Project Workshop
01/04/19
Today we read through the script as the characters we were assigned at the audition. We began to develop our characters and experiment with different ways of presenting our lines. This helped us to get a feel for the story and our interactions with each other. This session also allowed me to experiment with the accent that I use for Riff Raff.
Positive:
This session allowed us to get a feel for our lines and practise our interpretations.
Negative:
I had not thought much about the accent Riff Raff would have prior to this rehearsal.
Target:
For the next session I will aim to decide on a voice for Riff Raff so that I can start developing the characterisation in my lines.
Project Workshop
02/04/19
In today's session we began by allocating responsibilities across our group. We decided that I would choreograph the song 'Hot Patootie' which is the song Eddie sings when he enters at the end of Act 2. I also volunteered to help organise any props for the show.
We started staging Act One and learning choreography for the 'Time Warp'. This is one of the main songs my character Riff Raff sings. I have room to put in my own interpretation on my movements during the opening of this song as I sing through the first section and do not follow the choreography. I am also taking the lines of the narrator in this song which means I have to adapt what I'm doing with the character.
I felt that I projected well especially at the beginning of this song, I also thought the characterisation came across effectively as I embodied the character both with my voice and physicality.
When watching this video back, I reflected that all my movements need to be bigger. Riff Raff is a crazy character and small movements will not leave the impression I want to portray to the audience as they can't be seen seen as clearly. I feel that this will improve as I consolidate the movements I am doing during the opening of this song. Through the rehearsal process I will remember to accentuate my gestures.
23/04/19
Today we picked up from where we left off before easter and continued blocking Act One. We managed to finish this section so then went back to the beginning and ran it all through. These rehearsals where we are blocking are important as they allow us to be in the scenes and experience the situations that the characters are in. Blocking is when we go through the show scene by scene and place ourselves where we think the characters should be standing whilst we deliver our lines. With the help of a mirror in the studio and our tutor we successfully made our way to the end of Act One without much further work needing to be done in acting the scenes besides from learning lines.
Independent work
25/04/19
Today we had some time to work on the things for Rocky Horror that we needed to do in the studio space. Tilia and Nehemie started working on the staging for 'Touch Me' and we watched the progress and gave feedback. I decided to begin working on the staging and choreography for 'Hot Patootie' and thought a good starting point would be to research iconic 50s moves. This can be found on my research page.
Project Workshop
29/04/19
Today we began at the beginning of Act Two and worked our way through until the end of the show with the rough blocking and read through of all our lines. The second act is quite different to the first in that we see a different side of Brad and Janet. For my character, the second act includes the big reveal of Riff Raff's true intentions to kill all the residents in the castle and return to Transexual with only his sister, Magenta. This scene also reveals to the audience that Frank, Magenta and Riff Raff are infact aliens so this is a big turning point in the plot line.
Singing Lesson
02/05/19
Today we started the lesson by running through 'Time Warp'. We then moved on to 'Rose Tint my World' where I have a verse to sing at the end which I got an oppurtunity to practise in this lesson. I observed that I have to focus on my breath control to get the last note to sound full and sustained as its a very important moment in the plot.
Musical Theatre
02/05/19
Today we worked with our musical theatre teacher, Shanon, to clean up the existing choreography we have for Rocky Horror. We began by showing her the beginning of 'Time Warp' which we went through slowly to figure out what moves happened when. At the beginning of the song I have a solo which I've been working hard to improve, mainly in terms of my characterisation. We then moved on to 'Hot Patootie' where I sorted out some staging and choreography for everyone to do, it still requires some work however it is at a good starting point.
Project Workshop
07/05/19
This video is of 'Hot Patootie'. There is still a lot of work to be done as there are too many parts of the song which we improvise which need more structure.
Positive:
The enthusiasm and character in the movements is effective in this song
Negative:
The choreography in the verses need more structure to be effective to watch
Target:
Come up with small routines that can be done through the verses so that the audience will stay entertained
Acting Lesson
07/05/19
Today we did a full run through of everything we had staged so far for Rocky Horror. There were some scenes / songs which hadn't yet been staged however running from beginning to end was helpful as it allowed us get a feel for the whole show. By doing this runthrough, we were able to identify weak points especially in terms of our acting scenes. We concluded that the final scene where Riff Raff and Magenta enter with laser guns was the least put together scene and did not flow very well. Therefore, we are planning to give this scene some extra rehearsal time to make sure it is up to the standard of the other scenes.
Positive:
In this run through we were able to effectively move from scene to scene, this is because we had memorised our cues and although there were little mistakes we worked through these quickly.
Negative:
Identified the points in the acting scenes where the flow wasn't working.
Target:
The main targets to work towards would be filling out the gaps in the show which we were easily able to identify today.
Singing Lesson
08/05/19
Today, we began consolidating our vocal parts for various songs in Rocky Horror. I began by singing through my section in 'Time Warp' and the section where myself and Magenta sing together. This was useful as it allowed us to make sure that when we sung parts together we sang them in the same way. For example, on the line "and nothing will ever be the same" we agreed to speak this line to add some variety into the verse.
We also began working on the backing vocals in 'Sword of Damecles'. We listened to the track and picked out the tune of the backing vocals. After matching this up with the script and listening to the track a few times we were able to figure out what we would be singing in the background of this song. Lastly, we recapped our harmonies that accompany 'Science Fiction, Double Feature'.
Positive:
This was a productive lesson that allowed us to consolidate parts we had already learnt and take some time to learn small backing vocals that will help fill out the show.
Target:
In the coming lessons we will aim to begin learning and consolidating songs that are placed later on in the show that we are not as familiar with.
Singing Lesson
09/05/19
In this lesson we began by getting the backing track to 'Time Warp' on the computer. I worked with my teacher to make a cut in the backing track so that it would fit our choreography as the track had an extra verse which did not fit with our routine. I had noticed this when we were rehearsing with backing tracks earlier in the week so made a point of mentioning this to the teacher so that it could be quickly fixed and we could start rehearsing with a backing track that fitted our dance.
We then decided to run through all the songs with our chosen backing tracks from beginning to end so that we could check all the other backing tracks worked well and also to rehearse the songs evenly so that we did not miss any out. This run through also allowed us to notice which songs required more work vocally.
This session allowed us to be more prepared for the upcoming show and notice any issues well in advance of the show so our final rehearsals could go as smoothly as possible.
Negative:
During this rehearsal I noticed that I had not learnt my section of 'Rose Tint my World'.
Target:
Although I managed to pick up the tune of my solo that finishes 'Rose Tint my World', my target for the next session will be to practise and refine this verse as well as deciding what melody to go with as there are a variety of versions on the internet, one of which jumps to a high note on the word 'extreme' which may be quite comedic.
Independent work
09/05/19
Today we worked independently (without a teacher) to rehearse and refine Rocky Horror. We thought about what would be useful and decided as a class that we should do a run through from the beginning. This went well, however when we approached 'Sword of Damocles' we realised we had not started learning choreography and staging for this number, which we needed to do to progress forward with the show. The role of staging this number was given to Ghazal so she took the lead as we started learning the moves she assigned to us for each section of the song. We also started to develop our characters in this song as there were certain points where we had to improvise.
Positive:
We made good progress on the show and filled out a gap that allowed us to move forward with the show.
We made good progress on the show and filled out a gap that allowed us to move forward with the show.
Negative:
I had to think carefully about how my character would react in the situation of the song and in this rehearsal I don't feel I was successful in portraying my character in the song.
I had to think carefully about how my character would react in the situation of the song and in this rehearsal I don't feel I was successful in portraying my character in the song.
Target:
My target will be to think about my character's reaction more carefully for the next time we rehearse this song.
My target will be to think about my character's reaction more carefully for the next time we rehearse this song.
13/05/19
Positive:
Good energy in the song and movements.
Negative:
Movements need to be tidier as sometimes the choreography looks messy.
Target:
To put some more rehearsal time into achieving synchronised movement.
Project Workshop
14/05/19
Today in our rehearsal time we reflected on our last rehearsal where we rehearsed 'Sword of Damocles' and made adjustments to improve the quality of this piece. We then learnt some choreography for 'Eddies Teddy' that was inspired by the live peformance of Rocky Horror and finished refining 'I Can Make You a Man'. I also worked with one of the teachers to create a jiving section at the end of 'Hot Patootie' as I felt this would fit well with the rest of the song and it would be funny for Frank to begin chasing Eddie with the chainsaw while we are jiving. To create this section of choreography we took inspiration from a jiving performance at the British Museum. When watching it we paused at moves which we thought looked good and included them in the routine. Here is the video we took inspiration from:
Positive:
In this session we made effective changes to the routines to make them more effective to watch and we filled in gaps of songs with no choreography.
Negative:
In 'Hot Patootie' there is still a section without a routine of moves that need to be put in to avoid too much improvisation.
Target:
My target is to sort out that section with no moves so that the piece is well rounded.
Acting Lesson
14/05/19
In today's session we worked with Monique, our acting teacher, on our lines and staging through the show. We did some rough staging for the killing scene however this still requires some work. We observed that the killing scene is where we are all most rough on our lines so we need to put some extra time into consolidating these lines.
Positive:
When running through the beginning scenes we picked up on each others cues quickly.
Negative:
Our lines are rough in the killing scene that takes place at the end of the show.
Target:
To consolidate lines in final scene and remember the staging we did with Monique.
Rehearsals
15/05/19
Today we continued rehearsing 'Eddie's Teddy' with the choreography we previously learnt. We tidied up everything we had done with the song to make it more effective on stage and to help accompany the story told in this song. We then moved on to rehearse 'Sword of Damocles' which we noted needs improvement with the characterisation as there is not much choreography in the song. We then went over 'Time Warp' to make sure it looked good as this is one of the most iconic songs in the show so it is especially important for it to be good.
Positive:
We effectively tidied up choreography in songs and worked on our characters.
Negative:
In 'Time Warp' I think I still nedd to be more over the top with my character as I am holding back.
Target:
I think as a group we should aim to put more energy into the songs.
Singing
16/05/19
Today we had our singing lesson in the dance studio so that we could run through all the songs with the movements / choreography. This rehearsal was very useful as it allowed us to practise all the songs equally and after doing this we had feedback from our teacher. The feedback was mainly for other members of the class and included some issues with timimg however he ended by telling us he thought the show was coming on well which was encouraging to hear. At the end of the session we worked on both 'Superheroes' and 'Time Warp' both of which I have a solo in.
My solo in superheroes is actually a narration part so I am going to sing it up the octave as this is in my comfortable range and will show the audience I am speaking from a different perspective.
Positive:
We sung through all the songs well and I didn't get any corrections from the teacher hopefully meaning all my solo parts were sung well.
Negative:
I am unsure of some of the words for my solo in 'Superheroes'.
Target:
I will make sure I learn all the lyrics for superheroes and practise this section for the next rehearsal.
Rehearsals
16/05/19
Today we consolidated the new movements for 'Sword of Damecles'. We also discussed staging for ending and bows as well as how to stage a 'Time Warp' reprise.
We performed a full run through in jazz class, Shannon (our Jazz and Musical Theatre teacher) made notes and fed them back to us.
Feedback was as follows:
- Good characterisation
- Make the eyes more crazy, face needs to match voice
- Crazier expression and movement for everyone
- Mistakes in choreography to be fixed
- Don’t loose energy at end of 'Time Warp' keep energy in movements
- Keep character in ensemble parts
- Don’t stand in a line on 'Make You a Man' as it looks too positioned
- Remember to do small bits of choreography
- Don’t stand in a semi-circle for 'Hot Patootie'
- Tighten up choreography in 'Hot Patootie'
- 'Make you a man' reprise needs work
- Think about the extraterrestrial sign with Alex
- Project more in 'Rose Tint' as I’m further back on the stage
- Work on the last scene
- Entrances and exits need rehearsing
Tech Rehearsal
17/05/19
Today, we had our tech rehearsal in the theatre. This rehearsal was mainly intended for the production team to block all of our lighting and sound effects for the show. When seeing the stage complete with the Q build we observed that the steps up and down would be tricky to navigate especially for Ella (Frank) as she had to wear very big heels. We adjusted the timing for running off the stage at the beginning of 'Time Warp' so that she is allowed more time as the running was very loud and distracting from the number. As we started running through the show we took note of any areas for improvement or little tweaks we could make such as different sound effects, props and restaging the final scene to make it work better. We also focused particularly on our entrances and exits and what cues we had to pick up on to make sure we were on the stage on time.
Positive:
All of our musical numbers worked well and we got to experience lights and sound effects for the first time.
Negative:
There were areas of the show that needed tweaking as they did not quite work.
Target:
To take on board all the changes from today and use the weekend to prepare for rehearsals and shows next week.
Rehearsals
20/05/19
We started off the week by picking up from where we left off on Friday's tech rehearsal. We worked out our bows and the entrances for the 'Time Warp' reprise after Alex (Usherette) has done her final 'Science Fiction' song. We started working with head mics and ran through the main musical numbers to check how they were working. The songs sounded fuller now we had introduced head mics however occasionally the head mics had technical difficulties which interfered with the performance. During this rehearsal, we also tidied up the choreography on the musical numbers which needed it.
Positive:
The rest of the tech went smoothly and we quickly figured out an effective way for us to enter the stage to do our 'Time Warp' reprise.
Negative:
Some of the songs looked messy on the stage.
Target:
To practise all the choreography on stage so that it is tidier and effective to watch.
Rehearsals
21/05/19
In today's rehearsal, we found out that we would not be able to use mics after all as we could not have enough frequencies to support each of us having a mic and swapping around wouldn't be a possibility.
We had our first dress run today in which we got to experience all the lighting and sound effects that would be happening in the show. This rehearsal allowed us to figure out the logistics of the show such as how much time we would get to change costumes or to go round the stage to enter from a different side. This allowed us to anticipate any issues that may arise in performances so that we could keep them minimal.
Positive:
The show is really taking shape and tells the story effectively with good energy.
Negative:
There were still some minor issues which stopped the show reaching its full potential as per target below.
Target:
To keep in mind all of the entrances / exits, timings for changing costumes / makeup, any staging changes that have taken place since the beginning of the week to prepare for the first performance tomorrow.
Rehearsals
22/05/19
Today, we had our first show which was performed to production students. It was useful to have this as our first show as the students were mainly taking note of the lighting and sound effects for the show rather than our performance.
We managed to refine the show down to only a few minor changes that needed to take place to make the show run more smoothly.
 |
| My character, Riff Raff, greeting Brad and Janet |
 |
| Usherrete singing 'Science Fiction Double Feature' |
 |
| Me, Magenta and Columbia doing the 'Time Warp' |
 |
| Undressing Brad and Janet |
 |
| 'Sword of Damecles' |
 |
| 'Make you a Man' |
 |
| 'Make you a Man Reprise', leading to end of Act 1 |
 |
| Frank seduces Brad |
 |
| Janet discovers what Brad is up to on the monitor |
 |
| 'Touch Me' |
 |
| Frank discovers Rocky's whereabouts on the monitor |
 |
| Dr Scott enterts the castle |
 |
| 'Eddie's Teddy' |
 |
| Columbia is fed up of taking orders from Frank |
 |
| Frank promises that Magenta and Riff Raff will be rewarded |
 |
| 'Floor Show' |
 |
| 'Floor Show' |
 |
| Magenta and Riff Raff enter as aliens |
 |
| 'I'm Going Home' |
 |
| 'I'm Going Home' |
 |
| Riff Raff kills everyone with his laser gun |
 |
| Rocky mourns Frank's death |
 |
| 'Science Fiction' reprise |
 |
| Bows and 'Time Warp' reprise |
23/05/19
We began the day by having a full run through with props before our assessed show. It went well with few mistakes which filled us with confidence for the coming performance. This run through also helped to give stagehands an opportunity to work out when pieces of set needed to be brought on.
No comments:
Post a Comment