Performing to an Audience- Blog 3
A brief description of your roles and responsibilities in rehearsals ( both technical and performance)
Monday- In the first section of the day before break me and the rest of our marketing team looked at the ticket sales for the show so far and then we created a action plan of way were could sell more ticket and what still needed to be done in terms of Marketing. My job on the action plan was to go round everyone in our cast and make a list of how many tickets each person had sold and I set a target for each person to sell 5 more tickets. Then in the afternoon my group for bag packing walked down to Morrison's and started our bag packing shift, my role in this was to pack peoples bags and talk to them about Rent and market our show by handing out flyers whilst also raising money for LGBT. I thought this was a successful day as we filled all of our money buckets up for LGBT and we used up all of our flyers.
Thursday-Â On Thursday we started off by adding Matt and Lucy into all of the ensemble songs like La Vie Boehme and Christmas Bells etc.. this gave us a chance to tweak the blocking and improve the songs. We had media in filming bits for the video for Finale A and B. I was filming the footage for my trailer for Rent today so in the afternoon when we did a full run for media to film I as made sure that I was filming the footage as well. We then did a full run which lasted till 4:30pm. I then edited the whole trailer when I got home, however I found out that the footage I wanted for the end bit of the video I didn't mange to capture so I am hopefully going to film that tomorrow.
Friday-Â On Friday firstly we recorded seasons of love for the footage for the trailer and I edited into the trailer ready to be uploaded to YouTube tonight. After I took the head shots for the people who weren't there when we had them took ready for the programme.Â
Then recorded the sections of Contact ready for the show we firstly rehearsed it for about half an hour before Andy was there ready to record as we wanted to get the recording right. Then when we did that we went back through the choreography for Contact and we tweaked and polished it ready for the full run in the afternoon. Then in the afternoon we did a full run in costume and with hair and makeup, during the run I made notes in my script on all of the quick changes needed as well as any set and transitions. Then at the end of the session we got given notes from Becky, Jonathan and Kerry.
Footage from rehearsals of Improved songs and footage from Chloe Blake's peer review-
The Tutor feedback from this weeks rehearsals
Christmas Bells- Make sure that you start it properly, make sure you come in clear and sharp and make sure you project and remember you diction.
La vie Boheme and seasons of love- are tried and is looking too blocked and need to look more spontaneous and natural. (*donât get stuck in your blocking)
Contact- think about where the noise is coming from! mine properly, or it will look rubbish.
Rent- isnât very good! Need to look at the spacing again for the people who missed the session the last time we blocked it.Â
*Get rid of the movements rising and fall after Collins sings his bit in rent.
Costume que- Tango Maureen turn Jacobs and Chloes coats right way round and have ready to hand back to them
*After happy new year quick change Lucy, into blue leggings and jumper.
Christmas bells- coming in is rubbish and when Charlotte says âno ones buyingâ STOP!
La Vie Boheme- Tables LVB tables further stage left, make sure you are all ways giving it your all and that your character is consistent and that you know what you are doing as there is people in the group who donât and let the rest of the group down.Â
Seasons of Love- Make sure that your not spaced out on seasons of love Oohs
*Act 2 pre set not done!!!
*Connor and Becky forgot to move tables after contact
Finale A- Christmas bells coming in was rubbish make sure that everyone knows and words and the melody and is staying in character. Â
Performing to an Audience- Peer Review- Chloe Blake 09/06/2016
Reviewer/observer: Isabelle Allen Actor: Chloe Blake Date : 09/06/2016
*The song I am reviewing Chloe on is Tango Maureen
What do you find most interesting about their/your physical performance?
I think her reactions to what Jacob/Mark is saying is very effective and creates a comedic effect for example when Jacob come over to Chloe and saysâ Has she every pouted her lips and called you puckie?â and he get really close to her, I really liked how she moved her body away from him in a uncomfortable and comical way. I really liked her change in physicality from the beginning bit of the song when she didnât believe what Mark was saying to when she started to believe him, for example her physicality becomes more concerned and worried and she becomes more needy towards Jacob as she wants to know more. I thought the tango was very funny and was very comedic I especially liked the sections when she started leading him and then when she threw him on the floor as this was very entertaining and funny to watch and added to the comedic elements of the lyrics.
How could they experiment more with their movement?
I think to improve her performance more I think that she could experiment with more gestures and small movements at the beginning as she is really stuck in the ground until the dancing starts. For example, when she goes to show Jacob what was going on with the mixers she just flicks her wrist towards it and it looks like she isnât bothered and isnât a powerful in my opinion if she made more of a dramatic gesture towards the mixers of maybe pulled him towards it in a very annoyed way.
What was good about their physicality?
I thought her physicality is good and really shows how her character is feeling and is very strong at some parts of the song. For example at the beginning of the song when Jacob goes to tap her on the shoulder she shows how uncomfortable and annoyed her character is in that moments through her look of disgust and how annoyed she was in her facial expressions and her uncomfortable physicality like when she moves away from Jacob when her gets close to her. I also, like the bit when she run up to Jacob and turns him round and says âdid you swoon when she walks through the doorâ and she creates this sense of panic in her physicality.
Have they remembered their blocking and movement?
I think she has done a good job are remembering the movement and blocking for this song as it was difficult as they had to learn choreography for the tango as well. It was evident that she knew her blocking up to the tango which you could see she was still a bit unsure of as her movements were as strong as they could be and she was quite hesitant and that meant that her movements look slightly awkward at some points. So to improve on her performance I think she needs to practice the tango section more to perfect that so she is more confident with it.
Do they/you use appropriate gestures and facial expressions? If so when where and how effective are they?
Yes, I think she does for example at the begging when Jacob enters her character is mean to be very annoyed and bored so she is quite desperate for his help however she doesnât want to seem like it. I think she portrayed this very clearly at some points through her use of facial expressions and gestures. For example when she says 'to top it all off Iâm with youâ she scrunches her face up to show how annoyed she is that she is with him and she pointes at him in a aggressive way to show that she has run out of penitence. I do however think that she could exaggerate her facial expressions more slightly as her face can be slightly mono tone at some points in the song, this may be because, she is thinking too much about her singing. To improve I think she should think about the style of the show and what her characters emotional journey is through the song. I think that another bit of the song when her facial expressions and use of gestures of very effective is  when she says 'Iâm getting nauseousâ. I think the way she turns away for Jacob and folds her arms, and creates a very scared and uncomfortable look to her face is very effective as it shows how her character is feeling at that point of the song and it makes it very evident to the audience.
What could be improved âeven better ifâŚâŚâ
To improve I think she could think more about making her facial expressions consistent throughout and make sure that she rehearses the tango choreography to ensure that it is as good as it can be and that she is confident with it as this will make the audience believe it.
Are they using appropriate acting techniques ?
Yes, she is using appropriate acting techniques for the style of the performance. For example she uses Stanislavski techniques which means her main focus is to create a realistic and relatable character for the audience and to create a performance that is believable to the audience and is like a reflections on reality. However as this is a completely sung through musical it means that she needs to exaggerate her facial expressions and movements more to get across the plot to the audience which is intertwined in the music. I think that she needs to work more on exaggerating her facial expressions and gestures because, at the moment they arenât as heightened as they should be for a musical theatre performance and she need to make everything more obvious so the audience understand the plot and storyline. Â
Is this an appropriate portrayal of the Character?
Yes, I think she does a good job at playing her character and I think she correctly portrays her and captures her personality very well. Â For example she shows her class and maturiosity for example when she says something on the mic she says something very boring and predicable instead of saying something silly or rude which someone of lower class or someone younger would say. She also, shows this through her facial expressions as when she first meets Jacob she looks down at him slightly and puts up a wall.
Think about  Age; status; power in relationships; personality and attitudes;
Can you identify their given Circumstance? Do they/you believe in it?
yes, it is clear that Joanne in this song is very annoyed that she has been left to do this for Maureen especially after the way she has been treating her. That when Mark turns up she puts up her front and she tries to make it look like she is handling it by saying she has hired an engineer. However she quickly drops that and gets Mark to help her and then when her starts to ask her about how Maureen is with her she denies it for a bit and then quickly caves in as she realises that she treated Mark the same way and they come to an understanding.
Is their characters objective clear in each scene? If so what is it? (I want toâŚ)
Yes, Chloe has made her characters objective clear in this scene/song. Johannes objectives at the beginning was to get the mixer fixed however she was struggling, then when Mark comes in to help she quickly tells him that she has it handles and that she has got an engineer. However she knows that she hasnât turned up so when her goes to leave she asks him to help her. Then when Mark starts asking about how Maureen is with her she knows that what he is saying is true however she says they arenât until part way through the song she caves in and agrees to what Mark is saying and they come to an understanding.
Is the acting techniques appropriate to the style of the performance
Yes, I think the acting techniques that Chloe uses are appropriate to the style of the performance most of the time. For example, when she is dancing with Mark she throws him on the floor very dramatically which fits the style of musical theatre however, I think she could exaggerate her facial expression more though because, at times I feel that her characters expression isnât as clear and as powerful as it could be.
Do they use a range of emotions and actions used to meet their characters objective? (So I willâŚ.)
Yes, she does her character at the beginning is very frustrated and this is evident because, of Chloeâs use of facial expressions for example, she rolls her eyes a lot and you can hear her characters frustration in her voice as well. Then when Mark enters Chloe changes her emotion again and she become annoyed and tries to act superior to him. She is constantly changing her character emotion according to what the character is singing and this means that it is easy to follow and understand what is going on.
Do they/you react to other characters on stage?
Yes, I think Chloe reacts very well to Jacobs character on the stage and I think that you could clearly see their character relationship and I think this made the performance more effective. For example a bit in the song which I particularly liked when the character really interacted was when Chloeâs character finally gives into what Mark is saying about Maureen, as she realises that she was the same with Mark and she starts to sympathies and agree with him and I think that change in relationship is show very clearly.
LIST OF FURTHER SKILLS TO CONSIDER
Vocal Skills â grade from 1-10 Ten being excellent
Then describe what is good and what needs improving bellow each skill.
loudness-10- I thought she projected very well throughout the who song and that meant that you could hear everything she was singing.
Inflection-8- I thought her use of inflection in this song was good and she showed her class and her characters emotion very clearly however, I think at the begging in particular she could add more emotion to her singing and more characterisation in stead of just singing the lyrics. I think this skill she need to look more at the lyrics and she need to think about what her character would be feeling at each part and trying to put that into her singing. For example at the begging of the song when she sings 'the samplesâŚ..â she needs to add more frustration into her voice.
Emotion tone- 7- I think that she has started to put emotionally tone into her singing however even though her singing is very strong I feel it is lacking in character in some parts and that means that you canât really hear the characters emotion in her voice. So to improve she need to think about what the character is feeling and saying instead of simply signing the lyrics and also she needs to remember that itâs musical theatre and everything is slightly more exaggerated.
Pace-9- Â Think that her pacing in her singing is very good and that results in her signing being because, clear and easy to understand. However, the part about where Joanne learnt to tango she needs to look at the pacing of that as I struggled to understand some of that.
Rhythm- 10- I think her rhythm for her singing is very good and you can tell that she has practiced the songs a lot as her singing is rhythmically in time with the music.
Pausing-9- I think that throughout the majority of the song her pacing is perfect and it really works well. I think the end bit when she picks up the phone to Maureen I think the pauses need to be worked out on that as I feel it could flow better.
accent/dialect- 9- I think that her accent is really good and doesnât really drop at all in the song and you can hear that she is confident with her accent because, it rarely falters. However, I think to improve she could look into more where exactly in America her character is from and make her accent more exact.
Diction- 9- I think her diction thought out the whole of the song is nearly perfect and her singing is very clear however, it think she needs to work on making the puckie line more clear and the bit on where she learnt to tango more clear.
Pitch-10- Her pitching throughout the whole song is very good and I couldnât notice any pitching issues.
Fluidity- 10- I think her singing flowed really well and it wasnât choppy at all, I could find anything wrong with it.
Comedy/ timing- 7- I think she has timed some of the comedic nits of the song very well and it makes them very effective for example, when she saysâ Iâm getting nauseous.â I think is very comedic. however I think the line about where she learnt to tango and the phone call bit at the end could be very comedic if timed properly so I think she could improve by working on them.
Vocal idiosyncrasies - 7- Â I think she has done a good job at adding her characters personality into her singing however, I think she could add more emotion to it to make her singing more effective.
Posture-7- I think she has done really well with showing her character through her posture for example you can see she is of higher class because, she has a more upright strong posture however this needs to be more consistent throughout as I feel it is inconsistent especially when she is dancing (needs to pull up more).
Facial expression-6- I think she has started to think more about her characters facial expressions when performing this song however, I think this is something she needs to work on as I feel at times or the song especially at the begging of the because, you loose the effect of the song and as an audience member you find it hard to believe what she is signing.
Gesture- 7- It is evident  that she has started to think more about her use of gestures and I think that some of her uses of gestures are very effective like when she says 'Iâm with youâ and she points at Mark, I think this is effective because, you can see how angry and annoyed she is. However, gestures like a the begging of the song when she shows Mark the mixer she could make this gesture bigger and add more emotion behind it as her character is meant to be stressed out and annoyed that she has to ask for hep from Mark.
openness/ confidence-7- You can see that throughout the majority of the song she is confident and knows what she is doing. However, when she does the dance break section all of her confidence goes and thus the atmosphere of the scene drops because, you can see she isnât very confident with the choreography. To improve she need to rehearse the dance break so she is more confident with it.
Use of space- 9- I think she use the space very well and I think that this means that she isnât just stuck in one place throughout the whole song.
Eye contact-7- I think her use of eye contact with Jacob is good at times is very effective however, I think that she could capture more comedic parts by her use of eye contact. I think her eye contact in the dance break needs improving too.
Energy-8- I think at times her energy is very good and this means that as a audience member her performance becomes more capturing however, I feel her energy sometimes lacks so I feel it needs to be more consistent.
Spatial awareness- 7- I think her spatial awareness throughout most of the song is excellent however in the dance break it lacks as she sometimes stands on Jacobs feet or misses a step.
Audience interaction- 8- I think that she is starting to interact more with the audience however, their is some bits that she could look at the audience to create a comedic effect like when she says 'Iâm getting Nauseousâ this would be better it she looked at the audience.
Timing-7- Her timing is perfect throughout the majority of the song however, she needs to work on the timing when it comes to the dance break and that will entail rehearsing it until she is more comfortable with it.
Memory- 8- I think she has remembered her blocking very well and everything was very good and confident except her dance break. To improve she just needs to put in extra time to practise it until she knows it to the best of her ability.
Any advice you would like to give on organisation, line learning, remembering movement, overall enthusiasm here. This is about being supportive and offering help and advice for your peers to use in their action plans.
I think to Improve on your organisation, I think you need to put your time into rehearsing the dance break and becoming confident with it because, it will be amazing once you are.
What elements of the scene/ performance worked well?
I thought the character involvement worked really well and I thought that they worked really well together and you could clearly see their relationship and how they feel around each other. I also, thought that they captured some of the comedic moments of the song really well.
What could the group improve on?
To improve I think that they both need to work on the choreography for the dance break as it is evident that they are both not confident with it and I think that the effect of the dace break drops. So I think when they are both confident with it, it will be a lot more effective and entertaining for the audience. Â
What effect would this have on an Audience?
The effect that this would have on the audience would be that the comedic elements of the dance when they are more confident will be there and will be more effective. It will also mean that the audience will believe in what the character as doing and saying more and it will be more believable.
Is there anything about the performance of the scene which could be made even better? If so how could we improved this?
I think  to improve the performance even more I think they need to add more audience interaction and more eye contact with each other. To improve this they could for example when Chloe says 'Iâm getting Nauseousâ she could look to the audience. This would make it more comedic and make the audience feel more involved.
Reflection on Tutor notes on the above and how you plan to improveÂ
Quick Changes- To improve upon my feedback I am going to create a list and go through my script an make a not of all of the quick changes in the whole show and assign people to specific quick changes. This means that everyone will know what is going on and it means that the quick changes won't get forgotten and will be done quickly and smoothly.Â
To Improve the songâŚÂ
Christmas Bells- To improve Christmas bells I am going to listen to the song and make a note in my script of every section of the song which we need to freeze/ stop moving and every bit that we need to be frantic and every bit that we need to move on slowly/ background. This is so that I will be confident on what I need to do for each bit and so that I don't forget any bit of movement.Â
La  Vie Boehme- To improve LVB I am going to practise my blocking and try making my blocking look more natural and spontaneous, I am also, going to make an effort to not get distracted or if something goes wrong come out of character. This is because, one of our feedback was that that our blocking looked too blocked and tired and that our characters weren't consistent and that people often came out of character.
Finale A- To improve on the homeless section of Finale A I am going to practise the vocals and make sure that I am confident with the lyrics and I am going to practise this in front of a mirror so that I can practise my characterisation and use of facial expressions. I am doing this so that I will be more confident with the music and so that I know that my character is consistent and to make sure that I am using suitable facial expressions and gestures for my character.
Contact-Â To improve contact I am going to practise the choreography for contact and make sure that I mouth along to it, this is so that I get into the habit of mouthing along to it ready for the performance.Â
Reflection on your Peer Feedback and how you plan to improve
Chloe's Feedback was that my movements and gestures could be more flamboyant and bigger as I look slightly re severed at the moment. I need to let go more and have fun.
As I was an ensemble part she struggled to here my voice through everyone else even though the piece as a whole was loud and clear so I just need to make my voice more distinctive.
La Vie Boheme A- to improve I am going to listen back to LVB in my own time and experiment more with my movement and have fun with it and think about how my character would naturally react to what is going on.
To improve my vocals I am going to practise singing the song and making sure that I am paying attention to my projection and diction. I am also going to do some technique exercises sure as the NG technique in order to help improve my belt and chest voice.Â
Action plan timetable for WB 13/06/2016
