Week 5

We did the nightclub scene at the end of act 1 on Monday where we made up 16 counts of 4 and then performed it in fast and slow motion depending on the music. We also added in flashing lights to make the scene more effective and Karen put us in four groups so we perform them one at a time and then move around a lot. I quite like this scene, firstly because we can all let loose and just all have fun and because it takes the play away from the seriousness. I love all the flashing lights throughout the scene and I like how at the end of the scene the 12 go back to the nightmares because then it helps the audience to understand what's going on and that we're having the same dream.  

This week we blocked a lot of the big scenes for example act 3 scene 8 which involves the 12 and John. During this scene I feel as if you get to understand the 12 more as it goes into their lives and their struggles as well as showing that they are fully behind John's campaign "So. We have to act. Together. This is the moment." It also shows how much John's speech impacts on them as individuals, what it makes them think and do. I like that at the end of this scene we did it so we're all praying because it shows how we are all together as one "In. Our. Name". This scene really helps me understand the play and the 12 connection to each other because it is the dreams but then I feel as if it is John as well. In some way John has helped or in some ways guided all of the 12 individual and together with the dreams. 

Karen had us 12 direct the last scene which is act 5 as it only had the 12 of us in it. We found it very hard. The first thing we tried was we got into pairs with the person we interact with most during the play, for example I was with Mark. Then we began reading through it like that but we found it very boring as we were just standing there. After we tried all of us just walking around and then when it was your turn to speak we stopped on the spot and faced the front whilst we read our lines. We found that it was really messy so we decided against it. I thought we could use the workshop we did which was the four corners but then we realized it would just be messy like the previous idea. We then all began thinking of other ideas but we couldn't think of one that suited that scene. Once we told Karen our situation she said she would direct it before we all decided that we're going to cut the scene due to it being too difficult to do. I do think that it is better we leave it out because it might confuse the audience and it's hard to find a way to do it in order for the audience to not get confused. I think it would of been good to do it though because it shows how going to war affected the 12 so much that they were in some ways lost. For example Ruth starts to doubt herself, Edith wants to die and Stephen even agree's that he would go to war to protect the country he love's. Holly actually wants to wait for Mark and he's finally gone home after so many years to see his family. The scene shows how John looked to be the good one but in the end after they got the text it changed them all in many ways. 

We also did a run through from act one up to scene four in order for us to remember what we have previously blocked and to add lighting as well as some background sounds. We also did change a few things like the side I come on and things like that which we'll probably keep changing until it's what we want. I did go through some scenes with some of the characters without Karen's help in blocking so we'll see how good we did when she has a look. In my opinion the hardest to block are the scenes with John in the park because you need to think what everyone is going to be doing and you have to make it interesting. It can't just be just just stood on a box giving a speech so hopefully some of our ideas help it to become more interesting until Karen has a look.

My character is coming alone nicely now. At home I have been going through the scenes and experimenting on different ways Holly could react to them. I've also developed it so in all the park scenes with John and not just the one where it says she has one Holly always has a tablet or phone and throughout the play she has either one in her hand. I have now a much better understanding of Holly's character in a sense that in some ways I can relate to her. In a way that I know what's it's like to not have any money and to find it hard to set your mind straight and sort what you want to do in life. She's just a young adult who is finding it a bit hard to live in the adult world and the fact she doesn't really speak to her parent's doesn't help. Which is probably why she goes to her Gran and then the Alpha course and John to seek help and guidance. She just needs to set her mind to what she wants to do and I plan to try and show that through my performance. 

I did achieve one of my goals this week which was to contribute and I did for the act 5 scene even though we're not doing it anymore. I also know most of my lines it just the fact that I don't know when I need to say them so I have to remember my ques. I have also remembered my blocking for most of the scenes so as long as I can continue to remember them and remember the ones I haven't done yet then I'm fine.