GREASE: Final Evaluation

Scene by Scene Evaluation:

Act 1:
Scene 1: (Alma Mater Acapella, Reunion Speech, Alma Mater Parody)
 Overall, I believe that this scene was a great opening to the show. I liked how Beth (Miss Lynch) added in the opening lines of  'Okay, 1 2 and...' as it gave the scene a much more realistic 'Reunion' feel. I think the first Alma Mater sounded good but there were still members of the group who were struggling with the lyrics. They should have ensured that they knew all of the lyrics as it was clear at times throughout the song that there were members of the cast who didn't know the words as the volume dipped at parts. After the first song, Miss Lynch and Patty Simcox (Beth and Lizzy) did a great job on the opening speech  Their characterisation was brilliant. However, the Alma Mater parody which followed could have been SO much better. I feel like I was the only one who was projecting my voice and the fact that no one else was putting in much energy made me feel as though I couldn't put in as much energy as I would have liked to. I think projection of voice and energy were problems throughout the performance but during this song was when it was at it's most obvious. I hope that the energy and voice projection issues in this scene were simply down to confidence and that if we were to do this scene again, there would be a lot of improvement.

Scene 2: (Canteen, Summer Nights)
 This scene turned into a bit of a mess due to certain members of the group forgetting their lines. However, the audience wouldn't have realised this as I believe we covered the lines well- especially Matt. I think it was clear that Matt had some lines ready in his head and, as a performer, this is extremely important as you never know what could happen on stage. Sonny (Michael) forgot the opening line of Danny's (matt) entrance. Matt covered it incredibly well by saying something along the lines of 'you see those broads over there? Nah man, everybody's made it with them.' I also liked Beth's movement in presence in this scene. As soon as she walked in she had a huge presence and I believe this was also down to the Greaser's reaction. I tried to act as scared as possible when she walked in as my character is quite geeky and I believe acting scared added to his comedy value. Summer Nights went tremendously well although line confidence was still a problem for some members of the group- for example Sarah forgot to sing 'How much dough did he spend' and I was the only boy who remembered to say 'But you don't gotta brag'. I don't think this effected the performance at all really as we all expected to make a few mistakes in this song. However, the lines SHOULD have been learned before the show. The girl's choreography in Summer Nights was perfect and I was especially surprised at how quickly Emily P picked it up as she hadn't done a full run through with the cast before the performance as she was a last minute replacement for Frenchie. However, the boys choreography could still have done with a bit more polishing. The moves were there but at times it looked sloppy- especially the move where we walk with our fists held up in front. Overall though, Summer Nights sounded and looked very good. Matt and Polly did a great job on the main vocals. The dialogue after the song also went really well and Danny and Sandy's 'collision' was timed perfectly! Tech-wise- I feel like the lighting was very effective during this scene as we used cross fades. However, I think it would've been better if we had used proper blackouts on each side of the stage as the 'freeze frames' didn't look particularly great as some people forgot it was a freeze and started to mime.

Scene 3: (Lockers, Those Magic Changes)
 Overall, this scene also worked very well. The opening bit of dialogue of this scene was simple and effective and was a nice lead up to my solo; Those Magic Changes. However, I think there should have been more reaction from the group to when I (doody) sing the song badly. The reactions from the rest of the group were all very quiet and I don't feel it was right for this scene as Doody is one of those people who everyone enjoys making fun of. Projection of voice was once again a problem as some cast members weren't speaking loud enough. The song itself went well although in the evening performance my voice did crack on a high note. I think my voice crack came down to a mixture of nerves and 'dry mouth'. I should have been more prepared and had a sip of water before this scene. I think my projection was really good during this song and I think my characterisation was too. I tried to act quite geeky throughout the song and also tried to convey the message that Doody dreams of becoming a rock star- I think the raised arm at the end of the song signalled this to the audience. I also liked the rest of the cast's background singing in the song as they put in some nice harmonies. However, the boy's choreography was pretty darn awful! I think it was okay because the T-Birds are meant to be 'cool' and dancing isn't really that cool. However, I think if we'd spent a bit more time on the movement it would have made the song a lot better aesthetically.

Scene 4: (Marty's Sleepover Party, Freddy My Love)
 I felt like this scene was to a very high level. The energy that was used by the girls was fantastic and they really made this scene feel as 'girly' as possible- after all, this is the only scene in the entire script where it is just the girls on their own. Whenever something happened- for example when Emily shows them the picture of Freddy, all the girls react and move. This action/reaction sequence made the scene come alive and made it much more realistic- as if it was a real teenage girl's bedroom. The one character that really stood out in this scene was Marty (played by Emily). She really did come across as a stereotypically shallow and brutally honest girl. The politest way to describe Marty is a bit of a  'cow'. This is the first scene where we get a true introduction to Marty's character and Emily did a great job of showing off Marty's true colours. What was really clear in this scene is that all the girls were line perfect- the scene flowed incredibly well and was, in my opinion, the smoothest scene in the entire performance. Emily sang Freddy My Love beautifully as usual and the rest of the girls did the dance and backing singing well too- although I felt as though they could've sang a little bit louder. Tech-wise, I would change the projected image as I didn't feel the image was the way Marty's bedroom would have looked and for me, it took away from the warm, intimate feel of the scene due to the white and green colour. It should've used warm colours like red and pink and the design should have followed 1950's interior design- not modern day interior design.

Scene 5: (Garage, Greased Lightening)
 The main thing that this scene lacked was energy. There was a minimal 'boyish' feel which should have been a lot stronger. It was clear that a lot of the energy problems came down to the fact that members of the cast, once again, weren't completely confident with their lines. I do believe that the energy levels got better with every performance we did but during the evening performance, there was a reason that the energy level was so low. One of the Production team had knocked over a bottle of water on stage and there was a big puddle that was restricting our movement as we didn't want to fall over and hurt ourselves. As a performer, you have to expect the unexpected, and although the energy levels weren't as great, it was best to be slightly less energized then break a leg by slipping on some liquid! The song, Greased Lightening, went really well- especially the choreography. Sam, our dance teacher, decided to keep the choreography very similar to the film's choreography which I believe was a good idea. This song is iconic and it would've lost it's magic had we changed it too much. I felt like dance-wise, this was my most confident song. The only room for improvement during this song was that Kenickie (max) was out of time with the music for quite a long time. I believe this was down to nerves and although it was quite clear that he was out of time, once he got to the first chorus, he pulled it back perfectly. After the song, the dialogue went really well. Rizzo (lindzie) bought a lot of energy to the scene and got really into character- she got right on Kenickie's lap and went straight in for the kiss. Lindzie's confidence with her character was something that stood out to me throughout the performance (even if her American accent was sometimes a bit wobbly). Tech-wise, I liked the slideshow of the moving car in the background for this scene. The only disappointing thing was that the sound effect of the police was never played at the right time- it should have been played before Max's line 'it's the fuzz' but it was always played after.

Scene 6: (Cheerleading)
 I could see nothing wrong with this scene. The energy was good and Lizzy's portrayal of Patty Simcox was great- she managed to emphasise Patty's annoying and bubbly nature through the use of 'over the top' cheer leading and using an excited tone in her speech. This was the first scene where it became clear that Patty likes Danny and doesn't want him to get with Sandy. This is also the first scene where Sandy shows she's not going to be taken for an idiot and tries to make him jealous by saying that she was going to see all the 'jocks'. All three of them had really strong characterisation and emphasised the 'love triangle' really well.

Scene 7: (Picnic in the Park, Mooning, Look at me- I'm Sandra Dee, We Go Together)
 Like a lot of other scenes in the play, this scene lacked energy at times. Don't get me wrong- at some points of the scene; during the songs, in particular, the energy is fantastic but we failed to maintain a high level of energy through dialogue. Projection was also something that could have been improved as well as some characters didn't speak loud enough. For example, Abi and Sarah were positioned at the back of the stage and when they spoke it wasn't loud enough. One part of the scene that made me cringe was when Roger did a comedy run to mock Danny as no one laughed very loud. The reaction should've been a lot louder and over the top to make it clear to the audience that the whole group finds it funny that Danny has started doing athletics. During Mooning, the choreography looked very bad. On the night, everyone found it very hard to click in time with the music. The vocals were also good from Abi and Sarah although I still feel as though the projection could've been a lot better as it was still very quiet. Abi was really nervous before the show but she managed to deal with nerves really well and put on a good performance. Roger and Jan's relationship was portrayed so well. It had comedy value and at the same time you really got the feeling that they had a lot of affection for each other- whether it be roger asking out jan or them holding hands. The song Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee also had sloppy choreography but Rizzo's characterisation shone through and it didn't really matter. The fight scene was fantastic. Lindzie got right into the character and was fantastic. She really was trying to break away from me when I was restraining her which made it look really realistic. The energy climaxed here as everyone got up and reacted to what was happening. During We Go Together, everyone got into character and had so much energy. It was choreographed really well and even though at times some of the moves were sloppy, it looked great. Our singing was projected really well too an it was a perfect end to the first act.

Act 2:
Scene 1: (High School Dance, Hopelessly Devoted To You, Born to Hand Jive)
 Like many other scenes, this scene needed more energy but a looked a lot better than I thought it would- I was pleasantly surprised. My favourite part of this scene was Miss Lynch's comedy moment when she sang 'anything' in a squeaky screech. Miss lynch was in my opinion the most consistently strong character in the show. Beth did a great job of bringing in comedy and plate the ditsy teacher really well. This scene involved a lot of movement- constant movement, in fact, and I feel like me and my partner Frenchie (Emily) did a great job of constantly dancing and miming even when it wasn't our lines. I liked the blackout/spotlight that happened for Sandy's solo of hopelessly devoted to you. She sang it brilliantly and I liked how everyone else was still present on stage as it made it clear that sandy is still an outsider at this point in the play. The dance to hand jive was very sloppy but I think it suited my character a earlier on in the scene frenchie is complaining about how doody isn't spinning her round or doing anything fancy. I think Chelsea and Danny's duet dance in hand jive was really good. The great thing about them is that they both dance in character and was clear that she was ChaCha- a stuck up girl from another school. Vince Fontaine's character was great- it was obvious that he was a little bit dodgy and when he was kissing Emily during Miss Lynch's scene it was a fantastic comedy moment. The kiss was incredibly realistic and the audience reacted to it very well.

Scene 2: (Burger Palace, Beauty School Dropout, Ready to Rumble)
 This scene was particularly challenging for me as I had to make incredibly fast costume changes! After Scene 1 I had to change from my Dance suit back into a T-Bird, then after the dialogue in the scene change into my Beauty School Dropout costume and finally straight back into my T-Bird outfit. I managed to sort out a routine which involved me leaving my costume changes right next to the curtain entrance. This was the only way I would manage to make the change in time. However, after Beauty School Dropout, it was actually the other boys who also had to make a very quick costume change who held up the show. What made the costume changes hard is that there isn't enough room in our wings for everyone to get changed. I do believe that we did the costume changes as quickly as we possibly could. In terms of acting, I feel like this scene was really good. I tried to make my Character, Doody, seem incredibly nervous and by wandering the stage shaking whilst holding a hammer, I feel as though I managed to heighten Doody's comedy value. The energy as a whole was a lot more powerful then most of the other scenes involving just the boys. We had run this particular scene over and over again I believe I sang Beauty School Dropout very well and characterised the Teen Angel to a high standard. I wanted to make him come across as stern and in order to do this tried to use powerful body language and a mocking tone of voice during certain parts of the song- for example, 'Spending all that dough to have the doctor fix your nose up.' The choreography for Beauty School Dropout was okay. It was basic and I feel as though this was important as some people in the dance weren't particularly good at dancing. There were times during the song where the audience were laughing because of the comedy value of Matt and Max (who were dressed in the Beauty School Dropout robes and were wearing rollers) and I feel like Max, in particular, started to act up for the laughs. Tech-wise, this scene was absolutely fine as there was only one projection- Burger Palace.

Scene 3: (Drive in, Sandy)
 Before watching the performance back on video I had never seen this scene properly. I think it worked really well- particularly the staging. I liked how the 'car' was placed at an angle and the 'film' (which Sarah Beth and Dylan acted out) was placed on the left stage blocks. I think the way we decided to act out the film on stage and not just have voice overs was a nice touch. It gave Beth, Dylan and Sarah an opportunity to be a different character Matt and Polly had great chemistry and it took a lot of maturity to be able to kiss someone that you know that well- especially for Polly who has a boyfriend! Matt sang 'Sandy' really well and his characterisation was very good. His body language was perfect and he looked as if he genuinely was upset and frustrated at the fact that Sandy had walked out of the drive in. In the middle of the song, there's a spoken section which is really hard to time correctly. Matt managed to do this perfectly and it sounded brilliant.

Scene 4: (House Party, Rock n Roll Party Queen, There Are Worse Things I Could Do, Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee)
I feel like this scene went really well. The scene opened with my solo Rock n Roll Party Queen and I think I performed it really well. I tried to convey the message that Doody wants to be a rock star by dancing round and finishing the song by raising my arm. I finished with this move in Those Magic Changes as well as I wanted to show a clear difference between when I was playing Doody to when I was playing the Teen Angel (in Beauty School Dropout). However, I wish the rest of the group would have danced with me as the energy was a bit dead when it was just me dancing. With the exception of Sarah and Abi, I felt like no one was doing much in this song. If we were to do Grease again, I think we should choreograph the song properly as this would make it look a lot more clean and everyone would know why they are supposed to be doing. The dialogue in this scene was much better then the other big scenes involving most of the cast. I think this is because everyone was a lot more line confident towards the end of the performance. We'd spent a lot of time on act 2 and this, coupled with the fact that by the end of a performance everyone is feeling a lot more confident, made this scene run a lot more smoother. Rizzo's pregnancy scare was portrayed really well. Lindzie's portrayal of Rizzo was consistent throughout the entire performance and she handled such a tricky subject really well. Everyone's reactions were really good as well as each character had a different reaction. For example, doody made the sarcastic comment of 'tough luck' whereas Sandy showed real concern. Rizzo and Sandy both sang there solos really well as well- especially Rizzo as I felt she really managed to show her feelings of fear and guilt in the song 'there are worse things I could do'. She really thought about the context of the situation- being a teenage girl who's still in school and pregnant in 1950s america would have been absolutely terrible.

Scene 5: (Burger Palace, Sandy's Transformation, You're The One That I Want
 The start of this scene was terrible as line confidence once again came back to haunt us. When the boys were talking there was a long awkward silence. At this point the girls come on stage with the 'Sandy'. However, on the night Sandy's quick change didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked. We were stood there waiting for a few extra seconds which seemed like forever. However, it's well known that a silence on stage feels a lot longer then it actually is and I believe this was true. When Sandy came onto stage everyone's reactions were great. I wanted to play my character to be shocked, excited and 'in awe'. I made the decision that Doody isn't very good with girls and hasn't had much experience. This contributed to my reaction to Sandy. I used childish body language and was constantly tapping the other boys getting excited. If I had more time, I would have planned to do even more gestures like pretending to faint to emphasise Doody's immaturity and lack of experience when it comes to girls. Polly played the new reformed sandy very well and wasn't afraid to act sexual towards Matt. The song 'you're the one that i want' was sung really well but the choreography was once again quite messy. However, it didn't matter as we were all in our couples and characterisation was the most important thing. Frenchie and I acted as if we were completely in love and hugged each other. We rarely broke eye contact and I think this looked good as it made our relationship believable and realistic. The reprise of the song We Go Together was really good. We performed it much better than the first We Go Together as we were feeling much more confident by the end of the show.

Overall Synopsis:
 Overall, it was a very high quality performance. Of course, at times, things weren't perfect- voice projection was a problem and the cast's energy tended to dip at times. However, our characterisation, on the whole, was brilliant I believe I sang my solos to a very high standard. I can't help but feel sad that we won't get the chance to perform Grease as a cast again. If I was to do Grease again, there are lots of things I would do to improve my character but, on the whole, I feel like I played Doody and the Teen Angel in a great way and I'm pleased with the final outcome of the show.

Links that helped me with character decisions:I
We Go Together- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pyA6jAM3_I

Grease Rehearsal 19th March

Today we had another run through of Act 2 to ensure it was perfect!

I think today went well, the most successful thing we did today, in my opinion, was sort out the high school dance scene. In last weeks rehearsal it had no energy and didn't feel like a dance at all. However this week, we choreographed the scene and it looks so much better for it. Our energy levels were pretty good today which helped a lot. The most important thing during the dance scene is to simply never stop moving and keep up the movement. Whilst dancing the Hand Jive, we found that the new backing track is quite different to the one we used whilst choreographing the song so we need to rectify that and perhaps even find a different backing track.

How my Character has developed:
My character hasn't developed much sice last week as we're working on the same scenes. However, I feel like the more confident I am getting with my lines, the more i am able to get into character and play Doody much stronger.

Grease Rehearsals 12/03/13

 In today's lesson we went over act 2 and managed to block the whole act.

 Today was always going to be a struggle with numbers because of the snow but we managed to get a decent amount of us in. However, we did our best to run all the scenes and I feel like it's starting to take shape even more. What went especially well today was the choreography in songs. For example, we had a gap at the end of the lesson where we simply went over songs and the choreography. We went over Those Magic Changes, Freddy my love, Summer Nights, You're the one that I want, Mooning and Beauty School Dropout. For these songs, the choreography is now pretty much sorted and in my opinion, the songs are the most important part of a musical- meaning that we are well on our way to putting together a really good show.

Rachel gave us clear dates for when we should be off script and what we'll be doing. For example, next week we will run Act 2 until it's perfect, the week after we will run the entire thing and from then on won't be allowed our scripts as we should have learnt all of our lines by then.

How my Character has developed:
 In Act 2, Doody's sometimes comes across as cocky and a bit rude. I spoke about this last week when Doody incinuates that he and Roger should go and beat up a geek. However, today was the first time we went over the 'Rizzo Pregnancy scare scene' and I was shocked at how heartless Doody is. He sarcastically says 'Tough Luck, Rizzo' to her which I find really horrible. I think the main point to him reacting this way is that he wants to look tough in front of his friends but I also believe that he is secretly jealous that Rizzo and Kenickie had been sleeping together- because he hasn't slept with anyone. However, I don't think Doody means this viciously because this is DOODY we're talking about- he's just easily led and influenced which often means he says things which he doesn't actually mean.

GREASE Rehearsal 6/03/13

 Today was our first rehearsal in 3 weeks and we managed to get a lot done. We started blocking Act 2 and managed to almost finish the entire act. We only had 2 hours of practical work today due to the Studio space being used but we definitely made the most of the time.

 Today I think the main issue was energy- this particularly evident in the high school dance scene at the start of act 2. It was a bit dead but I do believe once we're off scripts it will look a lot better- it didn't help that people had forgotten their scripts and this meant it didn't flow well at all. We just need to be constantly moving/dancing and then it will give the scene a lot more energy.

 We choreographed Beauty School Dropout and I think it looks really good. This is my favourite song to sing and I felt the choreography suited the song. It was lots of fun. Next time we run it, we will be in the actual Drama Studio so it will look a lot better and we'll get a better idea of spacing/staging.

 Today, I learnt numerous things about my character. For example, at the high school dance he says to Roger 'Hey rump let's go have a weed.' This is an 'old fashioned' term which was used in the 50s and 60s to describe 'getting a nerd'. This shocked me as up until this point I didn't see Doody as a bully- in fact, I saw him more as the 'nerd'. I think this shows that although he is the 'geeky' one in the T-Birds, just being in the T-Birds makes him cool in the eyes of others. In order to show this new side of Doody that I discovered today, I think I need to play him a little bit more cocky. Act 2 also shows a more aggressive nature in Doody when he carries a baseball bat when he and the rest of the T-Birds go to fight the Flaming Dukes. Although, it's clear that he is in fact quite scared about the fight and he goes back to the way I got to know him in the first act. I think in Act 2, he's got Frenchy and I believe this gives him a little bit more confidence than he had previously had.

GREASE Rehearsal 12th February

 In today's lesson we managed to block the whole of Act 1. I was pretty much off script today as I'd learnt my lines over the weekend and most of the others were starting to get more familiar with their lines too. This gave the different scenes more of a flow and the play is really starting to take place. Once everyone is off script we can really concentrate on the acting and the sooner this happens, the better. We went over the dance routines for Those Magic Changes, Freddy my Love and Mooning- the only dances we need to learn in act 1 now is We Go Together and Greased Lightening- which Sam will choreograph in the near future. I feel as if everyone is getting more confident and much more enthusiastic which is really helping the rehearsal process as it allows everyone to 'go for it' more. The 1st Act really started taking shape today. 

Character Development:
 Today I developed my character even further. Being off script allowed me to think in depth about my character choices surrounding Doody. I already knew that he was a joker and that he likes to crack jokes but something I realised today is just how much sarcasm he uses. The line 'Jeez, nice couple' is sarcastic and could come across rude. He's saying it to Rizzo and Kenickie, and of course, he looks up to Kenickie. I need to put more emphasis on the sarcasm to show that although he looks up to Kenickie, he wants to try to impress the rest of the group- he's a class clown.

Grease- 6th February

 In todays lesson we finished blocking Act 1 so by next Tuesday we should all be off script for the opening act.

Choreography:
 Today we learnt the choreography to Mooning. All the Greasers are on stage at this point (except Sandy) so in some ways it's very similar to Those Magic Changes. To start with, the guys and the girls are facing opposite each other in separate lines swaying to and fro clicking our fingers. We came up with a really cool routine and here is a video of it:

 We also went through the Greased Lightening routine but we were told that Sam will be choreographing the piece and unfortunately we didn't have a lesson with her on this particularly day (The same applies to We Go Together).

Character Development:
 Today I learnt that my character Doody is desperate to ask out Frenchie but doesn't have the courage. This is shown when he asks Frenchie whether she can still go to the ball; she says that she can and then he 'bottles it' and says 'oh...nothin'. I believe that today's lesson showed me just how much Doody likes Frenchie- he just doesn't have the courage that Danny and Kenickie have and could be classed as a 'hopeless romantic'. Doody is the one that tries to look cool in front of his guy friends (the T-Birds) and tries to crack as many jokes as possible- a lot which are sarcastic. For example he says 'jeez nice couple' when Rizzo and Kenickie are having a big argument.

GREASE Rehearsal 29/01/13

 In today's lesson we blocked scenes 1,2,3,4 and 5. Today was focused on our movement and learning what happens in the scene. As we progress and get 'off script' we will find it a lot easier to get into character.

Scene 1:
 The beginning scene of the show starts with us all singing Alma Mater. We'd already blocked this scene before but today was a lot easier. I still need to get into character better and not be afraid to 'go for it' and act 'crazy' when the Greaser's start singing the parody version. As time goes on, I'll learn more about my character Doody and will find it a lot easier to portray him in the correct way. In terms of Scene 1, we've sorted out movement and as far as I know we're all off script. All I need to do now is make sure I'm 100% okay with the lyrics, get right into my character and this scene will be sorted!

Scene 2:
 Scene 2 is the scene where The Pink ladies are first on stage and the T Bird's characters are developed and made clear to the audience. I know all my lines in this scene and I'm pretty confident. Once again, I need to be more confident in my movement- particularly when Kenickie and Danny enter as it needs to be totally clear that I idolise them and they're the cool ones of the group. The song 'Summer Nights' needs to be polished- particularly the T Birds and Pink Ladie's movements. We also need to make sure we know what parts of the song we're singing where as it's not just Sandy and Danny singing this song. Me and Roger need to really exaggerate our funny laughs to make us look even more 'geeky' than we already look.

Scene 3:
 Scene 3 is the scene where I sing my solo 'Those Magic Changes'. Today we sorted out the movement sequence for the rest of the greasers which they'll do whilst I sing. All I really need to do in this scene is sing and make sure I stay in character whilst singing which is difficult but with a lot of practice it will look good.

Scene 5:
 The main part of scene 5 is 'Greased Lightening' but we just did an improvisation for that today. At the beginning of the scene we've all got to be out of breath so Rachel made us run round the studio 3 times beforehand! We didn't sort the routine out for the song but Sam is going to choreograph it with us.

Character Devlopment Choices:
 I've realised just how much of a joker Doody is. Today we decided that Doody should have a really annoying comedy-value laugh which is exaggerated whenever he cracks a joke. This will strengthen Doody's humorous values as a character and also make it clearer to the audience what other's think of Doody- through their reactions to his laugh. To develop this further, I need to talk to other cast members and discuss different ways they will react to Doody's laugh. Doody and Roger are best friends so whenever one of them laughs- so does the other. 

 Overall, today's rehearsal went really well. We got a lot of work done and I'm a lot clearer on what we need to do. The main thing is to go all out with character. The 3 things that I need to make sure I do are:

1) Characterisation (also when singing)
2) Learn all my lines in these scenes so I'm off script.

Don't Feed The Animals (Production)

4th January 2013:

 In today's lesson we were told that we were going to be designing and creating the set for the year 13s performance of 'Don't Feed The Animals'. We read through the first few pages of the script and got an idea of where the play is set and what the characters are. The play is about a struggling circus and starts off with one of the clowns dying. We learnt that there are 3 different types of clown- Auguste, Harlequin and Hobo and there are also several other characters like Robin Hood, Tinkerbell and Maid Marion. Me, Emily and Beth decided that we would choose to work on costume. Here are the groups opening ideas for Costume, Set and Make up:

17th January 2013:

 In today's lesson we split into groups to focus on different aspects of the production side of Don't Feed the Animals'. Me, Emily and Beth are working on costume and had to research different types of clowns. For example, I researched the Auguste Clown. The Auguste Clown doesn't generally have a set 'costume' but they always wear something over the top and oversized/baggy. They all have very similar make up, however.

Here is my costume design for the Auguste Clown:

24th January 2013: 
Today we presented our research on DFTA to the class. I am focusing on costume so this week I showed my design for an Auguste Clown and also my research.

Here's a little bit of background information on the Auguste Clown:
 - Least intelligent of all clowns but also the most popular.
 - There isn't a 'rule' when it comes to Auguste Clown's costumes but the colours have to contrast, exaggerate  and are generally primary colours.
 - Not clear when it was first founded.
 - 1869 'Legend' when a clown forgot something from backstage; ran on stage and fell over; the crowd shouted 'Auguste' ('Idiot' in German).
 - Albert Fratellini and Lov Jacobs had a big impact on the development of the Auguste Clown over the early 20th Century.

 After our presentations, we put together a list of what we had done, what we need to do next and how we will achieve it.

What I have done so far:
 - designed an Auguste Clown Costume for DFTA.
 - researched the Auguste Clown.
 -

What I will do next:
 - Design more costumes for Auguste Clown.
 - Design other Character's Costumes- Robin Hood AND a 'Chav'.
 - Research Robin Hood AND St Trinians.

How I will achieve this:
 - Research: internet, script, books.

Research on Robin Hood and his outfit:
 It's often questioned whether Robin Hood is fact or fiction:

 My Design for Don't Feed the Animals:

31st January 2013:
 In today's lesson me, Beth and Emily got on with making our first costume- The Harlequin Clown. Beth had researched the Harlequin Clown in detail and knew that they have diamonds over their jumpsuits and they tend to be dressed in black and white. We painted onto a coloron material jumpsuit and here was the result:

The rest of the class got on with their own areas of the production: Make Up and Set.

Here is the Harlequin Clown's Collar which I made by folding pieces of coloron material together:

7th February:

 In today's lesson I painted the collar for the harlequin clown with black paint as we felt it would look better if it was black and white instead of just white. After I'd finished painting the collar (which took a while) I carried on painting the actual harlequin costume- we hadn't finished both sides last week.

14th February:

 In today's lesson me and Lindsey put together the Hobo's clown costume. We went to the costume cupboard to find a blazer to 'destroy'! Hobo Clown's are known for having different patches on the blazer. We found lots of different coloured materials in the costume cupboard like an old skirt, bed sheets, duvet covers and trousers. We cut out patches from these items and glued them onto the blazer using fabric glue. We painted lines off of the patches once they were on the blazer to make it look as if they had been sewn on. After we finished with the blazer we moved onto the trousers. We found an old pair of trousers in the costume cupboard which we started to make look dirty with white and grey paint and we also started sewing patches onto the trousers. 

Feedback Theatre for Children & Storytellin

Worthing Academy of Performing Arts Assessment Feedback Forms – 1 of 4
COURSE: BTEC Level 3 Diploma in                        Performing Arts (Musical Theatre) UNITS: Unit 11: Theatre for Children Unit 28 – Storytelling as Performance ASSESSOR: Rachel Maddix
POINTS AVAILABLE FOR COMPLETED UNIT…. Overall Distinction = 90 points     Overall Merit = 80 points      Overall Pass = 70 points

Student Name:	Joseph Gibbs
Assignment Title:	Telling Tales
Key Dates:	Assignment Completion Date: 20/12/12 Summative Assessment date: 8/1/13 Re Submission Date: 16/1/13

Grading Criteria

Storytelling                                                    Theatre for Children                                 

Pass

P1	P2	P3	P4	P5		P1	P2	P3
/	/	/	/	/		/	/	/

Merit

M1	M2	M3	M4	M5		M1	M2	M3
/	/	/	/	/		/	/	/

Distinction

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5		D1	D2	D3
/	/	/	/	/		/	/	/

Name & Number of Unit	Final Grade	Final Points
Theatre for Children
Storytelling

                                                      

        

Assessors Name / Initials Rachel Maddix RMM

Assessor’s Signature:

Date of Final Feedback 1:1:

Worthing Academy of Performing Arts Assessment Feedback Forms – 2 of 3
COURSE: BTEC Level 3 Diploma in                        Performing Arts (Musical Theatre) UNIT/S: Unit: 11 Theatre for Children                Unit:28 Storytelling as Performer ASSESSOR: Rachel Maddix
Assessor’s Feedback on the Grading Criteria met, Strengths and Areas for Development

Task 1 Workshops and Rehearsal Process – DVD/Observations

You achieved D2 of Theatre for Children by making an enthusiastic and focused contribution to the development process. Ideas and suggestions were imaginative, inventive and showed a firm understanding of the key elements of children’s theatre and the needs of the target audience. You achieved D2/3 of Storytelling as Performance, you were able to manage the stylistic and structural elements fully to produce work that demonstrated a more sophisticated use of the source material. Your work showed a comprehensive understanding of the needs of the target audience, creating a story that is completely suitable for their needs. Rehearsals & Workshops - Strengths You are a positive, energised contributor who maintains consistency, arrives early and is a considerate group member with a balance of listening and offering ideas. Rehearsals & Workshops – Skills Development You are capable of directing scenes and should develop your confidence in leading wherever possible.

Task 2 -  Performance of Traditional Tales, My Life Story Performance and Production of Children’s Theatre Piece– DVD/Observation

You achieved D3 of Theatre for Children by demonstrating a proficient and creative use of performance and/or production skills and showing imagination and a feel for the nature of the piece. You achieved D4 of Storytelling as Performance , by demonstrating full control over techniques and performing with flair and ease. You achieved D5 of Storytelling as Performance , by demonstrating a full appreciation of how the style of presentation could be tailored to the needs of the audience, responding to the reactions of audience members in an appropriate and imaginative way. Performance & Production Role/s - Strengths You managed strong vocal clarity, focus and control in the Theatre for Children performance, maintaining an effective, lively, watchable performance throughout. You also contributed a great deal to the production process, maintaining an interest throughout. Performance & Production Role/s – Skills Development You are about to embark on a project that requires more conventional musical theatre skills. You need to continue creating contrasting characterisation and build a repertoire of vocal approaches.

Task 3 - Theatre for Children & Storytelling Blog

You achieved D1 of Theatre for Children by showing you were able to evaluate source material making imaginative suggestions about how it could best be developed to meet the needs of the target audience. Evidence of the development and shaping of material and ideas should be evidenced in learner logs, supported by tutor observations, self and peer group assessments and recordings of devising, rehearsing and making activities. You achieved D1 of Storytelling as Performance, by researching a wide range of material, you were able to fully assess its potential and discuss why certain material is more suitable and how it might be used. Blog & Research Essay - Strengths You managed to maintain an analytical approach to your written work throughout the process. You were able to make valid, creative suggestions about development regularly throughout the process. You achieved the higher grade as you also made constructive suggestions for future rehearsals. Blog & Research Presentation – Skills Development You should include your assessment week task in a separate entry in your blog to ensure all evidence can be easily accessible.

Assessor’s Summary: Strengths –You are a real source of motivation for many in the group and managed a strong first production with us. You took responsibility for specific production roles, maintained a creative flow of ideas and contributed strong directorial ideas. A really positive group member with sensitivity and humour aswell as strong characterisation skills– well done.  Development – You need to focus on continuing to build your analytical theatrical vocabulary whilst maintain and building on your written entries into your blog.
Re Submission Comments/Upgrade details (where applicable)
Student’s Comment (must be completed):
I declare that all of the work submitted is my own:
Student’s Name: Joseph Gibbs	Student’s Signature:	Date: