Monday 28 June 2010

Robin's Reflections

We worked on tales from kafka, enjoying working on a performance for the Theatre Royal. I have acted in school productions before and done some street theatre.

Robin.

Saturday 12 June 2010

Rehearsal 10/06

Today we had the sound engineer in to create strange noises for our play 'Kafka'. It was a particularly good session as we were able to experiment with our voices, sounds of birds singing, insects and a summer breeze.

The sound engineer told us some fascinating information on how all the ghostly noises in the film 'The Sixth Sense' were made by combining human voices rather than musical sound effects. He has worked with David Attenborough and is now going to London to do the sound effects for the play 'The Railway Children'.

On a personal note I have been rehearsing 'Dora' a depressed woman, who doesn't manage to overcome her depression, no matter how hard she tries. I am playing her like a marionette so have been learning slow dance moves to create the image.
We are very lucky to have an experienced director like Juliet Forster who has been working at York Theatre Royal for a number of years.

It has been a very interesting experience and has taught me how much hard goes into making a play.
Less than a month to go, and I am getting nervous now but enjoying every minute.

Ros

Tuesday 8 June 2010

Saturday's rehearsal



A shot from our rehearsal at Walmgate studios after picking our costumes! The date is getting closer!

Rehearsal 03/06

Felt a bit weak.
We did a warm-up.
Wasn't enthusiastic but once I started acting I got in the zone.
The bouncing balls going ping-pong tested my patience and so did the technical aspect of moving round the stage. Time went quick and I enjoyed the smoke break. Came back with fresh vigour. The old gentleman I was playing was good fun and I enjoyed my use of voice to portray him. Not everyone was involved in this rehearsal and they were just sitting around but the researcher said my stage presence and physicality was good. Time went quickly and I wasn't looking at my watch.
I feel the production for the Theatre Royal could be longer but I feel the quality is good.

Giles

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Kafka Reflections


The warm up to the rehearsal was about connecting together as a cast. The exercises we did were difficult to get into. Particularly when we had to move around the space and feel the energy together in order to stop then carry on moving. The idea was that we all worked as a team to stop moving and no one felt that they had the responsibility on there own. I think the group may have needed a little more patience with engaging in this particular exercise. What I understood from it was that it was not an exercise that is going to have positive results straight away, the group need to settle into it and begin to connect with the exercise and as a group over time.
The counting exercise worked a lot better as we stood in a circle, closed our eyes and counted to ten. If two people went to say the same next number at the same time we had to go back to the beginning. The idea was to get to 20, which we managed to do. We had played this game before as a group, but it seemed to work a lot better in this session as we connected as a team.

We worked on the scene with Bendemann and the ghost.
The way in which we approached the staging was what Juliet normally does with us, we improvised, running the script through and doing whatever feels natural.
This particular way of working is very beneficial as a way of approaching the scene on stage for the first time. The cast are able to take part in presenting ideas to the director as oppose to the direction just being on behalf of Juliet. I can imagine that it is also very useful for Juliet and provides her with more ideas to staging etc.
The thing that was difficult with this particular part to the performance was the fact that the ghost is not technically performed by a one of the cast, as there will be a use of a sort of puppet. As a consequence the setting will be a lot different and the direction of the ghost will be different.

It can be difficult sitting, waiting, watching for your part in the script to arrive but I find it interesting to watch other people work. You can learn so much from watching other people in the process of making, creating, performing and learning. I have noticed that within the company everybody learns differently. Some can learn by being told how something works, other have to see it, whilst there are performers who must experience it in order to understand. What also works in the company is that it is about the whole groups input and suggestions are always welcome.

I feel very lucky to be performing alongside the company, and with a director like Juliet. My learning is expanding in performing, team work, taking direction, connecting to the people around you and understanding the diversity of other peoples learning.

Gina