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.