We Will Rock You Final Performance: Post Show Evaluation 6th June 2013

Tonight's show was fantastic, a complete success. Everybody had taken on board what had happened yesterday and did their best to rectify any mistakes. Which we did flawlessly. I was very happy with my performance with Millie, finally we were confident on stage and showed that the extra rehearsal had paid off! We were dynamic, we were loud, we engaged the audience, getting them to join in with the song. The singing was a bit flat towards the end but it didn't matter, the crowd loved it! Scene 10 ran without any flaws due to Josh preparing himself by learning lines and being made to feel more confident by the rest of the class. I was really happy to see him do so well as it proved that all he needed was a bit of assistance, someone to read lines with him and encourage him to be the best performer he can be, the potential is there!

'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' was phonomenal, I was so grateful to be able to perform the number and really gave it my all. With all of the bohemians supporting me it was like being at a party and the audience really connected with that, there was an equal amount of dancing in the audience as there was on stage. One thing that really made me reflect on how much I enjoyed it was that halfway through I noticed I wasn't doing the choreographed dance, I was completely engrossed in embracing this wonderful song that I was moving to my own beat, almost like Brit would when he was expressing his passion for the song, this really pleased and made me more confident that I moved downstage and embraced Meat, while leading the Bohemians going back to my idea of leading the Bohemian's like a pastor leading a choir.

It was such a relief and gratitude for me to end the year on such a high, there have been times where I've struggled but I really think I came to grips with everything in time for the end, I'm grateful to have worked with such a talented cast and regret that I will be finishing college this year. I want to do the show again!

                                






Final Notes:
Josh had a good opening as Freddie Mercury along with the Gaga number also. Everybody on stage together looked extremely strong.
Elle had good timing with my her line "did she pluck it" then with her following line "ignorant plucker".
Amber hit a strong note in her song 'somebody to love'.
Emily worked well with her mic breaking and raised her voice in order to cover this.
Me and Millie's characters had an extremely strong interaction.
Elle's solo '7 seas of rhye' was a lot stronger
'Another one bites the dust', Charlotte and Elle had much more movement to show the idea of master and servant.

We Will Rock You First Performance Matinee: Post Show Evaluation 5/6/13

After the first show I feel like my character was fairly strong with room for improvement still there. I think the energy in mine and Millie's scene 8 was good but wasn't put to the test due to the lack of audience making it harder to find the motivation. Scene 10 was very static and some of the lines were forgotten by other characters which affected my confidence and knocked me off balance a bit, I need to concentrate not doing this in the next show. One not me and Millie did receive was to make the most of the stage, remember that the characters are explorers and therefore will be keen to look around the stage and establish just where about they are.

 

I think that with the songs there are some key points that I must acknowledge when projecting them.

Remember to gesture to the audience, get them to join in.

Enjoy the songs, move along to the music.

Keep the Interaction with Millie flowing, it worked really well today.

Killer Queen was not onstage at the end, which was acknowledged by the rest of the cast and thankfully Emily picked up the scene from one of her own lines. 

In our discussion at the end of the show Amy told reminded me and Danielle of a technique we learnt last year called The Circles of Concentration. It helps you keep in character and is useful as a memory technique for when you can't remember your lines. 

I thought that due to Josh again having problems with his lines we needed to firmly cement them so that he knew them for the final show, I took him to one side and took his script away from him to take him out of his comfort zone in the build up to the other casts show, this really took him out of his comfort zone and within an hour we were making real progress and he could almost finish the entire scene.

I was pleased overall with how the audience reacted to me and Millie. I think the extra work we put into out characterisation was really beneficial as we now were more confident with ourselves and each other on stage.

4th June 2013

Rachel's notes on our casts performance:

Act 1 prologue
Needs to be run with media and the guitar timing needs to be sorted for Josh and Stuart on stage.

Scene 1 laser cell
Now we have laser lights we need to incorporate them into all of Killer queen and Khashoggis scenes we will have a chair and the laser light will be placed onto it and projected. For health and safety reasons we need to be extremely careful of laser machine and the wire. Both Poppy's laser cell and Galileo laser cell will be in the same place so we will not have to move the living around for this.

Scene 2 high school
Gaga kids speech needs to be rehearsed in time. Needs 'stage energy' not obvious energy as they are robots. Galileo and teachers blocking needs to be rehearsed as they are slightly wandering.
Somebody to love: teen queens and scaramouche hate each other this means they need to give reflect by showing resentment in their characterisation.

Scene 3 killer queen
Teen queens need to learn the words for the song more confidently. My choreography for the dance is really comingn together and the Yuppies have a good, strong entrance. We have not rehearsed Killer queens entrance on the push along stand so we will try this again today with the audience seating now out. The play the game choreography needs to be less awkward as it is improvised.

Scene 4 laser cell
Lines need to be rehearsed for timing.

Scene 5 police HQ
Bikini wax needs to be projected and timed correctly. 

Scene 6 the hospital
More nerves at beginning of the scene, as this is the first time Galileo and Scaramouche meet. Less at the end as they are starting to become comfortable with one another.

Scene 7 killer queens control room
Punch lines

Scene 8 a wasteland
Bigger entrance from Meat and Brit with more excitement when they find Galileo 'the dreamer'!

Scene 9 descent into the underground
All rush up to Galileo and Scaramouche on their entrance to the Heartbreak hotel with a lot more interaction.

Scene 10 the heartbreak hotel
Bohemians need to be quieter when Khashoggi enters and delivers lines, otherwise the lines are not heard.

Act 2 scene 1 wrecked car
One vision - Needs to be rehearsed!

No notes for Act 2 apart from the last scene which needs to be more Zombified. Heartbreak hotel props need clearing during the interval to show the change from Heartbreak Hotel to the seven seas of rhye (heartbreak hotel sign taken down and props cleared)

After this we went through a cue to cue run, which meant taking a slower more relaxed approach to the show and concentrating on sound, lighting and media support. Although we were all very impatient with this it was necessary to our performance as it meant we could get everything right for a full run through at a later date, and this way there would be less chance of things going wrong in the show. I felt the cue to cue was a big help for me as I was able to run some of my lines, even though I was not able to run them all I was able to rehearse the structure of the show, most importantly my movement for my songs, I knew which verse I would move and which staging id be using and when the lighting and sound would feature, also the extra time meant I could repeat my lines which helped me learn them much faster, the lighting als helped me and Millie finally establish our entry and exit points.

3rd June 2013

Firstly I practiced my song 'I want it all' with Millie in full character as I have not rehearsed it properly on the stage. Firstly, I rehearsed the song in the pratctice area so I could make sure my singing was in the right key and that I could hold the notes whilst managing my breath control. I then asked Emily and Dylan to assist with the backing vocals as I felt that they with their powerful voices would inspire me to be louder with the songs. For the movement of the song I wanted to try and improvise with Millie as we both felt that the set choreography was just too similated. I decided that I would walk around the staging interacting with Millie in a affectionate manner on the emphasised notes of the song and grab her and sing to her to resemble affection. This reflects Britney's compassion and shows his relationship with Meat as being one of importance.

We also need to rehearse 'crazy little thing called love' I am much more confident with this song as we have had extensive runs with Sam and the Bohemians, however I think It needs touching up before the final show. I would just like to have more energy and passion as I think it is a defining point for the Bohemians and I need to reflect their joy after discovering the dreamer. We would hopefully get the opportunity to address this in the run through.

I had to wait until 4pm for my run through with an exam in between, I therefore chose to assist with other production roles in order to be as beneficial to the class. I assisted in painting the guitar case white for props, I also decorated it with gold stars to give a real 'rock and roll' effect. I enjoyed this as it made me feel productive when I could just be doing nothing, and it took some pressure off Lauren who has been working so hard to create all of our props. I also assisted Grace and Megan in filming the Killer Queen 'bikini wax' scene by telling Megan which angle I preferred for the camera and holding the boom mic up to Grace while she said her lines, making sure not to get it within the shot of the camera, this was nice to be a part of as it showed me the media effects going into the show and allowed me to gain more experience working with tech and seeing how everything would feature in the final show.

When we moved onto our casts performance. We started off at a good pace and the energy was very encouraging for the first few scenes. Especially as this was our very first full run through of the entire show. When it came time for me and Millie to perform 'I want it all' the energy just wasn't there, we weren't confident with the song as we were trying to improvise our movements to the music. We were uneasy with each other and afraid of interacting in character as we hadn't really rehearsed it. After careful reflection it has become clear that we need to partly choreograph the song as we are unsure of ourselves and Rachel picked up on it instantly. I was embarrassed and nervous on stage, something that im not familiar with as a performer. I will do everything in ability within rehearsals to change this.

The Scenes that really needs to be worked on is Act 1, Scene 10 and Act 2, Scene 10. Lines need to be run as a few people are missing their cues, me included which I have been trying to rectify, this then leads to the scene loosing its momentum because of the constant starting and stopping. I need to take responsibility for myself and learn my lines so that my cast mates aren't being hold back. I will be running my lines through and through also I am going to help Josh Mortimer with his lines as he is struggling and I feel by working together we can bring out the best in each other. The other Bohemians in the scene could learn the structure of the scene in case they may need to jump in and help, specifically with Josh as he does struggle with lines and it's not made easy for him with everyone putting pressure on him to do better, perhaps we need to more patient with him and offer out assistance as his classmates, rather than giving him aggrovation. 

WWRY Half Term Day 29th May 2013

Today was based around the staging, props, sound and lighting for preparation of next week. As the staging was taken down for exams, we had to put it all back together, we had decided to stay with the idea for traverse staging. We were now able to alter and improve the layout of the stage blocks either end of the studio based on new thoughts and ideas we had whilst rehearsing the shows and made reflect the characters and setting to the audience. For the 'Evil End', we removed the ramp as the costumes for the Yuppies and Gaga Kids involved character shoes that slipped down the ramp so we decided to replace it with three stage blocks, we noted that this would affect the Radio GaGa dance so therefore we made sure that all the performers of the dance were confortable with this change. We needed to make sure there was a separation between each side of the studio and that the strip of staging didn't intrude on the 'Bohemian End' and that there was still space for the audience to view both sections of the stage.

     With the 'Bohemian End' being my main priority as I really wanted to emphasise the stage I would be performing on, we wanted to create a setting of retro, tacky and random memorabilia. What I said to everyone is that we need to show that these people are scavangers. We don't not to highlight the futuristic setting as the Bohemians are only interested in things that they find, things from the 'past' so they are in theory Horder's they build up the heartbreak with the clutter that they find and salvage, we could used this to our advantage by using all our props available and decorating the stage with cloths, clutter and so on. This meant going through the props shelves and picking out old-fashioned, modern, broken and weird items, for example: Queen mask, candles in bottles, a type-writer, a gun... As well as this, a banner was made for the 'Heartbreak Hotel' by sticking letters around a hoop and suspending it from a curtain that hangs from the rigging above, draping around the levels of staging. This was also put around the sides of the stage blocks to cover the gaps in them. By using the tops of the stage blocks to capture the material and double sided sticky tape we secured different coloured material around the sides of each block. Although this image looked like the right sort of setting for rock and roll freedom fighters, I felt as tho it lacked emphasis still, I go back to what Id stated about the Bohemians being disciples of rock and roll, I was keen to show this religious view and though it might be beneficial for the Bohemians to have pictures of former rock stars and their images, over time these pictures would have deteriorated yet the Bohemians look to them as inspiration and I think this was a key feature to the construction of the heartbreak hotel, I told Rachel and she responded really well to the idea. As did the other actors using the stage. The final design captures the atmosphere of the Rock and Roll that has been destroyed and replaced by the clinical lives of the Gaga Kids. A den of squaller that still retains hopes and images of aspiration.

 Another alteration made to the stage blocks was the other side of the 'Bohemian End'. Instead of two levels of staging, there is now a U shape and a lower stage block in the middle; this helps with the hospital bed scene as it creates levels around Galileo and Scaramouche, as well as creating a more interesting setting overall.

We then did lighting cues for staging and the first couple of scenes. As well as planning the setting, this also helps us block each scene to prevent misjudgement of staging and conformation of which parts of the stage to use. Here we confirmed that the Heartbreak Hotel would not be used until the scene following I want it all, this meant that we had to change the lighting and try to reflect the same energy on the opposite siide of the stage. I found this frustrating as had a firm idea of what I wanted to do but as I took into consideration the hard work and effort going into the lighting, sound, structure and other production roles I realised this was a minor sacrifice and took the necessary precautions to re-structure my scenes, deciding on my levels and entry and exit points. Which turned out to be much more effective as I was covering much more of the staging and addressing the entire audience from a confident vantage point.

22nd May 2013

Today my cast had a full run through of the show for the first time. I was really excited about this as it was the first time we had one and it would be beneficial so us all coming together. It started of patchy, there was alot of stopping and starting due to cues and people not knowing their line, regrettably I was a contributing factor towards this. Mainly I thought about how my entrances and exits would work around the staging whilst discussing this with Milly. Within the run I was able to practice 'I want it all' with Meat. This was the first time we had performed the number within the show and we were not confident atall.

Mel gave us some key movements to try and use for the song, and took us through her choreography.


I want it all

Start centre stage and say my line 'we get it all' to signify the start of the song, I then move to the higher tier of the stage it asserts my dominance and reflects the power of the first verse, this really creates an impact. Millie then sings her solo and ushers me down as it is now her turn to take the lead. We circle around one another trying to convey confidence and attitude we then seperate and try to get the audience to join in with the clapping. Finishing side shouting 'I want it all'


When the song starts it starts off really slow. This meant that our original idea of bopping had to be changed as it didn't work in time to the music. Instead we had foot tapping an shoulder shrugs, I felt more confidence with this and felt it better reflected the characters. Trying to remember the movements that there was a real lack of energy and characterisation. Mel pointed out that we could edit this in our free time so we suit it best to the characters.


Following our progress we had to re-arrange our blocking due to editing of the set. The staging for the first verse was now only being used for Act 1 scene 10 onwards meaning that we had to use the stage blocks on the opposite of the stage, we had to alter the choreography slightly and I had to be lower down that previously intended, which I was happy to do.


Whilst I felt that we made great strides with choreographing I want it all. I couldn't help but feel that it made the song look a bit robotic, I had an idea of free spirits doing what that want and going where they want. Not following step by step movements. Me an Millie suggested tampering with the idea of an improvised piece.


After the run through I went into a practice room and practiced with Millie on our vocal range and trying to uplift our confidence, having this time with her to practice really helped me work out our songs and how it is sung, in terms of tone, breath control and so on.


Character:

During our run through, I thought about my character development throughout my performance. I thought about my voice and my over the top, influntial stage presence in which I try to inspire people and encourage them to live for the dream. I thought about how I am completely in awe of Galileo and work with him to try and re-discover music, whilst teaching him more about music. I want to make this obvious to the audience to show my status level, that Brit is an influential part of Galileo's journey and how he shows this on stage. I will show this through my body language and voice. I will be very analytical of him at first we sort of a confused, dull monotone overview. But as I slowly began to discover who he could be I want the voice to become higher and more extravagent whilst the body language is unpredictable and humourous, I believe that adding humour to it will relax the scene and get a great reaction from the audience.

Comparing and contrasting demands of DFTA and WWRY

Don't Feed The Animals and We Will Rock You are very contrasting pieces in terms of location, characters and synopsis. However their some similarities that can be identified.



Character demands

:The character Cam that I played in DFTA was part of a school group on the bunk, he was a follower and would occasionally voice his opinion. He blended into the group and was very much part of the furniture. We all played similar characters that had the same status in the gang apart from Angel who is the gang leader. My We will rock you character Brit was extremely contrasting to my previous character, he is a leader of his people and plays a significant part within We will rock you. Leading Galileo to the Bohemians and helping him become the one to bring back the music. The obvious difference between my characters is the ages of both. Cam is a 17 year old boy with no real passion whereas the character of Brit is an adult male who has dedicated his life to a cause. The similarity is that I am portraying a different age within each role. This involves thinking about: my voice, the pitch, tone and accent, movement, how I present myself and move around the space and finally, what type of personality a person of the age I am playing will have, this involves surveying the public around me and even people of a similar age I know and their characteristics.The Key thing im going to highlight is based on my research. I intend to contrast the character's based on the oppression they have both received, this is where I take the similarities of the 2 characters, neither of them wish to conform to the higher powers, in theory they are both rebels and in both shows they are rebelling the cause. The difference being that Brit is very much one of the leader's of his rebellion, it is clear his passionate and devoted and he continues to relay this throughout the show. Cam however has a different take, he refuses to conform and rebels the idea of school and so on. But are these really his decisions? Or is he just being led astray? Using my own experiences as a child and now as an adult, I would say I am more entitled to my own thoughts, goals and opinions now. Therefore I will use this in my characterisation A major difference between the characters I am playing and the circumstances I am playing the characters is the context of the productions. One being a play set in the modern day in which singing and dancing doesn't feature, and the other within a musical in which I sing and dance and over-exaggerate my character. I feel the difference between performing in a play and a musical is quite opposing as you need to be prepared to begin a musical number during you're dialogue. It requires more movement, choreography, the use of a backing track and strong vocal ability. Adding even more pressure to just remembering a script.



My final decisions for each of my characters.

Don't feed the animals

Cam: I will take inspiration from the idea of the kid at the back of classroom, I want Cam to be uncertain of himself, on the verge of trying to make a good impression in front of Angel. I will continue to slouch and wander about on stage as if im trying to think of something impressive to do. When the scenes pick themselves up I want this energy to appear in him out of nowhere as I feel that this will show he has potentialhe just needs motivation, like alot of modern day teenagers he is trying to find his calling. For example the cartwheel scene, he wants to prove himself to everyone and this is a crucial point for him to do that.


We will rock you
Brit:I will take Queen drummer Roger Taylor as my inspirations for Brit's voice. I really want him to be the polar opposite of Cam. Meat looks to him instead of the Cam looking to Angel aesthetic. Brit will have stage
presence and a passion that is reflected to the audience, for songs like 'I want it all' I want him to encourage
the crowd to join in and get the Bohemians to really engage themselves with Galileo. I want him to reflect and
personify rebellion. Running and jumping across stage for emphasis and often getting lost in his own thoughts
and desires.