Before I dive into the normal routine of class discussions/work/feedback and performing etc I went to Birmingham this weekend and it was scary how much it reminded me of Road. I have quite an imaginative mind so like when I spoke about Valeries' monologue I really felt as though she was talking about drink and not her husband- so perhaps I have a playful/abstract mind. I can play around with words and meanings behind them as well as meanings behind characters which I have demonstrated in various blog posts. So when we were first introduced to 'Road' I had mentally pictured what I believe Road to look like. And it was literally exactly how Birmingham looked! The car journey was long and boring so my mind was set on relating it to 'Road'. We drove through a very run down area and the streets were identical. Houses ran all the way down the roads, with only a couple of meters apart from one another. No driveways or pretty plant pots out the front nor nicely coloured front doors. They were all just identical, in every way possible. With everything around me I most probably gathered everything in which I linked to Road and created this 'council estate' Road design but it was precisely how I had pictured 'Road'.
Me and my sister also had great fun when out shopping on the sunday of our road trip, talking in the 'Road's' northern accent so this outing was educational at the same time ha!
Week 6 of Road already, so not long until we are on!
With that in mind we went for a full run of the play, start to finish, going through making changes and giving feedback as we went in order to continue in improving it as a play.
It was a patchy run through because we were missing a lot of characters so scenes were missed, and this was relevant for the pre-show; as it didn't work with just the actors we had today, it's a scene in which we need everyone here in order to practise and perfect. But we still managed to run through the pre-show reminding ourselves of the orders etc.
We began with Louise and brother scene, and I felt that it was a lot more successful than when we did it last week. We had less laughs and silly comments today which was a nice change because the louder members of the group were either absent or drained of energy; but this helped me and Jake go all out on this scene. A important note I made for this scene is to speak to Deborah on where she wants the mirror placed in this scene, as with experimentation we have tried to get it so the mirror doesn't block me from the right side of the audience and vice versa, but when trying it without the mirror it's hard to place where it should be. It is also important that Louise leaves it in the right place on stage as Carol and then Eddie both use it in scenes to come.
I think that the emotion portrayal was good as was the 'face rub' however I still think it could do with a lot of work, which will be done on Wednesday if we have the opportunity to go off and rehearse scenes. My feedback for this scene is AGAIN to react more on 'shagging' so unfortunately this has been an ongoing piece of feedback for me, another big thing I will look at with Jake on Wednesday! And also pace and energy!!! Which will be looked closely at on Wednesday, I keep saying this will be done Wednesday because Deborah has already listed those she wants to specifically work with then, so hopefully we can go off and work individually.
A re-occurring thing is that I keep messing up or forgetting my lines when practising them physically in lessons. This is really frustrating as I know them, word-for-word but I haven't been able to prove this to anyone yet. This is a confidence thing and nerves but it's something I really want to conquer to show the others that I do know what I'm doing and that I've been working a lot one i.e. accent work. So it is important for myself that I show that I do know my lines, instead of managing to mess up the pub names and monologue (these are the two main sections.)
I promised myself that I would take shallower looks into other characters when watching scenes and instead watch them physically and help them that way; as this is the only thing that will improve them for the performance itself. However, when watching Jerry I discovered a meaning to one of his lines, 'the weather always seemed to be misty' What does he mean by this? I gathered from it what I could and came to conclude that the weather was the only thing that stayed the same each time he returned back from war. Other things changed such as 'the girls, and how they 'used' to stay in the dance halls' and so years on, in his reminiscing years; he (or Cartwright) makes the weather an important thing for Jerry as this was his only home-like memory perhaps? So Jerry, I think, needs to take the time to really think as he's saying this, instead of as though he is asking himself a rhetorical question but more as though he is remembering 'yeah, it was always misty, wasnt it?'
Sticking to my promise however I did note down that he (he, being Frank) needs to make the monologue a bit more dynamic, so add some movements, get up from your chair etc. This way the audience will be more drawn into what you are saying if they can see your moving as you go through your monologue. [Foreshadowing... Thursday this feedback has been taken on board...]
Not sticking to my promise long at all I got excited when I heard Clare (sorry, Frankie) mention 'getting top marks in a quiz'. And her second response to getting top marks was that she was really quite proud of herself. With all the negativity that surrounds her she still manages to shine through with a sense of pride and also hope for her future. Although it hits quite hard; because with her knowing this- knowing that she could get out of here, she has the brains to the right quiz results to go and find a better life for her- however she loves Joey. And she sacrifices all this for him. I would normally say that this needs to come across when delivering these few lines but thinking in a more realistic context: For example if you gave up going somewhere, that somewhere being a place you really wanted to go too, for a friend of yours who needed you (perhaps because of anxiety, depression or stress) most of us would give it up to be with them but wouldn't say "oh I gave up going to... for you" So raking it back into Road, Clare would just give it up for Joey; therefore I would say she doesn't need to give any extra emphasis or meaning to the lines she says in this section of the scene.
Joey: Joey being one of a few of my favourite characters including SkinLad, Scullery, Brenda and him. I tried to write notes for him to improve on instead of going off on a tangent talking about all the meanings of every line in Road. I noted that Joey (Brandon) should put that extra bit of emphasis on the news paper headlines he reads out. These headlines mean a lot to Joey; they are quite politically directed 'Maggie's tears, Our Queen mum' so it shows us that Joey has a lot to give and would probably be a very feisty, head strong character if we didn't know him as weak as he is now. It would be like if I knew that I could have a decent say in politics; I know I would definitely give it all my energy and my best shot. So surely Joey would draw up all his energy to deliver these headlines with his most meaningful opinions on them- in which I gather are quite negatively drawn.
This was the end of our lesson with Kirsty but we jumped straight into it again with Deborah. We were in the posh dance rooms for this lesson and I think this really helped. The dance rooms have no furniture in them so the acoustics are really effective; but it also makes our voices lost in the large rooms, so it encouraged us to project even more so.
I came up with an interesting thought about Bauld when in the scene searching for the keys. He needs to take a lot less time to decide whether or not he will help Dor find them as soon as he finds out that they have a bottle opener on it; for him to instead of asking the audience 'have you seen any keys?' To be asking 'have you seen a bottle opener?' This would, on the surface quite comedic as it's almost like we all know someone whom is a beer fan however looking deeper into it its quite sad. He will only help her because of the prospect of having a bottle opener. It shows the sort of depression in which they were all in at the time; a lot of it thanks to Margaret Thatcher to the fact that so many people became unemployed so perhaps Cartwright wrote it to mean that drink is all they had now that they've lost everything else. A rebellious act towards Thatcher?
The last character I really looked into, before it was my time on stage, was Valerie. Valerie was the first character in which I was shown before we were really told that we were doing Road. I think she is a really good character but some people might brush her aside because she only appears in one scene. But as a clever playwright would do, Cartwright has written a lot of hidden meanings into Valerie. We (Deborah and Sophie) have made Valerie completely and utterly in her own world. From this I think she can create a lot more meaning to her monologue. For example when she says 'fat hard hands in bed' Soph could really react to this as though she is completely re-living that memory entirely. This way, the audience will get a better understanding of what she is telling them and they will also clearly see how much this has effected her and her life. Its a bit like me with the reaction on 'shagging' it can be fairly subtle, instead of freaking out (OTT) but with a change of the way she says, her eye level (preferably looking down showing her vulnerability) and even a change in the way she sits, perhaps more rigid to show a sense of fear- will all add to the dynamics of the monologue and will save her from just sitting and delivering her lines.
I really enjoy getting down notes about other characters in the hope that it will help them with their character development; and it is also a nice way for me to write down all my thoughts about what we've done that day etc.
Moving onto our ending scene we were told that we will be dancing.
We tried it first, completely improvised to the song- Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding, and for me I found it incredibly difficult. We had to act extremely drunk and then dance, letting ourselves go completely. In front of the class. I hated it, to be blunt. It was really difficult for me to just go all out on dancing, being drunk etc. The second time round of doing it, Deborah got the class up, dancing like us but in the confines of the audience pit. And I'm not really sure if that made it less awkward or even more so. We did a third time, alone this time. But needless to say I found it stupidly hard, and I am annoyed with myself for finding it so difficult. Especially being alongside Phoebe and Lewis who could do it no problem.
The song starts off really quite slow and quiet, and for me it feels really awkward and unnatural to start 'getting into' a song. As the song builds we have to start letting go more and more and becoming more drunk. Maybe I find it hard to be in that drunken state of mind? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM71e8ovUos This video is telling me all about the four different types of drunk that you can theoretically choose for your character (not to choose when you are drunk.) Its hard to define what Louise would be but, she uses this drunk opportunity to test her limits, both with speaking her mind and with Eddie. In the dancing, she tries it out with Eddie a few times, and I need to show that it's almost like she has gone past this quiet persona of a character, and that like in the video "the drunkenness has freed" her. This is also clear in her monologue as this is finally her chance to tell the world everything she has kept up for herself for so long. It doesn't faze her that Eddie, Brink and Carol aren't listening she is just proud that she is finally doing it. So the drunkenness needs to bring out a more confident but honest side to her.
To really get a feel for what I should be acting like in the monologue I went through it, labelling the things I should perhaps be thinking, or doing or simply how I should be delivering the more prominent lines.
So I begin, talking to Carol as though to build her confidence as she knows she can talk to her. She then begins to get into the swing of it, when she starts asking 'whys the world so tough?' She then really gets into when she begins directing at the audience, 'i'm a quite person me.' Later on she starts listing off everything that she really wants in this world, and hopefully by this time she has built herself up to really letting it out. I know that I don't want to make her act drunk, drunk. If that makes sense? I think her drunkenness can be just giving her the confidence to tell the world all of this. In the video he says about making drunk acting realistic as so many don't and that's why I don't want nor do I think Louise would be the stereotypical drunk. I find being drunk-ish whilst doing the monologue so much easier than the dancing as I know my limits when acting, and probably don't when dancing. But you can't even call it dancing. With all that said about the 'dancing' scene, which I quite frankly hated doing; I'm not saying I wont try my best and go for it, nor will I refuse to do it as the whole point in life is that you overcome things. Very much like my devising project with the mannequin, looking back on it now I'm pleased I did it, as I can see that I personally overcame something I hated (and to some people, it mightve been really easy... we are all different.)
My acting book bible says: "The second time the improvisation will undoubtedly assume a more definite shape. The group must repeat its efforts again and again until the improvisation looks well-rehearsed. " The book quote is basically saying how the more times we rehearse we will become more and more confident on it and we can then start making it more realistically drunk instead of making it look awkward (probably just me.) We won't want to make it look well-rehearsed but that's a fairly easy job with a few drunken mistakes etc to mess it up a little bit. I think its just really important that we rehearse this, preferably away from an audience, so we really get the feel for the song, as well as knowing roughly what we can do so it makes it less aimless and awkward.
After the 'dancing' we went through our monologue and I did a good job of messing up my lines and personally doing a really rubbish job- so today wasn't a good day for me haha. I also can tell that I'm loosing my accent a fair bit, which is a shame because I've worked so hard on it. I know I've got a lot to work on now, seeing that we haven't got long until we perform... And I' am only talking about my own mistakes and rubbish acting today, noone else.
With the accent I went through my beginning scene, writing all my accent notes I've been taught over the six weeks:
I am really frustrated with myself that I have lost the accent and I knew it could happen if I didn't practise it enough, but I felt that I kept it up over the easter break- obviously not enough. And it was frustrating for me as I traced all my steps back, getting me to square one with the accent in the hope I can build it up again.
Still annoyed with myself, I went home and went through all my lines again, as though I was on stage, with the best accent etc etc. With the one audience member (my sister) she noticed a big difference in the monologue work that I had done, as it was clear now that she was trying hard to build up this courage and then when she goes for it, it hits the audience hard. I got my lines right all the way through so it is still a confidence thing and the accent was supposedly dying down on some lines but then others it was stronger- so the consistency was weak. Which isn't very good seeing as Louise is an northerner.
Wednesday: lets hope it's a better day for me!
It started with the 'dancing' and ended with me forgetting my lines.
We recreated the pre-show structure, getting the all the characters on through our dance, Bisto coming on last as though using his dj desk to turn off the music. You might've guessed that I messed up my lines again. Why? I don't know. Ask my closer friends on the course and my sister-they'll know that I know my lines, word perfect.
We then got round to rehearsing the 'somehow a somehow might escape' bit. At first I thought that this section was really, really weird and had no real reason for it being there. However I have seen it in a new light and I understand it more now. We have all just had a chance to let out everything, about our lives etc, we all speak of how we want to escape or some with hints of how they would rather be out of here i.e. Carol. So the 'somehow a somehow might escape' means that somehow- the way being incredibly unclear and probably even impossible. 'A somehow' being like 'a someone', but not at the same time. (Its a bit of a hard one to understand.) 'Escape' to me is a powerful word. (It sounds even better in the accent.) But, for me, it literally sums up Road. Too many characters to count don't like their lives and where they live apart from Scullery and maybe Prof. Us four at the end are summarising and gathering everyone's opinion and simply telling it as it is: we all want to escape.
We rehearsed this with us four saying it a few times, whilst everyone else gets on stage, and for the final 'somehow...' everyone joins in.
I was then able to go off and work individually on whatever. I went through my monologue, really paying attention to both my accent and meanings (monologue work above.) This proved really useful for me as it gave me time to properly work on everything I'd just been through with Deborah that lesson. The four of us also went through lines for our entire scene.
Going back a fair few weeks I looked back on some of our really early lessons with our new lecturers and saw a short thinking activity that we did. The question was "What do you think theatre should be?" My response to this was "It should let you forget the real world. Doing this through the mediums of realistic elements and entertainment." This is what we are trying to create. Entertaining theatre for an audience. My aim is to live up to this response so I think it is good to refresh myself with what I am really here for...
Our accent/voice lesson was a bit more successful for me. Me being a bit of a teachers pet, I took notes down on everything that I thought each group could work on whilst jotting down everything Sarah said, then giving these to each character.
I did this mostly for me to steal helpful tips to ensure I can put all of this into my accent work. But it also helped the others. Inflection came up a lot which is raising the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence or word. So for Jake it was going up at the end of 'ciggy' turning it into 'cig-eh'. Sophie's was to work on the glottal sound of 'dog' making it sound almost like the name 'doug'. I put for all of them that they can afford to elongate their words and say everything a little bit slower.
Jerry's accent needs to be drawn out more so, which will both help him slow down and also for the accent to appear more strongly. For example 'I can' stand it' could become 'Ayeee, caaan't staaaand it'. He could also benefit from delivering it in a deeper tone. Brenda and Carol have pretty much aced their accents however they could both do with slowing it down a lot more, otherwise their lines are misheard.
I also looked back on my first impressions on Louise and how they have changed. I said how I knew she was a quiet character and the tag-along to Carol. I didn't really expect her to go for Eddie however as Brink would've been the quieter, more well-suited to her. I would now say that perhaps she isn't the tag along. But perhaps she sticks with Carol as a protector, because she is so loud. I can sort of see this in quick lines that Louise says in agreement to Brink that Carol is aggressive. It's like Louise has built up her confidence around Carol to be able to do this. I first put how she is the perfect tag along for Carol as she pretty much does everything she is instructed to do so I love the bit in which she is ready to stay a bit longer when Carol is ready to leave. Phoebe often gives me a look of disapproval probably because this is the first time Louise has ever done anything like it. I also think that Louise is a little bit like me. She is quiet but I think at a push could be a lot more confident if she tried and if she were around her close friends.
Thursdays lesson was only down to two hours, and it consisted of firstly going through some monologues and everyone giving feedback. I know if it were me I would only heavily appreciate constructive criticism, so that is what I did, as it is the only way they can improve:
I really enjoy getting down notes about other characters in the hope that it will help them with their character development; and it is also a nice way for me to write down all my thoughts about what we've done that day etc.
Moving onto our ending scene we were told that we will be dancing.
We tried it first, completely improvised to the song- Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding, and for me I found it incredibly difficult. We had to act extremely drunk and then dance, letting ourselves go completely. In front of the class. I hated it, to be blunt. It was really difficult for me to just go all out on dancing, being drunk etc. The second time round of doing it, Deborah got the class up, dancing like us but in the confines of the audience pit. And I'm not really sure if that made it less awkward or even more so. We did a third time, alone this time. But needless to say I found it stupidly hard, and I am annoyed with myself for finding it so difficult. Especially being alongside Phoebe and Lewis who could do it no problem.
The song starts off really quite slow and quiet, and for me it feels really awkward and unnatural to start 'getting into' a song. As the song builds we have to start letting go more and more and becoming more drunk. Maybe I find it hard to be in that drunken state of mind? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM71e8ovUos This video is telling me all about the four different types of drunk that you can theoretically choose for your character (not to choose when you are drunk.) Its hard to define what Louise would be but, she uses this drunk opportunity to test her limits, both with speaking her mind and with Eddie. In the dancing, she tries it out with Eddie a few times, and I need to show that it's almost like she has gone past this quiet persona of a character, and that like in the video "the drunkenness has freed" her. This is also clear in her monologue as this is finally her chance to tell the world everything she has kept up for herself for so long. It doesn't faze her that Eddie, Brink and Carol aren't listening she is just proud that she is finally doing it. So the drunkenness needs to bring out a more confident but honest side to her.
To really get a feel for what I should be acting like in the monologue I went through it, labelling the things I should perhaps be thinking, or doing or simply how I should be delivering the more prominent lines.
| Monologue work |
My acting book bible says: "The second time the improvisation will undoubtedly assume a more definite shape. The group must repeat its efforts again and again until the improvisation looks well-rehearsed. " The book quote is basically saying how the more times we rehearse we will become more and more confident on it and we can then start making it more realistically drunk instead of making it look awkward (probably just me.) We won't want to make it look well-rehearsed but that's a fairly easy job with a few drunken mistakes etc to mess it up a little bit. I think its just really important that we rehearse this, preferably away from an audience, so we really get the feel for the song, as well as knowing roughly what we can do so it makes it less aimless and awkward.
After the 'dancing' we went through our monologue and I did a good job of messing up my lines and personally doing a really rubbish job- so today wasn't a good day for me haha. I also can tell that I'm loosing my accent a fair bit, which is a shame because I've worked so hard on it. I know I've got a lot to work on now, seeing that we haven't got long until we perform... And I' am only talking about my own mistakes and rubbish acting today, noone else.
With the accent I went through my beginning scene, writing all my accent notes I've been taught over the six weeks:
I am really frustrated with myself that I have lost the accent and I knew it could happen if I didn't practise it enough, but I felt that I kept it up over the easter break- obviously not enough. And it was frustrating for me as I traced all my steps back, getting me to square one with the accent in the hope I can build it up again.
| Re-capping accent work 1 |
| Re-capping accent work 2 |
Still annoyed with myself, I went home and went through all my lines again, as though I was on stage, with the best accent etc etc. With the one audience member (my sister) she noticed a big difference in the monologue work that I had done, as it was clear now that she was trying hard to build up this courage and then when she goes for it, it hits the audience hard. I got my lines right all the way through so it is still a confidence thing and the accent was supposedly dying down on some lines but then others it was stronger- so the consistency was weak. Which isn't very good seeing as Louise is an northerner.
Wednesday: lets hope it's a better day for me!
It started with the 'dancing' and ended with me forgetting my lines.
We recreated the pre-show structure, getting the all the characters on through our dance, Bisto coming on last as though using his dj desk to turn off the music. You might've guessed that I messed up my lines again. Why? I don't know. Ask my closer friends on the course and my sister-they'll know that I know my lines, word perfect.
We then got round to rehearsing the 'somehow a somehow might escape' bit. At first I thought that this section was really, really weird and had no real reason for it being there. However I have seen it in a new light and I understand it more now. We have all just had a chance to let out everything, about our lives etc, we all speak of how we want to escape or some with hints of how they would rather be out of here i.e. Carol. So the 'somehow a somehow might escape' means that somehow- the way being incredibly unclear and probably even impossible. 'A somehow' being like 'a someone', but not at the same time. (Its a bit of a hard one to understand.) 'Escape' to me is a powerful word. (It sounds even better in the accent.) But, for me, it literally sums up Road. Too many characters to count don't like their lives and where they live apart from Scullery and maybe Prof. Us four at the end are summarising and gathering everyone's opinion and simply telling it as it is: we all want to escape.
We rehearsed this with us four saying it a few times, whilst everyone else gets on stage, and for the final 'somehow...' everyone joins in.
I was then able to go off and work individually on whatever. I went through my monologue, really paying attention to both my accent and meanings (monologue work above.) This proved really useful for me as it gave me time to properly work on everything I'd just been through with Deborah that lesson. The four of us also went through lines for our entire scene.
Going back a fair few weeks I looked back on some of our really early lessons with our new lecturers and saw a short thinking activity that we did. The question was "What do you think theatre should be?" My response to this was "It should let you forget the real world. Doing this through the mediums of realistic elements and entertainment." This is what we are trying to create. Entertaining theatre for an audience. My aim is to live up to this response so I think it is good to refresh myself with what I am really here for...
Our accent/voice lesson was a bit more successful for me. Me being a bit of a teachers pet, I took notes down on everything that I thought each group could work on whilst jotting down everything Sarah said, then giving these to each character.
| Accent/voice lesson notes |
Jerry's accent needs to be drawn out more so, which will both help him slow down and also for the accent to appear more strongly. For example 'I can' stand it' could become 'Ayeee, caaan't staaaand it'. He could also benefit from delivering it in a deeper tone. Brenda and Carol have pretty much aced their accents however they could both do with slowing it down a lot more, otherwise their lines are misheard.
I also looked back on my first impressions on Louise and how they have changed. I said how I knew she was a quiet character and the tag-along to Carol. I didn't really expect her to go for Eddie however as Brink would've been the quieter, more well-suited to her. I would now say that perhaps she isn't the tag along. But perhaps she sticks with Carol as a protector, because she is so loud. I can sort of see this in quick lines that Louise says in agreement to Brink that Carol is aggressive. It's like Louise has built up her confidence around Carol to be able to do this. I first put how she is the perfect tag along for Carol as she pretty much does everything she is instructed to do so I love the bit in which she is ready to stay a bit longer when Carol is ready to leave. Phoebe often gives me a look of disapproval probably because this is the first time Louise has ever done anything like it. I also think that Louise is a little bit like me. She is quiet but I think at a push could be a lot more confident if she tried and if she were around her close friends.
Thursdays lesson was only down to two hours, and it consisted of firstly going through some monologues and everyone giving feedback. I know if it were me I would only heavily appreciate constructive criticism, so that is what I did, as it is the only way they can improve:
- Jerry: 'You lost your accent at times, apart from the odd words. It became very southern. Be careful on your ad-libbing. At times it sounds like you've perhaps you've forgotten your lines. When you put your hands in your head, be careful not to slap your face as it made it slapstick/comedic and didn't fit.' Frank has really come along with his monologue, and like I said earlier on in this post, he added a lot more actioning and movements which made the monologue so inviting and interesting I was really drawn into what he was talking about. At times the speed could be picked up however.
- Helen: 'Careful on the word 'duty' as that got lost. Also careful from your line 'why me?' onwards as the accent faded after that. Try looking at him [Correction to which she isn't meant to look at him] so look at your plate of fish and chips more than the floor- you're a confident character.' This is the first time I've seen this scene and Helen for that matter, and I was really blown away hence why I didn't get much notes down!!
- Valerie: 'Come in a lot stronger on your opening line 'I'am fed up' you could even repeat 'I am'. Make your voice louder for this bit as well, or we won't believe that you are genuinely fed up. React to 'fat hard hands' as though you are re-living the memory. Give your accent time to come out, but that will come as soon as you project your voice more. Drop your 'h's. I found it quite static so do try asap with you props you discussed with Deborah, it will help you get a feel for it. A washing basket with clothes? Where did the ending come from? It was a sudden build up of anger, and I felt like it needed to be built up a lot more instead of going straight in for the kill.' I really liked it but I felt that it really needed some movement seeing as it's a rather long bit of text.
- SkinLad: 'Be careful as some words sounded slightly Scottish. For example 'two' and you can also elongate your words to master the accent such as 'can't and stand'. Try not to have such a soft voice. We are now in a debate if it is 'dr Martins' like 'doctor' or 'doc Martins'? I would say 'doc'...' Nathan has come on so far with SkinLad, there is literally no elements of Nathan in him which is brilliant!
- Curt: 'Watch your accent in the beginning, as it only appeared a little way in. Keep up the consistency of you being ill, a few coughs throughout will do the trick. Be aware of your miming, I know you will have a proper prop but for now be mentally aware of having a beer bottle in your right hand.' Nyakeh enters on a really strong point, he has mastered the act of being drunk and not making much sense in his words which is really effective.
| Monologue notes 1 |
| Monologue notes 2 |
All the monologues seen today are those that I haven't watched for a while so it was really nice to be able to see how far they have all come and it was also nice to have been able to watch these and hopefully help them with the feedback given.
We also got round to doing starting a run through. Which as you might've guessed begins with me as Louise and Brother. I made sure to focus specifically on reacting to 'shagging' and building up the anger a lot quicker and to a higher level as soon as Brother wipes the oil on my face. I felt that this first scene went really really well! I then offered to stand in for Brenda so Carol could do her scene which was quite fun, as I know Brenda fairly well as I've seen Hannah do it many times. It was also helpful for me because I could copy the way Hannah says her lines so technically it helped me with my accent work. It can't have been as helpful for Phoebe as I wasn't reacting precisely how Hannah does. And it probably didn't help too much when I ended up doing my lines as well as Brenda's; but to be honest Louise isn't an important character in the scene so it didn't seem to matter.
The 'pub name' scene also went smoothly however it could do with some proper blocking when we bump into Scullery as I turned one way to look at him and Phoebe the other; which wasn't the end of the world as it made it look natural but it might help to do it the right way next time.
The main thing was that I DIDN'T MESS UP MY LINES! I am really pleased, I got them word perfect. Today I felt that all my scenes went really well, my accent is hopefully on the mend and my lines I got right which is something.
Two weeks today until show day. I think Road has come along really well, and I am still loving it as much as I did six weeks ago. This week had it's up's and down's but I think, like I've said previously, that this pushes me forward more and tests me and my confidence which is usually what I need. I have made the effort to start working on everything I didn't do well today and will continue to do so, for Wednesday when we are back on rehearsing.
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