Week 6

This Week we worked on creating the Battle section of our Piece. To represent the battle we are using the idea of the soldiers going 'over the top' and exiting the trenches to enter battle. We have also separated the French and English to show the clear divide between the two sides. I think in this section it is vital we all implement what we have learnt about how men walk and the physicality of soldiers we have developed. As i think this will help massively in creating the atmosphere and realness of what we are trying to portray.

This image shows the moment of the men going 'over the top' that we are representing in this section. 

The ending of this section, where we become hurt or wounded is definitely the part we need to work on further. For me I'm unsure of how to represent what has happened and its something i need to develop physically in rehearsals. 

We used the rest of the rehearsal to block the remaining half of the show and clean what we had already worked on, as my character isn't in this half i observed 3 people acting instead. 

Doing this was helpful in learning from what others are doing and seeing how i can implement into my work what they are doing well in theirs. For example Naomi was always engaging in a scene as she remained in Character and reacted to what was happening around her. Showing she have a strong sense of what she and others were saying. 

Wednesday 15th April

Monologue 

As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. I am boy to all three; but all three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for indeed three such antics do not amount to a man. For Bardolph, he is white-livered and red-faced; by the means whereof 'a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue and a quiet sword; by the means whereof 'a breaks word and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath heard that men of few words are the best men, and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest 'a should be thought a coward; but his few bad words are matched with as few good deeds, for 'a never broke any man's head but his own, and that was against a post when he was drunk. They will steal anything, and call it purchase. Bardolph stole a lute-case, bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three halfpence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn brothers in filching, and in Calais they stole a fire-shovel. I knew by that piece of service the men would carry coals. They would have me as familiar with men's pockets as their gloves or handkerchers; which makes much against my manhood, if I should take from another's pocket to put into mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. I must leave them and seek some better service. Their villainy goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must cast it up.

Thoughts : 

1. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. - assurance to himself that his opinion is still valid

2. I am boy to all three; but all three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for indeed three such antics do not amount to a man. - First realisation, brave statement made by him.

3. For Bardolph, he is white-livered and red-faced; by the means whereof 'a faces it out, but fights not.  - Backing up what he is saying, giving evidence to his thoughts. Dislikes Bardolph a lot. 

4. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue and a quiet sword; by the means whereof 'a breaks word and keeps whole weapons. - Giving more evidence, doesn't give as much of an opinion on Pistol as he does the other men.

5.  For Nym, he hath heard that men of few words are the best men, and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest 'a should be thought a coward; - Bad attributes of Nym, sees him as a coward. 

6. but his few bad words are matched with as few good deeds, for 'a never broke any man's head but his own, and that was against a post when he was drunk. - some positives about Nym

7. They will steal anything, and call it purchase. Bardolph stole a lute-case, bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three halfpence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn brothers in filching, and in Calais they stole a fire-shovel. - Further into why he doesn't like them

8. I knew by that piece of service the men would carry coals. They would have me as familiar with men's pockets as their gloves or handkerchers; which makes much against my manhood, if I should take from another's pocket to put into mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. - Realisation/ conformation of why they want him with them, and why he doesn't want to be there. 

--------------------------------- Decision Made to Leave them ------------------------------------------

 9. I must leave them and seek some better service. Their villainy goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must cast it up.

Tuesday 14th April

Preset Section :

Although i am not in this section watching it was really useful to see how our show would look to the audience when they first walk in. This week this section became much more stylised and slick, I think this works really well as it gives this section another depth that the audience can see instead of just watching us mime the work of the munitions workers. Also adding in the Props and Pieces of set this time was also helpful in giving a clearer image of how the opening will look. The group who work round the 3 main tables have created a piece around the shells they are making and checking to see if they are complete. I think their piece in particular works well as all their movements are defined and quick which creates a really interesting and imaginative portrayal of this simple task. I think having this opening section is really effective in creating the environment of the factory for the audience and allowing them to see what these women every day lives our like.

Telegram :

The telegram section is when my character walks in to deliver the news that her husband has died to Sophie's character. This section was hard in finding how we should all react to this news, as although it is extremely tragic it did become the norm for these women and many would block it out of their minds. For My character i saw her as quite young and possibly a bit helpless in this situation, just staring at Sophie's Character rather than attempting to comfort or speak to her. This section comes midway through the song 'keep the home fires burning' which is being sung by the women when my character enters. Having the women react and stop singing when i walk past them i feel works really well in building up the suspense and also in that it leaves Sophie humming alone, putting the audience and the women in the factory in edge. The sound of just her humming instantly changes the atmosphere of the section and moves us on into the next phase of exploring what these women go through.

Prologue :

The prologue is something we had worked on before and pretty much were comfortable with in our blocking. The initial lines 'Oh for a muse of fire' Transition the women out of chatting and into a state of confusion as to what these 3 women are doing. It also, once again, completely shifts the energy and atmosphere of the section Into a much more upbeat one. This week we added an image of the women in battle playing men that comes at the end of the prologue. I think we initially struggled with this and making this transition smooth because we were unable to see one another or the image as a whole, so it took us a while to get the transition clean. The image is powerful in representing what the chorus have just described which will also be useful for the audience in their understanding of the text.

Historical context week 4

WEEK 4 - THEATRES, ACTORS AND ACTING IN SHAKESPEARE’S TIME


Playhouses : 

London in Elizabethan times had two different types of playhouses, Indoor and Outdoor. Indoor were often referred to as 'Halls' or 'Private' Playhouses, whilst outdoor, like the Globe, were named 'Amphitheatres' or 'public' Playhouses. Playhouses began to open in the late 1560's with the first playhouse, The Red Lion, being opened in 1567. At the time playhouses were seen by city officials to be disruptive and to attract thieves, therefore many theatres were built along the Southside of the river thames, just outside of the city wall in order to avoid city officials. Playhouses were often built by business men after they saw the growing popularity by them. They would buy the land and build the playhouse before leasing it out to companies for a set amount of time. The inside of the open air playhouses would include a ground section completely open to the sky, a covered stage, and gallery seating areas around the perimeter where people could be sheltered. 


Actors : 

Actors in Shakespeare's time were Boys and Men, women were not allowed to perform in public theatres until 1660 although they were working elsewhere in Europe before this. Getting into the profession usually started at a young age. Boys could join a company as an apprentice and be taught by more experienced members before going on to act themselves. The actors were required to sing, fight and be able to remember lines within the company. The size of these companies ranged dependent on wealth and location. A top company may have had up to 16 members as well as 'hired men' and additional stage team. Most of these companies were situated permanently in London, only going on tour when theatres shut for numerous reasons. How much the actors earn was once again dependent on wealth and money. most companies operated a system of 'sharers' where members of the company would own a part of it and benefit in money that way. location also determined an actors rate, where you may get 10 shillings in London you may only get 5 in other parts of the country. Actors would usually rehearse in the morning and then perform in the afternoon, due to the need of natural light. Instead of their own script they would only receive their lines and cues to work from, often actors would play several parts at a time so it was a very busy job. 

Women in the Factory (wed 8th April)

Today we worked further on cleaning and improving the prologue section of the play. This includes the opening section when we are women in the factory. Working on this made me think further about who this women is, what she's like and how she acts. To help me with this i have made a character profile :

Character Profile, Women in Factory. 

Age : 21

Status : Recently married to a man just before he left for war, he is still alive. No children.

Attitude to work: Very cheerful, gets distracted easily at work and can be clumsy.

Personality: Friendly, gets on with everyone, ditzy, can be quite nosey.

Her feelings when she gives the telegram: Anxious to see what it says, relieved that its not for her, sympathetic for the other girl.

Having this profile allows me to develop the character further and think about how she will be in the scene, it also allows me to have a basis to work from in creating her physicality and gestures. As well as this i also looked at what their surroundings may be like in order to aid me in this section in visualising where we are and what everyday life is like for these women.

http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/women-making-munitions/

Theses images & video show the sort of tasks women were undertaking in the factory which is useful for the opening section where we are replicating these within our own factory. Seeing the pace they worked at and tools they used in the video means i can now make my movements more accurate to what they would have actually been like within the factory.

Historical context, week 3.

What was London like in Elizabethan times and who were the people attending the theatre?

In elizabethan England London was much smaller than we consider it today. London  was essentially what we would now consider just the 'city'. It was Busy, Crammed and Unsanitary. The lack of a sewage system meant chamber pots were being emptied out of windows onto the streets, making illness easy to spread. The population of London grew 400% between 1500 and 1600, it was over populated and houses held more than they were meant to withstand. London was however also the centre of the 'golden age' with it being the richest and biggest city in England at the time. The Golden Age was a time of creativity and originality meaning more people were involved in and interested by the arts. In London 20,000 people went to the theatre every week. The theatre was also made accessible to more people, and people of different social classes. At the globe you could see a play for 1 penny and stand In the 'groundlings' this 'yard' area was very much for the lower classes in society and it wasn't particular well kept of hygienic. Crime also occurred in this area and people could often be robed when watching the play. 

Other audience members could pay higher rates to have a seat in the theatre, this meant they were under shelter and away from the crime filled and unhygienic yard. Higher members in society would see the theatre as an opportunity to wear their finest clothes and to be seen. These people would usually sit in the galleries or if they had real money the 'lords rooms'. Audiences could also be very vocal about their feelings on a play, if they didn't like it they were known to have thrown things at the actors, to have damaged the theatre or to have used verbal abuse. 

During the Elizabethan times the audience numbers in theatres grew meaning plays had shorter runs and were replaced more often by new plays. 

Tuesday 31st March lesson

Run Through of Blocked scenes.

We started by running what we blocked in the lessons last week, this helped to clarify any blocking we were still unsure of and anything that didn't work and needed to be changed. It was also useful for me in setting the blocking in my mind further so i won't forget it. One thing i noticed i struggled with was remembering my entrances and exits on stage. To help me with this i drew a diagram of the stage and marked on it where i come on and exit from on stage.

We also worked with a movement director, Rachel, to help us with becoming the soldiers and walking as a man. The exercise with our coats was interesting in analysing a very everyday task that you usually don't think twice about. Having to change the way we did this meant that it felt more alien and at times unnatural/ uncomfortable. It was useful as it brought me to be thinking more about the way i move and how it is possible to change this action very simply and be able to create a completely different meaning from it. For example when we performed the action of putting our coat on as if it was freezing cold outside, just by speeding it up and having more of an urgency to what we were doing we were able to convey this.

Working on the physicality of a man and looking at how their bodies differ from ours gave me more of a sense as to how mens bodies may naturally cause them to walk, rather than looking at habits they may have picked up in their movements. Generally in the class we all began to walk in a way that made us take up more space, pulling back our shoulders and spreading our legs further when we walk. this also applied for when we sat down, extending our limbs more and spreading out in the space. Working on this walk will help massively for when we are soldiers in the play, it has also given me a basis to work on for my character. As my character is only 12 some of these movements will apply but others i will have to adapt so they aprear more child like.

With rachel we also worked on a Section for the opening in the factory. Looking at how we could stylise our movements to create something that refletcted the work at that time whilst also being entertaining for the audience to watch. In groups we created 5 movements to do this. For the group i was in i think what we came up with is really good pace wise and visualy however, it is something we now need to clean up and make look almost machine like to give the full effect.