Reflection

I think that during my time at East 15, I have learned to strip away all the "acting" in my performances. I feel like my performances have become much more natural and believable. I have stopped pushing the emotion and trying too hard, this has allowed me to relax more on stage and truly experience the emotions and thought process of a character. This will help me a lot, especially when acting for camera, as my acting is much more subtle and honest than it was before. I have done this through being able to see what is going in through a first person perspective rather than a third person perspective. I feel like I used to try too hard to put on the character and work on their mannerisms/physicality/voice too much before rather than focusing on how I say the lines and the emotion/truth/motivation behind what I'm saying.

I feel like I am able to approach my work in a variety of ways now. I will be able to take on a speech/character in greater detail. By experimenting with ways of performing, I can analyse my performances to see what was effective and how I can improve. I have learned how to work under high pressured/tiring circumstances which has allowed me to see the real world of acting. I have also learned how to find depth to a character through detailed character research and researching the world of the play to see why they act the way they do and how the given circumstances affect them.

I’ve become more creative in my ideas and have realised that creating my own work with others is very important in the world of theatre, not just being able to act well. It’s made me realise that this is what I may want to go into. I’ve also had fun in story telling/ physical theatre and think that these are great ways to produce work, both creating and watching.

One of the most important things I’ve learned is that is that acting requires maturity and focus at all times as well as having fun. This is difficult for me as I tend to day dream and I’m not always fully present. This made me realise a year out might be useful in order to dee the world more before full time training.

Shakespearean/Jacobean research

 Playhouses

There were two different types of playhouse in London during Shakespeare’s time. There were outdoor playhouses, also known as ‘amphi theatres’ or ‘public’ playhouses, and indoor playhouses, also known as ‘halls’ or ‘private’ playhouses. 
All outdoor playhouses had: 

• A central yard that was open to the sky;
• A raised stage sticking out into the yard;
• A roof over the stage, which was called ‘the heavens’,although the first Rose theatre (1587-92) may not havehad one;
• A tiring house behind the stage with a backstage area,where actors dressed and waited to come on. Abovethis were lords’ rooms, rooms for storage, and a roomlevel with ‘the heavens’ to work the special effects from
• Galleried seating all around the yard, on several levels,which was roofed.

There were several differences between indoor and outdoor theatres. Indoor theatres were:

• smaller than outdoor playhouses, holding about 500
 people, not thousands.
• built inside an existing building, so not open to the sky.
• more expensive (ranging from 6d to 2s and 6d),
 compared with open yard standing (at 1d) as in
 outdoor playhouses.

• lit by candles as well as daylight through the windows.

The Globe 

Playhouses, like the Globe, were outdoor theatres – they had some covered seating, but the yard in the middle was open to the sky. Indoor theatres were inside a larger building, so had a roof. They were much smaller than outdoor theatres. Plays were performed in the round and the Globe was very large. Therefore, actors would have to be very loud in order to be heard as they didn't have any microphones. The design of this theatre was possibly adapted from the inn-yards that had been used for rehearsals. The building was a polygonal wooden building with three galleries that surrounded an open yard.The Globe was very expensive to construct by Elizabethan standards. 

Actors

In this era, it was only boys and men who were allowed to become professional actors in England. Women were allowed to act in other areas of Europe, however this wasn't allowed in Shakespeare's productions. Women were not allowed to perform in public theatres until 1660. Boys would play all the female parts in shows while men would occasionally play the older women. While most women's roles were played by boys or young men in the all-male casts, occasionally some iconic or comedic female parts such as Juliet's Nurse may have been played by a particularly famous or popular actor.This seems very unfair as women are just as important as men in plays within today's society and I think we would struggle to cop without female actors. I find it strange that boys would have to play female parts as this would take away from the naturalism or truth within a performance. However, Shakespeare's plays weren't usually naturalistic so it wouldn't have been too odd at the time. There was a large variety of characters to be played and some actors were renowned for specializing in a certain type of part. This meant that William Shakespeare wrote some parts for a specific actor to portray. For example, Dogberry, in Much Ado About Nothing, was written for William Kemp because he was very good at physical comedy. Actors in Shakespeare's time also had to be skillful in fencing, dancing, singing and playing musical instruments in his plays. The costumes in Shakespeare's plays weren't usually historically accurate. Instead, they were very modern and designed to be aesthetically pleasing and impressive, especially for the leading parts. Costumes provided the essential wonder and were a key part of the plays. They were often second-hand clothes once owned and worn by royalty. I find this interesting as today we usually go for naturalistic costumes rather than aesthetically pleasing costumes. It doesn't seem anywhere as important now than it was in Elizabethan times. It seems extravagant and wasteful to spend so much money on costumes in my opinion. How much an actor earned depended on the location the company performed at. Companies earned more money when they performed in London rather than the country, therefore they were able to pay their actors more money. Some actors would be paid 10 shillings a week in London but only 5 shillings in the country. In some ways, this seems unfair as actors do the exact same job and get paid less money. However, I understand this as theatre was more popular in London, therefore plays probably received larger audiences and more money, therefore companies would be able to afford to pay actors more. Actors normally performed in the afternoon because they relied only on natural light to be seen as they didn't have the same equipment we have in today's society to chooses the amount of light we want. Plays were performed in repertory, meaning that the same play was never performed two days in a row. Often, actors would have to be in several plays at once playing several different roles which would have been very difficult and confusing for them.

 Population

Life in Elizabethan England life was either very luxurious or the complete opposite; depending on whether you were born into nobility had a significant impact on what your lifestyle. Those who were born into nobility were wealthy and powerful members of society. They lived profligate lives and if they were close to the monarchy could enjoy all the benefits of court life. However this was only affected a small percentage of the population, 97% of the population lived in extreme poverty. Most people lived in old, damp and miserable cottages in the countryside with minimal possessions. They lived in an agricultural society where growing your own food was the only way you would be able to eat. During this period there was a shift in the economical/societal model as the mediaeval feudal system was adapting to a new hierarchical scheme based around trade and barter with goods from the newly discovered world were making their way into Elizabethan Britain. 

Entertainment

In Elizabethan England, private entertainment didn’t exist. You were considered lucky if you had a court jester or a minstrel to sing you songs or tell you a story. The most common way to have fun was to entertain yourself. This meant that people listened a lot more; secrets and scandal were widespread everyone’s secrets were known. However there were constantly outbreaks of the bubonic plague which meant morale was low so the poor needed a way to lift their spirits, forms of entertainment that did this include: travelling actor troupes, banquets and feasts, festivals celebrating special events, social dancing, jousts and tournaments, hunting and of course plays. Most Elizabethan entertainment was public which meant there must have been a strong sense of community for these people.  

Who came to the theatres? 

 In general, there were more men than women who went to the theatre, but there was a huge variation in the type of people who went. Somebody described the audience of a show as ‘a gang of porters and carters’. Other people said it wad filled with servants and apprentices spending all their spare time there. However, the wealthy and elite members of society also went to the theatre. Occasionally, the royal family also went to the theatre. However, they didn’t go to public theatres,instead they summoned a group of skilled actors to perform at the courts of Elizabeth I and James I. This happens in A Midsummer Night's dreams where the mechanicals perform for the duke. I find it interesting how William Shakespeare was often influenced by his surroundings and included these in his famous plays.

How much did it cost? 

The cheapest tickets in an outside theatre were only 1 penny, these tickets bought you a place among the ‘groundlings’ standing in the ‘yard’ around the stage.  Bench seats were two pennies and these were situated in the lower galleries which surrounded the yard.  The most expensive seats were in the ‘Lord’s Rooms’. these seats usually cost around 6 pennies. The tickets to watch a piece of theatre were extremely cheap in comparison to today's society where tickets to see a west end show may cost around £80. This influenced why theatre was so popular and loved in Elizabethan times.

How did the audience behave? 

Some of the rich or powerful members of Elizabethan society went to the theatre to be seen and admired rather than to watch and enjoy the show. They dressed in their best clothes and some people would sit on the stage so that they could be seen by everyone. A lot of people in the audience were very loud and rude rather than watching shows in silence like we do today. This suggest that people went to the theatre as a social event or for fun rather than purely to enjoy the performance. They clapped the heroes and booed the villains, and cheered the special effects. It seems strange that they cheered the special effects as this is so unheard of in today's society. However, cheering heroes and booing villains is still common, especially in pantomimes. The theatre wasn't always a pleasant environment due to a large number of thieves  in the audience and occasionally fights broke out. In indoor theatres, the audience were thought to be more educated and richer than the audiences of an outdoor theatre. 

What was London like?

London was quickly growing due to migration from citizens from rural countryside areas into the city.  Between 1550 and 1600, the population grew from around 50,000 people to over 200,000. New buildings were being built everywhere in order to create room for the new people. Outside, the suburbs grew steadily into the countryside. London was a bustling, overcrowded city. The city was ridden with a large number of thieves and the overcrowding brought diseases such as the plague which struck almost every summer in Elizabethan times. In 1593 about about 10,000 people were killed and all the theatres were closed.

People watching

Task

- We were asked to observe people as an actor
- We were not allowed to act suspicious or be noticed by the person we were watching
- Felt like either a spy or a stalker
- Had to disappear into the public without being seen
- Had to free ourselves from any judgement we may make of the person we observe- get rid f any prejudice or presumptions you may have
- Looking for a natural/real person
- Seeing how normal people interact with other people/their surroundings
- Had to take written notes about the person we observed including time/place/surroundings etc
- Had to think of back story/given circumstances for individual e.g. objectives/motivation/obstacles/age/occupation/social life etc.

My individual- Man in suit on the phone

- Floppy hair
- Mid twenties
- Smart blue suit
- White
- Around 6 foot tall

- Pretentious
- Formal
- Antisocial
- Workaholic
- Secretive

- Frustrated
- On edge
- Annoyed
- Always looking around
- Not moving
- Talking on the phone
- Constantly mentioned "codes"

Objective: Wants a promotion- went to uni to study business- wants to make money/build his way up in the business

Obstacle: Others want a promotion too- they're battling for it- he dislikes most of his other colleagues (quite antisocial)

Will go the extra mile- working through his lunch break- workaholic or ambitious?

Surroundings: High street/ leaning against a shop window/ lots of people walking past/ sunny/ cold

Performance

- Had to do an imitation/representation of the person we observed in front of the class
- Stood next to the wall, talking on the phone- looking frustrated
- Tried to remember small details
- Thought about reasons/motivation behind what he was doing
- Did this well- audience could tell emotions I showed/activity I was doing

Response to exercise

This was a very interesting exercise. It made me realise that every character we play is a real person with real feelings/objectives/back stories/personalities. It made me think that I should really focus on honesty and naturalism in my performances in order to portray real/genuine people. It felt slightly odd to follow/watch people and felt like we invaded their privacy. However, it gave me a new perspective on how to create truthful characters in my performance.

Project lessons

Grounding

We often use this exercise in our lessons. It is about finding our roots in order to ground ourselves. Handsour centre, breath into our find and fire our cord of energy. It goes up through our torso, neck and head. It goes into the sky above so we can look over the whole of Southend. It can be any colour you like, mine is usually bright orange. We have to feel, see and hear our surroundings, heightening our senses and imagination. We take in specific details such as how the sea moves and how different people walk. After this, we activate our vocal vibrations and stand on the edge of a sea of water. This has an effect on our breathing and makes us feel calm and relaxed. We then walk around the room, feeling grounded and relaxed. This prepares us for the lesson.

Timeline

This is a very useful exercise for going into detail. This also gives makes memories a lot clearer and makes it feel real. We create a timeline on the floor and decided which direction our past/future is in. We step into the exact moment in our life the memory happened. We tell our peers where we are/what is happening as if it is happening in the present. They ask lots of questions in order for everyone to have a clear/detailed understanding of the setting/emotions you are experiencing. This really helps me connect to a place/memory and brings the world of the play to life.

Passion

We were asked to talk about something we feel passionately about. This could be anything you want, from a hobby to a life motto. I created a mind map and wrote down various things such as friends/family, football and making the most of everyday. I chose to talk about mthe most of every day because it is such an important thing in life. We were asked to included the sense to talk about how this affects you. I spoke about how we should take all the opportunities that we get and how we should have no regrets. This worked well because it is a wide topic and I could talk about it for ages. I felt happy and confident to express how much it meant to me. It was lovelyinteresting to see what everyone was talking about. It was a great bonding exercises and also helped us become confident performing around each other. Furthermore, it allowed us to become loud/clear when speaking to everyone. Eye contact and pace were hugely important when trying to engage with everyone.

East 15 experience

-Asked to discuss time at East 15, present in any way you like

- Limited time- think quick on your feet

- Include senses/how these effect your time here

- Decided to present in the form of an advert

- Talked about lessons/town/uni square

- Made it comedic

- Presented it confidently

- Making eye contact/being relaxed gave me status/ made it easier for others to connect/put audience at ease.

- If something is original/creative, it can be risky but it can be very interesting to watch

Inner/outer characteristics

- Worked on our inner/outer characteristics

- Walked around the room in character (John), interacted with others/chatted to them

- Thought about how we present ourselves on the outside/want to be perceived (outer) compared to how we feel on the inside/really are/what we think (Inner)

- Discussed how these characteristics affected the character we portrayed/how well they were shown.

- Showed shyness/politeness/snappy attitude when talking to others/head in the clouds

- Hard to show inner characteristics- want to make them hidden to others, yet allow audience to see them

- Need more character research- find the depth to the character/motivation/inner characteristics.

John- 'Cock' by Mike Bartlett- inner/outer characteristics

Inner: Anxious/confused/frustrated/broken/insecure/sensitive/romantic/bored/dependent/vulnerable/imaginative/friendly/outgoing

Outer: Kind/friendly/romantic/short-tempered/optimistic/on-edge/polite/shy/snappy/blunt/calm/defensive/comforting/warm

Violence and Son

- Chose scene to work on/perform

- Me: Liam, Elysia: Jen

- Discussed play/scene/context/circumstances/characters/atmosphere

- Read through/discussed thoughts on scene

- Interesting to see different interpretations/perspectives- makes scene feel more real/honest/interesting to play around with

-Showed to class- good feedback:

- Comedic opening

-Clear/shocking contrast/beat changes

- Castable/suitable character choices

- Needs polishing

- Needs character research

Circles/status

- 1st circle = Shy/timid/struggles to get a say/doesn't want to talk
- 2nd circle = Middle- talks/listens
- 3rd circle = Doesn't listen/acknowledge what other people say- maybe rude/obnoxious/in your face

 Performed improvisation exercise based on circles
- In partners, one person is first circle, one is third cicle
- Improvisation with stimulus of returning a kettle to a shop
- Interesting to create a character/see how their circle effects how they interact with others
- Often difficult as it restricts the dialogue used in the scene
- First circle was shy/quiet/low status
- Third circle was annoying/obnoxious

Second improvisation

- Scene about returning hoover
- I played a third circle/low status character
- Was rude/bored/lazy/didn't want to listen

Circles have a big effect on how we interact with others, often we can switch in between circles depending on the given circumstances/ who we are with. It is useful to create a back story to explain why you are in that circle.

Improv exercise- news presenters- job interview

- Got into groups of 5, had to create a short improvisation based around a job interview

- Each person must have their own individual status/circle/character/relationship to others, these must be made clear

- Set as an interview for a news presenter

- I played a third circle/mid-high status/ arrogant & rude TV presenter

- Made this clear

- This was a fun exercises- could be good stimulus/ a good base for a play

Whispering

- Whispering helps us find the truth in what we are saying

- Strips away all the 'acting' to make it honest and believable

- Feels more personal/direct/important

- Got into pairs, whispered monologues to each other as if we were having a casual conversation

- Extreme naturalism

- Made me rethink the way I perform my monologue/experiment of new ways to perform it

- Gets us out of the pattern of performing a speech rather than delivering words for the first time.

Theatre Practice- Evolution

Put into groups of 4

-Decide a theme/style/objective
-Present idea to Adrian/Ramiro
- Not straight acting- show off other skills.

Our idea

Physical theatre/masks/poetry
-Physical story of life- growing up/first love/ mid life crisis/ death- make these effective/clear/flusent/contrasting

Affect of music on mood- need to select sutiable songs
Masks- show emotion through body language/movement- usually rely too much on facial expression
Poetry- passionate/ play with words/ powerful/ stimlus for movement

Rehearsal process- improvise around objective/basic storyline- find movement which works well/has power behind it. Ensemble piece- strong/effective.

First section- Growing up/childhood

- Shows heartbeat/being in the womb
- Struggling for first steps- support from others juxtaposing people wanting you to fail
- Being lifted up- support from others/big dreams

Second section- First love

- Three males mirroring one female, copying her exact actions
- One male in front, in love with her
- Female chooses someone else, leaving him heartbroken
- Two different scenes at once- showing contrast between how situations effect us
- Relationship turning sour Vs Upset person needing help/support from others

Third section- Mid life crisis

- Everyone suddenly/randomly turns on me
- Get into triangle formation
- Aggresivley close in on me in tribal like routine
- Trap me, arms lock round me/start turning
- Try to escape, get pushed back always
- Lifted up as I struggle to escape- being controlled by others
- Pushed backwards/into someone
- Lowered onto floor- helpless

Fourth section- Old age

- Old man can't move without others
- Pushed upwards
- Being fed
- Being showered
- Brought flowers
- Dies

Beginning/ending

Evolution freeze at beginning/end of piece- before/after effect

My thoughts on our piece

Positive

- Clear/interesting piece
- Fluent transitions
- Good use of levels
- Some good characters

Constructive criticism 

- Needs more emotion behind movement
- Objectives need to be clearer
- Use whole bodies- be free/loose
- Be more original- maybe use props or tech
- Think of more original/creative story line for piece

Global Theatre

12th October

Warm Up

- Stand in neutral

- Walk around the room

- Smile 

- Make eye contact with each other

- Shake hands

- Whisper your name in their ear

- Grab as many hands as possible

Foi

- Everyone stands in a circle

- Person in middle throws a ball to someone on the outside

- Person on outside throws ball back to middle person

- Middle person throws it to someone else

- Keep the throwing in rhythm

- Person in the middle can't stay for more than 4 throws- someone must run in before 4 throws are up.

- The game is over and you start again if the ball is dropped or the person in the middle is there for more than 4 throws or someone runs in the middle before the ball has been thrown.

- Helped us foucs, work on teamwork, work on timing, work as an ensemble.

Dance

-Split into 2 groups of 10 people.

- One person goes in the middle, does a dance move, everyone copies them accuratley

- When everyone is doing the exact same movement, person in the middle steps out.

- Repeat until everyone has performed move in the middle

- Create routine with 10 movements.

- Present in original/creative way.

Feeback from dance

- Energetic/wild/fun

Needed to be more slick

- Needed a clearer structure

- Great commitment

-Good use of space

- Facial expressions are key- relax/enjoy it

- Be enthusiastic

- Pretend to know what you're doing, even when you don't

19th October

Warm up 

- Stood in a big circle, had to all jump at the same time- worked on focus/eye contact

- Had to jump 10 times, turn around and jump 10 times facing the other way

- Repeated 9 times/8 times/ 7 times etc.

- Tiring/hard work

- Helped us all work as an ensemble. be in sync.

- Walked around the room finding space

- One clap = Freeze/Go

- Two claps = Jump

- Three claps = Raise hand/shout 'Me'

- Had to focus/listen/be spatially aware at the same time

- Became difficult/confusing

- Helped me really listen for specific details

- Repeated 'Foi' game, beat our record because we were focused/prepared/in the zone.

Dances/Routines

- Went over sequences from last lesson- remember movements

- Split into groups of 5

- Asked to create short story using our movements from last lesson

- No dialogue/other movement allowed

- Story must be clear/entertaining

Piece 1

- Caveman dancing

- Girl comes along

- Guys walk over to girl

- Try to impress/seduce her with dancing

- Girl chooses favourite

This piece was effective/clear. We kept the story line simple and precise. The story was also comedic with bold/energetic characters.

Piece 2

- Given a title to base our story around.

- Title was 'Castle of Wonders'

- Two people go into a castle with large doors made from people, get followed by a creepy man, everyone takes drugs, has hallucinations, weird/crazy movement.

This story was less successful as it was slightly too immature and unoriginal. It was hard to make the story line clear, however the audience guessed our title so it must have been clear in some ways. It is easier to work with limited movement/stimuli as it stops us procrastinating or coming up with too many ideas. It allows us to get straight to work and start blocking. Often, we over complicate theatre which can make the audience confused or think that the piece is pretentious. Theatre really works when is is kept simple, yet effective.

26th October

- Repeated game of Fui 

- Beat our record

- Great concentration/focus/encouragement from others

- Good teamwork

Blinded

- Get into partners

- One person closes their eyes

- Other person guides them round the room, making sure they don't bump into anything or anyone

- Start with two hands, push/guide them the way you want to go

- Change to guiding with just one hand

- Start jogging

- Let go of partner, only touch them to stop them crashing

- Switch partners without them noticing

- Game was heavily focused on trust

- Had to have faith that your partner

- Became scarier as you got quicker/ had more freedom

- Easy to trust partner- strongbonds

- was difficult when partners switch- not used to movements of new person

- Have to rebuild trust with them

Eye contact

- Everyone ran around the room, making eye contact with someone as you pass them

- When Ramiro claps his hands, everyone has to freeze

- If you are making direct/ reciprocated eye contact with someone else, stay frozen

- If not, carry on running around the room, trying to steal eye contact

- Was difficult to steal eye contact, people already have that relationship/trust with the person they're looking at

- Feels like you're an outsider, they don't want you to steal it

- Eye contact is very powerful/strong- creates a clear bond between two people

Finding partners

- Similar exercise to physical theatre

- Everyone gets in a line with someone in front of them

- Feel that person/see key features

- Everyone gets moved around

- Try to find that person

Murder 

- Everyone forms a large circle, holding hands

- 7 people go into the middle

- Everyone on the outside is 'Heaven'

- Everyone in the middle is on 'Earth'

- Everyone in the middle closes their eyes

- Ramiro taps one person on the shoulder, who becomes the murderer

- That person must hug everybody to murder them

- Everyone must try and avoid/escape the murder

- When someone is hugged, they go to heaven, on the outside

- The outer circle will close in at times to make the arena smaller, making it more difficult to escape

- Game ends when everyone is murdered

- Was intense/scary in the middle

- Became very aware of other senses e.g. sound/touch

- Sight being taken away is very restricting

- Was very fun/competitive

- Was interesting to see different tactics

Freezes

- 7 people at the front

- Given scenario ( Location/time/circumstances)

- Had to create 3 images based on this

- Images have to tell clear story

- Had to create bold/over the top images to make it clear

- Didn't have any time to discuss what freeze we would do

- Some freezes contradicted each other- everyone has different interpretations on the scene

The Road of life story

Reflected on life- made road map showing life events- helped me think about what has changed/affected my life in positive/negative ways- significance of certain life events

3 key moments- noted down details- why it was important/interesting story- one age 7, one age 12, one age 18.

All told stories in front of class- emotional/powerful/interesting.

Got into groups of 5- used timelines to explore story in detail- asked loads of questions e.g. surroundings/senses/emotions experienced- helped visulaise the world of the play/become engaged in other stories- more detail/description = more exciting/believable stories.

 chose a story (Ella's counselling story)- find orginial/creative way to present this

Consider objectives/units/characters/story telling.

Rehearsal process- justify choices/blocking/strenghts & weaknesses.

Outcome of first piece- evaluate

Second story

New groups- with Gabriel/Poppy/Lottie

Each had childhood stories relating to teeth (my story age 7)

Made each story short/snappy/clear- using lots oh physical movement/enegry.

Need to break into clear objectives/units/what we want to portray.

Second story- changed

New idea- Dad's leaving daughters.

Disappearing act- Magic/comedic effect- Magician does magic trick to make dad disappear, can't make him come back. Slap & tickle effect.

Repeat phrases from timeline, showing what happened straight after. I repeated 'Silence.'

Phrase accompanied by physical movement in a set pattern, building up in canon.

Sound bulit up, tension rose until Poppy screams, becoming too much for them.

Repeat Lottie/Poppy's thought process- added power/meaning to words.

Ring tone- build up- canon- build up on tension/shows how frustrating it is.

Poppy/Lottie ask questions- reply with automatic reply- voicemail- shows how they don't care/ are never there for them.

Great British dad off- play cheesy/ordinary Dads- show how they are normal people with normal lives- not villains.

Send text without glasses/dance off- comedic & fun atmosphere created- juxtaposes how they never had this and wished they had- idealistic family

Sudden/shocking contrast- life is hard.

Needs to be shorter/more polised.