Today we performed East End Tales, and after 17 weeks of rehearsal, I was very pleased with our performance. We were being assessed on our storytelling, physical and technical skills that we used to bring the play to life. The play itself was very physical and the director aimed to have everyone on stage at all times and for the actors to create the set to give the play a minimal look. The only props used were torches, red stools and umbrellas.
We used many improvisations to develop our characters and understanding of the script. In some rehearsals we'd take sections of one tale and have to give it a new meaning, or stage it with just a few lines. For example Susanna and I created a scene where the mother was trying to contact her daughter in America. Because there wasn't much information on these characters, we had to create a past for them. Other times, we chose a character from a tale and created a monologue about a time in their lives. We also looked at how the script created atmosphere, which helped us when we came to say them. I also think that being given a tale to direct ourselves, allowed us to take all the creative choices we'd learnt from the improvisational exercises and put it into one tale. It also showed our skills in adapting to a style, the director gave the play a specific physical style and we were able to adapt that into the pieces we did ourselves.
Thinking back on the play, our relationship as a cast was very strong. We were able to cover each other when we had forgotten our lines and were also comfortable with each other to have fun with the piece and input ideas into the staging. Moments that worked really well, were ones which included lights. The lights would emphasise the drama and directed the audience's attention to different parts of the stage which would engage them and keep them guessing. I think we worked particularly well in tale 4, where most of the cast created the surroundings of the scene. It helped the audience have a feel for where the characters were. I also really enjoyed tale 5, where we almost created a soundscape. The scene had Harmony as the tv and Jake and Shareen as the fighting couple with everyone saying their lines on top. I think it was effective because it showed how crowded life was for that family and also how desperate they were to block out the abuse rather than deal with it. I think the cast worked well for that because those who weren't speaking, were reacting to the sounds around them.
My favourite moment was when Roseby went under the sheet in tale 3 and she was lit by mobile lights. The darkness gave the tale an eerie feel and the fact that Roseby was the dead body from the past and Matayo was looking down on her. It was as if we were seeing into his mind, and it suggested that every day he has to deal with seeing this dead body because he can't shake the guilt.
A moment that another actor created, was when Taffie was carried across the stage as the dead woman. It was effective because it allowed the audience to think about how serious the situation is and also how real it is. That people do die from domestic abuse and there are witnesses that refuse to help in fear of making it worse. It was probably the most emotive part of the play because this tale follows this women through her relationship and you become quite attached and sympathetic for her.
I think the main weakness of the play was the transitions and also where we performed. The actual tales, I am really proud of but the transitions could have been smoother and quicker. The pauses between tales made the play look less professional and if we had worked on them more the play would have been slicker. Because we performed in such a small space, there was no backstage and the cast hung behind the audience. It made it quite cluttered and also made it a struggle for people to get on and off stage. Because of the thrust staging, when a character couldn't get off stage it then distracted the audience or even blocked their view of what was going on, on stage.
This term, I really improved on my vocal skills and also my creative staging. I feel as if because I only had random lines that were dotted throughout a tale, it challenged me to add character and objective to that line which I feel as if I for filled. When we were directing our own tale, I feel as if I contributed to the physical theatre and felt more comfortable suggesting ideas for the tale. I became more comfortable to make my movements more animated when I had to present the feeling of the piece through physical theatre. I need to improve on my character development, especially in tale 4 when I was the girl with the umbrella, I felt as if I could have pushed myself further. Looking back, I should have concentrated on the objective of each line and thinking about how my character felt and what she was thinking at that time.
To conclude, I have really enjoyed doing the play and I think my imagination confidence blossomed during the development of the play. Whilst i still need to improve on my characterization, I feel as if i have developed as an actor during my time learning the play.
