17/11/2011 A Doll's House

In this lesson, me and my partner began by hot-seating each other. In character as Helmer, I tried to answer all the questions given to me by my partner in a way that would conform to all the character traits we discussed in our Berkoff lesson. I tried to convince myself I was proud, sexist, possessive, hard-working, patronising and worrying. I believe that this exercise has helped me internalise the character of Helmer. I found that in rehearsals this helped me believe that I was Helmer and was being left by Nora. We spent the rest of the lesson rehearsing. I had learnt around a page and a half of lines so far. By next lesson, I hope to have learned a few more.

17/11/2011 The Arsonists

We began the lesson with warmups such as wink murder and still image to focus us for the lesson. We then split into the groups we do the first section in to fine-tune our performance. The first thing we did was discuss the position of the puppets and the puppeteer. We decided that the puppeteers needed to do their actions more limply to imitate actual puppeteers. We also decided that the bell section needed better synchronisation. I believe that we accomplished that when we performed in front of the group. Next lesson, I want to improve the second group piece.

17/11/2011 Berkoff

We began the lesson today in the groups we begin the piece in. We were told to list the techniques that Steven Berkoff uses in Theatre. Our group listed Total Theatre, the importance of the actor and minimalism. Afterwards the group all shared what ideas they had come up with. I believe that this helped me as I was reminded of all the techniques we should have been using. We then split into groups made up of the people playing different roles in 'A Doll's House'. In the Helmer group, we came up with five of his character traits that we were going to turn into a Berkoff piece. After discussion, we chose patronising, worrying, proud, possessive and hard working. We began with an idea for possessive where we would links arms with an imaginary Nora and walk around the space dragging her around. We also each had one phrase we would say as we walked round the space that would show him to be possessive or patronising. My line was: "tsst, the poor". We then created a chair and footstool for one of the Helmers. The intention was that the Helmer sitting down would appear very proud and continually order expensive items from a waiter. I then had the idea that it could be staged in the round. I thought that this would be effective as the walking section at the beginning would be difficult to view from a proscenium arch view. It would also make the piece more non-naturalistic. When we performed it, we were asked to perform it twice. I believe that I contributed a fair share to a performance that was well received by the group. I believe I also understand the traits of Helmer more.

10/11/11 Berkoff

We began the lesson with a quick warm-up to help us focus, and a quick run-through of the piece to prevent us from forgetting it. We were then split into groups of four where we would compose the section of 'Greek' after the manager has died. We would then perform these in front of the group, with bits from each piece being put into the final piece. We began by reading through the lines and determining who would have which lines. We had two Eddys and two Waitresses, so we had to make sure that both members of the pairs were playing the same character and that everyone had a fair number of lines. One idea I devised was for me and the other Eddy to play sarcastic violins as the Waitresses were crying over the loss of their husband. Another idea I devised was for us two Eddys to allow the Waitresses to lean in our arms as they decide they would rather be with Eddy. I think that I contributed a fair share to the performance and that some parts of our performance will be in the final piece.

04/11/2011 The Arsonists

We began the lesson with a few warm-up games to help us focus. We then performed the full chorus piece we had rehearsed. There is still a small lack of synchronisation in our group, but I believe that that will be fixed through further rehearsals. We then split into our smaller groups to practise our performances. We began with a read-through of the script where I established the characterisation of my character. I tried to show that Schmitz had a higher status than Biedermann by adopting a very confident and commanding voice. I did this because I noticed how Schmitz often ingratiates himself to Biedermann by saying he doesn't require much food or a bed, but then tells Biedermann and Anna to get him those things anyway. When we started blocking the scene, I adopted a high posture and a firm gait to further characterise Schmitz. When we first blocked through the scene, we felt it was too naturalistic. To make it more abstract, we added a part where the performer playing Anna comes in and performs various actions towards Biedermann which reflect Schmitz's monologue. She does this in a way which makes Biedermann her puppet. For example, on the line; "Don't make me laugh", she tickles Biedermann, making him laugh uncontrollably and unwillingly. On another monologue, we have her coming in and dousing Biedermann in petrol then trying to set light to him. These actions received praise when we performed it to the group, so we intend to continue developing them in the lessons. By next lesson I want to have learned most of my lines for Schmitz.

04/11/2011 Berkoff

We began the lesson by watching the video of what we had done last lesson. As I watched it, I noticed inconsistencies in the actions of all the performers, including myself. For example, at the beginning, some of the Eddys have their hands on their knees while others have their elbows on their knees. I believe that as we continue to rehearse, we will have to pay a closer attention to detail, to prevent problems like this. Another issue I noticed was in the section before the fight scene. Most of what is said between the Eddys and the Managers is lost due to de-synchronisation between performers. I believe that to fix this, this scene will need to be de-constructed so that all the performers know how they should say the line and at what tempo. Afterwards, we went into the CYT and continued to rehearse the performance.

04/11/2011 A Doll's House

After discussion with our tutor for A Doll's House, we have once again changed the extract we are to perform. This is because our tutor believed that because we had cut out so much material, it broke the Through-line of Action. In our new extract Nora tells Helmer that she is leaving her and gives her reasons why. We started by breaking our extract into units and objectives. For example, I have defined one unit of text where Helmer attempts to force Nora to stay by adopting a commanding tone. I have identified the objective in lines such as the one in which Helmer says: "You are betraying your most sacred duty". I have annotated this section describing that Helmer's objective in this line is to convince Nora to stay through a form of emotional blackmail. He does this by using a word with negative connotations to describe Nora's actions and a powerful word associated with Religion to describe what she is 'betraying'. By next week, I aim to have learned some of my lines.

03/11/2011 A Doll's House

We began the lesson with a quick physical and vocal warm-up. I had partially completed my target set last week of learning lines as I had learned the first three of my character's new lines. We began by reading through the extract we had chosen. We had already familiarised ourselves with the characters so we read through the lines confidently. We then decided to time one of our read-throughs to ensure it was within the three to five minute limit. We found that it was almost seven minutes so we looked through the extract for places we can cut material without losing the quality and naturalism of A Doll's House. After we had made cuts, we did another read-through and managed to reduce our time to five minutes and thirty seconds. By next lesson, I want to be blocking actions. My target is to learn my first page of lines by next week.

03/11/2011 The Arsonists

We began today with some warm-ups and then split into our groups. We rehearsed the sections we had created before half term. After we had re-perfected them, we discussed how to combine the work of the two groups. We came up with a solution where the other group perform their section with us watching in a semi-circle. We would then slowly sing clock chimes as they pass a cigarette along a line. After they have finished their section, they dissipate with our group being left in the middle. As we perform our section, they surround us and mime that they are CCTV cameras and make machine noises. After we had performed this twice, our tutor placed us into small groups where we would each perform a short extract from the play. I was originally given the role of Biedermann but this was soon changed to Schmitz. In our group, we performed a read-though in character. I think that I have personified my character well in the read-through as I have made him appear charismatic and I have shown a passive-aggressive dominance over the character of Beidermann. Tomorrow, I am going to rehearse more, and I will hopefully have learned some lines by then. I also need to think of ways to express the meaning of the play in a non-naturalistic way as the character of Anna has very little dialogue. Therefore I think the actress playing her could use physicality to create symbolism in a way I have yet to imagine.

03/11/2011 Berkoff

We began the lesson with quick stretches to prepare us. We then rehearsed what we had created so far. We then worked on improving the death clump at the end. We began by improving the transition between the fight and the clump. The Managers in the middle no hobble into position clutching their chest in pain as the Eddys take their position menacingly. One point of improvement we were given was to slow down the action in the death clump as it looked too clumsy. We achieved this by synchronising our speeds into one slow-motion tempo. This improved the clump as I believe it would make an audience treat the Managers more sympathetically. There is also a new section added where we Eddys turn to face the audience and state "Victor". I found this challenging as I was not sure how it should be timed. I believe that this led me to be out of sync with the other performers. I also noticed some of them made victorious facial expressions with hands held high while myself and some others did not.

21/10/2011 Stan Theory

Today's lesson was the debate on Naturalism and Non-Naturalism. My team was first up and was debating in favour of Naturalism. I brought up points about how Naturalism can educate and how it can bring important issues to light. When I was debating for Non-Naturalism, I talked about how much money musicals have contributed to theatre and how Brecht used theatre to speak out against the Nazis. One thing I did well in the debate was counter the points of the other team. I did this by noting down my opponent's arguments and points I could bring up about them.

20/10/2011 A Doll's House

We bean the lesson with a quick warm up. We had a major setback today as someone had left our group. This left just myself and one other group member. As the extract we had originally chosen required three actors, we had to pick a new extract. After discussing dramatic moments in the play, we decided to perform the section where Helmer discovers what Nora has done. We did a read through of that section in character and decided that it was too long. So we decided to cut sections of Helmer's monologue, but were careful not to cut anything important. By next lesson, I want to have learned some of my lines.

20/10/2011 Non-Naturalism

We began with a warm up game to prepare us for the lesson. Today, I was put into a group of five where we prepared for a debate where we would take two sides, a pro-naturalism stance and a pro-non naturalism stance. I contributed many ideas to how we could structure our arguments such as talking about the economics of both types of theatre, the impact they have had on people and the world and the ways in which an audience enjoy them. I also provided examples of the plays 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' by Tennessee Williams and 'Fear and Misery of The Third Reich' to help validate the points we make in our debate. I believe that we are well prepared for the debate tomorrow.

20/10/2011 Berkoff

We began the lesson with warmups. We then rehearsed all of what we had done so far. I've achieved the target I set last time as my footing is much better and less sloppier than it was last week. After the fight scene we were given actions for the next part of the fight. The waitresses went into another room to practice the vocal delivery of their lines while we worked on the actions. One of them was bending over backwards in a slow motion style while standing. I found this physically challenging as I had difficulty keeping my balance and creating the slow motion illusion. I plan to practice this move at home so I'll be able to perform it better and transition more smoothly into the next move, a long step forwards. After that we were instructed to perform the final part of the fight in two clumps of Eddys and Managers. That's what we will work on next lesson.

14/10/2011 Stan Theory

We began the lesson with a warm-up game of sign-sign. We then proceeded to tell each something that made us happy or nervous. After listening to everyone's story we lay on the floor and were told to remember distinct details of the saddest moments in our lives. I found myself reliving it fairly quickly and found myself in a similar mood as I was then. Afterwards, some people in the group told everyone else their stories.

14/10/2011 Berkoff

After some physical exercises and "Hop Bunny Hop" we did a quick runthrough of what we had already created. We then worked on the actual fight scene. We were split into four groups and where we were given four words and had to create a slow motion fight. The words we had were pain, overpower, explode and filth. We came up with a slow motion sequence where Niall grabs me in a headlock, I escape pulling his arm behind his back, he shakes me off and I spit at him. After practicing it a few times, we decided that we needed to block it better as our faces and facial expressions were not always reaching the audience. After a lot of practice, we managed to alter parts of the headlock and arm grab to face the audience at crucial parts. For next lesson, I need to work on the movement of my feet during the slow motion sections to stop it from appearing sloppy. However, I think I worked well in creating what I think was a good fight sequence in such a short amount of time.

13/10/2011 A Doll's House

Within our group, we did vocal warm ups to prepare. We then ran through our extract vocally to help understand how our characters speak. I fulfilled my targets of last lesson and learned the first half page. We then read through it again with the objective of giving feedback to each other. I was given very little negative feedback, but I still think I need to be more pompous with my voice. After another physical runthrough, we watched some extracts from other people's performances. For next week, I want to have improved my voice and physicality as well as having learned some more lines.

13/10/2011 Non-Naturalism

We began the lesson with warm up games to prepare us for the lesson. We then got into the groups we were in last week to work on our performance of "The Arsonists". We now have a new member in our group as she wasn't here last week. This gave us the challenge of incorporating her into the group. We first did a runthrough of what we came up with last week. We decided to change a few parts to prevent masking on-stage, for example, the people controlled as puppets/mannequins now kneel down. Another thing this does is elevate the masters over the puppets. We've added a canon on the line "No need to ask how the terror began" with each of the four puppeteers beginning their line after the last person has said: "No Need" and then pushing over their puppet. We now have the new group member coming in as an overall puppeteer after the line: "To wipe out a few human beings" who moves us all into our positions for the clock section where we all sing a clock chime. Our synchronisation in this section has improved greatly since last week as our singing and head movements are now more fluid. For next week, we want to work on a new concept we've made called "The Circle of Evil" which involves us all in a circle around the new group member as lines are spoken. We interact with the audience in this section, which is one of Brecht's techniques we have incorporated.

13/10/2011 Berkoff

We began the lesson with warm up exercises to prepare our minds and bodies for the rehearsal. After a runthrough, the dialogue before the fight was choreographed. This involved me walking up to Niall in a menacing way and saying the line "no one talks to me like that". I believe I need to work on my performance of a menacing Eddy as I don't think it was convincing enough. For next lesson, I am going to exaggerate my posture and allow my voice to become more gruff. I also have to push Niall to the ground, grab his arms and kick him over while saying the line "I'll tear you all to pieces, rip off your arms and legs and feed them to the pigs." There were issues with synchronization on this line as different people were delivering it at different speeds. I think that in a couple of lessons time, we will all have learned to synchronise this line and action.

07/10/2011 Berkoff

After a quick warm up of 'The Banana Game' to help increase focus, we rehearsed all we had done so far. Our tutor then added a small bit where everyone who makes the dining booth turns to face the audience on the word 'coffee'. I think it worked well, although it took a few attempts for everyone to turn on cue. There is then a section where almost everyone turns into The Waitress and we have to put most of our weight on our right knee and put our right hand on our right hip. We then strut into the centre and simultaneously serve a single Eddy his coffee and then call him "a complaining heap of rat shit". I began to find this a challenge after a few runthroughs as it was putting a lot of pressure on my right leg. The males were then put in pairs with one person being an Eddy and the other being a Manager. I was an Eddy. We were told that we were to have a fight scene and that the Eddys would kill the Managers in it. One of the other performers commented that my small physical appearance made it difficult to appear fierce. This is something which I will have to improve upon in the future.

07/10/2011 Stan Theory

We began the lesson today with the warm up game 'Mafia' to help our focus. We then did an exercise where we walked round the room at different paces before being told to immediately imagine our selves in a situation, for example, at a funeral or at the stock market. I found it most easiest to put self in the situations that I had some previous experience of. I had been to a funeral before and knew how I would react and how everybody else would, but the stock market is something I had very little knowledge of, which made it difficult for me to believe I was there. We were then told that that was an exercise to help us understand about pacing in a scene. We were then told to imagine that we were anxiously waiting for a phone call from somebody we like. I tried to show signs of anxiety by breathing irregularly and fiddling with my clothes. I behaved similarly in a later scenario where we were late for a meeting and the train had been delayed. I think I was more convincingly anxious in this situation as I had experienced this many times and was genuinely beginning to feel anxious. In the group, we then discussed how we did in the task. Our tutor then explained about Inner Tempo Rhythms and Outer Tempo Rhythms, explaining that the only time they don't match is when someone is being deceptive. In pairs, we did a short performance where one of us was an interviewer and the other was an interviewee. The aim was for the actor playing the interviewee to feel nervous but to try and play confident. As I was the interviewer in this task, I did not have the chance to portray this till later where we were told to swap round. I then took the role of someone who had feelings for the other person, lying to them that their boyfriend had been cheating on them. I found it difficult at first but I eventually convinced myself that I had feelings for my partner. I then found it easy to improvise, giving the impression to an audience that I was lying.

06/10/2011 A Doll's House

We began the lesson with the usual physical warm up where we jogged round the room and did various exercises and stretches. These helped prepare me physically and mentally for the next task. Our group was split into smaller groups where we would perform a 3-5 minute extract from 'A Doll's House'. I was given the role of Helmer, the husband of Nora, who constantly talks down to her and considers himself superior to her. Our group began by reading through our extract a few times and decided where our starting and finishing point should be. We then created a rough blocking of it on stage, making mental notes of where the entrances, exits, furniture and props would be. After we ran through it a few times, we decided that we should have our lines learned by the end of half term, for the lesson on the 3rd December. I then suggested that we try and improve the physical characterizations of our characters. I did this by altering my posture, gesture and gait. I then helped the other members of the group by giving constructive criticism on their physicality. I think that I worked well today as I helped start the production process. By next rehearsal, I hope to have learned some of my lines and to improve my vocal delivery of the lines.

06/10/2011 Non-Naturalism

We began the lesson as usual with the warm up games 'Spy in the Room' and 'Splat'. We also split into two groups and used our bodies to create things such as a plane and a house. These warmed me up physically and mentally. We were then given our task to perform an extract from the play 'The Arsonists' by Max Frisch. We split into the groups we were in for the warm up. I contributed an idea for the first 5 lines where half the group's arms are manipulated like a mannequin by the other half. This accompanies dialogue referring to being "only human". We then created a part where I kicked the human mannequin I was controlling on a line about human life being expendable. We then moved into a sequence to represent a clock where we tilt our heads in either direction and, in unison, sing a clock chime. I think that in the time given, we created a good, short piece of theatre. However, I think that we will have to rehearse what we have already done, as synchronisation was poor in our performance. In future rehearsals, I think that problem will be fixed. We made a good start to the piece in this lesson, so I believe that we will progress well in the next lesson.

06/10/2011 Berkoff

We began as usual with a warm up, where we played the game 'Fuzzy Duck'. We then continued to rehearse the extract from 'Greek'. We went through what we had already done, then continued to work on the Cheesecake Clump section. One thing I improved on was avoiding masking my face during the Clump. The first ending for the Cheesecake sequence was everyone falling to the ground when a group member spoke the line: "Okay". I think that this was a mistake as several people around me had hurt them self in some way as they fell. In later attempts at the fall, a lot of people, myself included, fell slower and unrealistically to avoid hurting themselves and others. This was then changed to the members of the Cheesecake Clump scampering off into their positions for the next section. We were then sorted into three groups of eleven with each group having one Eddy, one Waitress, one Table and eight people to make a diner booth. I was part of the booth. However, we did not have the room to make this, so we made one large diner booth with the three Eddys, Waitresses and Tables in the middle. To help the Eddy's time their movements, we all whispered the word 'Cheesecake' after the Waitresses say the word. I think this worked really well as it made the Eddys' actions synchronise. There is a section after the dialogue where there is a Chinese Whisper of 'Coffee' round the dining booth. I think this worked well as it created an echoing effect that worked well atmospherically. I think both myself and the group progressed well in this lesson and can continue to do so in future lessons.

23/09/2011 Berkoff

We began with warm up games 'Banana Game' and 'Funky Chicken'. These helped prepare me for the lesson as they helped me focus and use my physicality. After warm ups, the tutor split the group into 7 groups of 5. I was given the role of Eddy in the group, with the other available roles being the Chair, the Waitress or the Table. For the role of Eddy I need to deliver my lines in a cockney accent and in a sexually suggestive way. One thing I think was good in my performance was my accent. I had never attempted that accent before, so being able to deliver it reasonably well surprised me, although I know it will still need some work to be perfected. Each of the 7 Eddys and Waitresses had to deliver their lines and perform their actions in Unison. This is something I don't believe I did so well as I don't think my own voice was synchronized with the voice of the other Eddys. I hope that in future lessons, I will be able to be more precise in my timing. Although I cannot see the full performance as it is, I believe that the group and I made a good start to this performance piece. After a few more weeks, I'm sure that I can help create a good performance.

23/09/2011 Stan Theory

We began the lesson with the focus game 'Sign Sign'. We were then given the task of hunting for four packets of haribo hidden round the room. We were then told to recreate the search as Stanislavkian theatre is all about recreating real life. I think this exercise would have worked better if the group and I had been more familiar with Stanislavski's techniques and if we were told what we would have to do before the initial haribo hunt as we would have made more effort to remember our own and other people's reactions. Next, our tutor told a story about how she'd rescued a bird and passed a piece of paper round the class after describing how the paper was actually a bird. I had done a similar exercise two years ago where I had learned how I myself would react to this situation. With the bird/paper I reacted little, but treated it carefully as I had had experiences of handling small animals before. One positive thing about this exercise is that I think it helped the group understand naturalism more and how it is usually uninteresting. One negative thing about this exercise for me was that I had trouble believing that the paper was a bird due to the back story that she had rescued it and bought it into college. I knew it was unlikely in real life that she would rescue a bird, smuggle it into work and then let it be handed round a class. However, I chose not to raise the point as it may have ruined the exercise for everyone else. Next, we did an exercise where we were all in our individual kitchens and were cooking a meal for ourselves. The given circumstances were then changed to being in a posh restaurant kitchen cooking for a VIP guest. It was then changed again to being in our home kitchen cooking for a girlfriend. I found this task useful as it challenged me to improvise a meal from a kitchen I had never set foot in before. I think I performed both parts of the task well although I found the home cooking circumstances easier as I was more familiar with where the ingredients and equipment would be. Next we were tasked with individually enter the room after an event had happened, to practice 'Action With Purpose'. I chose to enter the room soon after being told that a close relative had died. I locked the door with real keys and after a pause while keeping a neutral expression on my face, took my phone apart to prevent anyone from contacting me. What I think worked well about my performance was that I used real props and furniture when performing as opposed to miming and that I tried to appear as though I was in shock, rather than burst into the room crying. What I don't think worked well with my performance was that I had not experienced a similar situation in real life so I am unsure if that was a naturalistic interpretation of that event. I think the exercise helped me as I learned from other people's interpretations of situations that appeared natural and how the audience reacted to them. Later, we passed round a blank piece of paper on which we had to imagine a letter and how we'd react to that kind of letter. Advice given before the task started was to feel the emotion, not play it. I think this helped both the group and me as I think we all convinced ourselves that what was on the letter was genuine.

22/09/2011 A Dolls House

We began the lesson with a long physical warm up. We then split into short groups and performed a section of A Dolls House within our group. We all swapped roles regularly we all had a chance to play different characters. When I was reading I implemented Received Pronunciation which I had learned in more detail in a Voice class I had had earlier in the week. I believe that this suited the part because the play was written in the late 1800s and had characters from a middle class background.

22/09/2011 Berkoff

We began reading a section of the script Greek by Steven Berkoff. We then split into small groups then given the task of recreating the Cafe scene. One of the first ideas I put forward was for the actor playing the chair to carry the actor playing Eddy. I believed that this would give the actor playing Eddy the freedom to move their body and the actor carrying them to move around the stage. However we thought that this may prevent the chair from becoming a character so we instead decided to have two actors playing the chair characterized as horny men along with me playing the table who would describe the cafe's cheesecake and take the weight of the enormous cheesecake when it was bought out. One of the group's ideas was to reverse the genders of the the two performers playing humans resulting in her playing Eddy and Lewis playing The Waitress. This worked well as it was non-naturalistic, stylistic of Berkoff. A problem with this though is that an audience may get confused as to the actual gender of the characters, leading to confusion in the plot. Another idea of the group's was for me to describe the cheesecake in the style of an advert. I disliked this idea as I thought it would be difficult to deliver the whole speech while keeping the audience interested as I would have little opportunity for vocal or physical variation. Instead I delivered the line in a more sexual way as the dialogue uses emotive language and contains sado-masochistic themes. It also gave me opportunity for sexually associated physical actions where at the end, I immediately reverted back into a table.

22/09/2011 Non-Naturalism

We began the lesson with a few focus and energy warm-up games. We were then given a refresher on Brecht's main methods of theatre. One method I contributed was his misuse of music to prevent the audience from suspending their disbelief. We then split into groups with the task of creating  a short bit of Brechtian theatre based on current events. Our group chose to create ours based on the riots in August. In our group, we discussed which Brechtian techniques we would use in creating our performance. Brechtian techniques we used while rehearsing for our performance were use of music, freeze-frames, multi-role-playing, direct audience address, use of exaggeration and use of stereotypes. Our plot was in three stages, one where a group of youths try to convince others to riot and loot, one with freeze frames with riot police and looters and one with a child looter being tried in court for the theft of a Curly Wurly. I think this task helped our understanding of Brecht by allowing us to interpret Brecht's theory's ourselves and apply them. Had we performed it to the group, I think that it would have been a good short piece of theatre.