Before I start this review I feel as if I should give credit where credit is due, The entire cast managed to pull together and deliver a quality performance even though they were not afforded some of the props and costumes they were supposed to be allocated for their performance.if any of my comments are due to this then I apologise. Nevertheless I will try my best to not over look and of the factors that made The Devil in drag performance good/bad.
Before the performance even started we were greeted at the door by guards who had to check us before were to enter the performing space. This gave a great illusion and get me excited for thing things to come. There clever improvisation of the actors was great, the way in which they created comedy by sending people to the back of the line or telling someone to take off their belt really made the characters shine through. The first section of the play was simply to introduce us to the actors who would playing some of the parts. This was apparently all improvised. This gave a feeling of freshness to the performance and made us as an audience feel like we were seeing something for the first time. However some individuals were out shone by their fellow players which meant they had to work especially hard to win my focus during their introduction which was a shame.
There was a lack of stage chemistry between most of the cast, This meant that some of the lines that were supposed to be funny felt forced and gave me as an audience member a cringe worthy feeling. For example I feel to improve they could have put more effort into creating relationships between their character's. Most of the weak spots came from either unclear status or relationships. Which character held authority in the room? I couldn't tell which meant the balance of power was all off. However there was some very nice moments where one of the actors would assert themselves meaning that the rest of the company had to change and adapt to this new comedy that was being inputed showing that there was some form of unity within the piece.
One of the shining moments of the play was when Brinley could not get one of his prop breasts to inflate so he ingeniously came up with a one liner about it which made the crowd go wild! I didn't actually know it was improvised until after the show. This showed poise and skill and I was very impressed with this. Another improvised moment of hilarity was the ending scene. The actors invited the audience up on stage to dance and just leave us feeling good. This was clever because it made the show look better than it already was.
Some general notes I would give to the actors were to just keep the transitions tight and not let the pace of the piece stutter as it sometimes felt like an up hill struggle. Otherwise it was a very nice play but maybe it wasn't the best choice as it needed more technical skills and staging to make a truly wonderful production.
Sunday, 16 March 2014
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Evaluation 2
Please see my previous post for a full evaluation of our performance,
3 moments in our performance in our performance that were excellent were the transition back into jail after watching the horror movie. In our previous performance not all of us could remember what the lines were but this time before we went on we rehearsed what they were. We were all in unison and we moved as one towards the audience in such a menacing way I could feel them beginning to fear us then as we crash to the floor on "jail cell" the resonating sound and then the absolute stillness of the stage afterwards was very effective. The stairs was a big hit with the audience as it looked aesthetically pleasing and translated into the stage space seamlessly. Scene 13 went off without a hitch and no one forgot their lines.
I think the rehearsal process was done very well on this project. We met up in our own time to rehearse pieces and when were in the divisional part of this play each individual met up to practise the scenes they had been given. I think we could have started bringing items of costumes in earlier to help us get into character easier during rehearsals. That's one thing about this unit, we could only rehearse what we'd already been allocated so learning lines earlier would not have been effective at all.
A fellow student from the other class said that the highlight of the entire play was the "haircut scene" with me and Edgar and that was one of my favourite parts to do. I added some extra bits in that weren't originally choreographed to add to the depth of the piece. When everyone was standing still as Edgar walked up the steps I slowly walked round the back eyes locked on him so if anyone was watching they were start questioning who I was and what my purpose on stage was then as everyone slammed on the floor it left me standing there making the transition just that bit more cleaner.
3 moments in our performance in our performance that were excellent were the transition back into jail after watching the horror movie. In our previous performance not all of us could remember what the lines were but this time before we went on we rehearsed what they were. We were all in unison and we moved as one towards the audience in such a menacing way I could feel them beginning to fear us then as we crash to the floor on "jail cell" the resonating sound and then the absolute stillness of the stage afterwards was very effective. The stairs was a big hit with the audience as it looked aesthetically pleasing and translated into the stage space seamlessly. Scene 13 went off without a hitch and no one forgot their lines.
I think the rehearsal process was done very well on this project. We met up in our own time to rehearse pieces and when were in the divisional part of this play each individual met up to practise the scenes they had been given. I think we could have started bringing items of costumes in earlier to help us get into character easier during rehearsals. That's one thing about this unit, we could only rehearse what we'd already been allocated so learning lines earlier would not have been effective at all.
A fellow student from the other class said that the highlight of the entire play was the "haircut scene" with me and Edgar and that was one of my favourite parts to do. I added some extra bits in that weren't originally choreographed to add to the depth of the piece. When everyone was standing still as Edgar walked up the steps I slowly walked round the back eyes locked on him so if anyone was watching they were start questioning who I was and what my purpose on stage was then as everyone slammed on the floor it left me standing there making the transition just that bit more cleaner.
Monday, 17 February 2014
Blackout - Final Performance evaluation
Blackout. We did it. We all shared the last line of the play and as we dropped to our knees in unison I just hung their for a moment feeling the sheer ecstasy of well done performance. I couldn't help but let out a smile and breathe hard as the audience applauded. I hate to be conceited or anything but I think that our whole class did a tremendous job. We had put so much effort and fine detail into it that I didn't even feel a little bit nervous, as an ensemble we were prepared and ready. Everyone played fed off each other and we communicated the intentions of the piece with clarity. I was very proud that we maintain a high level of energy through out the piece. Even if someone forgot their lines we were there to support one another and no mistakes were glaring.
One of the challenges I face this term was making sure I had a good stage presences. I'm not complaining but I had a small amount of dialogue which gave me the opportunity to explore different ways to be noticed on stage. I observed that I had one key line during my the iconic haircut/transformation scene, This would my chance to completely own the stage, all the audiences focus was on me so I was going to milk it! I did a little bit of improvisation as I felt my hair and discovered this new persona my character was adopting. I realised that this was a crucial bit in the play and should not be skipped over, I was the point when James was nearly finished in his journey to becoming a skinhead so I made sure to make the audience feel threatened. I balled up my fists because I learnt a long time ago that that can make an actor look/feel 100% more angry, I walked around a bit and just breathed giving the audience this image of a new human being, alive and scary.
One of the parts that could have done with refining is the transition back into the jail cell via the lines slash, chop, stab, jail cell. Because this part was added in during the final run through quite a few people (including myself) forgot this part and it might have come out as clunky and disorganised but in our favour we were all sharp on the final word and as we hit the floor and let the dust settle I could feel the energy in the room still flowing. On one of my lines "trying to chop you" The vocalisation and facial expression may have been lost as I was facing slightly up-stage towards Courtney however I feel if I was faced more towards the audience the line may come off as fake. I watched how well we use the space as we had had trouble in rehearsals were we didn't push back far enough and we blocked off the audience, we completely fixed that in the actual show. Since we managed to sell all the tickets all the seats were filled and because of this we had to make sure no action was lost and we managed to achieve this very well.
I sustained my character throughout even at the beginning where I found it difficult because of the lighting. I could see every audience member's face as we came out from behind the door and it was a tad unnerving but I used this to my advantage and made it affect the way I moved - as if I was being watched in the jail cell. I feel as if I was very sharp and precise with my movements, in the skinhead march we all managed to count up to 5 successfully which was a big achievement! My awareness of other actors on stage was good, no one bumped into each other or got hurt during the mosh pit. If I picked out a specific part in in my performance way I knew my awareness was working was when I ended up on the wrong side of the stage. I needed to locate Holly as she was my mother in the next scene, I didn't even think about having to find her, I just knew she had finished down stage right so that's where I needed to go!
I sustained my character throughout even at the beginning where I found it difficult because of the lighting. I could see every audience member's face as we came out from behind the door and it was a tad unnerving but I used this to my advantage and made it affect the way I moved - as if I was being watched in the jail cell. I feel as if I was very sharp and precise with my movements, in the skinhead march we all managed to count up to 5 successfully which was a big achievement! My awareness of other actors on stage was good, no one bumped into each other or got hurt during the mosh pit. If I picked out a specific part in in my performance way I knew my awareness was working was when I ended up on the wrong side of the stage. I needed to locate Holly as she was my mother in the next scene, I didn't even think about having to find her, I just knew she had finished down stage right so that's where I needed to go!
Overall the performance went very well and each member of the cast showed tremendous competence exploring themes and issues well past our years. In my opinion we did justice to the text that Davey Anderson wrote and we had fun doing it!
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| Thank you sir :) |
Sunday, 16 February 2014
What have I learnt about acting?
During this project I feel like I have grown as an acting and that I have learnt so much about what goes into creating good theatre. Here are some of the most important points that I would like to take with me into all the work I eventually do:
Get rid of lulls: It's no secret that devising with 25 people is hard so there are bound to be some complications with transitions and as we switch the narrative voice lulls and loss of energy became very apparent. One of the key things I have learnt that when you are polishing a piece during the end stages towards the actual performance is that you must catch and lulls that may take the audiences focus and smooth them out by trying different ideas. Maybe the lines come in faster, maybe the company all move differently just something to make sure no lulls remain. Though some lulls can be earned after a big moment the dust is allowed to settle.
Costume: This unit has really opened my eyes to what good a costume can do. Not only did it have a massive impact on the way the audience perceived the play it also me as an actor feel 3 dimensional. It gave a more professional sense to the play because we had actually spent time choosing what we were going to wear as an company which made us feel closer. The costumes were awesome and I think they were well received by both actors and audience. Mr. Rennison says from the moment you receive your part you should start wearing something that belongs to the character in order to transform you in the rehearsal room!
Poise not pause: Especially in this piece were the character had a lot of self reflection to do when people had lines to say they were stop them and then continue the thought afterwards, this way okay but it was improved by adding a hiatus instead. Instead of stopping to think about it the actor should run on like they are trying to finish the thought but can't quite get there. Like in my head I imagine it as a peaked roller-coaster that stops at the top and just hangs there for a few seconds, then comes rolling down once the momentum has kicked in .
Space: I wrote down quite a few notes on space some of the most important things I need to remember about is to; address the audience using the space; learn the space I am to be working every single fibre must be used to my advantage; The physics of the space changes. As an actor I must be versatile and when the stage space changes into a bigger one I must adapt myself and configure the movements to replicate the space.
Being a pro: During intervals or pre-show energy should be conserved as you never know when your going to run out of steam. A professional actor sits down keeps calm maybe meditates and connects body and breath before a performance. This is all that needs to be said because it's simply enough yet so important!
Get rid of lulls: It's no secret that devising with 25 people is hard so there are bound to be some complications with transitions and as we switch the narrative voice lulls and loss of energy became very apparent. One of the key things I have learnt that when you are polishing a piece during the end stages towards the actual performance is that you must catch and lulls that may take the audiences focus and smooth them out by trying different ideas. Maybe the lines come in faster, maybe the company all move differently just something to make sure no lulls remain. Though some lulls can be earned after a big moment the dust is allowed to settle.
Costume: This unit has really opened my eyes to what good a costume can do. Not only did it have a massive impact on the way the audience perceived the play it also me as an actor feel 3 dimensional. It gave a more professional sense to the play because we had actually spent time choosing what we were going to wear as an company which made us feel closer. The costumes were awesome and I think they were well received by both actors and audience. Mr. Rennison says from the moment you receive your part you should start wearing something that belongs to the character in order to transform you in the rehearsal room!
Poise not pause: Especially in this piece were the character had a lot of self reflection to do when people had lines to say they were stop them and then continue the thought afterwards, this way okay but it was improved by adding a hiatus instead. Instead of stopping to think about it the actor should run on like they are trying to finish the thought but can't quite get there. Like in my head I imagine it as a peaked roller-coaster that stops at the top and just hangs there for a few seconds, then comes rolling down once the momentum has kicked in .
Space: I wrote down quite a few notes on space some of the most important things I need to remember about is to; address the audience using the space; learn the space I am to be working every single fibre must be used to my advantage; The physics of the space changes. As an actor I must be versatile and when the stage space changes into a bigger one I must adapt myself and configure the movements to replicate the space.
Being a pro: During intervals or pre-show energy should be conserved as you never know when your going to run out of steam. A professional actor sits down keeps calm maybe meditates and connects body and breath before a performance. This is all that needs to be said because it's simply enough yet so important!
Review of Blackout
The play that we studied this term (Blackout) is a cleverly written monologue or stream of consciousness that can easily be adapted into different styles to suit the performers of the piece. They play itself could be easily be read in under 10 minutes but the physical theatre style of the piece helped the actors to stretch it out into a 25 minute long show. I am going to be reviewing the style of the way they have chosen to interpret the text.
The theatrical configuration it was performed in was thrust. Now in my opinion I thought that it wasn't the wisest of choices to go with because the actors may have ran into complications during the devising process as the would have to be careful that they were using all the stage space and were not cutting off parts of the audience. I was also sceptical that it work would work for a physical theatre piece but low and behold they managed to use having a wide spread audience to their advantage. The movements and vocalisation was only enhanced by this theatrical configuration and were not lost to the space. Speaking of space the way in which spatial relationships were shown were very interesting. Usually we find that if the space between actors is closed off then the tension is ruined and the chase of the scene in ends, but with Blackout I felt that they managed to break this rule especially within the scenes that contain James and his mother!
The chorus work had obviously had some serious work put behind it. The ensemble of actors had such a close and intimate rapport with each other managing to simultaneously by one single person on their own in a sea full of people but switch to interacting with each other becomes different characters entirely. This use of multiple roles made the transitions so much more smoother as we did not have to see the curtain to come down to see now that different people were playing different characters. The way in which the actors pushed the concentration through the floor as they moved was phenomenal. It was like they feared if they were to drop the energy then world would end. Though indeed there were some lulls were the energy did drop which was hopefully to be refined at a later day they managed to pick it back up again by feeding off each other's creative energy.
The minimalistic qualities of this play had good and bad points. There was only one prop used through out the entire piece and that was a single ring that was tossed away. I feel as if they should not have used it due to the fact they used no other props. If they had taken a different approach and had at least 3 other symbolic props then it would have been totally fine to use it however since it was just the ring being used it drew to much attention. I do feel though that the use of the actors as props gave them more of a chance to fine creative ways in which to interpret the text into movement. The regular show lighting was not used which meant that the simple harsh lighting made me as an audience member feel inclusive in the story on stage and that the bright scorning lights revealing all were being shown on me too.
Aristotle's 3 unities of acting were completely thrown out of the window. The way in which no time was established so the piece was able to easily cut between events without explanation and not end up in confusion. There was no definitive place that was set in stone so the actors were able to freely use the space. There was no "stage right means the jail and cell and centre is James' mind" it was nice to see them break conventions like this. The action is one big mash up of past, present, future, imagination making it interesting and exiting.
The whole show felt like it had a lot of work put into it moreover the message spoke out clearly to me and I am very impressed with the hard work and commitment of these young people.
The theatrical configuration it was performed in was thrust. Now in my opinion I thought that it wasn't the wisest of choices to go with because the actors may have ran into complications during the devising process as the would have to be careful that they were using all the stage space and were not cutting off parts of the audience. I was also sceptical that it work would work for a physical theatre piece but low and behold they managed to use having a wide spread audience to their advantage. The movements and vocalisation was only enhanced by this theatrical configuration and were not lost to the space. Speaking of space the way in which spatial relationships were shown were very interesting. Usually we find that if the space between actors is closed off then the tension is ruined and the chase of the scene in ends, but with Blackout I felt that they managed to break this rule especially within the scenes that contain James and his mother!
The chorus work had obviously had some serious work put behind it. The ensemble of actors had such a close and intimate rapport with each other managing to simultaneously by one single person on their own in a sea full of people but switch to interacting with each other becomes different characters entirely. This use of multiple roles made the transitions so much more smoother as we did not have to see the curtain to come down to see now that different people were playing different characters. The way in which the actors pushed the concentration through the floor as they moved was phenomenal. It was like they feared if they were to drop the energy then world would end. Though indeed there were some lulls were the energy did drop which was hopefully to be refined at a later day they managed to pick it back up again by feeding off each other's creative energy.
The minimalistic qualities of this play had good and bad points. There was only one prop used through out the entire piece and that was a single ring that was tossed away. I feel as if they should not have used it due to the fact they used no other props. If they had taken a different approach and had at least 3 other symbolic props then it would have been totally fine to use it however since it was just the ring being used it drew to much attention. I do feel though that the use of the actors as props gave them more of a chance to fine creative ways in which to interpret the text into movement. The regular show lighting was not used which meant that the simple harsh lighting made me as an audience member feel inclusive in the story on stage and that the bright scorning lights revealing all were being shown on me too.
Aristotle's 3 unities of acting were completely thrown out of the window. The way in which no time was established so the piece was able to easily cut between events without explanation and not end up in confusion. There was no definitive place that was set in stone so the actors were able to freely use the space. There was no "stage right means the jail and cell and centre is James' mind" it was nice to see them break conventions like this. The action is one big mash up of past, present, future, imagination making it interesting and exiting.
The whole show felt like it had a lot of work put into it moreover the message spoke out clearly to me and I am very impressed with the hard work and commitment of these young people.
Review of 13
Other reviews can be found at:
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/oct/26/13-review
http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/33998/13
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8848998/13-National-Theatre-review.html
Now if you know me well then you know how harsh and critical I can be especially about Theatre shows so when I give high praise to something I have seen then you can trust me it is worthy! Out of the 4 common ground shows I saw 13 had to be the best. Frontline failed to peak my interests and don't get me started on the singing, Our Country's Good had the best acting in it but I was very aware I was sitting in a theatre, and 100 years was a well structured albeit minutiae on the love side of war and less on the tragic conflict. 13 was as close to a perfect show I have seen in my entire life.
The opening immediately put me 100% in the action. I was greeted with this amazing sit design with a different levels and dark lightening exciting my senses making me anticipate the events to come. We see all these different characters enter mysteriously and they just start having a full-scale terror attack with chilling screams connecting voice and body. The swinging pendulum was an inspired idea as the light fixed to it gave off a sort of an alarming feel for me as an audience member like I too was having a bad dream. The way the actors used the stage with such familiarity and the transitions between sequences were absolutely flawless there were no lulls in energy that took me out of it, I was always engaged and focused. The cut from the opening sequence to the protesters was very well done which is mostly down to the brilliant writing.
It was excellently cast. All of the actors gave unique performances that showed high technical skill. If I was to pick out a few to critique I would have to give one of my only (I say only even though I have more) negative comments on the actor playing the lawyer. He brought a certain charisma and charm to the character and I so desperately wanted to like him but... I couldn't understand a word he was saying. His mere presence was simply formidable but what did that matter when all I could hear was "well erm blarslfslsaaal eh ehemm" *sniffs gratuitously. Granted that was an idiosyncrasy that his coke-addict character had but if only he could have done it in a way that didn't make me confused about what the hell was going on. On the other hand we get a pair of actors that have such a wonderful on stage chemistry that I don't even question their relationship at all. I am obviously talking about the bond between the psychotic mother and her precious little angel. From the moment the entered I didn't even doubt for a second that they were mother and daughter. I could feel the back stories they had it just came through effortlessly and that takes real artistry.
The portrayal of the themes were just excellent. I felt like an idiot when I found out the TRUE extent of the bibliography within the text but that was not to the fault of the actors. The sense of doom and despair and the tension and suspense never dropped even though it kept on swapping between all these different stories there was always the flying of this impending bomb about to drop and it was always in the back of my mind. The way in which it made me think and make me genuinely worry about political affairs that could possibly be happening right this second was phenomenal. The commitment to the piece was all there. I noticed that during one of the fight scenes one the actor who played Amir had actually cut himself and was bleeding but instead of coming out of character he incorporated it into his piece seamlessly.
I only briefly mentioned it but the scenery and props were top notch. The elevated levels of the government scenes gave a sense alienation and division from the rest of the "normal" everyday stuff was cleverly envisioned. The big white box seriously took the creativity of the staging to a new level although it was quite annoying as it sometimes did cover the actors speech in awkward screeches. The costumes were simple yet effective. Everything worked, all the formally dressed characters had perfect dress and suit design, The youth type characters had perfect clothing and that one mysterious character dressed all in black didn't draw focus like you though he might have.
The directing style was good. I feel like the actors probably had more of an input on the project but I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's to do with the freedom I felt each character had and the way there were so realistic. I feel that more of the action so have taken place centre stage. The couch was placed far stage right and so for some sitting in Left Block much of the action in the family setting was lost. The sequences were genius as I have said before but the way it incorporates you into the piece post-interval is stunning. One other complaint I had was the use of multimedia felt a little bit unnecessary, The video recording of John's speech may have seemed like a good idea but to be honest it kind of felt a tiny bit contrived. It just didn't click with the rest of the piece.
The most memorable part of the whole performance was when Ruby was murdered. I will never forget the way she just starts banging the knife against the chopping board in such a menacing fashion making me fear her. Up until this moment all we had seen was a mum and her child but then suddenly you see this change in the atmosphere and it's just blood-curdling and simple and one of the best moments of Theatre I had ever seen.
All in all 13 was a magnificent play well worth the money I spent. I would recommended it to anyone in a heartbeat!
Kaos
This was the Theatre game we spent longest on as it challenges us as actors psychologically rewiring our brains to drop the negative idiosyncrasy of dropping the ball. The games main goals was to get us to believe that when the ball is connects with the floor simply to ignore it. We should no longer feel that failure is bad, it is part of the road to successes which isn't always easy to see working in an ensemble. This exercise was also to (as most drama games do) focus our minds as there were different layers to concentrate on and as they slowly built up it became more and more difficult. 
The first layer involved us simply creating a chain of names across the circle. I didn't have to be in any particular order we just had to make sure everyone's name is said and it ends with someone saying sir's name to complete it. We did this a few times just to make sure we knew what we were doing it right. We were then told not to forget about the first layer but to keep it at the back of our minds. Mr. Rennison then introduced a ball, Now this is were the "Kaos" came into it. We were then told to throw the ball across the circle creating another chain but this one was inaudible and purely physical and we didn't have the luxury of hearing the name to remember this chain so we had to concentrate on this layer a little more than previous one. As we did the previous we repeated it a few times to make sure we really had it in our heads. We then brought together the two layers together to create a pattern of voice and movement two of the most important elements of Theatre. The vocal layer could also stand for lines and the balls is a prop! We had to throw the ball in succession in the already defined order whilst simultaneously saying the names we had worked out before. Another way this exercise is useful is that it helps us to be sharp on our cues and as one of the most important capabilities of an actor... to listen on stage. To me personally if a performance lacks that then it's not even worth watching as it becomes fake and cliché so this exercise becomes even more useful in the prospects of giving and receiving lines while performing scripted plays. The game became harder as we had quite a few things to concentrate on not being negative about the now more or less inevitable ball drops, the vocal layer and the ball throwing but after awhile it started to become easy enough to do!
The third layer threw another spanner into the works. We now had to move across the circle one at a time and tap someone on the shoulder creating another chain of people. Now we had all the layers together we were truly creating chaos as we know had another piece of movement happening along with all the names and ball throwing going on. This was to not only teach us how to concentrate on more than 3 things at once but also our own spatial awareness as we move across the circle. This also helped within Blackout to create smooth transitions as we moved across the stage. Finally this game helped to give us a collective responsibility as an ensemble moreover contributing to the feel of the Theatrical piece.
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