Tech rehearsal

In the tech run I am learning to stay concentrated and focused sending all my energy to the show. 

It's exiting seeing everyone in costume and seeing the set in actual size. It creates an automatic atmosphere for me personally. When you are faced with the size of the space you realise the scale of the performance. I have learnt how to use my voice correctly, projecting, in a larger space. 

As soon as you loose the lines the energy drops and it's hard to get it up again. Be on top of the lines.

I've learnt that it is so important to know the entrences and exits, being in the right place at the right time to make sure your keeping the pace of the piece going. 

Placing on stage is extremely important to the definition of the scene. For example the opening scene the blocks have to be placed in the centre of the stage as it visually is the focal point. 

Three tips

•learn lines inside and out and say with energy and meaning 

•know your entrences and exits, be in the right place at the right time 

•wrote down notes for blocking, movement of blocks and queue  lines 

Look over responsibilitys, queue lines, movement entrences . Play the energy throughout the transitions. Play the given circumstances, never drop the world you are in and the fight. Don't talk or relax backstage spend time quietly focusing. Invest in the preset. Live in the world.

Work the words, speak them like you have never heard them before.

Personal Notes

Second Zig zag make noise

Make you the sword of us needs to be more powerful

When swapping arm bands, wear nothing then change into red only and wear that for the rest of the time.

Take off balaclava after holding knife up to Coriolanus.

Scenes we need to look over:

Shefron change 

Act 3 scene 6

At 3 scene 8 

Dans fight

Kunfoo jig 

Riot scene 

Notes

From this week in particular and throughout this process so far I have become more fluid on stage and have learnt to constantly move in the scene and give an energy out to everyone in the scene. 

Having this freedom on stage is really helping me just live on stage rather than think to much about what I'm doing, it has made me feel comfortable and safe to just feel rather than think. 

Tell the story from the very begining. Understand the world and bring that on stage from the outset.  In the pre set we need to be slower, just to allow more room. 

The fights need to be slicker, stick to your routine that has been ceorographed.

Do things as a group shouting, interacting and feel the energy. Don't be afraid to make decisions that others aren't. 

Blocking sheet

This blocking sheet has real helped me know from scene to scene where i come on, where i go off, what i do and the transitions I'm involved in. Having this in rehearsals will make working so much easier.

Who is Tomora?

Here i have done a spider diagram based on what i know about Tomora and what i imagine her background story to be like etc.

This has helped me understand her as a character more and revealed things that i never knew, for example the fact that she never wants children because she only wants to look after herself.

Relationships with others

Staying in tune with what each character is saying on stage is another key factor which i am learning to do more on stage. I need to have an opinion on what the others say and know the relationships i have with them for example - do i hate them, love them, hold something against them, detest them etc. 

I have learnt that Tomora is angry a lot of the time. Ultimately she wants to over through coriolanus and set Rome free, so everyone who gets in the way of doing that she will kill or ruin. Tomora is very hard hitting and level headed. Having this in mind i have discovered that she has a negative option on many of the other characters. Especially Meninaus as she doesn't approve of his support for Meninaus. 

Blocking

Blocking is a skill that i am developing more throughout this process. I have realised even more so within this play that writing down every exit and movement you make on your script is so important as i often need to refer back to the script for entrances and exits. In addition i have learnt that writing down  blocking such as transitions, even if you aren't actually moving the staging in that particular scene on stage and allows you to know the stages of the play. Each stage of the play as an effect on your character and what they bring on in their scene. Knowing what has just happening in the scene before you will effect the way your character behaves in the next so writing notes helps you remember all these things.

Here is an example of my note making for the transition into act 2 scene 3.

Tension is Key

From this weeks rehearsal the main thing that stuck out to me was tension. The world we are living in is so different to the world we live in now, their is no order and control. No law. No definite power. Living in this world as a human you would be on edge a lot of the time, fearful of the future and what clan you will be fighting next. Therefor we have to remember to keep that tension in our minds and our physicality throughout the play. We need to do this because i personally feel that the audience can't see us relaxing or feeling comoftble in a world which is so uncomfortable and ever changing and if they do it breaks that reailty of what we are going through.

I've written some keys ways that us actors can show tension physically on stage:

• Keeping our bodies tight and enclosed. Having a rigidness to our movements when we walk and talk creates a tension within our bodies.
• Clutching hands, feet and mouths.
• Watching people and the space with intense eyes makes the characters on stage and audience more aware that their is an edgy atmosphere.
• Never sitting in one spot on stage being active and moving creates a sense of uncertainty.
• Having a sense of urgency with everything that we say.

In addition this atmosphere shouldn't stop throughout transitions, the tension should remain maybe even more so in the transitions because things are changing and the audience don't know what's going to happen next within the play.

Self evaluation

I believe I rehearse well within the group. I listen to the directors instructions and try to stay as focused as I can. I also think I do a good job of staying in tune with what's going on In the scenes I am not in scenes like the transitions etc. I look to help others and offer them something. 

However I believe I could do better and being more pro active when not in the scenes so writing on my blog, taking photos, learning lines and writing my blocking down. In addition i believe i should try and visualise the world more, even if i have to take 2 minutes before entering the stage to visual what the space feels like, looks like, sounds and smells like will help me bring a truth and fire to my performance.

Rehearsal Notes

When you feel awkward on stage it tells you that you need to do something more to know your objectives. To be comfortable is to be knowledgable. To know what your character feels in that moment and have enough awareness about your relationships with the others on stage allows you to make bolder decisions that are backed up. 

You should be able to physicalize you objective on stage. If you can't then find a new objective which equals the same but can be acted out with your whole body. Their is no point having an objective which can't be easily viewed by an audience, us as actors need to express what is in our characters heads on stage, the audience cant read our mind.

Bring the text to the front of your mouth otherwise the audience won't hear you. Using your whole mouth, tongue and teeth to say your lines. Shakespeare is already extremely hard for us to get our mouths around and also hard for audiences to understand if we don't pronounce each word correctly and with meaning.

Keeping the tention throughout even through the transitions is key. Making each movement not slopping but clean cut and giving yourself an objective even when moving the blocks, keeps the flow I piece going.