So this was the day of our end of term performance.
It's always good to distance yourself from a performance before going back and analysing it too closely. There is an emotional attachment immediately afterwards that, speaking from a creative's point of view, is extremely fragile. In my opinion, actors should never be given notes immediately after a performance. Similarly, if you're ever giving feedback on a performance then wait a bit if it's critical. Otherwise, the danger is that the performer/director is still too close to the performance to look at it objectively and might feel slightly put out or upset.
The four hours in the morning were a real joy and fulfilled a bit of a personal dream. I have always wanted to be working with a large group of young actors in a theatre putting on a decent length performance. From the get-go the focus was fantastic. Here was a company of actors, some who had never met before, working closely together and concentrating hard on creating our story. This enabled us to do some great work and get the performance ready for the evening.
Generally, technical rehearsals are long and tiring. They involve a lot of repetition. The lights need to be programmed in and focused and then refocused and then reprogrammed and then the operator needs to run the scenes a few times to get used to timings. This usually results in the actors repeating the same actions over and over again. But, as I said in a previous post, it is much more fun if you embrace that repetition as a chance to hone your character and the blocking. These days are always a real teller for which actors have a good sense of humour. My advice is to embrace the excitement of being in a theatre and have as much fun as possible whilst listening to what the technical team need!
And so to the performance and the story.
I am very aware that the story needs a bit of work. I will constantly be developing the script and looking to make things clearer story-wise. Having said that there is something wonderful about keeping things obscure. We're found that the majority of the joy with this story has been the discussions that we've had in rehearsals about the subject matter and the characters. We've asked the Windmill Young Actors to explore some pretty complex subjects and have found not only wonderfully imaginative and open intelligent minds, but also togetherness. This was and is their story. They have invested in it, written it and devised it together. It is their work. Together with Tanushka, we have simply tried to empower that story, give it some shape and create our performance.
The show itself was extraordinary. If you look at the facts, here are 35 young actors, a lot of whom had never performed in front of people before. Some of whom hadn't even had the confidence to put their hand up in class and had struggled with confidence. Yet here they were playing lead roles in front of hundreds of people. Amazing!
I am immensely proud of the piece of work and of all those who performed and helped develop the piece in rehearsals. Every term brings new inspiration and more delight and I can't wait until we get back on April 21st to continue to develop both the stories and ourselves as people and artists.
Showing posts with label Windmill Young Actors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windmill Young Actors. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Monday, 12 March 2012
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Saturday 3rd March - Of Putting it all Together
Where do you start when you have a rough sketch of a new piece of writing?
SCRIPT READING
This is pretty essential to get a feel for the rhythm and pace of the piece. It also flags up any obvious mistakes in the writing in terms of character and dialogue.
GUT REACTION
It's vital that your prospective actors feel at least a little inspired by what they've read otherwise everyone will be fighting a losing battle.
CASTING
In this case, Tanushka and I base the casting on a number of different aspects. Firstly, we look at whether or not the character will be suitable for the actor. We take into consideration experience, time as a Windmill Young Actor, commitment to the previous Saturdays, commitment to the workshops that we've run and age and size (very important if two actors are playing opposite each other in particular scenes or doing something physically difficult). Secondly, we look at how casting a particular young actor will benefit them as both an actor and a person. Some unconfident actors might benefit hugely from being given a little more responsibility, whereas some actors who have a way to go will be given something that they can get their teeth into - suitable for their talent. Thirdly, we might really want to challenge a more experienced actor and so cast them in a role that is the complete opposite to what they might usually play.
It was wonderful to chat to one particular member of the afternoon group last week. I mentioned that unfortunately there wasn't going to be the part this term that would fully recognise her talent and commitment. She responded, "It's fine. As long as I'm performing, I don't care what I play!" I wish all actors were like that!
PUTTING IT ON IT'S FEET
The first week of doing this is particularly challenging. And it was no change on Saturday. This is where, with scripts in hand, we begin to shape together the scenes and the characters. Tanushka and I are co-directing for the first time this term and it's a new experience for both of us. The good news is that it's working very well and we haven't gone down with 'creative differences' yet! The slightly tricky thing though, is that until we have firm 'blocking' (when actors have their places and positions on stage), things are quite slow and so a lot of patience is needed from the young actors.
CCOMBINING TWO GROUPS
This has been another great new opportunity for us this term. With two groups we have the chance to give each group very specific scenes and tasks that make up part of the whole piece. We can then put them all together and create one full and varied exciting final performance that utilises everyone's unique skills. Of course, it all becomes more complicated but then working through all that is what you're paying us for!
CREATING PERFORMANCE
Everything said prior to this is just the start. Once we have a shape to the performance the real challenge then begins. We begin to work the 'detail' into the scenes. These are the small moments that perhaps aren't in the script; perhaps a character history for an atmosphere or a piece of music. It's all vital!
With just 6 hours of rehearsal until 24th March, we're excited and just a little terrified!
SCRIPT READING
This is pretty essential to get a feel for the rhythm and pace of the piece. It also flags up any obvious mistakes in the writing in terms of character and dialogue.
GUT REACTION
It's vital that your prospective actors feel at least a little inspired by what they've read otherwise everyone will be fighting a losing battle.
CASTING
In this case, Tanushka and I base the casting on a number of different aspects. Firstly, we look at whether or not the character will be suitable for the actor. We take into consideration experience, time as a Windmill Young Actor, commitment to the previous Saturdays, commitment to the workshops that we've run and age and size (very important if two actors are playing opposite each other in particular scenes or doing something physically difficult). Secondly, we look at how casting a particular young actor will benefit them as both an actor and a person. Some unconfident actors might benefit hugely from being given a little more responsibility, whereas some actors who have a way to go will be given something that they can get their teeth into - suitable for their talent. Thirdly, we might really want to challenge a more experienced actor and so cast them in a role that is the complete opposite to what they might usually play.
It was wonderful to chat to one particular member of the afternoon group last week. I mentioned that unfortunately there wasn't going to be the part this term that would fully recognise her talent and commitment. She responded, "It's fine. As long as I'm performing, I don't care what I play!" I wish all actors were like that!
PUTTING IT ON IT'S FEET
The first week of doing this is particularly challenging. And it was no change on Saturday. This is where, with scripts in hand, we begin to shape together the scenes and the characters. Tanushka and I are co-directing for the first time this term and it's a new experience for both of us. The good news is that it's working very well and we haven't gone down with 'creative differences' yet! The slightly tricky thing though, is that until we have firm 'blocking' (when actors have their places and positions on stage), things are quite slow and so a lot of patience is needed from the young actors.
CCOMBINING TWO GROUPS
This has been another great new opportunity for us this term. With two groups we have the chance to give each group very specific scenes and tasks that make up part of the whole piece. We can then put them all together and create one full and varied exciting final performance that utilises everyone's unique skills. Of course, it all becomes more complicated but then working through all that is what you're paying us for!
CREATING PERFORMANCE
Everything said prior to this is just the start. Once we have a shape to the performance the real challenge then begins. We begin to work the 'detail' into the scenes. These are the small moments that perhaps aren't in the script; perhaps a character history for an atmosphere or a piece of music. It's all vital!
With just 6 hours of rehearsal until 24th March, we're excited and just a little terrified!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)