Staging

Through the process we have been doing the staging very different each time and they haven't fit in well with the plays and have looked ropy as if no effort was put into it. 

We finally managed to use the stage blocks to create a good looking set that could be used in many ways. It also had a little Island situated to the side which not only represented just that but would also be used as other things. Like a box in the guys scene where they would keep their drinks. 

The center of the stage was larger than the rest and we decided to have prospero up there in the beginning during the storm to show he is creating it and to show the power he has over people. Not only Ariel and Caliban but the people on the boat that have little connection to him. 

During the storm we had decided to include a small piece of physical theatre. Myself and Sian has begun to think pf ideas to show the power of the storm and had come up with an idea. However as we shown it to the class it wad looking very sloppy and was lacking in strong dynamics. We worked on it more and when we included the strobe lights and sound effects it began to look better and dramatic. 

As well as the dancin piece it was decided we would add some people onto the stage that would look as if they were hauling rope or fixing pieces of boat to give the full effect of a shipwreck. We were also going to have white sheets of material that would be used as sails and would be moved to show the strong winds and would just be tied to the side when the scenes actually began. I actually think this is a good idea because it helps with giving the audience the visual effect of a boat so theyre not jusg looking at a stage full of people moving. 

Twelfth night

We did the same thing for this play that we had done for the tempest. We sat as a group and went through the lines. We had been told that the scene should very physical and full of energy so we thought of ways to do this. we decided that we would be climbing over the set and doing things behind a board (after the school theme was set) which helped a lot with us being able to come out from behind and gave us something to use and not have us just standing on stage looking like we didnt know what to do next. 

Although we didnt start to block we did begin to generate ideas that could help us with making the scene more comical. We brought up the idea of using wayer pistols to fire at Malvolio and he would look up as if it was rain. 

I decided for my character in this scene i needed to make my voice a lot softer to differentiate my roles more as well as using my costume to give the visual element. 

Sep- the tempest

We decided we wouldn't jump into blocking the scene before we got a feel of it and our characters. So we sat and went through the script a few times, each time different ways. 

We spoke about accents and if were going to use them for our characters and decided to just do what felt more comfortable to you. Since my character is one of a higher class i decided i would use correct diction but not neccessarily use an accent for him. I also decided because i am playing a male, even though my voice is fairly deep anyway i do need to make my voice more rough. I think this will make a huge difference between my two characters and it will be easier to know i am playing both male and female roles. 

Off text improv-

We were put into our groups and had to create a small scene similar to ours in the plays based off a situation given to us on a piece of paper. 

Although it was difficult for some to get the general jist of the whole thing. I think it did help with understanding our scenes better. Since we were doing them in a modern way it gave us the chance to understand them in more of a Shakespearean way too. Overall i think doing exercises like this really help people with getting the full idea of a scene or character they are portraying. 

70's theme for Twelfth Night

We thought of doing a 70's theme for the Twelfth Night and would use rollerskates, disco clothes and afros. This would not only help make our scene more funnier if we were to fall but also makes it more visual as to give them something more to look at. 

However after looking at the cost of getting this type of costume it would be too much money and so we decided to think of something different and more fitting.

Which is why we thought of using the them of being in school. It fit into our scene really well as we had mine, Sian and Danielles characters be the bitchy group of girls that think theyre better than  everyone else and then there is Andrew who plays the nerd that we pick on and pull the prank of giving him the letter that he think is from the girl he has a crush on. 

I do think this will work better as we are able to do the whole bitchy thing behing his back. We are going to be drawing on a white board, squirting a water gun and generaly making fun of him. 

Twelfth Night- Maria/Fabian

I have decided to add both Maria and Fabian's lines together as in our scene Maria has a small amount of lines and 

The Tempest- Antonio

Antonio is the brother of Prospero. A power hungry man who would go against his own brother to get what he wants. 

He betrayed Prospero in order to gain power and status. You instantly get the vibe of a powerful man that would do anything to get what he wants. 

I am actually going to play Antonio as a male and just change my body language and mannerisms to suit the character. I know this will be a challenge but i think i can pull it off. This is actually very different to when Shakespeare would of wrote the play. Women were actually not allowed to act and so men would play an women characters and young boys that hadnt hit puberty would play girls. This shows the massive change and development in teatre over the years. 

costume- 

After we had decided on the theme of early 1900's/gangsters. I looked at costume ideas and decided to use this one as a guide. 

I will wear black pants, dress shirt, tie and braces with plain shoes. Because of the fact i am playing a male i have decided to have my hair back and very little make up so that there is a clear difference between my characters. 

Production meeting

we have decided to start the performance off with a storm and start with The Tempest. We decided to have one of the Prospero's standing on stage looking like theyre controlling everything else, whilst everyone else is miming pulling rope and moving staging. 

We decided to put the two plays seperately as we thought it would be too confusing to mix them as we are only doing some scenes. 

There was an idea to include physical theatre in there by doing some sort of dancing to also represent the storm. 

We also decided to set days for each play. Monday for The Tempest and Tuesday for Twelfth Night. This is going to be easier for everyone and a lot less confusing as it gets us used to having to swtich between the two and not just focus on one of them. 

I think although it might seem a bit confusing at first to be doing two plays instead of one it will actually be a lot easier. We only have a couple scenes each and only have to focus on those and not a full play. I think its best to put  them seperately and also better for the audience as it wont be as confusing. 

Iambic Pentameter.

A form of verse (type of poetry). The verse form follows certain rules:

Iamb; 2 syllable section

Pent; 5 sets of Iambs, sometimes referred to as feet

Meter; refers to the the rhythm, which is similar to a heart beat which is why it sounds natural when doing it. 

Verse prose; this is not a verse form and doesnt follow any rules. 

Poem- Verse

Novel- Prose

Rhythm- 

 De-dum De-dum De-dum De-dum De-dum (De) if there is an extra syllable it is often a part of the next characters line and is meant to be said quickly as to finish off the beat. 

Punctuation is used to mark a pause within lines. If there are no commas of full stops you dont pause. 

-we did an exercise with this. We had a script and had to tap to the beat wewere  speaking and when there were paises we would stop walking and turn another way when starting again. This actually really helped because it helps you to get the bey more quickly and naturally than making it sound forced. 

Tempest.

The final play Shakespeare wrote by himself. The way Prospero leaves his magic behind is said to be a metaphor for Shakespeare ending his days as a playewright. 

The play is about a magician, Prospero that was banished from being Duke of Milan by his own brother. Gonzalo, an old lord helped Prospero escape safely with his daughter, thus leading them to an Island. 

Prospero causes a storm as a ship is coming back from Africa to Italy. The ship holds the king of Naples, his son and entourage. The people are thrown overboard and wash up on different parts of the Island. Being seperated from his son, Alonso begins to think Ferdinand has died. However he has landed on a different part and has fallen in love with Miranda, Prospero's daughter and is made to work for Prospero in order to gain his blessing for them to marry. 

Ariel, a spirit enslaved by Prospero leads the newcomers to Prospero's cell and learns of plans of Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban to go against Prospero for also enslaving Caliban.  

As they arrive Prospero reveals himself and makes the plans to return to Milan, Miranda and Ferdinand marry and Ariel is finally set free. 

My scene; Act 2, Scene 1. 

I am working with Jess, Sian, Ryan, Chloe and Danielle in this scene. 

My character is Antonio, I am playing the character as a male rather than changing it to a female. This is a challenge for me as I have to take on characteristics of a male and the body language plus i need to make my voice sound believable. This is very different than to what would of happened in Shakespearean times as only males were able to act. But I think this shows just how much has changed within not only theatre but society. Women were not allowed to do many things and it is all very different now. I think if i can manage to pull this off it will make the scene a lot more interesting and believable as Sebastian will have a strong male character at his side and not a female. 

In the scene my character and Ryans; Sebastion are taking the mick out of the others, placing bets on then and also talking of plans to kill Alonso so Sebastion can become king. 

Ideas we have so far are for myself and Ryan to look around the place like it is beneath us and we could do so much better than being there. We are always making sly comments or giving sly looks to eachother as a way of making fun of them.