We as a cast have already proven to be strong and very committed, but I think the ensemble task really put us to the test, luckily for us we passed successfully. We were able to bounce off of each other using the energy given to us by fellow actors and then were able to transfer that energy in the delivery of our performance and commitment to our lines. The energy also proved to be effective during all ensemble areas of the piece, as we delivered the message as one, with the same amount of enthusiasm. We were all clearly confident with the play which showed in the way we performed, for example I could both feel and see the improvement of many of my peers in the performance.
The first performance had a bit of a shaky start but we all went with it and took advantage of an accidental awkward pause, turning it into something more, hopefully without the audience realizing it. However, the second performance really picked up and certain individuals really stood out for me.
Alex stood out especially in the second performance for me as she was able to be much more relaxed and changed her tone of voice completely when referring to the baby pigs. She was almost a different character completely and showed a clear interest in being spontaneous and tried something new which I found both inspiring and brave. I defiantly think that her new approach benefited the play and paid off, as her previous tone and slight nervousness was holding her back. It also resembled similar work that we had seen before by her, she revealed a new side to her acting skills completely by stepping out of her comfort zone. I was very proud of her throughout the performance and will try to show a variation in the way I perform each piece for the next performance.
I loved how we used lights to create he eerie, mysterious and slightly dodgy feeling towards the East End, it emphasized the darkness in the world but also shed a little bit of light on the unity of a nation.
To improve I think we need to work on more vocal skills, focusing on diction and projection, as some actors were too quiet on stage and if I can't hear them and I'm right next to them, what are the chances of the audience being able to hear them. Despite this, the organization was amazing and all actors looked present, organized and symmetrical at all times. I believe we appeared in this way because we were able to move from one location to another really quickly along with the help of music with changed the mood and tempo of each scene, as well as acting as a sort of transition.
I am over the moon with my own performance, and am really proud of the feedback I received from parents. I believe I managed to cover up my own posh accent with a less well spoken one which could still use a lot of work however was an improvement from before. I really tried to work on my voice and would practice around friends houses, by using vocal exercises etc. however found it extremely hard. Some of the feedback I got back from my Father was the fact that my facial expressions always responded well with whatever was happening on stage, whether I was in the scene or not which I am quite proud of, as I tried really hard to stay focused. I also tried reducing my pitch when reading 'The Weakest Link' script, in the hopes of not drowning out the actors too much as I felt I had been doing in rehearsal, I didn't want to dominate the scene as I was a dramatical device not the centre of attention.
At one point in the play I almost said my line too early and half turned but realized at the right moment in time and tried to make it look as I intended to turn around the whole time, I tried to commit to my mistake instead of try and act as if nothing had happened. I also tried to slow everything down in the second performance and just enjoy our last performance despite the camera capturing every mistake and following every move we would make.
My favourite moment in the play was Tale 5 which has continued to be my favourite Tale throughout the rehearsals. We managed to engage with everyone and both the audience and actors were indulged in the pain that the tale created, maintained and continued to echo. The fact that it was engaging to everyone worked best because it meant that there was almost genuine feeling towards the text.
This term I learned that even if you don't particularly like a play at first, you just have to be patient because the chances of you warming to it is very high. At first I wasn't a fan of East End Tales but I must admit that I enjoyed the play and would willingly do it again.
I wish to use the skills I learned from East End Tales, such as the physicality of the play and apply it to future performances to try and capture the feeling of a play in a similar way. I will also use my knowledge of how working in big groups is and maybe next time break into smaller groups within that group to make it easier for ideas to be heard. I also wish that we would have a lesson on the accent which we would be studying, however I know that the chances of that happening are low since the time we actually have together in class is very little. I would like to start learning my lines as soon as I am given them next time as I seem to be getting worse at remembering lines so will need to start practising again. I would also like to remain focus in all lesson as I must remember that we get graded on lessons as well as our overall performance.
None of this would have been able to have been performed to the ability that it was without the help of our amazing director. And despite her breaking her leg and not being with us from the start of our rehearsal time, we still managed to create a truly magical performance that delivered the message we wanted it to. I am proud of all of my peers for giving their all and am also glad that we were given the task of working as one because I truly believe it made us all stronger actors and have gained skills to use in the future. We are constantly learning off of each other and off of our director and so we rely upon each other. We are all as strong as each other, and if one of us breaks then we all do. After all we are only as strong as our weakest link.
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