Shannon Chapman Acting Level 3 Blog

Good points-

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The show was going at a good pace because actors were hitting their queues and the characterisation was strong. Everyone was acting in the moment and focussed on our main objective which is to tell the story. My delivery was good too because I was focused and had energy which I used to sustain my physicality and walk. I experimented with my character by incorporating research I got from Jessica Rabbit. This was to stroke my ankle with the other foot when walking towards the audience. She used this to flirt and instantly attract their attention.

Bad points- __________

Everyone was tired and in act 2 we were running low on energy. It felt like a second show because we were getting worn out quickly and wasn't saving energy or physically looking after ourselves properly. This may have been due to lack of sleep or not sourcing our bodies with the right foods. It wasn't my strongest performance because I didn't play and just stuck with the same routine , to stay safe and not take any risks.

Audience response- ---------------------

These are the types of fun actives I would teach at a primary school.

Cat & Mouse ____________

This game is suitable for all ages as everyone can play it. It successfully works because it allows you to get physically warm and it is similar to the common game ' It' which is renowned as a popular children's activity.

How do you play it? __________________

You have to find a partner and stand in a space linking arms with that person. I would add additional music to make everyone energised and dance which would create a positive atmosphere in the space. Two actors are then assigned as cat and mouse.

The cat's purpose is to catch the mouse by tapping them on the body if not already linked arms with someone. It then follows the opposite for the mouse who's job is get away from the cat and link arms with somebody to ensure their safety.

Children will love the energy of this game and how much you can play. The freedom is what makes it fun and the feeling of being chased is very exciting even for older people as well as children. That's the best aspect about the game because you can interact a lot with other actors, which is a good way to meet people.

Name game- --------------

This is again appropriate for all ages. It is great to get to know people for the first time and gain a good focus as a company.

How to play it: _____________

You form a circle and you take it turns to make eye contact with someone , say their name and swap places with them. This is continuous and if everyone is comfortable with going up a level. I can increase the pace of the game by asking two people at once to swap positions. This will make the game more challenging and will make the actors be more aware of what is happening and speed up their reactions.

It is a simple and easy activity for children who will understand the rules and apply them.

Opposite game- ______________

To make the workshop more advanced aiming to teach teenagers rather than young children. I would play this game to test focus and listening skills as an actor. Also it will practice people to spatially aware of others and having to instantly react to instructions.

How to play to it: ______________

I will ask participants to walk around the space with purpose. This builds a dynamic energy in the room and warms everyone up. They are not allowed to continuously keep walking in circles to mix up the dynamic. Otherwise it will get boring and the energy will not be able to travel.

Examples-- ------------

Instructions: Clap , jump , stop and go.

Clap ---jump Jump---clap Stop ---- go Go --- stop.

The aim of this game is to listen to the direction and respond by doing the opposite action. It's a good mind challenge and will allow your brain to wake up and for you to get physically active.

What went well? 

_______________

I still brought a lot of energy to my performance  even though I was extremely tired. It was capable because I performed at my own pace and didn't push myself too much. I enjoyed every moment and predominantly regained a strong focus in the ending scenes. My reactions were insistent and I stayed in character really well. I even got into the music as Rascae and used different gestures to reveal a false character who only cares about herself and nobody else.

What didn't go well? __________________

The sound team are starting to make a bad effect on the show. For the introduction of the slide show , no sound came on. This was embarrassing because all the audience were looking at is a selection of pictures, which would have been dis interesting and less interactive. During the doctors movement I felt very unfocused and knew it wasn't mentally one of my strongest deliveries. I was continuously smirking but didn't know why I was because I was completely out of character.  There were some late queues too which weakened it and power phrasing because one actor was too unreliable to play someone else's role. The actor just about got through the scene and that was lucky.

How did the audience react to the comedy and entertainment? _________________________________________________________

Good points-

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I was focused and successfully engaged with the audience as an actor. This is paramount because they need to feel a part of your world. In addition I discovered more about my character , more emphasised movement and childish mannerisms like mocking the good side when doing the dance off. I've also started to interact more with other actors doing this which was fun because we bounce off each other and our attitude. Showing the similarities between characters in the play, mine was with Screecher.

Bad points- -------------

The doctor' spiced is continuously getting messy and we need to clean it up. Our ordering was wrong because actors are forgetting where they are and when their queues are. This was show went well but it wasn't our best show as a company.  There wasn't a good amount of energy and it only worked when we were feeding off the audience's energy. We should produce the energy ourselves and not have to do that. In addition to the technical aspects, I noticed that there was no music when I was walking down stage to the audience. This was peculiar because I was walking to no music when I was supposed to be. Unfortunately the globe transition failed as well. We didn't push it enough onto stage which led me to performing in the wing which was annoying. I was hidden by other actors the whole time!

Good parts:

__________

The energy was better during this run. It was a lot higher compared to other runs and everyone performed with lots of enthusiasm on stage. I put energy into my Doctor's movement which made my moves sharper and made me more connected to the sinister atmosphere of the piece. Also I had strong focus because I got into the right mindset and didn't get anything wrong. Which was good because I delivered well and didn't lack anything. I were most pleased about how smooth the globe transition was. We were really struggling with counter balance because we were putting too much weight on one side , which caused it to crash into the light or drastically turn. It was fine this time because we didn't put too much weight on it. We just pushed it forward with a little force not too much. This worked because it perfectly pushed it into the light with no errors.

Bad parts: _________

Act 1 was very slow , it dragged a lot because actors were elongating speech too much. It must have been draining for the audience and make them fall asleep because we lost the punchy dynamic of voice between two characters. Suddenly the energy dropped and everything was going downhill. Actors were not making the most of what they have and wasn't trying to bring animated characteristics to their performance. It died a little , went flat.

What was the audience's response? _______________________________

Positives: 

________

I felt brave enough to explore the sexual qualities of Rascae. To make the audience more interested I shook my boobs to show how flirtatious she is. This was entirely inappropriate because children were watching and I'm adamant it made them feel uncomfortable. Therefore I won't be experimenting things like this again, it was a huge mistake but I'm proud of myself for taking a risk with my confidence. The show was running at a good pace too, we all drove it well and the energy was mostly up all the time. This kept the performance active and alive to prevent the audience becoming bored.

Negatives: _________

We experienced a lot of problems with the technical team. At one point the house lights came on in the middle of a scene. This was unintentional and a random awkward moment for the actors because we could see everyone's faces. Due to Harrison tripping over he slipped and must have hit the button. Additionally Alex was too early for his queue and walked on stage , looking at the audience. This took their focus off what was currently happening and broke their engagement instantly. Also I was reacting for the sake of it and don't know how to keep bringing something new. I've got into a habit where I know what is going to be said next and have a sequence of reactions revealed to the audience. I need to change it up and look into different ways of retaliating as it can get repetitive and start to look false from an audience perspective. I need to act like I've never heard it before and that's hard.

How the audience responded: ___________________________

Good points: 

____________

We did entertain the audience and successfully told the story of Return to Oz. These are two aims we have and most importantly, they were fully engaged the whole time. I feel that my characterisation was strong and I delivered well , also I interacted more with the poppies which was nice because we bounced off each other more and It fulfils my role with two people and not independently.

Bad points : _________

The run was very sloppy in places , some music queues were late and we lacked energy. This is because we are tired and are finding it difficult to perform with lots of energy consistently for weeks. It's impossible to stay active and energised for a long time because our body and mind wouldn't naturally allow it to happen. Therefore we will experience weaker shows and not everyone is going to be strong. I assume music queues were late because everyone was focused and forgot when to play their instruments. This may be due to the same reasons as actors although more mentally than physically.

Audience response: _________________

Good aspects: ____________

I noticed that over exaggeration of character works because it easily provokes a better reaction.  In my last scene I emphasised my line more and pulled facial expressions to make my character more interesting and animated. My physicality is getting stronger too as I try very hard to sustain my character even though it's hard to keep it up. It's massively improved from the beginning because I wasn't straightening my back as much and didn't completely understand the overpowering presence of Rascae compared to everyone else. I had good focus too because I responded quickly to my queues.

Bad aspects: ____________

We suffered with a lot of technical issues during this show. The sound and lighting team failed to work cooperatively due to miscommunication. An example would be when it said " Knome King" there was no sound effect of an explosion and no flash of lighting. This was suppose to happen and because it didn't , it made the show less effective which was unfortunate. Also music was played randomly at one point and actors glanced upstage taking their focus off what was happening. It was very unprofessional and I'm sure they snapped out of character too. This is a constant problem for me too. The wings are always open and therefore we are aware of what's going on back stage because we can see them. It's an off putting inconvenience for me because I want to focus on my performance not that.