Lesson Three

Three Side Workshop

At the beginning of today's lesson we went down to the new theatre where we will be performing for 'Little peoples day '. Here we took part in a three sided workshop, the focus was on both body and voice. We completed the rapier and dagger exercise, which means having our chest and feet face in a different direction to our head. I found this exercise difficult and unnatural because I was thinking about it to much, to improve I need to practise this technique so that I can reach the final stage of conciousness - unconscious. Also it was difficult because I often bumped into other people so we need to practise working in unison, being aware of each other and balancing the space. Pretending to have a rapier and dagger in opposite hands did really help me change the direction of my head and chest because it allowed me to picture the weapons and become more confident with the exercise by thinking about attack and defence. This exercise was very important because it allowed us to work with our angles on stage and allows energy to travel to all parts of the stage. In addition this exercise will be very useful for our performance because we now know when walking around the space we need to have our body at two different angles in order to keep the audience engaged on all three sides and now are familiar with the space we are working in. Furthermore when walking around I need to remember to change my position so that the three sides get a different part of the body in their direction. The next step is to be able to use this technique whilst being in character so I will continue to practise in order that I will not have to think about what I am doing.

Within the workshop we also concentrated on voice, breath and projection. At the beginning of these exercises I found it difficult to let lots of air into my lungs so I need to improve work on my breathing technique. Also when I bent down I found it difficult breathing as the air into my lungs was restricted however when repeating this exercise several times using my body to move in line with my breathing it became easier and I was able to breathe in and out for longer. We also focused on using different types of speech, and using breath in our speech to allow our energy and project our voices to all parts of the audience on all three sides. We changed a whisper into a stage whisper by using more breath to make the sound produced louder which we could use in our performance. We also practised using normal voice and also nasal with breath because it helps a lot with making the sound louder and pronounced better. We discovered that by speaking through our nose we would be able to gain attention which would be helpful in our performance and would project energy to all sides of the space. Also within the lesson we discovered that when facing the back and also when not using a stage whisper the sound waves would not be absorbed by the audience which would loose energy. We also learnt by doing the breathing it allowed us to relax and gain focus which will be a good exercise to do before the performance.

Are the ideas effective? Are they theatrical, if not, can they be made theatrical? Will they appeal to 'little people'? Why/why not?

At the beginning of the lesson we managed to polish a perfect pyramid. I brought in a photo of a pyramid which we managed to achieve when working together in an ensemble. We can now build and dismantle the pyramid in a slick, quick and safe way. I think the pyramid is very effective because we are able to use different levels and having the speech come from different levels draws the audience to different places on stage. Also by having Fenton at the top and in the middle the audience can now quickly recognise that he is the person that found a tiger. I believe the pyramid is theatrical because it creates a big shape on stage and makes the performance more interesting that if the lines were just said. The pyramid will give the children a stable structure to focus on which will interest them. We also managed to make the pyramid curve into a semi-circle, this will allow all three sides of the stage to see part of the pyramid. I think that the pyramid will appeal to the children because it will draw there attention it may look exciting for them because it is a lot bigger than them and I also think it is the thing that they will remember most about the piece. Also by having Fenton at the top we can tell he is the odd one out, having seen the tiger and he will be able to project his lines to all of the audience and this means that when the lights black out there is a contrast between us all being together and then going of on our separate ways.

The Dance with the butterfly is effective because it involves different types of media and I believe using the butterfly net to turn into a tiger will appeal to the children. The butterfly net resembles a Chinese Dragon which the children might recognise and be able to relate to. I think that the snail dance and waving of the butterfly poles will be theatrical especially when moving to the beat of the music however I do believe it could become repetitive and the children could find it boring. To prevent this we could change the tempo in which we walk and the size of which the figure of eight is in order to vary the performance. We could also bring the tiger close to the children and let them clap along to the beat so that they feel more involved.

At the moment I don't think the song is very effective because it sounds quite dreary like a dirge therefore it will not appeal to the children. Having the dance and movement will make the song more theatrical because it will give the children something to focus on, but I think we have also got to put a lot more energy into the song and we need to all know the words. The tiger will allow the children to imagine a real tiger and create their own image of the tiger in their head so the song needs to add to this excitement. This could be done by increasing the tempo of the song, singing it higher to make it light and happy and I also think we could give the children percussive instruments or get them to clap along so they feel more involved with the performance. This song definitely needs to be improved in order for it to be suitable for the performance, like the jungle sounds at the beginning really add to the atmosphere whereas this song at the moment keeps the piece at a low energy which we need to change.

I also don't think the 'A Tiger!' part, when we are all supposed to be getting quieter after Fenton has announced he has seen a tiger, is effective because you can feel the energy drop in the room which is not suitable for the audience as they need the performance to be constantly at a high level of energy. I think we could make this section more theatrical and better by either starting loud and then getting quieter but facing the audience using exaggerated facial expressions so they know they are scared. Or by having individuals say the line one after another, by doing it this, no energy will be lost because each person will say the line in a different way according to their character which will vary the short phrase and make it more interesting. By having individuals saying it, more of their character will be brought out and the person who is last will be the quietest and probably the most frightened. We could even have groups of people saying it in unison to one another to make it more powerful at the beginning which will get the audience's attention.

I do think the call and response 'A Tiger, I saw one' 'A Tiger? Who saw one?' is very effective because it allows us to smoothly transition into the pyramid. It also is very theatrical because it is similar to a pantomime moment when they are saying 'he's behind you' which the children will be able to relate to. I think this will be very appealing to the 'Little People' because it is a catchy rhythm which the children could join in with. It also comes across as believable because we are not looking at Fenton making the children think we actually cannot see him. I think this section is really good because it will allow the children to join in either saying the phrase with us or trying to tell us where Fenton is.

Finally at the end of the lesson we began to work on the torches and cat eye
section. During the torches section we all follow the objective - to search - looking for the tiger. We repeat the line 'here kitty kitty kitty *kiss noise* x 4' I think this it theatrical because we are all saying it in unison however at the moment it does sound quite scary so we need to practise saying it together in time with a more energetic input. I think having the torches will really appeal to the children because it will give them different beams of light to follow and involve the audience more. We could shine the torches on the children's faces thinking they were the tiger. I think the blackout and tiger eyes will really excite the children because they will imagine a tiger on the loose and will think the explorers are silly because they cannot find it. We need to remember not to point the torches towards the eyes and also we will need to practise so we know where the eyes will be when they move around. I think this is a very effective idea because it compliments the song, it will be fun, engaging and it will be a good build up for the story that will begin after our 10 minute slot.