Performance Tomorrow!

So the performance is tomorrow, and we had our last rehearsal yesterday in class. I really like how our play has developed, but I'm not totally confident with it, as we have not had a chance to rehearse it the whole way through with no disruptions. But we all agreed that we need another rehearsal, so we plan on doing our final rehearsal tomorrow morning.
I am a bit worried because we still don't have appropriate music for the finale, where there needs to be a loud crescendo, because any songs we find are quite happy sounding and end up ruining the emotion of the moment. I am also not very happy with how the self conscious scene has turned out, because it's just a bit awkward, but we have done all we can to make it flow and hopefully it will work out in the end.
Yesterday all lighting was finalized, and I thought the introduction should be colourful (amber, red, blue) to show the circus-type theme, and change to really simple with just the big amber lights for the parts just about Annabel. Then each fear has a different color: lonely - light blue, self conscious - pink, peer pressure - light green. I thought for a very dramatic effect at the end, all of the lights should be red because this setting really emphasizes the emotion of the moment. The only issue is the blackouts, because in the drama cabins the audience will still be able to see the actors. So in this sense, the lighting won't have as strong an effect.

It's just a shame that most people in the class have already seen out performance from rehearsals, because they won't find it as surprising/interesting in the final performance!
However, overall I am really pleased with how the group worked together, and with the ideas everyone has put forth. After the final rehearsal tomorrow I think everyone will be even more confident with it.

Script

This is a rough/simple script that Dodie has put together whilst we have been acting and bringing the play together.

Audience outside with the fears

KATE: Take a sit… chop chop we haven’t got all day… HURRY UP (grin and giggle)

Audience sits down in semi circle where the tape is placed

Annabel on stool, centre stage with black sheet over head

Nina sits too far out of the semi-circle

KATE: AH! Don’t sit there

Nina moves further in

KATE: Welcome, welcome, today we will be meeting a girl, now this victim, volunteer hahahaha lets get started

Annabel has her head down

Kate claps and Annabel moves her head up

KATE: Yell all you like, no one can here you (smile). Why so tense… I know exactly what you need!

Kate gets the fear blindfold and ties it around Annabel (smiles, laughs)

KATE: hahaha well lets take a looksies inside your pretty little mind… hahahaha

BLACK OUT

Dodie and Laura walk on stage behind Annabel

Music

Lights on

Dodie and Laura do peer pressure choreography. Kate comes in

DODIE AND LAURA: just do it, take it. That’s better! Take it

KATE: you have succumbed to the pressure now…

Annabel starts crying

Change music

Issie and Kate behind the black board in a creepy style

Dodie and Laura form group and stage talking, excluding Annabel

Issie comes out and walks around

ISSIE: nobody likes you, they cant hear you, you’re a nobody to them

Peer pressure echoes Issie

Annabel gets off chair and tries to find someone

Issie pushes Annabel to the ground

ISSIE: you’re a lonely soul; you’re never going to be good enough

Issie uses hand motions to get Annabel on ground

Change of music

Thea and Nina go on stage and pick Annabel off

Dodie, Laura and Kate behind backboard à frozen in place,

 

Kate rips black sheet off mirror and throws out tape measures

Thea and Nina grab Annabel off the floor and start measuring/strangling her with the tape. Annabel struggling. They force a shirt on her. Annabel looks in mirror and grabs belly. Thea and Nina looks at audience and grabs belly

Stop Music

Everyone speaks in character at Annabel – Laura, Dodie, Issie, Nina, Thea

KATE: game over

Everyone corrupts Annabel – face has changed to evil

KATE: who’s next

Pulling the Performance Together

The last few lessons we have totally been focussed on bringing the actual performance together. Getting up and moving around to make it as good as possible.
So far, we have looked at some music which we think suits the emotions of the different scenes. Thea was looking through a few CD's and we managad to find a creepy circus song for the Introduction, and a really sad song for the Lonely Fear scene, as well as a fairly 'suspenseful' song with a beat for the Peer Pressure scene.  This music really adds a strong effect to the performance, and helps set the mood and tone of the different scenes.
Next lesson we hope to focus on lighting in the Drama Cabins which will work in the same way to differentiate the emotions of the scenes, as well as affect the overall mood. But, although we have a lot of ideas relating to lighting effects including blackouts etc. we need to make sure we keep it simple for this performance and can then describe the more complicated things we wanted to do afterwards.
The opening scene looks like it will be a great introduction, and really sets the mood - Kate will come in character as the host and guide the audience in to sit around the semi circle. I suggested that she really creeps out the audience by getting really up close to them, and frighten them by screaming in their faces (e.g. as an audience goes to sit down, yell at them to not sit there, then calm down again and tell them to sit - nicely). This will give them an idea of what kind of 'psycho' character she is. Its important that Kate works out a small script line here that introduces the 'gameshow' as well as setting the mood before we actually get started into Annabels fears. After Annabel is revealed, she wont be able to move, but can move her mouth without making sound and will be looking at the audience mouthing to them to help. Kate will be playing with annabels hair and massaging her, saying that she needs to relax and just overall being really creepy.
Then there will be a blackout and when the lights come back on, Dodie and Laura will have come up from the audience to be standing either side of Annabel. Then their choreography will begin where Annabel mimics everything they do, to show how they influence her and have total control over everything she does and they find it funny. Then they sit her back on the chair and she resists as they put different things (e.g. drugs, bottles) in her face trying to make her take them and she is saying no no, but the Fears are whispering "Take it" and "You'll feel better". Then they smother her into the wall and she sinks down crying and the Peer Pressure Fears walk over to the corner to talk.
Kate then says to her "You look a little lonely," and then Issy will come out from behind the blackboard all sad and as Annabel tries to speak to the Peer Pressures (who ignore her) and to the audience, Issy will tell her that they cant hear her, dont care etc. every second line issy says, she will say "You're just a nobody," and Laura and Dodie will echo nobody every time.
Then eventually Annabel gives up and sinks to the floor. Next the self consciousness fears will come from the audience (Thea and I) and we wrap measuring tapes around Annabel, strangling her, disgusted at the numbers we are finding basically. Then I thought Kate could reveal the mirror at the back, and the self conscious fears would force annabel to look into it and try to shove a shirt that is too small over her, and Annabel will be resisting. I really think that something more should happen in this scene before we go on to the finale.
Next lesson, we will finalise the ending, as well as the choreography, lighting and music. I'm just worried that the whole performance is not flowing very well, but its hard to make any additions because then we lose the 'dreaminess' of our play.

Costumes

Narrator/Devil - Kate

• Interesting makeup (dark eyes, clown feeling)
• Top hat
• Teased hair
• Rich clothes (coat, jewels, nice shirt, trousers)
• Very clean, rich character
• Stick that shows power to use as prop
• Note: this character is the play maker/ game host --> leader of all fears and spirits

Girl/Victim/Dreamer - Annabel

• Pure character
• Wear all white - white shirt and white tights
• Pinky rose cheeks
• Two soft pigtails
• Very cute and innocent but not looking too young - still teenager

Costume aspects/ Props she gets during play:

• Has a shirt with lines and outline of the right body shape (Self consciousness scene)
• Blind fold (for first scene)
• Mask (for end scene)
• Note: turns over to the dark by end of play (turns evil) possibly shown by wearing black?

Fear Representations:

Self consciousness - Thea and I

Peer pressure - Laura and Dodie

Loneliness - Issy

• All black --> black shirt and black tights
• Face painted white
• Each fear with different paint symbol on face - loneliness = tear, peer pressure = painted smile, self conscious = still not sure will decide later)

Creating a Storyline

Yesterday in our lesson, we all tried to focus on bringing all of our ideas together into a string of linear events so that we know exactly what will be happening. This way, next lesson we can begin to act out and write up a script for the performance. So far we have already decided on characters, as well as the specific events that will occur throughout the play.

It has been divided into 4 separate scenes or sections.
First there will be a sort of introduction:

·         Kate (playmaker/narrator) directs audience in whilst in character, and has them sit in a semi circle around our stage. Dodie, Issy, Thea, Laura and I come in as part of the audience.

·         Annabel will already be sitting in the middle of the circle sitting on a stool with her eyes closed

·         Once everyone is settled, Kate says an introduction much like a game show, but does so in a creepy/haunting way instead of being welcoming

·         Kate then puts the blindfold on Annabel which acts as the entrance into the dreamworld

The next scene will introduce the first of the spirits inside the girls head – self consciousness. The events which will happen (but not in order) include:

·         The spirits (Thea and I) coming out from the audience which represents how these emotions are inner demons which come from ones surroundings

·         Spirits wrap a tape measure around girl

·         Annabel will be wearing all white clothes, and the self consciousness spirits will force a shirt on over the top with dotted lines on, drawing out the ‘desired’ body shape which is fairly skinny (maybe on the unhealthy side).

·         I had the idea that this could somehow occur behind a white screen with backlighting, so that the audience can see what is happening in the silhouettes, but not know precisely what that is..

·         Hold a mirror infront of Annabel and have whispering voices like those in her head saying mean things – what she feels about herself.

·         Kate will come behind her and egg on what is happening 

We still do not know how we will be entering into each of the different scenes, I’ll make sure that we discuss it next lesson. But the next scene introduces the peer pressure spirits.

·         Spirits come from audience

·         Choreographed dance involving copy cat – she does whatever the spirits do to emphasise the idea of peer pressure and how she is submitting to what they want her to do

·         Very sharp moves

·         Making her say, act and do things this ‘innocent on the outside’ girl wouldn’t on her own

Enter into scene 4 which introduces the spirit of loneliness – therefore why it comes last as we all agreed.

·         Emphasise her isolation and abandonment

·         Whilst not scary/haunting like a nightmare, this scene plays on fears of being forgotten and alone

Next lesson we will spend a bit of time outlining the last scene which is the closing, and I think it should involve all characters dancing around the girl in a choreographed dance, getting closer until she collapses from everything. Then the last moment take off the blindfold. But from now on we will focus on actually getting the performance started.

 

Characters

We found it a bit difficult to find roles for all 7 of us in the group, but we tried our best to give people the roles that they wanted/best suited:

• 'Gamemaker' - Kate
• Victim Girl - Annabel
• Self-Conscious Spirit - Nina
• Self-Conscious Spirit - Thea
• Lonely Spirit - Issy
• Peer Pressure Spirit - Dodie 
• Peer Pressure Spirit - Laura

Acrobatics

Yesterday, two people came in to teach us some tricks which we could apply to our drama performance. We learnt some new abilities using our bodies to construct something such as a structure or shape. We also did some work with hoola hoops and learnt new skills which we could then put into our final performance. After doing this session, I don’t really think that we will need to apply any of these new abilities to our performance because they don’t really relate to the message we want to portray. But we will still definitely use some choreography in our performance which is of the same them involving using our bodies to convey meaning, even if we do not physically ‘construct’ these things.