Voice and The Actor

Task 1 - Family member - Mum's voice

Observations 

What kind of tone is the voice?  My mum's tone of voice is calm and reassuring.

How fast or slow do they speak?  The reason is that my mum's tempo changes through excitement and if you're sharing something that is happy, like a memorable moment that is either happy or funny. It changes with the emotions.

Do they pause a lot? She doesn't really pause a lot but, pauses when someone talks after she has said something.

Do they find it difficult to project? I feel like she does struggle to project clearly.

Do they articulate their words? Listening to her speak she does articulate really well because she has worked with older people with poor hearing and this has helped them to understand what she says.

What is the pitch like? Her pitch is a mid-range but, soft pitch.

Do they speak on one tone? No, her voice varies and changes tone when she shouts or if she speaks in a friendly tone.

Do they emphasise certain words? The only words she emphasises are commands like "no",  "dinner" , "bed" etc. This is because she's been ignored and she becomes cross then raises her voice.

Do I like this voice? I like her voice because it's a familiar voice that I grew up with. It's been a comfort and reassuring.

Is the voice loud / voluminous? The voice varies from times she shouts or calls to people but, most of the time voluminous.

Is the voice quiet? At times her voice can be quieter than her normal medium tone of voice.

Is the voice deep? The voice isn't deep at all.

Is it high or low? I'd say it's medium between the two.

Is it strong? Her voice is in-between weak and strong.

Is it weak? Two pick in-between the two, it was stronger than weak/

The other questions where asking about if it was distorted, shaky, crackly, nasal or even clipped but, there was nothing I could hear that pointed out to show these other ways to show the type of tone my mum has.

Task 2 - Famous person - David Tennant 

Observations 

What kind of tone is the voice? He's tone of voice is welcoming but, an excitable tone.

How fast or slow do they speak?  They speak fast, it's the normal pace.

Do they pause a lot? Sometimes, where we're left thinking about what he said.

Do they find it difficult to project? He projects really well, as I do understand him most of the time but, when he talks quickly I struggle to understand it at times.

Do they articulate their words? They do articulate their words quite well but, at times can't understand the way he spoke because of his accent.

What is the pitch like? It varies because of his excitement he brings to the character or the way he would portray a character.

Do they speak on one tone? No.

Do they emphasise certain words? Yes, only if they are trying to make a point.

Do I like this voice? I like his voice because when he speaks he's enthusiastic and

Is the voice loud / voluminous? He's voice is loud.

Is the voice quiet? If he tries to speak quietly it still clear and loud to hear.

Is the voice deep? For a man, he has a range where I don't think he's voice is that deep.

Is it high or low? About mid-range.

Is it strong? He has a strong voice but, with an accent. When he played The Doctor he used something that he was a habit of an accent he has and he's voice isn't weak but, confident when he speaks.

Is it weak? He's voice is defiantly not weak.

The other questions where asking about if it was distorted, shaky, crackly, nasal or even clipped but, I only think he mumbles at times after saying a lot but, he may sort of have a raspy voice too.

Personal Vocal Assessment 

A 5 would be strongly agree whilst a 1 would be strongly disagree on what I am assessing myself.

I would rate myself a 3 or 4 for a good, clear voice production because of my shaky voice and the amount of fillers I use when my nerves kick in. I struggle to remain focused. To sort out this problem is when I'm on stage I need to stop going through my lines and take deep breaths concentrating on the breath then speaking. I believe it works me up and leaves me to show that my performance would be better if I was more relaxed as an actor.

My articulation about a 2 because I need to practise tongue twisters and massage the areas that are most tense in my jawline. I still feel some tension when I am on stage which showed me I don't warm up properly and this also make me feel nervous. So, the cure would be to improve on vowel sounds A, E, I, O, U and the baa, caa, daa, faa, gaa, haa, jaa sort of march where it can help me articulate the sound. My warming outside of class with these exercises I can articulate better.

DV8 Essay

If you’re looking for something that can leave you speechless and after watching something can leave you in a shock from the way a certain company perform, DV8 defiantly shows that.  Lloyd Newson the choreographer, founded the group and DV8 was established in 1986. The company has toured internationally and nationally plus they have completed 19 highly renowned dance pieces.  DV8 Physical Theatre is an Arts-admin associate company and also are a member of Dance UK and ITC. 

In my opinion, DV8 is a strange but, unusual company based on performances I have seen online.  Through "the company’s work’s it’s all about taking risks and breaking down barriers between dance and theatre."  As a company, they do create some unforgettable body movements through the interpretation of dance which is something Newson likes to do. Newson interprets a clear way of the typical British lad culture in modern day times. It's through stereotypical perspectives of the male sex, male's behaviour and especially male relationships.

Throughout the performance I feel like Newson would ask us 'Why should it be acceptable for someone who does footwork around a football but, not acceptable for someone who does footwork in dance?'  I will review why the choreographer would ask us that but, explore the benefit of movement and techniques.

Men in pub during the lad culture

'Enter Archilles' is displayed to us as showing a surreal but, a way that is displaying masculinity or the appearance of the way they show it.  It looks on issues of the society at that time where it was about the lad culture.

The character who speaks out a lot for me is the young lad who wears the superman costume.  He conveyed a different side of the lad culture and the way he was but, he looked the same as all the other men from his appearance.  As soon as he started to dance, the other lads "allowed" him to show the way he behaved.

However, this showed homosexuality at this time was not acceptable because men had restricted themselves to "masculine ways." Then the scene of his feminine side is all of sudden crushed when other male characters don't like the idea of the way he was moving by doing pirouettes and graceful movements.

The sad man's tenderness for the doll - film version

The blow up doll is a metaphorical woman. The tenderness that a sad man in bed makes love and is caressing the doll.  However, he's happier with the doll because he doesn't reply to the phone call which I think someone wanted to date or be with him.

The climax changes later on in the play when one of the guys find out what that sad guy has been up to then brings it into the pub.  The doll is thrown about a lot but, seems the other guy don't really have feelings for woman and just want the woman for sex.

The doll being thrown about in the air by the other men

It gets worse when the guys look like they are punishing the doll with a beer bottle  just because they feel like it's a real offence and it's sounds like some sort of crime has happened.

Some of the lads sing 'I vow to thee my county,' it's a hymn but, originally a poem.  The first and second verses refer to the UK and also when the sang to those who died in the first war.  The may be a war between the lad culture and the tenderness side which led to this event but, they end up laughing about what they have done afterwards leaving the sad man to mourn.

When he holds the doll which is deflated and broken, he still tries to caress it but, his tenderness is still there and he struggles to think because of what others think of him at the time. Also we're sure if he really wanted something to just caress or he actually wants to be with a woman. I feel like he's not like the other lads but, if that was a real woman he would lose her due to his other friends in the lad culture. Deep down I believe he's scared of what happens next if he does date a woman and what will the men think of him them probably the same when he was will that doll.

The point is working class males in this country can't relate well to each other or to woman. In a way, you may argue that there was only one specific emotional meaning which seems quite negative and shown in the play in a different way.  Each of the men is allowed for him to have a distinct personality and how vulnerable they really are.  The theme of this play is filled in with strange surreal comedy but, odd interruptions of physical excitement and enthusiasm e.g. when the superman guy joins in, in a contest based on dance.

The men in the pub with abdications aka the alcohol 

Their main focus was on the pints and it was like their life source, something they all shared.  The pints are a symbol of the weakness and clarity for the men. Sometimes you had them swimming in the alcohol enjoying themselves this shows greed that they are using something they take for granted too much.

If you get greedy then you'll have the want for more and the way it showed that men didn't care about anything but, alcohol. It was something that would always be there and to have.


It proves to show society in Newson's own response to homosexuality but, men more specifically. He's showed how men all act in this way, it has shown a true impact of the lad culture. In order to be a man, they feel like they have someone e.g. a stereotypical guy to look up on and that's the image that every man should be like. This play showed in depth the look of men where us as an audience maybe confused whether to laugh or to be serious about it.

Frantic Assembly Essay

Frantic Assembly is one of the physical theatre companies who create memorable performances with lots of energy.  This attracts new and young audiences, the work reveals us about the contemporary society.  Their physical style is a mixture with movement, design, music and text.

The artistic director, Scott Graham formed the company with Steven Hoggett and Vicki Middleton in 1994.  Also they continued as a company with other inspiring artists today. The company has worked with more than 30 different countries over the world. 

Love Song is a fantastic piece by Frantic Assembly.  To me, this performance is so beautifully pieced together.  We start off with a couple in their twenties called Maggie and Bill who also collide with their future selves later on in life (elderly couple).  

Love Song - Digital Theatre picture. Left - Older husband Bill and wife Maggie. Right - Young husband Bill and young wife Maggie.

They show that throughout the performance their love hasn't changed even thought there have been many ups and downs in their lives.  However, there is always a sense of affectionate closeness between this couple.

In my opinion, I loved the way that both couples interacted with each other through the movements either with the opposite age of their partner. The young wife dances with her older husband, this is his memory of his wife Maggie in the past. However, the young husband Bill with his older version of his wife, Maggie. She implies the importance of this decision that she wants Bill to help her solve her end of her illness.

Those memories where something that we can’t always see but, the one who’s in love with the other person and has grown up with that person can see them the way they could be or used to be.  I believe it was shown in perspective to how time and our lives can change but, memories are never forgotten.
  The emotional truth is revealed through the movements of young Bill and older Maggie scene when they make love because love conquers time but, time is running out and it's precious to any one. Like any other couple, they don't want to lose each other because Maggie's illness is pushing them down.

The thoughts and imagery felt like they were depicting the way that they always remembered each other or what they could imagine them to be like.  Time is melting away for the older Maggie since she is making a decision of what happens next because she's very sick.

I noticed that through Love Song we could see the habits or the things that made the person who they were like e.g. women moved her hand over head, brushing her hair slightly.  This action was used for both characters as it was something that the character would usual do. It was recognisable and show that action hadn't changed. 

Another memorable scene was the bed scene in this play. With the younger and older selves diving in and out of the bed in such a way, that it was incredible to watch. I think they were either reminding each other of what's happened or what's to come. So, possibly haunting each other in this dream or nightmare. The actions and the way they moved made me think of a bad dream because they turned into something strange. The music related to their movements building up tension and speed created a new meaning to this dream. 

A few weeks ago, we watched some video clips on YouTube including Frantic Assembly's version of the chair duets. Chair duets is where in partners you work by creating a scene through movement but, it's a different way to create a story.  It's a devising method and I believe it will help me but, also many others benefit ideas to incorporate physical theatre into future performances.  Relating to the music, the speed can relate to the way they act.  http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/10-03-2015/ZXxpl1.gif

For example with this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ_9Eaog2yw these students have used a upbeat video with quite a quick tempo and it shows a story that they keep pushing away or working together but, not all the time.  If the music tempo was different then we would have got a different. 

The chair duets that I did with Rhys was difficult to keep up with but, as soon as you have got a rhythm you remember and enjoy this new technique of creating a story.  I thought it was very creative, you had to improvise but, we had chance to improvise.  I had an idea to hide my face or cover my mouth too since it could mean I didn't want to see something or couldn't talk about what just happened.  The feedback we got was the idea of relationship but, had lots of problems from the actions and the times I kept cover up certain features of my face.  Not everyone wants to the facial expressions so, I thought my body language needed to be clear too. 

The other members of the class's chair duets due to music choice it could end up something quite sweet like a happy relationship or perhaps like a sibling fight. The amount of energy would determine the mood.  However, you need to concentrate a lot, focus and need to have the right rhythm for it to work really well. The main thing to remember is to focus on the rhythm and pattern than what's going on around you. Performing in front of a class audience when something goes wrong showed me I didn't have enough focus but, if I did it for a longer period I would hopefully be remember it much better than I did a few weeks ago. 

There are many other lifts we tried including jet packs or the superman type of lift but, we had to put a lot of trust into each other. Without trust there would be no teamwork. It was tricky because you needed to try and not only lift them for a long period of time but, navigate them. In shows, the actors really bring it to life and feel like we are on an adventure to space with them. From clips that Frantic Assembly performed, the lifts showed how creative and how the sound effects hid the fact that someone wasn't just being carried but, in fact created a story for the one who was being lifted up.

Personally, I believe that Frantic Assembly's methods is something that I would love to explore again or explore some new methods. If I involve their methods in my work it can encourage me to create more ideas for performances because their methods are inspiring and different to what I have found out about other physical theatre companies before. 

Bibliography

Websites

- http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/cherryorchard/context.html

- http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/cherryorchard/themes.html

- http://www.shmoop.com/cherry-orchard/characters.html

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Images from websites

- http://www.bawds.org/kathy_wholley1.htm

- http://orion.neiu.edu/~stagectr/CherryOrchard/CherryOrchard.html

- http://www.gradesaver.com/the-cherry-orchard/study-guide/character-list


These are the sources I used for my research that have helped me with my blog. Also these images are references to those who have performed the character Chalotta and this has helped me with my character choices.

The Cherry Orchard Evaluation

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov was a difficult play to perform and I played the part of Charlotta Ivonana. The themes were about loss, memory, old Russia and how had changed. My character in each performance really showed the way I saw than the way Chekhov saw her. I feel I didn't capture her in the same way he did. Through my evaluation, I will also talk about the strengths and weaknesses to how each performance developed.

Basics

One of the weaknesses in the basic skills of the performances a few of us were unsure of our lines.  This was due to being under rehearsed which effected the pace, timing and confidence of our performances. It was lacing pace and at times made the play less interesting e.g. in our first performance in Act 4.  However, we did pull together in the other performances and would the play to life with high energy.

In a short space of time the play proved to be more difficult. Not knowing our lines also led to awkward silences. We were under rehearsed because we had short allotted amount of time to properly rehearse and punctuality was an issue.  


Characterization

I found it difficult to keep my character because I felt like I was acting like myself at times, letting the characterization slipped away. Most of the characters managed to keep completely in character. Personally, I think my character on the first was too soft and I didn't reveal the outer shell of this character but, revealed what was hidden underneath her. A character like Charlotta you need to be a strong woman, someone who has lived but, experiences things that the other characters haven't. She could be a different woman if she wasn't a governess but, the character needed to be a strong individual.

Someone who really had great characterization was Jack's character, Simeon. He kept the clumsiness and really changed the character. It was nothing like himself. In a way, he helped me out to get back on track after I performed my monologue at sat down. Also the emotional memory helped to think of past experiences where you'd have to be the stronger woman. It raised the energy and helped me continue my character.

Also I improved in my next two performance, developing gestures that were obvious for my character and remember my physicality of what I did last time. The confidence grew with my character, especially when the ideas this time was not to reveal my soft side. The difficulty was I felt like I revealed myself a lot rather than character.


Stylistically

The style of the piece showed that all the time it may have been realistic but, I felt the costume for my character was unclear to show what status I was. I would of thought the Victorian type of lace top and trousers was an idea. In a way, I felt like I was a servant from the outfit and it didn't show my class.

However, from the (picture to the right) I was basing it Kathy Wholley's idea look as I didn't want to make it the clothing choice to feminine as it would not suit the character. Relating it to the idea about the way she presented herself and the way I presented the way my character looked way good because even if I looked lower class it showed that it didn't seem like something a governess would wear in my eyes.

Was it a naturalistic performance?

I believe we did perform and give a naturalistic performance. The set setted the scene with the type of chairs and furniture at the time. We did three simple gestures that would show that the character did these things normally.

Conclusion

I still have a lot of developments I can make to those weakness and strengths. It has depicted on each performance that my vocal tone and they way it was mostly a middle range a lot of the time. I could of experimented and explored the character creatively but, I didn't use much imagination as I focused to much on the information that I was given than exploring. Professionally I need to know the things I need to improve on which are my vocal tone, physicality and creative which are key things that I lack in my performances. To be professional to reach my career aims, I need to break barriers and be more creative and in depth of the character that was a weakness to me.

                                 

Character Study - Charlotta

Who am I? She is Anya's governess. She is a in late thirties / earlier forties.

Charlotta's cucumber moment in her monologue

Name: Charlotta Ivanovna. The Russian meaning of Charlotta means masculine or a "free man." I think it's quite an appropriate name for the character. I think this could relate to what she's like as a person.

Where am I? The house she lives in is the estate next to an cherry orchard in Russia with Lyubov, her family and other household.

When is it? The Cherry Orchard is set in 19th Century Russia. It's between May and October. The weather is cold when they arrive back to Russia after being 5 years since they were last here.

What do I want? She'd do anything to have company or wants to have have something to love. I also feel like she wants someone to except her for who she is.

Why do I want it? Charlotta feels that she's alone. She's the only one who's a different class (middle class) to the others. What Charlotta wants is to have children of her own, the cot moment conveys that when she sings she remembers the times when she looked after Anya. She wants to be loved and have a family. She is the very opposite of Lyubov however, they both want a soul mate.

How will I get it? Whenever she has the chance to flirt or talk sense with the other men in the household, she will try to see if she can persuade them to like her for who she is. The difficulty is for those men to understand what she means.

What must I overcome? She's a hard and a strong person on the outside but, underneath she is soft and loving person. The cradle moment in the play revealed her gentle side and shows her attachment in the way she speaks in her motherly tone. It's a complete opposite of the way she is towards the other members of the household. Charlotta needs to overcome the barrier that she won't let anyone see her sensitive weak side because maybe people can see her in a different light.

Past life: She's a single governess who doesn't really fit in. She follows in the footsteps of her parents performing magic tricks but, Anya (Lyubov's daughter) does complain about it. Ivanovna is an orphan, her parents were travelling performers and when they died a German lady took care of her.  Also she has no home and no strong identification about the past. She travelled with Anya to find Lyubov and accompany them back to the estate.

Present day: As the estate and the cherry orchard is going to be auctioned to pay the bank their debt, it's difficult for Charlotta to find work as Anya doesn't need a governess any more. She's a strong and independent woman, Ivanovna is still lonely.

Charlotta's objective is to support the family and look after them when they get back to the estate.

Charlotta's super-objective  is to find love and find someone who understands. That means at times to try to break down the barrier to show others that she can be different and show the person she used to be before becoming a governess.

Summary 

This character is lonely but, Lyubov was the one who has been kind to her since that's who gave her the job. She has been looking after Anya for a long time now. The memories that Charlotta has is missing the times when she looked after Anya and raising her as her own.  Part of her wishes she could find love and have a family but, she's quite a deep person.


This character is a real challenge to portray.

The Cherry Orchard

 Introduction

The Cherry Orchard is our second play that we were given as a class. It was the last play Anton Chekhov wrote before he died in 1904. Chekhov was a Doctor and started writing to see him through medical school. He's someone who has seen a lot but, thought of people differently through status, affection and manner. The play does relate to his experiences and the way he thinks about Russia but, he learnt about with people who have different experiences.

What do I know about Naturalism so far?

Chekhov and Stanislavski are two Russian playwrights who we have explored but, are both followers of Naturalism.

Chekhov

Chekhov is one of the leaders in naturalistic drama writing. Before he pursed a career in journalism and writing short stories, he trained but, briefly worked as a Doctor.

His plays include naturalism which mirror real life and actually events that happened. The pause was vital in his plays as this device revealed a truth in the pause.  An event can change nothing but, the characters in the play are effected "You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible." ( Brainquote.com )  For example in The Cherry Orchard Lyubov isn't sure about putting her trust and belief into Alexander hands about the estate. As a result, Alexander decides to save her debt but, manages to loose her trust life becomes impossible because she can't save the orchard either. Things become impossible when you don't trust others then becomes worth of how to trust yourself.

Relating it to the play "It's funny how sometimes the people you'd take a bullet for, are the one's behind the trigger." Alexander for a fact was defiantly the one behind the trigger and Lyubov would take a bullet for her family and household but, everyone would be effected in this event. When something is taken away from you, it's difficult to let go especially when the person who made the decision is the one you and everyone else trusted but, had a planning to ruin her.

Chekhov's plays related to his life. The Cherry Orchard was written from early 1901 to late 1903 and it was one of the last two plays he wrote. Since he has been diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1898, he had special care of seeing a Doctor regularly and was on the Mediterranean Island of Yalta. This was in order to spare his lungs.

Stanislavski 

Stanislavski was different to Chekhov.  Stanislavski didn't graduate as he continued to self-educate while travelling in Several European countries.  He studied in museums and libraries, he's the leading practitioner of The System.

The System includes:

The Magic If  - Stanislavski said that the character should ask the question "What should I do in this situation?" This means that the actor then puts themselves into the character's situation. This helps to motivate the character to play the role.

Imagination  

Emotional memory - They actor finds a similar past experience that they could relate it with their character. The feelings can be "borrowed" to bring the character's feelings to life. 

Actions - They could either be actions or gestures from what how the character should show themselves to be like.

Objectives - When the actor needs to achieve that target that was set for them.

These different techniques in The System is used to help train actors and actresses to draw believable and realistic emotions throughout their performances.

Exploring The Cherry Orchard play 

As a class we had a read-through for everyone to all learn about before we got the characters. I thought it was helpful so we could discuss about the play with my other peers as I did understand the play but, wanted to get a better understanding. So, I did some research about the context, the characters and play The Cherry Orchard by using www.sparknotes.com which helped me to learn about the play better and it was broken down easier than a site like Wikipedia. This play is very difficult to not only perform but, the style I found was difficult to think about.

After we got given the scripts of which scenes we would do, we when then told our characters. I found out the character I was given is the governess called Charlotta. Next we got into groups of which act we were in however, I was put in Act 1 for the moment even if I had one line but, Karen decided to add the servant scene to Act 1 in so I would have a bit more to say and a chance to perform her monologue in the way Chekhov sees Charlotta to be like.

I have struggled this character a lot. It's difficult to see what she's like but, after researching her it turns out that she is a lonely character that doesn't really fit in. I also found out she's an orphan but, her parents were both travelling performers

Plantonov 

Karen took us to see Plantonov which was one of the 4 part plays at the Chichester Festival Theatre. This was because if we watched a play performed it would help us the way the actors use naturalism and how Chekhov's plays work, We were told to look out to see if any of the characters could relate to the character in the Cherry Orchard. I couldn't see anyone or relate to anyone from the characters in the play. I didn't feel that my character was in anyway like them at all.

The pauses were good like the time Plantonov was sitting outside his house alone thinking. It was effective and realistic because it was something that someone would naturally do when they are alone. Some people are looking to escape from where they are, Plantonov was trying to escape from lots of different woman and work out what he would need work out to achieve his objective at the end of the play. However, a powerful pause would be after something dramatic happens e.g. when Plantonov is shot. The silence may be deafening but, it can give an intense imagery and reveal a deeper meaning to the play.

I loved the lighting and scenery. The way that that by the lighting you could tell by what time of day it was whether it was the evening, the morning or the afternoon. The detail that the lighting designer, director and stage manager not just thought about the whole picture but, also thought about the individual pictures to make it realistic.

 The similarities were that both plays introduced us to a female landowner who owned the estate. Also the characters relate to Chekhov when he lost the estate. However, Lyubov relates to him more as she also planted a cherry tree like Chekhov did so, the memories were powerful and it was difficult to erase the pain when it was cut down.

The idea I pictured of what our play was going to look like with furniture I imagined with wooden furniture and we could add the lighting dimming or brightening to show the time of day it was than have the same light throughout the play. Lightening can be a key to show how we can show the light to be a realistic part of this play.

What is The Cherry Orchard about? What's the significance of The Cherry Orchard?

The blossom on the cherry trees

The Cherry Orchard is set in 19th Century Russia when a family return to the estate to find out that they don't have long to find a way to owe the bank their debt. It leads to only one solution which is to auction the estate. However, The Cherry Orchard is shown to be the most valuable and precious memorable thing that it's struggle for Lyubov the household owner to let go. It's going to be a complicated and difficult decision to make especially when the Cherry Orchard holds so many memories.  Something's our precious back in the past but, not always precious in the future.

The Cherry Orchard symbolises different thoughts from each character in the play.  For example, it reminds Lyubov of her memories from her youth when she says "I feel like a little girl again."  She doesn't want to loose it because it's something precious to her so, cutting it down would not just kill the cherry orchard but, part of her heart would break too.  However, her friend Alexander wants to cut down the cherry orchard to make a fortune and doesn't understand how much this orchard is worth to Lyubov.

Chekhov's past relates to this because he knew about cherry trees and planted a cherry tree on an estate in Melikhovo and had purchased it in 1982. However, not long later he lost the estate and the new owner cut down the cherry trees. So you can see where he got the idea of the play that is related to his experiences.

The Cherry Orchard is a paradise that Lyubov never wants to be lost. Convincing him is difficult because all Alexander's cares about is the money that he'll get than the beauty of this orchard.  His difficult childhood pushes him to the direction of killing this wonderful creation.

The difficulties of both characters relate to memory and loss which is two of the themes in this play.

19th Century Russia

19th Century Russia was a time of great change.
           
Music


The choice of music that could have been used to introduce our play could be something sound sad but, something with meaning of life to being with. The old Russian song "Why are you so sad, Maria?" The song sounds like a good way to open the play. I could imagine it relating to The Cherry Orchard and the way it could reflect on the memory but, also the character's who have lost something precious to them. It feels like this song represents the pain, memory and the way each character reflects on who they really are. It could also work as the music for the end of the play to be like a reflection of the past but, a way that life still carries on.  I think this music may be a good thing to use if we ever going to do another Russian play but, I feel that it is quite sad for the beginning of the play.

The Wardrobe Evaluation

From the first to my third and last performance of The Wardrobe play by Sam Holcroft, I still think that each performance has room for improvement.  I have many strengths and weakness that reflect on my performance.  

One of my weaknesses was my time management, this includes remembering the lines I had to say for the performance, well enough for the deadline on the Tuesday in September.  Through my first performance, I was so focused on the props and having energy for the performance that I basically forgot my lines, I blanked at times because I struggled to remember them.  Next time, I need to learn my lines by finding other ways to rehearse and learn them.  Also I need to meet my deadlines better instead of me getting stressed and worrying during the performance which is the reason that I blanked.  I need to practise more and this will help me make sure that I don’t panic during my lines at any point in the performance and that it goes more smoothly next time.

Another weakness is my aim for my performances. In them, I was meant to relive Narnia for the character Lucy, but I am not sure whether the audience got the feel of the character or whether I portrayed the fact that she was ill as I wasn't caring enough towards her in my first performance. I could have shown the fact that she was ill better than I did for example the action of a simple hug or rubbing her back whilst looking at her as I said “come on please.”

However, the second performance one audience member asked “Was I Lucy’s mother or sister?” They also said about how I captured the mother and sister character. This became a positive and strength for the aim and actor skill of characterisation. Through each gesture, action and word I could lead people to think my character is responsible, sensible and someone that Lucy looks up to as either a mother or as a sister.

Entering and exciting the wardrobe is also a strength of mine for scene 11. When I opened the door, I entered as a cheerful, happy girl but on the other hand I was slightly clumsy which I showed through my actions when putting the props down and throughout the scene.  This improved my performance from blanking a bit when I was speaking my lines and not showing the right level of care towards Lucy.

The support from the other character in the play helped me to slowly remember them again and get back on track. The play was able to carry on being performed, this shows my team playing skills and using support either from another character or props in the performance helped myself get back on track at the point I went blank.

I feel that despite my weaknesses, I carried out my part in the play well and my strengths meant I was able to keep focused than become confused and lost, I managed to carry on using the support I mentioned earlier and so my performance, which on one hand could have been better, was good and I can build on my strengths more. Also I need to work on my weaknesses by next time, as I mentioned, practising and rehearsing more and also by being more organised, this will mean that I can perform to the best of my abilities to carry out my part in the play as well as I can do.

The System

Naturalism to me is to be yourself and be realistic when performing either in a play or performing alone.  However, discussing about Naturalism and what I knew I had heard of Method Acting but, wasn't quite sure what it meant.  However, it's really difficult to understand the terms because I feel like I get confused with naturalism and realism.

The diagram below are some of things that Naturalism include.  The two Russian practitioner's we looked at were Anton Chekhov and Stanislavski.  Chekhov is one of the leaders in naturalistic drama writing. However, he trained and briefly worked as a Doctor.  Then he pursed a career in journalism and writing short stories. Chekhov's plays include naturalism which mirror real life including real people and actually events that happened. However, another well known Russian playwright Stanislaski was different to Chekhov.  Stanislavski didn't graduate as he continued self-education while travelling in Several European countries.  He also studied in libraries and museums too.  Stanislavski is the leading practitioner of The System.

Naturalism diagram - collective answers as a class in lesson

What is the difference between naturalism and realism?

Naturalism is a mirror of life on the stage and seeks to be the exact same example of how life would occur.  This can be viewed as "an extreme form of Realism where all characters were the product of their environment." Actors in this case would act as "they would" not as "they could" meaning that the actor would act as exactly as they would in real life depending on the circumstance they were faced with.  You could be performing with your back to the audience or perhaps speaking with your mouth open as that is the way you would normally act in real life.  A realist scene would in this case represent life and the actors would make they way they act more accessible to the audience.

Naturalism is based on evolution and the importance of the environment because it has more scientific source and actions are drawn from scientific reasons.  Meanwhile, realism is only influenced but, not by much. The only part it takes is what is real and then manipulates it for it's own needs of this term.

These terms are both similar only by the way the actor is portraying a real character on stage. Realism and naturalism both needs to show the character how believable it is to the audience.  On the other hand, they are different in this manner as naturalism is as it "must happen" and the events must lead up to the scenario.

For example, in class if you were given a circumstances to break so bad news you would just let them know straight away it would be quite difficult.

We were given different scenarios in class to see how we would show to break the news. It normally occurred that we would break the news quicker than usual.  Now thinking about the scenario I was given about not having long to live I feel like it would have been very different to the way I did perform it.

I must admit I did rush and broke the bad news quite quickly.  If I was in this given circumstances, I would be looking around the room and slowly walking around maybe sat in a corner alone feeling quite down. This would be difficult to tell someone else and would take me a little while before my emotions got the better to me then let it out.

Each person would break news in different ways but, I didn't do it naturally even the body language certainly felt I was in someone else's shoes.

Realistic plots could happen but, depending on the circumstances that weren't anything to do with the circumstance but, could be influenced on questionable external factors that can still become believable to an audience.

The System

This term is the methods used by Stanislavski to raise a good performance in his actors. The main ones that we looked at was actions, objectives, the magic if, the relaxed actor and imagination.



Sources used: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zxn4mp3/revision/3

Character Profile

Character Study

Susan when she enters The Wardrobe with her siblings in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Name: Susan Pevensie (A)

Since we could decide on what to call our characters I decided that because we are reading the story of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Lucy's sister Susan the storyteller in this case who's a caring and like a mother character towards Lucy (B) who has not long to live. By re-creating the Narnia scene, Susan suits the role of the storyteller well.

Age:
She's 17 years old and is the second oldest but, Susan is the oldest sister out of the Pensive children.

Relationships:
Her mother was called Helen Pevensie who was related to one of the eldest Scrubbs. Susan's mother may have explored Narnia when she was a young girl as she was named Helen after the name of the first Queen of Narnia. In this fist draft, Professor Kirke was a relative of her mother's but, I have decided that is the real reason why her siblings and her are staying there when they were evacuated from the war. Her father Mr Pevensie (his first name is unknown) and he's the head of the Pevensie family.

Susan has a cousin called Eustace Scrubb, he was jealous of the Pevensies sibling bond since he was a only child and had no friends. The Pevensies and The Scrubbs family's relationship isn't so clear as I am unsure of how often they saw or met often. It seems that the families didn't clearly get along with each other.

Susan with her siblings in Narnia

She has an older brother called Peter aged 21, then two younger siblings called Edmund aged 15 and Lucy aged 13. Susan had a good sibling bond with all of them but, she did tease them over the fact that Narnia was just a fairytale for children. Since she had thought that she had grown up she didn't wanted to be the sensible and more mature one since she was 17 and almost 18. However, deep down I'm sure Susan believed it was still real but, covered it up.

Class:
Middle Class / Upper Class - Susan is wealthy and lives with The Professor along with her siblings.  The wardrobe has been through different time periods e.g. Tudor times this means that it's very expensive in value. Also that the wardrobe has a lot of history and there was always a story to tell. This Wardrobe in particular was an importance to The Pevensies


Likes: She likes archery and is a very talented archer. She also likes to travel and has been on a trip with her mother and father to America during the summer of 1942.

Education:
In 1937, at the age of 9 she began attending a boarding school. Susan is intelligent and has been well educated, she can read and write really.

Experiences:
Susan was the last person to believe in Aslan and Narnia because she struggle to believe right from the start. She's more serious than her younger sister Lucy and also after leaving Narnia she believed that Narnia was "just a game." This just felt like a fantasy that she was interested in for a bit with her siblings but, she forgot about the fact Susan is still a child.

In scene 11, she stepped out of her serious, grown up self and became a kind but, creative and imaginative person to re-create Narnia for the last time. I wanted to show Susan's kind and mothering side of her than her being stubborn but, serious because I needed to show the way she really was when she visited Narnia. Her imagination changed and through scene 11 I need to complete Lucy's dream.

Lives:
She lived in London, England then evacuated to Dorset and stays in a house but, her home is also Narnia when she enters The Wardrobe that both of her younger siblings have already explored.

Time period:

It's 1954, the time of the Post War.  The idea was that we would set scene 11 a few years after the book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  The book was published in 1950 and a few years after it became a popular book for children.


Her main objective is to re-create Narnia once again before Lucy her sister dies. I want Lucy to experience the happier time in the past when she discovered Narnia. The idea is for Lucy to escape from reality and not think of the circumstances of Cancer. I'm transporting her through an adventure back to an experience that she never wants to forget.

My character is not just a sister but, also a mother figure. Being in Narnia, she could become the child she used to be and living with her sister who has a terminal illness it's difficult to become detached at times from that person.  Without Susan, Lucy felt like life wouldn't be the same and the imagination she would bring to create Narnia by using household props e.g. sieve, teddy or icing sugar. If you do one little favour for someone it can mean a lot towards that person.


The inner obstacle for Susan was her imagination and her childhood memories to not be game. The difficult thing for Susan was that she needed to look past this for Lucy. Narnia wasn't a game or a joke or just a story in Lucy's head it was a real experience. However, her outer obstacle was to be happy and escape from the truth from what was really going to happen Lucy. She would need to put a brave face on and give her the truth of this fairytale to show that she was just normal young girl. Susan is her light in the darkness and like any mother would is to care but, to make their daughter / son get the happiness they deserve in troubled, difficult times e.g. cancer.

The relationship between Lucy and Susan is not just a sister bond but, a mother and daughter bond. Since her parents died in a train accident, Susan is doing the best she can too look after Lucy like a worried and caring mother would. Her tears can become quiet difficult to hide towards the end of the scene when Lucy starts to crying remember Narnia but, Susan feels like the truth is too powerful and leaves her nervous what the future holds.

Sources used: http://narnia.wikia.com/wiki/Susan_Pevensie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Pevensie#The_Lion.2C_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe

The Wardrobe by Sam Holcroft

Entry 1 - 10th September

About the play 

Our first play we have been introduced to is called The Wardrobe by Sam Holcroft.  The play is about a fixed object in this case a wardrobe which was built in the Tudor times and has survived through different periods of time.  There are 12 scenes in the play where we visit a different time period throughout the five centuries of British History.  Each scene shows how much this object means to each character when they climb in to the wardrobe e.g. hide or escape.

The video we watched on the National Theatre connections website Holcroft was discussing and thinking about how much energy young people have and how she wanted that to become a challenge in a small space, I liked the idea she was thinking of.  She spoke that "when you create Live theatre you generate a lot of energy" but, the fact is that she wants young people to try and confide the energy into a small space e.g. a Wardrobe.  Personally, it sounds like a challenge after hearing this it confused me a little bit because I wasn't quite sure how we would contain the energy in that space.  However, she then talked about a "pressure cooker" and saying about if there was a lot of energy in one confined space you can get lots of explosions that lead to other "wonderful things" can happen. I am starting to understand the idea of a pressure cooker and how this can help when it builds up to certain events.

Over the different periods of history contains either a hidden meaning, truth and story. Throughout the play we find out that some people made markings on the wardrobe.

Based on the writer's teenage years she often wanted to escape for many reasons e.g. bored at school or struggling with family problems.  However, by escaping she felt that she could be herself.  By showing each scene in different periods Holcroft wanted to highlight the different people who wanted to close a door on the outside world because of the the circumstances of the life and it's conditions.

Entry 2 - 14th September

What is Physical Theatre? 

Physical Theatre is a form on theatre that puts emphasise on the movement than the dialogue. There is vast number of deviations because the genres cover a wide range of work. The human body is used as the main storyteller. It's abstract in style then portrayed through movement in a realistic way.

DV8's production "Can we talk about this?"

DV8's production "Can we talk about this?" Through the production the performers and director used physical theatre to express extremely complicated but, delicate movements to narrate political and social issues. When words are difficult to explain alone combining body language and words can emphasise a lot more than just words alone.

Entry 3 - 15th September

Our work today was about naturalism which we discussed in pairs and then as a group to see what we knew already.  It was difficult to start of with because the only thing two words I had in my mind was realistic and believable. I have heard of naturalism but, was unsure of any other words to describe or relate to naturalism. However, the real struggle for me is to know the difference between naturalism and realism. The words naturalism and realism can be used a lot or said instead of the other word to mean the same when they actually aren't.

The spider diagram I made during the lesson gave me an idea of what we knew as a class about naturalism e.g. key terms or practitioners.

21st September

Titles for Scene 11 in The Wardrobe

The first title I came up with was based on the ideas that a child would experience through their time in the wardrobe.  The Wonders of The Wardrobe was based on the idea that a child would be exploring a world full of magic and fantasy. Children love snow and in the winter it has that effect of making places look like a wonderland. A fantasy in this scene was to help the girl Lucy imagine and experience something amazing even though to her it may just look like a wardrobe even, . As the writer has said previously in a video I watched about young people having "extraordinary" imaginations they can bring the fantasy they see through their own dreams to live in front of those who would love to experience this too. For example, the storyteller which shares this journey with Lucy who has cancer so it's a dream of hers that she's been anticipating for a while. Using props, music and words it can help Lucy to believe that this fantasy is happening. A little bit of imagination can go a long way.

Opening the doors to escape and discover - Lucy from the film Narnia

Comparing it to the film you imagine the way that Lucy discovers the wardrobe in a room and then it leads here to the amazing place called Narnia. For any child, it's a fantasy to be in a place like Narnia. So, this wardrobe is an not just an escape from reality but, a break from the outside world and a chance to just be herself by not worrying about what conditions she has e.g. cancer but, being herself is the best thing because you can shut a door from life's adversity. Also Lucy's fairytale or fantasy can come true through her own imagination from words by a storyteller.

The second title sounds a bit strange as we struggled to think about what else we could have. The Heart of The Wardrobe sounds mysterious but, not so easy to explain. I have just had a thought that maybe it could be called "Home is where the heart is" because Lucy in the play cries when she is happy that her dream could finally come true.  So, it's a comforting and the place where she would rather be.

We all have somewhere where we'd rather be.  For Lucy in the film it was Narnia that she explored, the play writer decides that in this scene the child with a serious illness at the time of the  Post War the wardrobe and the adventure feeling like a dream or wish of her's waiting to happen before she dies then hopes to visit. In the present day, a final wish for a child with a serious illness could be Disneyland as it's a world of fantasy and fairytale that every kid wishes to go. In this time, I am sure every child would love to go to place like Narnia.

A wonderland that every kid would dream of like Lucy's wonderland which is Narnia

23rd September

We warmed up differently by listening to Jeanette the head of voice as she lead us through a series of warm ups. The first video was to do with breathing, as you listen to her you can relax and ignore everyone else because you are concentrating on yourself. However, at the beginning I did feel a little bit strange because I didn't feel so focus but, when paying attention to her voice you can start to focus much a better.  Concentrate on the breath, you can feel the diaphragm and taking each step slowly you soon learn notice how much each warm up is important for an actor.

The breathing exercises either breathing in and then out with an "s" sound this helps to feel the organisation of each breathing muscles. This is to do with breath control and holding on to the sound. However, also doing spinal roles relaxes each vertebrae in my body but, I need to remember that if I come up to quickly I get blood rushed to my head then start to feel dizzy. If I come slowly, I can feel my ribcage open up, it helps to keep the connection will the belly and the back.

Each breathing exercise is an essential start to any vocal warm-up. This organises the breathing muscles and extend the capacity of the voice. When lying on the floor, feet flat knees raised as you let your breathe. Relax your shoulders, then relax the back of your neck as you let the breath respond to your position. Relax the jaw by giving it a massage to not have any tension is each muscle.

Without doing any exercise my body would have tension and wouldn't feel focus when practising today's lines. The difficulties of reading a poem was struggling to read the lines after reading it then saying it with a certain purpose as I couldn't help but, laugh. Eye contact is very challenging because when people look at you in a serious or certain way for too long I feel like it is out of my comfort zone. It's strange because when we talk to someone we look at them but, one on the spot we feel under pressure. I need to learn how to not laugh when looking at someone for too long.