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.