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.

Voice

3rd October

Vocal warm up- helped us get focused/ready

- Talked about aspects of the voice e.g. articulation/tone/pitch/pace- what they all mean

- Discussed our own voices- strengths/ weaknesses/background/accents

- Posh/cockney- depending who I'm with- accent got lazier over the years

- Miss 'Ts' e.g. 'chatting' = 'cha'in'.

- Can't differentiate between 'f'' and 'th' sound.

-Strong/powerful voice- good pace- good expression/emotion

- Need to vary tone/pitch in monologues

Helped me see what I need to imrpove in my voice

Helped me trasnfer voice qualities to characters- voices for each character are different

Relaxation/focus exercise- feel relaxed/out of it/focused- really concentrate on specific things/features in detail- no distractions- mind won't drift- very effective

10th October

Get into partners- place hand on their coxic bone (bottom of spine)- walk around- see effect on movement/posture.

One person becomes like puppet- lets partner take control- move them around like a ragdoll- release any tention/nerves in their body.

- Move arms/flop

switch arms- repeat

lift shoulders/rop

arms on knee- they control your hand/ you control their knee

rub/dry legs/arms

back massage/rub shoulder joints

put body pressure on feet

switch A/B

Made me feel relaxed/warm/tired- weird not having control over our bodies

Wasn't clear how this related to our voice- confsuing

Daddy bear- low/slouched

Mama bear- medium/ open arms out

Baby bear- High pitch/looking up

Make noises for each, see how body language affects our voices for characters

17th October

- Worked on breathing- lying on the floor 

- Partner places hands on our coxic bone- moves a lot when breathing

-Lies across our backs- restricts our breathing- painful/difficult- helps us notice breathing patterns

- Swapped round

- Looked at areas of the body affected by in-breath/out-breath- bones/muscles

- Breathing quick = angry/stressed

- Breathing slow= Happy/relaxed

Articulation- Tongue twisters- helps emphasize vowel sounds/brings colour to our words

Posture affects how open we are/physicality- helps us create a character

Good posture = Loud/ good breath/ open

Contemporary monologues

General advice/feedback from others pieces

- Stillness/breath/thought bt thought process = Truthful/honest performance

- Has to flow naturally

- New thoughts = in the moment

- When talking about something or someone, really picture that in your head/imagine them

- Clear/bold decisions = Powerful impact on audience/other characters

- Play with your monologue- moment to moment

- Underline key lines/phrases, experiment with different ways to say it, change your tone of voice

- REALLY ask a question- rhetorical or actual questions- makes the audience think about this

- Find an objective, work out what you're going to do to achieve this.

- Whisper your speech, this strips back the 'acting' and adds truth. This stops you pushing the emotion and makes it more personal.

My feedback- Cock monologue

- Good choice of speech- suitable/castable for me, show a range of emotion/depth.

- Don't scrunch face- added too much tension/hides emotion from the audience- only happens when I'm pushing the emotion too much.

- Let new thoughts/beat changes sink in- show how they effect what I'm saying

- Whisper when rehearsing- find truth/subtlety  in what I'm saying.

- Really ask questions- show inner battle/confsuion

- Don't treat it like a speech- let it flow naturally.

- Don't ACT it, let emotion come naturally.