Why it is important to understand what I am saying
Dictionary-Words I didn't understand
Troth-plight-Engaged
Rogue-Punk
Prithee-Please
What my lines mean
As a group;me,Georgia,Maria and Sophie went over our scenes translating them through our own knowledge and using websites.This helped us understand the 'flavour' of the scene and how it could be made alot more interesting and comedic.Before reading the translation i didn't realise what was funny about our scene but researching the lines and its context has created a broader and bigger picture for me.
Getting to grips with the language
Below is my research into understanding Shakespearean language
Omissions Again, for the sake of his poetry, Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole words. These omissions really aren't that much different from the way we speak today. We say:
"Been to class yet?" "No. Heard Ulen's givin' a test." "Wha'sup wi'that?"
We leave out words and parts of words to speed up our speech. If we were speaking in complete sentences, we would say:
"Have you been to class yet?" "No, I have not been to class. I heard that Mrs. Ulen is giving a test today." "What is up with that?"
A few examples of Shakespearean omissions/contractions follow:
'tis ~ it is ope ~ open o'er ~ over gi' ~ give ne'er ~ never
i' ~ in e'er ~ ever oft ~ often a' ~ he e'en ~ even
Comparing it to the language used now I am able to understand why Shakespeare used Omissions/Contractions and that it's similar to 'slang' in some sense.
Below is my research from http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/womenww1_four.htm
about how women helped during WW1.I've highlighted the most important facts and even put some of them in bold if they are very important.
One immediate result of the war's outbreak was the rise in female unemployment, especially among the servants, whose jobs were lost to the middle-classes' wish to economise.
However, it was soon seen that the only option to replace the volunteers gone to the front was employing women in the jobs they had left behind; conscription only made this need even more urgent as had the Munitions of Work Act 1915 by which munitions factories had fallen under the sole control of the Government.
As the main historian of women's work, Gail Braybon, claims, for many women the war was "a genuinely liberating experience" (link) that made them feel useful as citizens but that also gave them the freedom and the wages only men had enjoyed so far. Approximately 1,600,000 women joined the workforce between 1914 and 1918 in Government departments, public transport, the post office, as clerks in business, as land workers and in factories, especially in the dangerous munitions factories, which were employing 950,000 women by Armistice Day (as compared to 700,000 in Germany).
Women's job mobility also increased enormously, with a large number of women abandoning service for factory work never to return to it to the chagrin of the middle-class women that were left without home help in many cases.
In general, women did very well, surprising men with their ability to undertake heavy work and with their efficiency. By the middle of the war they were already regarded as a force to be proud of, part of the glory of Britain. However, their entrance into the workforce was initially greeted with hostility for the usual sexist reasons and also because male workers worried that women's willingness to work for lower wages would put them out of work.
The Government, besides, combined a welfare policy offering subsidies to families with husbands at the front with increasing female work in order to conscript skilled workers formerly regarded as indispensable to the war effort. To make up for the loss in the skilled workforce the entry of women in factories was often facilitated by 'dilution', that is to say, the breaking down of complex tasks into simpler activities that non-skilled women workers could easily carry out.
The women employed in munitions factories, popularly known as munitionettes have became the most visible face of the woman worker in WWI, though doubt remains as to whether their motivation was patriotic or simply economic. The factories they manned had been seized by Lloyd George's Government and he also caused suspension of all trade union activities in them.
Munitionettes produced 80% of the weapons and shells used by the British Army and daily risked their lives working with poisonous substances without adequate protective clothing or the required safety measures. Although this can be seen as a gauge of their will to sacrifice everything for Britain it should be read, rather, as part of their treatment as cheap, easily replaceable labour.
The public recognition and sympathy that the 'canaries' (thus nicknamed for the yellow tinge that skin exposed to sulphur acquired) received could not make up for their work conditions. Leading trade-unionist Mary MacArthur, Secretary since 1903 of the Women's Trade Union League, led an energetic campaign to demand they were paid as much as the men employed in the same industry - the women only got half the men's wages - but by the end of the war the proportion was roughly still the same.
.Discovering a male physicality for a soldier,switching from female to male
.Create a refined opening representing the munitions factory in WW1
Wax on,Wax off/Jacket on,Jacket off
Todays workshop was lead by Rachel an Ex Brit student who graduated and trained at a school in Paris.Task one was to get our jackets and put them on then take them off again,this automatically reminded me of 'karate kid' where the student is asked several times to take his jacket off,put it on the floor,hang it up and put on and this is done repeatedly however the reason behind it was to teach karate how to defend himself.
watch from 2mins10secs
From relating it 'Karate Kid' i already had high expectations our what this was for.
From this exercises i began to acknowledge and analyse how i put my jacket on and take it off because on an everyday basis you don't realise this.
Below is a step by step guide on how to put a jacket on Leanne Style.(demonstration from a long tartan jacket)
Step1: pick the jacket up from any point
Step2: If picked up with left hand first,give the left lapel of the jacket to the right hand.
Step3: Feed left arm into the left arm hole.leading with right arm to guide it.
Step4: Reach right arm behind your back while holding the left lapel with your left arm to keep it steady.
Step5: Slip right arm through the right arm hole,while slightly bending to the left.
Step 6: Place both hands on the collar/lapel to adjust the jacket so you look fabulous.
When taking my jacket off i do the reverse.
It's amazing how many steps there is to simply put on jacket and it's also interesting to think that when you first learnt how to put on a jacket it was probably different from how you put on a jacket now.
Part 2
The next part of this exercise was to experiment with putting on your jacket in different ways by for example changing the way you pick it up or the speed you do it at and also how you put it on.
To help me with this i imagined how a very posh lady with with a high status would put on a jacket.I felt that if she didn't have someone to help put on her jacket she would put it on the same way as me accept at a slower,more elegant pace without slightly bending to one side.She would also pick up the jacket from the centre of the collar.
(This is the photo similar to what was on my mind at the time)
I then imagined that i was i celebrity like Kim Kardashian simply going out with my husband Kanye for a meal in New York in 'Per Se' but of course i have to look good just in case of paparazzi.
To get the look of the photo above i simply,swigged the coat with both hands to my left side then leading with my right hand on the right side of the coat and my left hand on the left side of the coat,slide it across my my shoulders and back ,making sure it falls evenly on both shoulders.I think this look would only be used when wearing a jacket for show to look good not for warmth.
Part 3
The next part of the exercise was how would i put on my jacket if i was cold.
For this i used some aspects of emotional memory which we learnt about studying Stanislavsky.I tried to think back to the times when i was freezing cold and i put my jacket on.Using this scenario i picked up my jacket and put it on quicker with a staccato movement as i was reacting to the cold.I also lowered my head,bring my chin to my chest and i folded my arms tightly across my stomach.
part 4
Next we were given the scenario that we were soldiers and we are putting on our uniform. As i was a solider and i thought that my uniform was something i honoured and wear respectfully and it carries depth and meaning.To reflect this when picking it up i made sure not to crumple it between my fingers and picked it up from the centre of the collar.After this i made sure to smooth it out and pick off any little specks of dirt.I then put it on the same way i usually do which i mentioned in part one of the task,accept with more caution and at a rather slow speed,fixing it along the way.Though this exercise was about how i put the coat as i solider, i also changed the way my face looked,giving a more neutral yet vigilant look.I felt as if i carried status.
This exercise was the basics of getting into the mindset of a soldier.From this exercise i was able to adapt the way i put on a coat for how a soldier would put on a coat.This was an introduction for switching from female to male.
How to be a Man
This exercise was lead by the discussion of a mans physical appearance and the qualities. What was gathered?
.They have big feet
.they have large hands
.rather muscular-meaning usually they are stronger than girls
.They have a penis-This explains why they don't close their legs
.They grow alot of facial hair
Doing this helped me understand why men do certain things for example i have a friend who can't dangle his arms beside his side instead his arms go out like a penguins and that's because he's muscular in the arms.I think men take great pride in muscle.
How do men walk?
The next exercise was to be able to walk like a man,i made sure to keep in perspective the qualities of a man and let that impact how i walked,jogged and ran.I imagine myself as a man to look the mix of the two pictures below.
I personally think how some girls like to flaunt their boobs and show how big their bum is to impress someone;guys do the same except through muscle like a 'Hench' body with muscular arms and a six pack.Both sexes have their pride ad Joy which attracts people.
How do men sit?
This task was a great way to create and develop my soldier. Even though the soldier i imagined myself to be in the workshop is different from the type i will be in play,i can develop what ive learnt to adapt my character Lieutenant Bardolph. I've taken simple characteristics such as how i would swipe my nose with my hand or itch it.These represent my character as Bardolph is known to have a large nose which looks disgusting and inflamed.
Learning Objective: To be able to read through the script and add blocking.
How I felt during the run through?
During the run through I felt a lot more confident compared to last time as I had practised at home, taking my time to pronounce each word. Though I practised there were moments that I slurred my words or stuttered but at least I have improved.To make my scene flow I needed to understand what i was saying which on a whole I didn't. By knowing what I'm saying I can act it within my voice through tone showing I know what I'm talking about.
Blocking
I've spent time noting in blocking and memorisg them as they are just as important as learning lines.
Further Characterisation for Bardolph
This lesson for me involved exploring my character in depth finding small actions which they do reflecting their personality or what other characters say they do.When playing Bardolph there is a scene where I am constantly insulted about my nose and how big and disgusting it is.This lead to me having the idea of wiping my nose a lot when on stage,this shows hows unhygienic and unclean my character is.
Below is an example of when 'Boy' Talks about Bardolphs nose,to insult him.
Boy. Do you not remember, a' saw a flea stick upon Bardolph's nose, and a' said it was a black soul burning in hell-fire?
Bardolph. Well, the fuel is gone that maintained that fire:
that's all the riches I got in his service.
Goals for the next lesson
I plan to find time to translate my words on 'No Fear Shakespeare' so when I speak,I show i have meaning to what I am saying.
Before i start talking about the session i thought i would share one of my favourite battle scenes from one of my favourite movies which is the one and only GLADIATOR!!!!unfortunately i can't find the ending battle scene however ibelow i have my second favourite.
Initial Thoughts
In honesty i was looking forward to preparing this scene as i thought we would be doing stage combat fighting and it did become a shame to me when i found out none of this would be happening.Thinking realistically though during a war at the time they wouldn't had fought and relied on fighting with their body using punching and kicking. Though at first i was not keen on the idea of no physical contact the end product showed an element of sophisticated theatre and in all honesty i loved it and preferred it.
What did you struggle with and what was i good at?
My favourite part of the battle scene is when we walk down the centre with the guns facing the audience.I was really good at timing my pace down the centre and keep at the same pace as everyone else.Doing this also changed what i did facially.Facially i found myself portraying a serious look by slightly pouting by sucking on my cheeks,squinting my eyes a bit and staring straight into the audience.I think by staring into the audience it will engaged them and make them feel slightly on edge as we stare into their eyes,
At the beginning we are in trenches getting ready to go into no mans land, crouching down hurt my knees because i injured my knee a couple of years ago it can be restricting like when crouching.My knee ached and i couldn't balance myself so instead i ended up standing and slightly bending over which can ruin the effect.My goal till the performance is to strengthen up my knee or wear a knee support.
Is it effective?
I think the piece is effective because even Though we are not using physical contact;it forces the audience to use their imagination which is a good thing as i assume during Elizabethan times when this was performed they would have also had to use their imagination to create the piece.
What can i work on
.Strengthen Knee by doing knee exercises or wear a knee support.
Did you know?
The American President Abraham Lincoln was a great lover of Shakespeare’s plays and frequently recited from them to his friends. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth was a famous Shakespearean actor. http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/shakespeare-facts/
This short yet efficient presentation include an introductory of King Henry V's staging and props and how our costume will look.
Staging and props This model box presentation gave us an idea of what our staging would look like and what props would be where on stage.This was a good idea because now when we rehearse i roughly know what would be where on the stage.
Costume
The costume designs are very to date with ww1 period which i love! and i'm excited for my fitting :)
Working with text
What this part of the lesson involved
This part of the lesson involved sight reading from a monologue in King Henry V.
My thoughts before we started
Before we started i felt nervous and judged due to the fact that i'm not a confident sight reader especially when it comes to reading in front of a group of people. I tend to race through my lines or sometimes i read a couplenof words yet muddle them up and say something else.I'm really bad at pronunciation and I've been like this since a young age.I know i struggle with pronouncing and articulating my words as i use to have speech therapy.I often feel really insecure about and get embarrassed when it happens however it's time for me to not let the little things like this destroy my confidence as it's rather petty.
My thoughts during the time of sight reading the text
In all honesty i was dreading the fact that i will have to speak in front of everyone.
The first couple of times i spoke i stuttered alot and repeated parts of a sentence twice but i think this was mainly due to self-confidence. When going around the circle reading a line each,i often counted the amount of people and the amount of lines so i could read through my line several times however the outcome was still negative.Nevertheless things began to brighten up when advice was given that we should try not to race through your lines but take each word a step at a time and also breathe when needed. I think breathing shows you have alot more control and understanding of what your saying.By not racing through i started to gain control and gather a concept of what i was saying. PART 2-TEXT
After a while we changed it to gently pushing the person next to you as a queue to when you say your line.When i was pushed it woke up the energy within me and got rid of the shock.on the next round ,we then after being pushed had to say it to the person next to us,as if we are trying to tell them something. I became more confident as the lines started to gather a meaning and story. PART 3-TEXT
The next stage with the text was to then go round the circle saying one line at a time while entering the middle of the circle.When doing this i felt more energised and i began to feel the rhythm of Shakespeares speech. Useful points
We were told to hold our script in our right hand out in front of us so when reading we will be able to project our voice out rather than holding it with two hands and projecting into the paper.This was very beneficial as i know myself as one to not look up sometimes and read into the paper.By doing this i am able to interact within a scene as not not all my concentration is on the script.
Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) is a method and language for describing, visualizing, interpreting and documenting all varieties of human movement. It is one type of Laban Movement Study, originating from the work ofRudolf Laban and developed and extended by Lisa Ullmann, Irmgard Bartenieff, Warren Lamband many others. In addition many derived practices have developed with great emphasis on LMA methods.
Also known asLaban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis, it uses a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating contributions from anatomy, kinesiology, psychology, Labanotation and many other fields. It is used as a tool by dancers, actors, musicians, athletes, physical and occupational therapists, psychotherapy, peace studies, anthropology, business consulting, leadership development, health & wellness and is one of the most widely used systems of human movement analysis today.
How it felt doing them?
At first it felt awkward as some of then are weird but as usual i got into it and basically as i like to say 'I just owned'.During this task i was always curious of how these Laban Efforts would match characteristics.
The benefits of the given task
The benefits of the task were that i was able to discover a physicality for my character.With this i am able to then explore my character in depth;this may involve prnouciation of my characters words or their vernacular.
How has Laban efforts effected my character?
Using the Laban efforts was great way of discovering my characters personality and how he may sound when talking.I feel my character to be a mix of punch and press as he is cocky and thinks of himself to be of a larger authority then anyone else however sometimes when speaking he has moments of sounding quiet slow, pompous and clueless.When walking in the i decided to chose punch and while walking around the space in this way i could imagine diffret ways in which my character would speak and how my character would be brought to life.
Ladies in the factory
Before the play starts we are women working in a factory during WW1.To help us get into the role of these women we used Laban efforts. it was suggested maybe the female character we play acts very different from how your other character (Bardolph)we play. Below is short character profile of my female character.
Name:Irene
Age:23
Relationship status:Newly married
Personality:Shy and very reserved unless you know her,then she is very bold, at times comical and rather brave.
Laban Effort:Flick
Laban effort for Irene
I chose my Laban effort for Irene to be 'flick' because she shy she'd rather keep out of peoples way to avoid conversation.She acts rather dainty when working and isn't used to this sort of work as she's not long started. To do this i acted rather light on my feet looking rather unsure of what i was doing sometimes and other times i was wondering around aimlessly avoiding people,keeping my head low.
Goals for next lesson
.When practicing use the method of holding the script in your right hand.
.Read aloud and rehearse with friends too.
.Practice using the Larban efforts.
.Make sure to articulate your words.
Did you know?
Suicide occurs an unlucky thirteen times in Shakespeare’s plays. It occurs in Romeo and Juliet where both Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, in Julius Caesar where both Cassius and Brutus die by consensual stabbing, as well as Brutus’ wife Portia. http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/shakespeare-facts/
Learning Objectives:Create a refined opening representing woman working in a munitions factory with movement director Rachel.
.Learn and Incorporate the song 'keep the home fires Burning' into the opening.
.Create a still image similar to the painting 'Liberty Leading the people' by Eugene Delacroix
Perfecting and refining the opening.
As more set is made and given to use the space begins to fill out and then there is more to adapt yourself too and use for the opening.As my character Irene working in the factory my role is to transport the munition from one part of the factory to another.My partner i work to create this is Georgia who hands me the Shells once she has checked the condition of them.I also measure the shells before stacking them up.When doing this we aim to give the impression that we have been doing this for many hours and what we are doing has become routine and and slightly systematic.
Sing Along
During the opening we sing 'keep the home fires burning' by John McCormack in the style of Cerys Matthews.
Singing the song sets the scene and what timeline of life we are representing which is WW1.
i sang this song in Yr11 so i was very familiar with the lyircs and melody.When singing the song i tried to imagine myself as Irene the character i made for myself and that i was actually working in a factory.This helped me portray naturalistic emotions.
Creating the battle picture
In Henry V for part of our opening we hoped to create our own version of Eugene Delacroix's painting 'Liberty leading the people'This was a great paintig to use to inspire our piece as it shows female empowerment and we are a all female class.
Liberty Leading the People (French: La Liberté guidant le peuple) is a painting by Eugène Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X of France. A woman personifying the concept and the goddess of Liberty leads the people forward over the bodies of the fallen, holding the flag of the French Revolution – the tricolour flag, which remains France's flag – in one hand and brandishing a bayonetted musket with the other. The figure of Liberty is also viewed as a symbol of France and the French Republic known as Marianne.-Wikipedia
When preparing to create the battle picture my character as first tuns into her shy self looking rather confused by the whole situation because that is her personality.She is then encouraged by her friends starting to get involved then decides to get involved listening carefully to the chorus members.She does also encourage her friend Alice to get involve and they decide together what they should do and whether they should use a weapon or not.Throughout this Irene begins to build the confidence to make strong confident choices in what she's doing.My character decides to plot herself on the side with her arm in the air;crunching her fist as if victory is in her hands.Her face looks rather stern and serious.I had to make sure that i my image came across powerful and meaningful and to do this i made sure all my energy went into fulfilling this image.
The aim was that the energy from one person is reflected on others around you and should reach out into the audience;from the front row to the back row on all sides.
The women employed in munitions factories, popularly known as 
