Friday 16th October (Rent Run Through Page 1-Out Tonight)

In this lesson we did a full run of scenes 1-6, with both casts so that we all had a chance to perform professionally for the first time in the space. I found this really helpful because I have not had the chance to fully run my songs properly yet. I was off cast at first which gave me the opportunity to get used to the space before being my main character. My homeless person characterisation mostly involved slow movements and hunched posture to show that I was cold and timid, and acted violently in a petty fashion to show I was defencive when people interacted with me. When I played Mimi I experimented with proxemics by being closer to Roger at times and acting as if I was 'playing hard to get' by being more affectionate with other characters. As Mimi I tried to stray more towards to rougher end of our staging, according to our theatrical conventions the side with the tree and screen is where most of the homeless characters will be compared to the other side.

Feedback-

• Rent needs more movement

The song Rent at the beginning needs more movement because it is supposed to be high energy and full of action, we want to capture the New York vibe in just this song which means we have to have a lot of people moving quickly on stage, or give that illusion. I have suggested w have some slower sections to show the less privileged parts, I feel we need as much violence as we can get considering what happens to Collins during his part of the song.

• Transitions need improvement

The transitions in our piece lack the energy that the actual scenes have, we need to figure out a way to develop the scenes between songs so that they fit better. One person suggested we used city sounds to divide between locations, I think we could add some stylised pedestrian movement to maintain the busy vibe we were aiming for in the first song.

• Out Tonight

When  performing Out Tonight I felt quite awkward because I didn't really know what I was doing and we didn't have the scaffolding we will for the show. We have decided we will do units and objectives to help us have more purpose when singing. Rachel suggested that we get in the audiences space a bit when we sing this song, Mimi is a drug addict and lack some of the social norms sometimes in these situations and we need to show that and clearly as possible. This will be a challenge as we are breaking the fourth wall and in the rest of the show I can't do that. 

Friday 16th October (Dance Guernica Lesson 1)

This lesson was the start of a short dance project based on Pablo Picasso's painting 'Guernica'. It depicts the scene of a small village being blown up in the second world war and the devastation and pain of the people there, it was very crowded as the bombers strategically dropped their bomb there when they knew the village would be busy and this is shown in the painting with images that look like hands reaching out, crying faces and odd limbs in crooked positions. We looked at the painting and discussed how we can use this as a stimulus and created a mind map of words to use as inspiration for our choreography.

We then wrote a list of words that would create movement in our dances-

·         sharp

·         heavy

·         control

·         fast

·         punching

·         repetitive

·         attitude

After this we were taught four positions that related to the words we had come up with, they involved reaching, pushes and lunges in a desperate way to show the emotions listed above. We then decided an order for these to go in, I decided to have my floor positions first to act as if I was climbing up and out of rubble to survive. After this we created 3 of our own that fitted the brief, I was on the floor curled up for one, crawling for another and reaching for another, we then added these to out original 4 in order. We were then taught a floor sequence and a travelling motif. I found the floor sequence quite fun as I have not had that much experience in this and I feel I did well in creating levels and contrasts in speeds. The travelling motif was a challenge for me as we had to leap and this is something I need to work on, I needed some help from others but I got it eventually.
Following this we got into groups, I was with Charley, Paige and James. We started with our beginning position on the floor huddled and stretched out, we did this to symbolise hope and courage. We tried to use the picture and try to create some of the shapes and atmospheres with our bodies through the tempo and formations we used. To finish the lesson we performed these and self assessed ourselves. I thought as a group we had good unison, our facial expressions were realistic and effective because they correlated well with the feeling of disaster of the piece and our movements. Our dynamics were also really effective in that they showed the people dying and also the people surviving. For next lesson I would like to finish the dance and create a good ending for it and also explore crossing pathways. 

Thursday 15th October (Rent Singing)

This lesson was dedicated to singing some of the major group numbers in the show, we worked on Rent and Will I. To begin with we looked at rent, as we have only ever sung this with a backing track which is going to be different to our live band in the final performances. We sang through Rent with the piano and realized it needed work. We appropriately split into groups according to the script, for example near the end of the song Roger sings some lines with one half of the cast and Mark sings with the other which transitions into everyone singing together but with the boys singing the lower melody and the girls singing the same but on a higher octave. We stood in these groups best we could so that we could get used to signing together and we could listen to each other as we sing. This was really helpful as I don't usually sing the higher octave because my voice is stronger on the lower one and it was therefore  a challenge for me, someone suggested that some of the girls sing the lower octave because there are so many more girls in the cast and that the higher notes overpower the lower ones. This gave me confidence because I know that I can sing the lower notes for now and when I become more comfortable with more rehearsals and development I can sing the higher notes when it comes to the final performances. After this we ran through the song once more and some of us struggled with the groups, so we had the idea to just have boys and girls instead. I didn't agree with this and when we sang it through I raised the point that it sounds too feminine and loud then manly and quiet. Therefore we returned to our original groups and decided that that worked the best.

In the second half of the lesson we looked at Will I, this song is difficult as it is in the round and each group sings a different octave or harmony. Previously some of us got together and sorted our groups, who is in them and the octave they will sing at. This was very difficult ad there was only six of us and we didn't know who would prefer to sing what or who would be more comfortable, there is also the complication of double casting because some people won't be able to be there for parts of it or not be able to be seen in the character that they are. We organised ourselves into these groups and sang it through roughly with a backing track we had found. This was successful but we needed to work on the solo as Dannii wasn't feeling confident with it so she had worked out her own harmony that she was much more confident with and wanted someone to sing the melody with her. I volunteered because I feel I can help Dannii with her confidence as I was in a similar position to her last year in that I knew I had the talent to sing my solo but I wasn't used to singing in front of many people or having the confidence to do so. We worked on this with the piano a few times before running it with the whole class. This was successful as it was all in time and the harmonies worked really well. Next we wanted to play around with the volumes and dynamics of the song. We decided that once every group was singing, we would crescendo before one person per group keeps singing at this volume and everyone else in the group would sing quieter to highlight this one person. I was chosen as one of the singers as it was originally Charley, however she will not be able to sing it when she is on cast so we will swap around. I did not have a chance to practise this but I think it sounded really good and in sync, it flowed well and added something special to an emotional song. This song already contrasts to a lot of the other fast paced songs and because we have worked on it in such depth it will be very memorable and effective when it comes to getting the audience emotionally involved. 

Friday 9th October (PAB Theatre Company Structure and Roles)

To begin the lesson we wrote down a list of all the roles in a theatre company that we could think of in pairs-

1. actors -Performs the pieces chosen
2. directors- Directs and is in charge of main on stage decisions and how the actors perform
3. producers- In charge of production teams and provides connections between other companies and within the company
4. set design- Artistically draws and creates the set, working with producers, directors and actors to create effective working and aesthetically pleasing staging
5. prop design- Designs any on stage props and small pieces of set that the actors need to use
6. lighting technician- Works through the script with the director to know where and how to light the stage
7. sound technician- Is in charge of the mics and any songs or sound effects used in a production
8. musicians- Form the orchestra for a live band in shows
9. choreographer- Creates the dance numbers, works with directors and actors
10. costume designer- Creates costumes for the actors, including the order of any changes and works with a dresser to organise this with the actor they are dressing
11. box office staff- Deals with the audience as they enter the theatre, helping them with tickets and programmes etc
12. stage hands- Quickly moves set and props around the stage between scenes, usually during blackouts
13. hair/makeup design- Designs the hair and makeup for the actors depending on their characters and the context
14. publicity manager- In charge of promotions and advertisements for the shows and the company
15. casting director- In charge of which actors get which parts in a production and have a huge part in the audition process
16. chief executive (CEO)- Initial starting point of the company, in charge of all employees and any major decisions
17. finance/admin staff- Monitors the expenditure and costings the company has
18. education manager- Educates any young performers in the company, and has contact with schools for ticket offers and workshops
19. artistic directors- Designs and monitors any artistic decisions such as set and props designers, costumes, hair and makeup and choreography 
20. stage manager- Helps with line and lighting cues and manages backstage
21. company manager- Manages the whole company and keeps in contact with every team leader in the company
22. fly man- lifts and organises the set on stage

After discussing what each of these are and mean and what their roles in a company are, we put them into a flow diagram style chart of importance.

Presenting Theatre- Shows various shows and touring companies

Producing Theatre- Has one show at a time and this is the only place that this show is professionally produced, until it comes off stage 

Friday 9th October (Rent Run Through Page 1-28)

In this lesson we ran through the first half of the first act of the show. In this I have to sing Rent, Light My Candle, Life Support and Out Tonight. Overall the run was very successful and songs that I had not sung with an audience before went well. The opening song Rent needs improvement, this run proved that we need a lot more energy on stage and more movement with more people, it is a bad start to a show that has a lot of energy and the lyrics in the song are punchy and bold, the atmosphere and movements need to match this otherwise it will look wrong and not make sense. After this I was just using stylized pedestrian movement on the streets and I walked slowly off stage in unison with everyone else during the beginning of One Song Glory, to prepare for Light My Candle. Walking off during One Song Glory was an idea of mine so that I will have time to prepare for Light My Candle back stage, before this we had no other way to walk off stage to be able to get into the flat in the right way according to our theatrical conventions of going backstage to get up high on the staging block at the entrance of the apartment then going down the side to enter properly. The song Light My Candle went well but we struggled with the new backing track as it was different to what we had used before, our blocking was much better than previously though. The Life Support song was successful, I would not normally be a part of it when I am playing Mimi but some people were in other rehearsals so I had to step in to make up numbers, I am glad I was allowed to though as I needed to rehearse this. Next was Out Tonight, which actually interrupts Life Support and I wasn't expecting to have to sing it so I wasn't prepared and hadn't warmed up my voice enough. Because of the spacing and situation I could not do the chair (pole) choreography that we had worked on last week. These things aside I feel I did very well, I hit all the notes and felt very confident with it; this has given me confidence for future performances and rehearsals. Doing regular mini performances to my class in rehearsals is really helpful, it makes me much more comfortable with my peers and also helps them to help me if I need it and it builds my confidence massively.

At the end of the lesson we wrote down what we feel we need to improve on, what went well in this lesson, things that we can work on in the next lesson and we organised some out of lesson rehearsal times with any people we have group or duet songs with.

Improvements- 

• Opening song- confidence with choreography and spacing
• Blocking of Out Tonight
• Knowledge of staging layout
• Light My Candle blocking

What Went Well-

• Out Tonight lyrics/notes
• Knowledge of overall blocking
• Light My Candle singing

Things to Improve On Next Lesson-

• Off cast characterisation
• Life Support singing
• Consistent characterisation

To finish this lesson we organised out of lesson singing rehearsals with people we have duets or group songs with, I am going to rehearse with James next week. This will be helpful because we will have time to focus on things like timing and harmonies without feeling we have to move on quickly.  

Friday 9th October (Rent Dance La Vie Boheme)

In this lesson we worked on the La Vie Boheme dance for Rent. We ran through the dance in character for both casts like we had worked on last lesson before assessing what we need to tweak and work on. I suggested that we try to sing along to the song because we will have to in the real show, this would help to prepare us for that. I also suggested that we start to look at our entrance, the anonymous ensemble characters are already set up in the cafe and the named characters, Mimi, Roger, Collins, Mark, Angel and Maureen, come into the cafe with some dialogue at the beginning of the song, they are then welcomed in with high energy by the people sitting at the table, this will obviously change with each cast. We ran through the dance a few times with both casts and realised that we need to improve on our dynamics. There were many suggestions to use the table and chairs to our advantage but because we don't have those yet it made more sense to go lower rather than higher. Therefore we decided to choose a line and at this point everyone will position themselves either on a chair, standing, but mostly on one knee facing out to the audiences in a punching motion to add emphasis to the line and add a slower and more focused section to the song, as the rest of the dance is very fast paced. This was successful as it works for both casts which means we don't have to change over and learn two different parts and it also made it much more direct. 

In the second part of the lesson we worked on the chair duets for Santa Fe that were choreographed last lesson, unfortunately I'm not in this part of the show as it doesn't work for my character and I was working on Out Tonight when this was devised, therefore I wasn't included. I did some peer assessing and made suggestions for the others in this part of the lesson. For example when watching I noticed that they sway theirs heads sideways which was out of time, so I made a suggestion that they all followed one person so that they are in sync with each other. I also suggested to Kat that we use some of the other class and the year twelves to fill out the space but remain still and only perform very minor stylised movements occasionally to prevent from seeming stationary and pointless on stage. 

Thursday 8th October (Rent Out Tonight Early Scaffolding Choreography)

To begin this lesson we discussed how things were going and areas that we felt comfortable or not so comfortable in, personally I am feeling very confident with La Vie Boheme, Light My Candle and I feel I know the narrative of the play very well. I wrote that I wanted to work on my off-cast characterisation and Out Tonight mostly. Therefore Charley and I were to start choreographing Out Tonight while the rest of the class devised a dance with chair duets for Santa Fe.
Charley and I started by setting up five chairs in a line facing away from ourselves to act as a scaffolding pole that we will have to dance with. We sang through the song with a backing track to warm up our voices before singing it through again while improvising some movements that we had thought about previously to see how they would work. We found this to be quite difficult at first, because we didn't really know what we were doing and both felt quite awkward without having any direction. Therefore we tried again but facing each other so that we could use a competitive feeling to provoke emotion and aggressiveness. After this we had some ideas for what we wanted to do so we discussed our movements and made them clearer with an order in our heads. This was quite challenging as although we play the same character we have our own different interpretations and our routines, characterisation and interactions with other characters will be different. I suggested that we start in the corner and turn around dramatically at the beginning of the song to set a feeling of authority and draw more attention to ourselves. This entices the audience and will contrast with the previous song 'Will I' as it is a very slow and meaningful group piece. Going from this to a powerful, high energy solo will be memorable and show that Mimi is troubled and this song and her job doesn't fit her personality. The way I am portraying Mimi I only want to have this type of sex appeal in an aggressive way only in this song, to suggest that she is stuck in the job and the rest of her have matured.
To finish the lesson we performed the first verse and chorus to the rest of the class to practise performing the song and become more comfortable with what we ad devised. The reaction we got was great, I felt very confident and being in character for this specific song made me learn a lot about my character and how I want her to be portrayed.
Rent - Out Tonight Early Choreography - First Verse And Chorus

Friday 2nd October (Rent La Vie Boheme And Opening Song Dance Development With Self Assessment)

In this lesson we worked on the opening scene physical theatre to the song 'Rent' and the song 'La Vie Boheme'. To begin with we walked through the Rent song to remind ourselves of what we wanted to work on. I suggested we work with the spacings more and try to bring more energy by having more people on stage. Because we are signing at parts throughout the song it is difficult to do this well and perform high energy  motifs, so we went through it once without singing at all and this proved to have more energy in it. We then did it once more and recorded it, in this run I found it easier to have more energy as I did before when I didn't sing because I knew how to portray the energy and improve my characterisation. Whist watching this recording back we made notes through self assessment-


WWW: Timing and unison with walking, positions and exit. Basic characterisation with posture and use of dynamics


EBI: More facial expressions and knowledge of routines. Ending positions.


Target: Work on second group routine with floor positions.


In the second half of the lesson we worked on La Vie Boheme. In this lesson we started thinking about how we had staged the dance and what characters need to be where when they need to sing. For example when I am playing Mimi I need to be with Max, playing Angel, for our duet section and with Luke, playing Mark for my line with him. I suggested that when we space out into pairs to dance that we spread out and face different directions instead of all to one way, so now there are some pairs facing the front, some to the side and some to the back, to ensure all of the audiences get to see properly. Some of us had to change the way we move and where we go for this but it actually looks better this way as we has some extra time to get to where we need to be which looked awkward, so now we have filled that time with walking in character to the music. We also changed some choreography for some people, for example when I play Mimi I am with Max for our part and not Luke, so I had to learn a new bit of choreography and swap this with Charley when it is the other way around. This was beneficial because I had to teach someone else my choreography which I haven;t had to do many times before, but it really helped me to remember the dance better. It was also really useful to learn new choreography as it was devised in a different part of the space which gave me a lot of choreographic ideas and formations.

WWW: Characterisation, interaction with other characters, exaggeration and high level of energy

EBI: Extension in movements and clearer formations

Target: Look at positioning and work in theatre space