Portfolio Week 5 - Vocal Health

Vocal Health

In this week of voice we learned about what affected the voice, and how to look after it.

We started off with a spider diagram naming things to do with Vocal Health. I said dairy, as I remembered that one of my friends would never have dairy a week before singing as it creates mucus, which can interfere with your voice. The class also managed to name things like alcohol, sugar, drugs and other things that our linked to Vocal Health.

Alcohol affects the voice as it also creates mucus and it can numb your throat and reduce your awareness on the force you are using when you sing. Unfortunately, in the profession, actors and singers are around drugs the most. Drugs like Cocaine affects the voice as when snorted through the nose, it combines with the mucus and drips down the back of the throat. Cocaine can scar your voice and because of this, people can loss their vocal range. It also can cause exhaustion in the vocal area.

Vocal Health Poster

In this lesson we were also asked to create a Vocal Health poster. With this poster Donna and I aimed to talk about the different causes surrounding vocal problems, and how to look after the voice.

To look after the voice so less problems occur, we said you need to get enough rest as you don't want your voice being tired. Also if it's possible not to smoke as smoking has been linked to laryngeal cancer. The effects of this cancer are loss of voice, loss of taste and surgery will be needed.

We also put pictures in, 'Stop Smoking' logo and 6 glasses of water to make the poster more enjoyable and easier to read.

Conclusion

For this lesson I have learnt how the voice is key to an actor as it is our instrument, and we have to keep it safe and healthy at all times, and avoid things that cause the larynx and other vocal organs to become distressed. 

Evaluation on '13' Performance

In this evaluation I will reflect on how the class and I performed Mike Bartlett's '13'.

For '13', I was Stephen Crossley, a main character who is in a lot of scenes, for me to perform Stephen to the best of its ability I had to be confident with my lines. I felt I was confident with my lines, however in the first of the three performances, in at 4 scene 8 I said a line a the wrong time, fortunately I was with two brilliant actors who managed to repair my stumble, because of this it wasn't noticeable to the audience and it also meant that this error was unlikely to happen again.

In our performances the cues for entrances and exits and also transitions is fundamental to a good performance. In act 3 scene 4, Zia and Shannon are on stage, I come in after this to deliver my speech to Oxford union. Between these two scenes, I found it difficult to know when to come on. This was a weakness in the first performance but by the second one I had learnt my cue and when to exactly come on stage.

As the piece is very modern the style is naturalistic. For example in act 3 scene 5, Stephen has a speech to the Oxford union, in this speech I needed to feel the emotions behind my speech as it had a real deep meaning. This is shown in the script. 'If, as a women, you cheated on your husband, you would be stoned to death'. (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 19th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000045 ). For me as an actor to channel this emotion I did research on the way women were treated in Iran and also watched a small clip of a women being stoned. This, I found difficult to watch but it meant I could feel the way Stephen should in this speech, this I took upon myself as the actor to research and I feel it helped strengthen the scene.

In one of my performances my voice was very quiet yet I felt I was projecting in the right manner. I found his out through audience members and the director. This mistake annoyed me a lot because I felt I had just ruined my performance but I knew I had to do better in the next performance. I rested my voice that day for the evening performance and it really helped as I spoke to one audience member and they said 'I was loud'. They said this in a good way and that it helped in the scenes with John.

One of the skills I felt I did particularly well in was characterisation. In act 4 scene 8, for each of the 3 performances I tried to portray Stephen in a different way. In the first performance I played Stephen in a shocked way at what John was suggesting is stupid. In the second I was angry with John as I felt he was wasting Stephen's time. For the last performance I acted quite sadistic to make it seem like I was winning in this war of words.

As an ensemble I felt our class did well, in Ruth's speech I am apart of the chorus. In this scene I felt Joe and Frankie did well as they showed teamwork as Joe was holding a camera filming Ruth while Frankie was holding a microphone to get what Ruth was saying, this gave a great naturalistic impact as they portrayed a news team.

Overall, as a class the performances went well, I think I also did well as I improved throughout each performance.

Character Profile - Stephen Crossley

Who Am I?

My character is Stephen Crossley, he is 54 years old, unfortunately he looks older because of his cancer but he doesn't mind because he believes it makes him look wiser. Stephen has a slight ego but isn't too arrogant. For example in Act 2 scene 11 when I'm told Holly sells her body for money I'm not too surprised as she is below him. Stephen's illness doesn't bother him too much as he wants to live his life to the full because he knows he has limited time to do so. I believe Stephen has a bucket list but it is unique and not filled with things like parachuting. Stephen's bucket list contains things like warning young people about the terrors of Iran, and also showing people how in his words 'there is no god'. (BartlettM.2011'13'.Retrieved 14th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057 ) This is from Act 4 Scene 8 when speaking to John, Stephen truly believes there is no god as he is dying and yet no god is here to help him. He also wants to express his knowledge to John because he has so much power of the others in the play. Stephen doesn't have much of a family, he has no kids he has never been in a serious relationship and his Father died at the age of 22. His father was very religious and believed in God. Peter (Stephens father) went to church every Sunday with Eve (Stephens Mother). Peter died in a car crash after coming home from work one day. This affected Stephen so much that he started to question the existence of God and why he didn't save his dad from the crash ever since that Stephen would never attend church again, this angered his mother, after this Stephen who at the time is 22 moved out and hasn't spoken to his mother for 32 years, because of Stephens belief and also how Eve got married to a different man only 1 year after Peter died. Eve married a man called Clive who Stephen despised. Eve worked in a charity shop and Peter was a reverend for the local church, because of this they didn't have much money and at times Eve and Peter would go days without a meal to feed Stephen. Stephen knew from a young age that he wasn't rich and was bullied at school for not having shoes that were new or trendy at the time. After Stephen had moved out he started looking for a job having graduated from Oxford University. He worked as shop assistant for his uncle to get some money as well as a loan to attend Oxford. He graduated in Theology and Religion, while at Oxford he became friends with Ruth who would later become Prime Minister, however Ruth took Law at Oxford, yet Stephen and Ruth became good friends, 'I remember as a student you dancing so hard you knocked the rectors teeth out' (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 15th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000024 ).

Theology and Religion at Oxford

After not finding man permanent jobs he decided to write a book called 'The Christian Faith' his first book in what would later become a trilogy. In this book he speaks about the different questions around Christianity. This book became very popular and Stephen managed to make enough money to take a PhD.
 While taking this he wrote the second book in his trilogy, to help him with his PhD, this book was called 'beyond belief'. This book also received a great reception. In this book he speaks about a world without belief. After he got his PhD, he went to lecture at different universities. This is where he met John. John was a student that was quite popular but also did his work to a great ability. John as a student stood up for what he believed in. Stephen lectured many classes and students but John was one of his favourites because of his tenacity towards his views on the world and religion. After John had graduated Stephen and him became good friends going to parties where they would drink and smoke. 'and he can drink alot'. (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 15th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000037 ). Stephen smoked for most of his life until he found out he had lung cancer. Stephen had been smoking ever since the age of 17. I made the assumption my character smokes as its the main cause of lung cancer. As soon as Stephen found out he had cancer he stopped smoking by taking different classes and nicotine patches, these patches are designed to help you stop smoking, at first Stephen was reluctant to try but after finding his cravings to hard to resist he blamed God and used the patches.

Smoking and Lung cancer causes
from Cancer Research

 As shown by the research I have done on lung cancer the length of time the person has smoked is more fatal. This shows how Stephen has smoked for a long time as he has cancer and it's terminal. Stephen isn't interested in any sports and has been called a nerd many times. He also enjoys having a coffee this is justified as he wants coffee when offered 'coffee' (BartlettM.2011.'13.' Retrieved 16th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057 ). Stephen also likes to enjoy a meal out with friends and enjoys a glass of wine. 'Me and uncle Pinot' (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000024 ). In '13' there are key themes such as war, 'I have no influence and we will go to this wrong war'. (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 17th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000056 ). Stephen links to this theme as he says how we have to go to this war even though no one wants to because we have to protect our values. 'no one wants this to happen, but we have to protect our interests.' (BartlettM.2011.'13' Retrieved 17th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057 ). This quote shows how Stephen doesn't want to go to war but it's the only option they have. Another strong theme in '13' is religion. From the alpha group to an atheist lecturer, religion and belief is a strong factor to '13'. Most characters in '13' believe in God or is unsure, except Stephen who strongly thinks there is no God. 'There's no God, no divine justice' (BartlettM.2011.'13'. Retrieved 17th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057 ). This shows how he truly believes there is no God because if there was why wouldn't he be helping Stephen with his lung cancer or the world and the problems surrounding it. This is also shown by Holly in the Alpha group but about Jesus. 'He could actually come down right now, do some miracles today'. (BartlettM.2011.'13' Retrieved 17th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000019 ). The character of Holly can be linked to Stephen as they feel like they are the only ones being realistic and questioning belief even though they are so diverse as characters. I also in some ways think Stephen links to the protagonist John as they both are very outspoken and looking to change a generation and impact the lives of others but for different reasons. Ruth and my character also link as they are good friends and know each other well, this is shown as Ruth trusts Stephen when telling him information about John and Simon, 'I'd already heard about him from Simon' (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 17th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000051 ). This shows how Ruth and Stephen are good friends and able to chat nostalgically.

Appearance and Personality

Stephen's clothes

Stephen is 6"1' with a average build he isn't plump but also is not slim, this build and height is like mine. His hair is short to medium whereas mine is medium length, for me to be able to get my hair to look like Stephens I will have to not wash my hair on the day of performance, by doing this my hair looks shorter. Stephen's eye colour is green yet mine is blue. I could use contacts to change my eye colour but I don't think it will make to much of a difference. For Stephens clothes I had the idea Stephen would wear a shirt as he was an older man and wanted to look formal, I also had the idea he would wear a cardigan to show his age. I had this idea for Stephen's clothing and even believed the black trousers would work as they represent his simple personality. I think the shirt is wrong however and needs to be chequered for Stephen. For his shoes I think he would wear navy blue/black formal shoes, maybe suede. I think the photo (bottom right), represents what Stephen would wear but less of a boot and more of a shoe.

Stephen is quite when socialising and doesn't get along with many people. He has a small case of autism but nothing severe or recognisable. Autism is a disability that affects the way a person communicates, this is why Stephen sometimes finds it hard to socialise or be in a crowd that is popular.

However, it helps him in some ways as he has a great memory and has a remarkable mind as he can work things out that to someone else could seem impossible. Stephen's autism means its hard for him to convey what he believes and sometimes would struggle with lectures, but since being told he was dying he showed that most of that was psychological as he managed to get over different fears when speaking to a crowd or socialising.

In some scenes like Act 1 scene 6 Stephen has a box, for this I found it difficult to find a box Stephen would use, I was thinking about using a ring box but I believed that may have been too obvious to the audience and so I looked around to try and find something suitable yet I found this difficult. So I asked some people in our class. Matt managed to bring in a box that I thought was excellent. The origins of this box are unknown as its from a charity shop, this makes it ever so more mysterious and fits with the idea behind it that God is trapped in it. The box is opened by a latch and the lid opens the top. This was great for this scene as I can reveal that there is nothing in the box to myself before I reveal it to the people in the lecture. This is naturalistic as the lecturer would check the box before showing the students.

Throughout the Play

To start Act 1 Stephen wakes up from the dream with the other 11. I wake up from a nightmare panting and subtly shocked. For this I used affective memory to think back to a dream I had a month ago that scared me like this one did to Stephen. Affective memory is one a technique created by Constantin Stanislavski and used in his 'system'. Affective memory demands the actor to recall a memory from a similar situation. Lee Strasberg an american actor and teacher developed Stanislavski's technique and said about sense memory, where the actor recalls the physical feeling surrounding the emotional event. I don't really have any objectives or obstacles in this scene.

In act 1 scene 6, I am lecturer in a London university. In this scene I am talking about a hypothetical situation and asking my students what they would do in a certain situation. To get to grips with this scene and how my character would act I had to do some research. I found some YouTube videos of a lecturer called Michael Sandel, in these videos Sandel talk's with a passion about the subject and also has a good rhythm and isn't too quiet. I tried to imitate Sandel's voice as I felt it would help give a naturalistic tone to this scene, I found this difficult to do as the on stage audience was a lot smaller than that of Harvard's audience. In scene 6 Stephen's objective is to enlighten students about the presence of God. My obstacle in this scene is students who are not listening and students that would rather play of their phone. Another obstacle is the riots outside as I don't want their noise to deafen out my voice. In this scene Stephen knows about the riots but isn't ready to take action.

The next scene I'm in is act 1 scene 17 with Ruth. My objective in this scene is to persuade Ruth to think about what she is saying in her speeches and to be honest to the public. 'people want you to be honest'. (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 17th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000024 ). My obstacles in this scene is Ruth as she believes she's giving the people what they want to hear. In this scene my voice is key as I am indoors and I don't have a lot of movement. In this scene I soften my voice to show how Ruth and Stephen are friends and how I don't need to project to a chorus or ensemble. In this scene Ruth asks how my sex life, after she asks this I react in a shocked way as even though Ruth and I are good friends it isn't appropriate and is unlikely to come out of the Prime Minister's mouth. 

In act 2 scene 11, Stephen finds out John is back and conducting a speech in the park. I come in shocked and also find what John is saying to be funny because even though he has gone he is still saying the same things. My objective in this scene is to find out where John has been and what he has been up to and to give him Ruth's mobile number. In this scene my obstacles are John as he is reluctant to tell me and keeps diverting the questions by saying things like 'do you thinks its going to rain?' (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 17th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000037). Holly ad Shannon are also my obstacles as they keep interrupting when I am about to give John Ruth's number.

Act 2 scene 12, Stephen and Ruth are in No. 10, Stephen has urgent news and his objective is to tell it to Ruth. However the obstacle in this scene is Ruth as she doesn't have a lot of time to talk. In this scene I am reluctant to tell Ruth that John is back because I don't know how she will react. In this scene Ruth smacks her hand on her dresser this scares me somewhat as I subtly move back. 

Halfway through act 3, I have a speech where I talk about the Iranian regime, in this scene my objective is to warn people about the things happening in Iran. My obstacle in this scene is my emotions as I can't let them get the better of Stephen when delivering this speech at Oxford union. With this speech I need to find a deep emotion on how I feel about Iranian regime and how women are stoned to death. However, I can't let my voice suffer.

In act 3 scene 8 I am continuing on from my speech, my objective is to keep warning people about the struggles in Iran and what might happen in the future. In this scene my obstacles are still my emotions. In this scene I have to be quick paced with my lines as it will give the scene more impact. 

At the beginning of act 4 I have a scene with Ruth. in this scene Ruth tells me how John and her dead son were best friends. This Stephen finds shocking. My objective in this scene is to listen to Ruth and the riots outside is an obstacle because it could at any moment be deafening. This scene for Stephen is mostly around his reaction to Ruth and emotions.

The next scene Stephen is in is act 4 scene 4, in this scene my objective is to persuade the Prime minister in to getting the police to help stop the riots. However Ruth being my obstacle in this scene doesn't think this is a good idea. In this scene I am trying to persuade Ruth so I will act as and talk in a very understated patronising way to make it seem like this is the best decision. 

For my final scene, act 4 scene 8, my lung cancer has got worse. This is seen by John at the start of the scene, 'You're ill'. (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 19th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057 ). In this scene my objective is to talk sense to John to show him that we have to protect our country even though no one wants this war. My obstacles in this scene being John and the rioters as the riots are getting worse and worse and more people are doing it. In this penultimate scene of act 4, Stephen starts to get annoyed and angry at John this I can show in raising the volume of my voice and shaking to show my illness. At the start of this scene where I get my coffee, I subtly shake with it a bit in my chair to show how the cancer is affecting me.

In '13' Stephen's overall objective is to convince people that there is no God, and he believes he has proof as he is dying and no God is helping him.

After '13' has finished, Stephen's lung cancer gets progressively worse and he starts to lose hair, he takes 6 different pills a day and he finds it difficult to cope but is still focused on his main objective. The bombing gets worse as war breaks out in Iran. Stephen feels he did the right thing persuading Ruth as he believes 'we have to protect our interests'. 1 month after the bombing begins in Iran, Stephen is admitted to hospital. Unfortunately, the lung cancer has spread all over the body. After hearing he only has a short time left to live, he calls up his mother, as Stephen's last wish is to make peace with his mum. His mum goes to see him in hospital and Stephen tells her that she's the only women in his life, 2 weeks after being sent to hospital, Dr Stephen Crossley dies.

To conclude, I have found that Stephen is a man who sticks by what he believes in, for example his Atheist ways. I have also found what Stephen wears and how it represents his personality. Stephen is a clever man and has a very mild case of autism. Unfortunately, Stephen's lung cancer gets the better of him and eventually he passes away. 

Vocal Health Poster

Donna and I's Vocal Health poster. Containing the cause of vocal problems and how to look after it.

'13' - Week 6

Introduction

In our last week before the performances, it was vital we picked up the pace to some extend, as we didn't want the production to drag on, and the audience to get bored. We ran through Act 1, and 4 in a speed run.

Act 4 Run

After the week off, I came back ready to start rehearsing '13' as I had learnt most of my lines and researched more into my character, like his beliefs and medical condition. Stephen, as I have found out before is an Atheist, which is the rejection of belief. I made an assumption that because of his beliefs Stephen thinks he is superior to most people. This is the reason he tries to hide his condition, he doesn't want to seem weak as his status would be demoralised. This hiding of Stephens cancer, is shown as he quickly shuts downs Johns question of 'is it

Chair Duets by Frantic Assembly

cancer?'(BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 8th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057 )  in Act 4 Scene 8 by saying 'well they haven't completed the tests yet, but we're not here to play doctors.' This line shows how Stephen believes there is more important things to talk about. I explored this and had the idea of turning and looking away, because I don't want to come off as weak to John, as he is my foe. As we started to run my favourite Act, I anticipated that it could be tedious, as it was such a long act. This would have been ok for a run through, but it can't happen in any of the performances as we can't have the audience being tired or bored. I first did my scene with Sophie where I have one line, in this scene my reactions is what I have to focus on most. In this scene I have the emotion of shocked as Ruth tells me about how John and Ruth's son Simon were best friends. For this I found it difficult to act shocked, and so I used Stanislavski's system and imagined my mum telling me she was married to Bob Marley. This gave me the emotion of shock quickly because it seems so unlikely, and this I related to the scene with Ruth. After this scene I go do chair duets with Nathan, to give a more artistic way of showing a busy park as the stage directions are 'in the crowd.' (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 9th November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000052 ) Chair duets is a element made by 'Frantic Assembly', a Theatre group. I thought the use of Chair duets was brilliant here as it creates a very hectic ambience and can be used for different scenarios and in different ways, for example Phoebe and Matt use the duets as if they are both kids and this is a game they are playing at the park. This gives the scene more naturalism as kids playing in a park is quite common but also with the contrast of artistic direction, as mine and Nathan's Chair duet is very big and melodramatic. The next scene I was involved in was Scene 8, I love doing this scene because I feel I can bring out real passion in this scene, and I felt I was really focused when performing this scene as I was attacking John with every line, and he was attacking me back with his lines. This was a good use of teamwork from me and Matt. I also felt very disciplined as an Actor after this scene as I still felt the same disgust towards John from the wings. This helped me to become ready for the finale.

Act 4 Finale

As we cut Act 5, the finale of '13' would be at the end of Act 4. This scene which ends the production is of John speaking and the 12 getting into position, then there is a chime 12 times so we all turn on the lights. I think this is great because it is black and then each phone switches on to light each face of the 12 in succession, this visual seen by the audience symbolises the social media aspect of '13' as we are using our phones. The chime also links to '13' as it is like the 'Big Ben' in London where '13' is set. The light also shows the feelings of the 12 and how they have to put their trust in the hands of the government and hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In this scene Rob also delivers his monologue. I thought Jake who plays Rob could have delivered the speech improved as I felt his vocal delivery could of been better, however his movement in this scene was good as he used all of the stage and this would have helped to keep the audience engaged throughout his long speech. In this scene I stand still and look at one point, I felt in this scene I was focused, but I need to be mirroring Ruth as it shows the connection these two characters have.

Act 1 

This week we also ran through Act 1 in a speed run, we rehearsed the nightclub scene and made it better as before it was scrappy. Unfortunately, for me before the nightclub scene I am with Ruth in the penultimate scene of Act 1. This means I have to take the chair and props off and I will get into the nightclub scene late, however the group improvised and waited for me before doing our 16 beat dance. In some ways waiting for me was good as it made sure everyone was in position for the dance. This simple act of group kindness merged into helping this scene progress. Overall, I felt that improved the scene.Earlier I am also in act 1, where I have my speech. In this rehearsal I was so focused on my emotions in this scene that I forgot to deliver my lines at the right time. I felt this error was good though, as it helped me to realise that I need a balance when focusing on my lines, and emotions for the scene, as well as other elements such as movement. Also in act 1 I am involved in the alpha group, a Christian religious group that debates different ideas, that members want to talk about concerning religion. In this scene I am a ensemble member and I react to the things said by Holly in a shocked way, this shows how what Holly is saying I think is wrong, this helps the scene as it shows the overall feeling of the group towards Holly's views. When rehearsing this scene this week I missed my cue, I came in late but managed to make it look purposeful as I said 'sorry I'm late' this made it seem to the audience that I was supposed to come in late, to make it seem more realistic. Hannah the Alpha group leader responded to this well as she gave me the look of acceptance.

Conclusion

To conclude the week before our show, I believe I did well with the act 4 and act 1 run, however I need to say my lines at a quicker speed as my scenes might become boring for the audience. I also need to learn what lines are before mine so there is not too long of a pause. 

'13' - Week 5

Introduction to Week 5

This week we started running through Act 1 with lights and other technical aspects. I enjoyed this run through, as I felt it helped me to see how the class was progressing and how '13' would play out to the audience. I also looked at scenes from Act 3 and 4.

Costume Thoughts

As the week started, we were told to bring in items of clothing we believed our characters would wear. I pictured Stephen to be a highly intellectual man, who wears old fashioned clothes, yet also is smart. I envisioned Stephen to wear frumpy shoes, black trousers, a shirt and a cardigan. Most of the clothes I have mentioned I owned, except a cardigan, who I got from Frank, I thought it was perfect for Stephen as it showed how he was older and also shows how he is ill, because the cardigan will also keep him warm. I also had the idea that Stephen may wear a jacket but I thought a cardigan would be more appropriate. 

Running of Act 1

We started running act 1 with lighting and other technical elements. This was brilliant because it gave me an idea as to how '13' will look, it also helped me get into character and also now I am excited to start performing '13'. This also gave me an incentive to start researching into my character more, and the play itself. I did my speech which appears in Act 1 Scene 6 with lighting. I enjoyed this scene as it helped me to find a naturalistic level with Stephen, as the light made me feel as if I was in a university hall. We also did a nightclub scene that ends Act 1. The directions in the script are 'People are dancing – the people of London, out on the town – drunk and letting go. It's tribal and free and open. Full-hearted shouting and release. The student party after the protest maybe, or a dream, a memory … It builds and builds and then … with a ripping … voice and voices … the world explodes … white light – a nuclear blast and then... Blackout.' (BartlettM.2011.'13'. Retrieved 1st November 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000025) These directions show how the people protesting are happy, and believe what they are doing is the right thing because they are in good spirits as they are 'full hearted'. As a class we interpreted Mike Bartlett's instructions to be the cast show as an ensemble in a night club scene. We were split into 4 groups, I was in a group with Frank, Hannah, Milo and Frankie. This was great because I felt this group would work well together and it did. We were given 16 beats on each beat we had to do a different movement but it had to be appropriate to what would happen at the nightclub. Throughout the 16 beats there was moments of unison and chain effects. One example of this is when Hannah does a spin, bumps into me, I do a spin, bump into Milo and he does a spin. I had the idea of the spin as I knew it would work well as it gave the sequence repetition which helps the audience to become interested.  After our group finished our individual 16 moves we merged them together with the other groups to make the night club scene seem more realistic and hectic. We also did this scene with different lighting effects as we had a bright spotlight on the floor which will draw the audience to one spot.

Act 3 Scenes

In this week the class also looked at Act 3 scenes. I am in Act 3 Scene 8 which contains the 12. In this scene I continue my speech from scene 5 earlier in this act. At a later point in this scene I collapse. This, I believe creates a great impact as it shows how my illness is very advanced and that I could collapse at any moment. It also puts emphasise on the speech earlier in the act as its Stephen's last wish to express his knowledge to the youth. The ending to this scene is a speech from John while everyone has there eyes shut and praying while Stephen has collapsed. This image is thought provoking as it shows the desperation of the other characters not just in there on personal life's but with the war in Iran. It also gives a religious view and how in some ways everyone is praying to him, this also shows how John's character is very Jesus like. In this scene I come off the from standing on a box to positioned standing on the ground I am still and wondered if I should create a triangle with Jake and Donna, however I needed to be more upstage so I wasn't blocking anyone. I also practised my speech with Matt to see how I could use my voice in different ways and different explorations within the script. From this experience I learnt a lot and got another view on how I could deliver my speech in Act 3 Scene 5.

Act 4 scene 8 with John and Ruth

This is my favourite scene from '13' and I was excited to rehearse it on Thursday. This is Stephens last scene and I feel I can make a big impact to it by the way I use my voice and my body language. A lot of this scene was cut. However, I got to keep most of the lines I felt had the most impact and meaning to show my anger at John. In this scene I believe my objective is to make John see the light while also attempting to hide his pain of lung cancer. This is shown by lines like 'I'm fine' (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 4th November 2014 from  http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057) when responding to Ruth asking me if 'I am alright?' This shows how Stephen doesn't want to come off weak to anyone and this is what I have to consider when portraying this character in Act 4 Scene 8. 

Conclusion

I am happy with the progress I have made this week, and I was happy to rehearse and have feedback on many different scenes from different acts. I also enjoyed the nightclub scene and choreographing that. For next week I hope to have all my lines learnt while also doing more script exploration.

'13' - Week 4

Introduction to Week 4

In Week 4 of '13' we started looking at the rest of the contextual presentations. I also looked at line learning and off script explorations, and we also ran act 2 as a class and blocked the scenes in this act.

Finishing Context Presentations

After listening to half of the presentations a week before, I was excited to listen to the others in our group and the topics they have studied.Firstly, I enjoyed Issie, Sophie and Hannah's presentation because they helped me to understand more about Mike Bartlett. Their presentation showed me how the riots in London at the time relates to the protests in '13'. I also learned a brief history of Bartlett and how he studied English and Theatre at the University of Leeds. This showed me how Bartlett is knowledgeable about writing and the way its produced in the theatre. I also enjoyed watching Frank and Nathan's presentation. The research that they did for this presentation was impressive and gave a good relevance to contemporary society. The insights I got about the '12' were good, and gave me another level of character development, as I can react to different characters in different ways if I feel necessary. For example how Ruth is the voice of struggle, as Stephen this helps me to notice how I need to support Ruth because not only is she a friend but she wants the best for the country. 'I like hard work. Every minute. Every hour. To make this country great again.' (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 18th October 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000020 ). This quote shows how Ruth is dedicated, and is very influential to the society at the time. 

Line Learning and Explorations

Stagecraft Triangle John, Holly and
Stephen.

In this week I also started learning my lines for Act 2, I tried to learn these lines quickly so I could start looking at how my character would say them and his objective and obstacles. I started by learning my lines for Scene 11. I found these lines quite easy to learn, as I felt what Stephen was saying I believed. This didn't just help me with my lines but also made me feel naturalistic in this scene. After I had learnt the lines to this scene, I started looking at my characters objectives and obstacles, an exercise we did last week. I found that in Act 2 scene 11 my objective is to find out where John went, and why. The obstacles in this scene are different people interrupting mine and Johns conversation, like Shannon and Holly. John himself is also an obstacle as he tries to change the subject many times. 'Do you think it's going to rain?' (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 18th October 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000037 ). This quote shows how John doesn't want to talk about where he went and wants things back to how they used to be. Also In this scene when Stephen says 'reminding me of the political rallies of my youth'. (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 18th October 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000037 ) I, as Stephen look away from John and squint my eyes slightly. This shows how Stephen is trying to recollect the past and how those days were so good and how he didn't have the burden of lung cancer. In this scene Holly comes in to interrupt John and I. While doing this I am introduced to Holly, I thought it would be a good idea to be diagonally away from John and opposite Holly creating a triangle as shown by the image, as it links with Stagecraft and also gives the audience a view of each 3 characters. When John introduces Holly as a prostitute, I subtly scowl this shows how Stephen thinks prostitutes are below him without coming off to arrogant. I also started to learn my lines for the scene after this Act 2 Scene 12. In this scene Stephen's objective is to tell Ruth that John is back. I don't think Stephen has many obstacles in this scene, apart from how Ruth is in a rush. In this scene I tried rushing my words as I thought it would seem more naturalistic as when people have a lot to say they say it quickly. However, I delivered it this way and it didn't work as at points it was difficult to hear what I said. I quickly resolved this by saying my lines in a slower way and this helped my articulation and pronunciation greatly.

Running of Act 2

On Thursday, we finished Act 2, in this I watched many scenes and also rehearsed in a different room. From the scenes I saw, I got a greater understanding of '13', and the ways characters felt and their objectives in a certain scene. For example, in Act 2 Scene 13 Sarah is chopping vegetables while Ruby pesters her, in this scene where Hannah excellently plays Sarah I see a sadistic side to the character, A side that might not have been seen by just reading the script. I also enjoyed showing my scene with Kennedy to Karen. In this scene I tell Ruth that her dead son's best friend is back from a departure described as an 'extended gap year'. (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 18th October 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057 ). This quote used in a later scene describes how John took an easy way out and to Stephen had gone off on a holiday while others feared the worst. While running through this scene with Kennedy, I lost my words, this at the time was bad but gave the scene a chance to breath as there was a pause, the pause was so tense and worked really well in the scene to show Ruth's and Stephens shared emotion of shock that we kept it in.

Conclusion  

In this week, I have progress on my lines for '13' and out of class exploration by finding new ways to deliver my lines, and also Stephen's views on other characters. I also learnt more about the context of the play, and the playwright. Next week I hope to look through Act 3 next week and learn my lines and do some more exploration on Stephen's views and how things are at the time.

Portfolio Week 4 - Articulation

What is Articulation?

In this week of voice we learnt about articulation and different exercises to do to help articulation. Articulation is the movement of the tongue, jaw and other speech organs in order to make speech sounds. articulation is key for actors when presenting or on stage so the audience can become more engaged and find it easy to understand. The sound is produced from the lungs and the way to articulate is by certain mouth organs like the lips, tongue, jaw and others. For example to pronounce a 'T' sound you would put your tongue on the upper mouth know as the hard palette, and blow air from your lungs to release your tongue making this sound. where as an 'M' sound, I would exhale and push my lips together. As shown by the image the mouth is the area where articulation takes place. The soft palate located behind the hard palate is used to retract and elevate during speech to separate the mouth from the nasal cavity.

Vocal Warm Ups

In this week we also did vocal warm ups to help our voice with articulation. We stretched muscles and motivated the joints, this help to warm up my muscles so articulation would sound crisp. In our group we also did an exercise called 'why fly so high', in which we used our head voice which was high, then our nasal voice which was medium then our diaphragm voice which was low. This helped our resonators to find different frequencies. We also did some tongue twisters to get out tongue exercised so it could articulate quicker as its one of the main organs used to articulate. These I found fun to do and I felt my tongue responding quickly.

Conclusion

Overall I think this week on voice helped me to learn to articulate when performing as it could be crucial information that the audience may have to hear. I think my voice has developed from the first week and that I'm ready for performances coming up. 

'13' - Week 3

Introduction to Week 3

We started the week off by developing our characters, I found this to be very useful as I had not developed Stephen much at this stage. We also looked at positions our characters would be in, for a public pose, and private pose. Both movements gave me a better understanding of the character, and how he may be when addressed by other characters in '13'.

Character Development

Harrison Ford who I interpret Stephen
to look like.

We first looked at character development. I see Stephen with glasses, as I find him intellectual yet, he only needs his glasses for reading. In my interpretation Stephen looks like Harrison Ford. I also think he is quite a tall man and is 54 years old, however he looks older because he is dying of lung cancer. I did some home research and found the symptoms to lung cancer, for example coughing and persistent breathlessness. This is very helpful towards my development as I can use this in scenes to show how Stephen is dying. I also found out the death rates in lung cancer to give Stephen another level of emotion to use in scenes. In 2012 near when '13' was set, lung cancer was the most common cause of cancer death in the UK, this may worry the character of Stephen because he knows this will probably kill him.

Objectives and Obstacles & 'I......... You'

We talked about different characters, and how they have objectives in a scene and how some obstacles can get in the way of that ambition. I volunteered to do a practical where my objective was to leave the room, however Hannah was my obstacle trying to get me to stay. This exercise I found worthwhile to do, as it gave me an insight as to Stephens goals before he dies, and the obstacles he may have to face. I think Stephens main objective in '13' is to persuade people about how god isn't real, one of my obstacles is that he is dying and he only has a short time to persuade people. Another thing I did was called the 'I........You'. In this I think of a word to fill the gap that works with my motive in different scene. For example In act 4 scene 8 I support Ruth, as I tell John how 'She's doing her best'. (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved October 14th 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000057) This quote shows how Stephen's objective is to show John how Ruth is trying to sort things out, but it is a struggle. However John is my obstacle as he is oblivious to Ruth's efforts. I also learnt in this exercise how an actor should never go straight for the end result, for example in act 1 scene 6, my objective is to persuade people that there is no god. However. I won't go straight for the final objective. as there are different steps I need to take. in order to get to my objective. Stanislavski describes these steps as units, I can relate this to Stephen's speech because before I can try and persuade people about my beliefs I will have to get their attention. This is what Stanislavski describes as a unit or bit.

Contextual Presentations 

A slide from mine and Joe's presentation.

In context we were assigned to pairs, and looked at different elements in the context of '13'. I was paired with Joe and we decided to present economic struggle of the time '13' was set. I did research at home and put it into a powerpoint. I found the things I researched interesting for example the links with '13' and how Cameron much like Ruth found it difficult to cope. To find it easier to understand the context, others from our group presented what they had found out about the context of '13'. I found Donna and Phoebe's context findings good. As they talked about Iran's nuclear weaponry and linked it to '13' with Ruth's dilemma.

End of Act 1 Run Through

To finish the week off we as a class ran through the last couple of scenes in Act 1, starting with the Alpha group, for this, I volunteered to be a member of the chorus, this helped me to gain a greater understanding of the play, and also how I can react in more of a naturalistic way. In this scene I showed disgust to Donna's character Holly, this is because what she was saying was controversial to the groups beliefs. I also joined the scene where John has a speech. I acted as a member of public watching John speak. This helped develop this scene as it showed how John was gaining an audience from protesting in the park.

Next Week aims and Conclusion

This week, I think my work on context and character development was good, as it was my aim from last week. I believe I am at a good stage with Stephen as I know a good amount about this characters illness, beliefs, status and more. For next week I hope to have developed my character and also start to look at scenes with other members of the class in different acts. I also hope to learn my lines for Act 2, so I can be ready for when the performance starts.

'13' - Week 2

Introduction to Week 2

To start this week off, we looked at one of the three styles in Greek Theatre, Tragedy. We looked at this so we could use different features in our own postmodern play '13'. 

Brief History of Greek Theatre

Greek Festival of Dionysus.
Showing the audience, orchestra and the skene. 

In Ancient Greece, Theatre was at its dawn. The Theatre flourished between 550 BC and 220 BC. There were 3 different styles in Greek Theatre, Satyr, Comedy and Tragedy. Tragedy theatre is the one I am studying, in order to add certain aspects of it into '13'. 

From research I did in class, I have learnt that Greek Tragedy was about confronting problems, and how it was very political. I also picked up on how Greek Theatre has an impact on today, for example The Olivier Theatre is in the same structure as a Greek Theatre would have been in. Many of the Greek plays are still relevant, as they have been described as how "the basic themes still speak to us today". This quote I agree with, as many of the themes in Greek Theatre such as love and difficult decisions are still around today, and these topics can be shown through the Chorus. 

The Chorus' Impact

A typical Greek Chorus.

In Greek Tragedy, a Chorus was used. The Chorus were a group of people. I believe the Chorus represents society, reacting to the actors on stage, this also helps the audience to form their own views on what is happening between the actors. 

The Chorus stay visible to the audience throughout the whole production, I think this is good because it shows how someone always has an opinion on what's happening. However the Chorus were never on for the Prologue. As a class, we decided to use the Chorus in many parts of '13', including Ruth's Speech. In Ruth's speech, she is saying how she deserves praise, so I would show a reaction of empowerment. To do the action of empowerment I was kneeling on the floor with my arms out straight, I did this to show how I was under the power of Ruth as it showed my status and I was on a very low level and Ruth was high up speaking to the people below her. Another part of Ruth's speech says "we have moved on from the days of Thatcher". I may show a reaction of hate, because I have conservative attitudes. These movements or reactions are very stylised as the Chorus would react in a melodramatic way.  I suggested that the Chorus could be used in the Alpha Group, as the people without dialogue in this scene could be reacting to the group but in a more naturalistic way as the audiences focus would be in a confined space. 

Running of Act 1

From the previous week, I had learnt my lines for Act 1 so I would be prepared for the running of the act. To start off we had the 12 lying down in bed. After a beat, we would all rise up and start panting loudly, as if we had a bad nightmare. I found this fun to do, as I used Stanislavski's system of affective memory to show how the dream had affected me. Affective memory is an element of Stanislavski's system and 'requires actors to call on the memory of details from a similar situation'.(Wikipedia.org. 2014. Affective Memory. Retrieved October 14, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affective_memory). I used this to relay a bad dream I had some months ago, I find affective memory difficult to use, as I feel I forget emotions and how I react to them. I also find it difficult recalling certain emotions. This helped me to get into character, and feel like I had just had a bad dream. In the scene after this, set in an airport, I put myself forward to be a member of the chorus, however this time it was more naturalistic, from looking for the next taxi to going on my phone, this I found quite challenging. I felt I wasn't naturalistic as I found it difficult to relay an emotion. Despite this I think I found a solution, as I imagined I was texting my friend, I soon became the character of a businessman , arriving off a plane. In another scene in Act 1, we see a protest and a policeman trying to keep the rioters back. For this scene, I pretended I was filming the protest on my phone, this gave a naturalistic style to the scene and also gave it the link of social media which we see from John later on in '13'. The next scene I was in was my speech, I felt I had projected this speech well, and that my movement was good, but could be improved. At one point in the scene, I come off the box I am standing on, to address the chorus in a more intimate fashion. I was getting off the box quickly, and nearly stumbled, I noticed this and thought 'would Stephen do this?'. After consulting this issue, I noticed how by maintaining my composure, I would make a bigger impact to the audience, and the chorus while still staying in character. I am happy I resolved this problem as it has developed my character further.

Out of Class Exploration

Proteus Theatre's Stephen.

After developing my character to a minimal degree this week, I felt I needed to find out more about Stephen, and so I did some research. I wanted to find out what others interpreted Stephen as, and so I searched the Internet for inspiration. I found a video of '13' done by a theatre group named Proteus. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fZSCULj1xw    Link to video) In this we see how the actor has decided to dress Stephen very formally, I agree with this actors interpretation as I believe Stephen is high class. This interpretation also shows how Stephen has long hair, however I interpreted Stephen as having shorter hair to show his formality. I think this exploration was good because it gave me the chance to be influenced by others who have played Stephen and then develop my own character.

Overview and Aims

I believe this week my work on my character and the play was good, I feel I have learnt something new that can be added to '13' to make it better. I also am pleased with my character development, however I still feel it needs work and this will be my main focus for next week. My other focus is to get a more in depth understanding of Stephen's condition and the context of the play.

Research on University - Course Option 3

I'm currently on the BTEC Extended Diploma Level 3 Performing Arts (Acting). I have 6 GCSES; 4 at B and 2 at C. In addition, I am with a local theatre group named Petersfield Youth Theatre (PYT). I have confidence to put myself forward for different opportunities and I am eager to learn and work on different productions/projects. I also have experience on TV and Stage. I feel that I need to work on Naturalism as well as the financial side of Musical Theatre. Furthermore, I need to join an agency in order to get more publicity for myself. As my aspiration is to be an Actor on Television, this involves being in an agency so it’s crucial I join one. The skills I need to become a good actor can be learnt through University and College.

I am hoping to do a BA (Hons) Acting degree at Mountview. There are different modules on this course. In the first and second year there is: contemporary writing, Shakespeare, European and American drama. In the final year of the course, I will be in public performances in the last year which will be showcased the agents, casting directors and other industry figures. This is advantageous to my career as it could mean I get noticed. Also, in the final year, I will get the opportunity to engage in film work and a musical. This will prepare me for a diverse performance career. This course at Mountview will also help me to develop knowledge on the business and will help me in my progress towards my future acting career.

The course costs £11,950 which is an annually. I am not eligible for a DaDA, but I am for a student loan; however, the student loan won't cover the whole fee so I will need to earn some money by getting a part time job. The maximum fee at the moment is £6000 which is approximately half of the full fee. Mountview is in London, so i will either have to commute or get a small flat. The grades needed to get on this course are not specified but I am aiming for 3 distinctions at Level 3, which should be sufficient.

In order to audition for this course at, I will need to present one Shakespeare monologue and one monologue from a modern play. The monologues must not last longer than 2 minutes each. They must also be from a published play and must be the same gender and close to my age. There is no cost to apply.

I think this course is ideal for me as I want to pursue my ambition of being an actor and this course will give me a great opportunity to achieve this. It will also give me a chance to develop my skills on stage, which is great because then I will have another option if screen acting does not sit me. The location is prime as I am able to commute. The financial side is achievable as I can aquire a part time job and also apply for a student loan. This looks like a perfect course for me and Mountview have a good history of high achievers, some of which include Amanda Holden, Brendan Coyle, and Douglas Hensall. After Mountview I will hope to join a respectable agency and start looking for auditions as well as joining a local theatre group. 

'13' - Week 1 Reflective

'13' Initial Thoughts

When first told what play we would be doing, I was excited for a new challenge. As a class, we were told that we would be doing the play '13', by Mike Bartlett, as I first heard this I was enthralled, as I had never heard of this play, or the playwright. I was ambitious to learn about this new play and its style. I thought the play could be about how '13' is an unlucky number and how a story of tragedies and bad things happen. I also have the idea the play could be about 13 different things or thirteen different people.

First Thoughts with the Script

As a class we started this new project by reading Act 1 of the script. My first impressions of the script, was that the play was quite modern, I got this impression as there is current technology, this is justified by "an alarm clock flashing. 7:13 am".(BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 4th October 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000008 ). This gave me the impression that '13' was set in the late 2000s, and how it could be in a busy environment, as people are getting woken up early for work. After reading the script for a while I met a character I was fond of in Act 1, Scene 6. A man called Stephen Crossley, my first impressions told me that he had very strong beliefs on the presence of god. I assumed this because Stephen is a lecturer and seems to have superiority as he has his own speech. "I want to talk about God". (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 19th 4th October 2014 from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000008 ). This quote shows how Stephen is using his power to talk "I want".  After being asked to read the lines of Stephen, I quickly fell in love with this character, because Stephen is so different to the other characters in this play, and is well known. I felt this role would suit me as I feel I have a lot in common with Stephen, in that we both strive to be unique.

Character Developing

I was asked which character I would like to play, the first that sprung to mind was Stephen. Fortunately, I was given this part and would go on to develop this character. My first thoughts on Stephen was that he was superior and well spoken. Because of this, I printed off the scenes that Stephen was in, and started to underline the words, that would need emphasis in different lines, or a speech.  I did this for a speech, as it can help to develop naturalism. I also used a forward slash when a new topic had begun, this helped me to recognize where to take a pause to make Stephen seem well spoken. For example "I have here a box. Inside is the Lord Almighty himself. / You have a choice". (BartlettM.2011.'13'.Retrieved 4th October 2014
from http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/plays/13-iid-18480/do-9781408175187-div-00000013 )  I put a forward slash here as Stephen has gone from talking about the box to addressing the chorus directly. 

First Practical 

In my first practical exercise, I rehearsed Stephen's speech in Act 1 Scene 6. I encountered a problem, I tried to make Stephen sound angry when delivering my first line, "At least some of you have bothered to turn up". (BartlettM.2011.'13'.  I thought this would work with Stephen as I saw him as an arrogant man. However, when delivering the line I didn't feel engaged. So I looked for a solution to this, I tried saying the line slower but that didn't work. After trying many different methods, I found by putting the emphasis on "turn", instead of "bothered" made the line sound softer, and I believe will give a good first impression to the audience. From this practical, I learned about how Naturalism can make Stephens character seem more superior and more believable. At the start of the practical I was trying too hard to be superior, but when I was natural, it came across more believable because of elements like the dialogue. 

Research on Context

After being excited about this new production I decided to research context, I found out how '13' is set in 2010-2011 in London. I researched what was happening at that time and  learned about the general elections and how David Cameron was appointed the new Prime Minister. This was helpful to '13' as it gives me a brief background and will help me to understand my characters beliefs on politics. I also research about the economy of the time and how Britain was in a recession. 

Reflection and Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe I have made the right decision asking to be Stephen, as I feel it suits me, but at the same time will give me a challenge. I'm looking forward to the coming weeks working on my character development, for example things like costume and status. I'm also excited to work with others to achieve good scenes, including the Prime Minister, Ruth in Act 1 scene 17. For next week, I hope to learn Act 1 of '13', and learn the context of the play.

Portfolio Week 3 - Vocal Organs

Portfolio Week 3 - Vocal Organs

This week in voice, I learned about the Vocal Organs, I learned about the Larynx and its position in the body. The Larynx is a vocal organ in the body used for breathing, resonating sound and to also protect the trachea. The Larynx contains the vocal cords.

What do the Vocal Cords do?

The vocal cords adjust pitch and tone by altering their position and tension. The sounds we make is due to the vibration that occurs on the inner edge of the vocal cords also known as the mucosa. The vocal cords open during inspiration, and close when holding your breath, the image to the right shows the vocal cords open and closed.

Where are the Vocal Cords located?

The Vocal Cords are located in the centre of the Larynx, below the vocal ligament and at the top of the Trachea. The Larynx is a long and quite wide organ that is situated in the throat. As shown by the image the Larynx is also made of bone.

Practical Exercise

After I had filled out a questionnaire based sheet which helped me with my understanding of the Larynx and Vocal Cords I did a practical exercise the Exercise sat down with my hips feet knees and shoulders aligned. I first moved my larynx from side to side, this made my larynx tickle and I didn't like it as it was a peculiar feeling. In addition to this, when moving my larynx I felt it click this shows the tension on my larynx and how this simple exercise can help with the progress of my voice and larynx. After doing this exercise spoke and my voice felt a lot softer and calmer, I felt as though my voice was on cruise control as it felt so easy to speak. This exercise I will do from time to time but not everyday as it could cause permanent damage to my larynx.

In week 3 I also did another exercise, in this I visualised my larynx was a basket, and it was attached to a hot air balloon which I imagined was my head. This helped to keep my posture when doing certain exercises. I found this easy to visualise as I was focused on my body and had no distractions.



Research on University - Course Option 2

I'm currently on the BTEC Extended Diploma Level 3 Performing Arts (Acting), I have 6 GCSES, 4 at B and 2 and C. I am with a local theatre group named Petersfield Youth Theatre (PYT). I have confidence to put myself forward for different opportunities, I am eager to learn and work on different productions/projects. I also have experience on TV and Stage. I feel that I need to work on Naturalism as well as the financial side of Musical Theatre. I need to join an agency too, in order to get me more publicity as my aspiration is to be an Actor on stage, this involves being in an agency so it’s crucial I join one. The skills I need to become a good actor can be learnt through University and College.

I want to go to Arts Educational school in London and study BA(Hons) Musical Theatre, the course is three years long and I will be studying many different modules. In the first year we will study all three of dance, singing and acting. I will also be studying contextual studies which will provide a background into Musical Theatre this is essential in order to enable me to become an informed and knowledgeable performer. The Modules will introduce me to the work of major composers, librettists, dramatists, choreographers and directors in the field. In the final year there is a professional performance, as well as having regular classes I will participate in three staged musicals before an audience with full sets, costumes, lighting, sounds and musical accompaniment. In addition to this I will take part in a Graduation Showcase at a West End theatre before an invited audience of agents, directors, producers and choreographers. This will help me to achieve notoriety and also get me nearer to my aspirations of being an actor on stage. The Fee for the course is £13,500 per year. I don't have the money to pay for that unless I take a year out and earn some money, but I would prefer to take out a DaDA or student loan which are both applicable to me. The location of Arts Educational isn't great as it's in London and I will either have to commute everyday or get a flat in London with friends. The entry requirement grades are difficult to locate but I assume I will need three distinctions at Level 3. For the audition process there will be two stages, the first stage is a short jazz workshop followed by a short singing audition. I need to prepare two musical theatre songs in full. One should be a ballad written no later than 1965, and the other should provide a contrast and be something that I enjoy to sing. For stage 1 I will need to prepare a section from each of the two songs, each lasting no longer than one minute. The audition panel will choose to hear one or both of these sections. Sheet music in the right key must be brought for both songs. I also need to try and avoid character songs as they want to hear my voice. If I'm good enough I will be invited to stage two where I may be required to dance again. I will also be asked to sing again. I also need to prepare and learn one new monologue from a list of 8. The monologue will need to be performed in my own accent and I will need a good understanding of the character within the context of the play. I will also be asked to learn a short duologue which I will be asked to perform with another actor. I will be given different scenarios to see how I respond to directions and how I work with others. In addition I will have an interview with senior tutors. The cost of the audition is £45. I can apply by downloading the form of the website and by posting it to the address stated.

I believe this course is for me as it supports my career choice, the location isn't great but I can commute. The financial side isn't too bad with a loan or a DaDA, and ArtsEd have great stats, for example their alumni, featuring greats like Martin Clunes, Catherine Zeta Jones, Julie Andrews, Sarah Brightman, Charlie brooks and many more. This course will help me to further my career after uni as it has given me experience on stage and also has given me the chance to perform in front of top agents.

Portfolio Week 2 - Posture

In week 2 of voice, I have learned how posture is key to voice, throughout life our bodies go through different tensions and strains that can alter your posture, for example having a tense shoulder because of a bag.

As the 2nd lesson began, we did a spider diagram to identify the things that alter our voice, some of the things that came up where mental state, and how focused your were on your body, another one was the different pressures on your body.

After we did this we did the Alexander Technique. The Alexander Technique is an excercise used to prevent any uncessary levels of muscular and mental tension during everyday life. This Technique can relax the actor so they don't look tense on stage. It also effects the voice, after I did the alexander technique for a second time I felt relaxed and as if my voice was clearer and softer. Post Alexander Technique made my body feel relieved, as it felt tense pre Alexander Technique.

For the Tecnique I layed on the floor straight and un tensed with my knees up and hands to my side, I also closed my eyes as I felt it would help better on focusing on my posture and Technique. We were then given instructions by Sarah, such as being told to relax different parts of our bodies like our feet, hands, shoulders and more. In this I felt my knees swaying to the side, however this is good as it shows I'm relaxed.

I also did the Alexander Technique at home to my best ability, I felt very relaxed after and quite tired. In this excercise I focused hard on each body part to find out what was tense.  Before finishing I tensed my body for 4 beats then let it go, this helped me to relieve any tense body parts, and after I had done this my body felt very free and un locked. After completing Alex technique I felt I wasn't purely focused throughout the whole of the process. This was because I kept worrying that I had forgot specific body parts. For the next time I do Alex Tech I will record myself reading from the chapter in one of Barbra Houseman's books, this will help me to solely focus on my relaxation and tension in my body. 

I think this lesson was very valuable, as it showed me how my posture can affect my acting and voice  and how this Technique can loosen me up before a performance. I found this Technique difficult to copy at home though as I feel their are many parts to it, yet it still helped me to relax the body.

Portfolio Week 1 - Respiration and Get to know your voice

In my first week of voice, we learned about respiration system. We were shown a powerpoint and took notes on how respiration worked in the body.

I learned that Respiration happens first through the mouth and nose. After this has happened it passes through the larynx, this is where the speech sounds are produced, it also passes through the trachea which is a tube that enter the chest cavity. When in the chest the trachea splits into two smaller tubes known as the bronchi. Each bronchus then splits again to form the bronchial tubes. The tubes go to the lungs where they then divide into many smaller tubes which then connect to tiny sacks know as alveoli.

I also learned about the lungs, the lungs take in oxygen, which all cell throughout the body need to live and carry out functions. The lungs get rid of carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of the body's cells. the lungs are a pair of cone shaped organs made up of spongy, pinkish-grey tissue. They take up a lot of the space in the chest.

In my first lesson I learned about The Diaphragm and how its located beneath the lungs. The diaphragm is in a raised position. When the diaphragm is lowered, because its connected to the lungs it pulls the lungs downward.

We also did a practical exercise where I stood relaxed and put my index finger in the middle of my solar plexus. I then pretend to suck through a straw, this controls the amount of breath you are taking through your lungs. I did the exercise slowly because if I did it quickly I would be doing it wrong. By pursing my lips I will be able to control the breath I take in and only a certain amount. After this I exhale quickly 3 times, the first two exhales will be sort and the last one will release the remaining breath.

It is important to carry out these exercises regularly as it will help before performances as it warms up my voice. It is important to know about the Diaphragm as I will be able to realise how much air I have left to talk as I can feel my Diaphragm lowering.   

From this lesson the practical helped the most because I felt I could understand that better then the written work.

Research on University - Course Option 1

I'm currently on the BTEC Extended Diploma Level 3 Performing Arts (Acting), I have 6 GCSES, 4 at B and 2 and C. In the college modules so far I have studied Stanislavski which is also linked to the Course BA (Hons) Acting at GSA. I am with a local theatre group named Petersfield Youth Theatre (PYT). I have confidence to put myself forward for different opportunities, I am eager to learn and work on different productions/projects. I also have experience on TV and Stage. I feel that I need to work on Naturalism as well as the financial side of Acting. I need to join an agency too, in order to get me more publicity as my aspiration is to be an Actor, this involves being in an agency so it’s crucial I join one. The skills I need to become a good actor can be learnt through University and College.

I want to go to GSA and Study BA (Hons) Acting; in the first year the modules include Storytelling, Naturalism and American Realism. In the second year the modules include Shakespeare, Comedy and professional development. In the third year, I will be rehearsing for public performances and a West End showcase. These modules support my career choice of being an actor. These modules will help me experience and learn the history of Acting and also different styles of Acting. The location is good as it’s near to where I live. At the moment the BA (Hons) Acting is £9,000 per year. I don’t have the funds to pay that and so I would hope to take out a student loan, I believe I am also eligible for a Dance and Drama Award (DaDA).

In order to apply I would need 3 Distinctions at Level 3. I am hoping to get 3 Distinction Stars. There is an audition fee of £35. For the audition I must prepare one classical and one contemporary monologue of not more than two minutes each. The classical speech should be pre-1800 and the contemporary speech should be post -1950. Speeches should be in my own accent and ideally close to my own playing age. The application should be made via UCAS.

I believe this course is for me as it supports my skills and career choices. The location is great and the finances can be sorted out with either a loan or DaDA.  GSA has a good record of students with Actors from the Alumni such as Bill Nighy, Michael Ball, Gaby Roslin and Brenda Blethyn. The head of the course, Dr Trevor Rawlins has been an actor and director for more than 20 years, he has a PhD in actor training at the University of Reading.

After this I hope to have a part time job to earn extra money and look for Auditions with the agency that I'm with at the time.

Personal Voice Assessment

I have assessed my own voice, by recording myself and answering questions.

I would say I have a Baritone voice which is often described as quite deep, the pace of my voice I would say isn't fast or slow as I try to control my pace, I don't think I pause very often, which may hinder pausing at the right moment. I feel I find relatively easy to project and I articulate most words. My pitch is low.

I emphasise certain words sometimes, if I think its valuable information to emphasise, I don't speak on one tone, as I feel as that some words may need to be said in a higher tone if its for example a question. I have difficulties pronouncing words if I've never heard them before. I don't like my voice as it differs in pitch if I ask a question.

I also think my voice could be clearer but I think this is because most of the time I speak in a low pitch. I would say my voice is quite loud as voluminous. My voice is strong, at times it can be shaky, but not distorted. My voice can sometimes be quite crisp. My voice isn't nasal or crackly.


Overall, I think I have a loud strong voice, but for the reasons I've expressed I don't like it.