I am beginning to imagine the scenes and how it feels to be in them instead of just speaking our lines through.

One of the challenges is to get the feeling of the connection between the four of us as well as continuity. I hope we can achieve this. I am sure we will.

Although initially i felt it was quite a complex play I think we can bring out the playfulness within it and make it fun. I am aware that I need to feel relaxed with Doris age 5 and 61, and having observed the habits and characteristics of those ages I feel more able to adapt them to Doris and carry it through to performance.

Jill showed us a film that was in Berkhovian style, and I made notes on the following -

Physicality -

Use hands and bodies to demonstrate what they are saying. Not naturalistic acting, not a direct interpretation of acting.

People at the back are the'chorus' adding to the main piece. They went out, had a fight and now they are talking about it. It's very stylised, physical theatre. A stylistic way of acting. The guys use different eye levels. They were using narrative in their dialogue. Plays looks at life and those characters in them. Exaggerated facial expressions, eyes always have a very distinct focus.

Task -

Go over a scene and adopt a Berkovian style - Steven Berkhov is a very distinct style of theatre. Brecht wants aduience to believe they are in the theatre. Berkhov uses alienation as if the audience aren't in the theatre.

Berkhov in our scene, chorus commencing at the back, stylised gestures that are big and exaggerated.

I have been reciting my lines over half term and when I am not thinking too much I remember them!!

I think once we are in our chosen dresses etc in our rehearsals it will start to feel more real and therefore likely to be able to get more absorbed in to our chosen character's.

I am hoping that I will be able to feel relaxed in my character once I am confident with my lines.

I feel quite excited by the challenge and I would say the only thing I feel I am not quite so confident about is the physicality of 'Doris' particularly when she is aged 61 in Scene 5 and that is what I still need to work on.

11February 2010 -

Michele and I concentrated on power point today as we were not all present to rehearse our play so we went to the library and came up with some visuals for the wasteland in scene one. We managed to find a garden scene and a picture of the family home that we felt resembled the feeling of the house in the play together with an opening picture of a photograph depicting 'My mother said I never should'.

We were planning on timing our lines but there wasn't time today. We are going off timetable for the next two weeks in order that we can focus on our dress rehearsals completely. Over the half term I am going to focus on reciting my lines.

Peer Observation worksheet - 8.2.2010

Feedback from fellow students -

My vocal when I was a child in the first scene was kept well and consistent all the way through. It was suggested that I should soften the tone of my voice when I say, 'Push, its like doing a big poo'.

I dont need to shout but instead project my voice but also soften it.

Re: Positioning of our characters
To lie down more central to the stage instead of at the back.

Re: Characterisation
During scene 5 there is no need to shout although my intention of doing that was initially that I was aware I had to shout over the sound of a lawnmower in order to be heard.

2.2.2010

Absent in this session due to my daughter's ill health.

1.2.2010

Absent in this session due to my daughter's ill health.

Watching our plays during our lesson - 8.2.2010

We watched our plays during our lesson today with the intention of rehearsing afterwards which we didnt have time to do.
My feedback from Shanaz and fellow students:
1) To learn my lines
2) To not wear a hat
3) I was shouting in scene 1 when I say' 'Push! It's like doing a big poo. Then the babby popps out.'
4) I had my hand over the front of my face when I was calling for 'Jack' over the sound of the lawnmower.
5) I had managed to keep my character well aged 5 years.
6) In scene one I was shrieking a bit when I was trying to access a young voice.

Rehearsing our play - 28. 1. 2010

We talked about the script and what our parts were, I have watched various clips on you tube.

I am pleased with our play as I feel it is multi dimensional and a challenge with the regard to the character I am playing 'Doris'. I am keen to learn how to switch ages from adult to a child.

Characters-

mother daughter relationship

four generations - Doris, Great grandmother

Margaret- Doris daughter

A wasteland when they are girls and they all meet up. When I am a child I am the youngest child. I go from a 61 year old to a 5 year old.

in the first scene the children are inquisitive. Margaret is mother of Jackie. Jackie has given birth to Rosie (due to limited funds to bring Rosie up)

Jackie gives up the baby to Margaret and Margaret brings Rosie up as her own until she is sixteen. Doris is Margaret's mother.

Really make scenes clear to the audience to help with our differentating ages.

We concentrated on blocking today and I was getting more in to the feel of the 'child like' character 'Doris'. This was the first time I really felt I let myself go and let my inhibitions go. 'Doris' aged 5 years came more easily to me than 'Doris' aged 61 years and I realise I need to work on more observation of age study and characteristics of someone of that age.

I think of the character 'Doris' as quite upright and correct in her manner with clear clarity of diction and middle class.
I am also aware I need to focus clearly on who I am directing my attention to when we are sitting in the garden scene five. 'Doris', 'Margaret' and 'Jackie' are present in scene 5.

Rehearsing our play 4 February 2010

4 February 2010

We rehearsed our play while Sarah our musical theatre tutor gave us feedback which was really helpful.

The feedback she gave me was she felt I had clarity in my voice, that it was clear and well projected.

As Bobbie was not here today Sarah suggested that I took the role of 'Margaret' to stand in for Bobbie and whilst doing so sit on the sides.

My challenges are that I need to fully engage with my role once I have learned my lines.

We have managed to read through our play together and work out where we are positioned on stage and concentrate on 'blocking'.

The first challenge was to work out who the characters were in the play and who they were related to.

We have had thoughts on whether to introduce the style of Brecht to our performance as this would enable the audience to feel more directed and give them the opportunity to be well informed by the use of this style in our performance.

We felt it may be challenging for the audience to completely engage in the performance alone without the use of Brechtian techniques.

A beat - is a pause or a cough

A beat is when you have a pause you change and it occurs in the way you are talking - realisation is a different interpretation.

A beat - cough - Put in the beats where you think they occur.

My mother said I never should Discussion

We were given our plays and Bobbie, Michelle and Kat and myself were given 'My mother said I never should' written by Charlotte Keatley. I have been given the role of 'Doris'.

We had the task of reading through our plays.

Primarily in Scene one Doris is aged 5 years then in scene five Doris is aged 61 years.