Friday, 19 November 2010
15th - 19th November 2010 (Bad Girls Week 4)
- Improvisation ~ a scene doesn't just start and finish when the script says. Imagine what is happening before the scene starts and after the scene finishes
- Colour dialogue - don't just use inflection. Break down the lines and read the dynamics
- Simple movement is key
- Use effects of staging - power, hierarchy and focus etc.
- Don't think - DO
- Be in character BEFORE going on stage
- Enrich, don't just read
- Phrasing changes/creates meaning and pace
8th - 12th November 2010 (Bad Girls Week 3)
- COMMIT TO MOVEMENT
- Play with the action - make it feel over the top and change tactics until it fits
- Don't play action before listening to other characters - don't pre-empt
- Give in to what feels natural - keep action ORGANIC
- Trust other characters and use each other in the action - interact, not exchange
- Dialogue should support, not drive the scene. The gains and tactics should be what the audience reads even if the dialogue doesn't necessarily say it
- GROUND YOURSELF
- Don't do anything that isn't necessary. If it doesn't add to the scene, it's unnecessary
- READ the lines - what do they mean?
- UNLOCK THE RISK
Friday, 5 November 2010
1st - 5th November 2010 (Bad Girls Week 2)
Notes to Self
- Think about the character and consider who they are for every gesture, inflection and delivery. Let character arrive organically.
- Show the change in Crystal that occurs throughout the play. Explore the character and play - don't be afraid to get things wrong.
- I Shouldn't Be Here - Stay grounded! Work on confidence and commit to the action.
- I am picking up choreography so much quicker, however, I need to put more emphasis into each move.
- Practice ballet technique to improve flexibility and fitness.
- I feel a lot more confident with choreography, however, I still have very little confidence with ballet.
Thursday, 28 October 2010
18th - 22nd October 2010 (Bad Girls Week 1)
We took part in auditions at the end of last week for Bad Girls The Musical. This audition process was an excellent learning curve and gave me my first experience of a real audition which I feel will prove very useful in the future.
I was successful in my audition and gained the role of Crystal Gordon.
"CRYSTAL GORDON
Sentence: 12 months – for persistent shoplifting
As a bible-bashing Christian, Crystal often takes a critical view of her fellow
inmates and believes that the prison regime is too soft – especially where drugs are
concerned. She can be self-righteous and totally blind to her own selfcontradictions
and often comical as a result. But at heart she’s a kind and caring
person who does believe in standing up for what’s right."
Crystal is a character who is always acting; she hides behind religion and uses it as an excuse to conduct herself as if she is better than everyone else, when really her sentence is just as justified as the rest of the women in the prison. She is extremely contradictory and deluded and I am really looking forward to playing this humorous side to her. On the contrary, her song Freedom Road shows her sensitive side and really tackles the authors intention in the lyrics, which I am also looking forward to performing. Overall, Crystal is a comedic, sensitive and fun character to play and I am really looking forward to developing her role over the next six weeks.
Our vocal lessons this week concentrated on the song Freedom Road. Everyone else in the class studied the ensemble harmonies that lift the song whilst I worked on the melody. The song is very challenging vocally, which I know I am able of, but I need to work on my confidence in order to perform the song to the best of my ability.
As a group, we are starting to work together a lot better than we did when we first started the course. We seem to be much more comfortable with harmonies than we were previously and the overall unity of the group has improved significantly. As Freedom Road is such a soulful vocal song, it is important that we sing the song perfectly and I believe that we can achieve this together.
We began to practice Freedom Road in a round as this is how it will be performed eventually. This was a challenge, but I believe that this will become much easier with practise.
Our drama lesson was workshop based. We first of all re-capped our work on the variety show and identified a strength, weakness and learning point:
Musical theatre uses song because it engages and conveys any information in a more accessible way to the audience. It also adds entertainment to the action.
We discussed the different functions of a song in musical theatre (this is what or how the song adds to the performance):
This gave us a deeper knowledge of musical theatre and how song works throughout a piece.
 |
| Crystal Gordon played by Camilla Beeput in Bad Girls The Musical |
"CRYSTAL GORDON
Sentence: 12 months – for persistent shoplifting
As a bible-bashing Christian, Crystal often takes a critical view of her fellow
inmates and believes that the prison regime is too soft – especially where drugs are
concerned. She can be self-righteous and totally blind to her own selfcontradictions
and often comical as a result. But at heart she’s a kind and caring
person who does believe in standing up for what’s right."
Our vocal lessons this week concentrated on the song Freedom Road. Everyone else in the class studied the ensemble harmonies that lift the song whilst I worked on the melody. The song is very challenging vocally, which I know I am able of, but I need to work on my confidence in order to perform the song to the best of my ability.
As a group, we are starting to work together a lot better than we did when we first started the course. We seem to be much more comfortable with harmonies than we were previously and the overall unity of the group has improved significantly. As Freedom Road is such a soulful vocal song, it is important that we sing the song perfectly and I believe that we can achieve this together.
We began to practice Freedom Road in a round as this is how it will be performed eventually. This was a challenge, but I believe that this will become much easier with practise.
Our drama lesson was workshop based. We first of all re-capped our work on the variety show and identified a strength, weakness and learning point:
- Strength: Vocal performance
- Weakness & Target: Keep up confidence throughout the day, not just during the audition.
- Learning Point: Always prepare
Musical theatre is BODY in TIME and SPACE using song as a vehicle.
Musical theatre uses song because it engages and conveys any information in a more accessible way to the audience. It also adds entertainment to the action.
We discussed the different functions of a song in musical theatre (this is what or how the song adds to the performance):
- Character exposition
- Plot
- Setting
- Mood
This gave us a deeper knowledge of musical theatre and how song works throughout a piece.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
11th - 15th October 2010 (Week 6)
To conclude our project, we performed our jazz dance and musical number as well as our ballet piece in a variety performance.
Good Points
Good Points
- I have gained confidence in dance
- I have improved my skill of dancing and singing at the same time
- I enjoyed having an audience to work with
- Learning how a production works
- Put more practise into each number
- Improve skill of dancing and singing at the same time
- Improve flexibility
4th - 8th October 2010 - (Week 5)
Drama
The imaginary world is a tool necessary for an actor to use when performing. This is because we have to allow our minds to see the world we want to portray in order to create an effective performance and thus use 'the magic if'.
The more vivid an actor's imagination, the more creative and interesting an actor's theatrical choices will be. If a character is a product of a writers imagination, an actor must then use their imagination to bring that character to life.
As part of an exploration on the use of imagination in theatre we completed the 'black box exercise'. This was where we were shown a black metal box and asked to write what we believed was in there. We had no idea what was in the box and so it was up to our imaginations so decide what we wanted to be inside. I decided that there were art supplies inside the box:
Other people chose a variety of things; letters, toys, jewellery and even a rainbow etc.
The Black Box exercise was useful because it helped us to see outside the box (excuse the pun) and allowed us to apply our imagination and understand how it works.
We also used an imagination task to support our monologue work.
We were asked to draw the space in which we imagined our character to be speaking at the time of the monologue. I drew a picture of a teenage girl's extremely messy bedroom where there were clothes all over the floor, the mirror was smashed, pill bottles and empty bottles of wine were scattered on the floor, books were scattered open around the room and ripped or peeling posters of Gothic literature hung from the walls. I believe this is appropriate for my character, Nell, as she is a severely depressed teenager who has lost all hope and I imagine that this is what her room would be like. Drawing this picture really gave me a sense of where I was during the piece, which I feel will benefit me in performance.
This week we also continued progress with our monologues. I presented my monologue to the class and was given feedback in the form of targets to work from:
I have practised the monologue with these adjustments, but I am still finding slowing pace and breathing more steadily a challenge. I think that by breaking the script up into breaks where I should breathe will help me to address this.
Everyone in the class seemed to struggle in the same areas. Pace and breathing seemed to be the problems that everyone shared, however, everyone seemed to have found a monologue which suited them and connected with them in some way. Some people paced their monologue better than others and so I have seen how they slowed their monologue down and I hope to be able to take that technique away and apply it to my own performance.
I believe that addressing the units, meaning and thought processes of the character in the monologue will further establish my knowledge of the character and thus improve the truth of my performance. It has helped me add emotion and meaning to the lines and break down the script into manageable portions.
We were taught not to 'dress up the character' but to 'let the character dress you'. This means that you shouldn't add anything to the character, but let the character's facts and characteristics shape you as a performer. We should work from the foundations of a character and build up as this leads to a truthful product through an organic process.
The imaginary world is a tool necessary for an actor to use when performing. This is because we have to allow our minds to see the world we want to portray in order to create an effective performance and thus use 'the magic if'.
The more vivid an actor's imagination, the more creative and interesting an actor's theatrical choices will be. If a character is a product of a writers imagination, an actor must then use their imagination to bring that character to life.
As part of an exploration on the use of imagination in theatre we completed the 'black box exercise'. This was where we were shown a black metal box and asked to write what we believed was in there. We had no idea what was in the box and so it was up to our imaginations so decide what we wanted to be inside. I decided that there were art supplies inside the box:
Other people chose a variety of things; letters, toys, jewellery and even a rainbow etc.
The Black Box exercise was useful because it helped us to see outside the box (excuse the pun) and allowed us to apply our imagination and understand how it works.
We also used an imagination task to support our monologue work.
We were asked to draw the space in which we imagined our character to be speaking at the time of the monologue. I drew a picture of a teenage girl's extremely messy bedroom where there were clothes all over the floor, the mirror was smashed, pill bottles and empty bottles of wine were scattered on the floor, books were scattered open around the room and ripped or peeling posters of Gothic literature hung from the walls. I believe this is appropriate for my character, Nell, as she is a severely depressed teenager who has lost all hope and I imagine that this is what her room would be like. Drawing this picture really gave me a sense of where I was during the piece, which I feel will benefit me in performance.
This week we also continued progress with our monologues. I presented my monologue to the class and was given feedback in the form of targets to work from:
- Slow down words and try to breathe through the nose whilst talking
- Vary the pace
- Add emphasis for effect in certain places
I have practised the monologue with these adjustments, but I am still finding slowing pace and breathing more steadily a challenge. I think that by breaking the script up into breaks where I should breathe will help me to address this.
Everyone in the class seemed to struggle in the same areas. Pace and breathing seemed to be the problems that everyone shared, however, everyone seemed to have found a monologue which suited them and connected with them in some way. Some people paced their monologue better than others and so I have seen how they slowed their monologue down and I hope to be able to take that technique away and apply it to my own performance.
I believe that addressing the units, meaning and thought processes of the character in the monologue will further establish my knowledge of the character and thus improve the truth of my performance. It has helped me add emotion and meaning to the lines and break down the script into manageable portions.
We were taught not to 'dress up the character' but to 'let the character dress you'. This means that you shouldn't add anything to the character, but let the character's facts and characteristics shape you as a performer. We should work from the foundations of a character and build up as this leads to a truthful product through an organic process.
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