Sanusi Actor Logbook

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I was not in from the 11th May - 15th May

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Overall Evaluation

Match Box Theatre

 I think this process has been the most insightful process I have done so far in Miskin. There has been a lot of ups and downs, challenges, and issues that has happened within our company during this process but I still think that we have come together the most and have bonded even better as a company.  We looked at man different aspects of ourselves during this process, which is what I think was the aim of the entire thing. We were able to look at ourselves and know our strengths and weaknesses, and know how we were to be viewed in the acting industry, the monologues that were given to us. They were piece that we would generally get cast as in the acting world, so we now have a feel of how come across and the types of imagines we portray with our physical features as well as our own individual personalities.

  I feel like I have learnt more about myself during this process than the other, it has felt more of a person journey than what he had ever done because we were dealing with real fake characters, and what I mean by that is that the character themselves were fictional but their characteristics and situations were very real. We during this touched on real life issues for example, domestic violence, dealing with lost loved ones, and other things that could be happening in real life.

I think the show really gave the audience members a glimpse into the heads and life of many real everyday people, as well as a insight to the lives of people in society and really enforces the fact that we are all very different and go through different things, and I am happy we looked at modern day scripts and writers. 

  Match box theatre has been a joy to work on and has just reinforced my love for the performing arts, I have had the most fun on this project and have learnt so much, and will be taking all that I have experienced on with me to further my acting career.  

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Show reviews (Match Box Theatre)

Night One

Show 1

This was our first night and our first show of matchbox theatre, and everyone was very nervous about it. I think everyone felt rather disappointed in their first show, because of their nerves. A lot of the company came back feeling disappointed because of the audience members didn't react as we thought they would to most of our pieces. There was a particular audience member that most of the company complained about, it was said that was taunting and mocking some of the company members that came on stage to perform, and I think everyone felt rather down spirited and angry.    I think my first performance was not great but didn't think it went that bad for a first performance. I felt very nervous and for me that is rather normal I always get nervous when I perform, but was even more nervous than normal because of what the other members of my company were saying about their performance and the hostility of the audience. I went on and performed my monologue but I really did feel that nerves really got the better of me and really held me back, but I think the fact that I knew I had a second show straight after this one acted as a safety cushion for me, so I didn’t feel so bad about my performance because I knew I had a chance to redeem myself.    Directors came after in after the first show and told us I wasn’t as back as we all thought it was and how we need to shake it off and get rid of the negativity and get ready for next show.

Show 2

The second show was far better than the first and I think that was due to the fact that we got the first show blues out of the way and everyone was more relaxed and comfortable. I think my second performance was definitely better than the first, I felt more relax and in control than I did the first show where I was subjected by my nerves. Even though I did better in the second show I knew that I had more to give and can go further with the monologue and my performance. I think everyone in the company left feeling much better about matchbox than they did after the first show. 

Night Two

Show 3

 This was our second night and our third performance. We had a call time of 4pm, and came in and was given some feed back and directors notes on our first show nights. One of the general directors notes was that our transitions took longer than was need and also that we should up the energy for our third and fourth shows. I think everyone was more confident in their pieces because they have already got the first two shows out of the way, so everyone felt more comfortable then they did in the first night.    The notes I was given by the directors were that I should play more, start off with strong intentions in the first few lines, and also my diction, they said that some of the ending of sentences were being lost. I took in those notes and went other my monologue taking time work on my diction by over pronouncing the words and repeating them so they are more familiar to my mouth.  The third show went rather well and was an improvement on the second, I tried to take in the note about the diction and had tried not to rush it so much. I did make a few mistakes when it came to my lines but I recovered well and tried not to loose my character while I searched for the words. I think I ended up missing a few lines at the end but still kept it together very well, but still felt disappoint that I lost the few lines but happy with my overall performance. 

Show 4

The fourth show was an improvement of the third and I think that was because everyone felt good about their third performance and brought that same excitement into the fourth show which elevated it beyond the third.  My performance was improved again and I think that came from me wanting to make up for the mistake I made during the third show, and I think I did. I went in there with so much more energy and confidence and I think that really paid off for me. I came out the performance feeling very excited and buzzed from my performance and it really put me in a great mood. I feel as an actor I always to question my performances and ask myself if I can up myself again and push it even further than I did and even though it was my best performance so far I still think I can do much better and go even further with it and I think that really excited me, the fact that I knew I had more to give to the performance. 

Night Three

Show 5

  We had another 4pm call time, and again given notes. I was told that I needed to have more aggression in the first part of my monologue, and I took that on and tried working on putting more base in my voice for the first part, as well as working on the tension in myself to replicate anger and aggression. Our last show really tested us as a company, because of reasons unknown to me a couple of our company members were not a loud to perform in tonight's shows. We really took it as a blow to us but we still had to still continue and perform. One of the scenes had to be taken out completely and another actor had to fill in for another company member in one of the scenes. We really had to show support to Jack who was filling in and had to learn new scene in such a short amount of time, I personally was not that worried because I know Jack is one of the best performers in our company and has the ability to fill for our missing company member, it was just about reassuring Jack of his ability and giving him the confidence to go out their and give the performance I know he can, and he did very well.   I think this was my best performance by far I tried to challenge myself by trying to exceed my previous performances and I felt I did so in this performance and I felt absolutely amazing that I was able to top myself once again and for the first time in a long time I felt so confident and re-ensured in my talent and ability as an actor, which is something I rarely feel. 

Show 6

I feel rather disappointed in my sixth performance I think it wasn't my best, and felt anger with myself especially because the previous performance went so well and I wanted to up myself once again but that didn't happen at all, it was just really downhearted about it to be honest.   The issue was that I tripped up on most of my words and my mind seen to have on blank on stage and could really remember the lines, but I did try hold it together I am not really sure how that came across to the audience. I didn't really dwell on it too much because there was nothing I could do about it so there was no point of stressing myself, it was the last show, and my last performance, and it did not go to plan, I still went out there and gave a performance, and had already 5 other good performances so I can’t really complain too much.

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Musical Technicians (Production Role)

Musical Technicians 

A music technician’s role is very important to a theatre production, they are in charge of all aspect of sound in the performance, getting in musicians, sound effects and much more. A sound technicians would have to work in conduction with the director and stage manager, they’re the once that inform the sound technicians of what is need for the performance and the sound technicians would need to be able to complete their request however best possible.  In touring theatre companies the sound technician would also be in charge of setting up equipment as well as being in charge of taking it down at each chosen venue, as well as loading equipment off and on. With being in charge of the equipment it is also his job to check it, and choosing what equipment is really need for the job they are doing. Before shows days they sound technician would do constant checks to ensure that everything is working well and up to standards, they would check the microphones, speakers, and the rest of the necessary equipment.  Being in charge sound the technician can uses every tool possible to create the sound needed, sometimes that would involve getting sounds imported and they do this in many ways. They can sometimes hire a small orchestra if needed, they also pre-record any sound effects and music needed in the production.  A sound technician would also have a sound desk, where he or she can control the sounds for the entire show on show nights, with the sound desk the sound technician would follow the sound plan (the plot). The sound plan gives the sound technician all the cues he or she needs during the show.  The sound technician role is very important to the production team, having a sound technician it takes the stress of the stage manager that would probably have to do all the things that a sound technician does. Not only does a sound technician free up the stage manager, he or she normally has musical experience as well as have the knowledge of the equipment being used, for example how to use them, how to transport them, and also how to find and fix problems with the equipment.

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Character work

  My character Aswan is a young black male, who is incarcerated in a british prison, and is facing the scary task of becoming a father, as well as as dealing with all the struggles that come from being in a relationship.   I was watching the TV series “ Prison Break”, which is about a young man trying to free his innocent brother from prison by getting himself incarcerated in the same prison as his brother, and with help from other prisoners the main character Michael Scofield manoeuvres his way through prison and its spoken and unspoken laws, to free his brother Lincoln Burrows. The series has four seasons but focusing only on the first two season I found a character that is  rather similar to my character Aswan.

Fernando Sucre (Played By Amaury Nolasco)

Fernando Sucre is very interesting character and he plays the best friend role to the main character Michael Scofield, but he as many other characters in the series has his own objectives and reasons for wanting to break out of prison. Sucre is a young hispanic male who is serving a prison term for robbery. He has a girlfriend on the outside he is very much in love with and during the first season got the news from her that she is pregnant with his baby, but because of his incarceration she feels she he can not support her and the baby, so she tells him she has accept a marriage proposal from Sucre’s cousin Hector to ensure the security of her baby.    Surce is very similar to Aswan, both characters excited with the prospect of being a father but both betrayed by the person they love arguably the most. Both character realise the need to change for the benefit and future of their offspring.They both want to be good fathers and for Sucre that desire is what compels him to join Michael in the breaking out of the prison, and is also what strengthens him in the face of danger. Sucres is generally a non violent character and does not often result to violence unless forced as a means of self defence. I think there is some of that mentality also installed in Aswan but I think Aswan has far less self control when it comes to anger and that is one of the main difference between the two character. Proof of the previous statement can be found if you watch the “Odd man out” episode of prison break where his girlfriend  Maricruz tells Sucre that she is pregnant but she will marry Hector, and read Aswan monologue of what happened when Sadie came to tell him she’s moving away with his baby on page 32 of Philip Osment’s play script “Inside”. Both character are approached with nearly the same scenario but handle it differently, Aswan lashes out in rage towards Sadie, while Sucre responds by professing his love and pleading to Maricruz.   

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Quotes and Images 27th April - 1st may

“ Don’t stop dreaming because you had a nightmare”

-Unknown-

This quote is basically saying don’t give up on your dreams just because things are not going so well right now. I think as people we forget that most of the things on earth are temporary and that includes our current situations and we need to remember that not everything last for ever that includes our pain and struggle. For this quote I used rapper Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmare” album cover because he is an example of this quote. Coming from a place of extreme violence, prejudice and also being incarcerated Meek Mill was able to turn it all around with hard work, determination, and holding on firmly to his dreams, and this is what this album cover represents him coming from handcuffs and shackles to reaching his dreams. 

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Strengths & Weaknesses/ Action Plan 27th April - 1st May

Weaknesses

Preparation - I think this week I found it hard when it came to the preparation of my monologue on night shows. I have a very emotional piece which needs me to really concentrate and dig deep and I don't think I did that before all the shows. I think the lack of preparation was caused by being distracted when I was in the white room with the rest of my company, I lost concentration because of all that was going on around me. To help me with this for next shows I think I need to isolate myself from what going around, if not physically then mentally by blocking out the sounds around with ear plugs.

Hold back - One of the problems I had this week was holding back when it came to doing the character work with Claire. I like being in control when it comes to expressing my feelings and I think this constant need for control often has me holding back. I think to help me with this issues I need to learn how to be more free when it comes to expressing myself and I think I can do that by being more open with my feelings and thoughts and realise that its okay for me to feel what I feel.

Holding notes - When it comes to directors notes I act on them but I tend to often forget them if they are not written down somewhere which makes it very hard for me to recall them when its need. To help me with that I am going be more active when it comes to writing notes down, caring my a pen and a note pad to every session so I can immediately write the notes down when they are given.

Strengths 

Acting on notes - I think I take in notes well as long as I can understand them and know what is needed for me and I think this showed this week on show days because there were improvements on my performance night after night and I think that came from me taking and understanding the directors notes that were given to me.

Support - I know for certain I am a team player and as a team player I know how important support is when working with other people and I feel like I was very supportive of my fellow company members. I constantly tried to show my support on show nights to those of company that I saw needed it, by cheering them up when they thought they had messed up and re-ensuring them when they didn't feel confident. 

Trying harder - I have to that I probably my own worst critic and even though I normally slay myself when it comes to my performances I this this week it worked to my advantage because I always think I can do better and give more and this week it was that thinking that drove me to try harder, give more and push myself further every performance.

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Weekly Evaluation 27th April - 1st May

This week was show week and I think it was one of my favourite weeks I have had at Miskin even though it may have been one of the most stressful.

We started on Monday with an intense character work session. I worked with Claire on my monologue and started with looking at my character inner monologue, after every line I was asked to think about what my character was thinking when saying them lines and the purpose behind each line. I found it rather hard at the beginning because I am very controlled when it comes to handling my feelings and thoughts, so it was a struggle being totally open with what I thought. Next we did an exercise where Claire told me to think of a person that can possibly represent my character partner, I immediately had an idea of who that person could be, and it immediately made the situation more real for me and it felt more personal than it did before. Then Claire told me to imagine her being that person I had thought of, she then started walking further and further from me and I had to stay still and watch her get further and further away from me. I think this exercise was far the hardest I had ever had to do, watching the person that I love walk away from me and there was nothing I could do about it. After walking away Claire started taking steps back towards me and she eventually came face to face with me, we she was coming closer I felt more and more angry and I think that comes from me being an unforgiving person when it comes to people leaving me and giving up on me.    

 We had three night shows and two shows on each night. I think all in all we had great shows and showed improvements show after show. We had some problems and I think that came down to first show nerves and also on the fact that we relied on the audience reaction when it came to energising the our performances, which we shouldn't do as actors.

 All in all I think the show was a success and we received great feedback from the audience, and also received a complement on the simplicity of the show case from the other directors and a lot of people liked the fact it we just had monologues, duologues and short scenes which is different to the normal generic pieces which consist of a story with beginning, middle and end.

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Quotes & Images 20th -24th April

“They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.

-Mexican Proverb-

 This quotes is very special to me because it inspires me a lot. This quote is basically saying that no matter what dirt, or what troubles get put on top of you embrace it because that is what is going to help you grow into the person you are meant to be. 

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Strengths & Weaknesses/ Action Plan 20th April - 24 April

Weakness

Coursework - Being behind on my course work is a weakness for me, it takes me off the floor and I miss important rehearsals which was what happened this week. To help me with my course work I am going to allocate some time on every weekend that would purely be for my Tumblr course. When I get in a routine of doing my work on the weekend it would be much easier to manage and complete. 

Strengths 

Research - Even though I was not able to be on the floor most of this week I did do some reasearch on my character. My character Aswan may be a fictional character, his story isn't so fictional. I was able to find character similiar situations and was able to use those characters as a template to build my own charactersisation of Aswan.

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Weekly evaluation 20th April - 24 April

I spent most of this week of the floor catching up with my Tumblr work while the rest of the company work on our match box theatre piece. I hated not being on the floor especially when it’s so close to the show. I finally caught up with my work and was on the floor on Thursday, by then the company was working on the blocking of pieces. It was the first time I had performed my monologue in front of anyone. I feel like I have really connected to the character in my monologue, understanding his state of mind and the situation he is in.

I found I did alright considering that it was the first time I performed it to an audience, I received positive feed back from Claire and Ins.

I may not have done much work on the floor this week but I still worked on my character when I was at home. I watched the TV series “Prison Break” which I found it very interesting because the characters from both “Inside” & “Prison Break” are both in similar circumstances, two of the characters from “Prison Break” are in very similar circumstances to my character Aswan in “Inside”.

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30th March - 3rd April

This quote by Tupac really speaks volumes. The quotes is about how so many people in life give up and the fire that once burnt so brightly in them now have been extinguished, and that that is trust loss of life. This quote reminds me that no matter how hard things get I can’t give up and have to keep fighting for what I want.

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30th March - 3rd April Weekly evaluation

I was only in for one day this week due to me being sick having some personal issues but I did come in for the casting of the match box theatre process. This week I feel really low, am starting to doubt myself not only in terms of my talent and ability but also in terms who I am and what I have done. I don’t really talk when it comes to my problems because. I am so use to handling things by myself and being independent, I think this comes from a lot people previously letting me down, so I came to the conclusion of me being alone and have to do things by myself. I don’t think I have been this low for a long time, I think I have being coping well until this point I think I am just letting everything get on top of me, I think I maybe need to accept the fact I maybe need some help.

My weakness for this week is separating personal and professional life, I need to find a way to not let what’s going outside Miskin effect my work, I know as an actor am going to be juggling a lot of things and I can’t let my personal life stop me from progressing onwards or it could mean the end of my acting career.

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HND Review

For the HMD performance they took us out on to the field to begin with. They started of with Greek theatre which is a theatre category that have consist of out doors performances. I found their physicality great and they tried to create atmosphere by adding a intense musical instrumental, but I found it rather hard to hear the music because of the location, we were right behind a motorway and the music got drowned out by the sounds of the cars driving through the motorway. After the Greek theatre they moved on to circus theatre, where they had a lot of acrobatics going which I found really interesting and captivating. They had us in a circle which they performed in, I think this stage was a good idea as they had multiple things going on at the same time so it was easy for me as a audience member to see everything that's going on, which would have not been so easy if we they had us all in one place in lines. The Last part of the HND performance was a small carnival which I found really fun. I think they all put a lot of energy and enthusiasm to get us all involved and it worked. There was no half heartedness, and everyone one of them looked like they were having fun and not worry about what they looked like, this made it easier for me as an audience member to take part without feeling self conscious. The only thing I would think of changing in the HND performance is the location of the Greek theatre I would either have it inside so that they music could be heard more and create more of an atmosphere.

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Animal Farm Review

I found the “Animal Farm” rather interesting because of the concept behind it and how the show relates to modern day politics as well as the theatrical performances of the level 1 students. 

When I first came in to the theatre to watch the show the first thing that struct me was the staging. I found the staging absolutely amazing, they completely transformed the space. They had wooden box that would used all the way through as staging props well as having a standing structure at the back of the stage made from metal poles and decorated illusion of being inside a farm barn. 

I think all the level 1 actors had a strong performances, but there were a few that stood out for me, Natalie Murphy, Kameron Mitchen-Smith, and Aliyah. These actors stood out for me because of there individual performances and they all had a specific elements that captured my attention. Natalie for me was emotionally captivating. When she spoke I could hear sincerity and emotion in her voice and made me feel as a audience member which is not a easy thing to do. Kameron had a real authority presence when he came on stage I think it had something to do with his physicality and also his voice and facial expression, as an audience member I was able to feel a presence when he came on stage. Aliyah for me is a natural born performer, great stage presence and great clarity and diction when she spoke. Her voice carried well through the theatre and she played to the authority of character. 

What I liked most about animal farm was the whole concept behind it animals having human characteristics and how they would behave with them as well as the whole political aspects behind hide it, how we as people tend to put trust the people in power, trust that they have our best interest just like the animals trusted the pigs. The pigs manipulation of the other animals really shows the corruption of the people on charge, for example in the beginning the farm had around 10 main rules to make sure they everyone is treated fairly, but during the course of the play the pigs changed those rules to just benefit themselves.

Another thing I liked about "Animal farm" is that even though a lot of the characters didn't have individual speaking roles, there was a lot of great and synchronised company scenes which I think worked very well and created a lot of atmosphere through out the whole play. I don't think there would have been the same amount of tension and atmosphere created if everyone had a line, I think it way have taken away from the performance and maybe would have dragged a little.

I think Animal Farm was a great show, it was entertaining, creative as well as having deeper meaning then what was shown on the surface. The level 1s had great performances and character even the ones that didn't have their own individual lines. If I was doing Animal Farm I don't think I would change anything, I think it was a great piece of theatre and only wished I saw it more times.

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Research on Marketting

Different types of marketing 

Direct Marketing: Direct marketing is when a company communicates directly to its target market or audience to promote a product or service, they can do this through different formats e.g text, emails, fliers and many other forms of direct contact. 

Matchbox theatre 

For our match box theatre piece we can use this technique of marketing to promote our chow. We can make posters and fliers with the information about the show e.g times, dates and prices, and then hand them out to the general public. 

Digital Marketing: Digital marketing is when a company uses any digital device as a form of advertisement, this could range from television, social media, digital billboards and etc. 

Matchbox theatre

Digital marketing could be very useful for us to promote our Matchbox theatre piece. We could implement digital marketing by making digital posters and putting them online via social media. Almost everyone now days has a form of social media whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or anything else online that allows you to communicate socially. 

Evangelism Marketing: Evangelism marketing is when a costumers freely advertise and promote a product or service on behalf of a company, this is most via word of mouth. 

Matchbox theatre

We can use evangelism marketing by our company members asking our close friends and family to promote our show, this would make increase the amount of people that hear about our show therefore increasing the chances of ticket sales and audience members. 

Close Range Marketing: Close range marketing is when you use Bluetooth or WiFi communication as a form of promotion e.g sending messages through smart phones or any other devises that use Bluetooth or WiFi as a form of communication.

Matchbox theatre

We can use close range marketing to promote our show by using  whatsapp, Imessage, Msn messenger, Yahoo messenger and other forms of wireless communication to advertise our show. 

Guerilla Marketing: Is using unconventional and inexpensive techniques to promote a service or a product, one example of guerilla marketing is using flash mobs. Guerilla marketing is a fun way of advertising because it captures a lot of people’s attention which is very key when it comes to promoting products and services. 

Matchbox theatre

We could use guerilla marketing as great and fun way to promote our Matchbox theatre, for example we could have members of our company performing parts of their monologues and duologues to the general public in busy public places like town centres. This is great way to promote our show because it gives the general public a taste what to comes and it hooks them in and makes them more likely to come and see the show to see the rest of the performance that they saw previously. It would be like a live trailer for the public as well as building up the confidence of company by allowing them to perform parts of their pieces to the show date. 

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Sound Technician research

 For my research I went on Google and searched “theatre sound technician” and clicked on the first link that’s where I got most my information from. Its a job website but I was able to look at the job description to find out what is required for the position of a sound technician.

Your job might include:

discussing the production’s sound needs with the director or sound designer

exactly where in the script any sound effects, music and changes in sound level are needed

pre-recording any sound effects and music to be used

choosing suitable microphones and equipment

positioning and rigging up microphones

doing sound checks before a performance

operating the sound desk during shows

following a sound plan (known as a 'plot') and cues from the deputy stage manager

looking after and repairing the equipment

unloading, setting up, dismantling and loading equipment at each venue when on tour.