My notes for Dress Run

• Make sure my voice travels, especially as being up on the platform, it's higher and not on level, so I must use my diaphragm.
• The Alpha Course scene was fake, I have come up with a reason to be there, to follow John, I think perhaps a close friend, lover or relative would be involved in the war in Iran, and everything leading up to it, so perhaps I could try playing that.
• Remember to come on stage with Jordan in one of the park scenes. 

Run through

Timing: 11:45 - 1:45,

Keep the pacey heartbeat of the show, this run lost energy and pressure.
Act Two: 28 minutes long, could do with re-running.
Alpha Course scene needs meisner.

Rehearsal Notes:

Overall it was a good run through, it ran to a time of 1:48 so that's quite good!

Act 1 Scene 1: it felt a bit fake, the beginning and end of the scene was floppy.
Act 1 Scene 13: Energy needs to be raised
Act 1 Scene 18: Party scene, it needs to be properly sorted as it looks off, and random

Act 2 Scene 6: The energy is floppy and unsustained
Act 2 Scene 7: Energy keeps dropping around here
Act 2 Scene 11: Very average acting, need to raise the pressure.

Act 4: Heads need to go down on, 'I had a breakdown', Hands need to go down on 'cut up with a knife'
          The beginning and ending of the song needs work.

Truisms in the play

Common Elements of The Play

• Fear
• Danger
• Isolation
• Darkness
• Suffocation/entrapment
• Frustration
• Elements of reality
• Death
• Familiarity
• Fear of closing eyes
• Access people's subconscious

We need to make sure we are playing these circumstances. These are messages that we need to share with the audience in a relatable way, because they are all things that most people can associate with.

Character Journey

Props/Where am I going, where have I come from?/Set Responsibilities/costume/objectives/given circumstances.

Act One:

Scene Four

• I am Carol
• Costume: Office Attire
• I have come from home, I have been called in early because of the protests.
• Props would involve a file or a clipboard or some form of notebook
• In the circumstances, we are trying to have a meeting, we get interrupted because of the hoover and the noise of the protest, this causes tension.
• I try to reassure Ruth about her skirt
• I am irritated by Shannon's presence.
• I am put on the spot about voting.
• When I leave, I go to sort out the protests.
• I enter and exit from C (upstairs)

Scene Twelve

• I am a member of the Alpha Group
• I have come to discover more about my beliefs and others
• I am confused by Holly's questions
• I comfort Sally when she gets upset
• I have come from my house
• I am going out with my friends in the group after
• I have opinions, but feel too intimidated by Sally to express them
• I am wearing casual weekend clothing.
• I enter from C (downstairs) I exit from A

Scene Eighteen

• I am a party attender
• I have come to escape my struggles, I think perhaps I am a student struggling financially and socially
• I dance
• I shout
• I try to forget
• I don't know where I am going
• Props may include a drink or some form of drug
• I enter from A, I exit from B (downstairs)

Act Two:

Scene Two

• I am Carol
• I am wearing office clothes
• I am reading a paper
• I read aloud
• I am bored
• I sigh
• I feel irritated
• I have been called in early again
• I am bitter towards Ruth
• I am going in the car to meet the Foreign Secretary
• I take her coffee
• Props include two coffee cups and a newspaper or ipad.
• I enter from B (upstairs), I exit from C (upstairs)

Scene Seven

• I am Carol
• I am in office attire
• I am in the park on my lunch break
• I have a coffee and my iphone
• I check my messages
• I drink my coffee
• I think John is crazy
• I look at him distastefully and leave pointedly
• I am going to the meeting with the heads of the armed forces
• I enter from B, I exit out of C (downstairs)

Scene Eight

• I am Carol
• I am wearing office clothes
• I take a seat
• I introduce the heads of the armed forces
• I listen, I show everyone out 
• This is an important meeting about the future of Iran and Britain, about nuclear war, there is tension and pressure. I care.
• I enter from C, exit out of C (upstairs)

Scene Eleven

• I am a passer-by
• I walk through the park with my boyfriend, perhaps we have gone shopping
• I pause and notice John
• I listen, I persuade my boyfriend to sit.
• I am going home.
• I enter from D, I exit to A
• Props could include shopping bags
• I wear casual clothes

Act Three:

Scene Four

• I am a follower of John
• I wait for him
• I listen to Zia
• I am angry with the heckler
• I am anxious to hear John
• I realise he isn't coming back 
• I leave
• Enter from D, Exit from A
• I wear casual clothes

Act Four

Scene Four:

• I am Carol
• I am wearing office clothes
• I am at Number 10
• I disagree with Ruth
• I stand up for my opinions
• I protect myself
• I try to make her understand
• I clear the room
• I enter and exit from C (upstairs)

Rehearsal Notes

Warm Up:

• The counting exercise: With a partner count to 10 taking it in turns to say a number, vary the volume, tone and way you say it, see how you can make it different. Then we replaced the numbers with 'Tell me' and 'No', discovering all the different ways to express things, dependent on circumstance and character.
• We thought about working the space, and adjusting performances dependent on the rehearsal space.
• We looked at coming up with objectives for 'fillers' when we're not speaking, coming up with back stories.

Rehearsal: 

• The rehearsal was good, we got stuff done.
• We blocked through up to scene 10.
• We looked at using people in settings such as the airport, to create a natural environment.
• Worked out some objectives.
• We realise the importance of knowing our lines, because working with scripts in hands is awkward and difficult
• Before we can really work, individual research and thought is needed.
• We are 'acting by numbers' at the moment
• Every time we are onstage, speaking or non-speaking we need to have clear characterisation (status, voice, physicality, energy, levels, objectives.)
• The protest scene needs higher stakes, something at risk.
• Reactions are very important, and we can explore different ways of playing them.
• We need to find the rhythm of the text as one, so we can work well as an ensemble.
• And more than anything ENERGY is essential!

Meisner Lesson

Meisner

Acting Vs Role-playing

Acting: Creating a conscious character

Role Playing: Unconscious character

Acting: Commitment/sensitivity/honesty, releasing ideas to become unconscious, living in the moment.

Repetition

The technique involves two or more people, one person makes an observation about the other, and they must continuously repeat until another observation is made. 

It goes in stages, starting with something simple i.e. 'you have blonde hair' 'I have blonde hair'

and then deeper examinations are made, for example 'you wear make up because you like to feel attractive' and then 'you like to feel attractive because you can be insecure'.

The Meisner technique establishes deep connections of characters, you must always accept what is given.

The repetition involves no hiding, you must say what you see. It requires physical and emotional availability. 

It won't work unless you live on your instincts. Trust, honesty and intelligence is necessary.

Meisner said

'Acting is the ability to live truthfully in imaginary circumstances' - This is important, because it acknowledges that the given circumstances of the play isn't  real, but we look on experience, and feelings and research to find truth in them.

He also said 

'Silence is an absence of words but is never an absence of meaning'. - This is important for me especially, because there are a lot of times when I am on stage but not speaking, and therefore I must realise what my character is living in that time.

Reflection

Personally, I really enjoyed this exercise, because it forces you to be honest about yourself. It is difficult not to start acting because you are aware of it becoming boring, but it won't be as long as you're fully engaged. The difficulties with it is that it could lead to overworking a scene, and letting it run dry. However it prevents you from throwing away or wasting a line, because you explore all ways as to how and why you say them.