Final Performance!!!!!

All our hard work and determination was finally worth it, we managed to produce a beautiful piece of theatre that contained not so nice themes. I think the whole class should be proud of both themselves and each other as they have managed to take on such a mature play of great importance.

I don’t really remember much else if I am completely honest; my nerves seemed to have gotten the best of me and somehow must have managed to eat away at my memory as last night was merely a blurred dream for me.

Nonetheless I must reflect and I must say, even now after we have performed the piece and although I am not intentionally doing so, the play is still unfolding in my head and my understanding has totally plummeted through the roof. For instance it wasn’t until I was just about to go on stage last night that I realized the full extent of my characters objective and although I had thought of it a lot, it was only then that I though of it in depth and noticed its importance.

 

I mean having a characters objective helped a lot and made it easy for me to always keep in my mind what my character wanted. This then meant that I could combine what Sephy 'wanted' into the lines. For instance knowing that Sephy wanted Callum to tell her that he loved her made my voice sometimes seem more desperate, whilst other times when my voice was raised, almost angry like, it was because he wasn't telling her the one thing she desired. And it’s only now that I realize that it takes the whole scene just for Sephy to comprehend that she doesn't even need Callum to literally tell her that he loves her because she knows that no words could express the kind of love that he has for her and visa versa. 

I defiantly think that I will never again do a performance without using character objective because I can see how much is has benefited my scene and how I have developed a learning to develop the mindset of my character. I did this by going into so much depth about the scene and then by using that information to make links with what I as a character wanted to get out of the scene (be it in the text or in the subtext). Now that I know how to do this, hopefully next time I will be able to make the links quicker and then have more time to gather extra information about my character.

With regards to my main term target I believe that I managed to perform a naturalistic performance in an abstract manor. For example, the fact that the scene was mirrored was quite abstract and unusual (hopefully unique) however the actual acting side of the piece was as realistic as we could manage to be. I sometimes find it difficult knowing whether I am showing my facial expressions enough or whether I am being over the top as I try to make my expressions clear but in a naturalistic way. I also believe that I stayed professional (even though my Father did his very best to distract me) and I managed to carry out the relationship between Sephy and Callum in the way that I hoped it to be performed.

The overall performance was great, Benji gave me loads of energy and so I could bounce off of that energy and reflect it back to him. We were both defiantly in moment and got lost at a particular part but both carried on, improvising in our own way but the audience seem oblivious and really interested at the emotions that were being spilled in the scene. In face I forgot the audience were even there, it was just Benji and I,  Callum and Sephy…until the door screeched (or something did) but I just ignored it and carried on, as if it were one of my siblings.

Three actors that stood out for me tonight were Jamie, Roseby and Jake, as for the two girls I wasn’t actually sure whether either of them were actually crying at one point which really shocked and confused me in a good way. I wasn’t expecting it and the emotion came out of the blue which was exactly what I was hoping for after watching the play in the rehearsals repeatedly. Jake on the other hand really managed to get into his character and didn’t portray himself; he portrayed his character and pronounced most words with articulation which really impresses me.

I managed to incorporate quite a few gestures which I’m quite proud of because I have been trying to nail gestures for weeks now and I guess it finally paid off because I managed to do it. Although my strengths were probably my facial expressions as both my parents and a few other parents gave me positive feedback about them. Overall I had loads of fun with amazing actors and managed to convey a clear and important message to the audience, which meant that I did my job as an actor, so I am extremely proud of myself, my peers and my supportive directors.

If I could do the performance again I think I would be less nervous and just trust myself more because now I know I can do it, and I know that I have a team of supportive actors. So next time I would just go for it, and try my best as always.

Sheets

Workshop and rehearsal observations:

Which acting strengths have you been able to demonstrate today? How?

Today I used breath control, I did this by learning how to use my diaphragm correctly, i.e. breathing without shoulders moving, breathing from my stomach (well metaphorically speaking).

I also used spatial awareness to ensure that I was always in a part of the room that enabled the rest of the room to be equally balanced. I also tried my best to keep the distance of people around me at a constant radius.

I used characterisation; I kept in character whilst exploring Sephy's emotions and relationship with Callum. I did this by changing her personality ever so slightly each time my partner and I rehearsed the script.

Which acting skills do you need to develop based on the workshop today? Why?

I need to keep focus and control my movements so that I make a decision and stick with it which will then enable me to look more natural on stage. I would also like to use my voice in a naturalistic way in order to accompany my movements and create an overall confident but natural performance.

I would also like to keep my energy at a constant level so that I can contribute to the lesson as best as I can. I know that is hard for others and myself to stay 100% focused over a 3 hr lesson however I want to prove that I can pay attention all of the time.

Set yourself  three targets:

1. I want to be able to use projection so that I both exercise my diaphragm and so that I am easily heard clearly by everyone.

2. I would like to discover a better understanding of my characters objective as I am slightly unsure of what it means let alone what my character's is.

3. I will try to keep my energy levels up so that I can get the best out of each lesson.

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?               

1, I projected my voice throughout the lesson., I did this by 'throwing my voice across the room', I made sure that my voice travelled to the other side of the room by pretending I was talking to someone in a train station, from one platform to another however I was not shouting.

2. I learned that Sephy's character objective is to hear Callum tell her that he loves her. All she wants is for him to tell her that everything is going to be okay and she wants to hear that is the form of 'I love you'. This was achieved when I inferred the script and read between the lined.

3. I managed to stay energized by staying pumped, focused and engaged with my partner, I did this by using a lot of eye constant and not slouching at any given moment (I remained in neutral).

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Which acting strengths have you been able to demonstrate today? How?

I showed strengths in learning lines which then helped me to further develop my lines vocally. For example I used tone and colour to experiment with how I wanted a line to be received by the audience.

I was more relaxed this lesson after warming up my body and then my vocals before getting to know my partner better which made me feel more comfortable around him and also actually know a bit more about him as we had never really spoken before.

Which acting skills do you need to develop based on the workshop today? Why?

I need to develop gestures on stage. I find it really easy to go into awkward mode and either do too much with my arms and hands or fiddle constantly because of nerves. When this happens I also tend to feel very static, almost as if I am not allowed to move, like if my feet were cemented to the ground or if I were to be trapped inside of a box.

 I would like to be able to explore the space confidently using every part of the stage to convey a message to the audience. I also want to be able to use gestures in a naturalistic way so that my performance can be as realistic as possible.

Set yourself  three targets:

1. Stay 100% focused - do not come out of role.

2.Stay 100% professional - You are acting, never forget that. You don't use your emotions, you use the emotions that your character is feeling.

3. Use naturalistic gestures - Don't be afraid to use your hands, just make sure that when you choose to do something that you follow it through and chicken out as it will look messy and unrehearsed.

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?               

This week I managed to stay in focus throughout the lessons and I also continued to stay in role.

I also took on last weeks target and was able to be very professional and take everything very seriously as there is not an awful lot of time before the performance.

I also incorporated a variety of subtle and naturalistic gestures, however I still think that I can push myself to add more gestures into the piece and make them a bit more noticeable.

This week I think I achieved all of my targets and worked to the best of my ability.

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