Week 3

3.1.
For the Stanislavski exercise I brought in an image of me and my late granddad from 9 years ago. When i originally chose te photo to bring in I didn't think that i would still feel emotional about his death because it was 7 years ago, but once me and Adam began to talk i started looking deeper into the photo and we began discussing things related to the photo which I've never thought of before. This made me realize how much sentimental value the photo contained.

3.2. - 3 reviews on Gotcha by Barrie Keefe

Sources:

• http://edfringereview.com/r/Uf481iy0T6KKfCRSXDx6yg
• http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/gotcha-rev

1. Ben Williams - 'All of this was combined with a witty and occasionally humorous script, even if some of the characters, particularly the teachers, came across as rather cliched.' 
2. Emma-Jane Manion - ' The amateur cast handle the material with maturity, if not quite masterfully. Gabriel Burns makes a truly vile Tom, the hypocritical and nasty teacher, who is the kids' main adversary. Nick Askill as the head teacher I found less convincing; he felt too much of a stereotype.'
3. Tobias Chapple - 'There are also some good lines and jokes, nothing too stunning, but enough to keep the ball rolling.'

Week 2 - non-naturalistic set design

My ffavoriteset design on the Pinterest website is the one designed by Cai Dyfan; I can believe this being successful because it looks like it has a lot of depth to it, as there are different sized windows which give the idea that they are further away/closer. The different designs of the windows also give the impression that the set can be used to show different locations at once, as one side of the set has a different interior to the other, maybe showing a different household all together.

Week 5 - Electra notes

Electra notes

Costume:

• Costumes used show class and status of the characters, for example Electra's attire was dirty and worn whereas her mother was wearing jewelry and royal colors, showing she had a higher status than Electra
• Some costumes were traditional such as Electra's but others were contemporary like the chorus
• Chorus was awkward throughout the performance and just lingered around the stage, however there was a large use of diversity between the 3 members; 2 were black and 1 was Irish.

Set:

• There was a dead tree which could represent Electra's murdered father, but also shows that the play was set outside and in the country
• There was sand which suggested that it was set in a hot country
• Access to water via a tap which suggested wealth, and maybe symbolizes the 'flow of life'
• Represented all the elements; earth, wind and fire
• Homage to Greek Theater.

Sound:

• Music represented magic occurring or a curse being lifted, however it was only used during tense moments in the play
• Overall lack or music, which suggested the directer wanted more focus on the dialogue
• Consistent 'heartbeat' when music was played.

Mis-en-scene:

• Overall grief and death
• The set foreshadowed the death of the characters
• Anger at the gods and family - Electra was over dramatic

Lighting:

• Overhead lighting used frequently - tinted
• Lanterns used which gave the effect of natural light
• The lighting used represented the outside, such as the sun rise and the sun set.

Week 4

Week 4

4.2
One exercise that could help with the development of a Gotcha character is the Emotion Memory exercise. For this exercise we were asked to bring something in which has meaning to us and discuss it with our partner. I brought in a photo of me and my grandparents. This gave me greater understanding of the emotions that kid felt when talking to Lynne about his late grandmother. By knowing this I am able to use the emotions to develop kids character during that scene and how he slowly forgets about the situation surrounding him and just focuses on his loved grandmother.

4.2
Electras performance in tthe greek play Electra was very engaging due to the way she used her vocal, physical and facial expressions.

An example of one of these techniques is how Electra kept a consistant volume throughout the performance and increased in times of distress so the whole theatre was able to hear her as there were no microphones. You were also able to tell what emotions she was feeling by her voice, for example when she was crying on the floor face down you could tell she was upset by how her speech began to slow down and her pitch would increase.You could also tell she was excited by the way the pace of her words increased; an example of this is when Electra found out Orestes has returned and is not dead she begins pacing around the stage and when she talks it would be short bursts of energy, almost like she couldn't contain her excitement.

In one scene you see Electra is greaving over the loss of her murdered father. You are able to tell she is extremely upset bu the way her body is hunched over on the floor; she is also clenching her fists which shows the frustration and anger of Electra having to live with Clytemnestra, who murdered her father.

Throughout the performance Electra experiences alot of negative emotions cauing her to frown for the majority of the performance. However once she finds out Orestes is still alive her facial expressions completely change. She stops forwning and begins to smile, exposing her which teeth which are highlighted by her dirty skin.