A reminder for the a2 students: Tuesday is the cut off point for written work.
Thursday's results will be processed over the weekend so Monday morning you will see your grade, your current total marks and the number of marks needed to gain a higher grade. I will also indicate whether I recommend resitting unit 3 or not.
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Wednesday, 10 February 2010
The Lake House
Today's notes form rehearsal:
Walking around town scene.
problems:
Audience feel excluded. Backs to the audience; personal conversation; unclear if the dialogue is for us for the characters.
Dialogue is highly interactive so while the audience will have to "cope" with the idea of the two characters being in two different time zones but occupying the same space, they are not helped to do so because the dialogue is present tense and made up of short speeches taken in turn.
Solutions:
Re-block the movement so there is frequently more space (and audience) between the speakers. Turn the descriptions and dialogue into more of a three-way conversation by saying things out to the audience.
A much more complex script is required. Firstly, decide on the route the characters will take through Durham. Decide at which points Alex will be asking Kate to stop and see things or do things (e.g. feeding the ducks; having an ice cream; giving the sanctuary thing on the cathedral doors a rub.. whatever.) Next, bring the dialogue into larger "chunks" (perhaps one whole letter at a time) refer to previous letters. Perhaps have kate "say" somethings which are actually in the letter that Alex is reading - and vice versa.
Respond to each other as though your are reading it from a letter, not as if someone is speaking to you. You will not use words like "that" and "this" and "it" so much e.g.
..."tell me more about your house."
..."My house? (puts down paper) My house is......"
not
"What is your house like?"
"It's...."
In fact it could even be :
Kate: Tell me about your house."
Alex: "My House? Well -"
Kate: (overlapping)"- my house is actually a flat now..."
Walking around town scene.
problems:
Audience feel excluded. Backs to the audience; personal conversation; unclear if the dialogue is for us for the characters.
Dialogue is highly interactive so while the audience will have to "cope" with the idea of the two characters being in two different time zones but occupying the same space, they are not helped to do so because the dialogue is present tense and made up of short speeches taken in turn.
Solutions:
Re-block the movement so there is frequently more space (and audience) between the speakers. Turn the descriptions and dialogue into more of a three-way conversation by saying things out to the audience.
A much more complex script is required. Firstly, decide on the route the characters will take through Durham. Decide at which points Alex will be asking Kate to stop and see things or do things (e.g. feeding the ducks; having an ice cream; giving the sanctuary thing on the cathedral doors a rub.. whatever.) Next, bring the dialogue into larger "chunks" (perhaps one whole letter at a time) refer to previous letters. Perhaps have kate "say" somethings which are actually in the letter that Alex is reading - and vice versa.
Respond to each other as though your are reading it from a letter, not as if someone is speaking to you. You will not use words like "that" and "this" and "it" so much e.g.
..."tell me more about your house."
..."My house? (puts down paper) My house is......"
not
"What is your house like?"
"It's...."
In fact it could even be :
Kate: Tell me about your house."
Alex: "My House? Well -"
Kate: (overlapping)"- my house is actually a flat now..."
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Get Your Revision in!!
I am sure we are all revising like mad this weekend. The better you know the plays, the better you will do - but I would advise picking particular moments in the texts and making some notes on how you would stage / direct them.
For The Trial I would recommend looking at the Prologue; K's arrest; The start of Act 2 and the end scene.
The advice for Tartuffeis all in the revision guide I published before Xmas. Good luck!
For The Trial I would recommend looking at the Prologue; K's arrest; The start of Act 2 and the end scene.
The advice for Tartuffeis all in the revision guide I published before Xmas. Good luck!
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Rehearsal methods - continued...
A great improvement in working methods for Alice in W resulted in a number of steps being made towards work of performance standard.
A quick reminder about the purposes of rehearsals:
Rehearsals are a way of embedding things in actors' brains - so don't underestimate the need to repeat stuff until the physical and spacial cues and reactions are well and truly learnt by the actors. Give them chances to repeat and improve and simply "practice". (This is also handy for directors to view and re-view the work, and add and improve).
So, as well as looking to get more performance done, don't be in such a hurry as to forget that you also need to work on better performance.
Well done for today, group. Now learn yer lines!
A quick reminder about the purposes of rehearsals:
Rehearsals are a way of embedding things in actors' brains - so don't underestimate the need to repeat stuff until the physical and spacial cues and reactions are well and truly learnt by the actors. Give them chances to repeat and improve and simply "practice". (This is also handy for directors to view and re-view the work, and add and improve).
So, as well as looking to get more performance done, don't be in such a hurry as to forget that you also need to work on better performance.
Well done for today, group. Now learn yer lines!
Friday, 11 December 2009
Tartufffe Assignment Title
The title for the next assignment on Tartuffe is:
"Write about how would stage Act 5 Scene 4, in which Monsieur Loyal delivers the writ and explain what impression you would expect the scene and characters to have on your audience?"
The hand in date depends on which block you are in. I need to have all assignments before Christmas, though.
"Write about how would stage Act 5 Scene 4, in which Monsieur Loyal delivers the writ and explain what impression you would expect the scene and characters to have on your audience?"
The hand in date depends on which block you are in. I need to have all assignments before Christmas, though.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
alice in wonderland again
Today the group's objectives are to produce (each):
The synopsis (outline) of a scene to rehearse.
The above scene as a "scenario" - meaning a description of what action takes place in the scene, possibly with a few words of dialogue.
These are to be photocopied and given out to everyone. By Friday of this week these "scenarios" will be fleshed out with a little more dialogue so the actors can read them and learn the lines over the weekend. Further consultation about the moments, alterations, changes, amendments, etc can be made on Monday 14th so that the work on Wednesday (16th) will focus on the rehearsal of structured scenes with dialogue.
The synopsis (outline) of a scene to rehearse.
The above scene as a "scenario" - meaning a description of what action takes place in the scene, possibly with a few words of dialogue.
These are to be photocopied and given out to everyone. By Friday of this week these "scenarios" will be fleshed out with a little more dialogue so the actors can read them and learn the lines over the weekend. Further consultation about the moments, alterations, changes, amendments, etc can be made on Monday 14th so that the work on Wednesday (16th) will focus on the rehearsal of structured scenes with dialogue.
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Alice in Wonderland
The group begin in a similar manner to previous rehearsals. The first lesson's work will focus on a scene in a boat.
The bad news:
The pace of development would make a glacier seem a bit racy. With 3 weeks until xmas it is not clear that the project has a structure or a particularly well defined aim. While there is work going on when the group is not on stage, it does not include preparing the group to make better use of the stage time. The actors are not developing performance skills. Attempts at creative ideas during the improvisation - e.g. when an actor uses an appropriately Victorian expression / attempts to develop character - there is sometimes an outburst of laughter because the group are not expecting someone to break into character. This has the effect of stopping them pretty quickly.
When the group does stop, there are creative opportunities that are not explored and risk remaining unexplored: for example the idea of Reverend Dodgson's friend telling the girls the story of the plagues of Egypt or some other particularly violent episode from the Old Testament - is a good one because it contrasts with Dodgson's imaginative story telling. There is much that can be done with this if the group reflects on what has been creative or successful in the first hour.
The good news:
Had one person attempted to script the scene in the boat ahead of today then there may have been creative opportunities that were missed. The sketchy results of this hour's work at least has a sense of the different voices / characters in the scene. By physically entering the space and trying to develop interactions the group do capture a certain amount of spontaniety in the conversation: the characters take turns and follow on from eachother more organically than they would had someone attempted to write a scene for 5 actors.
Ways forward:
Change the way you are devising. Currently the group work as an amalgam. Let individuals take charge of different parts of the product, rather than all being involved in everything all the time.
Most importantly stop trying to create drama out of nothing. You need objectives; goals; a clear idea of whether the moment is happy or sad or visually engaging or fast or slow; most of all you need a whole lot of stimulus material. Lewis Carroll's writings are full of material. There are chess pieces and playing cards and flamingoes and Jabberwockies and mirrors.... and that is only what is in the Alice Books. What about "The Hunting of the Snark"? what about his other poems and riddles? Perhaps the idea that the novel has to be adhered to is where things are going awry?
Just take the Walrus and the Carpenter. All that brown bread, sand, oysters, sealing wax and candle strings - now what can be done with that, I wonder? What other items, props, ideas, explorative activities, modes of speech, characters, subjects, meanings, movements might be brought on to the stage in order to do something creative - perhaps Dodgson and his friend, rowing the boat, are in fact the Walrus and the Carpenter - a sort of bizarre double act / odd couple who barely make sense even to each other...
So.
More stimulus material. More lateral thinking. More individual leadership. That's about the best advice I can offer.
The bad news:
The pace of development would make a glacier seem a bit racy. With 3 weeks until xmas it is not clear that the project has a structure or a particularly well defined aim. While there is work going on when the group is not on stage, it does not include preparing the group to make better use of the stage time. The actors are not developing performance skills. Attempts at creative ideas during the improvisation - e.g. when an actor uses an appropriately Victorian expression / attempts to develop character - there is sometimes an outburst of laughter because the group are not expecting someone to break into character. This has the effect of stopping them pretty quickly.
When the group does stop, there are creative opportunities that are not explored and risk remaining unexplored: for example the idea of Reverend Dodgson's friend telling the girls the story of the plagues of Egypt or some other particularly violent episode from the Old Testament - is a good one because it contrasts with Dodgson's imaginative story telling. There is much that can be done with this if the group reflects on what has been creative or successful in the first hour.
The good news:
Had one person attempted to script the scene in the boat ahead of today then there may have been creative opportunities that were missed. The sketchy results of this hour's work at least has a sense of the different voices / characters in the scene. By physically entering the space and trying to develop interactions the group do capture a certain amount of spontaniety in the conversation: the characters take turns and follow on from eachother more organically than they would had someone attempted to write a scene for 5 actors.
Ways forward:
Change the way you are devising. Currently the group work as an amalgam. Let individuals take charge of different parts of the product, rather than all being involved in everything all the time.
Most importantly stop trying to create drama out of nothing. You need objectives; goals; a clear idea of whether the moment is happy or sad or visually engaging or fast or slow; most of all you need a whole lot of stimulus material. Lewis Carroll's writings are full of material. There are chess pieces and playing cards and flamingoes and Jabberwockies and mirrors.... and that is only what is in the Alice Books. What about "The Hunting of the Snark"? what about his other poems and riddles? Perhaps the idea that the novel has to be adhered to is where things are going awry?
Just take the Walrus and the Carpenter. All that brown bread, sand, oysters, sealing wax and candle strings - now what can be done with that, I wonder? What other items, props, ideas, explorative activities, modes of speech, characters, subjects, meanings, movements might be brought on to the stage in order to do something creative - perhaps Dodgson and his friend, rowing the boat, are in fact the Walrus and the Carpenter - a sort of bizarre double act / odd couple who barely make sense even to each other...
So.
More stimulus material. More lateral thinking. More individual leadership. That's about the best advice I can offer.
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