Lesson Audit- 12/2/2015

Lesson Audit

Lesson-12/2/2015

This weeks lesson was completely dedicated to ensuring that we as an ensemble fully understood and had learned the piece effectively and thoroughly enough to perform our piece with a consistent level of high quality in order to receive the highest grade we could. We ran through the piece three time and I felt that our rehearsal time was effective and that by the begging of our third and final run through, we had all not only fully understood the structure of the piece, but had also developed a final message that each of us wanted to convey to the audience as individuals characters but also as an entire ensemble.

Thrust Staging

Thrust Staging

Thrust staging is a stage setting that seats its audience on 3 different sides and one opening for the cast, which sometimes may also have the audience sat within it. One main advantage of a thrust stage is that it allows for greater and far more effective intimacy between the actors and the audience than a "proscenium" staging. Additionally, this in a way allows the audience to enjoy each other's company as they will all feel like they are part of the performance as a result of the nature of intimacy in the performance due to the staging. However despite this, the opposing sides of the audience may see a different performance to the other or the one the company intend to give. As an actor I feel that being directed in a space like this will only present a challenge in terms of what message I want to communicate with the audience due to the intimate nature of the staging.

Ensemble

Ensemble

Through various research and previous experience, I have come to the conclusion that an ensemble is an approach to a piece that the entire company takes with a more unified stance instead of each actor emphasizing their individual performances. I feel that in order to create a successful ensemble piece, all actors will have to begin every rehearsal with various exercises in order to not only fully focus their minds, but to clear them as well so to ensure all decisions made about the piece are all in unison and harmony with each actor's vision of it even if it is not their vision initially. I am unfortunately not knowledgeable on any ensemble pieces based on stage, however I am in multimedia/film pieces such as "Reservoir Dogs", "X-men" and "Lord of The Rings". My favorite multimedia piece is "The Avengers". This is because I was extremely impressed by the way in which the cast managed to maintain a natural flow with all the characters despite them all being characters so big they had their very own film pieces dedicated just to them.

Unit 15 Performing Scripted Plays Rehearsal Self Observation:Lesson-15/1/2014

Unit 15 Performing Scripted Plays Rehearsal Self Observation

Lesson-15/1/2015

My three main targets this lesson were to be sure to write about and reflect on my rehearsals and class discussions, to completely understand the structure of the performance and to fully learn my lines. I feel that I have effectively completed my first target and will ensure I continue to achieve it in all future lessons. I feel that by the very end this lesson I had successfully achieved my second target and am even now expanding and reflecting on this target. I am still working on my third target but believe that I will by next weeks lesson have effectively achieved it. I would grade myself a solid merit for this lesson and will ensure to make sure all of my future lessons are at distinction standard.  

Unit 15 Performing Scripted Plays Self Observation: Lesson-8/1/2015

Unit 15 Performing Scripted Plays Self Observation

Lesson-8/1/2015

My three main targets this lesson were to effectively reflect about this lesson, maintain a high level of consistency during rehearsals and to fully understand the story and underlying story of the entire performance. I feel that I achieved my first two targets, however I have come to the conclusion that it will take more performing/rehearsals and far more character exploration before I can achieve my third target. I believe that achieving my third target will be a definitive way in which I can further strengthen my final performance as completely understanding all of my own and everyone else's character's thoughts and feeling will help me better understand how to convey and connect with them during rehearsals or my final performance which will automatically influence the physical element of my performance. 

Character Exploration-Asylum Seekers

Character Exploration-Asylum Seekers 

My character is the father of a Syrian asylum seeking family who is struggling to stay together and remember who they all are as people and more importantly who they all are to each other throughout their journey through the crisis. Pre-crisis, my character is trusting, energetic and always hoping for the best of life with his family, however the violence, destruction and most of all struggle to keep his family alive and together has what I feel to have "worn" him out and made him very distrusting and made him keep himself to himself, even from his won family who he still wants nothing but the best for but has almost lost his emotional connection with. I believe that one of the functions of the crisis is that is reveals who the characters within it truly are, and I feel that my character has been revealed to be nothing but completely selfless at his core as time and time again in my performances and exercises (especially in our assessment in which the year 14's took part) he sacrifices his own well-being and what would be his own natural selfish desires to protect his family. However I believe that the crisis has also revealed him to be cold and possibly even cruel when it comes to the well-being and preservation of his family, even towards people of his own situation. I look forward to further exploring him and seeing where his journey takes him.   

Character Exploration-East End Tales

Character Exploration- East End Tales

My character in the "East End Tales" play, the father, is a very dismissive character who seems to only be concerned with his own affairs and is shown to result to anger and almost threatening methods like shouting, in order to stop anyone in his family (mainly his wife) from even trying to meddle in the affairs of others (others being their next door neighbors who every night show signs of domestic abuse taking place in their home). I feel that my character may very possibly not be intentionally selfish or cruel, but may simply want to keep to himself to avoid bringing trouble into his own home. I feel that this may be the result of a previous occurrence in his life that had him trying to help someone else or "dig" into the business of someone else he felt needed help. This occurrence must have resulted in him being hurt or scorned by either the person he was trying to help or by someone else who has power/control in his life such as a parent or perhaps even a court judge (as it is very possible he may have even got into legal trouble for his "interference").