Blocking
Blocking is the process of taking a section of a show/ play and setting positions for each character and mapping out where they are going to move to from scene to scene. This is something we need to begin the first few sessions with before creating the show. We need to take every single scene and plot where each character will stand and move to in that scene. We need to consider how many people are onstage during each scene and song and also how we will get people on and off stage. Our group has 8 members so blocking may be a hard task, when it comes to getting everyone's attention at the same time to organise them. Blocking is important for any production but specifically for our musical 'Rocky Horror' as it is a high energy rock musical with interesting songs and text, so we need to make sure the staging and movement is just as impressive.
Setting up the space
Every lesson when we practise for 'Rocky Horror' we will need to find an appropriate setup, so we can visualise the stage and know where move to during different scenes. For projects in the past to create the stage in the studio environment, we have used mats to map out the q build (raised stage area) and any props that are onstage. Setting up the space is important to help us as performers develop an organised show, and ensure we know exactly what is on stage all the time (props, extra staging and other performers).
01/04/19- Project Workshop
Today in project workshop we began by reading through the script we were given for 'Rocky Horror'. We read through from beginning to end, so that we could have a better understanding of the story and the character we had been assigned. We discussed what accents each character would be speaking in and I decided that my character would best fit an RP English accent. My strength for this lesson was that I was comfortable reading from the script and was able to add small amounts of characterisation to comical lines, for example: 'Put these on they will make you feel less.... vulnerable!' I used a sarcastic voice when saying the word 'vulnerable', which made my classmates laugh, so I think I am going to keep this expression in. My weakness this lesson was listening to cues, I need to listen to others when they are reading their lines so I know when to come in for my lines.My targets for this lesson are to research the show and learn the songs, so that I am prepared for next lesson.
02/04/19- Project Workshop
In today's lesson we discussed backstage roles; I have decided to help with costume and makeup and also work out choreography for 'Sweet Transvestite' and ' Make you a man'. We then moved onto blocking Act 1 and worked on the choreography for 'The Time Warp'. I am not in this number but I stood in for Rina, who is playing Columbia. I tried my best to sing along with the lyrics I knew and keep up with the choreography. My strength this lesson was how alert I was. I made sure I was ready to stand in for another student who wasn't present and offered to learn the choreography and then teach it to her the following lesson.This was good as it builds my teaching and teamwork skills with my classmates. My weakness this lesson was my energy, despite not working on my own character this lesson I still need to have energy for every rehearsal, so that I can show my full potential and work on becoming a larger than life character. . My targets for this lesson is to learn my lines so that I can get into my character more and be comfortable on stage. Here is the video of the 'Time Warp' choreography so far:
23/04/19- Project Workshop
In our first lesson back we started by recapping everything we had learnt last term and then carried on to plot Act 1. We set up the spaces placing mats around the room in the spaces where set and the q build will be. This was important so that we knew where to stand on stage and so we could visualise the final set and where certain props would be placed.
I have realised I need to work on making my accent more posh and well spoken, so that I can capture the essence of Frank more. As well as this we looked closely at entrances, exits and transitions between each scene, this is to make sure the show will be fluid and that each scene flows form one to the next. This also helped to ensure everyone knew where they were meant to be at specific times. We managed to finish Act 1 and I now know that I need to start choreographing the dances I chose to help with. My strength this lesson was how well I retained what we had done in previous sessions so that we could move on and start working on other parts of the show. My weakness this lesson was not having prepared choreography for the songs I chose to work on, this could have hindered the rehearsal but fortunately it did not and we worked on a different part of Act 1.My target from this lesson is to listen to the 2 songs I have been tasked to choreograph and start thinking about possible movement to put into the song.
25/04/19 - Jazz/ Musical Theatre lesson
Today in the studio we did individual work and started to block the pieces we had been asked to choreograph. I partnered up with Nehemie, and began working on the movement for 'Make you a man' . Before we started to think about the movement we looked at the film version of the song and also a live stage version of the song, so we could use inspiration from both interpretations. After we had watched the videos we read through the text that comes before and then tried to work out how we were going to transition into the song. Our teacher Mandy helped us come up with some more comedic moves to make the song funnier and more outrageous. For example , we came up with the idea to have Nehemie (Rocky) 'choke' on eggs when frank (me), says the line: "he'll eat nutritious high protein and swallow raw eggs." We managed to roughly choreograph the whole song but next lesson we need to teach everyone else their parts of the song so that they can keep the stage full and interesting for the audiences eyes. My strength this lesson was the content I created, it was style appropriate and comical. My weakness this lesson was the speed in which I worked at, if I worked faster there could have been enough time to rehearse the song more. My target for next time is to continue devising moves for the chorus to do in the background, whilst me and Nehemie tell the story of the song in the centre of the stage.
29/04/19- Project Workshop
During our last lesson we finished blocking Act 1, so this lesson we began blocking Act 2. We specifically worked on scene 5, which is the sex scene between Frank, Janet and Brad. I worked on attempting to make both of the scenes sound the same, as this adds to the comedic value of the performance. The scene will be performed behind screens, only showing our silhouettes, this will make the show more PG and age appropriate. After we had run through the scene a few times, we decided to them work on the 'finale'
of the show: 'Rose Tint My World'. Nehemie had been given the task to choreograph this song and took each of us off individually and showed us our movement for our solo parts in the song. My strength this lesson was that I was able to pick up my movement easily as it was fairly simple yet effective. My weakness this lesson was my characterisation in the sex scene as at the moment Me, Tilia and Bethany feel awkward in the scene. We need to practise more to get used to the racy nature of the show. My targets from this lesson were to retain choreography and work on scene 5 at home in my own time, so that next lesson we will be able to move on and work on a different section of the show.
30/04/19- Project Workshop
Today we began working on the movement numbers in Act 2 . We worked specifically on 'Wild and Untamed Thing' which is a high energy number and is one of the longest songs in the show. We recapped what we had learnt of the beginning of the number last lesson. We were taught the choreography by Nehemie. My strength this lesson was that I managed to pick up the choreography fast and still remain in character whilst picking up the moves. My weakness this lesson as not knowing the words to the song very well. So, My target for next lesson is to be more confident in my lyrics, especially in my solo part, so that it stands out from the rest of the song. Here are the videos of both 'Rose Tint My world' and 'wild and Untamed Thing'.
02/05/19 Jazz and MT
In today's jazz and musical theatre lesson we decided to show our teacher Shannon the choreography we had done for Rocky Horror so far. My class mated began by showing her 'The Time warp', which I am not in. But my teacher gave them feedback and then asked them to do the dance again but keeping her corrections in mind.Once Shannon was happy with the dance, she asked to see the next movement piece we had been working on. We showed her 'Hot Patootie' I don't dance in this song, I stand on the side with Rocky and look angry, as I am supposed to hate Eddie. I worked out some moves I am going to do on the side like hitting Rocky when he tries to join in with the dance and rolling my eyes at Eddie as he comes closer to me. My strength for this lesson was my ability to come up with some movement on my own, this saved Leah (who was choreographing this dance) having to direct me separately from the rest of the class, so this saved time. My weakness this lesson was my energy, as I wasn't doing as much as my class mates, I was standing on stage looking a bit bored, so I need to keep my energy up all the time. My target for next lesson is to retain the corrections we received about energy during 'Hot Patootie' and retain what I learnt today. Here is the video of 'Hot Patootie'.
07/05/19 Project Workshop
This lesson I didn't do lot as we went through 'Hot Patootie' and I don't dance in this song. However, I did figure out the time I am going to run on with the chainsaw to kill Eddie. My strength this lesson was retaining the corrections and movements I had come up with for myself during the song. My target for next lesson is to continue working at a high standard during lessons. Here is a video of us dancing to 'Hot Patootie'.
13/05/19 Project Workshop
In today's lesson we focused on 'The Sword Of Damocles', which we haven't focused on before. Ghazall was choreographing this dance so we listened to her ideas and she taught us what she had choreographed of the dance so far. Me and Nehemie are together onstage throughout most of this song, so we decided that we would make up a small dance section on our won to save Ghazall some time, as she would have to direct us separately from the rest of the class. We then filmed what we had done of the dance, so that we could remember it for next lesson. My strength this lesson was creativity and creating a dance break for me and Nehemie. My weakness this lesson was my precision, I wasn't precise in my movement which made it less effective, for example when I move up and down over Nehemie, I was out of time which mad it less funny. My target for next lesson is to develop and retain the choreography from today's lesson.
15/05/19 Project Workshop
In this lesson we began by running 'Time Warp' which we have made cleaner. We then started to look at 'Eddies Teddy' and recap what we had learnt of this. We specifically polished the 'strangling' part to make it more exaggerated and comical. I took the approach of pretending to strangle myself and shake my legs around to make me looking look I was being violently murdered. We then went through 'The Sword Of Damocles' which is a lot cleaner now and then we worked on cleaning 'Make You A Man'. We needed to make the 'string man arms' on the lyrics: 'ma-a-a-an' sharper so that they matched with the timing of the songs. My strength today was my leader ship as I corrected some of the parts in 'Make You A Man' and now the number looks a lot cleaner. My target for next lesson is to remember to make parts of the songs more comical to ensure a better reaction from the audience, especially in the song 'Eddies Teddy', as I have killed Eddy and find the fact that they are all talking about in a loving way, funny.
Final Performance 23/05/19
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| FRONT COVER OF PROGRAMME |
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| OTHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
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| SYNOPSIS OF THE SHOW AND CAST LIST |
Final Performance video 23/05/19
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