Health & Safety

With any performance, health and safety is very important because if everything hasn’t been fully checked and made sure that it is safe to perform, it could lead to a risk of people possible injuring themselves or something more serious. Therefore, many things should be checked with regards to the staging area, costumes, hair and makeup, and other things no matter how small they maybe.

STOMP

STOMP has no words – everyone can understand it. It has little or no melody in the traditional sense, so it doesn’t matter if your taste in music is jazz, classical, dance or pop. STOMP is about rhythm, which is common to all cultures. Everyone knows rhythm, if only from the beating of their own heart – it is the basis of all music.

STOMP is a group of people, with very strong personalities, who work together using simple building blocks to create something complex , something everyone can identify with: everyone has, at some time, to engage in group activity, whether they like or know the people they are working with or not. It’s the little idiosyncrasies, the differences between people, and the games of one-upmanship that ensue, which define the group dynamic.

There are several STOMP companies currently performing around the world: up to three working from the UK and two in North America. Each company has its own style, its own feel: this is because even though the show is very tightly choreographed and orchestrated, there is a lot of room for every performer’s own personality to shine through. The show is as much an expression of eight individuals with very strong personalities as it is a vision of rhythm.

Forum theatre

Forum theatre is a technique you can use while acting out a scene. The group watching is encouraged to stop the action when they think it necessary, to suggest a different action. At other times, the actors themselves can stop the action, and ask for help. Sometimes someone else can step in and take over a role - or even introduce a new one.

Why use forum theatre? What can it add to a drama?

Sometimes it is hard, when devising drama, to imagine what a character might do or say at a particular moment. If you stop the drama when in role, and ask for help from your group, someone will probably give you a good idea of what to do or say next. They might also offer to take over the role to try out their idea - or even join the scene as another character altogether, to take things in a new direction.

Stranger Danger Online

Of course in today's high-tech world the Internet has provided plenty of opportunities for stranger danger to flourish. I think that children should be familiar with the SMART code, an easy-to-understand way to help child stay safe online.

Be SMART:

S for Secret: always keep personal details secret

M for Meeting: meeting someone you met on the Internet is NOT advisable but if you do, have a parent or carer present

A for Accepting: accepting emails from someone you don't know can cause trouble. They may contain viruses or nasty messages

R for Remember: someone online may be lying and may not be who they say they are. Stick to public areas of chatrooms and if you feel uncomfortable - GET OUT

T for Tell: tell your parents or carer if anything is worrying you

The Underwear Rule

What is PANTS?

PANTS is a really easy way for you to explain the Underwear Rule to your child:

• Privates are private

• Always remember your body belongs to you

• No means no

• Talk about secrets that upset you

• Speak up, someone can help

What is grooming?

‘Grooming’ is how an abuser makes you think that it is your fault – when it isn’t. Sometimes it starts by them trying really hard to be nice to you, giving you more and more attention or buying you gifts to make you like them. When they have gained your trust and you start to depend on them, they find ways to turn the relationship into something more sexual – abusing your trust and taking advantage of you. They might use secrecy, blame, gifts and threats of violence to stop you from telling somebody. This is because they know that when you do find the courage to tell somebody, they will no longer have power or control over you.

Grooming can also happen online. 'Groomers' might try to make friends with you on social networks or other sites. They often use chat rooms pretending to be someone else - this could be someone younger, older, a different gender or different sexuality. Many 'groomers' will use profile pictures of someone else to hide their identity. It's important to think carefully about who you talk to and what personal details you share.

Stanislavski

Synopsis

Born in 1863 in Moscow, Russia, Constantin Stanislavski started working in theatre as a teen, going on to become an acclaimed thespian and director of stage productions. He co-founded the Moscow Art Theatre in 1897 and developed a performance process known as method acting, allowing actors to use their personal histories to express authentic emotion and create rich characters. He died in Moscow in 1938.

 

Early Life and Career

Constantin Stanislavski was born Konstantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev in Moscow, Russia, in January 1863 (sources offer varying information on the exact day of his birth). He was part of a wealthy clan who loved theatre: His maternal grandmother was a French actress and his father constructed a stage on the family's estate.

Alekseyev started acting at the age of 14, joining the family drama circle. He developed his theatrical skills considerably over time, performing with other acting groups while working in his clan's manufacturing business. In 1885, he gave himself the stage name of Stanislavski—the name of a fellow actor he'd met. He married teacher Maria Perevoshchikova three years later, and she would join her husband in the serious study and pursuit of acting.

 

Opening the Moscow Art Theatre

In 1888, Stanislavski founded the Society of Art and Literature, with which he performed and directed productions for almost a decade. Then, in June 1897, he and playwright/director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko decided to open the Moscow Art Theatre, which would be an alternative to standard theatrical aesthetics of the day.

The company successfully opened in October 1898 with Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich by Aleksey K. Tolstoy. The theatre’s subsequent production of The Seagull was a landmark achievement and reignited the career of its writer Anton Chekhov, who went on to craft plays specifically for the company.

Over the following decades, the Moscow Art Theatre developed a stellar domestic and international reputation with works like The Petty Bourgeois, An Enemy of the People and The Blue Bird. Stanislavski co-directed productions with Nemirovich-Danchenko and had prominent roles in several works, including The Cherry Orchard and The Lower Depths.

In 1912, Stanislavski created First Studio, which served as a training ground for young thespians. A decade later, he directed Eugene Onegin, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

 

'Stanislavski Method'

During the Moscow Art Theatre's early years, Stanislavski worked on providing a guiding structure for actors to consistently achieve deep, meaningful and disciplined performances. He believed that actors needed to inhabit authentic emotion while on stage and, to do so, they could draw upon feelings they'd experienced in their own lives. Stanislavski also developed exercises that encouraged actors to explore character motivations, giving performances depth and an unassuming naturalism while still paying attention to the parameters of the production. This technique would come to be known as the "Stanislavski method" or "the Method."

 

Later Years and Legacy

The Moscow Art Theatre undertook a world tour between 1922 and 1924; the company travelled to various parts of Europe and the United States. Several members of the theatre decided to stay in the United States after the tour was over, and would go on to instruct performers that included Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler. These actors in turn helped to form the Group Theatre, which would later lead to the creation of the Actors Studio. Method acting became a highly influential, revolutionary technique in theatrical and Hollywood communities during the mid-20th century, as evidenced with actors like Marlon Brando and Maureen Stapleton.

After the 1917 Russian Revolution, Stanislavski faced some criticism for not producing communist works, yet he was able to maintain his company's unique perspective and not contend with an imposed artistic vision. During a performance to commemorate the Moscow Art Theatre's 30th anniversary, Stanislavski suffered a heart attack.

Stanislavski spent his later years focusing on his writing, directing and teaching. He died on August 7, 1938, in the city of his birth.

Open Minds Theatre Company

Open Minds Theatre Company, since being founded in 2003 by Steve Rogers and Katherine Fletcher, has developed into a significant arts organisation delivering workshops, performance and arts projects across a wide variety of art forms.

 

They are passionate about the transformative power of the arts and are firmly committed to the impact that the arts can have upon the regeneration of the region. Whilst Open Minds Theatre Company is firmly embedded in the Rotherham community, they work, predominantly, throughout the North of England.

 

Open Minds Theatre Company work in the community to assist in the developing and equipping of people to lead effective and fulfilled lives by improving their confidence, self-esteem, understanding of others and themselves, communication skills and self-discipline through their exposure to, and involvement in, the arts.

 

They also work with different groups of disadvantaged people in the community and they are committed to using performance drama and other art forms as a means of opening peoples’ minds and combating bigotry and prejudice.

Evaluation

Throughout this performance brief I have explored the work of William Shakespeare and begun to push the boundaries in terms of the skills I have as a performer. 

It is important that the audience can hear and understand what you are saying. Therefore I breathed correctly to avoid losing volume at the end of a speech and I projected my voice to the furthest point of the performance space, even when whispering. Also I used pauses to show uncertainty, indicate thought or heighten mood. The tone and the pitch of my voice showed how my character felt as well as defining age and status.

I think that it is extremely important to reflect on current skills and to explore ways of developing new ones because performers should constantly be learning and developing skills in order for them to become a better performer. Therefore the skills that I want to forces on next time include interpreting a scrip because we were given the task to edit the scripted and I find it channelling since I was not confident with my knowledge and understanding of the play. I find it different to understand the Shakespearean language as I had never read any of his plays or poems. After researching the key themes of the text it help to understand what was going on in our act, which made it easier to edit the sprit.

The task that we were given was to produce an outstanding performance of “Coriolanus” which was written by William Shakespeare. I personally think that we meet the demands of the brief because   the comments that we received in response to the performance are ones that I am proud of. Our audience was full of support, compliments and we received delightful feedback. The result of the group’s ideas, the staging and performance had an amazing effect on the audience. Whites rehearsing and putting our performances together we put in a lot of thought, time and research.

I requested for a villains, anti-hero character. I was given Sicinius a Roman tribune selected by the common people, of Rome to serve as their representative in the government. A clever politician motivated by his thirst for power, he and Brutus make Caius Martius (Coriolanus) hated by class he represents.

With any performance, health and safety is very important because if everything hasn’t been fully checked and made sure that it is safe to perform, it could lead to a risk of people possible injuring themselves or something more serious. Therefore, many things should be checked with regards to the staging area, costumes, hair and makeup, and other things no matter how small they maybe.

I have worked extremely hard throughout this unit. I have shown a clear understanding of the work of William Shakespeare and have been successfully incorporated this in my work through excellent critical awareness and the ability to adapt my work based on feedback. My research around the subject and the wide range of reading that I have done is hopeful clear in all of the work that have produced and was hopeful evident in my final performance. Next time I would like to get into the habit of going into the same amount of depth as I did in your research and begin to discuss my responses to the source material. Through this unit, I personally think that I have developed my confidence.    

Full Day Workshop on Coriolanus

This image shows glory. I think this tableau is decent since it displays glory in a way that is easy to see and simple. I would consider using this tableau in the Shakespeare festival because glory is one of the key themes that run throughout the play and will add to the physicality of the performance.

The Tell-Tale Heart (Script Edit Two)

It is impossible to say how the idea entered my brain.

I loved the old man. 

He had never wronged me.

I think it was his eye!  

It was his eye! Yes, it was this!

He had the eye of a vulture -- a pale blue eye with a film over it.

Whenever it fell on me, my blood ran cold.

And so I made up my mind to take the life of the old man and free myself of the eye forever.

You think that I am mad.

But I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.
Then every night, late at night, I turned the lock of his door and slowly forced my lantern into the room -- a single thin ray of light fell upon his vulture eye.

But it was closed and so it was impossible to do the deed; for it was not the Old Man who was a problem for me, but it was his Evil eye.

On the eighth night, although I was more careful in opening the door, my finger slid on a piece of metal and made a noise. The old man sat up in bed, crying out "Who's There?"

I kept sill and said nothing. I did not move a muscle for a whole hour.

I had waited a long time, I decided to open a little -- a very, very little -- crack in the lantern. You cannot imagine how careful, careful. Finally, a single ray of light fell full upon the vulture eye.

It was open -- wide, wide open -- and I grew angry as I looked at it.

A low, dull, quick sound came to my ears. I know the sound that sound well. It was the beating of the old mans heart.

The beating of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker and louder and louder very second.

And now a new fear seized me -- the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old mans hour had come! With a loud shout, I threw open the lantern and burst into the room.

He cried once -- once only. Without delay, I forced him to the floor, and then pulled the heavy bed over him.

For many minutes, the heart beat on with a quiet sound. This, however, did not concern me; it would not be heard through the walls. It stopped. The old man was dead. His eye would trouble me no more.

I worked quickly, but in silence. First of all, I took apart the body. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

I then took up three pieces of wood from the flooring, and placed his body parts under the room.  I then replaced the wooden boards so well that no human eye -- not even his -- could have seen anything wrong.

There was nothing to wash out -- no mark of any kind -- no blood whatever. I had been too smart for that.

When I had finished, it was four o'clock in the morning. There came a noise at the street door. I went down to open it. There entered three men, who said they were officers of the police.  A cry had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of a crime had been aroused and the officers had been sent to search the building.

I smiled -- for what had I to fear?  The cry, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I said, was not in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I told them to search -- search well. I led them, at length, to his room. I brought chairs there, and told them to rest. I placed my own seat upon the very place under which lay the body of the victim.

The officers were satisfied. I was completely at ease. They sat, and while I answered happily, they talked of common things.  But, after a while, I felt myself getting weak and wished them gone. But still they sat and talked. They knew! I felt that I must scream or die! "Villains!" I cried, "Pretend no more!  I admit the deed!  Tear up the floor boards!  Here, here!  It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

The Tell-Tale Heart (Script Edit One)

You say that I am mad. But I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in the underworld. How, then, am I mad?

It is impossible to say how the idea entered my brain. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. I think it was his eye!  Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a bird, a vulture -- a pale blue eye, with a film over it.  Whenever it fell on me, my blood ran cold; and so -- very slowly -- I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and free myself of the eye forever.

Now this is the point. You think that I am mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely and carefully I went to work!

I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, late at night, I turned the lock of his door and opened it – oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening big enough for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed that no light shone out, and then I stuck in my head. I moved it slowly, very slowly, so that I might not interfere with the old mans sleep. And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern just so much that a single thin ray of light fell upon the vulture eye.

This I did for seven long nights -- but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who was a problem for me, but his Evil Eye.

On the eighth night, I was more than usually careful in opening the door. I had my head in and was about to open the lantern, when my finger slid on a piece of metal and made a noise. The old man sat up in bed, crying out "Whos there?"

I kept still and said nothing. I did not move a muscle for a whole hour.  During that time, I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening.

Then I heard a noise, and I knew it was the sound of human terror. It was the low sound that arises from the bottom of the soul. I knew the sound well. Late at night, when all the world slept, it has welled up from deep within my own chest. I say I knew it well.

I knew what the old man felt, and felt sorry for him, although I laughed to myself. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first noise. His fears had been ever since growing upon him.

When I had waited a long time, without hearing him lie down, I decided to open a little -- a very, very little -- crack in the lantern.  So I opened it.  You cannot imagine how carefully, carefully.  Finally, a single ray of light fell full upon the vulture eye.

It was open -- wide, wide open -- and I grew angry as I looked at it. I saw it clearly it chilled my bones; I could see nothing else.

A low, dull, quick sound came to my ears. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old mans heart. It increased my anger.

But even yet I kept still. I hardly breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I attempted to keep the ray of light upon the eye. But the beating of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every second. The old mans terror must have been extreme!  The beating grew louder, I say, louder every moment!

And now at the dead hour of the night, in the horrible silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I stood still.  But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst.

And now a new fear seized me -- the sound would be heard by a neighbor!  The old mans hour had come!  With a loud shout, I threw open the lantern and burst into the room.

He cried once -- once only. I forced him to the floor. I then smiled, to find the action so far done.
But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a quiet sound. This, however, did not concern me; it would not be heard through the wall. It stopped. The old man was dead. I placed my hand over his heart and held it there many minutes. There was no movement. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.

I worked quickly, but in silence. First of all, I took apart the body. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

I then took up three pieces of wood from the flooring, and placed his body parts under the room.  I then replaced the wooden boards so well that no human eye -- not even his -- could have seen anything wrong.

There was nothing to wash out -- no mark of any kind -- no blood whatever. I had been too smart for that.

When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o'clock in the morning. There came a noise at the street door. I went down to open it. There entered three men, who said they were officers of the police. A cry had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of a crime had been aroused; information had been given at the police office, and the officers had been sent to search the building.

I smiled -- for what had I to fear?  The cry, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I said, was not in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I told them to search -- search well. I led them, at length, to his room. I brought chairs there, and told them to rest. I placed my own seat upon the very place under which lay the body of the victim.

The officers were satisfied. I was completely at ease. They sat, and while I answered happily, they talked of common things.  But, after a while, I felt myself getting weak and wished them gone. But still they sat and talked. They knew! I felt that I must scream or die! "Villains!" I cried, "Pretend no more!  I admit the deed!  Tear up the floor boards!  Here, here!  It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

The Tell-Tale Heart

Perfect. His voice makes me so vigilant and alert. Also he makes me feel intimidated and vulnerable and this is without a doubt something that i want my audience to feel.

I admire Edgar Allan Poe, He is so interesting and disturbing. How he could have written such an amazing tale without actually experiencing it is so fascinating and how he uses such detail.

 

Rotherham Shakespeare Festival

Rotherham Shakespeare Festival

The Annual Rotherham Shakespeare Festival was found in 2009. Over the last few years Rotherham has been pit on the map because of its love of, and commitment to Shakespeare. It has become well respected by its peers within other authorities as well as with The Royal Shakespeare Company!

We will be performing in The Big Hall & Magna Arena. The Big Hall & Magna Arena can accommodate virtually any event or occasion. They each offer a ‘blank canvas’, which can be specially tailored to your needs and even have their own dedicated kitchen and service facilities.

Plot Of Coriolanus

In ancient Rome, in the aftermath of a famine, the common people, or plebeians, demand the right to set their own price for the city's grain supply. In response to their protests, the ruling aristocracy, or patricians, grant the plebeians five representatives, or tribunes--a decision that provokes the ire of the proud patrician soldier Caius Martius, who has nothing but contempt for the lower classes. At this time, war breaks out with a neighbouring Italian tribe, the Volscians, who are led by Martius' great rival, Tullus Aufidius. In the campaign that follows, the Volscians are defeated, and the Rome takes the Italian city of Corioles, thanks to the heroism of Martius. In recognition of his great deeds, he is granted the name Coriolanus.

Upon his return to Rome, Coriolanus is given a hero's welcome, and the Senate offers to make him consul. In order to gain this office, however, he must go out and plead for the votes of the plebeians, a task that he undertakes reluctantly. At first, the common people agree to give him their votes, but they later reverse their decision at the prodding of two clever tribunes, Brutus and Sicinius, who consider Coriolanus an enemy of the people. This drives the proud Coriolanus into a fury, and he speaks out intemperately against the very idea of popular rule; Brutus and Sicinius, seizing on his words, declare him a traitor to the Roman state and drive him into exile.

Desiring revenge against Rome, Coriolanus goes to his Volscian enemy, Aufidius, in the city of Antium, and makes peace with him. Aufidius is planning a new campaign against the Romans, and he welcomes Coriolanus's assistance, although he soon feels himself to be falling into his new ally's shadow. Their army proceeds to march on Rome, throwing the city into a panic--Rome's armies are helpless to stop the advance, and soon Aufidius and Coriolanus are encamped outside the city walls. Two of his oldest friends come pleading for mercy, but Coriolanus refuses to hear him. However, when his mother, Volumnia, to whom he is devoted, begs him to make peace, he relents, and the Romans hail Volumnia the savoir of the city. Meanwhile, Coriolanus and the Volscians return to Antium, where the residents hail Coriolanus as a hero. Aufidius, feeling slighted, declares that Coriolanus's failure to take Rome amounts to treachery; in the ensuing argument, some of Aufidius' men assassinate Coriolanus.

Key Themes Of The Text

Class - is a crucial theme in the play; people are accorded power and respect according to their class, and the rebellion that has Coriolanus thrown out of Rome is a class-based one. Throughout the play, there are ideas that one's class determines worthiness, autonomy, or amount of intelligence. The play itself validates the patricians' ideas of class, that the people are a collective that are easily guided and deceived, and are unable to handle large amounts of responsibility or decision-making.

Pride  - Coriolanus' fate is mainly steered by this trait; had he not been so governed by his pride, he would have been able to make amends with the people, and may not have even offended them in the first place. Some of Coriolanus' pride stems from his special abilities and his stature as a hero, and this pride keeps him from being a political leader and from being able to save his own career and life through compromise.

Love and battle - Several characters in the play, Aufidius and Coriolanus being the most notable, manage to confuse love and battle in their interactions with one another. This emphasizes how much more important to them war is than their personal relationships; they are consumed by their need for war, and have nothing left over for other areas of their lives. However, this confusion of love and battle indicates a very intense relationship for the pair, and a rivalry that consumes their entire lives.

Rivalry - Displayed in Aufidius' and Coriolanus' relationship, rivalry is portrayed as a relationship exceeding all others in intensity and importance. Included in this rivalry are ideals of soldier-like honour, respect for each other, and a constant striving for improvement.

Key Characters In Coriolanus

Caius Martius (Coriolanus) -  A fearless Roman soldier, he is given the name "Coriolanus" after he leads the Roman army to victory against the Volscian city of Corioles. Brave, terrifying in battle, and extremely valuable. He has a dislike for the lower classes of Rome, which lead to his exile from his native city.

Volumnia -  A Roman noblewoman and the mother of Caius Martius (Coriolanus). She raised him to be a warrior and feed off his accomplishments.

Menenius -  A clever Roman patrician, gifted with a clever tongue and a great wit. He is a friend to Caius Martius (Coriolanus), who praises his accomplishments, but also but also recognizes his downfalls.

Brutus -  One of the tribunes selected by the common people, of Rome to serve as their representative in the government. A clever politician, he makes Caius Martius (Coriolanus) hated by class he represents.

Sicinius -  A Roman tribune selected by the common people, of Rome to serve as their representative in the government. A clever politician motivated by his thirst for power, he and Brutus make Caius Martius (Coriolanus) hated by class he represents.

Tullus Aufidius -  A general of the Volscians, Rome's enemy. He is Caius Martius' (Coriolanus)  great rival in war but is not quite the equivalent of the Roman general, and his helplessness to defeat Caius Martius (Coriolanus)  annoys him.

Cominius -  A patrician of Rome and a former consul. He is a friend of Coriolanus, and he's one of the generals who leads the Roman army against the Volscians.

Virgilia -  A Roman noblewoman and Caius Martius' (Coriolanus) loyal wife.

Valeria -  A Roman noblewoman, she is close friends with Virgilia and Volumnia.

Young Martius  -  Caius Martius' (Coriolanus) and Virgilia's son.

E.R.I.C Production Meeting Minutes

E.R.I.C Production Meeting Minutes

Second Meeting

 

Changed the date of the performance from Friday 4 October 2013 to Friday 11 October 2013.

Can’t have a rehearsal at lunchtime on Friday 11 October 2013.

Plan for this week:

Need to practice without scripts

Wednesday – warm up outside (check if we are in the hall)

E.R.I.C Production Meeting Minutes

E.R.I.C Production Meeting Minutes

First meeting

The brief that we were given was to make a production of ‘The Water Station’

Roles & Responsibilities

Marketing - Luke C/Josh C
Sound - Luke C/Leah M
Publicity - Luke C

Performance - Friday 4 October 2013, after school at 6pm. (Every one must be at school for 5pm)

Rehearsal Schedule
Tuesday & Thursday - Lunch time
Wednesday - After school    

Skills to be developed

Reason for skills development

I think that it is extremely important to reflect on current skills and to explore ways of developing new ones because I think that performers should constantly be learning and developing skills in order for them to become a better performer.

Skills that I aim to develop

•         Understanding and ability to perform in a wide variety of performance style. The main style of performance that I will be looking to develop this term is theatre of cruelty. By studying theatre of cruelty I will widen my knowledge, understanding and ability to perform in many styles. If I develop this skill it will contribute to the current skills that I have achieved.
•          I will also be looking to develop my confidence I would like to develop this skill because when it comes to performing I think that I am rather shy and only using my skills to a certain extent. I think that this is a very important skill to be developed because I could get a higher grade and i think it will make my performances a lot better.

Traverse

 

Selection of Material

For this term the material that we was given was The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is the same routine every year in Halloweentown, on Halloween the monsters come out and perform a real scare. This particular Halloween, the pumpkin king Jack Skellington, bored of the idea, saunters off into the woods with his dog Zero after Halloween night. Upon the break of dawn, he discovers a clearing of trees with different doors representing various holidays. The Christmas Tree door attracts his attention and upon entrance into the world of Christmas, Jack is fascinated with this new idea of Christmas that he must absolutely share with the citizens of Halloweentown.

 

We were told that we had to put a revolting twist on the classic film, to give the audience a nightmare that they wouldn’t forget. Whites rehearsing and putting together our monologues my group put in a lot of thought, time and research. We based our final performance on the ‘Moors Murders’ we looked through multiple newspaper articles and watched documents to try and get a clear understand of what happened.

3 Episodes Of Image

Narration – Husband and dead wife

Scene One – Although the husband loves his wife he is getting fed up. He begins to hide and not seem interested in what is happing. He takes out his anger on her and becomes abusive towards her.

Scene Two – Wife has had enough and takes an overdose, husband wakes up next to her to find her dead. He is very upset and it hits him hard.

 

Scene Three – goes into depression and results to drugs. Back to having his head in the sand after getting judged by society.

Research for the Character of Dr Finkelstein

“I can't help the way I feel, what I did was wrong - I know that and I feel for them - but it doesn't mean I won't do it again” - Stephen Akinmurele

"I'll keep on having this feeling I'm going mad because I can't take any more of this and that's why I'm saying goodbye." - Stephen Akinmurele

He had a thing about lists because when he and Hindley murdered someone he would have a checklist with seven points on it. For example, had he lost a button in the struggle? Had they burnt their clothes and shoes?’ Keightley explains.

Clearly it is his attempt to further blacken her name and undermine her previous accounts of her part in the Moors Murders, in which she portrayed herself as very much under Brady’s control.’

She even spoke of her 'love' for children and desire to work with old people if she was ever released.

 The child-killer said she was more 'culpable' than her partner-in-crime because she knew better and 'knew the difference between right and wrong'

Mr Cherry's skull had been smashed open with at least 24 blows from the hammer and his head had been partly sawn off.

Bryan later admitted that he was 'comforted by the smell of blood' and added: 'I used the Stanley knife to cut them off and some other kitchen knives but I had to stamp on them to break the bone.

The Nightmares Before Christmas

The Nightmares before Christmas Trial One

 

The Nightmares before Christmas Final Performance

3 Episodes Of Image

3 Episodes of Image:
1)      Wife dies (overdose), he wakes up next to her.
2)      Goes into depression and get an addiction to drugs
3)      Hides away from the world, avoids the situation, “buries his head in the sand” a saying that means to block or avoid a situation.

A Doll's House

The play is significant for its critical attitude toward 19th century marriage. A Doll's House was based on the life of Laura Kieler, a good friend of Ibsen. Much that happened between Nora and Torvald happened to Laura and her husband.

The character that I will be portraying is Nils Krogstad - Employee at Torvald's bank, single father, pushed to desperation. A supposed scoundrel, he is revealed to be a long-lost lover of Kristine.

Frantic Assembly

Frantic Assembly creates exciting, active and memorable theater. The company attracts fresh and youthful audiences with work that reflects contemporary culture. Frantic Assembly's unique physical style combines movement, design, music and text.

Frantic Assembly is led by Artistic Director Scott Graham. Scott formed the company with Steven Hoggett and Vicki Middleton in 1994 and continues to collaborate with many of today's most inspiring artists.

The company has performed, created and collaborated in 30 different countries across the world.

Frantic Assembly have created a vocational training project for young men, targeting those with a small amount of experience in the arts.

Here are some samples of productions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLqkOw1HZv8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLqkOw1HZv8

Moors Murderers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8128923.stm

After watching the television report it help me to understand why Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were sentenced to life imprisonment after torturing and murdering three schoolchildren.

Myra Hindley: The Prison Years

After watching the full documentary the think that shocked me the most was that Ian was 100% the driving force but I think Myra made the murders possible.  Basically I believe they together are as a couple capable of killing but isolated and alone I doubt either would have murdered. And for different reasons I think Myra would never have murdered without Brady driving it and I think Brady wouldn't have the chance/opportunity to murder without Myra and her charm/female presence to procure victims.

Evaluation

When we started devising practical work our teacher showed us clips from The Nightmare before Christmas, he then went on to show us a practitioner called Antonin Artaud and how he believed that theatre should have elements of reality in order to have the maximal effect on the audience. Antonin's theory was to bring people's deepest fears to life. He did this by making people feel anxious, disturbed and queasy. He also liked to use disturbing sound and lighting as well as other performing elements.

As well as working with Antonin’s theory we were asked to base our performance on Timothy Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas and make the story more abnormal. We used the characters for The Nightmare before Christmas as a starting point for our character development.

To help us get an idea on how to be successful with this unit, we were shown videos via YouTube of multiple A-level performance, for example, 4.48 Psychosis. After watching 4.48 Psychosis it made me realize that we had to push ourselvess beyond our comfort zone, as well as the audience.

We performed our monologues in the style of  installation theatre, which is about taking over a certain space and making it performable, therefore we decided to take over the flyovers.

I requested for the character Doctor Finkelstein, which I was later given, I stared create my monologue around Ian Brady and Harold Shipman. After writing the monologue and a discussion with Head of Drama, it was clear that the amount of detail in my monologue was not appropriate. During the preparation I unified scene with Lock and Shocks, I had to change some of my monologue for this to work. I continued to bases my monologue on Ian Brady, however when changing my monologue I forgot about Harold Shipman and the fact that Finkelsteinis a doctor, so I need to incorporate this in to my character. Lock and Shocks monologues were based on Myra Hindley. Lock and Shocks monologues were seen from two different perspectives, almost as if Myra Hindley had a split personality. Writing the monologues was the most challenging part of the unit, after writing the monologue our scene had to be rewritten several times to make it appropriate for our audience. Later on in the preparation we realized that our monologues we based too much on reality, we need to make it more surreal in order to meet the brief  for this unit.

I know the difference between right and wrong and I know for a fact that what I did wasn't wrong. The murders were all a part of my fantasies, I already had the scripts. I just need those two to help me fulfil my dreams. If they refused to give me what I want, I was going to take it by force. I was going to strip them of their dignity if I had to.

The reason why I abused my powers as a doctor are personal and private to me, and I'm never going to give that up. You will never know the know the truth. All I can say is that I have been killing people for years. In some ways I guess you could call me a psychopath because I needed harts.

It was the killing - the point of death - the harts - that interested me.

Our audience was full of compliments and we revised grate feedback.

Throughout the unit, I personally think that I have developed my ability to create characters and relate to them in a way that I have never down before.