Evaluation of Show 2

The lead up of Show 2 felt far more rushed. We did a line run in the morning, but this wasn't very useful and not particularly what we needed to get us into the world of the play. However, it became very energetic and this got us excited for later if nothing else. We then went through some minor notes that Sarah had from the last show, and then breaked for lunch.

When we got back we once again did a run of transitions, as the show was running quite long at 2 hours 45 minutes. This was, once again, not as smooth as it could have been due to a lack of concentration on behalf of the cast. Because of this, it delayed the rest of our prep time, meaning that once we were in costume and on stage there was not much time to warm up together. We did this, and this time after an individual warm up we gathered in a circle and did some quickfire improvs to get us into character. One of these involved me, I was confronted by a friend of mine who had seen Celia with another man. After a minute or so of this improv, Sarah asked anyone who knew anything about what Celia had been doing behind my back to whisper it in my ear. The most chilling was Jake's, who whispered, when I force fed your wife she screamed another man's name. This stuck with me as it made me realise the true insignificance of Will to Celia, and I kept it to use later on.

This show was tinted by the fact that I had invited some friends to the show, and their theatre etiquette was not entirely up to scratch. They were late, and kept leaving to go to the toilet. This infuriated me, but this may have actually worked in my favour.

Secret Willy worked a lot smoother as I didn't come on with all my costume this time. We also made sure not to block each other in this prop heavy scene, and it felt a lot more natural. The true humorous nature was still lost slightly, although I felt his confidence shon through more.

Parlour Argument #1 was fantastic. The height of the anger reached was truly ferocious, and it felt like an ergonomic build as well. I think this may have been partly due to my anger off stage, but it worked brilliantly and left the tension on stage sizzling.

Unmanly men was good, the projection I had lost slightly last time was better, and I used the space behind the table a lot better than last week. However, the punch was not as sweet, and I felt this slightly dropped the ball.

Parlour Argument #2 started with me drunkenly blundering into Sim and Aran as they left the stage after bringing on props.The scene felt great this time, a lot more aggressive than last week's, even getting physical at one stage, invoking a brilliantly truthful reaction from Roseby. It almost shocked me so much that i was slow on the next queue, meaning the tension dropped just slightly. I will make sure that next time the last few paragraphs I have in particular are much quicker to come in.

Parlour Argument #3 was again, sadly, not as truthful as I would have liked. I had found an aggressive side of Will in this show, and this was the scene where I could have fleshed him out. While I did try and play him more panicked and reserved than the previous scenes, the build to full on breakdown still did not happen, and I think the adrenaline of the previous scenes was a major block.

That Wolf was, again, the most emotionally connected scene for me. Despite the gramophone breaking, we played it off as if it was intended and from there the scene was free. I even got a laugh! I think our own internal understandings of that final monologue was starting to blossom as we both seem to know what she is talking about, despite it being very coy. Once again, I was brought to tears as the music swelled and my wife buttoned me up and showed me the door.

This show was interesting, as in a way, my mind was not very focused on the show, and yet I thought I brought a far more honest performance today. This goes some way to proving that some times the best thing to do when you know something so well is to stop thinking so hard about it; however i don't know if I would choose to do it in that way again

Evaluation of Show 1

Show 1 - 23rd Jan

We started the day with our dress run, meaning we were well warmed up and integrated into the world of the play. Our dress had not gone as well as we had hoped, as we had a lot of issues with transitions and pace, so we started our build up to opening with a run of transitions. People were not as focused as they could have been during this run, and although not everyone is involved in transitions it meant that this took longer than it needed to. However, this last run through was beneficial for those who needed it and paid off in the show, which ran a lot smoother. We then got into costumes, ready for a warm up on stage. I played with my hair a little more than in the dress, spraying it down and adding gel as well as combing it to the side. This gave the 'do some longevity. I also pinned my trousers as they were not keeping my shirt tucked in properly which had become distracting in the dress.

We met on stage as a cast before the run and did our own individual warm ups. I focused on my back and my diction, catching every syllable and stretching out to try and find the straightest posture possible. Sarah then asked us to say some of our lines from different parts of the stage, trying to hit the opposite walls. This was to improve our projection as many of us were not yet used to hitting a space as large as the theatre without de-voicing. I am awful for this, so I tried to keep this in mind.

We stood still, closed our eyes, and found our focus before we gathered as a cast and shared the energy and excitement. Sarah wished us luck, and we had a group hug then cleared the stage.

I did not start well, fluffing my first line as I walked on stage, too preoccupied with my costume. This threw me off, and the scene did not go as well as I liked, although I was impressed with myself that I got the scene back on track quickly, as in the past I have panicked in situations like this. I had a lot of paraphernalia costume wise, and when I left, this outerwear was left on stage. I was covered by the rest of the cast, who managed to clear it or make it less obvious, but it was still not great and definitely something to correct.

My second scene with Nansi went better than the last, as the energy was that had existed throughout the process was heightened by the audience being there and the tension was very high. I almost left my hat on the desk, however Nansi covered me. I quickly decided that I couldn't wear all my outer clothes at the same time because they become a nuisance and a distraction.

The club scene went brilliantly. The only thing I would change was the moment I come out from behind the table, as it gives a fresh dynamic and I should save it. The punch was amazing, a perfect connection, and made the audience gasp.

The drunk scene with Roseby was good, although I feel we have done it better in rehearsals. However, we continued to play with it onstage and it was fresh, we just perhaps didn't find the beats as well as we had previously. We finished on a less angry note this time, with me only denying her hands at the last moment. I also had some trouble with the gramophone, but it worked eventually.

Parlour argument #3 was, as usual, my least favourite of the second act, as I still found I could not find the journey to the amount of emotional turmoil needed to break down at the end. I found myself reaching the point of the breakdown and having to force it to come up quickly instead of building throughout the scene. This is ok, as my face is not visible and i can physically recreate the action, but feeling it emotionally would be a massive bonus.

The final scene shocked me, as I felt the emotional connection in this scene that I felt should have existed just as much if not more in the last. I got confident and brought on a flower to experiment in the scene, however it flopped and was a lesson in itself, that sometimes playing should be limited to the rehearsal. However, when it came to the final sequence, I found myself being truly upset by my marital breakdown, and it showed in the tears that came easily.

Overall, I was happy with the first show, but there was definite room for improvement. I think a lot of the mistakes were due to the nerves of opening night, and with the confidence of having done it once will come a whole new depth to explore as the initial block is removed.

Act II Scene 2 - Unmanly Men

This is my only scene with any characters other than Celia. We played around a number of times with how this scene was set up, as it took a while to find the correct tone and environment. It is more relaxed than the parliament scenes that the rest of the boys do, but there is the obvious air of hostility towards Will throughout.

At first, the scene was blocked so that everyone was sat around imaginary tables. We set this up by using the transition, in which we all entered holding glasses, and raised the glasses before drinking in synchronicity, then grabbing chairs and placing them down together. The scene then continued with low level noise, an abundance of cigarettes and alcohol, and everyone staying pretty much static the entire time, until I approach Curzon. However, didn't prove great at building the tension smoothly enough so that the fight didn't seem forced, and something had to change.

Sarah combated the above problem by positioning the chairs in a more free-form way. I also removed my chair, meaning I was left standing by the table while everyone else was sitting, further isolating me from the others. We also implemented some quiet music underneath the scene - a rendition of Oh You Beautiful Doll; working both as a moment of foreshadowing to my next scene and adding an extra texture to the scene, making the environment less formal. This encouraged the boys, particularly Matt, to act more drunk, to the point that he was outrageously pissed when he was speaking to me. This worked as a brilliant stimulus to fire my anger up, and meant the scene built much more ergonomically. The final addition was that Matt took a well timed gulp of his drink before I threw the punch, making the connection look all the more sever as it sprayed across the stage. The masculine heat in this scene was great as it contrasts with the wittier, more spiteful arguments that Will and Celia have, and shows Will in a relatively positive light compared to the rest of the men.

Act I Scene 15 - Parlour Argument #1

I was working with Nansi for this scene. Again, we started by unitting together, so we knew the beat changes and where the pace needed to change. This scene was a breeze. It is so brilliantly written that there was almost no work needed, we just ran the scene and it was all there emotionally. It was so exciting the first few times we ran it, without any blocking, just sat on a table outside the rehearsal space. Even with nothing else added in, it was so full of fire and anger that the full potential of Will and Celia's relationship suddenly became viciously corporeal.

We came to blocking the scene, and this was when we first visited the parlour. This was an important moment as it is the first of three scenes set there. Between our chairs is a small desk, and a lot of the opening of the scene ended up being played sitting and standing either side of the desk. This was interesting as it meant there was space between us while arguing, and we couldn't get up close and personal. One note Sarah gave me was that I have a tendency to wonder, so planting myself in the chair stopped this, while also allowing me to create a powerful beat when I lose my temper and rise.

 


Later on in the process we changed the scene slightly we changed the blocking slightly so that when I make my final plea I come up from behind the desk and approach her form behind. This changed the dynamic slightly, giving a slightly softer edge to a very angular scene. It also showcased another moment of genuine love between the two that we see in the first scene, letting the audience see into their past, and their genuine happiness that lingers on.

Act I Scene 9 - Secret Willy

For this scene, I was working with Tara. We united the scene collaboratively, this meant that the beat changes were in sync throughout the scene. We both found this scene difficult throughout the process, as it was different in tone from the rest of my scenes. This was Will's introduction, and it is the closest they get to friendly. However, the scene relies heavily on subtext and it took us a while to find this.

In an early rehearsal Sarah posed the question: "Why has Will come to the Prison?" The reasons were twofold; first, it is his birthday, and he wants to visit her. Second, hidden til the end but most important for Will's demeanour throughout the scene, is his proposal that Celia seek psychological help after she is released. This was a veiled way of me discovering a proper scene objective, and vastly changed my tactics throughout the scene. At first, I was playing it far too confident and friendly, when in reality the scene became far more interesting when we played on the awkwardness. The pace of the scene changed as well, slowing down a lot but still with high tension. This was good, because it introduced Will in a softer way. Initially, I was trying too hard to act overly friendly or funny, when in fact Will is reserved in his physicality and proxemics and the lines bring the warmth.

We had an ex student who came in to work with us, and she helped direct us through this scene. She made us focus on some more specific, experimental objectives. Mine was to kiss Celia, and Tara's was to get Will to leave. These were brilliant for bringing some of the excitement back into the scene, as it was starting to become to cold and slow. These objectives forced us to see the scene more maturely, as we were not standing in the shoes of a married couple yet. They are comfortable around each other, and we found that, especially as the scene got more heated, we were far more physical with each other, and this gave a nice contrast to later in the play when we lose all physical connection.

We played with the set in this scene a lot. It was difficult to find a set up that let us be close in such a small environment while also giving me space to wonder about. We started with two chairs, but this felt too separate, especially at parts when I read over Celia's shoulder. We used the full bed, and at some point put a chair in there as well, however this became obsolete eventually. The bed worked well, and we used the confines of lighting on stage to present the cramped cell. This created some really interesting proxemics, as it kept us close when we wanted to be further away.

Improvisations Throughout the Process

Initial Improv

As part of our world building, we did some improvisations early on to see what some situations we don't get to explore in the text would be like. The first I was involved in was set on the streets of London, and involved the whole cast, not in character. This was interesting for me as I got to see what it was like to play a male role that fitted the stereotype more than William. I chose to play a policeman. Very quickly, a clear split between the men and the women was obvious. Whispers of a suffragette riot began very quickly, and it was interesting to see if the women supported the movement or looked on in disdain. I imposed a rule a few minutes in that women were not allowed to gather in groups of three or more, and this quickly created tension between me and a few select female characters as they noticed I wasn't enforcing the rule with the men. This escalated, and eventually I detained Tara, who did not come quietly. This sparked outrage with almost all of the women, and things quickly got out of hand. They created a blockade, and began to wreck havoc. The men started to arrest them and remove them from the improv, and things quickly got violent. I think this was the most useful part of the improvisation, as it really showed just how quickly and horrifically these situations escalate. It was shocking to treat women in this way, especially how we are brought up, and I think if we hadn't done this improvisation we wouldn't have been able to find that genuine aggression and disrespect in other scenes where it is required, such as the end of Smashing Eve or the force feeding scene.

Character Improv

Towards the end of the process, after we'd been running the show for a few weeks and we were at risk of making the show feel tired, we switched things up with some short character improvisations. They included:

• Vale being told by his father he has to be a doctor
• Florence being denied access to her dying sister
• Grey finding his golf course scorched
• Celia telling her children their sibling was dead

These really did what they were intended to do, as they freed up our characters, allowed us to fill other shoes, and find out something new about people we thought we had exhausted. It really helped to give new energy to the show at a late stage

Final Improv

Before our final show, some of the cast came in early to do some warm ups and some improvisation to make sure we were fully integrated into the world prior to the performance. We did a number of short and extended improvs, these included:

• Briggs at home
• Florence's first love/seeing this man 20 years later
• Will being tempted to cheat on Celia and the 
• Will and Celia's wedding; the morning after; announcing Celia's pregnancy and the death of their first child

In these improvs I got to play Will a lot more, which was new. I found them useful at first, particularly the cheating scene as this was a side of Will that is not touched on at all on the play and I got to explore his comedic side that is only hinted at vaguely in the show. I felt this gave an added sense of comic timing to the character that shone through in the performance that evening - that night was by far the best Secret Willy out of the three. However, as they continued, and we reached an emotional crux with the final improv, I reached a block for whatever reason and could not bring myself to truly feel how Will would in such a dire situation. I didn't understand why, as we do scenes of a similar nature in the show and this off the cuff style is meant to bring more truth. However, I spoke to Roseby afterwards, who assured me that it was not something to be nervous about, and after chatting for a short while about why I thought it had not happened inwardly, I started to gain confidence as I felt it was good to be able to identify these blocks in order to be able to better deal with them in the future.

THE OPENING

Initially, I was not involved in the opening. William contrasts a lot to the other male parts, so at first I was apprehensive about presenting him in such a negative light, especially with the violent actions throughout the piece. However, watching the opening for the first time was a great experience. As I've mentioned throughout this blog, the initial weeks focused heavily on world building exercises, and this for me was an extension of that. The opening is stylistically different to the rest of the play, working almost as a montage to ease us into the narrative while also showing us the extent of the violence and backlash towards the suffragettes. Set to a chilling rendition of Blondie's 'Heart of Glass', the piece is moving and brings us straight to the level of tension needed for the next 2/3 hours.
One part that fell flat was the moment Emily is hit by the horse. We blocked this expecting to have a projection of a horse behind, so in terms of clarity this would not be a problem by show week, but the actual image of a girl struck by an imaginary horse was not as striking as it could have been, and there is definitely room for improvement.

Revisiting the Opening

It has been a few months since we made any changes to the opening, but Sarah has decided to make some major changes, using the help of former BRIT dance student Thea. Thea is training in contemporary dance, and her style often crosses the border between theatre and dance. She previously choreographed a piece for Woyzeck as part of Common Ground 2016.

She started by reworking the line of girls so that after they walk through the smoke they assumed a submissive position rolled up on the floor. She then got Matt, Gabriel and I to walk across their backs. This created a more suggestive version of the images we had created earlier, showing the male dominance of the period. This also turned out to solve the problem of slotting my character in, as while the rest of the men still ended up doing the violence sequence, I was left isolated at the end of the line. Next, the boys created horse caricatures that meant we now symbolised the horses on the track. We devised a series of movements to show masculinity in it's most aggressive light. Finally, we choreographed a series of lifts to create a much larger spectacle of Emily's death. The piece is now a lot more stylised than it was, and shows the contrast between men and women of the time a lot clearer.

The day of the show I made a last minute change to one of the lifts as it looked sloppy. We altered the final lift so that, instead of crawling through our legs, Phoebe was left suspended the entire time. This way the idea of her being thrown around was more obvious, and increased the fluidity of the lift.