Gregor's Monolgue

Today we performed one of Gregor's monologues. We did it for vocal awareness so used no lights and were stood behind a board.

• Although having to start my monologue again due to nerves, I picked it up quite well. I hadn't had much practice without the script so I was nervous without using it. I think my throaty voice was effective although I think I rushed it slightly so I didn't use all the pauses and intonations i had originally planned. This is definitely something I need to improve on and I think it will come with practice.
• I found it really useful to listen to other people's monologues as they were all so different but still all very effective. One thing I liked was the way Andy concentrated on the 's' sounds which really sounded inhuman and stood out as no-one else made this particular sound. It was also effective because you could still hear what he was saying but it still had inhuman qualities.
• I also liked the way people added heavy breathing in between the words. This emphasised Gregor's panic and desperation as you could really feel the emotions, especially in Sally's monologue as her voice was shaking but you could tell it was purposely. It links in with Stanislavski techniques as I felt through this I was really gripped and empathetic and felt on the edge of my seat.
• We also discussed what dream language is and it is where there are flashbacks that don't fit in with the rest of the scene. Hence, they are not naturalistic.

Twelfth Night

This is all my thoughts on Twelfth Night that I may use for another piece of coursework.

Director's Interpretations

• The director had modernised the play and changed it from the 1600s to 1800s
• The director had chosen to keep it to the original Shakespearean tongue and stay close to the script however adding a few modern lines in here and there
• He had also chosen to make a few scenes more comical using the set, for instance the music playing scene and the scene in the box tree.
• Overall, the casting was good apart from the character of Olivia was a little too old as she overpowered Sebastian too much
• The director had also chose not to have too many costume changes although the costumes were quite elaborate however I think the necessary changes were made so there was the right amount, for instance when Olivia was getting married she couldn't have stayed in her sombre black dress.
• The director also chose to end the play on a melancholy feel which surprised me as two marriages had just taken place and the twins reunited. It showed it wasn't a good ending for everyone and also one of the messages of the play, how things can be misinterpreted.
• He/She also chose to add the songs which I'm not sure were necessary as the man wasn't the best singer and almost weakened his performance as he was a strong actor.

Set

• They had used lights to change the setting and to show the location, for instance the light you could see through the door suggested a hot, desert outside and the spotlights created a cold atmosphere in the prison
• Not an excessive amount of set but just enough including the box tree, the bench, chairs, the cone shaped trees, the rug and cushions and hanging oriental lanterns.
• The cone shaped trees weren't entirely used effectively however helped to fill the stage to create an atmosphere in order to aid the actors.
• The wave at the back was effective as helped create the ship wreck but also a more enclosed atmosphere showing they were inside. Lights also helped to create the sea at the start which was efective as even though the set didn't drastically changed you knew what had happened.
• The box tree was highly effective as created levels and allowed the audience to see two different points of view
• The cushions and lanterns helped us to feel we were in an almost middle eastern country so helped with the believability of the story
• The screen at the back helped to show what time of day it is which also helped with the mood, for instance in the prison, which also helped to progress the story

Comedy

• The scene with the box tree was extremely comical especially when they stood up and sat down and also pocked their head through. The fact that Malvolio didn't know was also comical so it was funny due to his unawareness.
• The scene where Olivia was getting angry but still wanted to be loving to her husband was also extremely comical due to the extreme switch in her tone of voice. Despite this, I did think this went on for a little too long as the humour began to wear off.
• The character of the fool was also very funny for instance when he was stuck in the tree and also his naivety throughout the play. His costume was also quite comical due to the checkered trousers.
• When Malvolio was trying to woo Olivia was also highly amusing due to the yellow stockings and because he was an older man almost trying to do a strip tease. The fact that he was unaware of Olivia's horrified reaction and carried on showing off in front of her was also comical.
• The other scene that was also very clever but also comical as it was unexpected was the music making scene as the many ways in which they managed to make music were amusing as it was almost like they had become children again although they were creating a very good sound.
• The character that passed wind to the audience was also very humorous.

Characters

• Malvolio- grew stronger throughout the play as I found I couldn't hear all his lines at the start, created a believable contrast in the character, from serious to mad, which was effective in the story and also comical.
• Olivia- found her voice very annoying and didn't really suit the character as sounded almost like a wicked witch, a little shouty also at times, stayed in character and very believable shock when the realisations in the play took place
• Viola- could have used more facial expressions, found her dancing a little strange, was a believable male due to posture and voice, good interactions with the audience in monologues allowed us to empathise with her
• Sebastian- Good naivety throughout but I think he should have been more surprised when he had found his long lost sister at the end. I also felt some of his lines were lost.
• Maria- A bubbly character who had a good audience awareness and you really felt she was a caring but slightly cranky character so very realistic portrayal.
• Orsino- I really felt he was infatuated by his love for Olivia but he also came across as quite duke-like. He also came across as areal gentleman which allowed the audience to almost fall in love with him how Viola does. His voice really suited the character too as was quite formal but more relaxed when with Viola/Cesario
• Feste- Very comical for example when putting the lights up and down at the start of act two. He really listened to the other characters and also came across as a little camp which suited his character.

Past cwork and planning the trial

• Today we started off by looking at some examples of coursework to help us. I found this really useful although quite shocking as some of the grades for really amazing work was quite low. Some of the key things I picked up on were:
• Diagrams are really effective and save words, for instance an annotated set diagram
• Annotating a small part of a script can be effective and you only need to do a small part but make lot of points
• Tables that separate quote, meaning, practical interpretation, effect on the audience etc save words and also make sure you cover these areas
• Having a quote at the top and then bullet points underneath can also look very presentable

• We then begin planning a trial of all the characters in 'A View from the Bridge.' We were put into pairs and one person was the character and the other the defense lawyer. There is also a judge who controls the proceeding of the trials.
• I was the defense lawyer for Marco however we found it initially difficult to come up for many points as he is of course responsible for Eddie's death. Some points we came up with were:
• In the initial statement, I am going to say how Marco came over here with the loving intentions of providing for his family and also being with other distant relatives. I may try and sympathise with the audience by asking them to put themselves in Marco's position to imagine his family struggling and he not being able to provide for them. Also, how he has come to a new country and came to see his family but they are very uncompromising.
• Eddie got the knife out first so Marco killed him in self defense
• Eddie brought it on himself as he mislead Marco as he offered for them to live there
• Eddie went against his word as he betrayed his family so he brought it on himself
• Katherine could have also just tried to annoy her dad through Rodolfo so she was responsible for getting them on bad terms so it was not either of the immigrants' fault

Vocal Awareness of Gregor

Today we prepared for the vocal awareness section of our coursework by looking at one of Gregor's monologues.

• Firstly, we thought about what Gregor is trying to convey through his monologue. We found many feelings underlying including frustration, desperation, resignation and defeat. This helps to understand how to say it as for instance if you are frustrated rather than angry you may say something slightly differently.
• Then we looked at dynamics, tone, pitch, pause and articulation to see how we could perform the monologue vocally rather than physically. We looked at each line and really specifically decided how to say it to make it as detailed as possible.
• We then looked at how to distort the lines to make them sound inhuman to emphasise Gregor is a bug. This was hard as the audience still needs to be able to clear understand what Gregor is saying. We went round the circle and all said a line to experiment with different ways of sounding like a bug. We also tried going from a really high sound to a really low sound to create him as the bug quite freaky to add that inhuman effect. We also looked at the sounds in between the speech to show how he is a bug so that the words can still be clear.
• Finally, we looked at how the family would hear his speech and what Greta would hear when he tries to talk to her. We all lay in the dark and turned ourselves into bugs and said our noises together for each. This helped as we can link this in to conveying this to the audience through what Gregor sounds like to him.

Stanislavski exercises 4

Today we looked at and explored three new Stanislvaski techniques.

• Tempo Rhythm- When doing anything in life, you have an internal and external tempo rhythm. This is the tempo rhythm of how you are feeling and the rhythm of how you are acting and looking to other people. For example, if you are waiting a queue to buy tickets for your favourite band's concert and you know you may only just get one you will have quite a slow tempo rhythm on the outside as you are waiting and wanting the queue to move along so are walking slowly. On the other hand, on the inside, you have will have a very quick tempo rhythm as you are nervous and anxious about getting a ticket but also excited that you are nearly there and could be going to see your favourite bad in concert. We also looked at how tempo rhythm can differ foe people in the same circumstances. For instance, if you are an aunt or uncle and have to tell you niece and nephew there parents have died it can differ how you feel. For me, I would have quite a slow tempo rhythm as I would be carefully thinking what to say and moving to tell them however on the inside I would be feeling very panicky and also very scared for their reaction so I would have a much quicker tempo rhythm on the outside. Despite this, other people may have a quick tempo rhythm on the outside as they quickly want to tell them but a slower one on the inside as they are shocked an upset still by the news.
• Communion- This is to do with the relationships between actors and allows you to make character relationships seem more believable. The idea of communion is how well you know people, for instance if you can finish their sentences, know their feelings and almost guess what they're thinking. Although you may know some people well enough to know if they're in a good mood or not, like a teacher, you would not have communion with them as you don't know them personally enough to know what might be wrong with them or how you can help them, for example.
• Magic If- This is a very common technique and is talked about in the song from Fame the musical 'I want to make magic.' It involves you having your own interpretations and judgements to allow you to create characters and scenes. The 'if' basically means that you can create things however you interpret them and, within reason, there isn't always a right or wrong answer as everyone can play the same character differently. This is similar to how,in everyday life, people have different reaction to things. For example, if you had been having an affair with someone and were planning to meet them but suddenly received a text saying 'This isn't going to work out,' you could react angrily, confused, upset, hurt, destroyed or a mixture of these. Magic If basically means the possibility to create 'magic' on stage however you one to as you can always say 'if.'

Overview of Stanislavski techniques learnt so far

• Communion
• Magic if
• Tempo rhythm
• Super objective and objectives
• Real and dramatic I
• Before and after time
• Internal and external monitor
• Using your own emotions and experiences
• Using the given circumstances
• Centre of gravity/ balance
• Unnecessary and necessary tension
• Exercising your imagination
• Focusing your hearing
• Character observation

Exploring the character of Gregor

Today we looked at the exploring the character of Gregor and normal family life for the Samsa family.

• Our improvisation involved two scenes, one showing the family when Gregor and great were younger and one showing a normal day when they are older. We chose to do the first scene in a very naturalistic way however the second one more stylised. We used a door frame as a prop which helped with the transition between the two scenes as it was only Mrs Samsa who stayed in the acting space the whole time. To begin with, we all started at the back, turned away from the audience in a line with Greta in between Mr and Mrs Samsa. The parents then both turned round and sat down normally whilst Greta and Gregor started having a fight with Gregor pulling on my hair. This is because we were both meant to be very young and getting ready for school in the morning. We were both moaning whilst fighting and, as Greta, i tried to adapt a childish wimpy voice but also one of a 'tell-tale.' After Gregor had finally stopped tugging my hair, I looked at him and that was the cue for all of us to say 'Gregoooor.' They then told Gregor to stop it and I said in a very wimpy voice 'Mummy, he keeps annoying me!' Mrs Samsa then said 'Don't worry, I'll do you hair for you,' and I said 'He messed it all up for school Mummy.' Gregor was also being bossed around my Mr Samsa at this point and then Mrs Samsa said 'Don't forget to put Greta's lunch in her bag. You forgot yesterday,' and I added, 'Yes I was hungry!' I'm not sure if I went a little over the top with the wimpy voice although I do believe it fitted the character. Next, Gregor wen to polish the shoes and brought our breakfasts. Whilst we were eating in a slightly robotic fashion, Gregor could be seen looking very sad on his own. I also said 'Thank you Mummy' when Mrs Samsa finished combing my hair and Mr Samsa also said many other comments to Gregor like 'Pick me up a newspaper after school.' Mrs Samsa then went 'hadn't you better be getting to school dear,' and I said, 'Yes mummy - Bye,' and then skipped out of the room. Mr Samsa then said he was going of to work and dragged gregor out to go to school so then all three of us were throught the door. This was when we went into the next scene. Me and Mr Samsa then walked back into the room in a robotic fashion that fitted our character. As Greta, I tried to walk quite girly and was fidling with my hair. Mr Samsa then sat on the chair and me and Mrs Samsa stood either side. Mr Samsa then talked about Gregor and his cigars whilst me and Mrs Samsa leaned in a repeated 'beer, money, cigars, clothes.' gregor then entered and stood at the front and Mr Samsa got up and we all said the words together but in a more questioning way. gregor then said 'Oh I;m so tired and fell back onto me and Mrs Samsa and Yvonne pushed the chair underneath him. We then all leaned on him to show physically the pressure we put on him mentally and Mr Samsa asked 'So, make much money today Gregor?' She said this whilst controlling his head and whilst we were looking at him closely and he said 'Not really I wasn't feeling well' and then we all said 'Oh, how disappointing,' to end the scene. We chose to do two contrasting scenes like this to demonstrate how Gregor has always been an outcast and unappreciated by his family. Our scenes also simply showed how Gregor was not the favourite child for no reason so that is why so much pressure is put on him when he is older.
• Another effective scene was done by another group although it differed from our greatly. They did a scene involving a family trip to the beach and the many stops they make on the way. They showed Gregor carrying all the bags, being forced to obey his father and go and get things including ice cream and shoes. The thing i liked the most about the scene was when Mr Samsa was reading the newspaper and was talking about an article to so with slave children. This was very ironic as they were going on about treating your own like slaves showing they don't realise how badly they treat Gregor. Similar to ours, I think they demonstrated how Gregor is always an outcast as they showed all the other family members close and together like a family should be.

Staging a scene from Metamorphosis

Today we staged a scene from Metamorphosis using Artodian techniques.

• First, we looked at what we needed to think about when staging a scene in Artodian style. These included how to make the audience on the edge of their seats, where the audience are sitting, using sound scapes and showing things through physical actions rather than verbal.
• We then got into two groups to stage a scene near the start of Metamorphosis where Gregor realises he is ill. Despite this, we had to do it mainly off text however could add in a few lines if we wanted. Our scene started by creating Gregor's heart. We all leaned on top of each other with three of us on chairs. We then created a beating sound, an effective soundscape, and moved up and down as if Gregor was breathing in and out. Me and Lloyd kept this going and gradually made it faster and faster whilst the others starting shouting the things the family need Gregor's money to buy. Eventually, we all came out and shot our hands up, fell backwards and then all said 'Gregor' in the funny voice. The three of us then remained on the chairs and said 'Money' 'Cigars' 'Beer' 'Clothes' whilst moving our bodies forward and to the side. The others went 'tick tock' whilst Gregor tried to say hello to everyone. i thought this was effectively staged as it demonstrated how Gregor is an outcast but also how is under pressure from time. Gregor then got so angry and said 'I feel really ill,' we all dropped to the floor and then us on the chairs created the heartbeat again. Everyone else then got up around Gregor and starting to lean over him again. We did this too and all laughed histerically. Once we were all around Gregor, we created the bug shape using legs sticking u at the back and arms for antennae and his arms. We tried to make it symmetrical and, once we were all in position we dropped our heads. Gregor then screamed and we all joined in, lifted our heads, then dropped once more. We also had the audience stand around us so they could look at the scene from which ever view they wanted. I believe our scene used a few effective sound scapes and lots of actions with little words to demonstrate Gregor's feelings. Despite this, I think our scene really displayed the emotions of anger but also helplessness so communicated the right message to the audience although we didn't use the script.
• The other group's scene was also extremely effective. In contrast to ours, we were actually sitting in the scene as they had the chairs in a u shape on which they sat as well as us. They started by creating a train in the middle to show Chief Clerk calling Gregor. They then repeated actions and used lines from the script to speak to Gregor. They also got into the bug at the end using people standing on chairs. The most effective thing about their piece was the use of sounds as they really created the atmosphere of urgency and panic for Gregor. This really kept us on the edge of our seats and, due also to our effective seating, showed a great used of Artodian techniques.

Arto workshop

Today we looked at more Arto exercises by using sounds. This is because Arto believed in influencing the audience's feelings when acting and have them 'on the edge of their seats' and not to just have them sitting there thinking 'this is good acting.' Therefore, Arto believed actions are more powerful than words. This was tested as, when people asked what was the most memorable moment of 'Rent,' they could remember the lines at first but only the movements of when Charlotte died.

• First, we turned the lights off and created sounds for different emotions, going round the circle. These included boredom, anger, despair and loneliness. We could use words as well as sounds which made it very interesting and I think it was effective how not many people chose the same sound.
• We then did a similar activity but creating settings. These included the countryside, a mental asylum, a torture chamber and a street at night. I found it easier to do this as with a whole setting there are endless noises you can make that fit. For instance, for the countryside, you can use cow noises, wind noises, people noises etc.
• After that, we got into two groups to add a visual impact to the sounds. Our group had to create the countryside and the torture chamber so we all started with our backs facing away from the audience and in staggered positions. We all turned round one by one and made noises like 'trator (in farmer accent),' 'baaaaa' and the noise of a tractor which was the main drive of the scene as this noise changed into a chain saw to create the torture chamber. We then all turned round slowly again after turning back in the same order. We then made screaming noises, bone cracking noises and Jess shouted 'HELP.' We then all screamed together to end the scene. To make our scene more visual, I was on all fours as a sheep, Mauve and Jess moved around whilst making their noises and, when it changed to the torture chamber, I was Kneeling and, as Ryan made a clapping noise, I gradually cocked my head more and more to the side. Although we did have quite a few visual aspects in our scene, I believe more movement was needed.
• I found the other group's scene was very unusual but extremely effective. They each sat on a chair in a circle and we, as the audience, stood in the middle. They first created the mental asylum so all sang 'baa baa black sheep' to begin with in very interesting voices with disturbing looks on their faces. They all then started to do crazy things like self inflicting, bashing the floor and screaming. Probably the most effective thing of the whole piece I thought was the transition line 'visiting time's over.' They all then completely transformed into very busy people and acting asking for directions or calling a taxi, for example. This involved a lot more movement which created an effective contrast and was also a lot more busy and noisy. They gradually went back to the chairs and all quickly said their lines one more time to end the scene. They also went through us a lot and asked us so we could really understand their emotions, showing Arto's techniques.
• Finally, we looked at smoking. First, Rachel acted making smoking look realistic to show the general actions. We then had to add the 'Arto' touch to it and show the feelings inside her body. We did this by showing her brain on one side and lungs on the other. As the brain, they all were extremely happy and hyper and jumped around a lot when she inhaled the smoke. On the other hand, as the lungs, we breathed in and out with her and gradually coughed more, were in pain and screamed a little. We also raised one hand, pleading for her to stop. I found this a very effective exercise as it showed just how much actions can be louder than words.

Stanislavski Exercises 3

On Friday, we tested our imaginations to develop ourselves as actors. The exercises and things we discussed were:

• We discussed how when you are younger and at primary school you always use your imagination in the playground. For instance, you might play mummy's and daddy's, might use your coat as a cape or pretend you are pop stars. As you get older, we use our imaginations less and less so may find it harder when it comes to improvisations and acting in general as we are not used to being so creative. Some of the only times we think we may use our imaginations nowadays are when we write stories for English or are on our own and thinking to ourselves.
• The first exercise we did was creating a story as a group. We passed the 'story ball' across the circle and everyone had to come up with a few ideas to add to the story whilst being prompted with questions. I found this way a lot more creative as, when I have previously done this exercise, we only had to come up with one or two words each so it was more a test of grammar rather than creativity. Our story was very random as included a donkey with one human hand, a giant rabbit with a carrot onside him, a seal with breath that the donkey is a allergic to and a princess living inside the rabbit. The idea of this exercise was to let our imaginations run wild and, by using the same creativity when acting, we can make characters believable but also very amusing.
• The other exercise we did was that we all had to go through a museum type place and pass the 'baton' onto each person so that they became the leader. We had to thing of crazy ideas for what we were seeing as a group so this exercise tested being creative in a team. This makes it harder as, although at times you can create your own little ideas, you still have to make them appropriate for the 'exhibition' you are seeing. I found this exercise quite hard as everyone else had come up with such good ideas that I found it hard for mine to live up to it. We were also put on the spot which was quite difficult as I found you didn't have time to think what to do beforehand as you were too busy imagining the 'exhibition' you were 'viewing.'

Lesson

• We discussed our ideas from last lesson about 'East is East' including audience reaction, set, lighting, sound and the acting.
• A significant argument created was to do with the bridge that appears in act two. This was due to if it really had an impact on the audience and is it was really necessary to create a scene outside the house.
• Overall, most people liked the play however some people disliked the fight scenes, the characters of Meena and Sagit and the story in general.

To see how 'A View from the bridge' is set in the format of a Greek Tragedy

There are many features of Greek tragedies that compare to the play 'A View from the Bridge.'
Firstly, a Greek tragedy called 'The Clouds' has many similarities to 'A View from the Bridge.' This is because it is to do with legal skills and how people have to climb the social and financial ladder. Although there are many differences between these two plays, as the story line is a lot more traditional and Greek in 'The Clouds,' they are similar as the theme of family is also presented in this play.
The overall structure of Greek tragedies could also link to 'A View from the Bridge.' The structure of a Greek tragedy is:
Prologue
Parodos
First Episode
First Stasimon
Second Episode
Second Stasimon
Third Episode
Third Stasimon
Fourth Episode
Fourth Stasimon
Exodos
In many ways, the structure of 'A View from the Bridge' could also be shown like this. To begin with, this because the narration by Alfieri they are significant lengths of dialogue that summarise the start and end of the play.Especially at the start of the play, a lot of information is given to the audience. Due to this, it significantly links to the ideas of a prologue and parados of Greek tragedies, making it different from just ordinary narration. Although these are normally sung in Greek tragedies, I still think they can be linked together.
Another example is the idea of episodes throughout the tragedies. In 'A View from the Bridge' lots of scenes are linked together with just a few characters so they are never really all of the characters on stage at once. This is what an episode is in a Greek tragedy, suggesting another similarity. Despite this, I don't think there are really stasimons in 'A View from the Bridge' as these summarise the dialogue in the reflecting scene as there is no clear summary of the scenes. On the other hand, the narration by Alfieri really summarises one or more scenes so this could be interpreted as a stasimon.
Finally, the ending is also very similar to those of Greek tragedies as it is very tragic but also very shocking. The fact that that the narration similar to an exodus at the end of the play is quite thought-provoking also shows how the endings are similar as Greek tragedies focused on conveying a message through sudden sadness however. It also shows how 'A View from the Bridge' could not be classed as a Greek comedy as they had an exodus of celebration and often ended with joyous marriage. Therefore, although 'A View from the Bridge' does end with marriage, it links significantly to a Greek tragedy as it is not necessarily joyous.
In conclusion, there are many features of 'A View from the Bridge' that could be interpreted as having similarities with the style and structure of Greek tragedies including the start, the beginning, scene format and the overall message.

East is East brief

• We looked on the REP website to find out some background information on East is East
• We then were split into two groups and had to devise a scene to show how Tariq was an outcast. We also had to show his thoughts and use a section of the actual script. Ours involve and almost corridor effect with people on either sides. We had the main speaking characters at the back whilst the background characters had their own little conversations at the back. The other group used a more casual setting of in a pub with everyone laughing and drinking. They had Tariq further away from the group and had the other characters making fun of him. Both of the scenes were performed very well and got the point across, despite being contrasting.

Analysing A View From The Bridge

Today we analysed A View From The Bridge in many ways.

• Rehearsal Technique- Ways to help you get more in to character mentally and before hand
  Performance Technique- Ways to better your actual performance so physical things you do on stage
• Before Time- How the character would feel before the scene bearing in mind the events from the last scene and anything they may have done in between the scenes
  After Time- How the character feels after the scene and what they might have done after this scene before the next scene
• We did the before and after time for a character in the play and picked a particular scene. I chose Catherine and when she has just got back from town.
• We also chose a scene from the play and thought of an objective for each line. This can also be referred to as a wish or a want. I found it quite easy to do this however found it harder for shorter sentences. This is a rehearsal technique as it helps you get into character mentally but is not always demonstrated on stages unless by using actions or stage directions.

Stanislavski Exercises 2

The exercises we did today were:

• We had to sit on the floor and listen to the noises we heard around us. At first we tried to only hear the sounds in the room, then out to the corridor, out to the road and then back to the room. This is useful when acting as can help get you concentrated, teaches you to only focus on what you're doing so not to be distracted by the other sounds around you and also could be a way of staying in character so not being distracted.
• We also got into pairs and had to study each other and then had to close our eyes and give a description of the person and answer a question.
• The one person then also had to copy the other whilst just sitting normally and then when walking around. This showed us that when you are doing this compared to the other exercise you are not analysing as much detail as you have to think about what you're doing too and its hard to get things in exactly the same time.
• We were also given numbers and maths signs and had to create an answer to the sum using people whilst hopping and waving. This showed how concentration is hard when doing two things at once.
• We also all sat in a circle and had to imagine something we owned in our hands. We then had to describe it when asked and really look at the object to pretend that it really was sitting in our hands. Like me, most people chose an object from their bedrooms however I found this quite difficult as I kept imagining it in my bedroom rather than in my hands. Despite this, I found it quite easy to imagine other people's objects so this exercises was a good test of our imaginations and our describing skills.
• Finally, we had to close our eyes and think of a really sad moment then Sally and Rachel said how they feel and acted it.They acted it really well as you could see they really felt it and they also made me feel sympathetic. We then thought of happy emotions and i had to act it this time. I felt happy was actually a lot harder than sad as I think some of the sad feelings are still there but unless its recent i don't think the happy ones are. This technique is good to use when acting however can be a little too depressing so you need to snap out of the character quickly after.

Two contrasting conformatism scenes

Today we had to devise and perform two contrasting scenes to show if we can still relate to the message of Metamorphosis today.

• The First scene involved Ellie playing Gregor and started off with us all rising her using our hands and saying 'Gregor' in a slightly patronising and creepy voice. We then kept the voices and handed and put on her different things to force her to go to work and at the end said 'Now you can make...money!' We did this to show how Gregor needed to conform even in his bug state and was forced to work by his family. We then put our hands on 'Gregor' and pushed him to the ground to symbolise the pressure whilst saying 'beer, clothes, money, cigars' in succession. We then said them a further time together whilst on the floor and formed the bug with Gregor. The most effective thing about this scene was our use of levels as as it showed how Gregor had to conform to our standards as we were more powerful than him. The fact that we used puppetry could also show how the weak can be controlled easily and how they conform to society. This suggests how Metamorphosis can relate to the reader today so is still relevant as shows hows we should be wary of the weak.
• The second scene was a very typical school corridor scene. At the end of the first scene, we were all on the floor do moved into the next scene Ellie finding her lip gloss on the floor. We then all stood on chairs in a diagonal line and all together we reached for the lip gloss, put it on from left to right and then rubbed it in. Lloyd then walked across wearing a scarf and we all turned with our hands on our hips to look at him in disgust. We then made various comments about how she was a fashion reject as he was acting as if he was a tomboy but we were all very stereotypical girls. We then showed a complete contrast as when Yvonne had the scarf, we all had how lovely it was and wanted one of our own. We then all looked at Lloyd at the end to show that, even though one of us now had the same scarf, he still wasn't allowed to be part of our group. This shows that fashions change and how trying to conform in one society may be different to another. I think it links to Metamorphosis as it demonstrates how easily people are outcast. In these cases, it was only a scarf that Lloyd was discriminated for and, although it is quite a big thing to be transformed into a bug, he was still part of the family so I understand they outcast him too easily.

First dualogue performance

I have a mixed opinion of my first duologue performance. Firstly, I found I did quite well remembering my lines. Although I may have missed a couple of little line out, I remembered all of the important ones and felt I did not show I'd forgotten a few. I also felt I remained in character and did not really laugh which I felt was an achievement!
I also felt my accent was not too bad but I did not feel I was loud or overpowering enough. This is something I definitely need to work on as I don't normally play those kind of characters. I also felt that I maybe didn't make my character so believable as I played the character very differently to other people. This is because I focused more on being angry rather than fantasising over 'big men' which I think I should have focused on more as I think this would have made it a more effective and believable piece. I also think I needed to attack, emphasise and slow down the words a little more.
Finally, I feel that although I was not too nervous when performing the duologue, I still need to improve my confidence and audience and awareness when acting. Overall, I believe my first duologue performance was a good start but now I know what I have to improve on.

More Stanislavski Exercises

• Today we looked at ways to relieve unnecessary tension when acting.
• Internal Monitor- the way you are tensing and how your muscles are feeling
• External monitor- how you look from the outside
• Eg you could be reaching up to try and get something so that would come from your external monitor but if you are tensing it will come from your internal monitor so will make it more realistic

Exercises:

• We tensed our heads and subtracted 1 from 100, then 2 from that number, 3 from that number etc and found it was a lot more difficult that it normally would be. We concluded this was because we were concentrating on doing two things at once and you do things better when you are in a relaxed frame of mind as your brain functions more easily
• We also had an imaginary fence across the room and had to crawl under it however it was very low and got lower each time. It links to how you should be when acting as because we really wanted to not touch the fence and really pretended it was there, you should have the same motivation when acting even though you are pretending
• We had to lie on the floor and stretch certain parts of our bodies to get rid of the unnecessary tension
• We also had to watch someone stack 4 chairs and put them on a table and shout out which parts of the body they were tensing. They then had to do the exact same thing and we had to decide where the unnecessary tension was eg because we were watching him. He then tried to relieve his tension which should be done when performing to make it more believable to show you are not unnecessarily aware of the audience
• We also had to walk round the room and shout which parts of the body we were tensing when walking normally to relieve it and have a greater awareness of our internal monitor.
• We also had to pretend we were cats and pretend to be defensive and then going to sleep to learn how tension can make a performance more realistic
• We also learnt about our centre of gravity and had to rock back on a chair, stand on a chair and stand on the ground and lean to see how far we could go to show how centre of gravity changes
• We also became rag dolls and had to tense one part of our body and relax the rest to discover more about what tensing one part of the body only can do to the other parts
• Finally, we mimed lifting and moving different objects eg a small table, a table with a glass of water in the middle, a bucket full of water, a cupboard, to use what we had learnt about tension to make our mimes the best mimes we had ever done

Stanislavski exercises

• 'Given Circumstances' - This is what Stanislavski works around to build a character eg the setting, the date, the relationships between people, where people have come from
• Stanislavski's ideas were adapted into 'The System' or 'The Method' that are still used widely by many actors today for example famous film actors like Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman use his techniques
• Real I- us
• Dramatic I- the character
• We did the walking exercise although, when I have done this exercise previously, we have been put in pairs and one person had to copy the other and then we switched, this time we just started by all walking around. We then had to pick someone across the room and when told to do so, walk behind and copy them. For me, this caused a problem as the person I had picked to copy was already copying me!
• We also did an exercise where the whole class had to watch one person in the class's actions and follow them exactly and this included whilst speaking, whilst walking and also whilst normally standing still.
• Another exercise was where we were tricked into looking for a pen so, for the first time round, had real motivation to find the pen. We then had to re-act the scene exactly as it was. It showed that when acting, you know exactly what's going to happen so, to be a very good actor, you need to have the same motivation the character would however not over act it.
• Similarly, someone sat in the middle and pretended to read a book without actually reading the words on the page. I learnt that, to make it as natural as possible, you need to not stay too still as normal people tend to fidget and also to be careful of the expression on your face even though you are reading. How your eyes move is also very important when acting this particular action.
• I also learnt that it is useful to observe people often to build up a personal bank of characteristics for example different walking styles. This helps when getting into a character as it makes it more believable as if for instance you were playing someone who was quite bossy you probably wouldn't walk very slowly or slightly hunched.
• After the lesson, I observed the characteristics of one of my friends. I noticed how how she always sat with one leg over the other and was always moving her one foot. I also noticed she was often twiddling with her hair or fiddling with her nails. I also noticed that when she walked she led from her feet and also moved her arms slowly if they were not in her pockets. She also looked down quite a lot. From this, I learnt that I could adopt these similar characteristics when playing someone who is not overly loud but not overly quiet as that is the personality of my friend.

Rehearsal and perfomance of contrasting family scenes

• We changed the original scenes from just role plays to using thought tracking and series of still images to add a further dynamic to the scenes
• For the 1960s family scene, as the children greeted the father instead of just saying 'Hello father, how are you/ how was work/ how was your day?' we stepped out of the scene after saying 'hello father' and said what we thought of our dad using guidance from the traditional characteristics of a father in those days. These included intellectual, brave, courageous, ambitious, trustworthy, athletic and the leader. We then followed that by saying 'and I'm his favourite' to show we all really respected our father so wanted to please him in every possible way.
• For the modern family scene we added in a series of still images that happened when we added in an argument between the mother and the father as the father has just got home and decides to go to the pub. This added a further dimension to the scene and I believe it worked well as it definitely made it more interesting and visually entertaining. This is because it added more levels on the stage however,as the children weren't arguing verbally, it didn't detract the audiences attention form the main argument that had a significant purpose behind it: to show a possible attitude of the father towards the family in present life.

Metamorphosis recap

Plot summary:

• Normal family (1)
• Gregor feels tired (2)
• Parents force him to work but Greta thinks he shouldn't (3)
• Gregor goes to bed
• Family gets panicky and call Gregor but he doesn't come down (4)
• Gregor wakes up to find he is a dung beetle
• Family can't open door and can't communicate with Gregor but just hear him make loud noises (5)
• Chief Clerk comes as he thinks this is unusual behaviour for Gregor as he is normally a good worker
• Family see Gregor and Chief Clerk leaves (6)
• They try to see what food Gregor likes (7)
• They move Gregor's furniture (8)
• Father reveals he had put Gregor's saved money into investments and that had lied about being ill to avoid going to work
• Greta thinks about getting a job
• Father doesn't think Gregor is his son any more and throws apple which lodges in Gregor's back as the father now has to get a job
• Gregor will no longer eat anything
• Father organises lodgers who have pig like faces to show their greed as are very demanding (9)
• Lodgers hear then see Gregor so decide to leave
• Greta plays violin which Gregor does not like
• Gregor dies as becomes too ill (10)
• Parents now focus on getting Greta a husband and barely grieve for their son

Tasks:

• Performed ten tableaux to show main stages of story (numbers by corresponding events above)
• Devised two contrasting scenes showing family life in 1960s and family life now. Scene 1 involved children playing quiet card game, mother getting them to look nice for when the father comes home, children greeting father in turn, children moving off sofa to allow room for father and then the father reading a paper and the scene ending by the father asking what's for dinner. Scene 2 involved children on phone, games console and lounging on sofa, children arguing over who should open the door when both parents come home, children barely bothering to say hello to parents as too interested in other things, father getting angry and telling them to do their homework however children carry on when he's gone and ends with all children asking what's for dinner and parents shouting takeaway.

Family Life in the 1960s

• Very traditional family lifestyle
• Fathers were normally the breadwinners, mothers looked after the children and house
• Despite this, the 1960's were a time of change with new legislation being passed and more and more women having jobs and wanting to have their own careers, despite earning considerably lower salaries than men
• Was a time when lots of work was available so unemployment gradually decreased
• Th average family lived a decent and healthy lifestyle as very good health was no longer only a thing for the rich and important
• Each family gradually had more space as more and more people developed the need for privacy within the home so each family member wanted their own bedroom
• It was no longer a tradition for Grandparents to live with their family
• The average family now had standard electrical facilities such as an oven, a kettle, a toaster, an iron and a refrigerator
• Around 87% of families also had a standard black and white television and an increasing number of families also had cars
• Most women had part-time jobs but still looked after the house, food, shopping and children
• More young people were also going to university however it will still mainly the boys
• Generally speaking, family life was very similar to today without very modern technology eg mobile phones and computers

First Duologue 'Mr and Mrs Iger'

• All lessons are assessed
• I found that even though I am quite petite you can use your arms and position of legs to show that you are more imposing so looks more dominant. For example, when playing Mrs Iger, I sat with my arms out across the other chair and legs out in front of me to give me a bigger presence so that I was not just dependent on my voice to make me seem a louder and more overpowering character.I felt by adopting this I was more in character as it contrasted the feebleness of Mr Iger as, although he was physically taller than me, his hand positions and hunched back showed that he was inferior and that the character of Mrs Iger 'wears the trousers' in the relationship.
• I also experimented with doing a northern accent and found that some sentences it was quite consistent and others it was hard to keep the accent flowing. This showed me I need to work on the pronunciation of certain letters and sounds when doing accents in order to make them more convincable. I also found it easier to do the accent when slowing down the speed of the lines.
• I also learnt how pauses can be very effective. I already knew that having slight pauses is a good way to grab the audience's attention however found that it can also add emphasis to what you are saying. For example, for Mrs Iger's monologue at the start of the piece, I used pauses to help dignify what I was saying and also felt that the slower speed helped emphasise the presence of the character I was trying to portray. This is because it shows that Mrs Iger does not need to include lots of information to get her point across but can just use short sentences in her loud voice to get her point across.
• We found it difficult to stage the part of the duologue where Mr Iger has to pretend to push through people. We experimented with levels and even going through the audience but in the end found it best to use levels and different lengths and speeds of strides.

Lessons this week

Tuesday:

• Finished reading Metamorphosis
• Discussed how the family react to Gregor's death
• Work on Metamorphosis and A View from the Bridge is 20% of AS mark including written notes, evaluation and practical

Wednesday:

• Discussed themes in Metamorphosis
• Thought about how they we can relate our own lives to them and the different ways they are shown throughout the play
• Some of the main themes my group thought of were dependency, betrayal, self-sacrifice, family relationships, guilt, conformism and oppression of emotions.
• Some main points about each of these themes are:
• dependency- Gregor depends on Greta, family depend on Gregor's money, links to us as shows how you shouldn't become too dependant on things eg it becomes too much responsibility for Greta
• betrayal- family betrays Gregor, father betrays Gregor through money, father fakes illness, links to family bonds as breaks relationship between father and Gregor so shows how can change relationships
• self-sacrifice- Greta sacrifices herself for Gregor and Gregor sacrifices his health for family, links to martyrs and shows how although you are doing good it may not necessarily be good for you so shows how balance is needed
• Family relationships- caring between Gregor and Greta, mother and father want Gregor to keep working, mother and Greta are united in hope for Gregor and how they want to help him
• Guilt- Greta feels guilty that Gregor has to work so much, father feels no guilt in having taken the money off Gregor, emphasises strength of emotion and how it can be shown
• Oppression of emotions- Greta doesn't show how she is tired of caring for Gregor, mother tries not to show anger for father, shows how bottling emotions allows them to 'brew' and get worse
• Conformism- Different from society and Gregor has to work, how Gregor is mistreated when transformed, links to mistreatment due to race, gender and image in society and how people conform to government, trend etc

Thursday:

• Continued reading 'A View from the Bridge'
• Read the part of Beatrice- found slightly deepening my voice and uses American accent makes my voice sound a little older as sounds top high pitched in normal tone when playing adult
• Discussed what you believe could happen after references to Rodolfo's dress making (and also cooking and singing): there saying he's gay and therefore is only going to marry Catherine for American passport so doesn't love her so they are caring for her as don't want to see her let down, subtle hint at subject at first
• Discussed what Eddie's kiss with Catherine and Rodolfo may have meant: either showing Catherine's kiss didn't mean anything, showing he actually loves Catherine and that is the cause of his over protectiveness, or that he himself may have homosexual feelings for Rodolfo
• Discussed the boxing lesson and raising of chair: Eddie telling Rodolfo telling him that he his stronger so telling him to 'watch out.'
• Alfieri- narrator
• Immigrants are illegal

Themes and issues explored in Metamorphosis

In my opinion, the main themes in metamorphosis are:

• Dependence- The whole of the Samsa family completely rely on Gregor to live their everyday lives and this is greatly emphasises when Gregor undergoes metamorphosis so is no longer able to work. It is also emphasised when Mr and Mrs Samsa shout 'no' when Greta suggests Gregor taking the day off after they have listed the things they need to buy with Gregor's money. All the things they need him for include 'beer,' 'food,' 'clothes,' 'cigars' and 'shoes.'
• Isolation- Gregor is completely isolated through his inability to speak to the rest of his family. Gregor becomes very sad about this which just shows how frustration can affect people, a clear underlying message displayed in the play. For instance, he says,'I can't stand just silence- I must speak- I must- I must gather all my strength,' which I believe shows just how much isolation hurts.
• Neglect- I believe Gregor is slightly neglected throughout the play, especially by his father, showing just how much his change in appearance has changed their feelings towards him. Towards the end of the play, I also think he becomes more neglected as the family are busy worrying about how to make money. Gregor says, 'Yes- any old scraps of food without considering what I like- just throw something in for me,' suggesting Gregor feels he needs more care and need to try and help him, despite not understanding him.
• Betrayal and deception- Mr Samsa puts Gregor's money into an investment without telling him or the family, as they think Gregor just didn't have enough money to send Great to the 'conservatorium.' The father emphasise this deception as he lies by saying, 'dreams- he never did send Greta to the conservatorium' and then when Gregor says 'you took for the money that was meant for Greta,' he reveals it was for 'investments,' showing he has lied to his family. This portrays that however close a family is, they may still have hidden secrets.
• Determination and unity- This is portrayed through the characters of Greta and Mrs Samsa as no matter how much the father says their son has 'left us,' they still are determined to help Gregor. I believe this also links into the theme of unity as together they find out what food Gregor like to eat and when he needs food.

Symbolism

The use of specific figures to represent messages and meanings in a metaphorical way.

Naturalism

A representation of natural patterns or natural appearances and show how human choices may have sufficient but natural causes.

Stanislavski

• Full name - Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski
• Russian actor and theatre director
• Born on 5th January 1863 in Moscow and died on 7th August 1938
• Famous for his uses of naturalism and symbolism in theatre
• Grew up as a part of one of the richest families in Russia
• Is also very famous for his developments of 'Stanislavski's System,' a way of approaching acting
• It is still an extremely common thing used today as objectives are always widely used when acting. This is what his system was based on: the idea that the script could be broken down into objectives for each of the characters in each scene and that in would work in a cyclical way. This meant one objective lead to another and each objective may not be achieved due to obstacles but is still shown through the dialogue.
• The system is similar but also different to method acting as you mainly concentrate on the character's wishes rather than their thoughts or feelings however these can overlap to a certain extent
• The system encouraged actors to 'live the part' of a character by forgetting about every part of themselves and only thinking and doing like that character
• The system therefore, was a highly significant point in the development of the approach to acting
• It is said that Stan Islavski went through plays on a different way as instead of looking for explanations through the language and important speeches, he focused on thoughts, feelings and the environment
• Stanislavski also had his own theatre called 'The Moscow Art Theatre'

Arthur Miller

• Arthur Asha Miller was born on 17th October 1915 and died on 10th February 2005
• His most famous works include 'A View From the Bridge,' 'The Crucible,' 'Death Of A Salesman' and 'All My Sons.'
• As well as writing plays, he wrote assorted fiction, screen plays, non-fiction and radio plays
• He was born in New York to Isadore and Augusta Miller and was the second of three children
• His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants
• They were a very wealthy family due to the father's women's clothing store however lost almost everything due to the Wall Street Crash of 1929
• Miller went to the University of Michigan where he first studied journalism but after writing his first play, 'No Villain,' he changed to English which he won the Avery Hopwood Award for
• After university, he married Mary Slattery and had two children, Jane and Robert
• He left Mary in 1956 and married Marilyn Monroe shortly after
• He created the film 'The Misfits' which started his wife but shortly after the premiere they were divorced
• He then married Inge Morath and had two children, Rebecca and Daniel
• Awards for his many plays include the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a tony Award for best author and the New York Drama Critics Circe Award for 'Death Of A Salesman'
• He was also arrested for being in the Communist Party s had to go before the House Un-American Activists Committee and also later when he applied for a routine renewal of his passport so they took the opportunity to subpoena (the presence of a witness to testify) him so he had appear before the committee and was fined and put in prison for a short period
• Miller died due to of heart failure due to a battle with cancer but had a career spanning over seven decades

Opening of film

• Use of stillness at the start adds emphasis and really makes you concentrate on what they are saying as you are not distracted
• They all sit quite close to each other, suggesting their relationship as a family
• As is a very old film, a very basic position is used to show Gregor in his bug state however this contrast modern productions of the play as more technology may often be used
• Play itself is based on naturalism

Opening Of Metamorphosis

• You can tell there is a close relationship between the family, especially between the daughter Greta and the son Gregor as she waits up to leave him a glass of milk
• You can tell the family relies on the money Gregor makes through being a travelling salesman as the father is ill so cannot work and when Gregor complains about back ache and great suggests him taking the day off, the parents are quick to jump in and say 'no' at the same time - this I believe emphasises how much they rely on him
• You can also tell they rely on him due to the long list of things, including food, cigars and beer, they need Gregor's money to buy
• I can senses Greta maybe relies on him the least, only for necessities, as she does not say something she needs to buy with the money when the parents give the long list and instead just says 'Gregor' which I believe shows how much she cares for him

Franz kaftka

• 3 July 1883-3 June 1924
• Live in Prague, Austria-Hungary
• Born into a Jewish family who were middle class and German speaking
• One of the major fiction writers of the 20th century
• Due to many unsucesses with writing, he also had jobs as an insurance clerk and factory manager
• Most of his works remain incomplete and The Metamorphosis is a short novel but is one of the most finished of his works
• He had a struggling relationship with his father who was described as a 'huge, selfish, overbearing businessman.'
• His father worked as a travelling sales representative and his mother was a prosperous brewer
• Franz was the eldest of six children
• Eventually he tried to repair his relationship with his father as shown in the copied letter below:

"Dearest Father,
You asked me recently why I maintain that I am afraid of you. As usual, I was unable to think of any answer to your question, partly for the very reason that I am afraid of you, and partly because an explanation of the grounds for this fear would mean going into far more details than I could even approximately keep in mind while talking. And if I now try to give you an answer in writing, it will still be very incomplete..."[

• Franz's sisters and their families died in concentration camps, also showing, like the letter to his father, he did not have a promising early life
• was fluent in german and czech
• He was twice engaged to felice Bauer but they never did get married
• He suffered with tuberculosis, which he died as a cause of, but also had many other problems to to the many stresses throughout his life including having boils, migraines and insomnia
• He was very close to his sister Ottla who helped him through his illnesses however she died through being gassed on arrival at a concentration camp
• Showed a great interest in jewish culture and spirituality
• He was very close friends with a man name Max Brod who was one of the only escapes form his troubled life besides writing
• Bord and kafka met at university and then remained friends for life and brod was always pushing Kafka to publish his work
• When kafka died, he left max a letter saying that all his works should be burned unread however max was not able to comply with this will so published his works and acclaimed him as 'The greatest poet of our time.'

Steven Berkoff

• English actor, writer and director
• Birth name was Leslie Steven berks
• Born on 3 august 1937 in Stepney, London
• Other plays apart from Metamorphosis include Barrow in Furness, In the Penal Colony and the Trial
• All plays are complex physocoligically and nightmarish
• Plays are often described as violent, show unpleasant emotions and are also quite filthy
• Was described as one of the major minory dramatists in Britain
• Was married to a woman named Shelley lee but got divorced and is now living with Clara Fisher in East London
• Wrote plays and then acted in them due to getting roles form auditions elsewhere
• Has made more than 80 films and television roles
• Has jewish Russian ancestry and his Grandparents from Russia to Britain in the 1890s
• His father was Abraham, a tailor, his mother was Pauline and he has a siter, Beryl
• He was evacuated during world war two to Luton
• At the Edinbrigh Fringe festival, he is the most peformed playwright after Shakespeare
• Berkoff has a daughter with whom he is not in contact with
• He desribes his personality as a child as 'a shy, withdrawn daydreamer who took pleasure in my isolation.'
• Produced metaphorphosis in London in 1968