#tlotn

[brooke182]

The Love of the Nightingale - Evaluation

1. How do you think the performance went?

Overall, I would say that the performance went fairly well. The scenes flowed easily into one another, the acting was believable and some of th scenes were very hard hitting and emotional. There were a few slip ups, such as pauses between lines or someone forgetting a certain gesture; but we all managed to cover them up pretty well.

2. How did you work as a group?

I feel that my group and I worked really well together. We made sure that we were organised and everyone knew whom was doing what. I feel that we were also good at giving one another feedback and direction, and taking what has been said on. Sometimes, it got stressful, but we managed to work things out and focus on the tasks at hand. 

3.  How did your group rehearse and develop from rehearsals to performance?

We started by making a plan of what we wanted to do within each rehearsal up to the performance:

First rehearsal - scene 3

Second rehearsal - scene 5

Third rehearsal - scene 8

Fourth rehearsal - full run through

This helped us to know the time limit we had, meaning that we could progress and work a]on the scene at a faster pace. I feel that towards the end of the rehearsals, we were a lot more relaxed and prepared, this is because we were on target, and everyone knew what they were doing. 

4. Discuss in detail and make references to your specific scenes, about your strengths in these areas:

Voice - I feel that I used my voice well within the performance. I projected and spoke clearly, so that the audience could hear and understand what I was saying. I also used the tone of my voice well; this was to help me to show emotions. For example, when I played the nurse, I spoke in a soft tone, to show that my character was concerned and trying to be caring.

Physicality - One of the strengths within my physicality is posture. When I was playing the chorus is scene 3, we decided to show the chorus as waitresses working in a restaurant/bar. I stood with my back straight and head held high to show my character’s professionalism. 

Characterisation - I feel that I characterised well within the play. Thinking about things such as gestures, and facial expressions which are unique to each character I played.

How you interpreted the play - I interpreted the play well. I knew that the play had to be performed realistically, and that there was a lot of metaphors and foreshadowing within the play. 

5. Discuss in detail and make references to your specific scenes, about your weaknesses in these areas:

Voice - A weakness about my voice is that I didn’t use and array of accents, I kept my voice similar for a lot of the characters I played. It would have been better if there was more of a difference between them. 

Physicality -  A weakness of my physicality is that I kept it very simple. This suited the situations and character well. However, it meant that my movement was very limited.

Characterisation - One of my weaknesses in my characterisation was that, a lot of my characters were very reserved. I feel that I could have explored different ways in which I could have interpreted them.

How you interpreted the play - I feel that my interpretation of the play was very serious. And although, it is a serious play, it has different aspects to it which I could have explored to have bettered my understanding.   

6.  If performed again what would you improve:

·  About your rehearsal process - I would make sure that we blocked the scenes earlier, so that we had more time to adapt and polish the scenes. 

·  About your overall performance - I would have a few more run-throughs just to make myself feel more confident and comfortable.

·  About your characterisation - I would explore different ways in which I could play some characters, to show a bigger difference between them in terms of characterisation.

7.  Did anybody else’s performance in your scene catch your eye for strengths and weaknesses?

I think that in scene 5 Lucy performed really well. Her strengths were that she suited the character well, and used her voice and facial expressions to show her character’s feelings of sadness, making them sympathise with her. A weakness of Lucy’s was her pacing. I feel that as she continued to talk about how lost she is, she should have paused to show her character’s thought process and to help create tension.

8. What do you think was the audiences reaction to the performance?

I think that the audience may have been a little confused with the play, but this is not surprising, as we swapped characters often, and the storyline was quite complex. However, the audience seemed to react quite well to certain scenes, especially with the shock value during the rape scene. 

[brooke182]

The Love of the Nightingale - Character Profile

1. Who am I?

I am the Female Chorus.

2. Where am I? (in each scene)

Because the chorus is similar to a narrator, I am usually to the side of the stage, watching the scene. 

3. What time is it?/ when is it? (in each scene)

We are setting the play in modern day. There is no reference to what time it is within the scene. However, in the scene in which I am the female chorus (scene five), it is five years after Procne and Tereus are married, but before the rape. 

4.Where have I just come from? In each scene.

When I come on stage, I have just came from watching the scene as a passer by. 

5.What do I want? In each scene?

In each scene I want to explain to the audience what has and is happening within the play. In scene five I talk about the sorrows of love, and help to foreshadow the rape of Philomele. 

6. Why do I want it?

I want to explain the scene so that the audience can understand the story line and the meaning of things better.

7.Why do I want it now?

I want to do so now, so that the audience will see the harm that love has done within the scene, and hopefully realise the foreshadowing. 

8. What will happen if I don’t get what I want?

If I don’t get to explain the play to the audience, there will be many lost metaphors within the play, and some confusion. 

9.What obstacles must I overcome?

An obstacles I must overcome is the wall between the chorus and the characters within the play. I need to blend in with the scene more. 

10.How will I get what I want?

I will get what I want by physically interacting with the characters within the scene (for example, circling around Phaedra). I will also make it clear that I am addressing the audience by looking towards them. 

[brooke182]

The Love of the Nightingale - Blog 4

1. How has the practical lesson impacted on the progress and development of the performance as a whole and your individual performance of character?   

Today’s rehearsal has been very productive. A few people were missing, so we had to read in for them, but this didn’t seem to affect the rehearsals that much; we will just have to tell them what they missed out on, and what was achieved in this weeks session. We managed to go over all of our three scenes and polish them all. I feel that because a lot of us knew most of our lines, this meant that we could focus on our actual performance, character and physicality wise. 

2. Describe the games and exercises used to warm up and why they were used.

We warmed up by stretching our neck, arms, core, legs etc. This means that we would be more flexible, and less likely to get an injury. It also meant that our bodies were warmed up and ready for rehearsals. We also did a vocal warm-up by  pretending we had toffee stuck to the top of our mouths and we were trying to pick it off with our tongues. Then warms prepares our voices and mouth for projecting when speaking. We also shouted vowels to one another, getting louder and louder, this helps us with using control with our voices. 

3. Which explorative strategies did you use and did they help to develop your role? e.g. still image, thought tracking, hot seating, conscience alley, role play, Forum theatre, creative writing.

Today we used freeze frames to help us develop the story lines. We went through our scenes and did freeze frames of the scenes. This was to help us thinking about where the scene was set, and to get the ball rolling with what is going to happen within the scene. It also helped us with our characterisation, as we will be be stationary as a character, so we have to think about our physicality, facial expression and that presents our characters to the audience. 

4. Describe the scenes you rehearsed? Describe the skills you used? Facial expression, gesture, voice, emotion, reaction.

This week we polished all three scenes and did a full run through. I think that my physicality was really good throughout this rehearsal. 

In scene three I play the chorus as a waiter. I stand with my back straight and head held high. This lets the audience know that she is being professional as she is at work.

In scene five I play the nurse and female chorus. When playing the nurse, I move with speed and purpose. This shows that she is very busy, and has somewhere to be. I also use open body language and put my hand on Phaedra. This makes her appear caring, and lets the audience know that even though she is giving bad advice; she thinks that she is helping. 

In scene eight I play one of the chorus characters. We decided to have the chorus as typical ‘chav’ characters. I walked swaying from side to side with a slouched, and made many hand gestures. I feel that this physicality worked well because it would immediately give the audience an idea of the stereotype I was playing, before I even said my lines. I also think that this physicality works well because it contrasts with the rest of my characters, and is completely different to the rest of the characters within the play, showing how we have modernised it. 

5. What Ideas did you have?

One of the ideas I had was that in scene eight, the chorus should all say every question together. This would make the question seem more powerful, and make the audience really think about what they are being asked.

6. How did you take risks and experiment today?

Today I experimented with levels. We thought that we could add to scene eight by having the whole chorus sat down, and whomever was talking to stand up. We decided this was a bad idea because it just looked messy.  

7. How did you develop ideas as a group? Who took the lead? Were any of the ideas your own? How did you contribute to the development of the piece? Describe what you tried out in rehearsals.

At the start of the lesson, we all sat down and spoke about what was going to be achieved within the session, and how we think we could improve our scenes. I think that we all contributed equally, but I did quite well at taking lead and trying to organise what was going to be done. We did a lot of stopping and starting exercisers. We would run through a scene, and whomever wasn’t in said scene would watch, stop the scene when they had some feedback and we would do it again with the new direction to help us develop and improve the scenes and our characterisation. 

Evaluation of the lesson

8. Your own strengths and weaknesses need to be described here. Be specific about the skills you used. Give 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses

Strengths:

Responding to direction - I feel that I responded well to direction during the rehearsal. I listened to what had been said, and tried out new ideas to improve my performance. This was effective because is made my acting a lot stronger, and it was nice to get some opinions from others.

Physicality - My physicality was really strong today. I really thought about my movements and what they meant. You could see the difference between my characters very clearly. I also used my physicality to show my characters emotions. For example, when I was playing the Nurse, I used open body language to show that she was comfortable. 

Lines - I felt confident with my lines as I knew most of them, meaning that I could focus on my characterisation and physicality. 

Weaknesses:

Controlling the group - I found it hard to get the group to listen to me and to try and help motivate people to be enthusiastic during rehearsals. 

Giving direction - Sometimes I found it hard to think of new creative ideas and direction to give people. I also didn’t want to seem like I was being bossy or too picky with some of my ideas. 

Tech - Although our performance tech wise is very minimal, we are still lacking some props which I need to collect so that we can rehearse with them.

9. How did you prepare for the rehearsal? Mentally/ physically? Did you warm up before rehearsals? Did you enter the rehearsal with a plan of what you needed to complete by the end of that session?

I prepared for the rehearsal physically during the warm-up. I prepared my body and voice to perform by stretching my muscles and warming my voice up, ready to project. I spent the last week learning my lines, this is so that I was prepared for this weeks session, and that I could progress with other aspects of my acting other than lines. 

10. What from today are you going to keep for the performances? Eg an accent you explored or a characteristic for your role.

One of the things I am going to keep is the physicality of the nurse character. I like the physicality as it shows her as a confident, but caring character.It also differs from my characterisation of my other characters.  

11. What needs to be changed or rejected from the ideas? Why?

One thing that needs to be rejected from my ideas, was that in scene eight, the chorus would sit down and stand up individually when each of us had a line. Because we also said every question together, there was too much standing up and sitting down too often, making the act make less of an impact, and seem less important. 

12. Do you need to do any further research to help understand and develop your character? Say what you need to research and why here. Eg do you need to explore different accents or watch and observe a tv programme to get ideas for your characterisation?

I feel that I now understand the play and my characters enough. However, I still need to fill out my character physicality sheets. This will help me to remember what kind of physicality I have chosen for each character. 

13. What needs to be improved for next week? 3 targets for yourself and a further 3 for the group here. E.g. Line learning, moves, special awareness, Facial expression, Characterisation, use of props, costume, masks, music, sound, practicing cues, responding to others, giving direction, taking direction, timekeeping, practice regime.

Individual:

Props - I need to collect all of the props together, so that we are prepared for the tech rehearsal next week. 

Character physicality - I need to fill out the sheets so that I can remember my physicality for each character, and find the difference between them.

Direction - I feel that I need to rehearse my parts and film myself. I will then watch it back and write some directions on how I can improve my characterisation etc. 

Group:

Lines - Some people struggled with their lines a little. We need to make sure that we all know them so that we are prepared for next week.

Cues - We often cut into one another’s lines with our own. We all need to ensure that we know our cues to prevent this from happening.

Costume - Everyone needs to bring their costumes in for next week. This is so that we are organised for our tech run, but also to help us get more into character. 

[brooke182]

The Love of The Nightingale - Peer Review

Name of cast member you are reviewing 

Lauren Van Ryssen - June 

What do you find most interesting about their physical performance?

The most interesting thing about Lauren’s physical performance was her body language. She faced Procne, with her arms open. This showed that Lauren’s character, June, really cared about her friend and wanted to reassure her. This shows the audience the unspoken bond of friendship between the two characters.

How could they experiment more with their movement?

I think that Lauren could experiment more with her movement by using more of the space on stage. She seemed to just say in one place. Throughout the scene the characters were quite spaced out. As the scene progressed, and the character’s were trying to tell Procne not to ask for her sister to come over, I think that the characters (and Lauren) should have gotten closer to Procne. This shows their concern much clearer than reaching out towards her.   

What was good about their physicality?

One of the things which was good about Lauren’s physicality was how she was stood. She stood with her head held hogh and back straight. This was effective, as it showed the audience that June is a character of importance (which she is as she is friends with Pronce and of high class). 

Have they remembered their blocking and movement?

Lauren remembered her movement and blocking well within the scene.

Do they use appropriate gestures and facial expressions?

Lauren used her facial expressions and gestures well to show her character’s emotions and reactions. For example, when June was telling Procne not to ask her sister to come to Athens, Lauren raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders as if to suggest that this was a stupid idea. 

What could be improved?

This could be improved by reacting to other people’s lines instead of just waiting for her line. For example, when Procne insists that she wants her sister, Lauren could look at her and shake her head to show her character’s disapproval. This also helps to make her character seem more realistic. 

What did you enjoy about their vocal performance?

One thing that I enjoyed about Lauren’s vocal performance, was how she showed her character’s emotion through her voice. She showed that her character was trying to comfort her friend by speaking in a softer tone and slowing down the pace at which she was speaking. 

What are their strengths, weaknesses in their vocals?

Strengths:

Projection - I could clearly hear Lauren and understand what she was saying.

Emotion - Lauren used emotions in her voice by changing the pitch and tone to suit the situation.

Weakness:

Pace - Sometimes I felt that she spoke at a too fast pace which didn’t suit how I would imagine her character well. 

Tone - In some lines, I feel that Lauren should have used a harsher tone to try and show the audience how much her character disagreed with Procne. 

How could they improve their vocals?

Lauren could improve her vocals by slowing down her pace, and working on what kind of tine for which line, and what message that would send the audience. 

Are they using appropriate acting techniques?

Lauren is playing her character very realistically. This is correct, as ‘The Love of the Nightingale’ is meant to be a play which is performed in a naturalistic way. 

Is this an appropriate portrayal of the character?

Lauren plays her character as quite a posh, modern woman. This is appropriate as her character is a wealthy woman who would typically act how Lauren has played her.

Is their character’s objective clear in each scene? If so what is it?

Lauren has clearly shown that June’s objective is to convince her friend, Procne, not to have her sister come to stay in Athens.

What do they need to improve overall?

Overall, Lauren needs to think about creative ways in which she can show her character’s objectives and improve her characterisation. For example, she could use more of the space on stage, and add more non-verbal gestures between her and the other character’s to show their relationships, and how her character is feeling. 

Strengths:

Physicality - Lauren stood in a way which showed us that her character was of a high class.

Projection - I could clearly understand and hear what Lauren was saying.

Facial expressions - Lauren used her facial expressions well to show how her character was feeling.

Weaknesses:

Use of space - I feel that Lauren should use more of the space, as she was stood still for most of the scene which can get a little boring to watch. 

Use of eye contact - Lauren could use eye contact to show her character’s disapproval of her friend’s decision. For example, she could avoid eye contact to show that June was uncomfortable with this. 

Reactions - I feel that Lauren lacked reactions to what was happening in the scene. She can use her body language and facial expressions to show her character’s reactions to what other people are saying. 

[brooke182]

The Love of the Nightingale - Rehearsal 2 (28.09.15)

[brooke182]

The Love of the Nightingale - Scene 3 (first rehearsal and blocking)

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IOdWAvO-Rc)

[brooke182]

The Love of the Nightingale - Action plan (21.09.15)

[brooke182]

The Love of the Nightingale - Research Task

Introduction: What is the play about? 

The King of Athens, Pandion I, fights a war with Thebes overseas. The King of Thrace, Tereus supports Pandion I and helps him to fight. As a reward, Pandion I allows Tereus to marry one of his two daughters, Procne. Procne agrees although she is not attracted to her husband and doesn’t want to leave her sister Philomele. After moving to Thrace, Procne is not enjoying life there.  She asks Tereus to return to Athens and bring her sister, Philomele.  Tereus travels to Athens and takes Philomele on his ship. Tereus notices that he is sexually attracted to her. He starts finding ways to slow down their journey, to give him more time to try to seduce Philomele. She notices his intentions and looks to the Captain for help. When Tereus sees them together, he gets argy and kills the Captain. Tereus lies to Philomele, saying that her sister has died whilst he’s been away. Philomele refuse to have sex with Tereus and he rapes her. When she realises her sister is alive, she threatens to tell her but Tereus cuts out her tongue. When he got home Tereus tells Procne that Philomele was drowned on the journey. Five years pass. Philomele has been living in isolation for 5 years, and has seen nobody except the King, Niobe and Niobe's servant. Niobe takes her to the annual Bachann/Dionysian festival. Using large dolls she has made, Philomele performs a re-enactment of the rape to tell Procne that she is alive and of what Tereus has done. Pronce kills her’s and Tererus’ son to get revenge. Tereus chases them, his intent being to kill them. Before he reaches them the Gods turn Procne into a swallow, Tereus into a hoopoe and Philomele into a nightingale.

Political relevance of the play – when was it set and what was happening at the time politically? Look at any clues the play might give you. Does the play comment on this or have an opinion politically about war etc?

The play was set in ancient Greece. Greek mythology is known for glorifying strong, powerful, warrior type men and women. Ancient Greece always had wars/fights going on between different cultures and areas. Because the play is meant to be a comedy, I think that it is pointing out how some wars are ridiculous and happen over stupid things. One way in which Wertenbaker shows this is when the king allows Tereus to marry his daughter as a reward for fighting with him. In those times, that would have seemed like a normal reward. But in modern days that seems ridiculous as women are not treated like someone’s property as they was back then. This idea is stupid and most of us can laugh at how ludicrous the concept it now. 

Social – the status of people in the era the play is set in and what did people do as jobs? What class were these jobs and did these people mix? What does the play say about the class of the characters and how they behave?

Most of the characters in the play are of a high class, this is because they are family or Kings and Queens (or Kings and Queens themselves). Most men were knights or soldiers and women tended to stay at home and raise the children. Poorer people tended to be either cooks, servants, blacksmiths or maids. The only time the two would really interact would be in the work place. For example, a poor woman who is a maid for a rich woman will communicate with her often and they may even become friends. I think that they play shows that there is a definite line between the rich and poor separating them, and that in those times there was no one who was in the middle. The play shows that the poorer characters seemed to be a lot more generous and selfless, and a lot of the better off characters. 

Cultural – entertainment as well as the cultural background of characters in the play and in society – where did they originate perhaps you could mention their religion as well. Relate this to the play – what does the play say about culture and does it have any signs of it?

Ancient Greece is wildly known for its art, literature and food. Ancient Greeks enjoyed going to the theatre however, women were not allowed to go. Women were expected to not do anything physical, so they played games such a checkers. There were many different tribes in Ancient Greece, who all contrasted one another with beliefs, culture etc. Most Greeks believed in numerous different Gods that all  represented a certain facet of the human condition.  The most important gods, though, were the Olympian gods led by Zeus. These were Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes,Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter, Ares, Artemis, Hades, Hephaistos, and Dionysos. I think that one of the things that the play says about culture is although that different cultures have disagreements and different beliefs, they can also come together to achieve great things and come to an agreement. For example, the contrasts between the cultures of Athens and Thrace are similar with the lack of understanding between the Western and Middle Eastern worlds that continues to dominate the global political arena. But, people from both places become disgusted when they find out about Tereus raping Philomele. This shows how people can have petty disagreements, but can agree on serious things and situation, such as the objectification of women etc. Also, culturally, in Greek times strong and powerful solider - like characters are glorified. Showing that a character who beforehand fit that description is capable of rape, shows that glorifying power is wrong, because sometimes it can be used in the wrong was and people are not what they seem. 

Economic - The economy of the country and era the play is set in. Are there any clues or references to this in the play as well? Does the play say or make a comment about this in any way?

The economy of ancient Greece was mostly defined by the region's need of imported goods, with the poor quality of Greece's soil rendering agricultural trade of particular importance. The impact of limited crop production was somewhat offset by Greece's paramount location, as its position in the Mediterranean gave its provinces control some of the region's most crucial seaports and trade routes. Beginning in the 6th century BC, trade craftsmanship became pivotal aspects of Greek's economic output. Greece has always suffered with economy. This is because most people there are either really rich or really poor. The wealth is not spread out equally. The play doesn’t make any direct comments about economy, although when analysing, we can see messages of unfair wealth etc.

Playwright – background to the playwright, where were they born?, what was their upbringing, what else have they written?, what is the style/ genre the playwright uses?, what are thee features/ techniques of these genres/ styles.

Timberlake Wertenbaker is a British-based playwright and screenplay write. She was born in New York on the 28th of February, 1946. Wertenbaker grew up in the Basque Country in the small fishing village of Ciboure. Central topics in her work are the efforts of individuals, particularly women: pursuing quests, seeking change, breaking boundaries, and constructing or challenging gender roles. She has wrote many books and plays including ‘The Ash Girl’, ‘Our Country’s Good’, ‘The Break of Day’ and many more. She likes to tackle serious issues and situations within her plays such as misogyny, fascism, and imperialism, however to make light of situations, she likes to put a comedic twist on things. This is so that she can entertain the audience/reader but also get them thinking about certain issues.    

The Love of the Nightingale: Greek/ Naturalism -  what is this style of acting and plays? Find out examples of this style in different forms eg film as well as theatre. How do we know the play is in this style? What does it bring or add to the performance do you think?

The typical style of acting for the play is very naturalistic. I think this is because the play tends to address serious issues, and naturalism seems to suit them better, as they are real life problems. Here is what I found of the play on youtube: The Love of the Nightingale Trailer. This seems to be a very serious, realistic and traditional adaptation of the play. This makes the issues on the play more hard hitting, and can make the audience get a real feel for the time it is set in. 

Is there another style we can adopt for it or experiment with?

We could try performing the play in an unatrualistic way, making everything exaggerated. This would help create a Greek Mythology feel to the performance, which would suit the play well. It would also add humour to the performance, as the play is actually meant to be a comedy.

Themes & Issues – what are the themes and issues in the play? How are these shown throughout the play?

The themes and issues within the play are mainly power, betrayal and war. These are shown through the story line of the play and events that happen.