Theater of education reserch

On this website (http://www.reflectproductions.co.uk/) I found many ways we could use are piece and got a better understanding in what a ToE company actually does ideas from the websites like trying to inspire children is something I think our performance needs as I remember during remembrance day I was quite during the silence but did not actually understand the meaning so to do this we really need to show them in a light hearted way but at the end really hit hard on how bad it really was We are planning on doing this by reading a dramatic poem with poppy petals

First and Second Scean progression

I had at first had problems understanding the script but eventually after some explaining of words the problem was solved now I can use suitable towns of voice at the correct places and it is really improving my sceans and developing my character.


Talking about character development I feel my character has become witty and sarcastic for example I have really had fun finding different ways to say the line "there is as much mercy in him as milk in a male tiger" I have tried saying it sarcastically and angrily, and overall a combination of the two works perfectly.


I have also noticed while working on my character that he has a lot of power over others. however he will only use his power to help not for forces of destruction.

Rotherem Shakespere Festivle

"The Annual Rotherham Shakespeare Festival was founded in 2009. Over the last few years Rotherham has been put on the map because of its love of, and commitment to Shakespeare. It has become well respected by its peers within other authorities as well as with The Royal Shakespeare Company!"
Open minds theatre Company

We will be performing at manga's great hall here is some research

"Our showpiece areas, the big hall and magna arena can accommodate virtually any event or occasion. They each offer a ‘blank canvas’, which can be specially tailored to your needs and even have their own dedicated kitchen and service facilities. We have hosted luxurious banquets, blue chip AGM’s, exhibitions, launches, fun fairs …even a golf driving range!"
Magna

The are being a blank canvas will be very useful as we can then do a lot with the room.

I have worked with open minds before I was a member of the theatre group for 4 years. I know that we will come together to make a top class performance. With the help of there leaders of witch I am very familiar with.

My key theams that i spotted

Class
is a crucial theme in the play; people are accorded power and respect according to their class, and the rebellion that has Coriolanus thrown out of Rome is a class-based one. Throughout the play, there are ideas that one's class determines worthiness, autonomy, or amount of intelligence. The play itself validates the patricians' ideas of class, that the people are a collective that are easily guided and deceived, and are unable to handle large amounts of responsibility or decision-making.

Pride
Coriolanus' fate is mainly steered by this trait; had he not been so governed by his pride, he would have been able to make amends with the people, and may not have even offended them in the first place. Some of Coriolanus' pride stems from his special abilities and his stature as a hero, and this pride keeps him from being a political leader and from being able to save his own career and life through compromise.

Reputation
How Coriolanus is treated depends very much on reputation; his reputation is hated, feared, and later loved by the Volscians, which determines how exactly they feel about him. Coriolanus' reputation in Rome, however, does not help him on some counts. Although the patricians and those of the noble class are well aware of Coriolanus' good reputation, the people disregard this lofty reputation when Coriolanus speaks out against him.

Enemy and friend
Especially relevant and important in Aufidius and Coriolanus' relationship, and in Coriolanus' relationship to Rome. This determines who they are fighting and why; and when enemies and friends shift, as Aufidius and Coriolanus do, there is often confusion, and the threat of violence.

Fortune/ Fate
Coriolanus seems doomed from the beginning by the workings of fortune. First of all, he is a hero and a military presence who would have done well if given the autonomy and power of someone like Alexander the Great. Secondly, there are repeated notions throughout the play that Coriolanus is doomed to die no matter what he does; these are echoed by Aufidius and Menenius in the play.

Charecer anylasis

Caius Martius, later Coriolanus
A brave Roman warrior, who has a lot of courage and valor, but is hindered by his pride and indifference toward the common people. He is a man of action, and is uncomfortable with words and political dealings; this proves to be his undoing when he attempts to become consul of Rome.

Menenius
A wise Roman patrician, highly regarded for his wit and sense of justice. He is a friend of Coriolanus who praises Coriolanus for his military triumphs, but also recognizes Coriolanus' failings. Menenius is good at dealing with people, and serves as a kind of liason between Coriolanus and the citizens.

Lartius
A general of Rome, he serves with Coriolanus in the war against the Volscians, though Coriolanus outdoes him and every other soldier in valorous deeds. He also likes Coriolanus and admires his military strength.

Cominius
Another general of Rome, he is very supportive of Coriolanus, to the point of making a speech in favor of his being consul in front of the Senate. Cominius is witness to Coriolanus' acts of bravery in the war against the Volscians, and even gifts him with his surname in honor of the victory.

 

Volumnia
Coriolanus' overbearing, war-hungry mother. She pushed her son to go off to war at a tender age, and feeds off his triumphs. She even tries to push Coriolanus into politics, though he is fundamentally unsuited to the demands of being a consul. She is a classic overbearing mother, to the point of nearly destroying her only and much beloved son.

Virgilia
Coriolanus' wife, she is cowed by Volumnia, and usually remains silent. She is retiring, modest, and patient, though Coriolanus' love and regard for his mother seems greater than the love he has for her. She says and does little throughout the play, except make a final play for Coriolanus' mercy on Rome.

Young Martius
Coriolanus' son, said to resemble him in character and looks. Also used in the last, desperate attempt to stop Coriolanus from attacking Rome.

Valeria
A Roman lady, she is friend to Volumnia and Virgilia. She seems strong-willed like Volumnia, and believes in the same Roman code of virtues and battle that Volumnia does.

Sicinius
A tribune of Rome, he conspires with Brutus to have Coriolanus thrown out of the city and made unpopular with the people. His only motive is thirst for power, rather than interest for the people he manipulates.

Brutus
A tribune with Sicinius, he helps to make Coriolanus unpopular with the citizens, and get thrown put of Rome. Also has purely selfish motives, as is clearly apparent in his blatant manipulation of the citizens.

Citizens
Regarded with indifference by Coriolanus, they are quick to condemn the government and Coriolanus, though their condemnation does nothing to fix the problem. They are easily swayed by the influence of the tribunes to get Coriolanus thrown out of Rome, and then deny their part in the whole affair.

Roman Soldiers
They pale in comparison to Coriolanus in bravery and daring, and are shown retreating, looting, and otherwise behaving with dishonor.

Tullus Aufidius
General of the Volscians, he is Coriolanus' mortal enemy, and later an ally. He is a good leader and militarily keen; he and Coriolanus are a good match, though Coriolanus wins their duels through anger and might. Aufidius is fierce, but very trusting of Coriolanus after he defects from Rome.

A Plot summery



In ancient Rome, in the aftermath of a famine, the common people, or plebeians, demand the right to set their own price for the city's grain supply. In response to their protests, the ruling aristocracy, or patricians, grant the plebeians five representatives, or tribunes--a decision that provokes the ire of the proud patrician soldier Caius Martius, who has nothing but contempt for the lower classes. At this time, war breaks out with a neighboring Italian tribe, the Volscians, who are led by Martius' great rival, Tullus Aufidius. In the campaign that follows, the Volscians are defeated, and the Rome takes the Italian city of Corioles, thanks to the heroism of Martius. In recognition of his great deeds, he is granted the name Coriolanus.

Upon his return to Rome, Coriolanus is given a hero's welcome, and the Senate offers to make him consul. In order to gain this office, however, he must go out and plead for the votes of the plebeians, a task that he undertakes reluctantly. At first, the common people agree to give him their votes, but they later reverse their decision at the prodding of two clever tribunes, Brutus and Sicinius, who consider Coriolanus an enemy of the people. This drives the proud Coriolanus into a fury, and he speaks out intemperately against the very idea of popular rule; Brutus and Sicinius, seizing on his words, declare him a traitor to the Roman state and drive him into exile.

Desiring revenge against Rome, Coriolanus goes to his Volscian enemy, Aufidius, in the city of Antium, and makes peace with him. Aufidius is planning a new campaign against the Romans, and he welcomes Coriolanus's assistance, although he soon feels himself to be falling into his new ally's shadow. Their army proceeds to march on Rome, throwing the city into a panic--Rome's armies are helpless to stop the advance, and soon Aufidius and Coriolanus are encamped outside the city walls. Two of his oldest friends come pleading for mercy, but Coriolanus refuses to hear him. However, when his mother, Volumnia, to whom he is devoted, begs him to make peace, he relents, and the Romans hail Volumnia the savior of the city. Meanwhile, Coriolanus and the Volscians return to Antium, where the residents hail Coriolanus as a hero. Aufidius, feeling slighted, declares that Coriolanus's failure to take Rome amounts to treachery; in the ensuing argument, some of Aufidius' men assassinate Coriolanus.

Shakespere 3

So we have began to look at a hamlet speech "to be or not to be"

"To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause."

First here was my line by line analysis
.
"To be, or not to be: that is the question"

The opening line scans fairly normally, and makes sense he is simply questioning himself.

"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep"

These lines tell me he is contemplating suicide but he is debating weather or not as he could be seen as a coward taking an easy way out, as if he doesn't there is a lot of trouble waiting for him. In this line I really stressed the O's in these lines to show the emotional pain almost like a long ow what you say when you wave damaged yourself. I think it also says that he sees death as a long sleep.


"When we have shuffled off this mortal coil"

This tells me that Hamlet feels mortality traps him and the only way to be released from the mortal coil is to take his life.

in our performance we showed a fighting aggressive hamlet willing to confront his fears and a Hamlet that was cowardly and floaty of witch I played however I did incorporate some punch rhythm speaking as well as a general float that was carried all the way through. There was also a sleeping hamlet in the middle repeating key words.

We also displayed the performance in thrust spacing making the audience drawn into hamlets dream. This really made the performance effective as it broke the 4th wall by making theme so close and addressing the audience with the lines.

I have couled my lines red and my fellow piers blue.

Shakespere lesson 2

The objective of the lesson was to Take a sample text sheet and read the text in different ways similar to last week however experimenting with different types of speech and movement.

We explored the technique of the 8 basic effort action's it helped us a lot in the seconded part of the lesson and I found it interesting my personal favourite was float as it was light easy going and floaty like I think it represented me the most.

http://www.slideshare.net/jayboirock/shakespeare-31956158?ref=http://dinningtonperformingarts.blogspot.co.uk/

 We were give a piece of text from Julius Ceaser and we got into a group of 3. we then began to act it out and explore how we could use these different types of speaking and movement into this particular scean. it was interesting how you could change the character from how the words were said.
My skills developed in this lesson by boosting confidence to experimenting with voice .

We have began to start work on something else but that will be recorded all together.

My first shakespere lesson

I had aleady performed the shakespere piece Romeo and Juliet so I was familiar with the old English text. This gave me an advantage as I could focus on line delivery instead of reading the words correctly.

The objective of the lesson was to Take a sample text sheet and read the text in different ways.
We started with a small piece from Henry V. We started simple walking around the room and speaking the text then when we got to punctuation we changed direction. Then we said when there is a full stop,stop moving and change direction. This was good as it broke up the text and stopped sounding so dull and monotone.

We then explored how we can react to what is being spoken. We did this using a pice of text from Macbeth where lady Macbeth insults Macbeth. we did this buy repeating words the character Macbeth may take offence to such as coward. This helped the important words become more emphasised.

My skills developed in this lesson learning how to improve the reading and the tone of the text so it sounds more interesting.

I also discovered translating the text into a language then translating it back simplifies the language meaning it can help to understand the difficult words and phrases often found this something I will consider in the future if I am struggling with Shakespearian text.

In the lesson we were put in into groups to create a warm-up.


I have a good understanding how to warm up as I have done this with real adult actors and directors e.g. Ruth Carny. So what id did with the group was a simple yet effective way of getting an actor physically and mentally prepared to take on a role 
In my warm up I had a simple game where the group must count to ten with there eyes' closed however one person could not say all the numbers after one person had said a number they had to stay quite for 3 numbers to then say the next number. a lot of numbers involved, confused, well you went the only one.

after I changed exercise and I tapped somebody then tapped the next person and next e.c.t until I said change then they would have to remember there opposite and walk in a straight line. if they were to divert from this line it shows they were not aware of the surrounding actors.


 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dneH0qaAfyU

Mask work is another workshop we have done. The masks we were all different there were a variety of emotions which we had to try and match with our body language. First of all we were given a piece of music and we all had to create a wedding scene. This was helpful as we could focus more on our body language than expressions. We were then put into groups, We were quick to decide our scenario, that of a late night in a bar. We assigned ourselves characters; there were two drunken friends,a barman, a creep trying to hit on a girl on her own in the bar. We created a scene around these characters to the song of  Chelsea Dagger. We created an effective performance that was simple yet affective it used the simple principle of not breaking the illusion of there being a mask and a face and just a face.

This added to my sills as it showed that my actions can speak a thousand words and also that my body language is just as important as facial expressions.
I like this kind of work but im not Shaw I would choose to do this again.

Bertolt Brecht born 10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956, was a German poet, playwright, theatre director, and Marxist



His idea was that the characters would often step forward and narrate a scene. The set is simplistic for example if there was a bar there would be something on the lines of a simple sign that reads bar. a lot of Brectian theatre will break the 4th wall. There is a lot of gesture also used to show emotion. And all will often have a moral lesson imbedded into the performance.

 

Brecht is very different from everything I have ever done. You are not meant to be accepting it as it is you are meant to challenge it, why am I getting that water? Why am I sitting and not standing? It's meant to distance you from characters and focus you on what's actually going on.

 Me and Josh decided to use a genre which we had already usesed and the group enjoyed, and that was detectives. We set up a vague plot and the rest just attempted to make as realistic as possible while questioning everything I did. We also narrated each other as we acted. We encountered some problems along the way, for instance we had some difficulties with having to keep one eye on the other  all the time, to narrate the important things they did. This was solved quite quickly, with blocking and rehersing

Our end performance was quite good. I think we made our work Brecht style and we taught the audience. It was very interesting and I learnt allot it would be great to do Brecht at in the future.

Konstantin Sergeievich Stanislavski was born 17 January 1863 he was a Russian actor and theatre director. And creator of the well known Stanislavski method, or simply "method acting"he had a pervasive influence, especially in the period after World War II.



Stanislavski's system is a progression of techniques used to train actors and actresses to draw the audience to thierperformances. The method that was originally the concept of emotional memory for which an actor focuses internally to portray a character's emotions onstage.The technique is referred to as Stanislavski's system. The system is the result of Stanislavski's many years of efforts to determine how someone can control in performance the most intangible and uncontrollable aspects of human behavior, such as emotions.

In the week the idea was we would produce a pice of work that would have been made amd developed using the stanaslaski method.

At the start of the first lesson Miss Chambers was showing us a powerpoint on the bored showing three key feantures to the stanaslaski methord

1. What if (Use your imagination to make props feal life like for example there is a clay apple when holding it what dose it feel like or what dose it taste like?)

2.Objectives
3.How the past effected the current character

So now the opportunity arose to create our own piece of Stanislavski style work I was a 30 year old who was rather loud and his goal was to make a certain character leave his house and get the other character to stay he was acting like this as he wanted the other character to himself as they have a dungeon's and dragons night every Tuesday with just the two of them however this time the character in question brought another person who he didn't know.

My personnel response was positive as I thought of it as a great way of character building. I didn't think it would be difficult as I have already studied Stanislavski style work at my drama school.

Overall I think that the work was easy and it was good to have a rerun to refresh my memory.