lesson 2

Lesson Two

Learning objective

.Take mental notes from the TTA presentation about our staging,props and costume.

.Explore characterisation from Text and Larban efforts.

Techinical theatre presentation(Modelbox presentation)

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 Efforts

Highlighted Research about Laban Efforts

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laban_Movement_Analysis

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 of Rudolf Laban and developed and extended by Lisa Ullmann, Irmgard Bartenieff, Warren Lamb and many others. In addition many derived practices have developed with great emphasis on LMA methods.

Also known as Laban/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/

Second Workshop

Second Workshop with Rachel

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.

New Character Profile

New Character Profile

Why are you creating a new character profile?

I've already got a character profile for Irene and Bardolph however sadly Bardolph is executed are stealing from a french church so i am now just another English Solider however i decided i would create another character.

Character Profile

Full Name: Thomas Rupert Davis

Close Friends call him:Thomas 

Acquaintances call him:Sir Davis 

Soldiers call him: Lieutenant Davis

Spouse(s): Victoria Davis 

Children: Edward  Davis.Harry Davis and Anne Davis

Occupation: Soldier

background Information
Thomas lives just outside of London with his wife Victoria and three children;Edward,Harry and Anne.Before Thomas was a soldier he was a carpenter working in London.

Evaluation

Evaluation

rehearsals

Before even starting rehearsals i knew lines would be a big problem for me as the the words and word structure aren't ones which i would use in my 'bubble of vocab'so i made sure my main focus for that term would be learning lines.When reading the actors diary for Henry V at Noel coward theatre ,the director Michael said 'Let's make rehearsals about playing,not learning lines'and that's true as during rehearsals i did experience that when people including me didn't know their lines or were reading off the script it's hard to play around with the scene and bring it to life.The technique of use the first letter of each word to learn lines was very useful for me as it scaled down the amount i had to learn.As i didn't have that many lines i was able to learn them quite quickly however i didn't have the confidence to go onstage without my script as i felt comforted by it.This was something over that over the time of the rehearsal period i struggled with.I think i was like that because i'm a slight perfectionist and i hate making mistakes when it involves lines and it gets me frustrated.naturally over time i was able to sure myself that mistakes are a part of life and it's the way you deal with them that counts.

The Second part of my process was 'to keep in touch with the arc of the play' which Michael said.I now knew my lines but i didn't understand the context of my scene and what was going on in other scenes which connected my character. Understanding the context of my scene would allow me to play with it vocally through tone.pitch and pace.I needed to spend more time on why my character is saying this and what is my character saying.I needed to be able to portray what is said though my voice and physicality. i spent numerous hours on sites like 'No fear Shakespeare' which helped me understand the overall concept of what my character was saying and how other characters replied.I also spent time reading what other characters said about me and what has happened in previous scenes and scenes to come.Then i needed to be able to portray this is my voice and physicality.Understanding my scene, i was able to energise it-making it more interesting and appealing to watch.An example would be when i say 'How now mine host pistol'I learnt that Bardolph (my character)was taking the mick out of pistol calling him a host. Using this knowledge i then decided to add sarcasm and emphasise on the word 'Host'.


How was the play?

I startled myself because when i performed i was able to emotionally connect with my character and fully invest into the character like I've never been able to do in rehearsals.i felt that i gave it and the audience my all..

As i got so into character i was able to act naturally as my cracter would in the given situations.For example the scene when sophie puts her hand on my leg.The way i reacted to it was very different from how i reacted when i was in rehearsals,this time i incorporated the gun.I think this happened because i felt the atmosphere and setting of the play and instinctively  i chose to use the gun and i also think having an audience watching made me want to give more as i felt motivated. Overall the cast performed an amazing piece of work,giving an originally performance and take of Henry V.

If i could do the performance again in the theatre,i would make sure to spend more time on my burgundy lines giving them more character and vocal flavour however on the night i do believe i did the best i could do.Secondly i would make sure to look over my ques as i think in the performance i may have cut someones lines but i'm not too sure.

Who has stood out and inspired me

The people who stood out and inspired me during rehearsals and the show were Naomi and Jasmine.Firstly Naomi inspired me through the amount of dedication she put into learning my lines.You could tell each time she preformed that she had worked on learning her lines and looking at the context and the meaning of her lines.On top on this she made bold choices throughout the rehearsal and used the space around her wisely and confidently.Jasmine's vocal quality is AMAZING and each time she spoke,she really articulated each and every word.She used so much vocal colour that when she said her lines it brought a strong sense of depth and power.

 Research Henry V. What is the play about? When was it first performed? Find a contemporary production of the play you can get an idea of and research it in terms of concept, style, design, casting. Give some attention to your own character and their role in the play.

Exploring Henry V

What is Henry V about?

The setting and background to the play

'The play is set in England in the early fifteenth century. The political situation in England is tense: King Henry IV has died, and his son, the young King Henry V, has just assumed the throne. Several bitter civil wars have left the people of England restless and dissatisfied. Furthermore, in order to gain the respect of the English people and the court, Henry must live down his wild adolescent past, when he used to consort with thieves and drunkards at the Boar’s Head Tavern on the seedy side of London.'-http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henryv/summary.html

Why does Henry V goes to war?

Henry V claims that he owns certain parts of France due to his distant roots in the French royal family.the young Prince of France replies to these accusations by sending Henry V Tennis balls.Henry is insulted and decides that he shall invade France.He gathers his troops for war.

The Conspiracy

Henry learns of a conspiracy against his life by three traitors (One of which  is his friend Scrope) working for the French.He surprises them and catches them out by handing them later about their bad deeds.They beg for mercy however they are rejected and executed. 

Finally setting sail and rising up

English set sail where they fight their way across France.They begin a winning streak after being able to conquer the town of Harfleur where Henry gives his famous speech to motivate his fellow soldiers to victory.

It's not looking good for Bardolph and Nym

Bardloph,Pistol and Nym though very entertaining characters are lowlife,undercover criminals.They are all old friends of Henry V.Things begin to change as in France Bardolph and Nym are caught looting a church and are hanged at King Henry's command.

Are things starting to go downhill?

The war begins to climax at the famous battle of Agincourt where the English are outnumbered by the French.The night before the Battle King Henry diguises himself as a soldier and talks to many of the other soldiers in the english camp.Henry gets to hear their opinion of the battle and he also learns about his soldiers.Later Henry prays to God for power and Miracuously the English win the battle with the French Surrendering.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL!

Peace Negotiations are made and the two countries,France and England are united through marriage.King Henry will marry Catherine the French Kings daughter meaning his son will be the King of France.

Notes for the first run through

Notes for the first run through with action plan

.Pace through your lines

I need to pace through my lines at a considerate speed so the play doesn't drag out making it feel long,slow and very boring.

.Add some vocal colour

Add some vocal colour to make what your saying interesting to listen to.

.Know when to enter the stage

My queue line for my scene is when one of the chorus members says 'The french advised  by good intelligence

Notes for the second run through

Notes for the second run through

With my action plan

.At the end of the opening take time to come off stage

This can be achieved by holding the freeze frame for slightly longer and also collecting a gun for my scene.

.Add Vocal Colour

To achieve this i need to make sure i understand what i am saying which i do and experiment in ways to make it appealing and understandable to the audience as Shakespeare for some(including me)can be difficult to understand.

.Try to also Move when not talking

I've been trying to this when my character is responding to what Nym,Pistol or the Hostess is saying.

.Remember the audience of three sides

I plan to open up my performance more to thee sides so they can all experience the action on stage.I can do this by not always constantly facing the character i am talking.

.React when the the hostess places her hand on my leg

Originally when this happened i tried to keep composure in my body and just showed facial expression representing shock.I was suggested to react by shaking my leg too and this will add to the comedic side of the situation.

.Come on stage behind the king

I need to make sure on page 43 that i come on behind the king.

.Style out your lines

If i am to mess up or forget my line(s) i can style it out by taking a pause or continuing with lines similar to the ones which are meant to be said.