The Wardrobe Week 2

This week, changes were made to the script as decided by our director, for example some scenes which we all felt were not as popular as others were cut, and a scene which was originally going to be played by the boys 'Jeffery and William' had been changed to 'Genevieve and Winnie', and the end scene in 2014 is changed to two boys. I think these changes were a really good idea, as I when I was watching some people audition for these roles I was so much more intrigued, I think maybe it's just because it suits the actors more from our class, but either way I think it looks so much better. Another change I liked was the scene where Carol, the kitchen maid is killed. Who was once going to be played by a female actress, Matilda (now Tobias) has been changed to a male performance, and so in the wardrobe it shows three brothers. I really really liked this change that Karen did, because I feel when I watched a rough play through audition from Bradley, Zac and Connor, I thought the the scene was really touching and it all seemed to fit together better. I just personally think it was the best decision for the actors/actresses of our group.

I got to try out the role of Sarah again, and I got to experiment with other people being different roles. I think this is very interesting to see who you work well with, for example I loved working with Charlotte as Mary as I think our characters bounced off each other well, and the personalities of the characters had just the right balance. I also think Paige played a great Sarah, I particularly liked Paige as Sarah when I tried Mary, as even though it was the other way around, our level of energy worked well together. I feel as an actor it is important to establish who you work well with, and who you feel will commit to their role and work well with others. Every time I tried Sarah I changed up something different, like I would change the way I said a particular sentence or word, like the tone or use different pauses when it came to the comic timing.

I thought Shelby did a really nice portrayal of the character Cecily, as she seems really comfortable with this character and therefore is able to put across the story in a creative and interesting way, along side Elle as Elizabeth especially. I think as these characters their personalities bring out each others strong points as actress'. I felt personally my best performances were when I took on the characters of Sarah and/or Mary in scene 4. This scene really shows the panic, and paranoia that goes on around these times, but i feel in this scene it shows juxtaposition, as at times the scene is making light of a serious situation. For example when the girls are laughing and resembling gossiping happy girls, that is the first impression the audience receives. I love this scene because it's a scene where I can act relaxed and comical at the beginning, but also have a tasteful challenge, when trying to portray which I would call the pre dramatic point, when the other girls think Sarah has the plague. The dramatic point is when Anne, reveals that she does have the plague.

I think the character that I didn't connect with as well as was the reader in the 'Narnia scene'. It wasn't because I didn't like the scene, because I think it is a beautiful scene, but one, I wanted to play a more periodic character, and two it felt quite uncomfortable pretending to read, as I felt like I had a bit of a stutter as if I was panicking because the audience was watching me pretend to read. I think a positive thing that came out of this however was that it highlighted something I can work on and I can improve on. I think Abbi would make an excellent reader however as she seems very fluent with the way she speaks and has a very gentle tone of voice.

The Wardrobe Week 1

So this week we were finally told our next play! I am really excited because the story really appeals to me and I think the way it has been written is really clever.

The play is named 'The Wardrobe' and is written by a very talented writer, Sam Holcroft. The play is based around a wardrobe which survives over five centuries which presents significant scenes in the lives of teenagers, young adults and/or children who use the wardrobe, as a place of safety, of which they feel safe and hidden from the outside world. Each scene shows a little piece of history of which was scene in the previous scene, and this for me is what makes the play so touching.


We started focusing on workshops for the new play. There were a lot of interesting ones for example we focused on status, and experimented in pairs by crossing one an other and trying to portray a level of status. Me and Dan, walked across as old people and experimented in a number of ways who could show the higher status, or lower status, by different techniques used. A way in which I tried to higher my status, was by keeping my head up and eye line above Dan's and the tone of my voice was strong and demanding as if nothing bothered me.

A fun activity I enjoyed was acting out a short scene, showing a boss and a lower class employee, we were asked to get into pairs, and experiment with how the boss shows the higher status, by having strong tone of voice or even switch it around and have the boss the lower status actor. I liked this exercise because it helped me determine different techniques used which I can later use and take on during performances.

Entering the wardrobe.
One of the first things we were made to do, was a bit of creative thinking, we were asked to enter either alone or in pairs, in an interesting way. I particularly liked Shelby's, she made her's interesting and funny by just giggling into the wardrobe. Me and Alicia, decided to go as a pair and were just going to make it seem like we were both running and hiding from something but it didn't go exactly to plan when we bumped into each other on purpose except she used all her force and fell down. At least it was entertaining.

The first character I tried out was Nell a young 17 year old woman, who was the fiance to Anthony, a 18 year old boy who unfortunately had been conscripted to war. The scene was quite lovely and touching, and really brought out a atmosphere in the watchers as for the first time we were bringing to life in our imagination what was actually going on at that time. Nell had no idea what was going to happen and neither did Anthony, or perhaps she did? This is an interesting scene, and it is in my top 3 characters that I would like to play. All of the scene show a sort of tough time, something negative about the scene, but it is as if all the characters are making light of a serious situation. The wardrobe itself stands as a place of protection and privacy where these children and young adults can go to feel safe. I think the story is touching and I can't wait to perform it.

The second character I was given to try out was Sarah. Sarah was so much fun to play, and I think I could learn a lot from portraying her character. I loved how it is a scene between three girls in the wardrobe having a gossip and a giggle , because since I am naturally a giggly person it would give me some ease and confidence to feel that giggling is part of the character, and it would seem very natural to me. This scene is also great in the way of giving a challenge, in the scene that the actor has to take on the role and portray the tragic event of the time, which was in fact the plague as this scene was set in 1665. Sarah is mistaken by her fellow ladies maids for having the plague, in which she does not. So whilst auditioning for this part not only did I have to show a giggly gossip, with a sarcastic sense of humor, but I also had to show the dramatic pauses and the quick change of tone, which was sort of a prelude to the dramatic event. I really enjoyed reading for this character.