Constantin Stanislavski

Constantin Stanislavski:

Question 1 : What relaxation exercises are used by the actors in 'An Actor Prepares' What are the benefits of learning to relax while performing?

 Stanislavski uses several relaxation exercises as being relaxed is a vital part of enabling performance of the highest possible standard. The 'Relaxation of Muscles' exercise tells us that we should be relaxed- "The actor should practice relaxing his muscles; we tend to be too tense." I can relate to this as there have been a lot of times in my 'Stage Life' where I have been incredibly nervous. It has impacted my performance on several occassions so Stanislavski's 'Relaxation of Muscles' is something that will have a lot of benefits for a Performer- not just on Stage but in Auditions too. The specific benefits of learning to relax while performing is that when you're relaxed you're less likely to forget lines, less likely to use overly tense body posture (although if it suits your character that's fine!) and less likely to have a shakey voice (again, if this suits your character it's no problem).

Question 2 : What sensory exercises does Stanislavsky use? Why is it important not to rush when working through sensory exercises?

 There are to aspects of Sensory Memory- physical and mental. We have 5 senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste and Touch. Each person may have stronger senses than others as no ones senses are equally strong. For example, some people might have a much stronger Visual Memory and someone else it might be hearing that is strongest.

 Stanislavski's 'Five Senses' exercises are meant to be aimed at actual life experiences. If any of the exercises fall outside of your own experiences, ignore it and don't try to imagine. The exercise encourages you to relive a certain experience in your life through all 5 senses.

Here is a link to an Acting Company doing Stanislavsky's Sensory Exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8mvDisUeWk 

Question 3 : What are the Given Circumstances of a play? Why is it important that an actor understands the Given Circumstances in a play?

 The Given Circumstances in a Drama, for a Character, apply to the set of environmental and situational conditions that influence the actions that the character experiences. Although the character may make choices unconsciously, the Actor portraying the character is aware of the conditions on a conscious level which helps him/her strengthen their understanding of the motivation behind the characters actions. Stanislavski describes given circumstances as "The plot, the facts, the incidents, the period, the time and place of the action, the way of life.".

Task 2 - When you have collected your own copies of the scripts from Kim look at your scenes and write a detailed description of the Given Circumstances of at least two of the scenes you are in.

Jim Fenner's Given Circumstances:

Scene 3: Rachel's Cell
- The Given Circumstances in this scene are that Jim is in a cell with a vulnerable female prisoner. He is a Prison Guard and his job is to look after and ensure she is healthy and safe.

Scene 9: Shell's Cell
- The Given Circumstances in this scene are that once again Jim is in a Prisoner's cell. However, the atmosphere in this scene is very different to Scene 3 as Jim has already slept with Shell and they have a sexual relationship. However, Jim is a Prison Guard and he would get into a lot of trouble and would lose his job if he was to get caught. They feel comfortable with each other though which makes this scene contrast Scene 3.


Task 3 - What does your character want in that scene? What is their objective?

Scene 3: Rachel's Cell
- Jim wants to take advantage of Rachel and actually does eventually end up raping her. He wants to use his power as a Prison Guard to mislead her and intimidate her into doing what he wants her to do. His objective in this particular scene is to simply gain Rachel's trust.

Scene 9: Shell's Cell
- In this scene, Jim wants to have sex with Shell. There is no other objective in this scene other then that. 

Bad Girls Rehearsal 28/01

In today's Rehearsal, time was spent blocking the first 3 scenes as well as individual singing sessions with Kim, our singing teacher, to go over solos and duets.

 As I didn't write an entry for last weeks rehearsal I am also going to talk about that rehearsal in this Blog entry. Last week we blocked Scene 2. Scene 2 is where the song 'I Shouldn't be Here' is in and most of the scene is sung. I was given the job of positioning everyone around the set for the scene. I decided to use the levels of and space to emphasise which characters had the most power. The most powerful characters- the Prison Guards all stand on the top blocks and look across the prisoners. The most powerful prisoners; Shell and Nikki stand at the front of the stage whilst the rest of the prisoners are spread across the rest of the stage including the lower blocks. With exception of the 2 Julies, each Prisoner walks to the front of the stage when they're singing solo parts of the song 'I Shouldn't be Here'. I started to develop my character by using a 'Masculine' and 'deeper' voice and will create a separate post for my development of the character 'Jim'.

 This week: After

blocking and choreographing the Scene 2 which is mainly singing- 'I Shouldn't be Here' in last weeks rehearsal, we started today's rehearsal in individual groups devising and blocking individual scenes which we then showed the rest of the group and were given feedback by Rachel. For example, there was a group choreographing the song 'Guardian Angel', another group choreographing 'Life of Grime' and Megan and Abi (Sylvia and Rachel) were blocking the opening scene. 

 Whilst these groups were blocking and choreographing, I went through my solo 'The Key' and my duets 'Jailcraft' and 'The Future is Bright' with Kim. On the whole, I believe the singing session went well but I do need to keep listening to certain parts of the song to ensure I know the tune and key as there were individual lines in each song which I was clueless on. What is challenging about the show's score is that the songs often change key where you least expect it so I need to work extra hard to ensure I know my songs like the back of my hand. 

Boal Assesment and BGTM Research

Augusto Boal:

- a Brasillian Theatre Director.
- born in 1931 and died in 2009.
- he was the Founder of 'Theatre of the Oppressed'.

2 Short Practical Exercises:


Four ways of staging 'Bad Girls The Musical':

What works/presents challenges when it comes to the set we designed:

 There is one main issue with the set we have designed and that is mainly due to the fact that our lighting rig is so low. Our set is quite high which means some tall people will not be lit if they go to the top of this set. There is a very simple way of avoiding this happeneing and that is to simply not make the tall people of the cast go up onto the set's highest point. We will be able to work scenes around this so it shouldn't be a problem.

 Another possible challenge will be where we will put the live band (Bad Girls' score is written for a live band so it means we have to put them somewhere. One of our ideas was to have the band behind the back of the set  however we need to put in extra staging to create a 'stairway' which will allow Cast members to exit from the top of the set; which will be a corridor with doors off of it (to Prison Cells). At this moment we are not entirely sure how we will do this but we should be able to make some narrow steps with blocks down one side of the set and be able to leave enough room for the band and still have a way for the Cast to get down.

Research of Women's Prisons:

"There are now 12 women’s prisons in England, one in Northern Ireland and none in Wales.

As of October 2013, HMP Downview is no longer a women's prison. The re-role of HMP Downview into a men's prison will be completed by spring 2014.

The government announced in October 2013 that it is looking to close HMP Askham Grange and HMP East Sutton Park once its planned scheme to turn all women's prisons into resettlement prisons has been rolled out across the female custodial estate. It is unclear at this point, however, when this will take place.

Four of the women's prisons in England have a juvenile unit and seven have a mother and baby unit. However, the government announced in October 2013 that the mother and baby unit at HMP Holloway is closing, bringing the total number of units to six."

Source: http://www.womeninprison.org.uk/womensprisons.php

An interesting article that informs us of how disgusting the treatment of women in prisons is. The article tells us of a report of women being forcibly stripped-searched and having their clothes cut off. It also tells us that after several women committed suicide behind bars, the Corston Report was published (in 2007), in which Lady [Jean] Corston outlined the need for a 'distinct, radical, holistic and woman-centred approach to women' in the criminal justice system.

Link to the article: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/oct/30/prison-service-treatment-women-shameful

Augusto Boal and Forum Theatre:
 
 Forum Theatre is a technique that was pioneered by Augusto Boal. It is when a play or a scene (involving oppressed characters) is shown twice and during the replay, any member of the audience is allowed to shout 'Stop!' and step forward to take the place of the oppressed characters, showing how they could change the situation to enable a different outcome. The other actors have to remain in character and improvise their response to the audience member who has stood up (The facilitator) and the way in which they have changed the story's outcome. The strategy breaks through the barrier between performers and audience, making them equal. It enables participants to try out courses of action which could be applicable to their everyday lives. Originally the technique was developed by Boal as a political tool to make change (part of the Theatre of the Oppressed), but has been widely adapted for use in educational contexts.

Theme and Synopsis we chose for our Assesment:

 We had to choose a theme that is explored in Bad Girls The Musical and we had to ensure that our pieces involved an oppressed character or characters.

Dance Unit 38 and review of first term

  The first term of Dance has been an exciting and busy one. We have focused on technique, performance skills and had a lot of fun.

 Our first main project was choreographing and performing the song 'America' from Stephen Sondheim's 'West Side Story'. What was challenging about this dance was that there was a lot of people on stage as we had all years of Musical Theatre students involved (38 performers)! We performed the dance in the Winter Dance Show as well as another group number from Seussical The Musical (Oh the Thinks) that we had also been learning in class.

 Having to learn choreography for Seussical The Musical was challenging because we had such a short time to do so. We finished our Production just 11 days before the opening performance of Seussical so the week before the show was spent learning all the choreography (and the rest of the show!). This was a big learning curve as in the professional world you will sometimes have a very short time to learn choreography.


Unit 38 Criteria:

1- I attend lessons in the correct clothing and have attended Tutor led workshops (choreography of Seussical and America) as well as rehearsals. However I need to control my facial expressions.

2- I have demonstrated physical skills, posture, allignment, coordination, balance, flexibility, strength, rhythm, spacial awareness. I need to work on control and strength.

3- In order to get to the next level I need to demonstrate dances in two different styles and stylistic qualities. I can use West Side Story and then I will choreograph a Contemporary Solo (I can use my AS Dance Choreography)

4- I need to review my progress and evaluate my progress as a dancer in my Blog.

3 Strengths:

3 Weaknesses to Improve on to get higher grade:

    - Choreograph a Contemporary Solo so I have performed two dances in two
      different styles.
    - Evaluate my progress as a dancer in my Blog.
    - Work on my facial expressions as sometimes when I am dancing I need to
      keep a neutral face.

Criteria reference	To achieve the criteria the evidence must show ……..		Task		Blog
P1     M1     D1	demonstrate commitment to the development of performance skills through active participation in workshops and rehearsals   demonstrate commitment to the development of performance skills through focussed participation in workshops and rehearsals   demonstrate self-management in the development of performance skills through thorough preparation and a determined participation in workshops and rehearsals		1,  2,  3
P2    M2     D2	respond positively to direction and corrections   respond positively to direction and corrections and successfully improve aspects of performance technique   respond positively to direction and corrections to improve performance and achieve high levels of technical proficiency		1,  2,  3
P3        M3       D3	demonstrate the application of physical and interpretative skills in performance, communicating the dance idea   demonstrate application of a range of physical and interpretative skills in performance, successfully communicating the dance idea and remaining focused and engaged in the dance   demonstrate application of physical and interpretative skills in performance, confidently and clearly communicating the dance idea and remaining focused and engaged throughout		1,  2,  3
P4      M4      D4	demonstrate an awareness of stylistic qualities in performance   show a clear sense of appropriate stylistic qualities in performance   show an excellent sense of stylistic qualities in performance, with confidence, interpretation and artistic flair		1,  2,  3
P5   M5     D5	review own technical performance setting targets with guidance.   review own technical performance setting appropriate and achievable targets with guidance.   thoroughly review own technical performance setting focused and challenging targets.		1,  2,  3

Ancient Greek Context- Neil's Session, Women in Ancient Greece & Infanticide.

Neil's Session on Ancient Greece:

 Today we had a College Guest in (called Neil) to talk to us about the history of Ancient Greece. Then we should use the contextual knowledge that he taught us to portray and understand our characters.
 

First of all he taught us some general facts. In Ancient Greece, each state was independent and only united by religion and language. If you didn't speak Greek you were 'barbarian' (a foreigner). This shows that in our opening sequence of Medea, when the Nurse says 'anywhere else you're a foreigner', she is referring to the fact that in any other state, Medea would be considered 'barbarian' as she, in a lot of people's opinions, is not Greek. 

 Ancient Greek Theatre had different genres just like we do now. However, plays would take place in a huge amphitheatre in front of THOUSANDS of people. A Greek Amphitheatre could seat/stand up to 14,000 audience members.
 

 In Ancient Greece, Theatre was thought of as religious- there was even a God Of Drama; Dinisis. Dinisis also happened to be the God of getting drunk as well! Theatre's also had Priests; otherwise known as Priests of Dinisis. These Priests would be sitting in the 'best seats of the house' at the front of the auditorium. Competitions would be held where different groups would compete against each other with their own plays- after all, in Ancient Greece, the best gift to God was competition.

 Medea was first performed in 431 BC and has since been performed a countless number of times in a countless number of different versions. Euripides was the first playwright to say Medea killed her children. Euripides also made Argeus nice, as he was from Athens. Athenians were thought of as the superior race and Euripides wanted to compliment them. 

Women in Ancient Greece:

We are performing Medea in few weeks’ time so in order to understand the characters and storyline more, I have decided to some Contextual Research into the lives of Women in Ancient Greece.

 The treatment of Women in Ancient Greek times was horrendous. In fact, they weren't even counted as official 'citizens'. In terms of Theatre, they weren't allowed to go to watch shows and were definitely not allowed to perform.

 Women had very limited freedom outside of their homes. They couldn't even attend weddings, funerals, religious festivals or visit other female neighbours without their husband's permission. They couldn't even go to a Temple to honor their Gods. However, in their homes,  Greek Women were essentially in charge of everything. They had to 'run the house'- this included making clothes, cleaning and bearing children. However, most Greek Women did not actually do cooking and cleaning themselves as they had slaves.

 Women were also not allowed to watch the Olympic Games because the participants in the games did not wear any clothes. Chariot racing was the only game Women could win, and this was only possible if they owned the horse. If that horse won, they received the prize. This was the only way in which they would be involved with the games.

 When it came to marriage, girls would get married in their teens- their husbands would often be in their 30's. If the girl was from a wealthy family, the chances are that her marriage would've been arranged from a very young age; if not birth. It was essential that the girls were virgins when they got married. Once the girls were married, their husbands would control everything about that she did- essentially taking over the role of her father. In fact the 'passing' of control from Father to Husband was called 'Gamos'. No matter what, Women were always ‘owned’ by a Man. It is important to remember that no matter who the woman was- they would not have chosen their own husband.

 It was incredibly hard for Women to divorce their husbands- it was mostly the husband who filed for divorce. The term 'divorce' means the same as it did back then but in Ancient Greece it normally just meant the Husband would ridicule his Wife in public or simply send her back to her Family home where she would once again be under control of her Father. Women could file for divorce themselves but they had to go before the Archon whereas a man could get divorced whenever he liked.

How a Woman acquired Property:

 There were three ways in which a woman could ‘inherit’.

     1. Gift: a woman might have received a gift from her husband or another relative such as jewellery or clothing.

2   2. Dowry: marriages were often thought of as an alliance between two families with each family having something to offer to the other. A Wife’s dowry was often 20% of her Husband’s wealth but it was rarely enough to even look after her.

- Daughters got a share of their family’s wealth

- The bride’s father retained a stake in the marriage as he could demand the  return of the dowry and his daughter at any time.

- A wife had a financial stake in her new family

- The groom was motivated to keep his wife happy to avoid having to return the dowry.

- A wife had some financial resource in the event of divorce or the death of her husband.

It was very rare for land to be included in Dowry but it was possible.

 Even though a Dowry did supply a Wife with more security, in most cases it was never enough to make a serious difference. However, if she and her Husband divorced the Dowry would return to her legal guardian and if her Husband died, she could stay with his family or return to her own with her Dowry.

3   3. Inheritance:
Ancient Greek was an Agricultural land meaning that almost every family owned land. A family together which owned land was called an Oikos. What was complicated about Inheritance is that a woman could not inherit land herself. For example, if her Father died, his land would go to one of her brothers (if she had one). If she didn’t have a brother, there would be a high chance that when she married her husband, her Father would’ve adopted him. This would mean that her husband could inherit her Father’s land. However, this was rare as there would be a chance that her husband could inherit 2 farms and it was frowned upon for someone to have more than one. If the Woman was not married and her father died, she would become an Epikleros. She would also become an Epikleros if her husband wasn’t adopted by her father. The term is sometimes translated as “heiress” however it literally means “with the property”.  The estate passes to the closest male member of the family willing to marry her.

The system was designed to accomplish 3 things:

· Ensure that all property was administered by a man

· Ensure the survival of a man’s oikos

· Maintain as high a number of landowners as possible to ensure the continuation of democracy in Athens.  The fewer men owned land the easier it would be to concentrate power in the hands of a small aristocracy.

The actresses who are playing Medea in our production can use this research to help strengthen their understanding and portrayal of the character. All of this information really does help us understand why Medea behaved the way she did in the play. For starters, as a woman, she is treated like a possession- as if she isn’t a true human. The research helps us understand that Medea doesn’t have a father to go back to after Jason leaves her because after she killed her brother (for Jason!) it meant that she had to flee her family. Medea has given up everything for this man all for him to decide he no longer wants her. She literally has nowhere to go- especially her home land as she will be killed. The only reason he is leaving her after all is because the Princess he has left her for is Royal. The research also shows us that by killing the Princess and her sons, she takes away the most important thing for a Male in Ancient Greece- Heirs. By killing the Princess, Jason has no one to have more children with and by killing their sons; he has lost his current Heirs. The research makes it obvious as to why Medea corrects Jason when he discovers their bodies when she says “My Children”. It’s fair to say that Medea believes that Jason doesn’t love his children as he didn’t care when they were banished from Corinthe. However, as soon as his Bride-to-be (the Princess) dies, he decides he wants them back. This just goes to show that as far as Jason is concerned, they are heirs and that is all they are. There doesn’t appear to be any true love there- it almost justifies her doings as Jason doesn’t deserve them. Therefore, taking this information into account, I believe that the Medea's should use an angry voice. However, because Medea is a very clever woman, I feel as though they should still vary both tempo and volume to show that although she's angry and hysterical at times, she knows what she's doing and has moments of calm. I believe that she should use a strong, upright posture as this shows she is confident. Not many women in Ancient Greece would stand up to men the way she does and the actresses playing Medea need to show that as far as she is concerned, she is just as important as any Men- this will be evident in her duologue with King Creon when he banishes her. Movement-wise, I believe that she should move very confidently with her correct posture as once again she believes she is just as important as men. However, at times of hysteria, they should play around with movement- for example, sometimes move with bad 'lazy' posture to show just how upset she is.

 This research also helps the male parts in our production of Medea understand their place in society. Of course men were thought of as a lot more important than women in Ancient Greece and the fact that my character is a King makes him even more important. In my duologue scene with the character Medea, I have decided to use physical levels- I'm going to walk onto the stage blocks whilst Medea is talking to show that I am more important. I'm going to use a stern, manly voice to try to show that I am attempting to overpower Medea. My posture will be upright, once again to show that I am confident and powerful even though medea scares him. The research shows us that Women would never be expected to stick up for themselves so when Medea does, I'm going to play Creon as though he was shocked and on the line 'my country my country and my family!' I will shout to show that he is angry at her for disrespecting him. When he walks off after banishing her I'm going to walk off powerfully but also a bit 'stirred' as though he is in a state of shock that Medea spoke to him the way she did- as if to say "how dare she"!

Research into Infanticide:

#1

 “A German court has convicted a woman of manslaughter and sentenced her to nine years in prison for killing five of her newborn babies.

The 29-year-old woman, whose name has not been released - in keeping with German privacy rules - turned herself in to authorities last September.

Prosecutors said then that she killed the infants shortly after giving birth in secret at home or in the woods, because she worried her husband would leave her if she had any more children.

The state court in Flensburg, on Germany's border with Denmark, convicted her today of five counts of manslaughter, the DPA news agency reported. 

Prosecutors had sought a 10-year sentence and the defense a seven-year term. The babies were born between 2006 and 2012. The woman has two living children.

She turned herself in after police took a DNA sample, and confessed to killing the children.

The case had been under investigation since a newborn baby's body was found in a paper-recycling plant near the city in 2006. A second body was found in a car park in 2007, according to the BBC.

Discoveries: The woman handed herself in to police in the town of Flensburg, Germany (pictured)

Three further bodies were found in the cellar of the woman's house.

Prosecutor Ulrike Stahlmann-Liebelt told a news conference in Flensburg in September that the woman was afraid her husband would leave her because he did not want any more children. He knew nothing of the five births, she said.

The case is one of a number of infanticides in Germany in recent years.

In 2006, a woman was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing eight of her newborn babies and burying them, the BBC reports.”

 The way in which this case of infanticide is reported in a negative way. What I find interesting about this account of infanticide is the similarities to Medea's. Firstly, they are both women and secondly, both women are committing the crime for a Man. Although they both have different motives for the crime (This German woman killed her children because she was scared her husband would leave her if she had any more children and Medea killed her children to get back at her Husband, Jason), it is clear that they are both committing infanticide for a Man. I believe this shows how far a woman will go when it comes to Men and it emphasises that this is still the case today- milleniums after Medea's crime, Women are still committing the horrifying act. Very little sympathy is shown and very little background context is given. The article doesn't give the woman's side of the story- for all we know, her husband could've been violent and she was so scared of him that she had no other option but to kill the babies.

#2

Father in custody row kills his four children

“A dispute over custody may have prompted a father to murder his four young children then take his own life, police believe.

Claude Mubiangata, 38, was found dead in a burnt-out car with the children aged three to 12.

He was said to have left a suicide note asking his wife: 'Forgive me for everything I have done.'

The bodies were found hours after Mr Mubiangata had picked up daughters Alpha and Cyndy and sons Kio and Aaron from their mother, Chantalle.

A friend said he had been going to take them to see the new Scooby-Doo movie. Police sources said the possibility that he killed his children and himself was a 'strong line of inquiry'.

The bodies were found in a silver Nissan Primera in the early hours of yesterday on an industrial estate in West Ham, East London.

They died from severe burns and inhalation of fire fumes, police said. Last night Mrs Mubiangata was sedated and being comforted by relatives.

It is thought the couple, who came to Britain from the Congo in 1990, had been estranged for some time. Mr Mubiangata's best friend, Cino Mangono, said the marriage became rocky after Mrs Mubiangata's sister arrived from Africa.

A police source said: 'We will be looking at the custody arrangements between the couple. We will also be attempting to find out why the parents had split up in the first place.'

Mr Mubiangata lived in Forest Gate. His wife, who is in her thirties, was living with their children in Upton Park.

Mr Mangono said he had gone to Mr Mubiangata's home and found two letters addressed to his wife and younger brother.

He said the note to Mrs Mubiangata read: 'I didn't want you to see me going around as a mad person.

'Forgive me for everything I have done. You know everything behind it. There is a complicity with you and your sister.

' That's why I am giving you freedom to do your thing and look after your sister's kids because I am taking mine with me.'

Mr Mangono said of the children: 'They were really in love with their father. He would take them everywhere. His life was his kids.”

 The first thing that comes to mind whilst reading this article is the amount of background context that is included. The article is clearly trying to evoke sympathy for the Father and the way in which this article contrasts the Article on the German Woman who committed infanticide suggests that perhaps it is more acceptable for a Man to committ infanticide than a woman. The constant references to his Wife's sister suggest that she was her motivation. This, doubled with the custody issues which provoked this attacked almost justify his actions.

 This case of infanticide can also be compared to Medea's as it is also a case of 'divorced', quarelling parents who are having problems with custody. Although in Medea's case, it is her that has 'custody', she is angry at Jason for both leaving her and the children. He shows no remorse for them and in the end, when he decides he wants his boys back- it's too late. This is similar to this case as I'm sure the Mother now wishes she had not fought for custody and tried to take her children away from the father. By using the quote 'They were really in love with their father. He would take them everywhere. His life was his kids.', it not only evokes sympathy but because he loved them, it also shows that he felt that killing them was the kindest thing to do. This can be compared to Medea's plight, as although her main motive was to get revenge on Jason, it's fair to say that had they left Corinthe, her and her sons would've been living a horrible life that some would say would not be worth living. It shows that the killings both Medea and this father committed were out of love. 

References:

http://greece.mrdonn.org/women.html

http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/ancientchix/

http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/women_and_property_in_athens.htm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-127839/Father-custody-row-kills-children.html
http://www2.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/tragedy_theater.html