In this Theatre lesson we did a variation of physical warm ups that focused on certain parts of the body. We also did a warm up called 'Clear The Space' inspired by Frantic Assembly (pictured below)
In this warm up, we would walk around the room Miss would say a number, if she said:
1. Touch the floor
2. Jump
"Wall": Touch the wall
"Door ": We had to go to the door and all try and look underneath it.
"Centre" We all had to go to the centre of the room and lay our head on the person next to us' shoulder.
This exercise helped me warm up because it makes you focus exactly on what you need to do and it helps you be aware of the space around you.
Actors need to warm up because even though Theatre isn't counted as a sport it is still a physical activity so you need to warm up your muscles, mouths, tongues etc...
After the warm up I felt nice and loose and ready to act!
We also explored a range of vocal warmups. During these warmups we would use humming, and making continuos noises (ranging in the pitch) with our voices to warm up our vocal chords. The voice is an important tool for actors because a lot of acting includes using your voice and if your voice is not warmed up then you could get a sore throat or your vocal chords can get raw.
After our warm up, we explored the concept of status. In my opinion, I think status is the concept of someone having a higher or more prestigious role or position. We studied a scene called "Hello".
HELLO
A: Hello
B: Hello
A: Are you coming then?
B: No, I don't think so
A: Oh, OK
(PAUSE)
B: Well I'll see you then.
A: Yes.
B: OK bye.
I created my scene with Connor and we established our scene in a way where A had a higher status than B (Connor was A and I was B). I was positioned sitting on the floor and Connor was on his feet. Connor started with a demanding "HELLO?" and throughout the scene I used eye contact to show that I was aware of the status difference. So instead of looking him in the eye I would look at his shoes or the floor. I also used a more timid voice and Connor's was very loud.
Other pairs showed status successfully by being creative with levels, where they think the scene was set, and voice.
Finally we explored a scene between Callum and Sephy. My partner was Rosebee who played the part of Sephy and I played the part of Callum. We had to stay focused on the subject of status. Rosebee and I showed status succesfully by having a sort of status shift in the middle. It would start off with Sephy being demanding and loud, and then Callum suddenly explodes in anger as well and by the middle of the script they are both shouting at each other. Then, towards the end, Callum becomes stern and stubborn and forces Sephy to promise to never call him a blanker again.
We also had to think about our character's objective and what they wanted to achieve. My character wanted to get a point across that he thought was important, he also wanted to be dominant in the argument and eventually win it.
We were asked to add some notes on other pairs' work on this scene:
TASK 2
One of the most obvious themes in "Noughts & Crosses" is racism. Crosses
are black, wealthy and powerful. Noughts are white ,have poorly-paid jobs (if
they can get a job at all), and have far fewer chances to do well in life.
Crosses look down on noughts as a completely inferior group.
Identity is another key theme in this play. Callum and Sephy are able to be friends because they see each other as individuals, not just 'a nought' and 'a Cross'. In their friendship with each
other, they're able to put asde the prejudice and segregation most people in their world experience.
Love and relationships is another key theme that is touched upon in the play. The relationship between Callum and Sephy is opposite to the relationship between most noughts and Crosses. Their friendship is warm and intense, and despite occasional arguments and the problems they face, they stay close right until the end.
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