Road evaluation

                                      Road performance evaluation

 

Interpreting the text - After reading Road for the first time I wasn’t really a big fan of it. I couldn’t really see how it was going to work and how we could make it funny and interesting. My interpretation has definitely changed now that we have performed it, it has been one of the best plays I’ve ever done and it ended up being so comical. From the first time I read it I could tell they live in a bad environment in the way that none of them have a lot of money and most of them don't have jobs or have lost them. When I first got given my character Doreen, I saw her as a fun, loose character but she isn’t as loose as her friend Lane. Once we performed I realised that Doreen is tired of going out clubbing and just wants to tone it all down. I feel this way because in the scene with her and Lane they’re talking about staying out a little later and Doreen really isn’t up for it.

Rehearsal Techniques – I feel like I definitely could have done more to help improve my character during the first few weeks of rehearsal, luckily I used the last couple of weeks to my advantage and it honestly helped so much. I always arrived to rehearsals on time and I had a good working relationship with all my peers. I helped them with their characters by giving them my own view on them and by giving them helpful feedback on their scenes. I used helpful feedback in my performance by doing vocal exercises before going on stage as being clear and projecting was something I needed to work on. I worked on my accent with Hannah during our free time just before the final performance as throughout the rehearsal process I was finding the northern accent hard. The other main one was mine and Lane’s scene as it needed more energy so we worked on it before the performance and then back stage we gave each other some words of encouragement in order for the both of us to put all our energy into it.

Process – When first taking on the role of Doreen, due to my interpretations of her being loose but not as loose as Lane I thought for her costumes some colourful leggings would be good. After going through the script the she thinks Scullery looks up her skirts so I wore a mini skirt instead. I also realised she is still a slut because when Scullery says “Tuck in ladies” She doesn’t exactly say no, she basically just says not right now. I took many risks with the northern accent as it was something I didn’t want to do and was finding really hard. I also had to pretend to be drunk during quite a few scenes which was hard because you have to make it obvious and believable.

Performance – I am honestly so happy with our finally performance, it went incredibly well. I felt so confident after taking in all my previous feedback and working on all of it before the show then focusing on putting it in the show. I was fully committed and made sure I put myself out there physically and vocally. There was a clear friendship between Doreen and Lane and even Doreen and the professor. I made sure this was clear through my interaction with the characters. During most of my scenes I was drunk so I had to continue being drunk and getting more and more drunk throughout the play.

Strengths – My strengths during rehearsal would be giving my fellow peers relevant feedback to their scenes and helping them develop their scenes and my own scenes. During rehearsal time I made sure to work on my accent as I found it hard doing it on my own at home so I asked Hannah who kindly worked on all my scenes with me, I luckily improved massively. I also feel that my physicality was really good as I used it to show that I was drunk and to show how ditzy Doreen is. I felt like I was fully committed to showing the audience Doreen so much that I was Doreen, I don’t feel like I showed myself at all.

Weaknesses – My main weakness would be that I wasn’t focused during the first week of rehearsal and if I was I would have improved so much throughout the rehearsal instead of just before the performance. I also did everything too late, developing my character more and the accent, I feel that I didn’t work as hard on it as I should of and that’s something I will definitely keep on top with when it comes to the next show. I definitely need to improve vocally with being clearer and projecting so I need to do regular vocal exercises so that I can improve for future performances.

Target Setting – To grow as an actor I definitely need to stop getting distracted during rehearsal time and focus on what I can do to make my scenes better and develop my character. I need to spend my time working on my scenes and meet up outside of rehearsal time with the people I’m in the scenes with so it can improve quicker. I need to focus on what I need to do to improve within my character to make the audience remember me. I also need to work on things like accents, costumes and things like that ahead of time so if I do need to change anything it will still all be ready in time. I will also do more individual research on the play we’re performing in order to get a better understanding of it all.