Final Evaluation.

Today, February 12th, the company finally performed two showings of East End Tales, a series of nine stories inspired by photos and news articles from local papers in east London. The show was performed in room 415 at The BRIT School by year 10 theatre students. It was written for the Mulberry School for girls in Tower Hamlets’ Half Moon Young People’s Theatre Script works project. The story was developed by a group of Year 10 Bengali girls and it was created through improvisation and written exercises under supervision of Finn Kennedy. The project was intended for our scripted plays (page to stage) unit, in which we were assessed on storytelling as well as physical and technical skills.

In the rehearsal stages of the production of the show, we used improvisation exercises like hot seating and quick fire improv to help develop our characters and assist us in bringing the vibrant world of the East End to life on stage. The exercises helped us make character decisions that would creatively change our individual performances. For example, we did an exercise where we devised a scene surrounding the characters in a pub. The exercise forced us to create back stories to our characters which helped in the characterisation process. We also did another exercise where we highlighted the objectives of the characters. This helped us get into the mind set of our roles. I had to be very focused and alert when listening and contributing in the rehearsal as it was vital to the development period.

We used the lyrical verse format already beautifully provided by Kennedy to enhance the storytelling of the show. Because Kennedy had written the play in a 'song like' way, it enabled us to perform the show fluidly and smoothly. It also helped with transitioning of the play, the cast were almost like dancers moving to a song. The lyrical verses effected the audience greatly as the cast said there lines soothingly which not only made the show more interesting to watch, but more interesting to listen to as well.

The ensemble worked together on the night and in rehearsals brilliantly. We all added valuable contributions to the group which had an influential effect on the show and we all cooperated with one another which made the creative process clinical and effective. The ensemble worked together to help physicalise the performance as well. The ensemble also produced some interesting and fascinating pieces of physical theatre which was used throughout the duration of the show. I produced a physical theatre piece with Matilda in which we portrayed a man and a women meeting at a pub. This was then looped throughout tale 6. The use of physical theatre had a distinct effect upon the audience on the night as it made the audience think. I asked an audience member what they thought of the physical pieces and she said, "it was enjoyable to just look and think, instead of being told". This implies that sometimes by leaving things for the audiences imagination, it can be just as powerful as the lines.

I had to juggle around many different roles that were important to the scenes. I began with the taxi driver in the prologue and then again in the epilogue. I was very proud of how these scenes turned out as I managed (after lots of hard work) how to keep calm and also how to take ownership of a character. This was interesting as when I decided to characterise the character, I observed taxi drivers when I took a trip to London and how they spoke to their passengers. I felt that this was very useful to my performance and my character development. 

One of the moments that worked best in the show was when the cast came together to perform tale 3. The cast had a very positive attitude towards this scene and I felt that this was definitely one of the strongest scenes that was devised. It made the audience feel happier as well as the actors. We managed to pull off the sudden change of atmosphere very well as the effect on the audience changed drastically. One particular actor who worked brilliantly was Susannah and Aaron. Their cooperation and timing was very tight and this made the scene very powerful. It made the scene very unique as well. The effect it had upon the audience, was truly wonderful. It made the seen diverse and unique. Also their characterisation was great as you could distinguish who they were trying to portray. 

A personal weakness of mine was that I kept getting the prologue and epilogue mixed up as they were the same characters. I decided to rehearse these scenes thoroughly to make sure I wouldn't get myself confused. And on the night I managed to not get them confused. Another weakness I had to overcome was my confidence. I was very worried about how the scene would look when I just decided to be creative and go wild, I thought it would ruin the show. But after trial and error, I discovered that their is no right or wrong in character development. This helped me overcome my weakness and allowed me to perform with ease.

By being involved in this great project, I have seen many skills develop over the rehearsal period, such as my characterisation, confidence, cooperation in ensemble work, devising, spacial awareness and even physical theatre!

10.

The scenes that we developed in our group are coming along really nicely. We have improved the transitioning so that the scene is runs smoother and is more exciting to watch. We have also developed our partner movements so that they can be looped. The impact these changes have on the audience are significant as it make it more engaging and more effective.

Set yourself  three rehearsal targets:

1.  Make sure your confidence is strong when saying lines on Thursday.

2.  Use your body fluidly.

3.  React more to situations around you.

     

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?           

I have managed to achieve this by rehearsing my lines in front of an audience to build up my confidence. I have also achieved this as I have added more energy into my performances,
I have successfully shown more reactivity in my performances as well.

What would you give yourself for today’s rehearsal? 

Marking criteria:	Why?
P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process
M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.
D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.	Today I thought I worked at distinction level as my focus was strong and my contribution was also. I demonstrated my abilities in the rehearsal effectively.

9.

Tale 2

In this tale, we focus on the male ensemble. The seen describes the physical embodiment of the east end. The cast all work together to help form a very sincere scene. In this tale I felt that I needed to improve upon my characterisation. I felt that to improve upon my character I needed to choose some defining features. For example, at the moment I feel that my character is very bland and that he does not 'stand out' amongst other strong characters in the scene. So to alter this I have decided that my character might have a small amount of rage behind each line. This supports the back story I created for my character. I shall reiterate:

My character in tale two describes his ex-girlfriend. He is talking from his old perspective on how he thought that she was the most perfect girl in the world and that looking back on it now in the present, he can see that his perception was false and that she is actually not what he wanted at all.

To be able to show this back story to the audience, it would be virtually impossible. Instead I decided to show a hint of anger and rage behind my lines to make the audience question me. Why is he angry? What happened to him? Is he okay? These questions would make my character more interesting to the audience and would also help engage the audiences attention to the scene even more.

To show the rage in my voice I had to change the projection. I had originally said my line very calmly, to fit the pace of the scene. But I have decided to change the projection so that by saying my line more loudly, I can show the anger in my character. This changes the atmosphere in the scene and
also affects the audience as well. I decided to make my character to be staring. I feel that by making my character stare, it shows that my character has been through a lot in his life and if done correctly can make the audience feel uncomfortable. I drew my inspiration for both my projection and the staring from David Tennant in his performance of Hamlet alongside Patrick Stewart. In this scene David Tennant has very sinister stare which I thought would be perfect for my character and he also projects his voice in the same way I will try to achieve.

Tale 6
creative choices

In this tale, the cast tell the story of a man and a woman in a pub. one creative choice that was made was that if any character in the scene talks, they must be in possession of the beer can, which is transported from character to character throughout the scene. We also decided that when transitioning from to each character, we must hand the can to each other in a more fluid way because we were just handing it to one another. We settled on the idea that we would each have a different way of passing over the can. For example, one may put the can to their side whereas another might pass the can behind their back.

Set yourself  three rehearsal targets:

1. To stay with the energy and pace of the scene.

2. To remember the blocking and lines and to make the piece flow.

3. Don't panic when you're on stage be more confident.

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?           

What would you give yourself for today’s rehearsal? 

Target 1: I have achieved this target by putting more energy into my performance, and I have tried to stay more alert during the scene.

Target 2: I have achieved this by taking the time to learn and remember the blocking and lines in and outside of school.

Target 3: I have achieved this by rehearsing in front of people in and outside of rehearsal to help build my confidence for the show.

Marking criteria:	Why?
P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process
M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.	I have shown my capability in rehearsal and have applied techniques learnt to help improve upon the scenes.
D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.

8.

PROLOGUE

In the prologue, I play the part of the taxi driver. I decided to characterise him as your typical taxi driver on the streets of London whose one clear objective is to earn a bit of money. I decided to show this by making my character very 'on the ball' and fast paced. This shows that my character really wants to get going to find more work and that his responses to the questions from the passenger are fairly rushed. This makes it seem like he's desperate to earn enough wage to support his family.

TALE 2

In this tale, I play the part in the male ensemble. Even though I'm in an ensemble, doesn't mean I don't have a character. I decided that my character is an ex boyfriend to the girl he's describing and he shows the audience that he thought this was the perfect idea of a girl. But in matter of fact he's talking from his old perspective and showing us that he was wrong. My character shows signs of guilt that he did something wrong and that he is still scarred from his relationship with the girl as she had problems that were under her skin which he could not see.

TALE 3

In this tale I play the typical pub punter. My character is a potty mouthed Londoner, who relishes the idea of spending time with his mates and downing a pint in 'record' times. He likes to be in the pub because he's a social person. He is always outside and he always gets home late from a night out with his friends.

TALE 4

In tale four. I play the part of a Londoner who lives a fairly quiet life and has never really experienced anything out of the ordinary. That's why when he see's the women 'crying' and struggling on her own. He's confused as this isn't really what he's used to seeing. He would like to help, but has never been in a situation like this, so he has no experience in what to do.

TALE 5

In this tale, I play the part of the neighbour who lives next door to the abusive couple. My character isn't really a nosey person, but because of the volume of the neighbours, he is forced to have to listen to their conversations. By hearing the neighbours arguments, my character becomes invested in what's going on. Sort of like watching your favourite TV show. Upon hearing the experiences of the couple, my character changes from a nobody into a caring and sympathetic man. He learns about the truth about what happened and is changed forever. I show this by saying my lines slower and anxiously. I also have a little sigh at the end of my lines to symbolise the relief that the women would of had from the end of her rows.

TALE 6

In tale six, I play a man who has gone to the bar to meet up with his old friend (played by Alabama). He is a man who caring and hates to see others in pain. That's why my characters sort of soliloquises about how much he doesn't want the women to be hit by the man.

EPILOGUE

In the epilogue I return my original character of the taxi driver. This time he is showing the opposite views to his original. He has had enough of his job and is desperate to just return home. This is why he gets so agitated by the passenger looking for a lift. I saw this scene as the end of his career whereas the first scene I saw it as his first day on the job.

Line obkectives

Yeah 
Some people
Some people think the city sleeps at night
Bollocks
That's when its most awake              ------ His objective is to prove that the stereotype is wrong.

Yeah I see a lot
Not all of it nice
People all over the place
In my face
I put my foot down sometimes
I ain't havin it 
Yo gotta draw a line
Knoworramean?   ------ His objective is to show to the passenger that he's experience and that he's                                              wise.

She's bold.
She watches the news but it makes her depressed.
She's crazy about this guy at work. ------ His objective is to tell the story of the girl and describe the                                                                      girl to the audience.

So about a week after he moves in
early evening
Were trying to watch the telly
and this big row starts
next door
at number four
don't think too much of it
just a domestic
these things blow over 
you know how it is ------ His objective is to block out what he's hearing next door.


And I'm thinking
Hoping
Pleading
Praying
Reaching out with all my inside
Don't hit her!
Please don't hit her!
The whole pub can see you've had a bad day!
But don't you hit her?
Don't you dare hit hit her! ------ His objective is to try and stop the man from hitting the girl.

Look
D'ya mind takin yer hand 
Off the
Off the thingy 
It's just that ------ He's trying to get the person to remove there hand of the car window.
Yeah I can see that
I'm not feelin to well myself as it goes
Touch of mornin sickness I reckon
Nah
Didn't think you'd believe me ------ He's trying to prove a point and get out of having to take the                                                                  person as a passenger.

Set yourself  three rehearsal targets:

1. Remember the blocking.

2. Add a distinct character feature to your taxi driver.

3. Have fun with tale 3.

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?           

1: I have written on my script the blocking and transitions to help me remember.

2: I have made it that my character is very loud and the epilogue and also quite intimidating.

3: I have learnt to relax and have fun in tale 3 now since I have gone through the transitioning.

What would you give yourself for today’s rehearsal? 

Marking criteria:	Why?
P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process
M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.	I demonstrated constant contributions to the group work and stayed focused and alert throughout the lesson.
D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.

7.

Ensemble

- What is an ensemble?

An ensemble is group of actors who work together to form the cast of a show. They are a team or 'unit' of cooperative individuals who work as one to contribute to add effect.

- What has to happen in the rehearsal room to develop a successful ensemble? 

For a successful ensemble to work, every member needs to be focused and alert. They all need to be ready to learn, cooperate and contribute ideas to the group to help form a well rounded cast. If they fail to do so, the entire company fails. Each person is of vital importance.

A representation of the typical London pub.

An ensemble helping create the horses in 'War Horse'

My favourite ensemble piece so far has been in the third east end tale in which the cast portray the typical London pub. With its loud atmosphere, we emit a joyful effect upon the audience which not only makes the scene more enjoyable to watch, but more enjoyable to perform in as well. The scene has great use of props which not only symbolise, but replicate objects which are important to a pub and the way the cast transitions from one object to another, even though the object stays the same, is slick and smooth. This helps to show each the transition between scene seamlessly.

TALE 3

- How have we decided to stage Tale 3? 

We have decided to stage this tale in a very abstract way. We have decided to use stalls as many different objects. Starting from chairs at the pub and then morphing into the pubs bar section. Because we have chosen to use the stalls as a very valuable piece of staging, the scene immediately becomes slick. We have also staged the scene very openly, making great use of the space. Because the proxemics are this way, we create the effect of a large group of people, commonly seen in the average punters pub.

- What characters do you play in this tale? 

I play a member of the ensemble who helps to transform the set and create the atmosphere of the pub. I do this by teaming up with others in the ensemble and projecting my voice throughout certain parts of the scene. This creates the rowdiness of the pub. I also have a line later on in the tale. I say,"Cos under it all, he's a lost little boy". I say this line in the character of a typical pub goer. I gave my character small nuances which help show the man. For example, I made my character chew on a piece of chewing gum and also made my character have wide, broad shoulders. I also made the character have a very upright posture, I chose this because I thought that it reflected the 'London pride' that was mentioned briefly earlier in the scene.

- What is the atmosphere of Tale 3? How is this different to what we have created for Tale 1 & 2?

The atmosphere in tale 3 is very different to tale 1 and 2 because the scene is very loud and has high spirits. Everybody seems on cloud nine and at an emotional high. Because of this, the atmosphere is very uplifting and makes the audience feel happy. But as the scene continues we see the darkness of the scene. Whereas tale 1 and 2  are very much a descriptive piece, unlike tale 3 as it tells a story. Because of this, the atmosphere isn't as dark or uplifting. It's merely just informative.

TALE 4

- How have we decided to stage Tale 4? 

In my opinion, tale 4 is the most physical tale out of them all. The ensemble has a harder time as we have to move about the space more to create the environment. We have staged the scene abstractly. Using our bodies to create most objects in the scene. Because of that decision, the characters are staged very clinically. This is because the scene has details, such as isles in a shopping market, that call for a more orderly layout.

- What characters do you play in this tale? 

I play a member of the ensemble who helps to physicalise the scene. I play the centre isle of the shopping market and I also play the till. I do this by using my body to create a representation of these objects. I also say the line, "Has she been crying? Or is it the rain?". I decided that my character would be full of intrigue and that he is the sort of person who is nosey but caring.

Further questions...

- What acting skills have you continued to develop over the past few weeks? Is there anything new you have discovered about your own skills?

I have discovered that I can take risks in my characterisation. I decided to have a go at adding a hint of comedy to my taxi driver character in the prologue. By trying this, I discovered that I shouldn't be afraid of trying a new things and in the process learnt I can actually surprise myself with my comedic sides!

- Return to all of the sections of the text we have staged so far. Select a line from each that sums up that tale.

Prologue: "Y'know Pabna? Near Dhaka."
Tale 1: "And his dad use to hit him."
Tale 2: "She secretly lonely at home after dark."
Tale 3: "At home on his own Jack cuddles the quilt."
Tale 4: "Yesterdays stories that the rain might wash away."

Set yourself  three rehearsal targets:

1. Utilise the space.

2. Develop emotion behind the character.

3. React PHYSICALLY to the situations.

Reflect on the targets set:  Have they been achieved? How?           

1: I have used more of the space in all of my scenes, especially in Tale 6.

2: I have figured out the objectives of the characters, this has helped me understand the meaning behind the lines and enabled a more emotive performance.

3: In tale 5, I now react to the abuse performed by Jake behind the stage, this is now more realistic,

What would you give yourself for today’s rehearsal? 

Marking criteria:	Why?
P2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal making a positive contribution to the process
M2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal, consistently making a positive contribution and constructive contribution to the process.
D2 Demonstrate personal and technical skills in rehearsal with consistently positive and constructive contributions, engagement, commitment, input and self- reflection.	I have shown confidence in rehearsal and I have remained focused and demonstrated commitment in rehearsal.

5.

Rehearsing 

This layout of staging is known as a thrust stage. There are many advantages of this layout, for example, the actors can utilise the space more and perform to other areas of the audience. Although there are many advantages to a thrust stage, there are also disadvantages to the layout. One of which is that the actors can restrict view for the audience as some sides of the audience cannot view your face. As an actor, your face is important as it is essential for portraying emotion. But if the audience can only see your back, they can't understand the scene or see what's going on.

- As an actor what are the challenges you think you will have personally being directed in this space? 

I think I will be challenged by the use of proxemics and performing to all sides of the audience.
to overcome these difficulties, I need to be more confident in my performance and not 'hide in my shell' so to speak.

- How have we staged the prologue? Why have we made this choices? What is the effect that is created? 

The prologue has been staged in pitch black darkness but lit by mobile phone light to replicate the headlights on a car. This choice was effective as the audience can visualise what the actors are portraying through physical theatre.

Tale 2

What is your role in the tale?

My role in East End Tales #2 is a role in the male ensemble which through music tries to embody the physicality an emotion of the East End of London.

How has it been staged?

The scene is staged by having the cast start off stage at the beginning and slowly filtering on holding our darkened mobile phones close to our chests hiding its light until its our turn to say our lines. Once our lines have been spoken we move towards the back of the stage and wait. Kneeling facing away from the audience.Then in sequence and in pairs we wait our turn to stand and draw on the wall a picture of the woman being described in the scenes played.

Why have these choices been made?

The decision to perform the play in this way, I believe, gives the piece a depth of passionate feeling which connects the actors and the audience during the performance. As an actor I am trying to create a role which is effective and relevant to our group. The plays scenes have many underlying emotions and under tones and I hope through our theatrical staging it portrays these emotions, thoughts and characteristics in way that takes the audience on a journey which allows them to understand the performance as the angst and thought provoking natures being portrayed by the performers.

 What are the strengths of this piece so far?

The strengths of this piece so far is that the entire group is committed and that were all trying our best  to make it the best we can make it. We are also as a group very good with our spatial awareness. We use this technique when we are beginning the scene when we all slowly walk onto the stage. The groups is also very strong in their projection. All our lines are delivered with audibility and clarity. I feel we are working as a team; we have faults which by rehearsing and rehearsing they slowly disappear.
I feel that from my first beginning of my involvement with this project I am slowly gaining more confidence and the support of my class mates is a great source of comfort to me. Especially if I get my piece wrong I feel they are on my side and wishing me well. This in turn is gently allowing me to bring myself out of my personal darkness and very slowly into the light. I know there is a long way to go but with their help I now feel it can be achieved. 

What developments need to happen throughout the rehearsal period? 

We need to seriously be honest with ourselves and one another. Giving support were necessary and to praise each other when things go well.
There is a long way to go before this piece is complete and time is now of the essence so we need to be serious in what we do and what we say. Being on time and punctual and not messing about is important. We need to be professional in our approach.
If one person fails the whole team fails. So we must work together.

4.

Monologues

In the lesson we were asked to write a monologue based on our favourite character from the play that we've worked on so far. For me, I decided to write monologue for the Taxi driver seen in the prologue of the play. Here is what I came up with:

Original:

Drive. All I do is drive. Drive all day. Drive all night. Dont get me wrong, I love it an all. But some days its just such its just such a drag. Wake up, shower, full English, get in the car and of you go. Pick up the newspaper from Madge, 40p change. Come back later. see the misses. Simple. But its not that simple. I am responsible for hundreds of others. They rely upon me. So when I'm  sitting in my car at 4 am in the bloody morning with bags under my eyes and a warm coffee in my hand. I just have to remember. That they rely upon me. That's what keeps me going on those old, rainy mornings and those long dark nights. Not the pay-check at the end of the month. But the people I've helped. That's what keeps me going. And that's why I love my job.

After the lesson I have altered the original to this one as I had some ideas I preferred to the original.

New: 

Drive. All I do is bloody drive. Drive all day don't I. Don't get me wrong, I love it an all. I like picking up the paper in the morning from auntie Madges Corner Shop on Ayers Road for a discounted price of 12p. I like the sounds of the markets in the morning and the way the streets buzz with a sort of energy. Sounds nice and Simple dunnit? But you see its not that simple. I, 'the taxi driver' is responsible for hundreds people a day including 'oneself'. Ay? Oh yeah usually five or six o clock for me on a good day, some of the other lads have it much worse. See them them arrive at the drop of points with bags under there eyes like they've been in a bar fight with bloody West Ham supporters. Well West Ham are shit any ways son. Look at their side. Couldn't hit a donkey arse with a banjo. There a shame on British football. And sport in general. Me? West Ham? your avin a laugh! I Support the greatest team this side of the east end. The Os. The great Leyton FC.  Of course we are in the division one and statistically, we aren't the best team in the world, but in my eyes. My eyes. We could take on Manchester blindfolded. Where was it you wanted again mate? round eer? Upton Park. West Ham football ground. (gulps) What team did you say you supported. Oh right. West Ham. Shit.

We then worked in pairs and gave constructive criticism to each other. We also performed our monologues to each other and we both gave our input in directing both pieces.

- What choices did you make when staging your monologue? Think about how you used your voice and physicality. 

     When staging my monologue, I decided to have my character (the taxi driver) sitting down on a chair to show that he is at his most comfortable when sitting down. This indicates that he feels most at home when behind the wheel of his taxi. I also decided to have my character slouched back in his seat just as he would when driving the car. My voice has a very relaxed and quite tone. This is because my character is contemplating his working life throughout the monologue. 

- How did the monologue task help you to understand the play further?

The monologue task helped me to understand the play further by making me think about not 
just the characters storyline in the script,but what happens outside of the script e.g work, 
family, hobbies. This is effective for an actor as it helps you to understand the meaning behind the script and can help you to perform your scene with realism.

- What monologue performed by a peer worked well and why? What had they written about?

The monologue written and performed by Rory, in which his daughter had been killed, was very effectively written and performed. He had written about how his daughter had been murdered in a sudden turn of events.

- Who performed their monologue successfully and why? 

Rory's, as his staging was relevant to the scene and the environment. His performance was realistic, which helped me to visualise what the character had gone through to lead up to the events occurring in the scene. He had written the scene very creatively with a plot twist. This gave the audience a shock and is what inevitably led to what kept the audience wanting to continue to talk about the scene.

East End research devising task

In the end, we didn't have enough time to go on to this activity of devising scenes using news articles from the east end. But overall, I feel that my work this lesson had been at a high merit. I have created a new long term target for myself which is: To be aware of the performance space and to use the space more creatively.

I thought today I worked at a high merit or a low distinction today as I have shown a developed understanding of the play and have contributed consistently in lesson, which have been used in the performance groups.