Unit 8 LO 4

UAL Diploma in Performing & Production Arts

Student name:

Evaluation & Reflection – Diaries

You must reflect on your project journey. Below is a diary format you may use for this.

Be thorough & detailed. Use specialist terminology BUT always explain what it means!

1. Date: w/c 21st March 2022

You are required to choose at least 2 sessions from the week stated above to reflect on.

Session 1: What did you do during this project session?

How did you prepare for the session?

To prepare for this session I made sure all my props were ready for the day and
checked I had all my costumes packed in my suitcase. I also look for a stage makeup
inspiration picture on Google to see how I needed to do my stage makeup so I didn’t
look washed out in front of the lights.

What was the aim of the session ( Can you link this to your planner?)
The aim of the session was to do a full tech rehearsal with microphones, lighting and
costume to help the tech team understand their lighting cues and to get a better
understanding of the running order (who needs microphones and for what pieces).

Warm up?-
We did both a physical and vocal warm up with Owen and Michelle to make sure we
were warmed up for the day ahead. We started with some cardio (star jumps, running
on the spot, spring bull changes and twist jumps) with Michelle and then moved on to
core (push ups, sit ups, crunches and the plank). We then moved on to the vocal warm
up with included scales, somewhere over the rainbow in various pitches and moo, mo,
mar, may, me.

What was it, what was the point, how did it help you?
It helped us to get ready for the long day ahead, it was also early in the morning so we
need something to prepare us before we went into singing the big numbers.

Repertoire work?
Today we were mainly working for the tech team, the tech rehearsal is very important
because they need to know cues for different lighting and sound effects they also need to
know what volume to have the microphones at for different people because some have a
louder voice than others. They need to know where to place staging on the stage and
where probs need to be placed. The show wouldn’t be able to run without the tech
rehearsal.
End of session
At the end of the session we ran through notes that were given for both the tech team
and the cast and made sure everyone understood what needed to be improved, for
example some of the scene changes needed to be fast and more smooth. This mainly
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meant getting on and off stage faster and making sure any chairs or benches were in the
correct position to be spot lighted.

Was this a productive session? Y/N? Why?

Break it down
This session was productive and very necessary, although it was a long day it was
extremely important because it’s the first time doing the production with the stage,
lighting, costume and sound. It’s important for us to practice on the stage, without
practicing we wouldn’t know where our prions were, when to be on stage or how long
we’ve got until we’re on stage.

What? Why? How? How will this help?

It gives us an insight into what else goes on behind the scenes of the production, it also
educates us on how to behave for example not being to loud back stage or being polite to
the crew members, no matter how busy it gets. It prepares us for being in the industry.

Were there any problems you had to overcome? If so, what & how did you do this?
This could be anything, again, break it down.
There were a few technical difficulties with the microphones and lighting which took a
few minutes to fix. But again this is all part of the process of a tech rehearsal and if this
want done the show wouldn’t run smoothly at all. We also had a few issues with
organization on the tech rehearsal because people were loosing their costumes because
they didn’t put them back properly. To solve this we decided that everyone should have
their own section to avaoid things getting lost. This worked very effectively for the last
half of the tech rehearsal and we continued this into the dress rehearsal and shows.

What are your plans for your next session AND how will you achieve them?
The next session we have will be the show I want to stay as organized as I did in the tech
rehearsal and hope everything runs smoothly and efficiently throughout. I want to be
able to do my quick changes as quickly as possible so I can get on stage in time and I
need to remember what times I need a microphone.
Set your self some targets (Link it to your planner)
You can bullet point as long as you go into detail underneath each one.
WHAT, HOW, WHEN, WHY?

Session 2: What did you do during this project session?

How did you prepare for the session?

I brought all of the things I forgot to bring in the tech rehearsal such as (hair grips and
clips, tan tights, hair bobbles and spare fish nets). All of these things aren’t necessary
but could help me or other people if something goes wrong such as tights ripping or hair
not being slicked back enough.

What was the aim of the session ( Can you link this to your planner?)
The aim of the session was to go through the show with lighting and sound as if it was
the real show. We had the run through yesterday where we were able to stop and start
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and sort the lighting, sound and staging out. But today we needed to run through it
smoothly. This gives us an exact idea of how long we have to get changed and to be side
stage. In the tech rehearsal it was hard to judge how long we had to get changed
because of the stopping and starting.
Warm up?-

What was it, what was the point, how did it help you?
It helped us get a better understanding of how to act during the real show. The dress
rehearsal give the cast and crew insight on how quickly things need to be on and off
stage. It helped me understand the running border better, I briefly counted how long I
have to get change. This is especially beneficial for my during my quick changes.

Repertoire work?
Again we were working with the tech team but we were mainly working with the back
stage crew who help us with getting microphones on and off and keeping the backstage
environment as pleasant as possible. I learnt how important it is to be vigilant through
the rehearsals on stage because you can’t be distracted by anyone because it’s quite
possible you’ll miss your cue, working with the backstage crew really helps because they
will always have a copy of the running order to show you if you’re lost.

Was this a productive session? Y/N? Why?

Break it down
Again this was both a productive and necessary lesson it was the final preparation for
the show that evening and gave us a complete view of how the show was going to look
and sound. It was the last chance to go over any questions we had about staging or
lighting ect.. I personally was worried about how well my quick change would go
because I only have the change over music to get changed. But the backstage crew
helped me find ana area where I could keep my costume nearer the stage, and they
offered to help me with the quick change. We managed to organize a way to do the
change effectively.
What? Why? How? How will this help?

Were there any problems you had to overcome? If so, what & how did you do this?
This could be anything, again, break it down.
One big challenge we had to overcome is the fact that Maddie lost her voice this left
ameila without a partner for her duet ‘for good’ because I had a good idea of the song, I
offered to stand in so the song didn’t have to be cut. I had to find the costume and learn
the staging quickly, but after the run on stage ameila and I went backstage and
practiced that song several time so I had a good idea of what I was doing.

What are your plans for your next session AND how will you achieve them?
I want to be able to do the show with minimal mishaps and perform it the best I ever
had. I want to get the duet between ameila and I done without any mistakes.
Set your self some targets (Link it to your planner)
You can bullet point as long as you go into detail underneath each one.
WHAT, HOW, WHEN, WHY?
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