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.