The first run through was extremely useful because it enabled us to run through any un certain scenes and gave us a chance to become more confident in the performance space as we had only done one run through for the technical. During this run through we focused on our entrances and exits, the songs and the scenes with Phoebe and Silvius, as Hana wasn't able to make this performance Keyah from Tim's cast had to step in. We also focused on moving around in the space, working on our vocal projection and playing to all sides of the audience. My target for this run was to work on my projection because I have always struggled with my vocals and to make sure my reactions and movements were bold enough to be seen. I felt like I did this successfully because when we got given notes I wasn't told that I was too quiet which I was extremely pleased about. I think I also found a lot more of the comedy once I was in the space. The run was successful and Keyah and Phil, I thought, did a fantastic job as it was the first time they had acted together. It also showed me how far we have come from our previous rehearsals and from the tech run.
The Dress rehearsal was vital and a big deal for everyone because it was the first time our play had been run all the way through without stops, notes or scene skips. It gave us a chance to see how tonight may go and how we could improve. Because of this there was a lot of pressure on everyone but I personally think we all did well under this pressure because the dress went really well. We thankfully had an audience which was good because there were laughs which is helpful when you are performing a comedy. I think I can speak for everyone when I say the main target was to get the show flowing smoothly and have a good, steady pace. I also personally had to make sure my entrances and exits were bold and snappy so as not to jar the play or drop the energy levels. I was very pleased that we got all the way through the play and that the general energy was high. I think the songs were the best they've been but could have even more energy to them. I think Ashley's added character high note has helped the song become more human in a way. I think for the performance tonight I need to bring even more energy and make sure I am a good backing for Poppy to play off. During this run I muffled a few of my lines and I put that down to nerves. I'm glad we had this rehearsal because I feel less nervous for tonight because we have already done one performance which went well so I feel ready for tonight. Other mishaps and areas for improvement is the speed of the piece. I think it has a good pace but as it is a comedy it needs to be even more snappy and we all need to be on our cues so much faster, so one scene merges into the next. We all need to keep the energy levels up high and just enjoy ourselves because after all it is a funny play and how can we be funny when we are all struck with nerves and constantly thinking about our next scene. Jack also gave us some notes to work on for tonight. Mine were:
- Beat Touchstone and Corin with the sign even more
- Let the audience in on the joke when Rosalind and I take the micky out of Touchstone
- When I faint to put my hand on my forehead to make it more melodramatic
- When I say 'I faith coz' remember it's i not eye
- Make the last song quicker
- Push and Pull between the scenes
- Play the comedy
- Bring Joden further down stage right when I plead with him
- Stay up stage right when Corin and I fall out of the caravan
- After fake marriage sit on bench and give my reactions to the audience on the right
Our evening show was in front of an audience of about 100 which was really exciting because it's the biggest audience we have performed to all year and our first show in the new theatre. The general target for this show was to make it energetic, smooth, pleasurable for the audience and funny. My personal target was to be loud enough and bring on all the energy needed for Celia. We did a vocal and physical warm up as your body and voice are connected. This helped me get energised for the opening scene and help my vocals. Unfortunately I wasn't very well on the day of the performance so I had to work extra hard in the vocal warm up to make sure I wasn't going to damage my voice even further.
I personally felt as if our performance as a huge success. I felt as if we all had amazing energy and all played to the comedy of the writing. I believed everyone's performance and was extremely impressed by Josh, Seamus, Phil and Jackie as I felt their performances were very energetic and they all became their characters as they were able to ab-live in the scenes and respond to the live audience. I think at some points the energy dropped, for example in the rap battle but Adam picked it back up. I was extremely happy with my performance because I got really into my character and I feel as if I was a great support for Poppy and gave her a lot to play with. I feel as if I was always alive and living in the scene which enabled me to react truthfully and with comedy. I think my volume was good but I rushed a few lines at the beginning so next week when we perform in Brighton I will make sure to slow down slightly. It was fantastic to perform in front of a live audience because their responses to the comedy gave us a lot to play off and helped us spur on with the piece. I think this is a reflection of how well we all told the story. However there were some moments we didn't expect the audience to laugh and because of this a few lines were lost. For example Seamus did a fantastic bit with the caravan door which received a lot of laughs and Poppy and I didn't realise this so we started the scene when the audience were still laughing. Next time I will be more aware of the audience. Having said this I think we all did a fantastic job, cast and crew as the piece was fast paced and energetic and we all managed to make the story known and relatable, which for a Shakespearean piece I think is hard to do.
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