Evaluation of The New Theatre

Today we went into the New Theatre, the space in which we will be performing in and did some exercises to help us understand the skills we will need to work in this area. 

We stared with a physical warm-up. Moving your head and your body in two separate ways isn't what your brain is used to. You naturally move one way then turn and move the other. I found it difficult moving around facing two ways because as soon as I moved to create a position that worked I had to move and my body naturally went back to neutral. I think that practice and full attention and awareness of the space is needed. In relation to child's theatre, especially in this piece we will be performing, working your body to perform to three sides is key as all children need to feel involved and therefore engaged. 

We also did vocal exercises. We moved around the space at different speeds until we found our own space. On an exhale we bent over and let our head and arms hang down. Then on an inhale we rose up again- like a balloon. After on another exhale we moved quickly around the room like a deflating balloon. It was very animated yet controlled which is a key balance we will have to make when performing to children. They need to know what is going on on stage, but they need to want to know. We then did an exercise when we repeated simple patterns/rhymes in different voices and we directed them to different sides of the room, so like in the movement we learnt how to address all sides of the audience. I think this exercise like the movement taught me to direct two things two different ways. I learnt I don't necessarily need to move my feet to move the direction of my voice. As the New Theatre is quite large again a balance is needed of control and projection.

I think these exercises taught me how to handle a specific space and how to adapt that space for children's theatre. We also learnt different levels of consciousness which I think is a really interesting concept especially when doing exercises like these that I find more difficult: 

Level 4- consciously conscious 

Level 3- consciously unconscious
Level 2- unconsciously conscious
Level 1- unconsciously unconsciously

I think I need to achieve level 2 and 1- to be comfortable in myself as a performer to be fully committed to a character and to free myself from any personal qualities that will hold me back.

Lesson 2 Questions

What tasks did you do in the lesson today towards creating TTWCTT?
Today we completed three main tasks. We learnt a song version of the William Blake poem The Tiger, we built an explorer character and we experimented with different ways to gain and maintain height. 

We learnt a song sung by Patti Smith, a version of William Blake's poem 'The Tiger.' As we take inspiration from her performance, she took inspiration from Blake and he was inspired by the death of his brother. As our performance is about TTWCTT and our particular section being facts about tigers, the song seemed appropriate to use. As children like seeing and hearing things we may be able to put some physical movement with the poem because the lyrics describe the tiger's features. For example 'burning bright' and 'fearful symmetry,' suggest that a tiger has very bright, vivid stripes that we could use as a basis of our visual piece.

However I don't think the song is appropriate for children's theatre. Patti Smith has a very unusual tone of voice that is low and the way she interpreted the song made it sound like a dirge or lamenting. I think children will not find this style of song interesting and they will stop listening to the song altogether. I found it quite a hard tune to pick up and therefore I am certain that children will find it even harder to connect with. Therefore I think we need to make changes to the version of the song sung by Patti Smith. Though she has given us a basis of inspiration of what the poem's potential is, for the purpose of children's theatre, different styles and techniques would make it more effective for our particular audience. I think repetition is key. As the first stanza is the most descriptive I think if we were to repeat one stanza that would be the best one to use. As Patti Smith kept the same tone and pace, creating an almost depressing sound, we need to therefore create a more upbeat sound. We could change the tone and pace of the song likewise to how we change our energy and tension levels. The words are written in old English, a form that children will not recognise and not understand. It will hold no meaning for them and they won't feel obliged to listen. However if we translated the words into modern English it would make it easier for the children to understand and indeed, easier for us to learn. I think though during the lesson the learning of the song may not have seemed beneficial towards creating TTWCTT, in hindsight it has given us an idea that we can now develop further.

After, we moved on to character creation. Our characters are going to be Victorian explorers. I think this is appropriate because the scene in which these characters would be based will be colourful and engaging for the children. In smaller groups we came up with ideas for what we as explorers could do. For example I am sketching the birds above in the canopy. We were originally all creeping around but after a while this got boring and uninteresting to look at. Therefore we decided to apply the skills we learnt last week and use the 7 Levels of Tension and different energy levels. This made it more engaging and varied. We then came up with a line to say whilst walking around the rainforest. we stood in a line so we could learn the order in which to say our lines. We then added this into our performance. I think this exercise was the most successful from this lesson as we were able to devise and share ideas quickly and immediately put them into action. Even if we found complications we efficiently found a way around the problem and carried on with the piece. 

We also experimented with height today. We were all in three lines; high, medium and low and whilst doing our action as an explorer we moved from these different lines. Too make one explorer stand out when he was saying a line we decided to try and put Fenton on Charlie's shoulders. This wasn't very successful. Charlie found it hard to support him and I don't think either him or Fenton were concentrated enough in this position to give a convincing performance. Afterwards we decided to try and make a human pyramid. However like the shoulder lift, once we got to the third level it became unstable and no one was able to concentrate on the characterisation whilst worrying about the construction of the pyramid. I think it didn't work because to do a large scale lift like this we need time and research; two things that we will need to do in our own time. 

How do you think it contributes/will contribute to making TTWCTT?
I think all exercises will contribute to the final performance of TTWCTT. Even though some didn't seem as successful as others during the lesson, in week two, we can use them as idea and then in future weeks refine them after practise and additional research. I think the song is another artistic element, and as artists we should try and experiment with other arts as much as possible. Though a little rough around the edges with work and refinement we can make it a significant piece in the play. The character building, as the most successful experiment today, needs to just be built in future weeks to ensure we are making characters the children and enjoy and appreciate. The pyramid is a matter of time and effort. With both of these all the experiments this week can work.

Lesson 1- Slimey Frog and The 7 Levels of Tension

Today we did two activities that explored and developed skills we could take forward when planning our pieces.

Slimey Frog- in this exercise you were given the sentence I am a slimey frog. However you weren't concentrating on the words, but instead looking at the noise and movement your mouth made when you said this sentence. It sounded strange; something which in this exercise meant you were doing it right. We also incorporated movement. However it wasn't a separate part and it certainly wasn't choreographed. By experimenting with your voice and the sounds it made your body flow as one to almost make a sound wave- noise and movement going up and down. When we said the sentence we moved forward. We repeated the sentence five times elaborating our voice and the sounds me made and making the movements more extravagant accordingly. We tried to experiment with different levels of both voice and movement. I think this exercise was extremely useful because in children's theatre pronunciation is a key element as the children need to to hear what you say clearly. Also the way we used different levels of sound brightened up our voices, meaning they weren't dull and serious, instead colourful and fun; a tone that would connect with our audience. As we had to let go of self consciousness and let our bodies be one with our voice it helped us understand the freedom needed on stage in a piece of children's theatre, as the combination of interesting body and voice levels, means more of a chance that the audience will stay engaged. 

The 7 Levels of Tension- these levels were created by Jacques Lecoq. The seven different levels were:

Jellyfish- letting your body completely flop. You have no control and let your head lead. 

Californian- he have slightly more control over your body- drifting more than falling.

Neutral- you have no story or direction. 

Teacher- walking briskly in straight lines, as if a teacher checking for problems in a classroom.

Is there a bomb?- walk around the room agitated and worried trying to look in every space to find this bomb.

There is a bomb!- walk frantically around the room avoiding people and working yourself up as you know that you will die any moment unless you find a way to disable this bomb. 

The bomb is going off!- you are to scared to move so you convert all your energy into standing in one place restlessly and uneasily.

I think learning and experimenting with the seven levels of tension was another good exercise. When performing to children, if you are all the same character with the same level of energy they will soon get bored. However if you all have different levels of energy/tension they will find the piece more engaging. However if you are doing level 1 or 2 you still need to do it with the same commitment as level 6 or 7. It was  a very successful exercise that also improved our transitions into different stages of tension which will help with the every changing aspects of children's theatre. 

What skills do you need for slimey frog and the 7 levels of tension?

• Don't be scared of looking bad
• Experiment and live in the moment
• Commit to discovery
• Don't think, feel
• Connect your voice and body- it's not words, it's sounds
• Have awareness of yourself and your surroundings- but non-critical
• 100% energy
• Don't over do it
• Be a complete artist- some call it singing, we call it noise. Some call it dancing, we call it movement, whether it's beautiful or not.
• Control your body and voice using the whole space.

Week 3

Today we continued building, exploring and developing our piece for our performance of the tiger who came to tea. We built on ideas we had created last week after additional research and created new ideas to fit in and follow on from them.

Are the ideas effective? Are they theatrical and if not can they be made theatrical? Will they appeal to 'little people'? Why/why not?

We started to put together our idea of creating a human pyramid. Holly had done some additional research which was greatly needed as last week, the pyramid we had created hadn't worked. Though the initial idea was great- something very visual for the children to look at, when put into action it was clear that the pyramid was unstable and not polished enough, yet, to be able to be performed. Therefore we needed research to experiment with other people's ideas and adapt them for our piece and the space we will be performing in. Holly's idea was, instead of having everyone on each others backs, to have people at different levels, different spaces and different positions so we could support each other and keep our legs, arms and core strong. I think Holly's version of the human pyramid was very effective. We are now able to smoothly and safely build and exit the pyramid. In the pyramid formation we started to add speech. This is every effective as the speech is spoken at different levels; ranging from the top of the pyramid to people on the sides on the floor. Therfore the audience will be looking all over the stage, grabbing their attention and also meaning all sides get to see different angles of performance keeping the performance more interesting the pace quick. I think the only thing that needs to be worked on is the tone of voice in which the lines are said- if you're meant to be nerdy fully commit to that character trate as bold, strong characters are going to stay in the children's minds more. Overall I think the pyramid is very effective. Through trial and error we have been able to perfect our technique to make a physical statue that will be interesting for the audience to look at and for us as the actors to work with. I think we have been inspired by our previous physical work, giving us confidence to be able to build the pyramid. I think it will appeal to children a lot as long as we fully commit to our characterisation and live in the moment.

One of the most important parts of Theatre is your transitions. Therefore as the pyramid should be a peak in energy we need to keep that same energy going after we exit the pyramid formation. We have created a transition that I believe will do so. In this part we are following the objective to search. We go around saying "Here Kitty Kitty." and making kissing sounds as we go. With torches we are looking for a tiger. We will have a pair of torch tiger eyes which will be turned on at certain points for the explorers to look at and subsequently be scared by. I think this is effective because it will maintain the energy from the previous scene and by the explores becoming more and more scared we will be building the tension. The complete darkness lit by the torches both on our faces, around the space and the tigers eyes will create drama and a scary, almost dangerous atmosphere for the children, keeping them entertained and wanting more. It is very theatrical as we are saying the lines in unison and also the lighting is very dramatic. Through our voice and lighting we can set the scene for the children and we will have the power of controlling the energy in the room; we just can't let that energy dip. I think it will appeal to little children as it is dramatic and different from previous scenes. This change in scenery will help them stay focused.

Finally today we looked at a different art; dance. We are trying, through dance, to create a tiger like Chinese dragon to accompany our Tiger Tiger song. I think this is a very good idea because at the moment the song is sad and durge like. Though we plan to make the song more upbeat it would be even better to have a visual piece so the song has meaning and so the children won't lose focus. We will move like a snake in a line around the stage holding butterfly nets that will form our Chinese tiger. I think it is effective as we can experiment with levels and positioning. I think the children would appreciate if we moved the tiger into the audience to make them feel involved. It is very theatrical as Chinese Dragons are used in pieces to create large animals and mobilising them, bringing them to life for the children. The children will love the tiger as it makes it more believable and real. Also the mixture of song and dance will appeal to many senses.

Children's Theatre Questions

What is Children's Theatre?
Children's Theatre is a rather self explanatory title- it's theatre for children. However just because something is being performed for children doesn't mean the performance has to be childish, a fact I believe is a common misconception. It goes without saying that many of the plays that are performed for adults aren't suitable for children, sometimes because of the themes or the way those themes are put across. However I believe that if you put forward your message in a way that children understand and enjoy they will remember the story and the morals that they have been taught by the piece. If a piece of children's theatre cam engage an audience of all ages, this shows you have created a universal piece that can be interpreted differently but unanimously enjoyed.

What Skills Does an Excellent Children's Theatre Performer Need to Possess?

When performing a piece of children's theatre, as the audience is different you must adapt your skills accordingly to make a performance successful. I believe that a general rule for children's theatre performers is that to engage a child you must find your inner child. Children are carefree- they don't worry about being judged by others and if they have a crazy idea they will try and get it on it's feet. Values like these will help a children's theatre performer engage and entertain their audience. The children aren't there to judge, they're there to have fun. Ultimately they want to be entertained. You need to be able to keep the audience engaged; whether this is by using hand gestures and exaggerated facial expressions or having the skill to command all sides of the stage, especially as we will be performing in a theatre with the audience on three sides. If you are attentive to the needs of your audience, in return they'll give you their attention.

How Would You Adapt an Issue for Delivery to a Specific Audience? 

A lot of famous children's theatre has a hidden moral that through the telling of the story, the children understand and take away. However these same morals, themes or issues may be delivered in a adult theatre performance. It is important that children are aware of key issues in the world they live in and theatre is a great way to do this. However as they are younger they may need other elements included in the performance to help them understand what is trying to be conveyed. As a story is more memorable than a lecture, theatre is able to connect with the children watching. You need to mix both a story and a issue/theme that is considered throughout the story. Also the characters and wording in the play needs to be appropriate so the audience can understand and appreciate it.

Beautiful Thing

I have watched the play 'Beautiful Thing' and indeed it is hard to praise it highly enough. I will be evaluating the aspects of the play that enhanced the performance specifically, in different ways.

The setting was naturalistic; the audience and actors believed in the set they were using making a more believable and meaningful performance. The set was an urban row of houses with the three main, yet different families in each. There were three doors that the actors used to enter and exit. This brought a realistic aspect to the play; as if they were actually coming and going from the houses, both grabbing the audiences attention and keeping them engaged. Their were two chairs that were used for the scenes outside and inside the house. The chairs and also the block were effective because they could be used in all scenes  whilst still being a purposeful. For example the block was used as a normal concrete step for the actors to sit on outside the house. However it was also used as Jamie's bedside table. Hanging from the door of Jamie's house were baskets of flowers. This brought both colour to the setting and the storyline. As Sandra tended to her flowers so they would grow and bloom, Jamie and Ste were nurturing and growing their love; a bit of happiness in a harsh world, colour in a bleak place. The scene was changed and used very simply, not overcomplicating the scenes, transitions and also not detracting from the audience's attention. The setting brought different atmospheres to different scenes. For example when everyone was outside together there was a communal feeling and made the setting a very intimate place. However when Jamie and Ste were alone in Jamie's bedroom, the presence of other characters created a cautious atmosphere. This shows that the setting could reflect two moods.

I think the costume mainly highlighted the different ages and personalities of the characters. All clothing was modern but ranged in styles. Jamie was in a uniform and Ste was in sports clothing. This shows that Jamie didn't do sports whilst Ste did adding to the characters. How different their worlds were at school, yet how none of it mattered. You could also use their clothing to stereotypically label them as either 'sporty' or 'academic.' As Leah was wearing her own clothes you knew she wasn't at school,giving her an insight to her character slightly more. Also her clothing was very colourful so like the flowers added a splash of colour. It showed that as a person she was bold and not afraid to stand out from the crowd. It accompanied the set in the sense that when three differently dressed people went through three different doors it showed how different they were, yet friends all the same. Plus when in the same set also highlighted the collision of two opposite worlds.

The lighting throughout the play was natural. The colour and intensity of the lighting changed according the scene. for example when they were meant to be outside during the day the lighting was brighter and there wasn't a spotlight on any particular space. However when Jamie and Ste were in the bedroom together as it was night the lighting was dimmer, darker and created a more intimate atmosphere.The lighting wasn't dramatic and therefore the audience still kept that constant feeling of a realistic story unfolding in front of them. The only smoke used in the performance was the smoke from cigarettes when the characters were smoking. I think that this added to the performance as it expanded the characters. Also in an urban area smoking isn't an uncommon thing. Details like this in the performance enhanced it visually and stylistically.

In the play music was used throughout, mainly to accompany transitions. The music was always meaningful to the events that had just occurred or the events that were going to happen. For example when Tony and Jamie had just had a conversation about bullying the transition song had lyrics referring to 'the in-crowd,' a term used to refer to the popular people in a school; the 'top dogs,' someone who Jamie was clearly not. The song that was both ironic and meaningful. The lyrics stated that they 'go where the in-crowd go.' This is interesting as both Jamie and Ste ignore what their peers say and express themselves even though they may be discriminated within the society they live in- so technically not following the 'in-crowd.' I think the music within the play was thoughtful and wasn't played as background noise. If listened to by the audience a deeper meaning to the lyrics could be found. 

Slang was used when Jamie listed all the derogatory names people called him just because he was gay. Slang/abbreviations were used throughout the play to highlight the area of London they lived in. However the slang he used in this scene was chosen to make an emotional statement. It shows that even though he may try to ignore it and shut it out, he was aware of the taunting his peers directed at him. His voice when he said it was angry with the people around him at the time. He had finally been able to let it all out yet he still felt that people were judging him. I think the honesty and raw emotion of this scene was overwhelming. The actors, especially Jake Davies (Jamie) delivered a performance that showed his character as strong yet vulnerable.

The section of dialogue that stood out for me was conversation between Jamie and his mother when he finally admitted to her about his relationship with Ste. I think Surrane Jones performed in this scene particularly well because in previous scenes she hadn't show a particularly emotional side to her character. She seemed to have a guard up as she had been hurt before and even though she may like to think she'd moved on, she was still cautious of being hurt. However in this scene we saw her emotional side, perhaps brought out because of her son's distress. I think Jones mastered the balance between a caring mother and a  knocked back women- both of which her character was.

I think overall the performance was just the right balance of comedy and emotion. I felt constantly engaged as an audience member and every scene effected me and the story in different ways. Small details put in by the director made a impact both comedically and artistically. For example in a scene when the mood was tense yet comedic there were comments and actions reflecting both moods to keep the pace of the scene changing. The costumes were adapted well to fit the era the play had been adapted to be set in, as was the setting. The actors reflected the scenery with their accents- mostly London apart from Tony, who still tried to sound like the others. I think the actors were all key to the performance and the development of the story. I thought they had all developed their characters, taking them and making them their own by adding mannerisms and details to make the character memorable and personal. I think the performance was political and entertaining, two things that many good plays include. I would watch it again and think stylistically, it is one of the best pieces of Theatre I have seen in a while.