were she was made a slave to Helen of Troy and Menelaos. She is now 21 years old, and therefore 5 years have passed, and she has been assigned to look after Hermione, a child that has brought light back into her heart since being separated from her own children.
Personality Description:
Rozyuka is strong, Perhaps not so much physically, but she is strong to her beliefs and to who she is. Rozyuka is generous and loving, she wants nothing more than to serve her gods to the best of her ability. She is devoted to her children and to God, though she hasn't seen her children since she was forced into slavery, she free's her soul with a gentle lullaby 'Hushabye Mountain'. We can see that she is warming to others who are warm to her throughout the beginning of the scene with her and Electra. Electra show's a side that maybe the audience nor the slave has seen before and Rozyuka being the kind woman she is starts to advise Electra. 'They make you serve and yet you do it gently, graciously- how do you do that?' When Electra says that line Rozyuka is a little hesitant on how to reply, as she is a slave she does not know the boundaries and rules when it comes to talking to a mistress except to be polite. However Rozyuka just says it how it is 'All of us are humble servants. Nothing more.' Rozyuka is humble, not only to herself but to her own country. Then Electra mentions her singing and Rozyuka replies of how 'I was taught to take my pain and make it a thing of beauty my song frees my soul. It takes me back to my country, to my family, to each child they made me leave behind.' A mothers separation from a child is something no mother or child should go through and yet this did happen. The slave is passionate and as said before devoted to God. 'Your Gods and my Gods, they are the same'. She knows who she worships, and that line also shows how she longs for equality.
Research into the character: I looked into quite a few aspects during research, some of which I embedded into my blogs. I looked at a number of songs/ lullaby, one of which I did sing 'Hushabye Mountain' This song was from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' the musical and is quite well known, though I thought it was gentle and very sweet and helped modernize the piece. I found another song called 'All the pretty horses' I liked this because it was known to be a song sung by African american slaves during the time where equality didn't include the colour of our skin. I looked at how the characters hair might look, and I looked at a number of Grecian styles and some polish styles too. Some were modern and some were more old fashioned. I had the idea of having a combined hairstyle to look more contemporary. I liked the idea of having a plait of some sort somewhere.
What happened to the character:
She was sent from Poland to Troy, during a war and was separated from her family, and each child that depended on her. Rozyuka had been sent on a ship to Troy, to work as a slave. Her only way out was through money, and so her plans are to stay humble and to earn enough money for her freedom. Rozyuka carries hope with her as she is unaware of the situation back in her country and if her family are still alive. She devotes herself to God, and to her work as those are the only aspects in her life she has left, yet she is thankful to God for her life. She was sent to Troy during the time of the Trojan war, and was founded by Menelaos and his army and brought back with him and Helen of Troy to serve them. She served the couple with grace and worked for Rozyuka was their throughout the birth of the new baby and earned trust through Helen. Helen became to trust Rozyuka and warmed to her. Though she was not an easy woman to please, as long as you did what you were told you stayed alive. She was instantly assigned to look after the baby, She was made to feed her and to bathe her and to do all the things she felt Helen was missing out on. Hermione was betrothed by her grandfather Tyndareus to Orestes her cousin. Rozyuka went everywhere with Helen, and nursed the baby everywhere they went. When Rozyuka stayed in the same palace as Orestes and Electra, she heard things that lead her to ask 'Is this a good country they have brought me to?'. Rozyuka hears things that she does not wish to hear but keeps herself to herself in order to keep her life.
Rozyuka sings a lot, and when Electra confronts her after serving her food and water, Rozyuka enters a conversation with Electra. Rozyuka is wary of Electra and does not trust her, though does show sympathy during some of the scene. Rozyuka is trusted by Electra as she is asked to go and find where her brother is, returning with the news, that he is coming and holds two knives in his hands. Rozyuka knows this must mean something suspicious and is urging to leave until confronted by Orestes. Orestes questions her which makes her feel uncomfortable and anxious but she stays calm and answers him politely and graciously. Rozyuka was threatened by knives whilst baby Hermione was taken from hr hands. She instantly went looking for help but was numb at the fact that the baby had been taken from her. The baby was taken by Orestes, and killed, as Rozyuka witnessed it, she fell to her knee's sobbing. Rozyuka, carried on being a slave for 17 years where she later died from disease.
Character: Slave
Character Name: Rozyuka
Character Age at time of play: 21
Played by: Charlie-Rose Lane
Character Name: In the play she is just known as the slave, this is because her importance to the Greek community isn't enough to call her by her real name. I decided I wanted my characters name to be called Rozyuka. The name 'Rozyuka' is polish, and I have found a couple of quotes from the internet that suggests it's meaning.
'People with this name have a deep inner desire to use their abilities in leadership, and to have personal independence. They would rather focus on large, important issues, and delegate the details.'
I quite like this one because when I read it, it really made me relate back to my characters 'inner animal' as all of the animals I chose could be seen to show independence, for example the dove; a bird and so from the very first moments it hatched it was already needed to be quite independent, though the independence of a bird comes quickly as soon as they spread there wings and leave the nest.
'People with this name tend to be passionate, compassionate, intuitive, romantic, and to have magnetic personalities. They are usually humanitarian, broadminded and generous, and tend to follow professions where they can serve humanity. Because they are so affectionate and giving, they may be imposed on. They are romantic and easily fall in love, but may be easily hurt and are sometimes quick-tempered.'
I love the fact that in this quote the name suggests passion and generosity, two traits I tried to deliver my character across with, however I didn't just decided on the name through her traits, because there is many more aspects to Rozyuka than there is in the quotes.
Family Life: Rozyuka has 2 children of her own, and raised 4 younger siblings due to her mothers poor health. Each child she adores lovingly. When a child got to 9 they were sent out to find work, as they struggled to find the money for food, and for rent. Rozyuka married on her 16th birthday after her father passed away, as her mother hoped this would bring wealth into the family. Rozyuka's husband was killed and Rozyuka went back to aid her mother and her younger siblings. After a war started between Poland and The Greeks Rozyuka was separated from her family and was brought over to Ancient Greece, were she was made a slave to Helen of Troy and Menelaos. She is now 21 years old, and therefore 5 years have passed, and she has been assigned to look after Hermione, a child that has brought light back into her heart since being separated from her own children.
Personality Description:
Rozyuka is strong, Perhaps not so much physically, but she is strong to her beliefs and to who she is. Rozyuka is generous and loving, she wants nothing more than to serve her gods to the best of her ability. She is devoted to her children and to God, though she hasn't seen her children since she was forced into slavery, she free's her soul with a gentle lullaby 'Hushabye Mountain'. We can see that she is warming to others who are warm to her throughout the beginning of the scene with her and Electra. Electra show's a side that maybe the audience nor the slave has seen before and Rozyuka being the kind woman she is starts to advise Electra. 'They make you serve and yet you do it gently, graciously- how do you do that?' When Electra says that line Rozyuka is a little hesitant on how to reply, as she is a slave she does not know the boundaries and rules when it comes to talking to a mistress except to be polite. However Rozyuka just says it how it is 'All of us are humble servants. Nothing more.' Rozyuka is humble, not only to herself but to her own country. Then Electra mentions her singing and Rozyuka replies of how 'I was taught to take my pain and make it a thing of beauty my song frees my soul. It takes me back to my country, to my family, to each child they made me leave behind.' A mothers separation from a child is something no mother or child should go through and yet this did happen. The slave is passionate and as said before devoted to God. 'Your Gods and my Gods, they are the same'. She knows who she worships, and that line also shows how she longs for equality.
Research into the character: I looked into quite a few aspects during research, some of which I embedded into my blogs. I looked at a number of songs/ lullaby, one of which I did sing 'Hushabye Mountain' This song was from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' the musical and is quite well known, though I thought it was gentle and very sweet and helped modernize the piece. I found another song called 'All the pretty horses' I liked this because it was known to be a song sung by African american slaves during the time where equality didn't include the colour of our skin. I looked at how the characters hair might look, and I looked at a number of Grecian styles and some polish styles too. Some were modern and some were more old fashioned. I had the idea of having a combined hairstyle to look more contemporary. I liked the idea of having a plait of some sort somewhere.
What happened to the character:
She was sent from Poland to Troy, during a war and was separated from her family, and each child that depended on her. Rozyuka had been sent on a ship to Troy, to work as a slave. Her only way out was through money, and so her plans are to stay humble and to earn enough money for her freedom. Rozyuka carries hope with her as she is unaware of the situation back in her country and if her family are still alive. She devotes herself to God, and to her work as those are the only aspects in her life she has left, yet she is thankful to God for her life. She was sent to Troy during the time of the Trojan war, and was founded by Menelaos and his army and brought back with him and Helen of Troy to serve them. She served the couple with grace and worked for Rozyuka was their throughout the birth of the new baby and earned trust through Helen. Helen became to trust Rozyuka and warmed to her. Though she was not an easy woman to please, as long as you did what you were told you stayed alive. She was instantly assigned to look after the baby, She was made to feed her and to bathe her and to do all the things she felt Helen was missing out on. Hermione was betrothed by her grandfather Tyndareus to Orestes her cousin. Rozyuka went everywhere with Helen, and nursed the baby everywhere they went. When Rozyuka stayed in the same palace as Orestes and Electra, she heard things that lead her to ask 'Is this a good country they have brought me to?'. Rozyuka hears things that she does not wish to hear but keeps herself to herself in order to keep her life.
Rozyuka sings a lot, and when Electra confronts her after serving her food and water, Rozyuka enters a conversation with Electra. Rozyuka is wary of Electra and does not trust her, though does show sympathy during some of the scene. Rozyuka is trusted by Electra as she is asked to go and find where her brother is, returning with the news, that he is coming and holds two knives in his hands. Rozyuka knows this must mean something suspicious and is urging to leave until confronted by Orestes. Orestes questions her which makes her feel uncomfortable and anxious but she stays calm and answers him politely and graciously. Rozyuka was threatened by knives whilst baby Hermione was taken from hr hands. She instantly went looking for help but was numb at the fact that the baby had been taken from her. The baby was taken by Orestes, and killed, as Rozyuka witnessed it, she fell to her knee's sobbing. Rozyuka, carried on being a slave for 17 years where she later died from disease.
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Greek week 6
On Monday we looked at the final chorus scene we had yet to complete, but this time we were asked to use microphones, cameras, and smart phones for the modern touch. We came up the idea to use the microphones, so we decided on looking like some sort of press group all trying to record everything that was happening and everything that everyone was saying. We also used the idea of looking as if we were asking Connor (Orestes) questions about what was going on and so we all raised our hands, and acted excited and anxious for the best footage of the speech. On the lines 'clawing the walls' I thought it would be a good idea if the chorus all crawled towards the walls as if they were using all their strength and showing high outbursts of energy, and Kirsty came up with the idea of having the people behind us standing up, to pull us back by our legs. We would keep repeating this and it gave the scene a really good effect.
An exercise we were introduced to this week, was to help us get in touch with our characters inner animal. This was focusing on the characteristics of the animal and then personifying and sculpting them back into say for example my character 'the slave'. We had to choose three animals that we thought represented our characters the most. I chose:
A dove: I thought a dove would be a good one for the slave, as it represents freedom and peace, and these are two things that the slave is desperate for, as well as the elegance and grace of the dove, Electra describes how 'gracious and elegant' the slave is during their scene together.
A bee: I thought the bee is a working animal that is harmless unless threatened, and I thought this could show the strength within the slave as the slave is a working character, her job is to obey her master/mistress and work. The bee works to provide honey, but if threatened will let off a nasty thing, although if they sting they also die. I thought this could represent the fact that although the slave believes in who she is, and is proud of who she is, if she did not do what she was told or said something to defend herself, she could have her life ended with a snap of her mistresses fingers.
A horse (mare): I thought of the mare, to show the protective side of the slave towards the baby, and to bring out her nurturing mothering instincts. The mare will protect the foal just like the slave protects and feeds the baby. The horse can also be quite and aggressive creature when threatened. I thought this also reminded me of the lullaby I found (all the pretty little horses) which is one of the songs I could sing.
On wednesday 'Slavery in Poland existed on the territory of Kingdom of Poland during the times of the Piast dynasty in the Middle Ages. It continued in various forms until late in the 14th century and was supplanted by the institution of serfdom, which has often been considered a form of modified slavery.'
'Polish literature refers to this group of people as "unfree people" (Polish: ludzie niewolni, Latin: servi, ancillae, familia) rather than as slaves.'
I like the fact of using the idea of 'unfree' people in some of my characters thoughts because, I feel as if its something that making light of what was a very serious situation. In the scene with my character and Electra, it is as if the slave is being kind towards Electra, and the slave also sings a lot, which could refer to joy, and so I think the idea of the words 'unfree people' could relate to something my character would agree to. My character is obedient but she also is strong minded, she believes in who she is but wouldn't say anything she wasn't supposed to. I think this is because she knows that if she says anything wrong, it could be the end of her, and she longs to see her children again one day. I also think the child she looks after takes her mind away from the negative side of her life, and seeing any baby brings joy to her.
I like the idea of adding a sense of a polish accent to show her difference in cultures and understanding. She is not from Greece and therefore may not understand some of the violent plans being made around her. I think this is connected to the lines 'Is this a good country they have brought me too?'. By trying to speak properly but adding a polish sense, could show her trying to speak her best to try and fit in. She doesn't want to risk anything.
'Freedom is a personal. You may be an person with minimal ego and might not feel the impulse to defend when attempts are made to snatch away your freedom, but like all precious things one would realise the value of freedom only when it leaves you for good. When individual freedom gets breached and starts influencing the society also it sows the seeds for pushing society into political slavery.'
Most people associate slavery with chains and handcuffs, but in the play my character is never seen chained or treated badly. I think the worse my character has to put up with is Orestes asking me to leave in a stubborn way.
We managed to go over the blocking we started on my scene with Electra, two weeks ago and develop it even more. Karen liked the idea of me having an accent, and thought of looking at maybe Polish. I think this would be a great idea of having a slight accent as it would give the audience more of a clue that I was the slave, but also me more to go by. The more material I have on my character the more I can experiment with my character.
My strengths this week: I was able to really get to grips with my character the slave more, as well as my journalist character.
My weaknesses: I need to learn my lines as soon as I can so I can improve even more.
My aims for next week: To be off book and to have a greater understanding of my character.
This is the nearest thing I could find to a polish lullaby..
Polish lullaby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Hr7uUZeq8
On Thursday we focused on act 2, and ran the first few scene we looked at during the begging of this unit, with Bradley, Imogen, Zac and Dan. We developed this scene by adding drumming to the scene, which is my job and I experimented with different paces, and number of beats during the scene. This created tension between the discussion and suspense between pauses engaging the audience and bringing more emotion to the scene. I feel like i am still part of the chorus though as well because the chorus and the drumming work well, as it is there signal for specific movements, for example when I beat five they all lean in towards Electra. I also managed to see where I come in to sing, and I appear quite a lot in small sections throughout act one. We have made it so I wheel on the mirror, as the slave to make the transition of this more hidden and smooth.
An exercise we were introduced to this week, was to help us get in touch with our characters inner animal. This was focusing on the characteristics of the animal and then personifying and sculpting them back into say for example my character 'the slave'. We had to choose three animals that we thought represented our characters the most. I chose:
A dove: I thought a dove would be a good one for the slave, as it represents freedom and peace, and these are two things that the slave is desperate for, as well as the elegance and grace of the dove, Electra describes how 'gracious and elegant' the slave is during their scene together.
A bee: I thought the bee is a working animal that is harmless unless threatened, and I thought this could show the strength within the slave as the slave is a working character, her job is to obey her master/mistress and work. The bee works to provide honey, but if threatened will let off a nasty thing, although if they sting they also die. I thought this could represent the fact that although the slave believes in who she is, and is proud of who she is, if she did not do what she was told or said something to defend herself, she could have her life ended with a snap of her mistresses fingers.
On wednesday 'Slavery in Poland existed on the territory of Kingdom of Poland during the times of the Piast dynasty in the Middle Ages. It continued in various forms until late in the 14th century and was supplanted by the institution of serfdom, which has often been considered a form of modified slavery.'
'Polish literature refers to this group of people as "unfree people" (Polish: ludzie niewolni, Latin: servi, ancillae, familia) rather than as slaves.'
I like the fact of using the idea of 'unfree' people in some of my characters thoughts because, I feel as if its something that making light of what was a very serious situation. In the scene with my character and Electra, it is as if the slave is being kind towards Electra, and the slave also sings a lot, which could refer to joy, and so I think the idea of the words 'unfree people' could relate to something my character would agree to. My character is obedient but she also is strong minded, she believes in who she is but wouldn't say anything she wasn't supposed to. I think this is because she knows that if she says anything wrong, it could be the end of her, and she longs to see her children again one day. I also think the child she looks after takes her mind away from the negative side of her life, and seeing any baby brings joy to her.
I like the idea of adding a sense of a polish accent to show her difference in cultures and understanding. She is not from Greece and therefore may not understand some of the violent plans being made around her. I think this is connected to the lines 'Is this a good country they have brought me too?'. By trying to speak properly but adding a polish sense, could show her trying to speak her best to try and fit in. She doesn't want to risk anything.
'Freedom is a personal. You may be an person with minimal ego and might not feel the impulse to defend when attempts are made to snatch away your freedom, but like all precious things one would realise the value of freedom only when it leaves you for good. When individual freedom gets breached and starts influencing the society also it sows the seeds for pushing society into political slavery.'
Most people associate slavery with chains and handcuffs, but in the play my character is never seen chained or treated badly. I think the worse my character has to put up with is Orestes asking me to leave in a stubborn way.
We managed to go over the blocking we started on my scene with Electra, two weeks ago and develop it even more. Karen liked the idea of me having an accent, and thought of looking at maybe Polish. I think this would be a great idea of having a slight accent as it would give the audience more of a clue that I was the slave, but also me more to go by. The more material I have on my character the more I can experiment with my character.
My strengths this week: I was able to really get to grips with my character the slave more, as well as my journalist character.
My weaknesses: I need to learn my lines as soon as I can so I can improve even more.
My aims for next week: To be off book and to have a greater understanding of my character.
This is the nearest thing I could find to a polish lullaby..
Polish lullaby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Hr7uUZeq8
On Thursday we focused on act 2, and ran the first few scene we looked at during the begging of this unit, with Bradley, Imogen, Zac and Dan. We developed this scene by adding drumming to the scene, which is my job and I experimented with different paces, and number of beats during the scene. This created tension between the discussion and suspense between pauses engaging the audience and bringing more emotion to the scene. I feel like i am still part of the chorus though as well because the chorus and the drumming work well, as it is there signal for specific movements, for example when I beat five they all lean in towards Electra. I also managed to see where I come in to sing, and I appear quite a lot in small sections throughout act one. We have made it so I wheel on the mirror, as the slave to make the transition of this more hidden and smooth.
Greek week 5
Wednesday we started to run act 1, going over and smoothing out what needed to be developed and brushed up on. We started to Incorporated using newspaper in some of the scenes to create more of a journalistic image. I think this was a really good idea because it gives the scene a lot more flavor in the sense that everyone has something to work with, I feel it's easier to act with a prop to bring out my character. For example when we were asked just to walk around like journalists, we could just stop, notice a page or interesting headline, pick it up and start reading it, either on the spot or carrying on walking, this gave the piece more shape and became more engaging to the audience, but I also felt straight away that the chorus' energy level raised, because they had something to work with. We also developed this piece by adding in facial expressions, different dynamics, and type writing. We added the idea of writing up our stories, with all of the chorus being in rows, and using our stances (excited news) (thinking) (crafty look), these all helped create a great visual effect, and gave each chorus member great characteristics. We could use the newspaper to also hide our faces when we wanted to.
On Wednesday night we watched a performance at Worthing college, called Medea. This was also a Greek tragedy and showed some good and bad qualities, that we could use or made me realize what maybe we shouldn't use. They have staged it different to ours in the sense that the chorus seemed to be split into three groups of social groups. I didn't like that idea as I prefer having one big chorus on stage at the same time, having the same aim and working together. On the other hand, I really enjoyed watching some of the movement they used, as well as the way they fitted music to the piece, it made the whole thing more creative and engaging.
Character research:
This week I have looked at some particular hairstyles that a slave, or Greek woman would wear.
Here are some examples I liked...
This week we looked at the end chorus scene for the opening act. I was designated as the drummer again, so I was able to look from the front and help choreograph. I quite liked being able to see from the front because it gives me more ideas about where to go next or how to develop things more rather than actually trying to think of something on the spot. I helped by giving the usual tips for example I would say, make it bigger or try using it with a different aim for example instead or serious, be more patronizing. I also helped by saying things like change the pace, I would guide this by creating different beats on the drum so they could experiment with timing. I think it could still be developed by maybe having some repetition, to make to scene longer and more engaging. We could even use retro grade going back and repeating some of the lines in a creepy school girl way.
I feel I need to improve on learning my lines faster as the sooner I get off book the easier it will be to express emotion and experiment with movement. My strengths are listening and responding to feedback, I think I have been able to respond to the feedback given to me, especially in my blogs and improve on any details.
-I enjoyed working with the chorus this week and being able to put some points across that I feel would work.I didn't enjoy Wednesday morning, but it was partly because i was unprepared because i forgot my script, I didn't feel my best and because I was not here on Monday I felt i lacked confidence and it always takes away from my performance if i lack confidence.
Monday, 2 December 2013
Greek week 4
Research Findings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWoPsyY8CZY-All the little horses-'A beautiful yet sad song in its original form. Black slaves used to sing this to the children of their masters that they were forced to care for instead of caring for their own children. There are only a couple of verses to the song, but it has been changed over the years as times have changed. The line about “bees and butterflies pickin’ at its eyes” was changed to fluttering round his eyes. The reference to “the poor things crying for her mammy” was changed to mama.'
I think this song shows a significance in how it felt to be a slave, not only that it has relevance to slavery and is a modern version of the song, so could help with the contemporary theme of the play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn_PxlIXnB0-Didn't leave nobody but the baby
I like this song because when I listened to it, it made me picture the chorus being involved in the scene and it's a song that comes from a scene in a film which sort has that persuading feel to it.
We managed to final get on to blocking some of the scene I have with Electra and I really enjoyed doing it. I managed to put in a lot of input to how I imagine the slave to act and I thought by actually running the scene it is so much easier to become the character. The slave and Electra have a very different relationship in the play than any other relationship as even though the slave is almost worthless, there is a moment in which Electra sort of admires her feminine ways, for example she sings, and she is graceful towards children, that is how most woman were expected to act, and how a lot of people would expect Electra to act but she's more of a fiery character and so there is a moment when I think the slave feels a bit of sympathy and Electra likes the comfort of her singing.
Creative Ideas & Devising: I wanted to portray my character of the slave with not only the shy non important side, but I also wanted to put her across as the sort of person who will do anything for her family, a stronger side who believes in who she is as well as where she comes from and I feel like I want to cling on to the baby she is looking after because its the closest thing she has to her family which is back home where she comes from. I decided I liked the idea of showing this special bond, and to show that I am trying to experiment with how I use my eyes. I look lovingly at the child in my arms, but am wary of everything around me, I feel comfort by looking after the child. I especially show this when I say the line 'The Gods say it is the way to peace, to love what is not mine'. I love the child and I show this with my eyes, but she is indeed not mine. I contrast this look to the ways in which I look at Electra, and also to the audience in a different scene. I look at Electra with a number of different ways depending on the way I feel towards her. There are a few lines at the beginning in which I feel sympathy for her, not enough to want to comfort her, but just enough to feel 'maybe i should respect her', it's not that I didn't before but because I feel she only see's me in one way so I don't see her as a kind person, but then I had a glimpse of her for just a moment in the sense it actually makes me think 'what has she gone through to her to look so sad'. That soon goes when she starts going a bit crazy towards the child, and that's when my 'motherly instinct' takes place and I am immediately protective of the child. In the scene Elle and I have a moment of eye contact which looks really good because it's highlighting the fact that she is engaging with someone a lot lower status than herself, but also shows a great deeper meaning of my characters and Elle's characters personality, and how deep their emotions go.
Development: We developed the movements with Kirsty, where we finished the opening chorus scene, and managed to experiment with different struggling movements, we end on everyone collapsing over the bath which looks like a big pile of dead weight bodies which looks really effective and captures the scene. We continued developing act one and looked at ways in which we could develop our journalist characters personalities. We did this by examining the way we walk and picturing ourselves in a journalists shoes. We walked around the space and were asked to think about, pace, posture, facial expression, focus, would I be day dreaming? Would I be completely focused? Would I be looking for something specific?. I walked quickly, to create a professional status, with my eyes focused on one spot as if I knew exactly what I wanted and I knew exactly how to get it. I walked with my shoulders back with a good posture and added a slight arm pose to show that sort of 'I know what i'm doing' gesture.
Strengths this week: I feel I have come up with some good feedback, particularly in my scene with Elle, and by watching the scene with Zac, Joe and Elle, as by watching from the front I was able to see it from a different point of view. A good piece of feedback was for Zac to take his time when saying his lines as his scene was quite a powerful moment and I wanted him to really take his time since I felt he should take control of the timing in that scene, because the focus of the audience was on him. I also helped with some suggestions in the scene with Elle and Joe, by putting across my opinion on what looked good and what could be changed.
Weakness' this week: I came in later on Monday as I had a problem with my ears, and I haven't been feeling very well recently, and I know I have to work harder next week to catch up.
Aims for next week: To catch up on what was missed and to experiment with different facial expressions during my journalist character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWoPsyY8CZY-All the little horses-'A beautiful yet sad song in its original form. Black slaves used to sing this to the children of their masters that they were forced to care for instead of caring for their own children. There are only a couple of verses to the song, but it has been changed over the years as times have changed. The line about “bees and butterflies pickin’ at its eyes” was changed to fluttering round his eyes. The reference to “the poor things crying for her mammy” was changed to mama.'
I think this song shows a significance in how it felt to be a slave, not only that it has relevance to slavery and is a modern version of the song, so could help with the contemporary theme of the play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn_PxlIXnB0-Didn't leave nobody but the baby
I like this song because when I listened to it, it made me picture the chorus being involved in the scene and it's a song that comes from a scene in a film which sort has that persuading feel to it.
We managed to final get on to blocking some of the scene I have with Electra and I really enjoyed doing it. I managed to put in a lot of input to how I imagine the slave to act and I thought by actually running the scene it is so much easier to become the character. The slave and Electra have a very different relationship in the play than any other relationship as even though the slave is almost worthless, there is a moment in which Electra sort of admires her feminine ways, for example she sings, and she is graceful towards children, that is how most woman were expected to act, and how a lot of people would expect Electra to act but she's more of a fiery character and so there is a moment when I think the slave feels a bit of sympathy and Electra likes the comfort of her singing.
Creative Ideas & Devising: I wanted to portray my character of the slave with not only the shy non important side, but I also wanted to put her across as the sort of person who will do anything for her family, a stronger side who believes in who she is as well as where she comes from and I feel like I want to cling on to the baby she is looking after because its the closest thing she has to her family which is back home where she comes from. I decided I liked the idea of showing this special bond, and to show that I am trying to experiment with how I use my eyes. I look lovingly at the child in my arms, but am wary of everything around me, I feel comfort by looking after the child. I especially show this when I say the line 'The Gods say it is the way to peace, to love what is not mine'. I love the child and I show this with my eyes, but she is indeed not mine. I contrast this look to the ways in which I look at Electra, and also to the audience in a different scene. I look at Electra with a number of different ways depending on the way I feel towards her. There are a few lines at the beginning in which I feel sympathy for her, not enough to want to comfort her, but just enough to feel 'maybe i should respect her', it's not that I didn't before but because I feel she only see's me in one way so I don't see her as a kind person, but then I had a glimpse of her for just a moment in the sense it actually makes me think 'what has she gone through to her to look so sad'. That soon goes when she starts going a bit crazy towards the child, and that's when my 'motherly instinct' takes place and I am immediately protective of the child. In the scene Elle and I have a moment of eye contact which looks really good because it's highlighting the fact that she is engaging with someone a lot lower status than herself, but also shows a great deeper meaning of my characters and Elle's characters personality, and how deep their emotions go.
Development: We developed the movements with Kirsty, where we finished the opening chorus scene, and managed to experiment with different struggling movements, we end on everyone collapsing over the bath which looks like a big pile of dead weight bodies which looks really effective and captures the scene. We continued developing act one and looked at ways in which we could develop our journalist characters personalities. We did this by examining the way we walk and picturing ourselves in a journalists shoes. We walked around the space and were asked to think about, pace, posture, facial expression, focus, would I be day dreaming? Would I be completely focused? Would I be looking for something specific?. I walked quickly, to create a professional status, with my eyes focused on one spot as if I knew exactly what I wanted and I knew exactly how to get it. I walked with my shoulders back with a good posture and added a slight arm pose to show that sort of 'I know what i'm doing' gesture.
Strengths this week: I feel I have come up with some good feedback, particularly in my scene with Elle, and by watching the scene with Zac, Joe and Elle, as by watching from the front I was able to see it from a different point of view. A good piece of feedback was for Zac to take his time when saying his lines as his scene was quite a powerful moment and I wanted him to really take his time since I felt he should take control of the timing in that scene, because the focus of the audience was on him. I also helped with some suggestions in the scene with Elle and Joe, by putting across my opinion on what looked good and what could be changed.
Weakness' this week: I came in later on Monday as I had a problem with my ears, and I haven't been feeling very well recently, and I know I have to work harder next week to catch up.
Aims for next week: To catch up on what was missed and to experiment with different facial expressions during my journalist character.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)