#y12term2

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Evaluation

Our performance went very well today, after four runs during the day. Our first run was incredibly disorganised and didn’t have a smooth flow at all. However, through the day, we managed to polish our transitions and executions of each episodic scene. In the performance, the energy levels were high and everything I felt was very engaging to watch. The use of props and staging I felt fit very well within the content we were presenting. We also incorporated music which helped set the scene and keep the momentum going. The audience members reacted accordingly and gasped and laughed in all the right areas, and where we wanted to spark an audience reaction.

These were a few of the responses I was given when asking what people thought:

“It was very edgy and in your face, but it was very enjoyable to watch”

“At first I didn’t know when it was appropriate to laugh, but the whole thing was cleverly put together”

“I absolutely loved the baby supermarket scene - very poignant”

“Everybody looked so comfortable on stage and you all worked well as an ensemble”

“The abstract way of presenting it all was so much fun to watch”

“The energy in the room was so strong”

Audience responses were mostly very positive and most people seemed to enjoy themselves. However at the end, when Tom committed suicide and we all delivered our 270 words as a human and brought flowers/sentimental items onto the table and said “love costs nothing” as an ensemble, everybody was shocked and managed to puzzle together what this whole play was trying to say.

As a performer, I felt I did very well in the police sponsoring scene and was a good ensemble member. However, in the scenes of The Price I would have liked to have made bolder character decisions, like using a significant gestus so that my characterisation came through clearer.

I felt the whole thing went incredibly well and has come a long way, and because it covered so many aspects of society and the system of today, I really believed in what we were doing and really wanted to push all the points we made.

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End Austerity Now 2015

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Budget Cuts UK 2015

Public service cuts, welfare reform and rising living costs signal a ‘social storm’ in Haringey.

“It’s a cold and wet morning, and about 50 people are queuing along the street. Sharing umbrellas and pulling up their hoods to shelter from the elements, they’re not waiting for the launch of Apple’s new phone; nor are they hoping to get their hands on tickets for that must-see show. They are queuing for legal advice at the Citizens Advice Bureau in Turnpike Lane"

In September the centre saw to the needs of 347 people, while having to turn away more than 250. They are struggling to meet 60 per cent of the demand at their doors, not to mention the hundreds who stay at home suffering in silence.

More than 1,300 local families are predicted to be affected by the £500 per week benefits cap. A modest three-bedroom house in Tottenham, valued within the 30th percentile of local rents, will set you back around £300 per week, leaving families with three children £200 per week to live off – £200 to cover food, clothing, heating, electricity, water and transport for five people.

In an area where rent arrears are already rising and where 24 people in every 1,000 received repossession orders in 2011 (the second highest level in London), the likelihood of rising homelessness is very real. Over 800 young single people relying on housing benefits are set to lose up to £80 per week in support as the age threshold for shared room rate is raised to 35 years. Local supply of shared dwellings is woefully short of demand (suggestions put it at around 20 per cent of demand), so hundreds of young people are at risk of a future sofa surfing or sleeping rough. 

With public services being cut back more each year, welfare reform in motion and living costs spiralling upwards, all the signs point to a social storm of unprecedented proportions.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

The strengths of our performance is that it covers all aspects of the points we are trying to make in terms of capitalism and austerity. We have incorporated over expressive and interesting ways of presenting all our ideas and relating back to Brecht’s techniques, using gestus in Indulge with Agnes applying red lipstick. Our whole performance follows the concept of a game show with small skits to further emphasise government cuts, societal ignorance and a flawed system. The slap and tickle technique is incredibly effective, encouraging the comedic aspects of performance eg with the X Factor scene. However the end scene, further employs the slap side of it with the loser committing suicide and giving the audience a powerful end effect. .

One weakness would be is how the performance is incredibly episodic and lacks a certain flow and fluidity in rehearsals. The issue with having a collection of montages back to back, you must question how everything links and interweaves together because there may be a deprivation of smooth transitions, and how to avoid making it look like different bits from different scenes and not one whole entity.

One other strength is the content we are using to illustrate our ideas is very strong. Using 7 deadly sins as advertisements emphasises the consumerism ideas we present, The Price presenting materialism, Indulge and focus groups presenting capitalism and the entire game show presenting austerity. We’ve used creative and imaginative ways to demonstrate ideas and I feel we have incorporated all of Brecht’s techniques.

[creativityactionservice-blog1]

BORNEO GLOBAL ISSUES CONFERENCE

6 - 9 MARCH 2015 - YEAR 12, TERM 2

The Borneo Global Issues Conference was interesting for me. The actual debate wasn’t that challenging, but it was odd to represent a ‘small’ country again - I was Myanmar, after months of chairing and representing Russia. There’s a lot more research involved with being smaller countries, and it’s generally not as much fun (you can’t declare war on anyone, for example).

The part where I most got to practice my skills was in the run-up to the conference. As chair of our school committee, it was our job to prepare everyone as much as possible so I delivered a presentation on ‘How to MUN’ for a lot of new people at school who wanted to try going to a conference. It was interesting to take a step back and help people prepare.

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Postcards to Africa

YEAR 12, TERM 2

We finished all our ‘postcards’! We have 250 completed articles, and each person receives 2, so all in all we are sending sanitary pads to around 100 girls. I realize it’s not a huge thing, but it’s definitely great. Because periods are kind of a ‘gross’ taboo, this issue doesn’t get nearly as much discussion as it should. We’ve raised awareness of this, too, and I think that has real value.

Because all the materials were donated, and they’re all used up, we can’t really continue the activity. However, it was definitely great while it lasted. We helped people, and we had a lot of fun doing it. I learned a lot about the girls in Africa – apparently those who don’t have any access to the kind of hygienic articles we made use leaves.

I think that girls missing school simply because they’re girls is a serious issue, and it needs more attention. Not only did we help people, by conducting the activity at school and being open about it (there are posters up, there have been emails sent out, etc.), we’ve raised a lot of awareness, which is an integral part of the problem.

Because Postcards to Africa doesn’t continue next term, I won’t be doing it.

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Fencing

YEAR 12, TERM 2

Fencing in term 2 was all about trying new things. We got to fence with different weapons, and it turned out that epee fencing is really my thing. I did a fair bit of practicing with a boy from ISB. It was difficult in the beginning, as the rules are completely different to the sabre fencing we learned. Sabre fencing has right-of-way and a ton of rules, but epee fencing is more spontaneous.

Learning a new style wasn’t easy, but it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot, too; because I’m the only one in our group who took to epee, I did get a reasonable all-around view of the different weapons.

Next term I’ll be focusing on exams and the Service component, so I won’t be attending fencing. However, I do intend to keep up sports.

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Model United Nations

YEAR 12, TERM 2 

MUN got much more interesting in term 2. We had many more people join, around 50 delegates all in all, which enhanced debate quite a lot. I was accepted to chair at a conference in Bangkok, THAIMUN, in late March/early April, which is really great, because I haven’t chaired at an international conference before. This should be a really useful experience, but I am a bit nervous.

I also attended the Borneo Global Issues Conference, representing Myanmar in the Political committee. It was lots of fun to be a delegate again. I helped write a resolution, which passed both in the Political and in the General Assembly. I received lots of compliments on my debating, which is always nice.

It was a real learning experience to be a delegate again. In the run-up to THAIMUN, I’ve been pretty much constantly chairing, and I think we forget what it’s like to be all nervous. It was definitely different, and allowing me to see other chairs in action gave me a better idea of how to chair at THAIMUN. I think, no matter how excellent you are, everyone will always be a little nervous when speaking in front of a room full of people, and it’s important to be compassionate and understanding as a chair.

MUN won’t continue next term, so I will be focusing my time on exams and on the Service component.