Schools Project

7 December 2014

SHH IT'S A
SECRET
My Strengths
Honesty
I feel my honesty is a strong
strength of mine because I say
how I feel to the company and I
normally don't like doing this but
I feel I have grown in maturity to
just know what I say will make me
feel better.

01/12/14
Shows and Lates:
Wednesday and Thursday lates
Next Monday, Wednesday and Thursday lates
Next Friday at 8.30 - 9.00 gravelyhill primary school
Saturday 13th 2.30, 7.30 pm at miskin

Finding inspiration

Sunday 14th 2pm, 5pm miskin

I have been struggling with

this recently but after this
week on Thursdays trip to
Redbridge it made me realise
how lucky I am and why I am
an actor and why I'm doing
what I'm doing, which is the
motivation I needed.

Monday 15th 12pm Brockton centre.

Taking Risks
During the animal workshop this
week I feel I really went for it and
the character workshop in general
I really went for it and didn't
think about it. I feel like I'm
really trying to explore character
as we only have little time left.

Tuesday 16th afternoon 1pm ish lessness Heath primary

school belvedere

Roles:
Tour manager
Daniella
Harriet
Amber
Costume
Levi
Lewis
Charley
Liaising and Marketing:
Alex
Sam

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7 December 2014

My Weaknesses

Julia

Motivation

Props

I feel like I haven't had a lot

of motivation for a long
time and have found the
company really hard to
work with so haven't tried
as hard as I could had.

Erol
Connor
Set
Erol
Charley

Getting along with

company

Connor
Hair and makeup

I feel like this week I have

been cold with some
company members because
they have been like that
with me and I feel like I
should just work
professionally and be the
bigger person.

Being an Actor
I feel like I'm forgetting to
become an actor as during
the week I was asked to
play Ruth as if I was a ballball and I didn't change I
found it was hard with
Amber and the energy as
well as the script stopping
me. I need to understand
the script more and be o
book so I can really explore
my physicality and
character.

Amber
Harriet

Read Through Script:

We got the whole script!!!! We read through scene by scene
and had the opportunity to try for characters we wanted to be
cast as, I liked granny and Ruth and after seeing their
character journeys I liked Ruth more than granny. I feel I can
bring something dierent to them, but I think granny would
be more fun as an actor to play. The play didn't seem long
when reading it and I think that good for children's theatre so
that the story is driven and they don't get bored but that is
also down to the actors bringing the energy and character as
well. My favourite scenes are the gramps and granny when
they visit Ruth because you see a dierent side to her and the
scenes are slightly re written but similar and it's sweet. The
moral of the story about the importance of family is a sweet
message that I think the children will be able to connect to.

02/12/14
Songs:
1.Let it snow- glee
2.I just really miss you 3.Santa clause is coming to town - Jackson five / Mariah Carey
4.Devil woman - cli Richard

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7 December 2014

We had a little sing song of the songs in the show this morning however there was little energy and
some of the boys were mucking around so it was hard to enjoy it. I really like devil woman because it's
a good tune and we all can sing it and like it. I was thinking about trying to learn I just really miss you
on guitar so that I can play it in the show which could be another skill I can add to the show. I feel it
will be easier in character singing the songs because the intension behind the song is dierent for each
character and your voice might be dierent as well.

Casting:
Character // actor // understudy
Holly // Alex // Amber
Nicky // Harriet // Daniella
Gramps // levi // Lewis
Granny // Amber // Julia
Arthur // Erol // Levi
Jane // Daniella // Alex
Little Al // Connor // charley
Ruth // Julia // Harriet
Grumpty // Sam // Connor
Stumpty // Lewis // Erol
Numpty // charley // Sam
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7 December 2014

I'm not surprised by casting, however I feel we could have been

challenged more instead of giving characters that are similar to
ourselves like Innes has said but Carleigh said she would if we had
more time. I think we should have started this process a while ago
because I feel like I'm going to be a guest in the characters body and
not have time to really embody the character and feel like I'm going to
have a part of her with me like other characters I have played; on the
flip side I suppose that is the challenge.

Read Scenes:
We read a few scenes in our character groups and we got time to look
over one and out it on its feet for 10 minutes but Lewis and charley
disappeared whilst I saw every other group physicalising the piece and
so I did the two characters so Sam could read and vice versa. When
they came back we rehearsed the scene once as a read through then
Lewis and Charley started playing with a ball, then Lewis said lets do
the scene and then got into an argument with Sam about who was
funnier and then Carleigh came in so our scene was unrehearsed and
an abomination when performed and I was just trying to project the
best I could, cues were not hit and dropped me included as well and I
could feel the scene was dying and energy was low but I was trapped
and thought just get through it! I liked how Harriet, Alex and Daniella
physicalised theirs and Daniella's entrance was comical and I can see
that appealing to a child's audience, as well as animation from holly
and Nicky during janes speech. I think we need to be bigger physically
and really tell the story and with the bodies we need to really explore
how far we can go.

03/12/14
Character Workshop:
We started with on a scale to one to ten doing physicality and thought
process aecting the body of our character. We started at a bus stop
just waiting and our character having a tick. I kept changing mine
because although I liked it I wanted to try a dierent perspective, as
Carleigh based Ruth on Raplittle I thought I'd try that style as a
stroppy teenager. We then started to embody our character and I
really changed it up with leading from
feet and strutting my stu like a
woman, so sloppy teenager, arms
crossed marching around the place. I
thought logically to if my mum was
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Company Strengths

Playing
As a company we found a
lot of play during this week
with the workshops and our
characters especially in the
dances and songs, I feel this
brought us together more.
Choreography
There is a lot to learn in
such a short time and we
have been doing so well
learning and remembering
choreography as well as
lines

independence
We took it upon ourselves
to make sure we were
moving on and going in on
the weekend as wells how's
dedication, we are making
sure in the mornings if we
aren't with Carleigh we are
going over scenes or making
up more choreography.

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Company Weaknesses

Company
We have lost the sense of
company so when we had our
chat I did feel a shift but I feel
like we shouldn't have had to
have this chat and should have
been more professional in the
space and I'm not saying I'm not
one of these.

Off book
We need to be o book for next
week because we only have a
little time however we only have
just got the script but we all
need to be more driven to get it
done.

Dedication
We all need to be a lot more
dedicated as a company and
make everything really
important and give our all to one
project and not just not care
because we don't want to do it
but do it because it will help us
improve as an actor.

7 December 2014

Mary Poppins I would have been brought up properly so stand up

straight, spoke nicely but have an attitude and a rebel aura. Carleigh
then got us to think of animals our character would be but because I
kept exploring and changing with character tempo, pace and
placement in my character gait I found it hard because there were
dierent animals for each one. I thought of a bitchy dog who has bite
but then I started think sly and seductive like a panther and my
shoulder started moving lionesque so I went with it, I really enjoyed
the animal workshop and want to do more I found it liberating being
a dierent species and thinking about the same characteristics but
with an animals instinct. Carleigh then got us to become our
characters again with dierent percentages as an animal and as our
character which I felt helped me to embody my character more and I
felt that I was more malicious and sly and evil but I didn't feel like a
teenager which she is described as and I now need to find the smilie
rites and dierences to combine together and sew a character
together that in operate all of these elements.

Character Improv:
During our character workshop Carleigh she got us to interact with
characters around us and I was really bitchy to everyone but nice to
grumpty. I was one level even though I helped granny and gramps but
still wanted to ruin Christmas, we drank the truth poison and started
revealing secrets but I was just bitchy and I at one point was so
dramatic and I got a sense of the more melodramatic Ruth she can be
on one extreme. I liked the improvisation because I found more
about my character as well as character relationships however I feel
outnumbered with Sam with goodies so it's harder for our characters
to survive in an environment with that but I feel to explore the other
side to Ruth the nice side at the end to get the other end of the
spectrum.

Character Handshakes and Songs:

Jane, little Al and Ruth we in one group and this was before Ruth
turned bad almost a flash back of when they were kids and Daniella
said little Al reminds her of a young boy that your neighbour and
wants to play but is shy. We figured out some moments for our
characters to shine and that the audience could see mannerisms of our
adult selfs and what we will become with our attitudes. I felt it was
fun to devise although Daniella and I put the most eort in I felt we
did give Connor something to do.
With the character songs Daniella and I were together and I love
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working with Daniella we are a great team, we did our team tune to let's go fly a kite and I referred
back to the script with the pharmacy. We got the tune and some actions as well and we did more than
four lines to see how much we could devise, it was a lot of fun and put a smile of my face. I realised
that knowing how Ruth was like with janes as sisters growing up I don't feel that Ruth is mad at Jane
but at Mary Poppins but takes it out on janes sometimes but loves her deeply and cares and knows it's
not her she's mad at. This is why I'd like to explore this dierent side to her in improv because Jane is
Ruth's little sister and that big sister bond always is looking out for the younger sister and cares and
loves her no matter what. I have a sister myself and know that that bond can be the strongest in the
family between siblings.

Scenes:
Daniella and I looked at the I just really miss you song, trying to learn it then putting choreography to
it as well but we didn't get that far. I think the song suits our voices and we sound good together from
what I can hear and I think it will be a sweet and genuine moment in the script. Sam and I also talked
though ideas in devil woman which was fun.
We did scenes we looked at the Ruth and gramps and Ruth and granny which I love these scenes but
an still finding my character and don't know the script and having it double sided puts me o even
more. I felt that the scenes went terribly and I tried to put my all in my I was limited with script.
When with Amber she is quite new to acting and the energy she gave o didn't bounce back on me in
a positive was, the scene was passive and just unbearable. Claire asked me to be a ball ball, I didn't
think about it and just tried it but she said it was the same so I tried to be dierent, the scene if quite
long as well so it didn't work. I felt that it was a failed attempted and even with the gramps scene I
feel like I was trying but nothing was reflexing positive back o me and it makes me worried I have
forgotten to act !!!!! Not only that but I'm loosing faith in myself that we can achieve putting the show
out within four days rehearsal.

04/12/14
Redbridge Workshop:
There were fourteen actors present on the floor due to absence and there aren't many in the company,
there were a mix of first and second years but I couldn't tell who was who because they all seemed
clueless. I did some games and getting to know them workshops which was great, I felt I had that
silent stranger respect from the start because they didn't know me but they soon warmed to me when
I started acting silly, we started o lightly with simply going into the circle say their name and an actor
of something they like. I did an example and we went round the circle, I couldn't tell who goes for it,
who is shy, who is unfocused and doesn't take the work seriously; I know who to look out for. We then
played pass the clap and when I started to time them and for them to beat their time they started
getting competitive but as a team to beat their time which was a positive so they had to start working
as a team. Then we played pass the sound which was evident who got direction and instructions, who
went full out and wasn't scared, who could communicate. This game went on for a while and they
really warmed to the game and enjoyed themselves. I finished o with the shoe game to get some
competitiveness going in them to see how they are like with some friendly rivalry. They responded
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well although it was an inhalation! There were actors who clearly stood out to me and others who
stood out because they didn't stand out which made it clear they need attention and warm to get them
to become more confident.
After lunch I did a few more games continuing the theme of getting to know the company and how
they work together, we played 3,6,9. They found it hard not to talk and to count up from 1. I stopped
this and went to basics of circle, eyes closed (this instruction made them giggly children and this some
couldn't understand how to shut their eyes when asked three times.) and holding hands and jump as a
company. I said feel the space and feel each other be in sync work as a company, they weren't doing
well and they thought there was a trick out if I bend down everyone else will be dragged down and
then we will jump, or come in really close. I said I have done it with a company of 70 and we weren't
close together and we managed to do it, emphasising there is only a small number of them. I asked
them why they thought it wasn't working and some responded with we were taking, we are unfocused,
I said there is an energy in the room and to feel the atmosphere. They did this a few times but then
lost concentration if the went wrong and laughed and went into a school mentality.
We did 1-20 as well and they managed to do this again after a few times because they were rushing and
not getting anywhere, they identified the problem and solved it as a company with a slight push from
me however when someone said 21 they laughed and lost the focus. We did the shoe game again a
couple of time because I felt they liked that and that was a game that she started to think tactically,
however if they were out they would hang at the sides, somewhat engaged but bags were a distraction.
I did getting into the number groups into slow motion battle fight, which doesn't work without music
but I thought I'd try it anyway to get them working in a
smaller group and improvising so it linked into the bigger
exercise I was heading into. Some actors were going for
it, none of them know slow motion and get excited
which shows they are animated and they are easier to
learn and involved themselves in something new. If there
was music I would have liked to see how that influenced
them with beat and pace.

The final exercise I got them to do was getting into groups and do the improvised fairytale workshop
I was generous and gave them 10 minutes to go over and devise so they had an outline and I could give
them tips. I wanted them to physicalise there actions and used figurative mime which some of them
got but didn't know how to create it and some really didn't get it. I felt they did well from my
impression that they truly know nothing about acting. Some were creative and out their own spin on
it, it evident they have a urban rawness about their style and acting. The were some actors who went
full out taking a risk with exploring their bodies and working together as an ensemble creating a
devised fairytale.
Overall the day was very successful, the company need to learn how to work as an ensemble and to get
to know one another and really explore and play. My aim out of the day was to get to know them as a
company and how the are as actors and to play and see them create and have fun and laugh which I
achieved. I feel I know them a lot more than they know me but I feel they have a lot of potential as a
company to create work. I feel very inspired by them just by doing games and a few improvisations I
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learnt a lot from them and how to command a space independently and have that authority about me
and have a connection with strangers but have mutual ground as an actor.

05/12/14
Chat:
To sum up the end of the week we had a chat at the beginning of the morning because I went up to
Carleigh upset as Lewis moaned at me being cold as so were other people. I had enough and felt like I
didn't want to do the show because we weren't working as a company. We had a chat and got things o
our chest and out of mind and I felt that normally these conversations don't have an impact but later
on everyone was trying their hardest and working and creating which was nice to see and I think the
atmosphere was better for this afterwards.

Let It Snow Dance:

I learnt the let it snow routine after and I felt I picked it up quite quickly and also the fact there was
much choreography and some was improvised helped. We carried on the routine with Carleigh's help
and we also went away and choreographed our own character sections. Daniella and I did a tap routine
with some competitiveness to it and one man up man ship and how we can make a major moment out
of this. I feel that you really see and understand the characters I don't know why Arthur is with the
Christmas twins but it's nice seeing all the characters at the beginning but not knowing their stories. I
feel we are in a good place now and all we need to do is a physical lift section, we are enjoying it as a
company and personally I'm having a lot of fun with the routine I just now need to crisp the
movements up more.

Run Scenes 1-5:

We ran the beginning through to the fifth scene of the play and it was great that I can see some sort
of structure already, with my scene with the dumpy brothers I found it hard with my entrance after
the song because it's high energy and comical. I felt that the energy was higher and cues were better
than when we did it before but I feel the scenes needs to be worked because once we discover the feel
and mood of the scene and character relationships we will bring this to the rest of the scenes we have
together. I need to also get used to being bigger and remembering it is theatre for children and it
needs to be more physical when I get o book and learnt my lines this will be easier.

Thoughts:
We improvised it and kept some stu we just went for it and I feel that it was more energised and it
had the intention them- Lewis
I don't think we started o strong in our scene - Sam
Wasn't an 10 from the start - charley
I loved doing the dance and I can see the story - Alex
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We are getting very tired and we need to have higher energy - Alex
The mass panic of the first dance helped the scene - Harriet
Perform to the audience more but I feel the play need more control - Harriet
First run of scenes and the energy,
It's high energy all the way though and I'm really knackered, we need to keep that energy high charley
The story and what these characters re saying are really important - Carleigh
It needs to be highly physical - Carleigh
All the developments of character workshops feel apart, I can see moments but it's no consistent Carleigh
Missing element of play, when there's an audience I'll have it more but I'm not feeling the character at
the moment - Connor
You need to find the balance with performing as if there was an audience so your not thrown o Carleigh
We are thinking of ideas to include in our scene and we are a little lost how to physicalise it - Lewis
Other scenes physicality helps the scene but we are struggling to find a way to physicalise it - Sam
Great when you tried to do backing vocals to back up Sam but it worked - Carleigh
There was a lot of play today and I really enjoyed my scene - Erol
Make these moments count - Carleigh
I enjoyed the fun and play I had and I liked working the scene and I feel like it's
improved but I think when we have props there will be more to play with, I feel
I'm moving for no reason and not having that instinct. I feel clearer with my
character - Julia
You have to adapt the show to the space but don't loose the okay - Carleigh
I enjoyed seeing the story more and the flow felt better, I feel I'm trying to get
thought it but not thinking about the finer details - Daniella

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Action Plan:
think positive
Work as a company
Off book
- Keep independence
Take on notes

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