Theatre Studies

2010-03-05T22:03:00.000Z

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.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Lake House

2010-02-10T12:16:00.000Z

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..."

Get Your Revision in!!

2010-01-27T12:22:00.000Z

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!

Rehearsal methods - continued...

2009-12-16T12:42:00.000Z

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!

Tartufffe Assignment Title

2009-12-11T14:28:00.000Z

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.

alice in wonderland again

2009-12-09T11:51:00.002Z

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.

Alice in Wonderland

2009-11-25T11:33:00.002Z

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 Lake House

2009-11-18T11:12:00.001Z

Section 1
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate secure understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in as well as a strong commitment to it, throughout the devising process, to realise very clear dramatic intentions for the audience
As this group are attmepting to create an adaptation for the stage I am looking for signs that they understand the original story and have a clear vision of its structure, the demands being placed upon them.

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in as well as some commitment to it, throughout the devising process, to realise somewhat generalised dramatic intentions for the audience.

1 mark Candidates will demonstrate partial understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in and occasional commitment to it throughout the devising process. Dramatic intentions for the audience may be underdeveloped.

Section 2
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate a high degree of creative co-operation and inventiveness throughout the devising process. They will maintain a high level of self-discipline and employ successful devising strategies. Candidates will display sound critical and evaluative judgements of live theatre, including their own work as well as wider productions seen, as they develop their work, in its distinctive style, promising a successful outcome.
There is excellent cooperation in the group. Inventiveness is most evident in the script during this part of the rehearsal. Discipline in the group is good. The group run through for 11 minutes - sometimes off book; sometimes off the script; sometimes in improvisation. The group s breaks and set to giving "notes" on eachother's performances. They discuss:
1) the lack of technical expression in the dialogue - esp. when improvised.
2) the pace of different scenes which appears to be slow.
3) thoughts on how to integrate music and use the rehearsal time next week which will include the arrival of a non-examinee musician.

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some attempt at creative co-operation and occasional inventiveness during the devising process. They will exhibit a reasonable level of self-discipline, employing some useful devising strategies. Candidates will display some critical and/or evaluative judgement as they develop their work, in its distinctive style, suggesting an acceptable outcome.

1 mark Candidates will demonstrate restricted creative co-operation and willingness to experiment during the devising process. They will appear to lack the necessary self-discipline in devising. Candidates will display restricted critical and/or evaluative judgement as they develop their work, in the nominated style, making a positive outcome unlikely.

Section 3
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate significant development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These will be precisely attuned to the needs of the piece and be entirely appropriate to the chosen style of theatre.

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These will be generally appropriate to the needs of the piece and be largely suitable to the chosen style of theatre.
Development of performance skill is acceptable for this period of rehearsals. They are currently £generally appropriate" - i.e. the cast are beginning to deliver lines with some sense of rhythm and intonation appropriate to the situation however there is much work to be done on characterisation and style. It is largely suitable but lacks detail and creativity.

1 mark Candidates will demonstrate limited development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These may not be appropriate to the needs of the piece nor to the chosen style of theatre.

The group narrow their focus to the mother and daughter moment. This should help them create characters more. The discussion focuses on character psychology. The film seems to be at odds with their ideas.

The scene is re started, this time with a focus on creating the people in the space. The actors develop some thoughts on how the audience are introduced. More discipline is required in the mime but the basic idea is sound.

Alice - time for some assessment

2009-11-16T15:31:00.000Z

Section 1
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate secure understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in as well as a strong commitment to it, throughout the devising process, to realise very clear dramatic intentions for the audience.
THEATRICAL STYLE NOT DISCUSSED EXPLICITLY. IS THE STYLE IMPROVISATIONAL OR NATURALISTIC?

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in as well as some commitment to it, throughout the devising process, to realise somewhat generalised dramatic intentions for the audience.
DURING THIS REHEARSAL IT IS HARD TO IDENTIFY SUSTAINED EFFORTS TOWARDS A CLEAR DRAMATIC INTENTION. THERE IS A SUSTAINED EFFORT TO OBTAIN SOMETHING - AND THAT SEEMS TO FOCUS UPON IMPROVISATION. EACH MOMENT OF IMPROVISATION IS EXTREMELY SHORT, HOWEVER. THE STUDENT WHO SITS IN THE AUDITORIUM IDENTIFIES OPPORTUNITIES FOR MUSIC AND OFFERS IDEAS ON ACTION WHICH INDICATE SOME UNDERSTANDING OF THE DRAMATIC INTENTIONS FOR THE SCENE. THE ACTRESS PLAYING ALICE IS MAKING A FAIR ATTEMPT TO CREATE THE CHARACTER ALBEIT IN A GENERALISED WAY. THE ACTRESS PLAYING "MOTHER" HAS AN AIR OF SUPERIORITY AND DISTAIN WHICH ARE APPROPRIATE. THEY FULFIL THESE CRITERIA.
1 mark Candidates will demonstrate partial understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in and occasional commitment to it throughout the devising process. Dramatic intentions for the audience may be underdeveloped.
YES, AT THIS POINT DRAMATIC INTENTIONS ARE LARGELY UNDERDEVELOPED.

Section 2
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate a high degree of creative co-operation and inventiveness throughout the devising process. They will maintain a high level of self-discipline and employ successful devising strategies. Candidates will display sound critical and evaluative judgements of live theatre, including their own work as well as wider productions seen, as they develop their work, in its distinctive style, promising a successful outcome.
THE GROUP LISTEN, RESPOND, CRITICISE, CAJOLE, OFFER; SHARE; WATCH - SO COOPERATION AND COMMITMENT IS EXCELLENT.

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some attempt at creative co-operation and occasional inventiveness during the devising process. They will exhibit a reasonable level of self-discipline, employing some useful devising strategies. Candidates will display some critical and/or evaluative judgement as they develop their work, in its distinctive style, suggesting an acceptable outcome.
AT TIMES THERE ARE FLASHES OF CREATIVITY - SO PERHAPS THE LOWER OF THE TWO MARKS APPLY HERE. ALL THE CAST ARE AWARE OF THE DIFFICULTIES BEING ENCOUNTERED IN THIS PARTICULAR REHEARSAL. ONE USES THE WORD "PAINFUL". I AM CONFIDENT THE GROUP WILL BOUNCE BACK FROM THIS AND LEARN A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE DEVISING PROCESS.

1 mark Candidates will demonstrate restricted creative co-operation and willingness to experiment during the devising process. They will appear to lack the necessary self-discipline in devising. Candidates will display restricted critical and/or evaluative judgement as they develop their work, in the nominated style, making a positive outcome unlikely.

Section 3
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate significant development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These will be precisely attuned to the needs of the piece and be entirely appropriate to the chosen style of theatre.

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These will be generally appropriate to the needs of the piece and be largely suitable to the chosen style of theatre.

1 mark Candidates will demonstrate limited development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These may not be appropriate to the needs of the piece nor to the chosen style of theatre.
THERE IS LIMITED DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS TODAY.

A list of questions (in 15 minutes)

2009-11-13T15:27:00.001Z

Alice in Wonderland progresses in tiny steps - and I am amazed by the number of questions there are. In fact there are far more questions about the play than lines in the play. Perhaps if I record them, the group can reflect upon them: why so many? What is being achieved by them? Is there a way of creating theatre without them?

How do I speak?

How long have I known Alice?

What am I doing? What am I doing now?

What type of...

Can I write these ideas down?

Can you imagine how long this painting is going to take?

Where am I going from?

What were you like at 10 years old?

"How long will this take?"

Did you just make that up?

Shall we put that in the actual play?

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" (in answer to which I refer you to this link.)

Have I painted her before?

"can I see it when it is done?"

So even with a bit of an interruption, and a lot more "working" than questioning, it is interesting to see that the group is asking about 1 question a minute. Considerably more earlier in the rehearsal. Comment your thoughts below:

Free Rooms

2009-11-13T14:45:00.000Z

According to "the computer" - the following rooms are free during Theatre Studies lessons:

MONDAY P5 - C3; C4; C5B; C8; C9; C10; C12; C35

WEDNESDAY P2 - C12; C25
WEDNESDAY P3 - C10; C12; C35

FRIDAY P5 - C5B; C9; C11; C13; C36

Obviously there are no guarantees that "the computer" is accurate, but they make a good place to start looking. Please also leave comments....

The Notebook - week 2

2009-11-12T11:11:00.003Z

Work commences with run-through. In the nicest possible way, one student opines that the result was "awful". The others agree. They try again to create a funfair through a montage of movement / mime based a rollercoaster; bumper cars;etc. They tidy up and move forward but without a director off stage (or even a video of their efforts) it is almost impossible for them to make accurate attempts to improve matters.

They move on to a more naturalistic moment between "the old" Noah and Allie. Noah is narrating the story a little.

I interrupt proceedings to discuss a couple of points that seemed to be glaringly obvious to me in my privileged position of observer - but may not be to the actors:
1) Noah's benevolence: his even-handed description of events regardless of the way in which they effected him personally - e.g. on the line "Allie's mother was not fond of Noah" needs to be played with understanding.
2) The fact Allie cannot remember WW2 is fairly significant: How frightening for someone to not remember anything? How can Noah hope she remembers him when she cannot remember World War?

Both these things are significant because they are opportunities for the audience to empathise with the characters and understand their situation. The actors have to find a way to communicate their significance to the audience.

The group also needs to recognise the fact they are switching / integrating naturalistic and nonnaturalistic elements. At present it is happening organically; not explicitly discussed by the group. This is only right. They will automatically find the means to make these stylistic transitions because they are creative problem solvers with a good "feel" for the audience response.

When they have made this work, it will be my role to raise a discussion about the degree to which they have been successful - and at that point we can raise the discussion of styles in the performance and means of integrating different ones.

After break the group realise they to prepare a movement sequence ahead of having a musician in the lesson tomorrow and set to work devising the part which shows Allie and Noah aging; their life together; their children. Progress is slow because they lack confidence and experience in this area. I think they need to keep working. One person is losing energy but then others rally to the cause and begin to offer ideas and bolster their confidence.

St Trinians - first time on stage

2009-11-11T10:43:00.028Z

St Trinians get on the stage for the first time since late October - an accident of the rehearsal schedule and they are in a terrific, bouyant state. They have plotted, improvised and scripted whilst off stage and are literally buzzing with excitement now they have the stage. A quick bit of stapling and highlighting of scripts and they are blocking in the "script".

I don't like watching actors with scripts in their hands but this is necessary because the development cycle they have hit upon is:

outline scene.
improvise.
review and write.
one person types up the draft and edits / sharpens the script.
scripts printed, copied, stapled, handed out.
run through / block in the new script.

As I watch they attempt to brush up on timing, tone of voice, pace, blocking and are effectively "sketching" the scene in. This is ok. In fact, aside from momentary distractions, it works well. I need to know that they can move on from this developmental / scripting phase into a performance phase which develops their skills and brings the work up to performance standard.

I also think this developmental script will need more work / adjustment later. Not least to make sure it creates the right time period - currently it has too many modern expressions and ideas to be set in the 1950s. It is important to continue as is for now while also recognising that more work will be required later.

This group has a director so I must also have an eye to the quality of her input / results of her work. To begin with, she does one very important thing - she becomes an audience so the actors have to turn their efforts and energies outward: this is particularly useful for comedy because they need to make others laugh, and NOT themselves.

The director is also a prompt and a scribe.

Aside from this - the director needs to take some responsibility for developing the skills of the individuals and for the overall style and mood of the piece.

To this end I think the director is doing well in terms of allowing the actors to become comfortable in what they are doing; they are being encouraged to experiment and create. The director is also giving guidance and modelling things like line delivery. For the first 30 mins of stage time this is absolutely fine.

As I type, the director takes control of the story structure and moves for the creation of a scene to give more time to a less wel developed character. Good instincts. So the development cycle goes back to step one: agree and outline of a scene.... and improvise....

I hope, some time soon, the director can turn her attention to the sort of impact being created during parts of the work they already have. I personally think that when an actor laughs on stage it is a bit like someone laughing at their own joke and it often elicits the opposite response from the audience. This opening is currently contains stage laughter - which sounds like what it is : staged laughter. There is also a telling of a funny story about a letcherous teacher - and this needs to be carefully suggested so the comedy is apparent without becoming tasteless. At least one member of the cast has raised this but it needs further review when the scene becomes more polished.

Lots of ideas flowing now - ideas from Godber; ideas from "Waterloo Road"; ideas from their personal experiences of school ideas of their very own. It is hard not to start chipping in myself. Ideas are contagious!

15 mins to a break and the improvisation starts.

The Lake House - 9th November

2009-11-09T14:52:00.006Z

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The Lake House come to rehearse. They had a good run at things on Friday becasue they could effectively be working on the production from 12:30 through to ?? and in fact were still at it when I left at 4pm.

Today one of the three members of the cast is absent through illness. Without saying anything they are rehearsing (albeit running through what they did last time) which means they must have made some kind of continuation plan for today. Evidently they will suffer from missing 1/3 of the group- very frustrating. I am interested to see what they will do...

I email the resources staff to try to find where the HD camera is: it can provide very quick feedback to actors and that info can be given to the students on memory stick to take away. Tapes are far too fussy!

I also reach for the exam board criteria....

There are three sections, each marked out of 5:

Section 1

Top Band Candidates will demonstrate secure understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in as well as a strong commitment to it, throughout the devising process, to realise very clear dramatic intentions for the audience.

Section 2

Top Band candidates will demonstrate a high degree of creative co-operation and inventiveness throughout the devising process. They will maintain a high level of self-discipline and employ successful devising strategies. Candidates will display sound critical and evaluative judgements of live theatre, including their own work as well as wider productions seen, as they develop their work, in its distinctive style, promising a successful outcome.

Section 3

Top Band candidates will demonstrate significant development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These will be precisely attuned to the needs of the piece and be entirely appropriate to the chosen style of theatre.

So far I have heard students discussing the fourth wall. But apart form that... it is starting to look like a planning session, again.... but wait.... what's this? they look in their plot structure and ideas and identify a scene they can rehearse without the missing member.... and they are off again.

So Section 3: Demonstrating development of nominated skill.

How can they demonstrate development of the nominated skill....

a) They improvise candidly for several minutes, developing the "date" the two characters go on. They continue despite hiccups. In this relaxed atmosphere it is possible to start to believe in two people on a date... but then his accent keeps coming through and it somehow seems toooo relaxed for him to be saying "ayyup".

After 6 minutes, the improvisation ends and they go back to planning.

I "get off the Blog" and we chat for 10 minutes. We come up with the idea of dividing the scene in to 3 phases: uncomfortable; becoming friends and then enjoying themselves. After the first attempt, both actors agree there seems to be little difference between the first two phases. The problem seems to be that as actors they find it hard to re-discover the idea of being unfamiliar with each other.

So they try a bit of "magic if" and it becomes painfully slow and awkward (!) so this has worked too well! The later bits also work far better. The difference appears to be in energy and attack. The first part is too slow and therefore seems depressing rather than awkward. A third run through tries to address this and there's much more to be learnt...

To what extent are Kate and Alex separate from the actors? How can we identify the characterisation of the roles?

To what extent is the improvisation dictated by the pace of movement through the scene? The latter bits will be hard to make lively if they are delivered as part of the same sort of "walk" around the auditorium...

The actors also need to list the 10 or 12 mini-topics addressed by the characters during this moment so the improvisation gains structure and purpose.

The Start of Rehearsals

2009-11-06T14:38:00.001Z

A fascinating first week which has been made all the more exciting by seeing some very creative developments. I wish I had time to get them all down. Here are the highlights:

1) The Lake House.
Changing the actor / audience dynamic in the University Lecture scene seems to work well. Rather than put the lecturer on stage and plant the actor playing the student in the auditiorium, the lecturer now darts around the auditorium, lecturing flamboyantly on the ethics involved in terminating life support. The actor playing the student in the lecture is on stage, taking notes. Opinions fly back and forth between the lecturer, planted audience members and the character on stage. It is far easier to focus on the differing opinions and the whole scene seems much more exciting.

2.) St Trinians.

The fundamental principle underlying the John Godber's style seems to rest in choosing which parts of the narrative you show and which parts you narrate. The theory here is that in Teechers, for example, the way Hobby, Salty and Gail characterise Oggy and Basford, etc exists to show more about Hobby, Salty and Gail. Godber's focus being the people, not the events.

3) The Notebook.

After just 3 practical rehearsals there is an atmosphere of creative excitement as all that "talk" and ideas starts to become reality on stage. Elements of movement, music and improvised light-shows have really got a great "Knee High" feel to them.

4) Alice in Wonderland
Landed with the first shift on stage, with little time to plan for the rehearsal, there is some good news: In the process of trying to create Theatre out of thin air, it is easy to see the bravery and the commitment of the actors. After two hours there was clearly some skills development for some and the product grew a little. There was even a lesson to be learnt about the boundary between expressionistic and naturalistic mime.

The Trial - how might it be directed?

2009-10-24T20:03:00.002+01:00

If I were directing the play, I might end it like this:

( I have tried to keep the language to the kind of thing you might be expected to produce in an exam)

I would like to create an impression of the absurdity of life by having a darkly surreal ending to the play.
At K's death the whole stage would be dark except for the figure of K lying DSC, lit by overhead spot. It dims. The stage is hushed. Another figure creeps forward from the darkness - hunched, nervous, like a creature. He hushes the audience: "Shhhhh!" and carefully places a mask on Joseph K's face. It is a simple cardboard mask with a 1:1 size photo of Joseph K's broadly smiling face on it. Hopefully the audience will find this grotesque and creepy.
I would then have the same figure crouch by Joseph K's strangled corpse (which is now wearing a mask of his own smiling face) take off his hat and reach into it as if, like a stage magician, he is about to pull out a rabbit. He would look back and forth between the hat and the audience, inviting them into the trick, smiling. In the darkness behind him the ensemble would use their voices to make the sound of a drum roll, adding to the macabre sense of Joseph K's death being entertainment. Pulling his arm from the hat, he brandishes another, identical Joseph K mask, exclaiming "Ta -da!" to the gasps, cries and applause of the hidden ensemble. This is also a pre-arranged signal for the audience (who have each been given masks) - they reach beneath their chairs and put them on while the video screens upstage L and R flicker to life. The ensemble step forward into the light - they too wear Joseph K masks and the action on the stage is frozen for a moment to allow the audience to watch each other and the screens. On the screen a montage of short video clips shows people in Britain in familiar locations, all wearing Joseph K masks. A man in a corner shop; commuters on a train; a woman in a kitchen wearing a floral apron - everyone is wearing the same face and the same grin. The last shot is a Primary school class - the children all dressed in miniature pin-stripe waist coats like Joseph K and wearing smaller masks depicting a 9 year old Joseph K, all face front - the teacher comes into shot, turns around and we see it is K's Lawyer who stands in front of the class. Throughout the video recorded music which loops and repeats a crazed rhythym of threatening bass and plucked violin strings crescendos. The ensemble begin to create a scene of madness and chaos on stage - they become a writhing, disorganised mass of Joseph K's; laughing, screaming, getting louder and louder and randomly shouting K's lines from the play - sometimes in pleading voices, sometimes as if delivering the punch line of a joke. Their voices coincide with the two alternate mimes they perform - sometimes they appear to be violently struggling to pull their mask off and sometimes they are bent double with laughter. At the loudest point, the lights snap to out black and there would be silence. When the house lights come on, the audience will feel self conscious about wearing the mask and a bit wary about what might happen next. I would have no curtain call - just open the doors and let them wander out of the theatre: slightly dazed and a little deflated. I would hope by denying them the chance to applaud they might feel they have been conned into an elaborate joke. This would be in keeping with the function of the production. I think the audience would enjoy becoming part of the action of the performance here - and I think it would help them understand my interpretation of the play - which is that we are all Joseph K and all our lives are rather absurd, pointless and something of a very detailed, grotesque practical joke.

The Trial - what does it mean to you?

2009-10-24T10:23:00.213+01:00

In interview, the writer Margret Atwood was asked about her multi-award winning novel "The Handmaid's Tale" - (which is about a super-religious male government that effectively enslaves the entire female population). She said she could not believe how differently it impacted on the readers in different countries. She said when the UK public read "The Handmaid's Tale" they loved it. They thought it was such a great story about an entirely fictional world which could never happen: and perhaps it could never happen because great female authors and artists like Atwood would stop it. When the Canadian public read it - they too loved it. They thought it was a warning about what might happen if they let the Canadian Government (or Canadian men) go too far. They eyed their partners suspiciously and looked more carefully before voting... When the American public read it, they panicked. They thought: "A Government run by men turning women in to slaves? Wait a minute.... It's real! Quick, pack the bags! is it already too late to get out???"

I suppose, in the end, Atwood was saying that some people just thought the book was fantasy, some thought it was a parable to learn from and some thought it was a timely wake up call.

Now that was some time ago, so let's hope the American reading public have since changed their minds about their government, but the principle that interests me:
The same story can be interpreted as being closer or further away from reality - depending on how you feel about the world.

Which do you think The Trial is? -

A) a fantasy, completely made up? - something to entertain us.

B) A grim parable warning about letting society become too dehumanised? - Something to learn from.

C) A vision of the Universe where life is just an absurd, pointless thing? - Something which is actually true and inescapable for us all.

I cannot believe in answer (A) because I can think of much more entertaining scripts to direct "for entertainment".

I could possibly go for answer (B) but I don't feel this is right. I think if this were true the play would need a character or institution or event to get angry about. I'd expect to find a shred of a hero somewhere - or even the slightest possibility of Joseph K being rescued. Or may be, if there had been a meaningful relationship in the story somewhere - so although his life ends, new life begins... but I can find no scrap of real light at the end of the tunnel. There is nothing to learn unless it is that life is pointless. I suppose you might argue that his plea at the end should stir something in the audience and make them want to react against those who are punishing this poor creature for an unnamed crime. Thing is, the faceless nobodies who do the killing are nameless, as is the power that sent them. There is no one to react against.

So I believe one of the play's functions is to depict life as essentially petty, meaningless and random. I think Kafka genuinely thought Mankind was like a man waiting forever, pointlessly, at an open door.

Unlike The Handmaid's Tale (and Brazil; Gattacca; V for Vendetta; Fahrenheit 451; 1984...etc...etc) government is not the obvious cause of the K's unhappiness. In the play, Law and Religion begin to blur at the end when K finds himself in a cathedral facing the Prison Chaplin who "belongs to the Law". You might say that for Kafka, the chief problem for man (i.e. for Joseph K) is that we all commit the crime of being born. It is as if he is saying "It is nothing personal, Joseph K. You were sentenced to death the moment you were born. We all are." This means "The Trial" is essentially about existing: We call this existentialism.

This could be summed up like this: We all exist, so we all have to die. We are all Joseph K.

The Trial - style of the 1930s-50s

2009-10-24T09:41:00.002+01:00

For lots of visual ideas of the period / style of the piece as "an alternative present" I would encourage you to watch the following films:

"Brazil"
"1984"
"V for Vendetta"
"Fahrenheit 451"
possibly even "Gattaca";
"The Handmaid's Tale" (yes, the novel by Margret Atwood)

You will note that in addition to having design elements drawn from the early 20th century, these films also have two other important links to "The Trial":

1. They are depictions of dystopia. Look it up here
2. They appear to be science fiction while (at least on the visual surface) set in the past.

Since George Orwell wrote "1984" (in 1948)the visual style of that period (really World War 2) has become linked to the ideas of dystopia. So it is that the above films all take their visual cues from that period. I think this is why:

The war years are a period in history which saw the rise of mass production and the beginnings of globalisation and the invention of the atomic bomb. It was scientists in tweed suits with round-rimmed spectacles who engineered the first weapons of mass destruction; and Nazi engineers who created the rockets that would both bomb women and children in London and later, be the basis for sending men to the moon. We grew proud of our technology. We grew fearful of other people. We built tower blocks as "housing units" for the masses- all in the name of "an easier, safer, brighter future."

Take a look at the traffic jams on the A690 as all the Joseph Ks sit in their cars listening to the latest news on "The War on Terror". Have we created that future? Is it even possible?

Assessing Preparation

2009-10-20T16:32:00.000+01:00

Having spent the last 20 minutes of today's session watching 5 minute recordings of two groups at work, we have arrived at the following conclusions about assessing preparation:

1. Assessment is massively effected by the period of assessment: e.g. if a student is absent,they cannot be assessed at that time. If a student is very creative one day (or when the teacher is observing) but then not particularly effective for the next 3 sessions (or when the teacher is not observing) how can the student's efforts be judged fairly?

2. Students at A2 are expected to discuss aspects of style; the intended impact of the work and to make connections with other work seen / experienced. This is not common amongst the groups observed.

3. Quality of input is largely assessed by the degree of creativity and innovation taking place in discussion or performance.

4. Assessment is in 3 bands roughly corresponding to "weak"; "acceptable" and "good". It is therefore a relatively easy task for students to mark their own efforts after each rehearsal session.

Everyone has a copy of the mark scheme in their DRAM4 Handbook.

My proposed method of assessment is this:
I will give everyone a mark for each section (there are 3, you remember) once every 3 weeks or so, that should indicate how much of your work I am seeing and what I think of the quality. I will enter a final mark for the first half of the rehearsal process in December.

I will adjust December's mark at the beginning of March. Marks could go up or down in each section, depending on whether you have maintained your efforts, improved them or slackened off.

I shall review the marks one week before the examination, let you know what (if any) changes I think are justified.

Let me know what you think either in class or here, as a comment!

THEATRE VISIT JAN 2010 tHE WOMAN IN BLACK

2009-10-17T11:30:00.000+01:00

I have reserved 25 seats for The Woman In Black at Newcastle Theatre Royal (Check the theatre royal website link in the bar to your right)

This time we will be going during the day - Thursday 28th of January - the show starts at 2 pm so we shall meet in the theatre at 1 pm. The ticket price is £15. I shall be making enquiries as to transport costs, and then calculate what sort of contribution the Department can make...

Priority will be for y12 to see the show, and anyone resitting DRAM 1.

The Notebook

2009-10-16T13:46:00.000+01:00

A very creative session on Friday saw us planning the use of both live Music and giant paintings. Update since lesson:

Two AS Music students (with the help of a Music teacher) have signed up for the task of playing and singing live - so the plan of having a montage of stage action during Alli's painting of her "Life Mural" accompanied by "April, come she will" (and sung live as a duet) looks entirely possible... :)

THEATRE REVIEW - RAIN MAN

2009-10-08T08:46:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone,

I thought last night's performance of RAIN MAN has left us with lots of scope to discuss theatre. Please Comment on the show under this blog entry.

Actors on FILM

2009-10-07T16:52:00.002+01:00

Everyone MUST attend the showing of "In Bruges" in the theatre next week. You will regret it if you don't.

There are several reasons why you should go:

1) the writer / director, Martin Mcdonagh is one of the many theatre practitioners to cross over freely between stage and screen in recent years (along with Richard Ayre, Sam Mendes; Nicholas Hytner)

2) If you don't think Colin Farrell can act or you don't know who he is (among his worst credits is "Bullseye" from the film Daredevil... but you might know him from the man in the phone booth in ... "Phone booth")then be prepared to get sum nu respec' fo' da man. He is faltless in this film.

3)It is funny. very funny.

4)You will learn new ways to use swear words. Guaranteed.

5) We have at least one Martin McDonagh play in the library and it full of audition piece material, not to mention being stageworthy in its own right.

6) You will begin to appreciate the medieval architecture of one of Europe's unspoilt show towns - or you might like to consider the morals of hitting someone with a bottle. This film has both.

Next Wednesday (14th) 3:30. Theatre. Be there or be In f' Bruges.

upcoming shows to recommend!!

2009-10-06T16:12:00.001+01:00

Having been asked to recommend a few perforamnces to see locally, I have put together the following at Northern Stage, Newcastle; Newcastle Theatre Royal and at Gala Theatre Durham.

RSC @ Northern Stage - A Tender Thing

29 October 2009 - 07 November 2009

Evenings: 7.30pm

Matinees: 2pm

Written by Ben Power

Running Time: TBC

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT NORTHERN STAGE. TO BOOK TICKETS PLEASE CALL THE NORTHERN STAGE BOX OFFICE ON 0191 230 5151 OR BOOK ONLINE AT WWW.NORTHERNSTAGE.CO.UK

ONLINE BOOKING OPENS ON SAT 14 FEBRUARY

‘Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast’

Another Romeo and another Juliet in a strikingly different love story.

Shakespeare’s language resonates through this account of an older couple whose lifetime of love is under threat.

Ben Power has woven the text of Romeo and Juliet into a provocative new tale of a love that fears no challenge. Re-imagining some of Shakespeare’s greatest poetry with an uncommon boldness, A Tender Thing is an elegiac yet ultimately hopeful account of the depth and power of the human capacity for love which receives its world premier at Northern Stage.

Ben Power is Literary Associate of Headlong Theatre where his work includes Six Characters in Search of an Author and Faustus. He was dramaturg on A Disappearing Number for Complicité, which won the 2007 Evening Standard, the Critics’ Circle and the Olivier awards for Best New Play.

Kathryn Hunter plays Juliet. A founder member of Complicité, with whom she won an Olivier Award for her performance in The Visit, Kathryn will return to the Company as part of the 2009-2011 Ensemble after directing the current RSC production of Othello, playing at the Northern Stage in February 2009.

£5 TICKETS FOR 16-25 YEAR OLDS

Anyone aged 16 to 25 can take advantage of the RSC’s £5 ticket scheme.

Northern Stage

25 tickets will be held off sale (across a range of prices) for each performance at Northern Stage. 15 of these tickets can be booked in advance via the Northern Stage Box Office. The remaining 10 will be sold from the Northern Stage Box Office from 10am on the day of each performance.

Conditions: All Season Tickets must be booked and paid for at the same time. Subject to availability and cannot be used in conjunction with any other reduction or offer. Package price only applies when the same number of tickets are purchased for each performance. All ticket discounts are at the discretion of the Box Office. Not available online. Subscriptions only available until 31 March 2009.

SCHOOLS TICKETS

£15 Schools Tickets available for Monday – Wednesday evening performances and midweek matinees. Please note: the number of schools tickets is limited. Please book directly with each venue’s Box Office.

CONCESSIONS

Friends of the Theatre Royal receive a 10% discount for performances at the Theatre Royal and Northern Stage.

There are a range of concessions available at each of the venues, please contact individual Box Offices for details.

All tickets discounts are subject to limited availability and at the discretion of the Box Office. Discounted tickets including Season Tickets cannot be booked in conjunction with or combined with any other reductions or offers.

2 FOR 1 ON FIRST NIGHTS

Thu 5 Nov

POST SHOW TALKBACK

Stay on after the show and put your questions to the Acting Company and members of the Creative Team.

On-Stage, Post Performance, Lasts Approximately 40 Minutes, Free

Newcastle Theatre Royal:

The Woman in Black

25 - 30 January 2010

Evenings: 7.30pm

Matinees: Thu 2pm, Sat 2.30pm

The most terrifying live theatre experience!

Running time: 2hrs

Unanimously acclaimed by the critics, Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s best selling novel combines the power and intensity of live theatre with a cinematic quality inspired by the world of film noir. It is a formula that provides audiences with an evening of unremitting drama as they are transported into a terrifying and ghostly world.

A lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over him and his family by the spectre of a ‘Woman in Black’, engages a sceptical young actor to help him tell his terrifying story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul.

It all begins innocently enough, but as they reach further into his darkest memories, they find themselves caught up in a world of eerie marshes and moaning winds. The borders between make believe and reality begin to blur and the flesh begins to creep...

Now in its 20th year in the West End, over 7 million people have lived to tell the tale of one of the most chilling and successful theatre events ever staged.

GALA THEATRE, DURHAM:

Journey’s End
By Original Theatre & Icarus Theatre Collective

Thur 11 - Sat 13 March, 7.30pm
The young, talented and war-weary Captain Stanhope is confronted with the fresh face of his past as an old schoolmate joins his platoon. As the offensive looms ever closer, Stanhope must inspire his men to make the ultimate sacrifice for a war he no longer understands and for a cause he no longer remembers. This compelling play is based on R.C. Sherriff's own experience in the trenches with its heroism, humour and inevitable tragedy. All staged within a claustrophobic dugout, audience and actor are witness to a seminal moment in our recent history. Time creeps to a standstill and the soldiers await their orders before racing to a heart wrenching climax as these young men face their Journey’s End.

One Man Lord of the Rings

Tuesday 30 March, 7.30pm
Charles Ross, creator of the hugely successful One-Man Star Wars Trilogy, returns with his equally hilarious follow-up in which he recreates the enchanting world of Middle-earth, armed with just a pair of elbow pads and his outrageous imagination. No props or costumes are required as Ross hurtles through the Tolkien trilogy - The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King - in just 3600 seconds of unbelievable kinetic entertainment. If you’ve seen the films, read the books and named your first-born Frodo, don’t miss this zany take on the ever-popular epic saga.

“If you liked the Lord of The Rings trilogy, you will love Charlie Ross's version - and if you didn't, well at least his is shorter" Sir Ian McKellen

The 39 Steps
Adapted by Patrick Barlow
Mon 26 April - Sat 1 May, 7.30pm (+ Thur & Sat 2.30pm)
Hitchcock meets hilarious! Direct from the West End, Broadway and 25 countries around the globe comes Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller, The 39 Steps, brilliantly and hilariously recreated as the most astonishing theatrical tour-de-force.

This blissfully funny show follows the incredible adventures of our handsome hero Richard Hannay, complete with stiff-upper-lip and pencil moustache, as he encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents, and, of course, devastatingly beautiful women. Literally nothing has been cut from this hilarious and spectacular version of Britain’s most spell-binding thriller - legendary scenes include The Chase on the Flying Scotsman, The Escape on the Forth Bridge, the first theatrical bi-plane crash ever staged and the death-defying (or nearly!) finale at the London Palladium. This wonderfully inventive and gripping comedy thriller features four fearless actors, playing 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced fun and thrilling action.

Watch the jolly good trailer HERE

£14 First Night, Matinee & Gala Friends, £17 (£15 conc) - Tues, Wed & Thur, £20 (£18 conc) - Fri & Sat

BOOK NOW

Durham Mysteries 2010

Thursday 27 - Saturday 29 May 2010
Durham Mysteries 2010 is set to be one of the North East’s most anticipated events, with some of the UK’s finest literary talents recruited to bring a new twist to ten of the world’s best known stories.

Originally performed in Durham in medieval times, the Mystery Plays are dramatisations of stories from the Bible - from Creation through to the Last Judgement - and we’ve taken a fresh look at these stories for the 21st Century.

The exciting new event, which is set to take place at outdoor locations across Durham in May 2010, has ten especially commissioned new performance pieces, which will be performed by a community cast.

Distinctive, imaginative and striking, Durham Mysteries 2010 promises to be a hugely memorable experience.

For more details, see the Durham Mysteries 2010 website HERE

To find out more about taking part, click HERE

James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small
Adapted for the stage by Simon Stallworthy

Thur 30 Sept - Sat 16 Oct, 7.30pm (+ Sat 2.30pm), No Sunday Performances
When newly qualified vet, James Herriot, arrives in the small North Yorkshire village of Darrowby to take up his first job in the established veterinary practice of Siegfried Farnon, he has no idea of the adventures that await him.

With the country-folk's inherent suspicion of strangers and their treatment of sick animals rooted in the past, James faces many challenges to win over the villagers of Darrowby. But through his good humour and skill with all manner of animal ailments, the country vet soon becomes a central part of their lives and forges friendships which will last a lifetime.

These tender and heart-warming tales among the dales and moors, farmhouses and public houses, were expertly captured by James’ creator - Sunderland-born Alf Wight - in a series of novels which have sold in their millions all over the world, and been made into two films and a classic BBC TV series. Now for the first time ever these stories are being brought to the stage in a major new dramatisation that will be one of the theatrical highlights of 2010. The adventures of James, Siegfried and his easy-going brother Tristran Farnon, are brought to life alongside the unique characters - and animals - that live and work on the Yorkshire moors.

The play captures the laughter, joy and magic of the original novels which inspired the hit BBC TV series, and is a chance to escape into a much simpler time, when life moved at a slower pace, the health of your pigs was your only worry and the only thing that twittered was the birds!

£15 (£13 conc), £12 First Night, Matinee & Friends; Pay What You Like on Monday 4 October

THEATRE TICKETS

2009-09-30T14:03:00.005+01:00

Hi,

RAIN MAN is on at the Newcastle Theatre Royal this coming week.

I have some cut price tickets for Theatre Studies students. The performance begins at 7.30pm on Wednesday 7th October.

The ticket price is £15 but you can have one for a fiver! The first 16 people with fivers get a ticket.

I would recommend the show almost purely out of curiosity. It could be a very moving, very skilful performance by the two male leads - or it could be a guide "How NOT to adapt Film for the Stage". I simply do not know. See me ASAP.

You might like to check out this preview of the show when it came to the West End with Josh Hartnett:

PRACTICAL UNIT ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

2009-09-23T11:54:00.003+01:00

The assessment criteria can also be found in the DRAM4 handbook you were given in June.

Unit 4 increases the demands placed on candidates in practical Unit 2 by requiring a more advanced level of performance and/or production skills underpinned by independent thought and refined in the light of their research.
The unit is synoptic in its requirements for candidates to address artistic challenges by adopting a distinctive style of theatre that they have seen as well as studied and to bring together both their theoretical knowledge and practical experience to create an original piece of theatre.

Assessments of the presentation of the finished piece must also take into account the distinctive features of specific skills on a separate marking scheme for individuals.

Part (a) – Preparation and development – Unit 4
A mark out of 5 is to be awarded for each of the following three sections:
Section 1
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate secure understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in as well as a strong commitment to it, throughout the devising process, to realise very clear dramatic intentions for the audience.

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in as well as some commitment to it, throughout the devising process, to
realise somewhat generalised dramatic intentions for the audience.

1 mark Candidates will demonstrate partial understanding of the style of theatre that they have chosen to work in and occasional commitment to it throughout the devising process. Dramatic
intentions for the audience may be underdeveloped.

Section 2
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate a high degree of creative co-operation and inventiveness throughout the devising process. They will maintain a high level of self-discipline and employ successful devising strategies. Candidates will display sound critical and evaluative
judgements of live theatre, including their own work as well as wider productions seen, as they develop their work, in its distinctive style, promising a successful outcome.

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some attempt at creative co-operation and occasional inventiveness during the devising process. They will exhibit a reasonable level of self-discipline,
employing some useful devising strategies. Candidates will display some critical and/or evaluative judgement as they develop their work, in its distinctive style, suggesting an acceptable outcome.

1 mark Candidates will demonstrate restricted creative co-operation and willingness to experiment during the devising process. They will appear to lack the necessary self-discipline in devising. Candidates will display restricted critical and/or evaluative judgement as they develop their work, in the nominated style, making a positive outcome unlikely.

Section 3
4–5 marks Candidates will demonstrate significant development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These will be precisely attuned to the needs of the piece and be entirely appropriate to the chosen style of theatre.

2–3 marks Candidates will demonstrate some development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These will be generally appropriate to the needs of the piece and be largely suitable to the chosen style of theatre.

1 mark Candidates will demonstrate limited development of their nominated skill in relation to the production/performance requirements of the devised work. These may not be appropriate to the
needs of the piece nor to the chosen style of theatre.

Part (b) – Supporting notes – Unit 4
A mark out of 5 is to be awarded for each of the following three sections:
Section 1

4–5 marks Candidates will provide clear and concise evidence of detailed practical exploration and research into the chosen style of presentation, including purposeful reference to live theatre
seen. Dramatic intentions for the audience will be well-defined. Specialist terminology will be used confidently as candidates reflect thoughtfully and critically on their application of the chosen
style to the developing piece of theatre.

2–3 marks Candidates will provide some evidence of their practical exploration/research into the chosen style of presentation, including useful reference to live theatre seen. Dramatic intentions for the audience will be clearly stated. Specialist terminology will be used occasionally as candidates offer some meaningful, critical reflection upon their application of the chosen style to the developing piece of theatre.

1 mark Candidates will provide a little evidence of their practical exploration/research into the chosen style of presentation including reference to live theatre seen. Dramatic intentions for the audience will be generalised. Specialist terminology will rarely be used accurately as candidates
offer insufficient critical reflection upon their application of the chosen style to the developing piece of theatre.

Section 2
4–5 marks Candidates will offer clear details about the devising process, providing useful examples of the ways in which they have refined their work, in the light of both practical and theoretical research and feedback, to fulfil precisely defined aims.

2–3 marks Candidates will offer some details about the devising process, providing occasional examples of the ways in which they have refined their work, in the light of both practical and theoretical research and feedback, to fulfil quite clear aims.

1 mark Candidates will offer a few details about the devising process, providing underdeveloped exemplification of the ways in which they have shaped their work and restricted evidence of using
practical and theoretical research and/ or feedback to help them to achieve general aims.

Section 3
4–5 marks There is detailed and purposeful assessment of the piece and of its potential effectiveness for an audience as a piece of live theatre. Candidates include clear evaluation of the
development of the nominated skill in terms of achieving the selected style of theatre. Health and safety factors receive careful attention.

2–3 marks There is some meaningful assessment of the piece and of its potential effectiveness for an audience as a piece of live theatre. Candidates include an attempt at evaluation of the development of the nominated skill in terms of achieving the selected style of theatre. Health and safety factors receive fairly perfunctory attention.

1 mark There is an attempt at an assessment of the piece and of its potential effectiveness for an audience as a piece of live theatre. Candidates include a little evaluation of the development of
the nominated skill in terms of achieving the selected style of theatre. Health and safety factors receive insufficient attention.

3
Part (c) – Presentation of the devised work – Unit 4
A single mark out of 50 is to be awarded according to the banding definitions below.
The full range of marks available within a mark band should be used as appropriate. If a candidate’s work is described exactly by a particular band, it should be placed in the middle of that band; elements of the band above or below will modify that mid-band mark accordingly.

Band 1 – 40–50 marks
Work in this range will create a highly effective theatrical experience for the audience. Candidates will demonstrate a very successful treatment of their selected subject matter in terms of their chosen style of theatre. The piece will be highly original. Candidates will demonstrate a high degree of inventiveness in their work, deploying the selected elements of stagecraft in a completely coherent way to achieve precise dramatic intentions for an audience. Candidates will display excellent technical accomplishment in their nominated skill(s), which will be entirely consistent with the group aims.

Band 2 – 30–39 marks
Work in this range will create a reasonably effective theatrical experience for the audience. Candidates will demonstrate quite a successful treatment of their selected subject matter in terms of their chosen style of theatre. The piece will display considerable originality. Candidates will demonstrate some inventiveness in their work, deploying the selected elements of stagecraft in a unified way to achieve clear dramatic intentions for an audience. Candidates will display good technical accomplishment in their nominated skill(s), which will be largely consistent with the group aims.

Band 3 – 20–29 marks
Work in this range will create an acceptable theatrical experience for the audience. Candidates’ treatment of their selected subject matter may not be consistently appropriate to their chosen style of theatre. The piece will display occasional originality. The candidates’ work will show occasional invention although their use of stagecraft may lack the necessary integration and precision to achieve their stated intentions for an audience. Candidates will display some technical accomplishment in their nominated skill(s), although it may be unevenly applied and may not be consistent with the group aims.

Band 4 – 10–19 marks
Work in this range will create a theatrical experience for the audience occasionally. Candidates’ treatment of their selected subject matter may be inappropriate to their chosen style of theatre at times. The piece will be restricted in terms of originality. The candidates’ invention may be restricted and their use of stagecraft may reveal underdeveloped theatrical awareness. Dramatic intentions for the audience may be unclear or only partially fulfilled, possibly as a result of insufficient purposeful rehearsal. Candidates will display some limitations in their technical accomplishment in their nominated skill(s).

Band 5 – 1–9 marks
Work in this range will attempt to create a sense of theatre for the audience. Candidates’ treatment of their selected subject matter will occasionally reveal something of their chosen style of theatre but, in the main, it may be unsuitable; a few specific stylistic features will be evident. The piece may be somewhat derivative. The candidates’ invention may be intermittent. The work may lack dramatic integration and the candidates’ execution of stagecraft will be such as to prevent them from realising stated dramatic intentions for the audience. Candidates will display restricted technical competence in their nominated skill(s), which might have benefited from further rehearsal time.

Tartuffe

2009-09-22T13:54:00.000+01:00

Thoughts on the play:

Some parts are MAD fun with a capital MAD. For example the opening seems to begin in medias res and we thought it would be fun to have Mme Perenelle packing a case, throwing things to Flipote and Dorine and others intervening. Thus it could be that Damis ends up trying to stop his Granny from leaving while accidentally ending up with a giant pair of her bloomers in his hand and her subsequent dismisal of him ("...an idiot...I kept telling your father").

Shortly thereafter, however, the dialogue becomes a discussion of morals which would seem more at home as a lesson in church, or a sermon from a pulpit than as dialogue between the characters. We have therefore decided to play these parts with the audience - right into the audience, in fact. We reasoned that if they are wanting to debate matters of right and wrong, they might at least debate with the audience rather than with each other.

Footnote:

Watched Steve Coogan film "Hamlet 2" last night and, while it made me laugh, also found it disturbingly familiar.....

ASSIGNMENT RULES

2009-09-22T09:20:00.001+01:00

The rules on assignments are:

1. Theatre Studies assignments must be completed to the best of your ability and demonstrate that you have undertaken a suitable level of effort. It is assumed that this will mean work is of a level above GCSE standard. Ultimately, students unable to produce work of an appropriate standard need to change to a more suitable level of study.

2. It is expected that the assignment will represent roughly 2 to 5 hours' work. You should NOT attempt to complete work "the night before". The finished product may be typed, word processed or handwritten. An assignment is normally between 1000 and 1500 words (give or take a bit).

3. Unless there are unexpected and seriously limiting circumstances, the deadline must be met. Your Theatre Studies lessons will be effectively suspended until you have submitted the assignment. Your suspension from lessons will be indicated to your tutor and senior tutor. Students claiming EMA will NOT be credited for the lesson and it will also endanger bonus payments. DO NOT MISS A DEADLINE!

Don't forget your assignments!!!

2009-09-17T10:51:00.002+01:00

Look TWO posts below for the assignments -

First sessions on the devised performances since before the summer went surprisingly well. Here is an update:
Note book: watching film; revising ideas about boxes; making a mood board and trying out accents.

Lake House: gaining inspiration from music. Working on the scene where they go on the trip around town together. In film the camera is on her, he narrates - on the stage it could well be the other way around. Or perhaps the audience are taken on the journey, while both characters narrate.

St Trinians - working on a scene in the style of John Godber - In role of Trinians who are then in turn tellling a story and portraying the archetypal characters of snobby girl; wimpy girl and girl-of-dubious-personal-conduct.

Alice in W - making progress with some scenes- from a text.

Dorine

2009-09-16T08:45:00.000+01:00

By now I am assuming everyone has read the assignment briefs in the post below this one...

So note, then, that we have now got a good version of "Tartuffe" and we have started to self-manage workshops on the scene with Valere, Mariane and Dorine.
I am cautiously pleased that you all seem very capable of handling this scene (and by extension of working on your Tartuffe assignment) pretty much by yourselves.

First written assignments! Yummy!

2009-09-14T06:16:00.005+01:00

Hi,

Your first assignment for DRA3 is:

"Discuss how you would perform the role of Dorine, in two or three sections of the play, in order to create comedy for your audience."

There will be some lesson time spent on workshopping Dorine this week.

The HAND IN date on this is the first lesson on the week beginning 21st September. This is 50 % of your progress grade for the half term. The usual rules on submission apply.
Your first assignment for DRA 4 (practical) is to submit a draft of your Portfolio Section 1.

Use this question as a spring board for exploring a range of ideas :

What is adaptation for the stage and how does it stretch the world of Theatre?

You will need to PLAN your response by writing a series of notes under different headings (e.g. "adapting film Vs adapting a novel"; "Camera Vs Audience"; "music"; "physicality Vs CGI"; "Naturalistic, realistic, impressionistic - can a film shot in the genre of Hollywood Realism adapt to the stage successfully through Naturalism?)

These notes will be a mix of your personal thoughts, things you have read, quotations from directors and actors, examples from productions, scripts and films you've looked into, ideas and theories you have worked out yourself, reflections on your chosen project, etc.

You will then have to go through each section of your notes and think about the project you have chosen. How does your production exemplify the ideas you've described in your notes?

Yes - you really will have to use your brains.

The exam board says your finished 500 to 700 words should contain "Evidence of exploration/research into the selected theatrical style [i.e. adaptation for the stage] , identifying its key features, and justification of the choice in relation to clear dramatic intentions for an audience. To be supported by a list of play(s) read and evaluation of the production(s)
seen performed in the chosen style as well as a list of sources and resources (as appropriate)."

The HAND IN date on this is the first lesson on the week beginning 28 September. This is 50 % of your progress grade for the half term. The usual rules on submission apply.

Welcome Back!

2009-09-06T08:07:00.003+01:00

Welcome back. Priorities this week are:
Getting in touch with your group and remembering all those things you promised to do over the break but probably didn't.

The Notebook students must create their "boxes" !!! yes - that menas you!

Dial M for Murder is on at the Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds soon - a stage adaptation of a film which was originally a novel: check out this link:

http://www.wyp.org.uk/events/event_details.asp?event_ID=5501

unless it is also coming to Newcastle I suggest we head off to see it ASAP - there are schools tickets for a tenner :)

Scriptnic - The Notebook

2009-08-05T17:18:00.002+01:00

A slightly bizarre but rewarding session, which involved going off road in a land rover, generated the following outcomes:
1. the group are going to try to use authentic accents and that makes life a LOT easier at this stage.
2. much discussion of the film and the novel revealed some enormous differences, not the least of which are:
- a different ending (they don't die...)
- the novel deals with three parts of the characters lives, including a large middle portion about the children and the family that Noah and Alli have together.
- the novel has more to say about the onset of Alzheimer's.
- a theme of metaphorical ghosts and haunting.
- more poems and literary connections.
3. the idea of "boxes".... we divided the story into 8 key events, like this:

1They meet
2They part
3They meet again, some years later.
4She makes a choice between Noah and Lon.
5They have a family together
6They discover she is developing Alzheimer's.
7He reads to her (and this is now his life)
8She comes back to him, but...

Imagining that each of these events is like a verse in a song, we thought this song would have two different choruses, one entitled "Falling in Love" and one entitled "The Thief" (as Noah refers to the disease which robs her of her memories as "The Thief".) - both things seems to be happening over and over - he reads, she falls in love, the thief takes her away... he reads... she remembers.... they fall in love..... Actually, I suppose the story has something of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, about it.

In an attempt to avoid becoming entrapped in a hum-drum process of copying scripts or lines to be spouted on a pros. arch stage, we decided these are NOT scenes. They are, in fact, boxes. These boxes can be stacked in any order.

Each of the group has the task of filling some boxes. A box may be filled with anything appropriate to the title on its lid. CDs; Props; copied out fragments of poems; mottos; photographs; powerpoint presentations; costumes; musical instruments; famous art work; other films and books.

Each box is a resource for creating a part of the experience. Note the word "experience" - not play or scene.

We have some other ideas - like asking the audience to write down something they would least like to forget on a scrap of paper and then use that in the performance; the audience could be asked: when did you first realise you were in love? and the answers to such things interwoven into the performance.

The notes could be then used in some way - e.g. Alli's mother tearing up the letters from Noah - the notes could be torn up. Or if they were shaped like flowers they could be stuck on a to a back drop which then (via animated projection) becomes a giant field of flowers, all with mmillions of leaves just like those ones a field which Alli and Noah then walk through....

Impressed? I said it was a good session.

End of one year, beginning of next

2009-07-21T14:00:00.005+01:00

Many thanks to the student who helped with things on the openday event... you know who you are....

In our very last lesson we cross-compared two films: The Lake House and Belles of St Trinians. We watched the opening 5-10 minutes of each and what came out of it for me was the obvious difference between how the camera tells the story in The Lake House and the actors carry the plot in St Trinians.

St Trinians is a far cheaper production which relies on a few locations being recycled in different scenes in order for the actors to carry on revealing the narrative. The mis en scene is either incidental or driven by the script. So you end up with "The Head's Office"; "A science lab"; "A gym class" - stock backgrounds in which to act out the scene.

The Lake House is much more lavish. The camera takes part in the telling of the story: for example it pulls out to reveal a busy city and then pans and zooms in to isolate two figure in the midst of the crowd; a dolly shot tracks an actor so we effectively walk with the character along a jetty; and all the time the weather and environments of the actors are having an effect on the actors; some shots contain no dialogue; music and silence also take a part in generating mood or telling the story. The soundtrack picks up other characters and things that are happening elsewhere, so again, the story evolves inside the setting, not infront of the scenery.

Edward Gordon Craig was trying to challenge the idea of theatre actors performing in front of scenery in the early 1900s - so it fascinating to see that some film makers hadn't learned that lesson (or could not afford to) until much, much later.

The point for our devising teams is this: The actors performing St Trinians perhaps only need the locations to be generated in a manner which is incidental to the plot. The locations will be stock locations and could be simply anounced to the audience. - which is exactly where working in John Godber's style will lead them. So, great - just more evidence to suggest we are barking up the right tree on that project.

What it means for The Lake House is that we are looking to create mis en scene which uses colour, movement, sound, music, silence and image to help tell the story. This would seem to be close to what the Kneehigh theatre company actually do. The eclectic, multi-layered approach to setting - which involves puppets, live music, projection, physical images, choreography, song, sound effects and so forth - is the stage equivalent of letting the format of the medium take part in telling the story. - Which is just a posh way of saying that The Lake House group need to be creative with a range of production and performance elements in order to tell their story. More on this later...

lake house

2009-07-14T15:51:00.002+01:00

little note: the restaurant that she arranges to meet him in is called "Il Mare".....

The group can now access an edited script on beta/faculties/theatre - it is essentially just the conversations between Kate and Alex. Suddenly it strikes me as an interesting theatrical project to have so much dialogue between two characters who are in different "timespaces". The other thing that struck me was how very American the dialogue is.... It will need adapting quite significantly for it to ring true - cut out all the "goddamns" etc.

I forgot that they quote from Persuasion, too. Perhaps that could be an further interesting source for the group to read...

Tuesday 14th

2009-07-14T10:26:00.004+01:00

St Trinians merchandise arrived this morning. The pictures - single image cartoons - often make the school girls look like squaddies in skirts. They all drink and smoke and play billiards. One image was of the teacher starting the Parents Evening - and satan is 3rd in the queue. It was actually quite funny.

The key question from today was: how does the audience allow for the fantasy elements in Kneehigh's performances? Watching the clips again, it is clear that the ensemble work in so many dimensions to produce a fabulous array of stage image, sound images, physical images, projected images and other images of light and shadow and puppets...

One idea for Lake House: to make the changing seasons (obviously of some relevancein the film) think of staging methods like the ones Kneehigh used - e.g. they created the river through a boat; a branch and a bowl of water.... how about winter through a branch, a fan and a bowl of white fluff... simple as that?
Hmm.

The Notebook

2009-07-10T17:34:00.002+01:00

Listened to the soundtrack on the way home. Lots of blues and swing and jazz. Some famous artists. will have to watch film to see how music is used in it, and decide whether or not to look for period pieces from this side of the Atlantic for the production...

penultimate friday

2009-07-10T15:46:00.004+01:00

12.3 - major decision made to hold a "script-nic" - a picnic where the group learn lines and discuss the project. Emailing lists have been hastily set up so that the event can be organised during the holidays.

12.1 We have a set design candidate now, who can take over liaising with the groups and working on a design that will allow all the projects to be performed in the same space on the same night. Base idea starting with the projection wall. Started costing for strips of plastic / other materials for the wall.

The thing that struck me the most about today is the different ways in which the groups are working. It is interesting to see one group able to meet during the hols and the others... well, it seems less likely - and not necessarily for the wrong reasons, either. The Lake House is a group of 3. Now if 2 go to one of the other's houses, that's a whole lot simpler than all deciding to meet up elsewhere and, in fact, they could progress with the drafting of the diary / letters / monologues either individually, using online collaboration (email) or as a pair. In fact I think I will suggest that they start the process over the email and produce a shared document, copying me in as they go.

Alice in W - Now, how will they deal with the summer break? Their project is "eclectic". A script is of little use, really. They would most benefit from something like a two-day workshop with some folk musicians; one day with a writer and one with a choreographer - and all that coming after a week working with jugglers, acrobats and clowns. Not likely to happen by accident... Suppose I had better make some 'phone calls....

12.3 last double before the hols

2009-07-09T18:13:00.007+01:00

Can't think of a word to describe today. It was sort of exciting, sort of intellectual, sort of artistic, sort of analytical, sort of practical....

We compared the nostalgic, post-modern self-awareness of Kneehigh's Brief Encounter with the emotive sentimental impact of The Notebook. We feel certain that the original audiences of David Lean's film would have reveled in the agony of Alec's final goodbye just as we melt at the end of The Notebook. Perhaps future audiences of The Notebook would also see it as something "of its time" rather than finding its sentiment directly appealing. Later audiences always have that detached insight. We often watch something and say "it's very 80s, isn't it?" - and we don't just mean the clothes or the music - it is also about the way people move; speak; relate to each other.

It would seem that B. E. (especially in the Kneehigh version) is about others looking on and the social expectations placed on Alec and Laura - and perhaps this is part of what makes it so worthy of a modern reworking . One group member argued that The Notebook, too, has something to say: this time about Alzheimers - but I do not know the book or the film well enough to judge if this is the case. I suspect it does have something to say about it but from a personal perspective rather than a social or philosophical one.

I then asked everyone to close their eyes and imagine journeying to London to see a live production of The Notebook. I had a suspicion we would all imagine end-on proscenium stages. There were great images of light and colour-filled stages creating the fairground and images of the nursing home. It was all end-on stages, however. We then repeated the exercise, but this time as I got to the point in the visualisation where we took our seats, I revealed that the stage form was in the round and the stage floor looked like a circus ring. Metal guy ropes, exposed scaffold, trapeeze apparatus, even sawdust on the floor.

We discussed the imagined openings and tried to think how they might be interpreted. From these seeds we hypothesised our imaginary production to be a bit like this:

The stage is a circus. The circus replaces the fairground of the film. The audience sees the play from Alli's perspective. Due to her illness, the moments are presented as jumbled up and fragmented. There are nurses who appear and are very nice but make no sense and sometimes they are actually frightening, asking us to take our clothes off and telling us to get back to bed and sometimes they appear funny. A sad clown keeps coming out, trying to tell a story, wiping his makeup off .... and asking us to dance.

A young man leaps out of the auditorium, dragging his date with him. She is laughing. Both of them are behaving as if they are the only people to exist in the world - he is threatening to climb an elephant and ride off with her and she is helpless with nerves and laughter.

As the play continues, the scenes start to repeat themselves and start to fall into place. It is clear that the clown is telling his story to the girl and she begins to remember... and they dance...

We watched the Kneehigh videos and looked at the elements of fun and "circus" in them. While a circus first seemed a disappointing start for the project, I think the release of the imagination that the exercise gave was very useful.

Next we got a hold of the script of the film and explored the last few lines as an actors' workshop. The last moment of the film is unbearably romantic. I was impressed with everyone's efforts. It takes a lot for young performers to get comfortable enough to say "I love you" with any conviction. We broke down the words until they lost their ability to make us tense and then played Billie Holiday and relaxed. I got the group engaged in some activities designed to break boundaries, like being in a pair and tracing the outline of the other's hands with their finger tips; whispering the lines, gradually building eye contact, etc.

I left for my Y7 lesson reminded that Theatre is crazy - one minute it is about fiddling with leads and connectors, trying to get an mp3 playing out of the PA system and in the next minute it is about the human psyche. Perhaps a bit grand a claim - but those who were there know what I mean.

12.1 last double before the hols

2009-07-09T09:11:00.004+01:00

Lots happening, as one would hope from a double lesson.
Alice in W - have asked for a xylophone (?) and the idea of an eclectic theatre style seems a strong one. Idea for set: a full height, semi circular wall of plastic strips right across the upstage area, to be projected on from 3 separate projectors, creating either a panorama or a panoply of images that can be "walked through".

Having looked at Kneehigh's videos, (requires loggingon to their membership site) the connection with a "circus" style of performance seems quite strong. Perhaps the wall idea could become more of a centre ring, just as in a circus.... one side of the ring full height, the down stage part diminishing to become a line on the stage, to allow the audience to see into the "ring". OR we find an alternative venue to allow us to perform in the round with the actors in a kind of pit... not likely, I'm afraid.

St Trinians are up for the John Godber influenced construction of the piece, perhaps with a hint of "Yard Gals". Certainly an idea for a more edgy opening.

The Lake House - it "feels right" to think of the narrative as being constructed from two separate monologues - one from each time zone. The other possible angle would be to tell it through the letters they send each other. I also have half an idea that they need to think of ways to make the sending of the letters fun / magical.

A fifth project has been generated to accomodate an additional group. This project looks like it will be inspired by A Woman in Black. What better inspiration for a pair / trio of actors? Except they absolutely MUST have a designer or a gifted technician working with them on the technical aspects.

I seem to recall thinking, after the AS exams, that ALL groups should opt to have a director in their midst. One that does not need to be on stage at all. All the projects would benefit from this, but sadly it seems the casts would be left too depleted.

Drove home with a xylophone in the car, ready for tomorrow.

The Mightly Zulu Nation Theatre Company

2009-07-07T20:58:00.003+01:00

Also today.... had the pleasure of seeing the Mighty Zulu Nation Theatre Co. working with our younger students. Their charisma, energy and skill won the kids over completely. www.mightyzulunation.co.uk

Tuesday

2009-07-07T20:44:00.002+01:00

Things from 12.1 today:
1. St Trinians - are actually adapting or employing a genre and therefore need to understand the conventions of the genre. Their materials (books, DVDs, etc, still have not arrived and this is becoming very frustrating. After the lesson, it dawned on me that a play about a school, performed by a cast of 3 coudl look to John Godber's "Teechers" for inspiration and a way around the casting problem. The costume designer for the group may also find this a slightly more interesting challenge.
2. The Lake House. Now a group of 3. A possibility of getting bigger if the project demands it. The group needs Il Mare - the Korean original from which the script for The Lake House was adapted. The quickest method will be for the students to source it and for the dept. to reimburse them, given the problems getting the other stuff. The group was also unable to download a script for the piece because the site was blocked (grrr.)
3. Alice in W - After the lesson, in typical fashion, I realised that they would become the group who were not actually adapting something for the stage but should, in fact, be simpy devising a piece in the style of Kneehigh.

NOTE: audition pieces will be performed during the double period next week, for those of us not in Greece....

Friday - 12.1

2009-07-03T17:28:00.001+01:00

Workshop of scene from The Revenger's Tragedy. It was good to see the two students who could be playing a romantic couple in their devised piece being so relaxed with each other.

A few shocked faces at the end when I suggested grades for this term could be decided by the strength of their audition pieces tells me that perhaps some have not thought through the consequences of asking to be examined on their acting skills.

It seems hopeful now that we will find another rehearsal space. The pattern of lessons for next year will, therefore, be something like 2 rehearsals, 1 flexible fifth and 2 teacher directed sessions. The students still have a short while to make up their minds about what they want the flexible 5th to be.

12.3 have decided to use the time for additional workshops on Tartuffe, leading up to a workshop performance of selected scenes in October '09.

12.1 may opt for this too, or it may even be that individual groups within 12.1 opt to workshop different texts.

What ever they choose, the criteria are the same: It must be something which cannot be considered "homework" (e.g. it CANNOT be writing essays or researching on the net) and it must be aimed at improving their understanding of theatre.

attack of the bots

2009-07-03T12:49:00.000+01:00

I did some cutting and pasting and this appears to have put the robots at blogger into a spin. If you read this, then you have obviously clicked continue.... I have asked them to remove the warning screen and I think they will do in 2 days...

Thinking continues

2009-07-03T12:29:00.002+01:00

The Notebook

the big break through today was to come up with the "strap line" to the piece - "Love is closest thing to magic that we have." - The group is finding this simply encapsulates the dramatic purpose of their work. I also think it hints at some stylistic ideas which will be important later - i.e. creating "magical" moments on stage. For example, bringing the book to life or "walking into the story" could be a little bit of stage magic, just like the moment in kneehigh's Brief Encounter when they walk into and out of the film.

Question for the group? Can the roles in the casting be carried off convincingly? An Audition process would be a more effective method of getting not just the right characters but also the right pairings?

Next step:
Read the novel and extract from it the "essential" key lines. (try to get it down to 10 or so...)

Think of each key line as the title for a short play - perhaps just two or 3 scenes.

Next: use a few lines from scenes in the film as audition pieces; group members learn them and audition.

The Projects

2009-07-03T12:28:00.000+01:00

We have four proposed projects:
The Notebook
The Lake House
Belles of StTrinians
Alice in Wonderland.

1. first impressions: I think all will be extremely challenging. Are there not easier projects for Unit 3? - some of the groups have just 3 persons and could "get away with" projects that last about 15 minutes, but all the above seem so heavy in their demands for plot that it seems even a 45 minute version will be severely cropped down.

2. The first two in the list are all about the story and the way it is told. I have only seen parts of The Notebook. I guessed the ending. The framing of the story as a series of narratives is in its favour. The jumps in time and location will make for interesting staging opportunities. I do not know the film well enough to know whether or not it can be relocated to the UK or if the cast can cover the age range effectively.

3. The Lake House. Interesting play about time. I do not know if it can be done as a two-hander. Possibly. Can the cast carry off the main characters? I'd feel happier if this was an adaptation of a novel, i think, because it would be easier to remain faithful to the spirit of the story and run the performance as a two hander, than try to be faithful to the film while making so many changes.

4. The second two in the list will at least be more flexible - already "St. Trinians" is being considered as a sort of genre-template which will guide costume and design ideas but will essentially become a "coming-of-age" drama. OR it could turn out to be a bunch of nonsense resembling an appalling teenage hen party on stage. *shudder*

5. Alice in W - has plenty to stir the imagination but fairly unappealing characters. I would not personally wish to play the role of a caterpillar anymore than I would want to play a drippy Alice. Not unless the pay was right. I'm not sure how much I'd get out of it as an actor.

Start of the Blog

2009-07-03T12:27:00.000+01:00

Welcome!
I have been promising to blog things about lessons for a while. Technical issues aside, there also have to be some rules about posting, etc.
The primary reason for doing this is to keep a record of the verbal thoughts and feedback I give students as they devise their theatre projects. There should be no need for me to name students in the feedback names of roles or titles of projects should suffice. I shall also be keen to keep the content of the site suitably focused on positive criticsm of school work.

The rest of the rules will have to be worked out as we go along.