Diploma in Perfor

Performing &
Production Arts
Unit 8 Project Proposal

Candidate Mia van Dyk

Name
Candidate 371357
Number
Pathway Performing and Production Arts
Level 3: Acting
Project Title Final Major Project: The Sad Club

Section 1: Review
I joined this course to gain confidence and experience that would help me develop the right skills that I
can use and take forward into my future career. Working with a variety of talented practitioners,
specialized in different areas of the performing arts industry excited me, as I was keen to learn as much
as I could about all the parts that make a show and this course has definitely given me the greatest
opportunities to do that. Throughout these units I feel as though I have gained so many skills that I didn’t
even realise I could gain. I have had a lot of experience in the past with musical theatre as I attended a
drama school for seven years, but I have done hardly any straight plays, so I was nervous about this, as
I felt as though my acting wasn’t as strong as my singing and dancing. However, so far this year I think
my acting has definitely improved and I have a lot more confidence to step out of my comfort zone, this
is because of the lovely environment everyone has created on the course, it has been great working
with so many amazingly talented people, I haven’t just learnt skills from the course itself but the people
who are apart of it too. Specifically, I now have a deeper understanding of immersive set and the
process of how it is made and how the creative decisions are influenced, I liked trying something new
and getting an insight into costume design as well. During our scratch project, I really enjoyed working
collaboratively and combining ideas to create something original, I have never done anything like this
before, but the final result made me proud of how far I have come compared to when I first joined this
course. My long term aspiration is to be an actress, I would love to act for tv but also on stage. I adore
the thrill and adrenaline from performing in front of a live crowd and there is something so rewarding in
making people laugh, smile and just feel. Meeting others in the industry on this course and hearing
about their experiences, has definitely given me more inspiration and motivation to take risks and try my
absolute best to reach my goals.

Section 2: Project Concept

For my final major project I am going to be a part of a piece of gig theatre called the sad club. The play
focuses on some teenagers that are experiencing different forms of mental health issues, for example
depression or anxiety. These teens are worried about their future, their image at school and their
relationships. As they try to keep their concerns a secret, they have no idea that they are not alone, all
feeling the same way and are all a part of this theoretical club; the sad club. The story shows many
different perspectives from young teens in many time periods through monologues, duologues and
song. It explores the problems that stop us from enjoying life and how we might go about solving these
to better ourselves. Although there is a deep message behind the show, the performance itself is very
comedic throughout and each scene is very different, making it enjoyable and intriguing for an audience.
There is a lot of research that can support the developments of this play and the final product. We can
do a lot of thorough research into mental health and it’s effects on teenagers to help clearly portray the
message of our play but we can also focus on gig theatre itself and the way we are going to creatively
tell those individual stories. We can use presentations, music and written explanations to express the
helpful material we have researched, which can later on be applied into the rehearsal space. I am going
to be using a studio to create and rehearse parts of the show, a large open space like this is what I need
to be able to explore any ideas. I am also going to use my script to learn all my lines and refer back to in
practical sessions to make notes and keep organised. Lastly, I am going to make the most out of my
tutorial and peer feedback by applying it into the rehearsal space and my character development, as
well as using it to see what areas I might need additional research to prepare myself for the
performance.

Section 3: Evaluation
Throughout this project there is a lot that I will do in order to reflect and evaluate my work. I am going to
make sure that after each session I make notes on what we did in the practical space, specifically
looking at what worked well and what didn’t. In the long term this will be very helpful as i will have notes
to look back on, so when it comes to creating material for the play we won’t have to revisit anything that
didn’t work. Alongside this, I am going to record a video diary each week, to discuss my thoughts and
feelings about research I have undergone and the work in the practical space. This sort of evaluation
will be effective as I can go into a lot of depth when I am talking, it also is a great way to document any
ideas and summarise each week, so when I need reminding I can watch one of my videos. Additionally,
these weekly videos will help document any changes in creative decisions and with my character
development as I will be talking about feedback I have been given from practitioners and this will help
me grow and advance my practical ability in preparation my final performance. Working collaboratively
has its positives and negatives in a project like this. Criticism from others can be quite difficult to take
sometimes, especially when it’s from your close friends. Some people like to take complete control
when devising, which can be quite frustrating, especially when you might have your own ideas which
are equally as good or better. However, working collaboratively is very good because you can get so
many more interpretations and interesting ideas, which are so important when generating creative
material. To minimise any disruption that others could cause, I will aim to focus as much as I can in
session and try to ignore any disruption from the rest of the ensemble, as this will effect my performance
and slow the process down, especially if my director has to constantly be repeating herself.

Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format)

Bryant, M. (2019) Hundreds of young people join Greta Thunberg in climate protest outside Un, The
Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/30/greta-thunberg-
un-climate-protest-new-york (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Copsey, R. (2020) The official top 40 biggest songs of 2019, Official Charts. Available at:
https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-biggest-songs-of-2019__28072/
(Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Ford, R. et al. (2024) The British general election of 2019 and the future of British politics, UK in a
changing Europe. Available at: https://ukandeu.ac.uk/british-general-election-of-2019/ (Accessed:
29 March 2024).
Garcia-Arocena, D. (2015) Happy or SAD: The chemistry behind Depression, The Jackson Laboratory.
Available at: https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/jax-blog/2015/december/happy-or-sad-the-
chemistry-behind-depression (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Gehrke, L. (2020) Boris Johnson announces ‘radical change’ to UK education system, POLITICO.
Available at: https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-announces-radical-change-to-uk-
education-system/ (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Leahy, F., Newton, P. and Khan, A. (2021) Learning during the pandemic: Quantifying Lost
Time, GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/learning-during-the-
pandemic/learning-during-the-pandemic-quantifying-lost-time (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Lindsay, J.M. (2019) Ten most significant world events in 2019, Council on Foreign Relations. Available
at: https://www.cfr.org/blog/ten-most-significant-world-events-2019 (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Matera, A. (2019) 9 fashion trends I’ll be wearing all 2019, Teen Vogue. Available at:
https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/popular-fashion-trends-2019 (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Speare-Cole, R. (2019) 2019 in review: A look at the biggest stories of the past 12 months, Evening
Standard. Available at: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/2019-year-in-review-biggest-
news-stories-a4318711.html (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Taylor, M. (2019) Children across the UK go on strike to demand action on climate, The Guardian.
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/29/children-across-the-uk-go-
on-strike-to-demand-climate-change-action (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Watson, S. (2021) Dopamine: The pathway to pleasure, Harvard Health. Available at:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dopamine-the-pathway-to-pleasure (Accessed: 29
March 2024).

Project Action Plan and Timetable

Week Date Week Activity / What you are intending to do - Resources / What you will need to do it -
Beginning including independent study including access to workshops
1 Tuesday – We began with a warm up as Script
19th an ensemble and played a few games to A notebook
February get to know our director. This helped us
focus before we started our session and
it helped get our bodies ready as well as
our minds. Shortly after, we were handed
our scripts and had our first read
through together. Our director explained
the overall idea of the show and what she
wanted to achieve through it. I think this
play is well suited to us, as most
characters our teenagers facing
problems most of us have faced at some
point. I especially like the characters
Stacey and Sarah, I hope I get to play one
of them. We also looked briefly at the
music, only focusing on the lyrics, so I
look forward to hearing the melodies that
go along with them.

Wednesday – We had our first

movement session today with our lovely
movement director, Lindsey. After
warming up our bodies, we were given
simple steps to follow in two counts of
eight. We then elevated these steps by
making them more exaggerated or softer,
this demonstrated how easy it is to start
developing movement ideas. Afterwards,
we got into pairs and directed each
other’s floor work. It was interesting to
see this floor work standing up as well or
against a wall, to create a different story
or feeling.

Independent – I read through the script

again so I had a deeper understanding of
the play. I need to get a folder to hold my
script and notes, I think if I stay
organized it will help with the busy
process.
2 Tuesday - As per usual, we started our Script
26th day with an ensemble warm up and a few Folder
February games, to improve our focus and unify Notebook
our group. Then our director, Krista Any previous notes taken
Mathews, assigned us all with different
scenes to get a feel of which characters
we might suit and portray well, as there
are going to be no auditions, Krista
wants us to explore with multiple
characters, this will also help deepen our
understanding of the play. We watched
everyone’s interpretations of the scenes
and it was very interesting to experiment
with character relationships and setting.
We met our musical director, Alex. We
did quite a few vocal exercises with him,
so we don’t strain our voice when we
 sing and so our voices are prepared. He
split us into four groups: sopranos, alto
1s, alto 2s and tenors. After this, we
learnt the first song in our play, which
has a four way harmony. It was very
difficult to learn, as it is music we have
never heard before, so far it sounds very
good.

Wednesday – After a warm up, we

specifically looked at individual traveling
sequences. This involved improvised
movement as we had to travel across the
room on the floor, making our
movements soft and continuous. Shortly
after, we got into small groups and
created 5 still images that represented
every day life. We had to add transitions
between these and then we showed what
we had devised back to our other peers.
Lindsey also made us experiment with
speech to see if that is something we
could use during the movement in our
play.

Independent – I am going to focus on my

presentation this week, by doing a lot of
research into the science behind feeling
happy and sad. I am also going to listen
to the songs in our play as we have been
given all the tracks now.
3 Tuesday – Firstly, we warmed up with Script
4th March some stretching and games to prepare Folder
for the session. Krista then split us into 4 Any notes
groups to look at 4 different scenes in a Song lyrics
lot of detail. My group analyzed scene 3,
which is the one set in Australia. We
looked at the text and thought about
what imagery was connected to it and
what it connoted, this helped us
understand what the characters were
saying. We also looked at set and
costume design, we imagined it set in a
desert and we imagined the costumes to
be quite stereotypically Australian.
Afterwards, we also thought about the
relationship between the characters in
the scene, we though that they would be
childhood friends as they seem very
close in this scene. Every group
presented there ideas and I think this
helped build a world for our play. In our
session with Alex we finished learning
the song that we had started last week, it
was great hearing all of it and the
harmonies worked very well.
Additionally, we had extra time to look at
the swimming race song, which was
 quite complicated but after practicing a
few times, it sounded amazing.

Thursday – Half of us presented our

research today. It was interesting to hear
the information that related to our play. I
think after watching all the presentations
I will find it easier to develop my
character and devise work in the
practical space.

Independent – As our movement session

was cancelled this week, I am going to
look at the footage of some ideas we had
in our last movement session and make
some mental notes of what I think works
well, so I can feedback to our director.
I’m also going to listen back to the
recordings of my harmony in the songs,
so I can get I stuck in my head.
4 Tuesday – Our session started with a Script
11th March brief warm up and run through of the Folder
day. This was to help us focus and
understand what needed doing today in
Previous notes
order for our play to develop. Krista yet Highlighters
again, assigned us all with scenes she
would like us to perform and I was given
the character, Lady Homerton, to learn,
but I also asked if I could read for Sarah
as well because I would really like to play
her in the show. Afterwards, we all
rehearsed the scenes we were given and
then we performed them back to the
group, Krista took notes on our
interpretations and characters we played,
whilst we watched everyone perform. I
liked seeing all the scenes on their feet,
as I have read through them quite a few
times now, so it was nice to see them
acted out informs of me. I am very
excited to see the cast list next week.
Later on, we learnt a whole new song
with our musical director, this was
successful and I think we are getting the
hang of learning the material now.

Wednesday – We had our usual warm up

today, as well as a frantic assembly
exercise that was designed to strengthen
the core. This was very important as
today we were lifting people and in order
to do this you have to really engage your
core and arms. The lifts are very
technical so Lindsey wanted us to learn
how to safely and effectively perform
them early on, so when it came to show
week, we would be confident. At the end
of the session, we were put into little
 groups and we came up with a lifting
routine where we traveled across the
space with someone being lifted and
then placed down, we all got to have a go
as a base and top of a lift, it was very fun.

Independent – I am going to do some

research into lifting, as I would like to
experiment with different ways we can lift
people in the space, it would be good if I
could contribute some ideas. I am also
going to keep practicing the songs.
5 18th March Tuesday- After our usual warm up and a Script
few games to prepare us for the session, Folder
Krista split us into two groups to devise
movement for Sarah’s scene. Both
Any notes
groups had very similar interpretations Highlighters
and they were stylistically the same. One
idea we especially liked as an ensemble
is to make Stacey stand out during parts
in Sarah’s monologue where she speaks
about her beauty. Then, Krista asked us
to pick a scene from the play which we
had a clear visual image of in our head. I
decided to draw the set for the scene
with Anyu and Tuuq, as I have this vision
that it is set outside under the stars in
the rain, with a pond in between them.
Everyone fed back their ideas to the
group, it was a great way for Krista to
understand how we interpret the scenes.
It is something she can think about when
deciding how to stylistically present the
scenes. With our musical director, Alex,
we recapped all of the songs we had
learnt so far and started learning “things
this feeling feels like”, the altos did not
sing much of this song, so we just
listened to the other groups and tried
learning the lyrics when we weren’t
singing. We also found out the cast list
after our session, I will be playing Sarah.

Wednesday- In our movement session

today, we had a more energetic warm up
to start the day, this was to help our
stamina as our session was going to
involve a lot of fast and upbeat
movement. I enjoyed this warm up as an
ensemble, it was very fun. Shortly after,
we got into smaller groups and created 5
still images of events that would take
place at a party, this was to start building
a picture of the party scene. We then all
came together and overlapped our still
images, we also danced in between them
as a transition, this looked very effective.
Additionally, we looked into Michaels
 scene and the ensemble became the set
which was interesting. Half of us went on
all fours and the others sat on us like we
were the chairs at their desks in the
classroom, I liked how abstract this
looked.

Friday – We were lucky enough to have

an extra skills lesson this week. We
started the day with a gentle vocal warm
up and some harmonizing to get us use
to singing in an ensemble. Then we just
recapped everything we had already
learnt, tweaking some harmonies so they
blended better with the rest of the
ensemble.

Independent – I am going to focus on

getting all of my theory work completed
and start learning my lines, now that I
know who I will be playing in the show.
6 Tuesday – To start our session we had Script
25th March our usual warm up and played some Folder
games. This meant we could gain focus
and activate our creative minds. Krista
Any notes
decided that she wanted to take a
different approach to Michaels scene to
what Lindsey had in mind. To spark
some ideas she split us in half and we
devised our own interpretation of the
scene and how we think it should look.
We then performed these scenes back to
the group and filmed them for reference
in the future. Later on we had our
musical director, he lead a vocal warm
up as he usually does and then we just
recapped all the songs so we could learn
them over the Easter break. We
specifically sang the songs ,we weren’t
as confident with, multiple times.

Wednesday- Today we were supposed to

be working with our director and
movement director but unfortunately
Lindsey could not attend the session, so
it was just our director with us. We had a
small warm up and played a game, then
we started straight away. Krista really
wants to incorporate Britney Spears
music video “hit me baby one more time”
into Cassies scene. After discussing her
ideas, we watched the music video for
some choreography and inspiration.
Then we were split into two separate
groups and choreographed some
movement for the scene using this
choreography. Then lastly, Krista wanted
to see how we could transition between
 this dance to a canteen setting, so we
devised some material in our groups to
show her.

Independent- As we are off for a couple

weeks now, I am going to find time to
listen to the music in our play to
familiarize myself and additionally I am
going to learn the lyrics and my lines, to
make it easier for when we set my scene
during intensive rehearsals. To be
allowed into intensive rehearsals I also
need to make sure I finish all of my
theory work.

7 15th April Monday – Today was the start of our Script

intensive rehearsals. We started the Highlighters
session with our usual warm up and a
game to bring focus into the room. We
Notebook
worked on our opening scene by just Bag to use as a prop
devising some material and seeing what Pen to use as a prop
worked well for the style of the play and
the song. Afterwards we worked on
Stacey’s scene, I am part of the
ensemble in this and we just had to
dance behind the screen throughout the
scene, this ran very smoothly. Lastly, we
looked at a few of the songs in the play
because we didn’t think some of the lines
related to us as teenagers in the play.

Tuesday – In the morning I had a one

to one session with my director. This
was very helpful as we discussed the
character I am playing and collectively
thought about how we want Sarah to
be played. We focused on the units in
the monologue and her feelings in
those moments. I also kept reading my
monologue out loud, so we could think
about the inflictions on different
words and the tone, as this can change
the meaning of the monologue
completely. Overall this went very
well. Later on we put the scene on its
feet and added the ensemble to it. We
then had a bit of time to set part of
Emma’s scene, which was a struggle
for some of the cast as the timing
needs to be spot on when they slide
books on stage. It is very effective
when done well though.
Wednesday – Early in the day we had
a design presentation from our lovely
designer. The set is perfect for our
play, I am excited to see it on stage in
a few days. We then had a calming
warm up and ran through the opening
scene to refine and perfect what we
had created, we also used props on
this run which we hadn’t done before,
but we managed them very well. I
really love the look of the opening
scene. After lunch we had a session
with our musical director and we ran
through the songs we have learnt to
refresh our memory, this was
extremely helpful and I feel more
confident on my harmony line.

Thursday- Today I had my first

costume fitting. My costume fit well
but, the skirt was quite tight and I
won’t be able to dance very well in it,
so they are planning on changing it. In
the afternoon, we choreographed a
dance routine that looked like a
synchronised swimming routine, this
was to perform during Craig’s
monologue, around his competition,
David. This was very difficult as we
had to be completely in sync and we
did not have much space to move,
especially as it was all floor work. I’m
hoping after more rehearsals it will
look neater and add some good visual
movement to the scene.

Friday – We started the day with a

more physical warm up, as our
movement director Lyndsey wanted a
lift in Emma’s scene. It was important
to make sure our bodies were warmed
up as lifts require a lot of core and
arm strength, so these parts of our
body need to be prepared so we do
not get injured. We then finished
Emma’s scene, adding some freeze
frames and the lift, which went
 extremely well. Then, we practiced
singing our songs again with our
musical director and also showed him
the opening scene. His feedback was
to keep the energy in our voices at the
start because we loose it early on.

Independent- I rehearsed what we

had set this week and refreshed my
memory of my lines. I also looked at
the lyrics of the last song, as we are
going to be learning it next week.

8 22nd April Monday – Today was very Script

successful. We began the day with a Notes from previous lessons
A skirt to practice in
game that tested our concentration,
which was needed as we wanted to
get a lot done today and that
required focus. We set movement for
the song “we’re like gods”. It is very
energetic and fun to be a part of,
however I think my stamina needs
improve my as I found it hard to
project my voice and dance to my full
potential at the same time. I think
once I am certain on the
choreography I will be able to
redirect my focus to the singing.

Tuesday – Today we had a very

short warm up, just to wake
ourselves up and make sure our
bodies were ready. We then tidied
up the swimming routine and added
some extra movement to make it
more visually interesting. I feel a lot
more confident with this movement
now. Krista also decided she wanted
us to sing peeking out of the wings
with swimming caps on as she
thought this would add some more
comedy to the scene. This helps
produce a louder and clearer sound
when we sing too, as we can direct it
out to the audience. We also ran
through half of the show today very
slowly and focused on the transitions
between each scene as Krista wants
them to be very quick and neat.
Then to end the day, we learnt the
finale song with our musical director,
which was very easy for us.

Wednesday- After the usual warm

up, we started finishing off the
transitions straight away. This took a
long time and a lot of patience, as
we had to run through each
transitions multiple times, it got quite
repetitive but now all the transitions
are very sharp and work a lot better.
Then I had my second costume
fitting to try on a different skirt, my
costume is complete now and I’m
excited to rehearse in it. Lastly,
everyone involved in the scene
“disgrace” stayed later and we ran
through the scene. It is very simple
so we easily picked up the
movement in it. Then I stayed even
later to help the band practice, by
singing the songs for them.

Thursday – Our director made us do

a bit more of an intense warm up to
start the day as she is trying to help
us build up stamina for the show
next week. This involved running
round the space and burpees. We
then did a whole run through of the
show, which was overall pretty
successful. Our feedback was to be
louder and have more energy at the
start. Our director also thinks we
need to work on the transitions again
as they were quite messy and there
was some confusion. We also came
up with an idea for the final scene
but Krista doesn’t know if she likes
her idea.

Friday- We began the day with

another intense warm up to start the
day. Then we had another full run
through, which ran so much better
than our last one. We definitely
made important improvements and
 the transitions were very slick. Krista
then gave us notes to think about
during the weekend. She wanted to
add more movement to my scene
and change the ending.

Independent- I looked through my

script and added queues so I know
which sides I need to exit and enter,
this will be very important to
memorise in order for the transitions
to be smooth.

9 29th April Monday – The day started with a Script

private rehearsal with my director, Water
because we wanted to take a look at Skirt to practice in
a specific part in my scene which we Bag to practice with
both agreed didn’t feel right. My
notes were to think exactly about
what I was saying and slow that
section down. Afterwards we went
through Emma’s scene again to
perfect the freeze frames, as before
we were not in sync and this was
important for the scene. We then did
a whole run through of the show with
all of our changes, the props and
songs. This went extremely well, I
definitely feel as confident as I can
be for the show on the weekend.

Tuesday – Today we had a vocal

warm up with Alex to begin our day,
this was important as we wanted to
run through all the songs to perfect
the harmonies. After going through
all the songs and singing them in our
groups, we specifically looked at
“things I am supposed to be” again,
as the harmonies are very difficult in
this one and we wanted to be
prepared for the show. After singing
through this a few times, it sounded
really lovely and with the movement
it is going to be a really beautiful
scene. Then, after lunch we tried on
some little costume accessories that
we are going to be wearing at the
party in the end of the play. I got
given a cowboy hat, which I really
liked. Shorty after, we added a bit
more choreography to the final
scene and then we finished the day
early.

Wednesday- Today was our tech

day. We had a very early start and
got into costume straight away. Then
we all met in the auditorium for a talk
from our stage manager, as she
went through safety precautions and
ran through what the day was going
to consist of. We then had a walk on
stage and in the wings so we were
familiar with our space. Afterwards
the band had their sound check and
then we began running through the
show. This took all day, as we had to
make sure all the lighting and sound
queues came at the right time, but it
was interesting seeing our play
evolve with all of our set and
everyone in costume, it is looking
very positive for us.

Thursday – Today we were called in

earlier to have a look at one of the
lifts in our show, as on our tech
rehearsal it was very messy and we
don’t want the flyer to feel unsafe.
We also looked at the dressing
scene as we had not rehearsed this
properly with costumes yet. After a
break, we had our first dress
rehearsal. We got to perform this i
front of the year 2s and the rest of
our year, it was nice getting to show
them what we had been creating. I
feel as if I rushed my monologue a
bit but I will go over that tonight, so I
can perform it at my best for show
day. After our rehearsal, we got out
of costumes and received notes from
our director, then we went home.

Friday – Today was show day! To

start the day we had a warm up on
stage with Krista and Alex. This
involved lying on the floor and
focusing on our breathing and
clearing our heads so we were
mentally prepared for the day and
we also did a vocal warm up with our
musical director. Afterwards, we got
into costume and had our last dress
rehearsal, with Krista alterations, this
went really well and we were all very
happy and prepared for the show.
Then we got out of costume for our
break and after our break was over
we had our hair and make up done
and got back into costume. We were
then called down to stage to start the
show. This show went exactly how I
wanted it to go, I felt very confident
and happy with what I performed.
Lastly, we got more notes for
Saturday and had a team talk to
energize us for tomorrow.

Saturday- Our last day day working

on our final major production was
today. We started off strong with
some further notes from Krista, her
feedback was mainly to just make
sure we kept the energy up for the
whole show, because she said
during some parts, we were not
projecting loud enough or using
enough expression. Then we had
our usual warm up on stage, to
prepare our minds and bodies, then
it was straight into costumes and
getting hair and make up done.
Before we started the show I ran
through my scene, to have it fresh in
my head and I stretched again. Then
we performed our last show. The
audience really loved it. After saying
goodbye to all of the lovely
practitioners we had worked with,
our day was finished and so was this
project.

Independent- To prepare for this

week, I looked over my scene
multiple times and I listened to all of
the previous recording of the songs
in our show and sang along with
them. I also made sure to keep my
fitness up and get good sleep, as
this week was very busy.