Final evaluation of the whole process

I was amazed by what everyone did on the night of the performance and I am proud to say we pulled it off and performed to a higher standard that an hour before I doubted was possible. However, the success of the performance was a culmination of rehearsal technique and final preparations for the show.

Throughout the rehearsal process and the performance I had to make use of performance skills. One of the original skills I used to develop the piece was my script breakdown. This consisted of writing in my objectives and my pauses, marking them to help me approach the script and tackle it head on. Even if my choices weren't firstly right it was a starting block on which I could build and develop, experimenting until I found the correct breath pattern or objective to fit the scene. In rehearsal especially, mistakes were what were needed to help me grow as an actor and as my character. Therefore breaking down the script is the fundamental beginning of approaching a script, so you understand what you are working with and make the first steps to making it work for you and the character you are trying to create.

Another skill I used was connecting my body and voice. In this piece I made very bold physical and vocal choices and to make them natural and effective I needed to connect them to make them one, which ultimately meant my character was believable and true; it was Locaha, not a girl playing Locaha. The body and voice, though separate skill sets, form one instrument. You can't complete a character with one and not the other and have to dedicate the same energy and time to mastering both to make your character effective.

Even if you can present your character to your cast, if the audience does not understand your intentions, the performance will not work. Therefore you must make use of different techniques to effectively do this. I did this by making strong vocal and physical choices. This differentiated my character from the others. Whilst others made more 'normal' vocal choices, that the audience were familiar with, I experimented with my vocal colour and register to create a voice that was clear yet unusual so the audience could immediately identify that my character was not normal. Along with voice, physicality can give you certain status. My body language, though childlike, was very intimidating for both cast and audience which allowed me to balance my powerful, yet childlike status.

I believe my costume also helped, as the dark colours and tribal tattoos stood out from everyone else and allowed the audience to connote my costume with a darker character representing death.

As the piece is ensemble, we all had to contribute to the piece in some way. I think one of the simplest, yet most effective contributions I made to the piece was a positive attitude throughout the rehearsal process and during the performance. The play was unusual and something challenging that, at first, proved hard to tackle as a group. This meant some people immediately approached the play with a negative attitude, putting up obstacles that stopped them from dedicating fully to the piece. However, going into the rehearsal space and the piece with an optimistic outlook allowed me to respond to direction well and let me use my imagination to improve my character and my rehearsal technique. I was able to contribute ideas to the piece, that even when not used, kept my mind and body in the rehearsal and the performance.

This piece has taught me a lot about acting. Above all it has taught me the importance of focus, especially in an ensemble. It is easy to stand out, it is easy to take the lead, but it is not always so easy to sit back and become part of an ensemble whilst another leads, whilst still feeding off their action and emotion. I have learnt that when you are in an ensemble you are always under scrutiny from your peers and the audience. If a cast member looks at you and you are not in the moment giving 100% energy, this will cause them to loose focus. Furthermore if an audience member sees you out of character you will ruin their experience of the whole piece; as you are only as good as the worst person in the cast. As an ensemble you have to work together as you are dependent on everyone in the cast to make the piece complete.

A piece as challenging as this has also taught me a lot about myself. It took me completely out of my comfort zone and the casting shocked me. When I have done evaluations of the type of characters I can play, they are always nice, maternal characters, not dark, deathly characters. Therefore though daunting, the prospect of playing a new type of character excited me, both to prove to others and to myself that I can play darker characters. At times I found it challenging, as I did not believe that others saw me as Locaha, but Olivia trying to be Locaha, but by the end of the performing process, both with how I viewed and the feedback I got, I believe I convincingly played a dark character that scared people, even though they may know me personally. This has broken down a massive barrier for me and has given me a self belief when it comes to playing these types of characters. I enjoyed it and learnt a lot and hope to play a variety of characters in the future.

I believe the actual performance went a lot better than we all expected, teachers and cast alike. I believe the success of the performance was down to the high energy we brought to the play. Whether it is down to the adrenaline of the performance night or the need to finish our two years of studying on high or a collection of the two, the performance never faltered in the energy we gave, both as individuals and as an ensemble. The play was not perfect, but nor is any play, but we all believed in our characters and dedicated fully to them. Our interaction with each other and the relationship we formed with the audience was something we all used to make the performance exciting and unique. For a play that a lot of us lost faith in by the end, it turned out to be a high energy, exciting play, that I am proud to finish on.

WWW: I developed my physicality and vocal technique to compliment my fellow Locahas and to effectively portray my character to the audience.

EBI: I didn't develop the roles aside from Locaha as much as I did Locaha.

Rehearsal- Act 1 Scene 10, 15, 16

Act 1 Scene 10
My entrance to this scene is when Mau says 'I have a plan' and as an ensemble we run in from all sides shouting 'no!' This is a very important part of the scene, as it represents the traditions of the island and allows the audience to immerse themselves in the culture of Polynesia. It is a beer ceremony involving both the men and women, working together and separately all at the same time. At first we stand in two circles, with the men on the inside and the women on the outside. We all chant 'beer beer beer beer' 3 times standing in the circle and then we all embody different elements. Firstly the women are fire and the men are air. Then after the men have spit into the bucket, we swap positions, with the men becoming the outer circle and the women becoming the inner circle. We then become a new element, women as water and men as earth. Then the women spit in the bowl and we expand in to one, bigger circle. The key to this scene is belief and dedication. You have to believe in what you're doing, as if it was a sacred ceremony that meant a lot to you and your people. Without belief in yourself, the audience will never believe you either. With belief, comes dedication. We chose to become elements and chant, meaning we have to dedicate fully to our choices. We must move with all our body and feed off the energy of the whole room to make the scene effective and believable. We all need to work on our spacial awareness. It becomes a problem especially when the girls create the inner circle as we make it too small and people have to push to get in. This will make the transition rough and the energy and meaning of the scene will be lost. We therefore all need to work as an ensemble so as to be aware of those around us. 

The second part of the ceremony is individual group performances. We had to create a movement to accompany the words 'travel far enough you'll meet yourself, travel long enough you'll be home.' We chose to have a rowing action, to fit with the theme of travel. Myself and Eleanor are 'boats' with Kitty and Holly 'travellers' on our backs. Lara leads the way as the sea and waves. When we get to the middle Holly and Kitty dismount and we all join hands and kneel together, in a prayerful position, respectful of the God's we are praying to. We then leave and become part of the outer circle again. We need to work as a group, being aware of the position of our group in the circle so when Holly and Kitty climb on our backs we are not rushing for them to do so, as this would make the transition neither smooth or effective. 

The next part of the scene is when we all become trees. When Mau says 'come.' we all all make unusual shapes with our body, intertwining our hands and legs with others to make a forest that Mau and Daphne have to venture through. I chose to have my position on the floor with my legs stretched and my arms reaching up to form an arch with someone else who is standing. This is an effective use of levels and creates a realistic image and useful space that Mau and Daphne can go through. After this some of the ensemble create a pig and piglets. However I must maintain my position as a tree without twitching as this would ruin the illusion. 

When Mau says 'come on' we slowly come out of our shapes and make our way to the four sides of the stage, where I go to the cafe door. We are now hungry islanders. We have to find that physicality, whether that be holding our stomach, hunched over, head down or supporting someone who is too weak to walk alone. Like during the beer ceremony, whatever physical stance you choose, you have to dedicate to it so the audience believe that people who were just energetic islanders are now weak, starving travellers. As a whole, the scene depends solely on faith from both the cast and the audience. 

Act 1 Scene 15
At the beginning of the scene, as Locaha I beckon my fellow minions into the room as they enter. I patrol the space to maintain a higher status, as if asserting power and authority on all present. This is supported by the ensemble when they freeze when I talk, showing that I have control over them and that I am a symbol of fear. This is also shown when I approach Daphne and Mau as they try to avoid me, as they fear me and the power I have to take their life away. 

The ensemble split into four groups, leaving only Mau, Daphne and all four Locahas in the middle. Then they become dream fish and swim across to the opposite sides of the room. This part of the scene was what I found the hardest. As an ensemble we have to work on our spacial awareness because otherwise we all bump into each other ruining the fluidity of the piece and the illusion we have created in the beginning of the scene. It is all our responsibility to work together to allow each other to reach our destinations.

During the island scene and the funeral scene, I patrol the space, taking pleasure out of people's suffering and maintaining my status and the mannerisms that support this. Even when there is a lot of action on stage, people still need to recognise that overall, I maintain power and control over everyone else without me detracting from the scene. I need to be add subtly to the atmosphere, keeping the audience on edge. 

Act 1 Scene 16
After scene 15 I am sitting on the edge of the stage, watching the scene hoping that I have claimed Mau and Daphne's life. However when they wake up I am horrified and angered as I wished them dead. To express this, I change my mannerism from a laugh to a low growl. I accompany this with a change in body language and facial expression and slowly exit in a silent protest to the resurrection of Mau and Daphne.    

First Rehearsal

Today we worked on the prologue and the first two scenes:

Prologue 
Our setting for this play is in Stanley Halls which is a theatre built in the Victorian era. Therefore we decided to open our play as a group of teenagers breaking in to an abandoned building. This introduces a sense of exploration even before we take on the roles of our other characters based on the island. Exploration is a massive theme in the whole play whether it be Mau discovering he can lead the Nation or Twinkle realising the realistic prospects of life by the end of the play. We all came from different side of the stage (I came from the cafe door) and we need to interact with each other to express to the audience our excitement on discovery of this new, enthralling setting.

Then when Mau enters and strikes the floor with an axe, we turn into birds; birds of paradise. We were asked to pick a bird and look at its movement. This was the bird we found and decided to replicate:

Its hopping action synchronised with its wing action made it an easy move to replicate and an unusual yet practical way of transporting myself across the stage to my exit.

Scene 1
In this scene I am a drowning sailor. I have to mime the actions of a sailor, for example, pulling ropes, being seasick or praying before death. I varied between these actions to create an intense, high energy atmosphere for both the cast and audience to appreciate. We then become the drowned bodies of the sailors, swirling around the space, with the girls ending up on the floor whilst Mau is lifted by the boys. This shows detachment from Mau and all the dead and justifies how alone he is; one boy amongst so many dead. It adds to the eerie tension of the scene.

Scene 2
In this scene we are zombie like creatures who come back to life, to create a gothic atmosphere on the entrance my my character, Locaha. We begin my drumming to the beat of the 'Imo' song. We were not strong vocally or lyrically, but as it is our first rehearsal, we still have time to learn the lines and perfect our timing and strength as an ensemble. When we rip of our masks (which we will be making at a later stage) Locaha stands and the zombies crawl to the side and stand, twitching subtly, maintaining their zombie like stature. When I deliver my lines I am on stage left and walk down the space brushing lightly against the people stood there and they start to do a Mexican wave, representing their loyalty and synchronisation with me as they are meant to be my minions.

Approaching the Script

What people say about me and what I say about myself?

Father- You dare not name me. The fear freezes the word on your tongue.

Mau- You feel strange, will I see you again.

Daphne- Horrible thing like death, I'm going to fight Locaha, why is death so blind.

Ataba- Locaha makes him into a dolphin.

Pilu- Dangerous.

Marisgala- Locaha we challenge you, send the girl down to fight Locaha, only the strongest and bravest women return from the land of Locaha.

Raiders- I promise you flesh, I bring death here, worship me well and you will live forever, he has seen Locaha we cannot fight him.

Cox- she how she calls you to die, not their painted God.                                                                                                                                                        
Who am I?
I am Locaha, the embodiment of death. I am from the underworld known as 'The Land of Locaha' were people go when they die. The islanders fear me and believe anyone who has seen me is invincible. Cox and the raiders sees me as their God. My ultimate goal is to convince Mau to leave the mortal world and come with me.

What is the present situation?
I originally take over Mau's father and use him to taunt Mau and get close to him. I try and convince him that after all the disaster the wave has caused it is better to join the so many dead then stay with the few living. I then take Daphne in the water and try and drown her, again to show Mau how many people he has witnessed die and it would be better to join them. I then come to Mau when he drowns in the water, believing that he is dead and that he is mine. Then when Mau and Daphne journey to the underworld, I try to convince Daphne to leave Mau and that they cannot hide from me forever. In the final scene it is my final attempt to convince Mau to journey to paradise now that he is a hero.

Where am I?
I am a figure based on the island as one of their Gods. I journey to and from the underworld, coming to the land of the living to tempt people to come with me.

Costume
I wore a long black maxi skirt, a black top with black eye make-up and henna style tattoos on my face. This gave both a dark and gothic theme and a tribal element to my costume.

Class Activities and Warm Ups

To develop your knowledge of the play you need to work off script, working in depth and detail to achieve confidence on stage.

In Act 1 Scene 1 we are all drowning sailors on a ship. The majority of the ensemble in the main space have no lines and can only convey the emotions and chaos of the sailors through their actions. Therefore we needed strong physical actions to make this clear to the audience without using words and supporting not hindering the performance on the balcony. We were asked to come up with 5 actions that a sailor would perform and do these in a sequence, experimenting with speed and levels. My 5 actions were:

• Putting on my boots
• Scrubbing the deck
• Being seasick 
• Climbing the rigging
• Turning the wheel

I chose these because they have varied heights and energy levels. Putting on my boots is in a sitting position and I chose to do it slowly (though it is also effective fast) contrasting to climbing the rigging which is reaching up with my hands and climbing fast. These actions complement each other whilst still contrasting, making the sequence interesting to watch. It will give the audience a lot to look at and create a hectic atmosphere. By experimenting in this way I have ideas and choice that I can make decisions on from failing and succeeding in rehearsals and apply the successful ideas to the final piece.

Voice 

Voice is one of the actors most important tools. It can covey and support the emotion shown through your body and the thoughts and feelings intended from the writing of the script. It is important, like any muscle to train it through warm ups and exercises. We did some of these in lessons to help with our vocal work. Some of these activities were:

Voiced and voiceless fricatives- the voiced fricatives are the v and z sound and the voiceless fricatives are the f and s sound. These help us with introducing partial sound to breath stamina and help us develop an understanding of what is required to create sounds clearly with your voice.

Tongue Twisters- an example of a tongue twister would be:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers 

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked 

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked

This helps with diction as you have to pronunciate the p sound clearly so the words are individually clarified and you don't stumble over the similar words.

Breath

Breath is key as it will help you maintain a speech without having to interrupt to pause for breath unnecessarily. Doing breath control exercises helps improve you breath stamina and control. An example of an exercise we did is:

Invisible feather- You imagine you have an imaginary feather on your lips. You then blow the feather according to the height you want it to reach. If you want to rise and fall, you do short breaths and if you want to maintain it at a height you have to do a softer, prolonged breath. This exercise leaves you in control of your breath and fully concentrates you on the extent of your breath. 

Objectives

When working with any script  working out your objectives is the first thing you need to do, even if your first attempt doesn't work. Objectives guarantee you a purpose on stage and give your character a direction. Therefore for every scene, even if your not speaking, you must work out your objectives.
Act 1

Prologue
I have broken into an abandoned building with my friends and am exploring the space. My objectives in this scene are:
To notice- look at things around the room, noticing everything and anything. I also have to notice Mau when he enters the room.
To comment- when I see things I need to comment on them, sharing them with my friends. I also comment on Mau's action at the end of the scene.

Scene 1
I am a drowning sailor who is praying when faced with death. My objectives are:
To pray- I am kneeling on the floor silently mouthing a prayer.
To sway- the movement in my body is a swaying reflecting what it would be like to be on a ship. When I drown I also sway but moving across the room, not just in one place.

Scene 2
In this scene I am a zombie and I am also Locaha. My objectives are:
To build- I put my body 'back together' sharply twitching.
To drum- I drum and say 'Imo made the fish, Imo made sea.'
To glare- I am looking around, with an evil and zombie persona.
To laugh- as one of mannerisms for Locaha is a high pitched laugh, any scene I am in when I play Locaha, I will laugh.
To follow- I follow Mau around the stage taunting him.
To touch- whilst following Mau I reach out and touch, another way I taunt him because I know he fears me and take pleasure in that.

Scene 6
In this scene I am a wave and I am also Locaha. My objectives are:
To sway- using my legs, neck, arms and spine I move low to the floor recreating the movement of a wave.
To laugh- when I become Locaha to signify the change.
To circle- I circle around Mau trying to overpower him.
To growl- when Daphne wakes up, this angers me and therefore, to contrast to my normal laughing I growl.

Scene 9
In this scene I create the woman's place where Cahle gives birth. My objectives are:
To whisper- I whisper a sort of enchantment as part of the ritual.
To enclose- I stand and raise my arms above Cahle to create a shelter around her.
To chase- I chase after Daphne when she leaves to go to the beach.

Scene 10
In this scene I perform the beer ceremony, become a forest and a hungry islander. My objectives are:
To chant- I chant 'beer beer beer beer' as part of the ceremony.
I dance- dancing is part of the ceremony and I dance reflecting the characteristics of fire and air.
To crouch- I crouch in a circle waiting to taste the beer, excited and attentive,
To reach- as a tree I have to extend my arms and legs to form a tree-like shape.
To hunch- when I am hungry my body has to physically represent this and therefore I hunch over to show how weak my body has become.
To sing- when the islanders are allowed onto the island and are told they will be fed they sing in celebration. The song needs to express their emotion and share their story with the audience.

Scene 13
In this scene I talk to Mau as Locaha in the lagoon. My objectives are:
To process- I walk slowly from stage right to downstage.
To follow- wherever Mau goes I have to keep getting closer to him, as if I am closing in on him.
To lift- I lift Mau up and turn him as though he is floating, drowned in the water.
To laugh- to maintain my characters mannerism.

Scene 14
In this scene I sit on the steps watching hopefully as Mau lays dead and Daphne travels to the land of the dead. My objectives are:
To watch- I need to constantly watch everything that happens in the scene.
To notice- if someone gets upset I need to notice this and react accordingly.
To laugh- to maintain my characters mannerism.
Scene 15
In this scene Mau and Daphne have come to the underworld and I am trying to make them stay. My objectives are:
To herd- I bring all the other Locaha's into the space, beckoning them in.
To follow- I follow both Daphne and Mau around the space so everywhere they turn, Locaha is present.
To observe- in both the city and funeral scene.
To restrain- I hold Mau back during the funeral scene.
To laugh- to maintain my characters mannerism.

Scene 16
Similarly to scene 14, I watch intrigued as Daphne and Mau lay dead. My objectives are:
To watch- I need to constantly watch everything that happens in the scene.
To notice- if someone gets upset I need to notice this and react accordingly.
To laugh- to maintain my characters mannerism.
To growl- like scene 6, I am angry when I do not claim Mau and Daphne.

Act 2

Scene 1
In this scene I celebrate Twinkles birth and discover more about the meaning of the God Anchors. My objectives are:
To interact- as we want a communal feeling I have to interact with others to create that atmosphere and make it genuine.
To stare- I stare at the gods as they walk past and I stare at the watch when it is presented to Twinkle.
To protect- when Mau gets angry I protect myself and I also protect those around me.

Scene 2
In this scene I am a islander scared by the opening of the cave and also one of the grandfather statues. My objectives are:
To kneel- I kneel before the cave out of respect.
To shield- I shield my eyes from fear of the cave and I shield those around me.
To move- I subtly move my body from my spine as I lay like the grandfather statues.

Scene 3
In this scene I am an aristocrat trying to listen in to the conversation on stage. My objectives are:
To frown- as I am an aristocrat, I have a judgemental attitude about everything around me.
To cry out- when something 'tragic' happens, for comedic effect I dramatically cry out.


Scene 4
In this scene I am an islander curious to find out who has come to the island. My objectives are:
To observe- I am curious as to who has come to the island and want to see.
To protect- when I realise they are threatening me I want to protect myself. Also when they take Daphne I have a protective instinct towards her too.
To scream- when Ataba dies the shock and pain of it is expressed through screaming.
To kneel- out respect and emotion I kneel by Ataba's body.

Scene 5
In this scene we perform a ritual over Ataba's dead body. My objectives are:
To kneel- out of respect we all kneel around Ataba.
To reach- I reach up, down and across with my hands creating a sign as part of the ceremony.
To chant-  we chant 'Imo watches over here, Imo demands peace.'

Scene 7
In this scene I start on the balcony watching the battle and then try and tempt Mau to enter paradise. My objectives are:
To observe- I watch from the balcony excited and attentive to the fight taking pleasure in it.
To laugh- to maintain my characters mannerism.

To circle- I move around Mau, making him listen to me and to try and push him towards paradise.

Floor Plan

 

This floor plan of the space is what I follow throughout the performance. It is a basic label of all the entrances and exits and I will use and I filled out my scene by scene placements accordingly.