Evaluation of Show 3 - 04.02.16

I was expecting this performance to be similar to the first show we did, but in reality it turned out to be slightly different. The audience numbers were the lowest we had ever had, so this created a different dynamic from the offset. We still had an audience on three sides, even though there were only a few people on the sides. This meant we were not going to change our staging of the production which was entirely suited to having an audience on three sides.

Backstage there was a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but I had to remain focused so as not to get swept up with the excitement of the last performance of the Common Ground season. As everyone in the cast had become such good friends, it was a shame that it was coming to a close and we all gathered in the dressing room before the show and wanted to make it the best performance we had ever done. However, because it was the last performance there was a lot of pressure to make the performance good, and I think that due to everyone trying so hard to make it a good performance, it turned out to be our least good performance.

I seemed more in my head than fully absorbed in the performance, which is something I did not really know how to resolve. It was a shame that our last performance did not go as well as we wanted it to but the audience still really enjoyed it. It was a great experience to have a chance to run the shows three times, each to a different audience as I feel I was able to apply different acting styles and different elements from the rehearsal process to make the character come to life.

This is a picture of the opening sequence, which shows how good it looked on stage. Everyone appears to be completely submersed in the world of the play, and are in synchronicity with where they are looking. I think the artistic achievements of the play were very high, making it aesthetically pleasing as well as communicating the story of the play. 

Below are more pictures taken from the second dress run and in all of them it is interesting to note how well the show is suited to having a thrust staging configuration, and really shows how we managed to transfer the work we did in the rehearsal room into the final performances. 

It was a fantastic experience to be involved with Table for the Common Ground season, and although I did not enjoy all of the rehearsal process it was a good way to learn how to persevere and commit to a role so that the final piece worked as well as it did.

Overall, the professionalism of the cast was extremely high and as an ensemble we worked as hard as we could to make Table an enjoyable show  with a high level of consistency over the course of the three nights.

Evaluation of Show 2 - 02.02.16

Differences to the first performance;

This performance was the one I was most apprehensive about, because it was at 4:30pm and so attracted an audience made up of mostly BRIT students. I did not change anything about my performance to suit this audience, as I felt confident with what I had already worked on and thought that there were no changes that needed to be made. Approaching the performance, I was expecting slightly more laughter in certain places, such as the Sarah and Albert mimicking Finley and Veronique having sex on the table so talked to the actors in this scene beforehand and agreed to wait until the laughter had died down before we carried on so they would not lose any important information. 

The audience was lively, as expected, but laughed at parts I did not expect them to. As actors I think we handled this with confidence and maturity, knowing exactly how long to hold moments for so they could still hear what was going on in the scene. It was interesting to see that even without changing my interpretation of the lines that humour was found, possibly because the age range of the audience was younger than in the previous show. This gave the performance a different dynamic and was naturally more fast paced, as the audience were clearly engaged with what was happening. In this show, the first half was the fastest we had ever done it, which may insinuate that we rushed through some moments. I think for the next show we need to concentrate on not moving with the pace of the audience, but maintaining our own pace that works well for the piece.

Apprehensions;

Something I was quite nervous about was whether the 4:30pm audience would understand the actors playing multi-roles and sharing parts. Before the show, as a cast we decided to try and make it as clear as possible which actors were sharing roles and really push our characterisation for this show. Due to this work the audience seemed to have no problem understanding who was who and it was rewarding to speak to young people after the show who had enjoyed it.

Another apprehension I had going into the show was whether we would be able to recreate the success of the first performance which was a week beforehand. We had not been in the rehearsal room as much and had only done a line run the day before as opposed to continually workshopping and running the play. Thankfully everyone arrived on time on the day of the performance at the time we had agreed and we were able to do a focusing session in the space and a full warm up. I would have preferred to do a dress run, but this was not possible due to the stage being reset to our staging. I thought of this as a negative at the time, but looking back, it was a great experience knowing that in the future if I was in a professional production, I may not be able to do a run before the actual performance. Considering we had not done any rehearsals for a week, the performance went very well and we all seemed to slot into place in the theatre.

Evaluation of Show 1 - 21.01.16

Introduction;

I found this show challenging to begin with because we had already done two dress runs earlier in the day, so the first challenge was keeping energy levels up into the show at 7pm. To combat the tiredness, I had to demonstrate a high standard of self-discipline to remain focused on the performance, but once the adrenaline associated with performing in front of an audience for the first time kicked in, I had no problem being energetic and absorbed in the world of the play.

Doing two dress rehearsals before the show definitely made me more confident going into the show, as we had properly got used to the space and had several notes after the dress runs so the show was the best we had ever done it.

The play as a whole;

One of the greatest strengths of the play was how well everyone gelled in the cast. Many of us had not worked together closely before Common Ground, so were unsure about how people would conduct themselves when it finally got to putting the show on. However, as we had all become really good friends over the months of rehearsal there was a very positive vibe from backstage and everyone was keen to look after one another onstage and offstage to ensure the play was the best version of itself.

Although, from this came one of the weaknesses of the play; that not all of the lines were completely solid. We had a new cast member who only had a few days to learn her lines and all of the cast pulled together to ensure that there were no periods of blank space where one of her lines should be if she forgot them, but this resulted in some lines being said simultaneously from the cast members, particularly in the nuns scenes were the line should be fast paced and almost overlapping each other as we had got so slick in the rehearsal room. Probably due to first night nerves, there were moments that didn't quite work because the same line was said by two different people, but this was a preferable outcome to there being gaping spaces, and it was done in the best interests of each other, but is something we need to rectify for the next performance.

It was interesting to note the professional execution of the play, as it was different on the day of the show compared to the rehearsal process. The main issue with professionalism throughout the rehearsal process was attendance from the cast members. Lots of time was wasted because some people weren't in when they were meant to be, or came later than they were meant to, and although this was only the minority of actors, it did negatively impact the whole cast. However, on the day of the show everyone arrived on time and group morale was high, putting the past sessions behind us and wanting to make the show as good as it could be.

My own performance;

I think my biggest achievement in this performance was my vocal quality. We did a full vocal warm-up before the performance which helped, and individually in our break before the show I spent time ensuring my voice was as clear and ready to perform as it could be. I used some of the rehearsal warm-ups we had done that worked best for me and focused especially on getting my voice rooted deep into my diaphragm. Our main note in the dress runs was that we needed to project to ensure everyone in the theatre could hear, and I took this on board and wanted to ensure my voice would carry through the space without strain. I was quite apprehensive about  Part 2 Scene 2 because we had staged it with music playing in the background, and in the dress runs I had struggled to make my voice project whilst maintaining the intimacy and emotion of the scene and without it seeming melodramatic. When it came in the performance, however, the music was very faint and my voice was strong meaning that it was not an issue. I know I was successful because at the end of the performance I felt no soreness in my throat at all and seemed to get a good reaction from the audience members about being able to hear. 

I was really excited for an audience to see my portrayal of Sarah after working so hard to make sure that she was a three dimensional, believable and interesting character that honoured the writing that made her such a complex member of the family. I wanted the audience to have conflicting emotions towards her, as in some respects they should feel sorry for her after her troubled upbringing, but then again, her abandoning her family when they need her the most. I also had a long conversation and did a focusing warm up before the performance with Hannah, who is Sarah in the second half, to ensure we had continuity and were fully in sync with each other so that we could mirror each other exactly in the opening and closing sequences. This went well and we felt that we had both done a good job at communicating Sarah's story, although it was challenging to change ages from one scene to the next, something we had focused a lot on during rehearsals.

Something I need to improve for the next performance is the scene between Jack Holman and I - Part 2 Scene 5. I felt fully absorbed in the performance and was not really conscious of the decisions I was making as an actor because of how well rehearsed we were, I felt more like Sarah but some audience members said after the performance that I should own the undressing scene more and be more confident; they said I seemed tense. I can only attribute that to the nerves of having to take several layers off and wanting it to go smoothly without getting caught up in it, as it had done in rehearsals some times. Now I know that I need to work harder at seeming completely confident and seducing Jack Holman more, as it is my final scene and the climactic part of the first half right before the interval. I aim to resolve this by practicing taking the habit off a few times before the next performance to ensure I am confident with the costume and really focusing my breathing to ensure that I appear more at ease to the audience.

To summarise;

Overall, I think the successes of the piece far outweighed the weaknesses of the performance and was a great first performance for us, carrying on the high standard that had been set by the other casts and their plays. I thoroughly enjoyed performing Table, having never acted in a fully contemporary play before. The rehearsal process was challenging at times, but was made all worth it by the time we had completed the performance and was hearing how well it had been received by the audience - leaving the audience with them having been moved but also having a good time is one of the most important things about performing, as the audience do not see the rehearsal process; only the final product.

I think the piece has great potential as a theatre product, as the play itself is strong and has such a solid framework and we have embellished that by making it exciting and captivating to watch. I am really looking forward to doing the next two performances and have no doubt that we will be able to replicate the same success as this performance. The only thing I am slightly skeptical about is having a week in between this performance and the next performance, as I hope we will be able to find the same focus and energy for the piece when we return to the material next week. 

Notes from final rehearsals

On the day of our first show, we did two dress runs before the actual performance to ensure as many problems as possible are resolved before we performed in front of an audience. As one would expect, there were substantially less notes than there have been previously but still important things for us to rectify.

Dress Run 1 (21/1/16)

• Backstage, make sure everything is in its place to avoid things getting lost

• Be careful with props

• Hit the marks on the floor cloth provided by stage management when guiding the table down in Part 2 Scene 1

• In the opening sequence, be more mindful of space and ensure all of the stage is covered

• Don't look at the table until it is lit in the opening

• PROJECTION IS KEY

• Let the years overlap each other - never leave the stage empty

• Lichfield dinner scene needs work

• nuns need to take time with singing

• guide the table down, ad-libbing over this

• in the undressing scene, start sooner and come more downstage. own the undressing scene more

Dress Run 2 (21/1/16)

• Lichfield family dinner scene - make sure it is succinct when laying the table and putting the chairs out

• Pronunciation of Pasaka- concentrate really hard in that scene so that everything comes out right

• Take off all jewellery

• Use the rostra more - find more opportunities to go up there and fill the whole space

Evaluation

I felt like my best performance was the second dress run out of the two because the first time I was getting accustomed to the space and my journey through the play in the theatre again. The second run, however, I was fully absorbed in the world of the play, not having to think about the logistics of the play as much.

Term 3 Week 1

Our timetable has now changed as now there are only three weeks left until our first performance; we now have much more time scheduled for rehearsal which means lessons are longer and more frequent. This is very useful as now we are able to fully concentrate on making Table as good as it can be.

We ran the first half to get a feel of what shape it was in after the time off and there were several sticky parts that clearly required more work. We then returned to the problematic scenes and the most useful to me that we ran was Part 2 Scene 2, Sarah's flashback to the last time she saw the table, Finley and Albert upon its arrival in Tanganyika. The main issue was that it wasn't entirely clear that this was a flashback and just didn't really slot together as well as it should have.

Although I had already actioned this scene, there was definitely something that was missing between Will (playing Albert) and I. With the director we worked through the scene and rediscovered Sarah's objective and obstacle throughout the scene;

OBJECTIVE: To inform her family that she has been invited to become a missionary nun and say goodbye to them.

OBSTACLE: Albert is behaving in a very hostile manner towards her and is very angry with her, which is stopping her from getting her point across.

Once I had solidified this, it became easier to work through the scene but I faced a problem that I was reacting the way that I would react - raising my voice and being annoyed with Albert.  However, actually I don't think this interpretation was correct because Sarah is a nun and throughout her childhood it suggests that she is a passive character who loves Albert so much that she just absorbs all of his hostility towards her. We experimented with the scene in adding some different direction and I changed the way I was delivering the lines as well as Will delivering his lines by becoming even more hostile towards me. This gave the scene a new dynamic and worked so much better as we both had something to work off, using the 'elephant in the room' which is Finley more than we had been doing. This was an important turning point for me in terms of this scene because it made the scene seem so much more meaningful and other cast members said they got different things out of it that they had not realised previously; an obvious success of the work on the scene.

Notes from runs after Christmas

Run on the 06/01/16

• General note: during the scenes open everything out more to the sides of the stage and in front of the table; be conscious of where the audience is sitting
• General note: the big armchair should always be on the right side of the table so whoever's sitting there is given importance. Bear this in mind whenever rearranging the furniture.
• General note: work needs to be done on all the music and all of the transitions in the piece.
• Connect more with Hannah in the opening sequence - more needs to be made of the look between us to make it clear we are playing the same character.
• Part 2 Scene 1 needs to be worked through with all of the cast in.
• Part 2 Scene 2 needs to be worked on so we can make it clear that it is a flashback and also to pick up the pace of the lines to increase the tension.
• In Part 2 Scene 3 we need to sort out the pronunciation of the Swahili - I am pronouncing 'pasaka' as 'pas-ar-ka' and Hope rectifies me to say 'pas-a-ka'.
• I need to make more sense of the line 'Albert?' that comes after Hope has gone out in Part 2 Scene 3. Simon suggested touching the chair where he was sitting and having the memory of him sitting there.
• In Part 2 Scene 5 Skye and I are too 'wander' - we need to hold each other's gaze for longer and I need to sit in my chair to make him retrieve the jacket, as is written in the stage directions.
• Also in Part 2 Scene 5 there needs to be more suggestion of them having sex - I need to get put on the table or lift up my slip to make it clear we are actually going to have sex after my line 'ten'.

Run on the 12/01/16

• Main note is lines need to be more secure. We cannot control the pace of the scenes because we can only go at the rate we know the lines. In this run the lines were a lot more smooth but have a long way to go in making the scenes really slick and engaging for an audience.
• New piece of direction: In the opening sequence, Hannah and I need to find a moment to connect and simultaneously place our hands on the table.
• In Part 1 Scene 6, snuggle up closer to Albert when we are under the table - we are a team and I need to be comforted by him.
• In Part 1 Scene 7 the laying of the table needs to be more efficient.
• In Part 1 Scene 7 when joining Margaret to pray, we need to ensure we are much further downstage right in order to use up more of the space.
• Part 2 Scene 1 - the spider scene needs work on lines and spontaneity and reacting to one another.
• Cut out two lines in Part 2 Scene 5 - this needs to be rectified before the next run.

Evaluation of the run:

I felt that today's run was the best we had ever done it. It was the first time that there was a connection between the characters on stage and the scenes came to life. I think this is partly to do with the fact that most people are at a very confident point with their lines, so there was much less stop/starting than in previous runs and we were able to get a feel for how the actual performance might pan out. 

Personally, I was mostly pleased with my performance because I felt 'in the moment' for the first time when performing the scenes. For the most part, I did not have think about lines which contributed massively and the characterisation work we have been doing recently helped me focus and concentrate on the intricate details that make a character come alive.

In order to improve for the next run I will definitely read over my lines to ensure I am still confident with them and think there is still progress needed concerning my use of the space - I need to be more cautious of the audience on three sides and to get out of the habit of facing everything out to the front. 

Working documents

Props Sheet

Below is the props sheet we were given from our deputy stage manager. As the show is very technical it is paramount that all of the actors know exactly what they are bringing on and when. I found this a very useful document to have on my person while we were doing the dry tech run for the first time because it clearly states where each prop can be found and what each one is. Personally, I only have 1 prop to bring on (the 1950s dustpan and brush in Part 2 Scene 1) but as it is an ensemble play, we should all be aware of who brings on the props in our scenes to ensure they get brought on.

Personal journey through the play

As a follow up from the above props list, we were asked to create a document that detailed our journey throughout the play as actors, including any props we take on or off. I found this very helpful, as I did not realise all the entrances and exits that I do, which other actors depend on to take their cues from. Therefore, I will use this document in future rehearsals until I am completely confident that I know exactly what I am doing.

OPENING SEQUENCE BLOCKING –

• Enter upstage left with nuns.
• Circle around the table anti clockwise.
• Mirror Hannah (an older, more dishevelled version of Sarah) walk upstage and sit on the top step.
• When the Michelle’s join us next to the stairs, stand up and look up at the flickering lights, then eyes go down to the table.
• Leave, keeping eyes transfixed on the table and exit downstage right.

PART 1 SCENE 6 –

• Enter upstage right just after Albert runs on with the gas mask.
• Exit upstage right after singing ‘Lay Me Low’, before Finley and the prostitute enter.

PART 1 SCENE 7 –

• Enter upstage right.
• Set places at the table using the chairs from upstage and take out the cutlery in the drawers of the table.
• Whilst singing ‘There is a balm in Gilead’, clear everything off the table and give it to Margaret, Albert or Finley, who exit.
• Remove the chairs and set them upstage again.
• Assist the nuns in wrapping up the table with the green and grey blankets and ropes.

PART 2 SCENE 1 –

• Continuation straight from Part 1 Scene 7. 
• After my line “Well I think it’s British, just leave my spider alone”, exit upstage right.
• Get the 1950s dustpan and brush from the props table.
• Enter upstage right after the line ‘Lord protect us’.
• Exit upstage right with the dustpan and brush and put it back on the props table.

PART 2 SCENE 2 –

•  Enter upstage right and trace the scars of the table, remembering how each one got there.
• Go to follow Albert off, after the line “Look, it’s Sarah” and go over to look at Finley. When he tries to touch, retreat and stand downstage left.

PART 2 SCENE 3 –

• Continuation straight from Part 2 Scene 2.
• Keep Jack Holman’s jacket around shoulders.
• Stand up from chair to speak to Mother Superior.
• Take brush and bucket of water from Hope and begin to clean upstage right where the leopard was.

PART 2 SCENE 4 –

• Keep cleaning with the brush and bucket of water while the scene is in London 2013.

PART 2 SCENE 5 –

• Continuation of Part 2 Scene 3
• Give Jack Holman his jacket back and undress, leaving clothes on the floor. 
• Take the clothes on the floor off in the blackout.

PART 3 SCENE 9 –

• Enter upstage right and bring on a chair leg.
• Attach chair leg and take off any props that are left on the stage and put them on the props table.