G-Pilot

The week began with bump in on Monday during our curriculum day which wasn’t really a curriculum day, not that I am complaining, I would much rather spend my holidays doing theatre anyway. Beginning with the long train ride to Sydney Rd we arrived an hour late but luckily were not the last to arrive which gave the costume department time to visit our handy second-hand clothing store, ‘Savers’. Savers proved to be a much depended upon resource, being, in conjunction with our own clothing, the main source of our costumes. I supplied my own white shirt for Sophie which was a business-like simple shirt with buttoned cuffs and basic collar. The skirt purchased from saver was a high waisted, just below the knee, pencil skirt, classic for a sophisticated business-woman. I was now able to begin rehearsing in my full and definite outfit to get a feel for what the outfit allowed. Until… The very next day, after re-painting the boxes, I, stupidly leaned on the wet paint, completely ruining my new skirt. For the remainder of rehearsals leading up to Thursday’s show I was forced to rehearse in a skirt that was short and uncomfortable and one that was miles too big.

Continuing with the events of our first day in the theatre, many of the technical aspects of the production were developed. It was on this day that the entire production team worked together on one particular stagecraft - set. This required every team member to assist in the construction and addition of supports to the fame panels. It was then time for the major section of my lighting stagecraft to take place. After compiling a plan of patch-points (compiled by Bethany and myself), it was job to plug each lights patch point into the selected channel of the lighting desk. This process of forming the order of lights on the lighting desk was derived from use, style and location of both light and lighted area of the stage.

We got through a technical run as well as several dress rehersals which gave the lighting and sound team a chance to coordinate their cues. This was also an important process for the cast as it brought about the issue of thebamboo stick holders. Because the holes for the bamboo were black it was very difficult to see where they were when the lights were down. To correct this problem the holes were painted white so to be visible.

Each night before rehearsals our director, Lisa Stinson, ran a warm up in which we warmed up our bodies and voices as well as got our imagination working. After the group war-up I did my own mental preparation which involved going off by myself for a little while and then going into character. For the 10-15 mins leadig up to the show I remained in character so that when I got out on stage it wasn’t as if I was just begining to act.

Thursday and Saterday’s show were half sold and Friday’s was only a quater. The show on Thursday was in my opinion the best which was due to the energy released through our nerves. Fridays was lacking because people had become relaxed and there wasn’t a lot of energy from the small audience. Saterday’s show was good but not great which was a little dissappointing as we didn’t get to reach our target performance.

Do not worry Lisa, I am also hating myself right now. Sophie is soooooo  full of crap. Bah!! *vomit* *vomit*. I have lost her and cannot find her. And I also realised that I only have an accent for half of the play which is brilliannt considering we open this week. Lisa I would like to sit down with you sometime this week and discuss somethings that perhaps have been bothering you because I also need help and will be happy to give you some constructive critisism.

Lighiting

The lighting plan for ‘100′ is coming along well, with a few minor adjustments being made this week. Our first job once we enter the theatre will be to rig the lights according to our plan. The set-up which we enter the theatre at and what we must leave it as will be standard rigging. Our plan is standard rigging, altaring some colours, adding and angling some profilers as well as including flood lights. Once the set-up is complete patching will need to be planned, under the conditions of Bethany Carswell, our lighting operator. Once the plan is completed we can plug all the patchpoints into the lighting desk and begin plotting.

After Dinner

After Dinner was a very different style and genre of play. The charcaters were much more modern and alot easier to research.  The setting of the play was excellent, transforming the audience are into part of the set. The lighting was very basic but effective however some of the transitions lacked flow. An example of this is when more serious conversations took place and the lighting was gradually dimmed without the audience realizing but then were suddenly flashed back up which was a distraction from the acting. The actors were all great, each very different in every aspect. The learning of lines for this particular play I would imagine would be very difficult as many conversations go for long periods of time with not much action, therefor giving no movement for the actor to connect with the line. This theme of long discusssions which ran through the play was the times at which there was a chance of losing the audience’s attention. However, the strong and contrasting, whose dynamix drew interest, saved this from happpening.

Pilot.

Do you know  that feeling you get when you wake up in the morning and it’s hard? No… not that feeling. That anxious nervous feeling at the top of your chest when your heart starts beating faster and your face gets red and hot. When you can feel like you can no longer hold it together and you can just slowly feel yourself losing control over your body and emotions until it just slips away.

The other day I was talking to a friend who was upset but at that moment contained and she said she was fine until people spoke to her. She was able to block out the thought until someone would speak to her and push her to think about it. 

This what happens to Sophie. She has become so praticed at blocking out her trauma that there is almost nothing that could push her to show how she really feels. That is until her experience in the void. The questions from her fellow ‘voidans’, “what was your goal?”, “so what went wrong?”, are all little scratches at the surface which make her uneasy. It isn’t until her argument with the guide that we really see her start to lose control.

The guides interogation techniques push Sophie to focus her mind on the one thing she is avoiding. The two characters work together, Sophie slowly running out of excuses becomes nervous and fidgety (the feeling descibed in p.1+2) and the guide sees and feels her the energy and from it is encouraged to continue pushing. The two build the scene in intensity with movement, volume and emotional tones to a breaking point (highlighted by lighting) where everything the audience has become accustomed to dissappears.

Sophie’s feelings at this point are all that we see. Shee turns inside out. All of the mannerisms adopted by her persona to hide the person she really is dissappear. Her movements, her dialogue is all competely natural and powered only by what she is feeling. There are no stereotypical or sociological elements, it is completely bare.

From this point on Sophie’s physicality and reserved speach is completely changed and we see a completely different person.

Well there is nothing else to write about this week so I thought I would just ramble about stuff. We have a lesson tomorow (Friday) but I think we will be sleeping. If anything interesting does happen I will add to this blog.

Pilot.

First of all congradulations to Tasha, who did some of her finest work on Monday’s class. I don’t know whether it was Mr Aiyapan’s presence but it was the first time I saw her in the zone and really relaxed. Really good work done by all the cast that day. It was great to see people focused and really listening to what Lisa was saying. I think perhaps it was because Mr Cooper wasn’t there that people felt the need to pull together and be self disciplined rather that having someone else do it.

Rehersing is so much easier now that we have learnt our lines!!! congratulations to everyone on doing that. The flow and rhythm starts to happen and all of a sudden poeple are in their characters and we are rolling through scenes. It can be very annoying when people forget their lines which is why I would like to say sorry for Fridays class where I was all over the place.

Thank you to Mr Cooper who has started a lighting design which will really help Beth and I along because at the moment we are a little unsure about how exactly we should go about it. I have been reading through some books about theatre lighting so I can understand the angles and volume of lights to get the desired effect for our show.

Can I make a suggestion that all cast, including myslef, read over the script to remember blocking for memory scenes because at the moment that is what is missing and is a huge distraction during a scene when you realize your in the wring spot.

Pilot.

                                                                                                         mood: Paolo Nutini

A fairly uneventful week. We finished the blocking for Sophie’s final memory which I felt turned out very well though still needs practice to fine tune. The dream- like un-naturalistic context of the memory has been transposed to the performance by abnormal movement such as spinning. Spinning in and out of various settings also works well as a time savor because this scene does go through a number of settings which all take time to create.

The lighting is on it’s way. Beth and I have got a basic plan for the types of lights required for each scene but not yet where abouts they will be highlighting on the stage. Some of the company have been talking about creating a scene-by-scene for the blocking of people and set for eah scene which would be an excellent reference for us when doing the lighting plan. The only lights we are thinking of purchasing are the ones seen in Macbeth which are planted on the floor of the stage lighting upward. This will definately aid in eliminating shadows dor the void scenes.

pilot.

                                                                                                                        Mood: Burak

Macbeth

Interesting, not what I expected. People are constantly trying to take a new spin on this classic play, setting it in a modern times or abstract settings. The directors attempt to mix 1950’s war time with the Medievil times at which it was written was evident in the use of weapons. Mixing hand guns with swords and daggers was an attempt to show the link between the original placing and script to the adapted war and military setting.

Another attempt to create an individuality to this age old tale was keeping the actors on the stage throughout the entire play. There were very few times when the actors actually left the stage and if they did they very quickly re-entered to freeze sitting side of stage. This posed an unnecessary distraction because though the actors were still majority of the time their changing of costumes drew attention away from the scene taking place. 

 An effective tool by lighting was the flashing intervals between important scenes. three or four time throughout the show, when a significant event or discussion had taken place there would be a blackout and the lights would flash from overhead to shine onto the actors standing in a spread formation on the stage. It only lasted a second which is what made it so effective because it shocked the audience. Another great lighting effect was the use of lights on the floor of the stage which angled upwards and shone halfway up the back wall. This effect was used during the military scenes to show a change in setting.

The actor who played Macbeth was very different to any I’ve seen before. His physicality was at times a little over acted for the character who for the first half of the story has a business-like manner. His vocal work was very excentric but at times repetitive and not in context with what he was saying. This at times caused the audience to lose focus or miss out on parts of the stroyline when emphais was put on unimportant phrases. The other part of this character that was missing was the gradual deterioration of his mind, moving into a state of insanity. The build was lost at the beggining of the play when his non-rhythmic movement and unmoderated tone was already apparent.

The actress who played Lady Macbeth was further developed but still not as deep as expected. The contrast between the first scene; an excited wife reading a letter from her husband; and the last scene; an insane murderous fragile woman. was a great example of the build of her charcater. The important scene in between these, the manipulation of Macbeth to murder Duncan, showed Lady Macbeth to be developing into a strong conspiring woman. However, a key part of this scene is the seduction that Lady Macbeth uses as a manipulation tool which was non-existent.

 100

In Wednesday’s class we rehersed Sophie’s second memory and her monolgue. Sophie’s second memory is a very effective and clever scene because of the use of the boxs. It is really good to be able to use those very few props and transform them into something of the imagination. I also think people are really loosening up and developing their characters in this scene which is great for everyone to bounce off.

I also love the focus which is happening which is very promising. The problem is just bringing it to every class. When this starts to happen acting becomes more natural and people strat to get the meaning behind thier dialogue out to the audience. Each character has a story to tell and it is fantastic to see glimpses of it come together from everyone. The next steph with this is to keep in charcater throughout a string of scenes.

Sophie’s third memory is the scene that needs the most work, mainly because it is long and there are lots of changes in setting which are all done by physical movement by the class. Once this is under control full runs will begin which is a great chance for all members of the company to realy see how it is shaping up and what needs to be done. I am wondering whether some sort of extended rehersal can be arranged, either into lunch or after school, just to have a full run through.

The Mechanics Institute looks great and I love the fact that the audience are so close to the front of the stage, it really allows the actor’s faces to be seen and really connect. It is also a lot bigger than expected which is something we will need to remember during rehersals. Bethany and I will need a full lighitng plan before we enter the Theatre to ensure we are set up as quickly as possible.

Pilot.

                                                                                                                  mood: Nathan Petrelli.

On Thursday I spent two hours in Mr Cooper’s year 10 class which turned out to be the most benefitial two hours of my production area study so far. It was a good chance for me to learn to set up lights (do’s and don’t’s) as well as play around with different effects. This provided vital information for my pholio. 
It was fantastic to get rid of scripts today!! People were so much more free and physical. Having the lighting and music was also great because it really adds to the setting. With the setting taken care of there is a lot less imagination required from the actor which made a huge difference. Having the lighting set up in the performance space gave both Bethany and I a chance to play around with different ideas which will save time when we get in the theatre because most of the scenes will already be pretty much planned.

Nia and Alex’s scene will be great!!! It is so simple and humble. It is such a warm and enviable situation, one so serene it feels like a dream. The lighting needs to be quite bright because it is such an honest moment. It is bare and human and the use of shadows would eliminate the feelings. I am thinking maybe yelloow/orange or some pinks?

I am very sorry but I don’t have much else to say…

I found this picture whilst surfing the net for theatre lighting. I thought that it would be an interesting set for ’100′ if we decided to go in the opposite direction.

pilot.

WEEK 6

Sophie:

Love, love, love, — hate, hate, hate. This is how I feel about the work that I have done so far this week. The scene leading up to Sophie’s memory was extremely difficult to do in class as it is extremely extraverted. It is the pinacle of Sophie’s time in the void. All of her opressed feeling and small outbursts all lead up to this one huge explosion. It’s hard becaus grasping such a deep emotion and holding onto it for such a long monologue is an extremely difficult thing, especially when it is something that I haven’t had a lot of practice at doing. It is also difficult because it is completely out of charcater and is far beyond anything Sophie would ever allow herself to do. I like the blocking of it and I think it is very appropriate because as Sophie talks and reveals her secrets she is stripping herself of everything she has covered herself with, becoming naked. This is why I think gradually moving into a small ball is appropriate because that is the only way she can cover herself. From doing this scene in class my first run through was good because it was pure emotioin, the second run, with the blocking, was lacking (which is expected) because adding in movement and new expression which isn’t yet natural is very distracting from the feelings of the character. I really like the outburst during the first paragraph of the monologue because she is trying to explain herself and really seeking the approval of others - which is out of the ordinary - as well as completely bursting before crumbling into a heap. I am sorry to Mr Cooper and the rest of the class for being so negative towards rehersing this scene but I am worried that a scene such as this should not be rehersed too much as it becomes routine which eliminates the feeling and turns it into a sequence of actions. However I am also sure that the atmosphere in the theatre combining the audience energy and lighting will set the mood very definately, making it easier.

Sophie’s last memory needs a lot of work. I think Lisa has done a great job of it so far but I think there needs to be definate changes in the physicality of the actors between the different settings. Part of this change in the settings will also be due to the props which we will have to wait to work with. It is in this scene that we see the transformation of Sohpie from a wide-eyed girl to the successful business woman we see in the void. This is also where we see the life drain from her, as she get more successful she becomes more proud but also dissappointed in her success, like it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Her persona in the void then makes sence to the audience as they now understad most of the story but they are also drawn in further as to why it is that there is all this reserved anger. if she lived had such a good life.

I think the script also needs to be looked at more closely to understand what is going on in the different parts of dialogue. Another thing that I picked up on for myself and the other actors is that during each persons memory we can create our own characters. e.g. on the train in Sophie’s memory there can be a range of different characters, whther it be a business man or a bum or someone snoozing. Also in Ketu’s memory, we are village people and should not be walking with perfect posture but wide legged and crouching. All of these little details should be looked at very clkosely during our next rehersal, especially since during other peoples memories each character has not much else to concentrate on.

Lighting:
In the production meeting I briefly brought up the idea of using colours for each character’s memories which I have spoken about in my previous blogs.
Sophie: blue/green - gloomy and dark
Ketu: yellow/orange - bright and earthy
Alex and Nia: purple/pink/white - regular everyday life / love
This was a very popular idea amongst the cast so I will now encorporate it into the lighting plan. I made my first few plans this weekend and it is very obvious that a lot of the lighting will take place in the theatre where the dinamics of the stage and the actors on the stage are available. I have begun my research about the different lights we will be using and the effects of each (which I will post soon) because I need to work out which lights need to be hung from each lighting bar. If anyone has photos of the theatre could they please bring them into class soon so that I can seen where the lighting bars are located.

Pilot.

WEEK 5

Sophie:

It is fantastic to have finally finished blocking Sophie’s memory because I have been reluctant to learn lines before all  the blocking was complete. When you read lines without knowing the story behind them you create your own interperation an memorise them with that meaning. After blocking and understanding the point in time, history and other characters influence I have more of an understanding of the meaning behind the dialogue. A perfect example of this is in Sophie’s last memory. When we first read through the script Sophie’s third memory the company was completely bambozzelled. It is now after finding out about her history that we know what it means. We see at the very beginning of the script that Sophie has died from a neurological condition; “i have a cut… here.” we then find that Sohpie has had a brief experience in the afterlife; “i’ve been her before.” Her second memory, of her boring recurring lifestyle and success driven attitude show us the kind of life she leads. So this is where you out two and two together. This third memory is so unexpected and random that we know it cannot possible be true, but she is re-living it so therefore it must have happened. Perhaps in a dream where the barriers with which she has imprisoned herself no-longer exist. Then we are reminded of how she died and perhaps this state of unconsiousness where the memory took place is in fact a coma. And now it all makes sense.

I am enjoying acting this end of Sophie’s stage time more than the first. She is less reserved and becomes more comfortable and open which allows me to be more expessive and play someone who is less reserved. I also think that I am becoming more confident with being on the stage as well as my ability to play Sophie which is adding to my enjoyment. The memories are both fun and easy because they allow me to flip between re-inacting and retrospect which creates an interesting effect. I say they are easy because they don’t require as much depth as playing Sophie in the void. Their meaning a lot of the time is not as complex and is easy to descipher.  

Lighting:

Over the last two weeks I have been collecting magazine clippings of ideas for lighting as well as my character. I find this a great way to get started because magazines are filled with so many advertisements. These adds, designed to grab the reader’s attention do so by using lots of different colours, settings and angles of light. They can also be quite abstract which is part of what we are aiming for with ‘100′. Now that I have ideas of colour and light I will go about making my sketches and plans for each scene. To start with I will begin blocking the stage from a bird’s eye view. From this the lights needed on each lighting bar can be determined. Once the basic plan is together I can attempt to do sketches of what exactly the scene will look like from the front.

This is just one of the pictures of Ketu from a  school production. Interesting. www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk/new/curriculum/drama/main6.htm

Pilot.

WEEK 4 

Just a note that this weeks blog will not be rich in content as others due to the lack of lessons and development in my production areas this week.

Sophie:

I am really looking forward t getting rid of my script so that my movement won’t be so restricted and reserved. This week i really made an effort to move around on the stage even if it wasn’t required. Alhtough it made me feel insecure and a little out of my zone it was important to break down those barriers between being Gemma thinking about the movements of Sophie and Sophe actually moving.

“What? (angry.) Who ar you to judge me? Who do you think you are?!”

This was one of the lines of dialogue which really stuck out to me in our rehersal. Because Sophie is so reserved and un-confrontational this was a very evident change in her character, though it only lasted a second it felt good to yell and let go of everything she is holding in, like a breath of fresh air from the disguise she wears. As an actor it was good because doing something like that because the aggresive movement and tone helps you release any insecurities you have about your performance.

Ketu’s memory is looking like it is going to be great. Changing characters and playing a range of differse things is going to be fun and easy which means it should be very effective. I say it’s easy because when you are playing an abnormal or unusual character for only a short time it can be very superficial and rich in physicality. This also means there isn’t a lot of pressure from the audience to  convey the inner monologue of the character.

Other:

After reading the Theatre Studies blog, I agree with Mr Cooper that this weeks diruptions have altered our ‘flow’. In the past people have been more than eager to put forward their ideas and developments in the stagecraft areas. This weeks meeting was very low on energy and there wasn’t a lot of contributions by the group, thus making it a very (I loathe saying it) boring lesson. I understand completely the necessity to having these lessons, I am merely saying the effects of the weeks events had a very negative and unusual effect on the class.

So far I like the idea of grey colouring of the stage. This choise of set is very considerate of the lighting and costume department as it will complement any colour. This was great to see as it is an example of the types of sacrifices that need to be made in order for everyone in the group to have their own personal contribution to the production.

Pilot.