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.