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.
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