11.12.14

In today’s lesson we started blocking Tale 3 and 4. Both tales are performed as an ensemble piece, and the lines are split up between us.

Write your own definition of what ensemble means in theatre.

In my opinion the definition of ensemble means in theatre when a group (3+ people) perform a piece to theatre with several people acting as the same person. Also I think some of the lines have to be said all together, and some actions.

What has to happen in the rehearsal room to develop a successful ensemble?

I believe that to have a successful ensemble in the rehearsal room, everyone has to work together and ‘give it their all’. I think this, because if someone is not listening, so therefore they don’t understand what they are doing, the rest of the cast will have to do it again, which will waste everyone’s time, and you would get less things done. Also if you don’t try hard and give it your all, you will be letting down the rest of the cast as their performance will look bad because you are not trying.

Write about your favourite ensemble moment so far.

So far my favourite ensemble moment so far is in Tale 2, when all the girls turn to face each other and all say the line ‘even the traffic stop for him when he crosses the road’. This is my favourite ensemble moment as I feel it gives the lines more meaning and power as we are all saying it at the same time. Also while saying the line we shine our torches away from us, I like this as it creates a bit of an eerie atmosphere, as it’s only our faces which are lit up. We also make the movement very sharp and clean, I think this is effective as it makes the audience get more involved with the performance as it grabs their attention.

TALE 3

• How have we decided to stage Tale 3? 

We decided to stage tale 3, in a typical East End pub, which was filled with loads of loud punters. We did this, as in tale 3 it talks about a fight breaking out in a pub. Also we used red stalls instead of actual bars stall, which were left on stage from tale 1. I think that looked effective as because the stalls were all exactly the same it made the performance look more ensemble. We also used music in the tale in the beginning, I liked this as I think it created the feeling that you were actually in a busy pub and helped me perform better.

• What characters do you play in this tale? 

In tale 3, I played one of the punters in the bar, me and the rest of the class all acted as typical pub punters. By this I mean I had a pint in my hand and I slouched a lot. We all had to give ourselves an occupation as in the monologue it talks about the main character being a ‘jack of all trades’. I decided that my occupation would be a boiler repairs man. I did this by going up to someone in the audience and telling then their boiler was broken and I talked about the cost.

• What is the atmosphere of Tale 3? How is this different to what we have created for Tale 1 & 2

In tale 3, I think the atmosphere was very informal and busy but also the mood was quite light and not dramatic. This is very different to tale 1 and 2, as the atmosphere they had contained a lot more tension in them and were spookier. I think this as in tale 1 and 2, the scenes were quite quiet, and sparse and doing this automatically creates tension. Unlike tale 3, where there is a lot of noise and there is conversation everywhere, which makes the scene more relaxed.

TALE 4

• How have we decided to stage Tale 4? 

For tale 4, we decided to split the stage in two halves,  half of it was outside in the rain, while the other half was inside the house and in a living room. This is effective and you can clearly see what is going and it makes the scene flow nicely. In the living room we made a couch chair out of the red stalls for the dad to sit on. I really liked this idea as I think it kind of made it abstract and made it interesting and unique to look at. Then, outside, it is raining so we have a load of people walking around with umbrellas. This works really well as it creates the atmosphere of being outside in the rain especially because we have the sound of rain playing in the back ground

• What characters do you play in this tale? 

In this tale I played a teenager walking with my friend to the shop in the rain with my umbrella. I was also used to create the atmosphere that they are walking across the road as me and the rest of the class all kneel down facing each other, in a diagonal line.

  Further questions...

• What acting skills have you continued to develop over the past few weeks? Is there anything new you have discovered about your own skills?

Over the past view weeks I have continued to develop my characterisation skill as each lesson I am working on a different character so I don’t have weeks to study my character. So therefore I have to be able to adapt to a new character, and be able to make quick decisions about my character. Also I have discovered that I am capable to help create scenes using only movements and sound.

• Return to all of the sections of the text we have staged so far. Select a line from each that sums up that tale.

Prologue: ‘That when you see the real East End shadowy. ‘I picked this line as I think that the prologue is summing up what life could be like in the East End, and I think that explains it.

Tale 1: ‘Even the traffic stops for him when he crosses the road’  I selected this line as I think what the tale is trying to tell you is that the main character is quite intending and thinks that he is ‘all that’.

Tale 2: ‘She’s bold cold, but warm on the inside’.  I picked this line as I think that tale is saying that everyone already had their preconceptions on what the East End is like. But in fact it’s nothing like that and the people who live their like it, and I think that that line describes it well.

Tale 3: ‘Cheers London pride’.  I chose the line as throughout the tale it talks a lot about typical East End men, and I feel a lot of them would be really proud of where they come from.

Tale 4: ‘Nobody’s ever helped me before’. I picked this line as I think that the tale is making out they are helping an elderly lady across the road which is something very uncommon.