Christmas Holidays - Jingle Blogs!

Happy Holidays!

Obviously, I would like you all to have a well deserved rest and eat lots of tasty food!!!! Mmm....yummy!

However - please please please don't forget to update your blogs!

Your performance will be just over 2 weeks after you return from the holidays. Use this time at home to reflect on your devising process so far. Look back over your blog over this term's unit, and if there are any areas within the 6 questions that look a little "lighter" in content, then consider what you have worked on, analyse your process and write it up!

You will be focussing predominantly on your SWED after the performance date but the more work you can put in now, the easier (and less painful!) this process will be...

Have a great break and see you next term for Unit 3!

Miss Wilson

W/c 5th December - focus on q's 1 and 4

Focus for this week’s blog –

Q. 4    How did the work of established and recognised theatre practitioners, and/or the work of live theatre, influence the way in which your devised response developed?

Q.1   How is the initial material being researched and developed at significant stages during the process of creating drama?

This week you will be focussing on linking all the scenes together and working on the transitions between each scene.
Consider all the elements of the devising process:

•Plot/story

•Characters

•Form

•Structure

•Visual

•Aural

•Spatial elements ie design, intended impact on audience (emotional, sensory, intellectual),

•Target audience

 

Write about these in relation to Q's 1 and 4. (You could also consider last Thursday's performance of Twelfth Night in relation to Q.4).

Character Workshop - Q.1

This week, I would like you to focus on writing material for Q.1 of the SWED content.
Think about the character workshop we did on Thursday and write about how you have now considered developing your role and any your explorations.
You could also bring in Q. 4 about Stanislavski's rehearsal techniques (ie: magic if) and how you have applied his techniques to your developments.

Getting your points together in prep for Q. 6...

This week, I would like you to focus your writing around the prepartion for answering Q.6:

•

 

Consider what elements you are including in preparation for this outcome... Obviously you don't know how effectively you have communicated this until after your performance. However I would like you to write about what social, cultural, historical/political elements you are wanting/trying to focus on in the context of your devising process and expected outcome.

If you can write what you are planning to communicate and how you want to communicate them, then it will be easier to measure how effective you have been after the performance.

How effectively did the social, cultural, historical/political context of the piece communicate to your audience?

Some good questions to ask your "character"...

If you fancy doing some "character work" (which could be very helpfully applied to Q.1 in the SWED), try asking your character these questions...you might be suprised at how they answer!

1) How would you define "love"?
2) What's your greatest fear?
3) Who do you confide in?
4) When did you last cry and why?
5) What makes you happy?
6) How do you relax?
7) Who are most important to you - friends or family?
8) Who do you trust?
9) What is your earliest childhood memory?
10) What is your favourite item of clothing?

Some of your answers might also generate some devising ideas...

Monday 14th November

This week I would like you to structure your blogging around Q.3 - 

How did you and your group explore the possibilities of form, structure and performance style?

Take time this week to explore any variations you could consider with regards to your form, structure and performance style - ie: could the impact on the audience change/be altered if you were to experiment with changing a linear storyline into non-linear? Have you explored the possibility of including a mime/narrative scene or explored any physical theatre? What impact might these styles have? Think back to the Form and Structure Sheets I gave you just before half term...

 

I would like you to have made some firm (ish) decisions about your form and structure by the end of next week (25th Nov).

 

It's only 5 weeks until the Christmas Holidays...so only 7 weeks of timetabled rehearsals to go!

Focus for this week’s blog – Q4 w/c 7th November

Focus for this week’s blog – Q4

 

•

 

(Consider the performance of Hamlet – Young Vic you are going to see on Monday 7th november – has this generated any ideas for you to use??)

How did the work of established and recognised theatre practitioners, and/or the work of live theatre, influence the way in which your devised response developed?

After half term...!

Welcome back after half term - I hope you had a good rest but have come back refreshed to continue with your rehearsals and devising process for your Unit 3 Performance!

This week, I would like you to focus your blog (SWED material) around Q.1:

How is the initial material being researched and developed at significant stages during the process of creating drama?

 

Treat this week as a "significant stage of the process" of you creating your piece of drama - as you are now into the 2nd phase of rehearsals after half term.

 

Happy blogging!

19th October - Monday rehearsal

Today you will be having your usual Production Meeting with me, followed by rehearsing a scene/short phrase that will be filmed by Ms Head and Ms Cullum, ready for instant feedback and exploration.
Use this experience to help further develop your work - remember - use any constructive criticism to help you focus your work and progress - an objective view can often be the most beneificial!

This week - I would like you to focus your blog on Q2 from the SWED - 

•

 

Obviously if any other areas are worthy of note then please 'blog away'!

"How effectively are you personally exploring and developing your role(s)? "

Monday 10th October Rehearsal

Remember - this unit focuses on a group production in response to either:

a stimulus material, themes, ideas, issues – ie: your inspirational day or the workshops that led from this – you need to make this link clear in your SWED…. eg: how you arrived from one to the other.

 

Continue to blog this week focussing your writing around Q's 1, 2, 3.

I will be commenting on your blogs so far after this Thursday's lesson, to give you a good chance to develop your ideas and then write about them.

Happy blogging!

Thursday 6th October - 1st rehearsal from initial starting points!

You have now completed your 1st rehearsal stemmed from each group's decision of your initial starting points...

Group 1

•Maddy, Chloe, Nicola, Alannah

(initial starting point…holocaust / confessional box / links…)

Group 2

•David, Maria, Emily

(Lives in and out of work / theatre co.? / triangles…)

 

 

We will be exploring the crucial elements to devising:

•Plot/story

•Characters

•Form

•Structure

•Visual

•Aural

•Spatial elements ie design, intended impact on audience (emotional, sensory, intellectual),

•Target audience

 

For your blog this week - I would like you to consider the following 3 related questions (if applicable to your rehearsals:

 

• •

• •

• •

How did you and your group explore the possibilities of form, structure and performance style? How effectively are you personally exploring and developing your role(s)? How is the initial material being researched and developed at significant stages during the process of creating drama?

Frantic Workshop - see below...

Consider what you explored in the Frantic Workshop…

Could any ideas be developed into your work

eg: gestural strings? Movement concepts? Music impact? Visual impact?

How useful was the workshop to your devising process?

Q.4 How did the work of established and recognised theatre practitioners, and/or the work of live theatre, influence the way in which your devised response developed?

Thursday 29th Sept - Pd 1 and 2 - What next?....

Morning all!

As I am unable to be with you for Thursday Pd 1 and 2, I would like you to do the following...

Individually, I would like you to look back over all the blogs/activities/workshops etc that you have taken part in during the last 7 lessons.
Considering all the characters, concepts, plot lines and potential that each might have to offer, I would like you to prepare a 3 minute presentation in support of the idea that you think has the most potential as an initial starting point. (This could be your own idea/concept, someone else's or a combination).
REMEMBER - you are only proposing which idea could be the most successful STARTING POINT at this stage - all work will develop and change over the rehearsal process...

You will present these "presentations" on Monday in pd 5 - we will then have Q's in favour / against and cast a secret vote for your 1st and 2nd preference for your initial starting points for devising.

Don't let friendships dictate your decisions...consider what ideas YOU feel the most inspiration from - you might be suprised at what the group decides!
See you Monday, Miss Wilson

Nicola's workshop

Main Concept - Bookshop (when it started to rain) / art gallery on the southbank.

Warm up - zip zap boing

Pair improv - in a bookshop

• travel books (emily)
• Books on sex (maria)

Improv - Art gallery
(Focus - painting of a naked man)

• stereotypical lesbian
• a muslim woman
• 13 yr old school girl
• a school teacher
• old gay pervy man
• 55 yr old gangster

Restaurant Improv

• Rob (best friends with Jack, in love with Sally)
• Jack - (arrogant stuck up horny boyfriend)
• Sally (jack's girlfriend)
• X - scrape / fussy eater
• Waiter - African waitress

Group improvs

• pornshop
• cardshop

Think of the above and write on your blog thinking of the following question:

•How is the initial material being researched and developed at significant stages during the process of creating drama?

Maddie's workshop - Thursday 22nd Sept

Main Concept - Piece/photo of Graffiti from the skate park and a photo of a ceiling mural


Warm up - nice comment game with movement / passing awareness through number game

Character work - developing different physical movements based on given situations and characters:

• outrageous granny
• male beautician
• ditzy unemployed girl
• crazy customer
• emotional boyfriend of pregnant girlfriend
• waitress (their customer has an imaginary friend)

Graffiti improv - used this as a stimulus for pair improvs - interview scenarios

Don't miss out writing any of your ideas - only 1 more workshop to go before we will start having to narrow down decisions and options....

Happy blogging!

Alannah's workshop - Thursday 22nd Sept

Alannah's main concept/inspiration was originally a postcard - "love is what you want".
She then changed the main focus of her workshop - inspired from David's workshop - based on the characters generated from that.

Warm up - Sound and movements / copy action and vocal range of A-Z

"The Beauty Shop" - 3 mins improv with set characters:

• The waxer
• model to be waxed
• chatty manicurist
• grumpy mother
• agitated child
• (receptionist)

Hotseating - in pairs using the above characters

Improvisation - using the same characters (apart from changing the child to a business woman), set in staffroom of beauty shop / waiting room

Freeze frames - based on each improv above.

Consider how these characters could be taken out of this situation and developed? Did any story lines interest you?

Monday 19th Sept - Chloe's workshop

Chloe's main ideas/object/concept taken from Inspirational Day - Pressed flower / leaflet in Italian / bus ticket / Southwark Cathedral / Bank robbery / Key Tracey Emin lines

Starter - 3 little pigs (Barbara, Frank and Jacob) and Little Red Riding Hood - Narrating and miming exercise

Taxi Cab Improv - Everyone given a characteristic - changes the dynamics of the cab as each one enters

• hyper 4 year old
• snobby opera singer
• secret agent
• over-talkative old lady
• obsessive banana eater

Pair Improv

• Confessional box in a church
• flower shop / italian customer
• Car boot sale / antique dealer

Tesco Staffroom improv

• All given Tracey Emin lines to incorporate

Remember - when you are blogging, consider any thoughts that could be generated from any of these explored ideas. Devising is a long but exciting process, so don't miss a detail - it could be the one that sparks the flame!

Thursday's lesson

Maria and Emily's Workshop -
Here are the brief points outlining Maria and Emily's workshop:

• Starter - Action/Name game - Walking in space reacting to different situations - Freeze frames and scenes from "Romance and Hate" themes
• Improv - Each student given a place - 1 student enters the scene at a time with a "feed-in" line - theme of being late / WAITING for someone
• Improv - each student given a different character - enter, leave and interact as each character.
• Doctor's surgery improv - 2 x receptionists / 2 x patients / 2 x doctors

Consider the following:

• were there any character's that you or someone else created that inspired you?
• were there any situations / themes that spurred any ideas?
• Did any exercise inspire you to think of other devising possibilities?
• Could anything today link with your current ideas?

Good luck and happy "blogging"!

p.s. thankyou Maddie for the blog tutorial ;-)

Year 13 Devising Unit 3: How did the practical exercises from Monday's less...

David's Workshop - Main prop/idea - MENU
Task - pair improv using stimulus
Chair improv - varied situations.
Comment on any characters/scenes/situations/scenarios that you found interesting or could potentially be developed.

How did the practical exercises from Monday's lesson help with the development of your group skills and the devising process?