Evaluation

Our final performance in the new theatre went extremely well and was definitely our best run of the piece. Considering how chaotic our dress rehearsal was previously, I think the entire class was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. I feel the entire group picked up in both energy and focus than previous, this is evident as the play ran a lot smoother in the final thing than in any other rehearsals.

One of the strongest aspects of my won performance is how well I knew my lines. During the process of learning them, I made sure I knew everything I was saying to ensure that it sounded as natural as possible. I put in deliberate effort to make sure I was speaking clearly and with clarity to ensure that I would be understood and I feel like I did that effectively. The three of us playing chorus members had the really hard task of carrying the different acts and helping the audience understand the different scene changes, I attempted to combat this by putting as much energy as I could into my lines to ensure that they were entertaining and engaging for the audience. Being engaging was particularly important as not only is it Shakespeare - something that people find hard to follow, but also we were performing for three sides so we needed to ensure that everyone got an equally entertaining performance. By being confident in my lines, I was able to pay more focus on my performance and delivering the lines, rather than worrying about what I had to say next.

I really liked the contrast between the three different Shakespeare productions, though they're all different types; a history, a tragedy and a comedy, they were all starkly different. An aspect of Coriolanus I really liked was the energy of the cast, everyone was working at a 10 without a single person dropping in animation or passion. Each performer was extremely dedicated to the work, obviously working with their character's instincts to remain truthful, which worked extremely effectively. The extreme contrast between the tragedy and the comedy was extremely interesting, Comedy Of Errors was light-hearted, extremely funny and very, very enjoyable. An aspect I really enjoyed was how distinctive and definite the characters were, each actor had obviously put a lot of effort into their character work and it definitely paid off as they were all interesting and intriguing  and very entertaining to watch. Both pieces worked extremely well off the text and their context and settings worked really well at telling the story, neither of them felt out of place and all three productions tied together in a well executed Shakespeare season.

One of the weaker aspects of the performance I feel was during the transition in prologue 4 with creating the English's camp. I think the sound effects were too loud as well as the noise movement of the set, this made it harder to be heard whilst saying my lines. So not only did i feel this weakened the show purely because we were being drowned out by the noise, but it also meant that it was a lot more challenging for us as actors as we had to work extra hard to be heard over the movement. However, by the end of the prologue, it was a lot more effective as the movement had stopped and we were able to explore the scene with more freedom due to not having to work over the noise. However, I also believe that the movement of set in other parts of the play, for example; the setting up of the battle, worked a lot better than it did in rehearsals. we were able to move the props to the correct places in order for the battle scene to run smoothly whilst also not drowning out the lines being spoken on stage. This was particularly successful as we often struggled in rehearsals with getting the transitions done smoothly and quietly, without causing too much chaos - however, in the actual show, we managed to do it right.

Two of the strongest performances overall I believe was Leanne and Maria play8ing Bardolph and Nym. Both actors took real creative initiative and developed their roles into two really unique character's and personalities. Maria was comical and dramatic with her delivery, giving Nym real character - causing her vocals and physicality to be extremely engaging. Leanne portrayed Bardolph boldly and confidently against Pistol, however gave real insight to Bardolph's true personality with his reaction to nell putting her hand on his leg - giving a true comedic moment in an otherwise quite serious play. Both performances were refreshing and intriguing to watch, especially the way they interacted with one another, leaving myself wishing they had more scenes to play with. Furthermore another particularly strong performance was that of Jasmine's. Jasmine has an extremely strong voice as well as lots of stage presence which enabled her to portray a really captivating and demanding King, she was extremely believable. Her delivery of the "Once more onto the breech..." speech is one of the strongest moments in the entire show, she has very good clarity in her voice which with her good production causes her to demand to be listened to - a very effective quality for someone to have when playing a powerful leader.

One of my personal weaker moments was when I forgot my line mid-prologue. Though I managed to play it off and didn't make it obvious, it was extremely irritating as it hadn't happened in rehearsals and it completely threw me off. Though the rest of the prologue went perfectly fine and it was just a minor roadblock, it was the only thing that went wrong personally for me during the show which I could've done with not happening - especially with how much effort I put into my lines. However, this meant that when I went off stage I made sure I was completely prepared for the next prologue in order to make sure I did not forget another line - this was effective as that was the only mishap for me that performance.

Throughout our development process, for the most part, I think we were extremely successful working together as a group. Though we did have some moments of disruption, we did manage to get a lot of work done. The most effective and successful part of her rehearsal process I believe was our physical development lessons with Rachel Lincoln, not only did these enable us to push ourselves with our physicality when acting as men, but they also helped us create a really effective and unconventional battle sequence. Everything I learnt in those lessons about the male physicality I kept in mind whilst I was on stage, making sure I stayed in the mindset of a man both physically and mentally. Furthermore, our battle sequence in the final performance worked really successfully with everyone on beat and in character, with no one falling flat and causing the entire moment to it's loose effect.

Looking at Shakespeare this term has not only deepened my appreciation for his works, but it also has helped me gain further understanding in how to explore and present his work. I believe that all three final productions were all extremely entertaining whether they were tragic, comedic or historic and that each worked very hard to produce the highly successful work. I have thoroughly enjoyed this term, studying both Henry V and Shakespeare himself. I have learnt lots of new skills and gained new knowledge that I will definitely use in the future when exploring other Shakespeare plays, and I am extremely looking forward to putting on our final performance in Stratford Upon Avon.

ACT 5 PROLOGUE

"Now we bare the king towards Calais, grant him there, there seen. Heave him away your winged thoughts athwart the sea." Now we bring the king towards Calais and once we've seen him there, heave him back away towards England. "So swift a pace hath thought that even now, you may imagine him upon Blackheath, where that his lords desire him to have born, his bruised helmet and his bended sword, before him through the city he forbids it. Being free from vainness and self glorious pride, giving full trophy signal and ostent, quite from himself to God." You may imagine him on Blackheath where that his lords say he should go on procession carrying his helmet and sword. But he forbids it, as he is free from vanity and gives all his credit to God. "The emperors coming on behalf of France to order peace between them, and omit, all the occurrences whatever chanced. Till Harry's back return again to France." Imagine an emperor coming working on behalf of France. He wants to bring peace between the two countries, skip over everything between then, until Harry's back and returned in France.

I personally find this prologue the hardest as a I feel it's extremely wordy and there's a lot of different thoughts that I don't feel flow as naturally as the others do. I feel I have to pay the most attention to this one to ensure that each line of dialogue I say is exactly as the text states rather than paraphrasing. There is also the added challenge of making sure that we're being heard over the noise of the set being moved to be set up for the final act. This means that I have to work hard at both making my lines flow as naturally as possible as well as projecting loud enough to be heard perfectly.

ACT 4 PROLOGUE

"Now entertain conjecture of a time, when creeping murmur and the pouring dark, fills the wide vessel of the universe." Now use your imagination to conjure up murmurs and darkness that engulfs the wide universe. "From camp to camp, through the foul womb of the night, the hum of either army stilly sounds, that the fixed sentinels almost receive, the secret whispers of each others watch."  From camp to camp in the darkness of the night, the armies are so quite that those left standing believe they can almost hear the other camp's whispers. "Fire answers fire, and through their paly flames, each battle sees the other's umbered face" Fires are lit on each side, and through their flames, each army thinks they can see the face of the other. "Steed threatens steed in high and boastful neighs, piercing the night's dull ear." The horses of each army answers the other's loud and boastful neighs, interrupting the silence of the night. "The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll, and the third hour of drowsy morning named." It's a drowsy morning at 3am. "Proud of their numbers and secure in soul, the confident and overlusty French do the low rated English play at dice."  The confident and proud French play dice, betting on how many English they would capture. "Chide the cripple tardy-gaited night, who like a foul and ugly witch doth limp so tediously away." They scold the slowly moving night, taking so long to pass. "Upon his royal face there is no note, how dread an army hath en rounded him, nor doth he dedicate one jut of colour unto the weary and all watched night. But freshly looks overbears attaint with cheerful semblance and sweet majesty that every wretch pining and pale before, beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks. A largeless universal like sun." There is no evidence of the mighty army he is surrounded by in his expression, nor has the night robbed any colour from his looks. His face is fresh and cheerful, that every sad wretch takes comfort when they see him. "Where - O - for pity, we shall much disgrace, with four or five most vile and ragged foils right ill disposed in brawl ridiculous. The name of Agincourt."  To the battle we must go where we will represent with four or five of our most worn out fencing foils, a travesty of a battle that disgraces the name of Agincourt.

I really like how descriptive this prologue is, it really visually sets the scene rather than just narrate what's happening, like previous prologues. It conjures up really powerful images that I like playing with vocally to ensure that they're presented in a way that the audience can also imagine them through our words. However, we have to put extra effort into projection as the set is being moved around us and we have sound effects on top of us that added together can be quite loud and it's extremely important that we're heard.

Contrasting Classical Role - Portia, Julius Caesar.

Shakespeare's historical dramatisation of Porica Catonis, Portia, is the second wife to Marcus Junius Brutus, known as Brutus. She is the daughter of a Roman who took the side against Caesar. She grew so comfortable with being Brutus's confidante that she is extremely upset when she finds him troubled and he won't speak her mind. She kills herself by swallowing hot coals out of grief after Anthony and Octavius became so powerful. Though Portia has very little stage time, she's extremely interesting when looking at the play's dynamics in reference to gender. For example, she calls Brutus out; "Within the bond of marriage, tell me Brutus. Is it excepted that I should know no secret that appertain to you?" - that he's been keeping things from her and that because they're married there should be no secrets between them. She gets so fed up with him excluding her that she says by keeping her out of things, he's treating her more like a prostitute than a wife, "If it be no more, Portia is Brutus' harlot, and not his wife." This is an extremely bold thing for a women to say to her husband, to call him out on his neglect and poor behavior, something that would've been uncommon in both Julius Caesar's and Shakespeare's time - this is something that initially drew me to her character.

My monologue, taken from Act 2 Scene 1, in which Portia has found Brutus out of bed with obvious something is bothering him. One of the hardest things about my monologue is that if I personally was directing it in a scene, it would involve contact between Brutus and Portia, however as I am doing the monologue by myself - this will prove a challenge. I'm going to have to work hard at portraying everything that Portia feels towards her husband hiding things from her without having another actor on stage with me to make that connection physically real rather than just through the words I am speaking.

The Battle Sequence

I personally really liked how the battle scene has panned out as we have been able to take an artistic and creative approach to something that would usually be handled quite messily. Battle scenes on stage have the tendency to end up looking like awfully choreographed play fighting and I feel we managed to incorporate WW1 battle techniques - fighting from afar - in a way that wasn't so glaringly obvious. It's also useful to remember that in actuality, these are women in a factory, they're not going to be to stage a fully fledged battle sequence in the middle of their work space - they can however, have a pretty good artistic alternative.

By using the different levels of the wooden tables and steel-deck, we are able to explore not only the different levels that would look physically and creatively engaging, but also link back to the reality of WW1. By using different levels and having the cast come up and over the set, we're able to create a piece that's more intriguing than a boring battle sequence. The different levels also link back to the army's use of trenches back in the Great War and how they would fight using guns from afar rather than coming into contact; the way they would've fought in the Battle Of Agincourt.

As I've never held a gun before nor played a character that is both a man and in the army. It's interesting from an acting point of view to explore the different physical decisions needed to play the role effectively and creatively. It was also challenging in the sense that we had to remember to carry the male physicality whilst carrying out the sequence, because by dropping the physicality, the whole sequences loses the intended affect. The entire scene drops. The physicality needs to be held throughout the entire thing for it to be effective. So not only do we have to time the movements and walking perfectly to make it look effective, we also have to carry the male physicality throughout the entire thing - whilst holding the gun. Not only will this be a challenge for myself, as I have the tendency to forget about other things when I'm trying to focus on something certain, I feel it will be a huge challenge on the group as a whole as throughout the entire battle we have to rely on one another. We have to rely on one another to all keep the energy up, to keep with the timings and to keep the physicality up. Not only does this challenge everyone physically and creatively, but also individually because we all have to play our own part whilst trusting the entire group to make it work.

ACT 3 PROLOGUE

"Thus with imagined wing our swift scene flies, in motion with no less celerity, than that of thought." On imagination's wing do we move quickly onto the next scene. "Suppose that you have seen the well appointed king at Hampton peir embark on his royalty, and his brave fleet with silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning." Imagine that you see the well equipped king at Dover with his entire fleet. The fleet fan the sun with their banners. "Play with your fancies and in them behold, upon the hempen tackle, ship boys climbing." Let your thoughts run wild and imagine the ship boys climbing up the ship's rigging. "Hear the shrill whistle, which doth order give to sounds confused." Imagine you hear the whistle, giving out orders across the ship. "Behold the threaden sails, borne with th'invisible and creeping wind, draw the huge bottoms through the furrowed sea, breasting the lofty surge." Picture the linen sails being driven by the strong wind as they sail through the high and harsh waves. "Oh, do but think you stand upon the rivage and behold a city on th'inconstant billows dancing, for so appears this fleet majestical holding due course to Harfleur." Imagine you're standing on the shore, watching a city float on the sea, you'll have an idea of what this majestical fleet looks like on it's course to Harfleur. "And leave your England, as dead midnight still, guarded with grandsires, babies and old women, either past nor not arrived to pith and puissance. For who is he whose chin is but enriched with one appearing hair that with not follow these culled and choice-drawn cavaliers to France?" Leave England, silent as midnight, guarded by grandfathers, babies and old women. For what male who is old enough to have a single hair on his chin would not want to follow the fleet into France? "Work, work your thoughts and therein see a siege." Think long and hard, work your thoughts, and imagine you see a siege. "Behold the ordnance on their carriages, with fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur." Imagine the large canons with their huge mouths aiming for Harfleur. "Suppose th'Ambassador from the French comes back, tells Harry that the king doth offer him, Katherine his daughter and with her, to dowry, some petty and unprofitable dukedomes." Imagine the French ambassador returning to Henry to inform him that the king offers his daughter Katherine along with some unprofitable dukedomes. "The offer likes not, and the nimble gunner with linstock now, the devlish cannon touches." Henry doesn't like the offer and the nimble gunner gets ready to light the cannons. "And down goes all before them." And down goes all in it's path. "Still be kind and eke out our performance with your mind." Still remain kind to us and indulge in our performance with your imagination.

WOMEN AT WORK

This is an extremely interesting watch and listen; the memoirs of a munitions factory worker during WW1. Mrs Hall's words really show how hard these women worked every single day, 10 hours straight, just to help contribute to the war. It was really interesting to hear how Mrs Hall had been working with women who's husbands had all died at sea, this just shows how common death was in their lives and how they literally just had to move on - something that we're trying to incorporate and explore in the setting of our piece. The fact that the conditions in the factories were poor and extremely - the explosive powder everywhere - its hard to even imagine how someone may have navigated their way through and worked everyday. That sense of the danger and risk of factory work is something I feel we could place emphasis on in our opening as it truly was a dangerous place to be! It'll not only add some colour to our opening piece, but it'll also give it some true depth.

Listening to actual accounts of people's experiences as a munition factory worker is really interesting as it allows me to draw ideas and information from real life stories that I can incorporate into my female character. It gives me the ability to give myself a realistic back-story to work from and a mindset to work with, i'm able to back up my story and ideas with actual evidence and fact taken from another person's account of their life. It enables work to be more truthful and authentic as you are able to draw conclusions and ideas from actual truth, rather than a fictionalised idea of what you may have thought the truth was. By doing actual, historical research, an actor can only positively develop from it when created and developing a role as you are able to make connects and draw from authenticity. I will definitely use this video and the information I've taken from it to further my development of my female character.