Brief Synopsis:

The play starts with an argument between Roderigo and Iago in a street in Venice. The argument is brought up because Roderigo has been paying Iago to keep his suit to Desdemona, a senator’s daughter who has recently wed Othello, a black moor. Iago hates Othello for promoting Cassio, an inexperienced soldier to a lieutenant instead of Iago which then leads him to take revenge on Othello. He later manipulates Othello by telling him that Desdemona has been having an affair with Cassio thus, leading to Cassio’s, Desdemona’s and Othello’s demise.

 

Genre and stye of the play:

The genre of the play and style of the play is tragedy. The style of the play is like many of Shakespeare’s other plays where characters all die a horrible death and one of the characters is wicked beyond belief but, ‘Othello’ is different in some way. The way that the play is written and the plot is unlike any other, like other plays – Shakespeare is always complicated but, Othello takes it to another level.

The Character:

Desdemona is the daughter of a senator in Italy named Brabanzio. She lives in Venice with her father but, her mother died when she was young. She marries Othello, a black ‘moor’ in the military much to her father’s dismay. Despite her youth as an eighteen year old, and Othello as a much older man, around 40 – she loves him very much. She is described by Brabanzio as “a maid so tendr, fair and happy”  She is spirited, independent and modest. Desdemona is admirable, loyal, clever and generous and Cassio, a friend also describes her as an “exquisite lady”

What appeals to me about the play:

What appeals to be about the play is the characters. The characters have such a likeability about them especially Iago, the bad guy of the play. Each character has that special thing about them which makes the play more interesting. Also, the play itself is just spectacular. The plot line and the way that it is written is just appealing in itself. There is just something different about Othello which stands out from other Shakespeare plays, and since it is not widely done by everyone, the play is just exceedingly good.

 

What appeals to me about the character:

What appeals to me about the character is Desdemona’s innocence. There’s something about Desdemona that is unique and mysterious that counteracts the innocence in he. Shakespeare has created a character that is different like any other.

 

The differences between the character and I:

The differences between Desdemona and I, are the living conditions and the way that she generally is. I’m definitely not a senator’s daughter in Venice. The obvious differences are the ones where she’s Italian and married to a man twice her age in the army. Also, she is a very calm character even when Othello hits her and verbally abuses her, I don’t think that I could react in that way.

The similarities between the character and I:

The similarities between Desdemona and I, I feel is the personal traits that she has. She is described as generous and clever; I feel that I can be that when I want to be. Another similarity between Desdemona and I is the fact that she is drawn to adventure and excitement as described in the play which is why she married Othello because he wooed her with stories of his adventure.

The difficulties playing this role:

The difficulties playing this role will be the fact that I have to get into the mind set of an 18 year old Venetian beauty in the 16^th century. Desdemona is quite a complicated character to perceive at times, and the monologue is a very emotional and intense one. I know from experience that I have trouble portraying an emotional monologue, so playing Desdemona will be a challenge.

What I need to work on vocally:

What I feel I need to work on vocally is to connect with my voice since the monologue is quite emotional and intense, also I would need to work on my accent and to make sure that the words don’t have a London slur on the end. Also, I would need to make sure that my voice is projected as Desdemona is upset in this monologue and is in despair about her husband so my voice would have to be natural and believable.

What I need to work on Physically:

Things I would need to work on physically to play the role of a senator’s daughter during the monologue is my posture. I have the habit to slouch sometimes during my performance which alters my voice and generally makes the performance lack energy and since this monologue is a powerful one the last thing I want is my performance to lack energy.

What I need to work on emotionally:

What I would need to work on emotionally would be to get into the mind set of Desdemona around the time that Othello had accused her of having an affair. Evidentially that is a quite distressing thing and would be quite emotional so I would have to get connected with sadness and anger and maybe a touch of frustration.

Character Exercises: The Spider Men

 

 

Walking home in Character:

 

 

The exercise that we did to prepare for our 2nd Modern was walking home in our character, this exercise was a real struggle for me because I find it hard to stay in character and always find myself doing little things that break out of character. Our aim wasn't to break character until we reached our front doors but that is easier said then done. I found it difficult because as I was waiting at the bus stop someone asked me the time and I totally forgot to answer in character and it just broke my concentration, there was other incidents that made me just return to myself again, I managed to make it through college and on the way to the bus stop but, there was so many people trying to talk to me it really ruined my mood but I knew that I couldn't rise above it even though I knew I had to.

 

 

Observing people in Selbourne Walk:

 

 

Another exercise that we had to take part in was going to a public place to observe individuals and how they would walk and talk, perform little gestures while engaging in something normal. Our group decided to go to Asda in Selbourne walk because that's where most people perform little things and walk differently down each isles.

 

Notes:

 

Slow shuffle, dragging feet across floor. Leading by their feet, not really bothered. Very little gestures, only small hand movements to people.

 

Fast paced walk, broad shoulders, leading with their chest. Walking with intention and purpose down isles.

 

Man with noticeable limp, very slow walk arms are droopy by side, not much intention in walk.

 

Woman with buggy, gesturing people to move out of the way with big hand movements, extremely fast walking.

 

What I noticed is that many people do little gestures without realising it like, one man put his hand on his chin and twiddled his fingers while looking at cans on a shelf. Many gestures performed daily are not realised, which I guess is similar on stage. We do things while performing without even noticing it. Also, what I realised in someone will try their hardest to stop whatever they are doing and act 'casual' if they notice someone is watching which I guess is also quite similar to performing if you're nervous, you tend to be quite stiff and act stiff if there is an audience. This exercise really helped me in my monologue because it made me realise how significant little gestures could be and to not over-act or put too many arm waving gestures in my monologue because in truth, no one in a day-to-day business does that.

 

 

 



 

 

Observations

 

The exercise that we did for our 2nd modern; filming ourselves perform our monologue in a public place to get a feel of our character in a real place didn't help me as much as I thought it did but it helped a tiny amount. You can see that in the first video I messed up quite a lot because of the distractions around me, like the wind, passing traffic and pedestrians, it really put me off doing the monologue probably because I wasn't concentrating as much as I could of. As you can see in the 2nd video, I was more concentrated than the first but, It wasn't much better. I felt that this exercise was really hard to do because I am easily distracted and I know that  is a major weakness of mine and needs to be overlooked but, watching everyone around me made me think more about what I was doing and really put me off but, I did enjoy doing this exercise and should be able to do it again with another monologue and hopefully feel more comfortable and confident doing it.



 

ROMEO AND JULIET:

 

 

Watching the various versions of one of Romeo and Juliet’s most famous monologues made me realize how over-done the play is. Despite its familiarity around the world, it’s frowned upon to perform such a monologue for a Drama school audition because of how popular the play really is. Watching the videos also made me realize how important it is to actually make a monologue your own. Some of the videos like #5 and #9 were example of under-acted and not making the monologue interesting – which the drama schools are looking for anyway. #9 unfortunately played the part very dull and spoke in a monotone, which I’m afraid of which I might do as I am aware that I may speak in a monotone voice maybe due to nerves or just my lack of acting realistically.

While watching the videos I was aware at the fact that even just looking at the performers at the way that they looked and how they acted on stage. This is very popular on drama panels and in drama schools; to be judged on appearance, so this is a lesson on how to appropriately look ready for auditioning.

The 1^st and 2^nd video that was watched were really varied and contrasted. The first video displayed a version of a traditional interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. Although it was clear and the actor understood what the monologue was about but, the actor had little emotion and the it was very cringe-worthy and cheesy. The 2^nd and 3^rd video, were very modern. They wore very casual clothes and had a casual and simple set. I enjoyed these the most because they weren’t stereotypical or cliché. They added emotion but wasn’t over-dramatic.

What I enjoyed about the two modern videos (2^nd and 3^rd) is the fact that they were spontaneous, they both seemed to have a good thought process. Unlike the 7^th video which was a college/school production, the set was very weak and the acting wasn’t much better. The man portraying Romeo seemed like he was rushing the monologue and was out of breath, I’m not sure if this was part of the performance or the fact that the actor was poorly breathing. Also, the actor over-acted too much, he seemed like he had a poor thought process and didn’t seem to understand the  script very well he added emphasis on certain words that didn’t need it. It could of been improved if he slowed down, breathed better and understood the monologue more where as the 5^th video as I stated previously it was very under-acted but seemed to understand the words that he was speaking which is what drama schools are looking for it would be pointless to audition without knowing what a single word you was saying.

NOTES:

#1 – Little Emotion, added in a traditional/classical romance.

#2 – A little over-dramatic but good at the beginning, hardly any classical romance. Very clearly staged and set, played with different emotions and very casual

#3 – Very Mysterious, calm and not too little or too much emotion. Lightly spoken despite the staging and set, it was modern and casual

#5 – Very under-acted, no emotion but clearly spoken

#6 – (Children) Very adorable, reflective acting but done well for learning the lines at age 6.

#7 – Very dramatic, over-acted, rushed and he didn’t seem to know what he was talking about

#8 – Boring, doesn’t understand the script

#9 – Very monotone, little emotion.

What I have learnt from watching these clips and renditions of Romeo and Juliet monologue is the fact that making it your own version is much more interesting from just playing it the same way as everyone else. I know that I have the tendency to read the lines and to act the line without having a second thought or attempting to make it my own. I’m not sure if it’s due to being nervous to perform it or just afraid to make it different since Shakespeare is so popular and I’m afraid of failing or not giving the good monologues justice. But, watching the clips made me realise that the more popular or the favourite auditions are the ones that are not afraid to take risks and to make the piece interesting and different.

What I know also that I need to work on is my voice, I’m aware that my voice needs strengthening and that I need to take more risks with it. I’m also aware like I said before that sometimes I don’t add different pitches or tempos to my voice, I either talk to fast without slowing down or just speak with one monotone voice. Watching these clips, I noticed that many of the actors say different lines with different voices to make it more unique to watch as I got quite bored of watching the 9^th video because he kept his voice on one level.

I’m also aware that I sometimes perform using a lot of hand gestures and reflective acting. Sometimes I do it without realising and noticing how cringe worthy it could be while acting, I know that I need to work on stopping reflective acting and using certain obvious gestures can be quite annoying and cheesy. Also, I have to work on using a stronger thought process during auditions to show that I am capable of understanding the monologue, although I do thoroughly enjoy Shakespeare. I need to improve on the skill of being able to make the monologue my own to really get the experience out of the performance and to make it enjoyable to the audience.

I really enjoyed this task as it opened my eyes to not only just performing but how hard it is to perform monologues and how you are thoroughly judged by panels as I felt that I was on a panel watching the renditions of the performances and having to judge them on how good they were or what they needed to improve on. It really showed me how competitive the Performance world is. It also showed me the little aspects of performance that need improving, taken away and what I need to start doing in order to really strengthen my chances of succeeding in acting.



The SpiderMan:

 

 

Getting Started 1. Read the play at least twice 2. Action your text 3. Create the world 4. Here are some new character questions and exercises for you to experiment with. Try them. Include your notes in your character log for this monologue:

What makes an engaging or compelling character? How do you create one? What can you do to make the people in your head come over on the page? The two main purposes for these development exercises are

 1) to help you solidify your characterization by imaging your character in a variety of situations; and

2) to you work with the information you have. Knowing your character as you do, you have to write about him or her in a way which makes use of the knowledge you have. The image often used here is an iceberg: most of what you know about your character will never be seen (or, stated) directly. Much of it will never be used at all. However, it is good for you - the writer - to know everything so that you can be confident about your character and how he or she will react in any given situation.

 

1st development exercise: writing in the third person, describe your character in an environment familiar to him/her, carrying out some habitual action (work, eating, sleeping, domestic chores, driving, shaving,), whilst in the grip of some intense emotion. Suggest as much as you can about your character without spelling things out or ‘telling’. Convey the mood, without naming it. Aim for about a page.

 

She sits in her room, a heap of old photos spread across the length of her bed, she picks up a photo of him and sighs, slowly glancing out the frosted window into the night. There was nothing she could do and deep down inside her there was nothing that she wanted to do. She felt obligated to care but, some part of her just couldn’t. She rests the photo back down on her bed and retreats to the mirror, staring at the reflection back at her, the jewel in her nose glimmering underneath the bulb on her ceiling. She twists it between her fingers, wincing at the slight throbbing pain. She’s forgotten to put the solution on it again but, the pain felt good. The pain always felt good, she enjoys it. It makes her realise that she’s alive, a substitute for the only feeling that she knows. She picks up the saline solution on her unit and dribbles a few of the solution onto her nose, the cold liquid relieves some of the pain for now. She sits down at her cabinet’s stool, grabbing the coloured wristbands that were scatted on the wooden unit. She grimaces at the thought, stretching and clawing at the rubber material. The thought repels her, but she’s curious.

She listens; her mum and dad are at it again. Screaming at each other. She understands, they have a reason to be like this but, it doesn’t help. It never resolves it. They’re arguing about Sarah. Her mum is worried about her and about marijuana. 

She lays down on her bed, wrapping herself in her checked duvet cover to keep the warmth in. She stares at her ceiling, only this time she notices every little flaw in the paintwork. Every crack, every peel, even the discolouration. She is worried.  She’s worried cause of Michael, worried more for him than David and she feels bad. She rolls over to her right, pushing the photos off of the bed and on to the floor, creating a pile of overturned memories. She rolls up her sleeve, revealing the tattoo on her forearm. She stares at it for a while before rolling it back down.  She brings her legs up and gets up into a sitting position again. She doesn’t want to go downstairs.

She gets up from her bed, stepping on the cold, plain side of the photos, sending little shivers of frost up her body. She likes it. She sits back at the mirror, taking the hairband from the ponytail and releases her hair in one swift movement, letting her brown hair cascade over her shoulders. She lets out a half-smile, picking up her brush and sliding the bristles down the hair; pulling at each and every knot. She doesn’t know why it feels nice, but it just does.

 

 

 2nd development exercise: list the contents of your character's purse, pockets, shopping trolley, brief case or car. Character questionnaire:

 

Sarah’s school bag:

A single apple and a bottle of spring water.

Text books for history, science and maths.

Makeup bag with eyeliner and blusher.

Black studded purse with £2.56

Loose hair bands and hair grips.

Old empty crisps and chocolate wrapper

A Kit-kat chunky chocolate bar

 

Name and age?

Her name is Sarah Michelle Oak, she is fourteen years old.

 

Nickname? Who gave it?

Her nickname is ‘Saz’ given to her by her bestfriend Karen who gave it to her because it’s short and sweet.

 What is most noticeable about your character’s appearance/physical presence? How does he or she feel about it? Describe his or her voice, verbal ticks, pet phrases etc.

The most noticeable thing about my characters appearance is her piercings. She is quite a plain girl but, has a nose piercing and a tattoo with ‘Mum’ in a heart on her right forearm. She didn’t want to get a tattoo but it was something she just did in the heat of the moment.

Her voice is quite soft and slow, she tends to hold back on words sometimes as she can be quite awkward around people. She also sometimes stutters on words despite speaking slowly.

Describe a gesture your character makes.

Sarah does hand gestures while she talks to sometimes emphasize her words and how she speaks.

Where does he or she now live? Describe the city, town or village, the house itself. Be very specific.

Sarah and her family live in Broadford, County Clare in Ireland. A small village/town. It is tucked between valleys, and there are mountains and lakes and forests surrounding the village. It was a quiet place where everyone knows eachother. Sarah lives in medium-sized semi detached house with her mum and two brothers, Jacob and David. The house has a small garden with only flowers and a pond at the end of it. The house is plainly decorated; the walls are mostly magnolia and laminate wooden flooring. The kitchen is a galley one and the living room is plainly decorated like the rest of the house except the living room isn’t painted magnolia, it is coffee-colour paint with a white dado rail. There are a few pictures and photoframes in there giving a little colour to the room. The photo on the fireplace has David, Jacob, Sarah and their mum all smiling in the photo.

 Any feelings about this place? Has s/he lived elsewhere?

Sarah doesn’t really mind living in Broadford since she hasn’t lived anywhere else in her entire life so she is so used to living in a small village. She does want to experience new things but, she is content living in the small, close-knit village that she is in now.

What part of her home is her favourite? Least favourite? Why.

Her favourite place in her house is her bedroom because she is alone there. She doesn’t really like bei ng alone but, since she doesn’t really associate with her family she prefers to stay away from them and in the solitary of her own room. Her least favourite place of the house is the living room where her mum resides most of the time. She doesn’t like to be reminded that they don’t talk and finds it awkward there.

Describe, using specific details. What does your character’s bedroom/sleeping place look like? (lots of detail please)

Sarah decorated her room herself; her walls are a black and white wallpaper with scribbles all over the walls with light laminate wooden flooring. The curtains are black and the netting at the window is slightly faded where her mum hasn’t washed it for a while. There is a crack in the window that has been forgotten about and has never been mended. Sarah has a single bed with a white bottom sheet and her duvet cover is a maroon red, a simple and basic colour as Sarah likes red. Her bookshelves are messy and are covered with school textbooks and exercise books and a few strewn CDs that she has forgotten to place back. She has a small TV standing on another shelf with a VHS player underneath as they can’t afford a DVD player at the moment. She has a small stereo beside the TV, but only a basic one. The rug on the floor is a small circular one and is off-white as she rarely hoovers her room. She barley wears makeup but, keeps an eyeliner and a saline solution for her piercings beside her bed, on a nightstand which also contains a small alarmclock and a glass of water which is always there. Her wardrobe is beside her bedroom door and is only a small one which can only contain a small amount of clothes and a small chest-of-drawers beside the wardrobe containing delicates.

What does he or she wear to sleep in?

Sarah sleeps in a two-piece red and black checkered pajama set as they keep her warm because of the crack in her window which can let in some cold air at night. She doesn’t like to sleep in anything less than that because it makes her feel uncomfortable.

What does your character dream of at night?

Sarah dreams of her crush, Michael at night. She dreams of impressing him and for him to fully notice her feelings. She dreams that he feels the same way about her. She also dreams that she can get on with her family because in real life they are truly dysfunctional.

Who are/were her parents?

Her parents are Lucy Oak, 40 and Richard Oak, 42. She doesn’t get on with her father as he refuses to make any communication with the family and is also a violent man at times.

Rest of family? What does she feel for them?

Sarah doesn’t really talk to the rest of her family I.E. cousins, aunties, uncles. She doesn’t really feel any love for her family immediately although, she knows that she would miss them if something had happened to them. For example, when David dies she confesses that she misses him. She doesn’t feel much and isn’t given any love by her mum which makes Sarah feel emotionally deprived.

Class, ethnic group, religious background?

Sarah is in the working-class as her mother tries to juggle many jobs and over-extend herself because she is a single parent. She is of White British ethnicity and so are her parents. Sarah comes from an Atheist background despite living in a catholic area herself but, her mum is religious. 

Who does s/he love, or has s/he loved? Or what. Detail.

Sarah loves getting piercings and tattoos because of the pain. She has a nose-piercing, a tattoo on her forearm and a belly button piercing. She loves getting them because it gives her pain; a feeling and a rush that she gets because it makes her feel something again because of the lack of affection and attention that she gets from her family. Also, she loves her image and the piercings that she gets.

 

How does your character feel about sex/intimacy?

Sarah doesn’t really care too much for sex/intimacy as she is only fourteen. Her friends are all talking about sex and ‘coloured’ wristbands as they are a symbol of how ‘far’ they have gone and Sarah doesn’t really care too much for them. And intimacy with anyone makes her feel awkward as her bestfriend Karen’s mum kissed her on the forehead it made her cry because she isn’t used to affection and intimacy.

What sexual relationship(s) is he or she involved in?

Sarah isn’t involved in any sexual relationships as she is fourteen but, she does have a ‘crush’ on Michael who is fifteen.

Exactly what does your character do to make a living (or in the case of a child, what do his/ her parents do; or in the case of independent wealth, how does he or she pass the time?)?

Sarah doesn’t work as she is still in school. Her mum works as a cashier in a small supermarket in the village and a cleaner of a pub as another job as she has to compensate for her husband who doesn’t work at all. Sarah goes to school to pass the time then mostly does work in her bedroom, hang down with her friends by the tattoo shop or go to her bestfriend Karen’s house.

How much does s/he earn?

Her mum earns £5.78 an hour in the shop and minimal wage as the cleaner in the pub.

What is the best part of the job, the worst?

N/A

Who or what does/he fear? What about his or her life would he or she change if s/he could?

Sarah doesn’t really fear anything, she’s not really scared about things either. If Sarah cold change her life she would change the fact that her family is dysfunctional and the fact that Michael doesn’t feel the same way about her as she feels about him. 

Does the character have a hobby? Secret passion? (Can be something ordinary like soccer playing or yoga classes or mountain biking or sewing or fixing up old trucks - or an unusual interest like some Greek poet from the third century, or collecting spiders, or walking the tightrope…

Sarah’s secret passion is drawing. She likes to draw about her feelings and the things that she wants to be. She doesn’t show anyone her drawings as she is embarrassed about them. Sometimes she just doodles and sketches tattoo art designs but, mostly she likes to draw different things to keep her imagination fresh.

What would be his or her favourite smell ( why)?

Her favourite smell is the smell of Karen’s mum. She smells like floral perfume and moisturizer because that’s the smell of ‘grown ups’ and how a mother should smell and she doesn’t know what her mum wears, also she likes it because it’s calming and warm. 

What kind of shoes does he or she wear, (e.g. furry slippers or gumboot or trainers… new or old, style, what colour, fitting properly or too tight or too loose, nice and clean or old and smelly)? Describe exactly.

She likes to wear her Nike trainers. They are white with a black tick on the sides of them. Since they are her favourite they are off-white with scuff and dirt marks all around the sides. She cleans them sometimes but, sometimes leaves them for months without cleaning. They are size 6 but, they are beginning to get a bit tight on her yet she continues to wear them.

Favourite meal?

Her favourite meal is Fish and Chips; plain and simple.

Favourite clothes?

Her favourite clothes is the studded leather jacket she owns and her dark-navy skinny jeans with her faded white Nike trainers.

What is the worst thing that could happen to him or her right now?

The worst thing that could happen to Sarah is if she lost her bestfriend, Karen. Since her brother, David’s death at the end of the play, the worst thing that could happen to her would be to lose Karen. She tells her everything and they are bestfriends.

What vehicles does your character use/own? (for example: bike, skateboard, truck, yacht, stroller, canoe, spaceship, battered pickup, etc.. please be as exact as possible).

Sarah has a grey bike with pink tribal patterns along the body work. Her back wheel is punctured and the bike and brake chains are rusty since she doesn’t use it often. Since the bike is getting a bit small for her and young for her Sarah likes to walk everywhere.

What are his/her feelings towards it/them.

Sarah likes her bike and doesn’t want to get rid of it since she has had it since she was young. It  reminds her of her childhood even though the body work is a tad scratched and the wheels and chains are beyond repair she can’t bring herself to get rid of it.

 What kind of journeys does he or she make?

Sarah doesn’t travel far as her village is quite small. Karens’ house, the forest, her school and the tattoo shop is all quite close to her so she has to make quick, short journeys to wherever she wants to go.

What is his or her most treasured possession?

Her most treasured possession is a small jewellery box that is on her window shelf in her bedroom. She doesn’t have much jewellery inside it apart from several ‘butterflies’ to her earrings. She keeps her piercing solution in there too. It’s her prized possession because her Grandmother gave it too her on her 5^th birthday because it represented a ‘princess’ she’s kept it ever since along with a golden butterfly broach inside it.

 What illnesses has he or she suffered, if any?

Sarah hasn’t suffered from any form of serious injuries except when she climbed a tree in the forest near her home and fell out of the top branch that she had been climbing on and had broken her collarbone and wrist when she was eleven. Luckily, she was not seriously injured.

What’s his/her philosophy of life? For example’ You’ve got to look after Number 1’ or ‘Never say die’ or ‘Don’t ask for reasons.”

Sarah likes to live by the philosophy ‘You’ve got to look after number 1’ because of the lack of love and affection in her family although she doesn’t crave or seek the attention.

What are his or her most strongly held beliefs? What does he or she feel guilty about?

She doesn’t have any strong held beliefs, but she does feel guilty that she didn’t communicate with David as much as she did before he died.

Biggest mistake ever made?

Her biggest mistake, like what she feels guilty about is not showing enough love to David.

Best thing he/she ever did?

The best thing that Sarah ever did was winning the art competition at her school which made her very proud of herself as she’s never won anything before.

What, right now, does your character want most of all? His or her deepest desire – a glass of water, to get out of her marriage, a new pair of shoes, peace and quiet…

Her deepest desire is to be with Michael above most things.

 



HOT SEATING:

Hot seating Evaluation – Rebeca Wallis

 

On the 14^th January 2013 group we had to be hot seated regarding our Shakespeare monologue and our characterization of our chosen character in the play. My play was ‘Love Labours Lost’ and my character was the Princess of France.

Before I had to be hot seated, I felt that I had not prepared enough for it. I had read the play previously and had watched clips of the movie version and had researched about the history of royalty within the play. Although I had done preparation for it, I would panic and hesitate on questions as I hate being ‘put on the spot’. Despite my nerves, I had gotten up and had done my best.

What went well?

I felt that my hot seating went well and I had answered with reasonable responses. I personally think that I had done well with not hesitating as much as I would normally because of the preparation that I had done. I know the play well and I hope that was displayed in my answers and how I reacted to the questions, despite knowing what question was coming after. I felt really comfortable being hot seated and after a small amount of questions passed I felt the nerves disperse.

 

What could be improved/What didn’t go well?

Some things that I felt could of gone better with my hot seating is to give more detailed responses regarding my character and her life. I believe that I could have created more of a world and life for her instead of giving somewhat basic answers for my character. I think regarding my voice, I could have been slightly louder despite the fact that I was ill on that day and could of tried harder to play the role of my character while sitting in the hot seat.

 

Evaluating others:

There were many people in the class that did very well during the hot seating process. Some looked more confident than others and some gave more detailed answers than the rest. A few that had given a good performance on the hot seating was Ayo, Darren, Prince and Sintesha. I felt that they were very relaxed and comfortable during their performances and seemed very confident with their play. Sintesha gave detailed answers and elaborated on them when more questions were fired at her as did Prince.

Tracey and Stella seemed to lack knowledge about their play but, had given their best to answer questions. Tracey and her play ‘The Tempest’ seemed to fill in the responses with ‘erm, I think’ and ‘I Don’t knows’ showing that she hadn’t read the play and gave minimal effort into researching her character and monologue. Stella on the other hand has missed various lessons but gave somewhat fairly knowledgeable answers. She too didn’t seem to understand or know much about her play but attempted to answer the questions with things that she did know.

Mauricia was in the middle between doing really well and somewhat lacking detailed answers. She gave various answers that showed that she had researched her character and play well but there was times when she hesitated quite long on answering questions whether that was to give a thought process or she did not know the answer, I’m not too sure. She didn’t give off a very confident and relaxed vibe as she sat very rigid and ran her answers out of her mouth at a rapid speed. I had trouble understand some things that she had said as she was speaking very quickly.

Bradley had a different approach to some of the questions. He was very confident and relaxed. Unlike some people who had been hot seated and like myself, gave detailed answers but kept them brief. He didn’t need to use a long-winded explanation to get his point across and his answers were relevant everytime.

Edward on the other hand somewhat side-tracked from his answers. He was confident but was slightly edging towards arrogant which is not always a good thing. He gave somewhat detailed answers but would go off into irrelevant substitutions to answers for example Lord of the rings. I know this was in comparison to his character but was not needed to get his point across and towards the end of his hot-seating he had made a ridiculous noise in which partly ruined his hot-seating because it was unprofessional.

 

Shakespeare Mock Audition:

 

On the 29^th of January 2013 we performed our first Shakespeare monologue to an ex-student, named David from Arts Ed Drama School. He was very surprised at my play and agreed that it was a different and difficult play to portray.

WHAT WENT WELL.

What I think went well was the fact that I remembered my monologue well, and the fact that I understood the redirection and hopefully took the instructions well. I think that I performed my monologue to the best of my ability considering the fact that it was hard to create an atmosphere and feelings in the monologue. I was happy at the comments that David had given me; that I was confident performing the monologue despite my nervousness. I felt that the reason why it went so well is because of the thorough preparation I had done for it. I asked questions on how my character should be portrayed and done secondary and primary research regarding my character e.g on the internet, watching video clips on my play.

 

What didn’t go as well/needs improvement.

What I personally feel that could be worked on and improved is my nervousness and stage fright. When I get frustrated and nervous I forget my lines and what I’m meant to be doing. At one point during my redirection I forgot what part of my monologue I was doing and what line came next.

Also something else I need to work on  is communication. I felt that I didn’t talk or respond enough when questions were asked which could prove dangerous in real auditions as I let my shyness and nerves get the better of me.

 



Love Labours Lost

 

 

 

Title and Author:

The title of my classical play is ‘Love Labours lost’ written and published 1598 by William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon 26^th April 1564 and died 23^rd April 1616. Throughout his life he wrote various plays consisting of Tragedies, Comedies, and Romance etc.  He also worked as an actor in London where he partly owned a playing company called ‘Lord Chamberlains Men’ which later turned into ‘The kings men’.

 

Brief Synopsis:

The play starts with the King of Navarre taking an oath of three years of study with his three noblemen in England. To the King’s misfortune, the Princess of France is visiting England and wants to meet the King. The king on the other hand denies this and says that the princess can camp outside the kingdom in a field and the King and Men can meet them there. Despite the oath of study without any woman, the Princess who brings her three ladies in waiting falls in love with the king and her three ladies with his three men. Thus, leading to comical problems.

The play also revolves around many other comical characters being unlucky in love. At the end of the play, the princess finds out that her father, the King of France has died and needs her to be the heir to the throne. The king and his men vow to stay Faithful to the princess and her ladies, but they feel that their love isn’t strong enough and claim that the men must stay faithful for a year to prove their love.

Genre and Style of the Play:

The genre of the play is a Comedy but, with some romance thrown in. The style of the play is like many of Shakespeare’s comedies with characters unluckily falling in love with eachother or coming across with several problems.  Although the style of the ending of ‘Love Labours Lost’ is very different to Shakespeare’s and Elizabethan comedies as many of them stay together or die, hence many of his other plays. 

The character:

The character that I have chosen is the Princess of France named Elisabeth.  She lives at court with her Father, King Henry IV Of France, and her mother Catherine She is quite an excited character and plays games of wit with the King and his Lords while paying her visit. She is described as Pretty although; she is humble about her looks. She is constantly being flattered by her Servant, Boyet which she doesn’t approve of. The Princess is also quite quick-witted and clever as she mentions ‘to know his pleasure’ she sends her servant to England and talk with the king before she arrives. She and her ladies fall in love with the King and his Noblemen.

What appeals to me about the play:

I think what appeals to me about the play is the fact that I love Shakespeare comedies; there is nothing like slapstick comedy. I also enjoy romcoms which I would assume ‘Love Labours lost’ in categorized in. Also, the plotline is very different to other Shakespeare plays and many people can relate to the character’s lives in some way or form. For example, the comical side of the romance . Another thing that appeals to me about the play is the characters, they have a certain likeability to them which is difficult to define in words.

What appeals to me about the Character:

What appeals to me about my character, Princess is the personality side of her. She is quite a comical character and enjoys to play small pranks with her ladies in waiting and to play games of wits with the King and his men. She clearly mocks other characters in a humorous ways and is a humble character. I think that she is a very likeable character and generally is an appealing character to any girl that would of picked ‘Love Labours Lost’ as she also is an authoritive figure in the play and playing a Princess is a very appealing role to play.

The similarities: Character and I

The similarities between the Princess and I, is quite basic and noticeable. I enjoy having power and authority but, I know when not to abuse it. I also enjoy mocking people and practical jokes on friends or people that I know are intended to do the same. I also feel that I can be quite a genuine person and a humble character. The Princess is also quite an outspoken Character and quite sarcastic, I feel that I share these features.

The differences: Character and I.

There’s not many differences between the Princess and I but, there are some minor ones that contrast both our characters. Sometimes during the play the Princess is quite quick on researching and figuring out the King and his noblemen’s intentions. I personally feel that I am some-what good at that feature but, at times I also am quite naive. There are more basic differences between me and this Character for example, she lives in France and is a Princess, which is a far difference between me and her. Another minor difference is the fact the King Ferdinand calls her ignorant because of her disrespect against his oath. I personally feel that I am not an ignorant person and do not react and judge people.

The difficulties playing this role.

I think the difficulties I will have playing this role is just generally playing the part of her character as a Princess in the 16^th Century. She is quite an excited character during my monologue and I feel that I am more introvert at times. I think that the role doesn’t generally seem that difficult to play first hand but, when delving deeper into the research of her character shows that during the monologue it would be harder to perceive her as a Princess.

 

What do I need to work on Vocally?

What I think I may need to work on vocally while performing this monologue is to soften my London/East London accent so the Princess of France doesn’t sound so common or cockney. Another thing that I feel I really need to concentrate is to slow down my speech. I find that I talk quite quickly and stumble over certain words, this is very dangerous while performing Shakespeare so I feel I need to conquer that problem. Although the Princess is quite excited in my monologue, I would need to sound excited, not accelerate my words.

What do I need to work on Physically?

Things I would need to work on physically to play the role of the Princess during the monologue is my posture. I have the habit to slouch sometimes during my performance which alters my voice and generally makes the performance lack energy. Since my Character is a Princess during the 16^th Century, posture and body control is an important thing since during that time period young woman would wear corsets which would force them to sit up straight and have a good posture. Also, since I have to play a quite excited character I have to make sure that my body is loose but, with a good control. It would be difficult to play excitement through a wooden body and a wooden performance.

What would I have to work on Emotionally?

I’m not too sure what I would have to work on emotionally apart from the general excitement that she Is feeling during the monologue when she is going to visit King Ferdinand of Navarre. There isn’t any intense emotions that I would have to work to play this part. The monologue is quite a light, comical part which doesn’t take much empathy or self discipline to play. I think the only emotional connection that I have to play is her excitement about her visit.

What background research would I need to do?

The research that I would have to do would to research how Royals would be doing the 16^th Century; how they walked, acted, spoke etc. Since I already know about how the Character would perform it since reading the play itself, I would need to research how realistic Princesses would react is situations to make the monologue more realistic and natural.

What impact should it have on the audience?

Since the monologue and play is a comedy, I assume the impact that it should have on the audience should be comedic. I would enjoy the audience to laugh and enjoy the monologue itself as much as I praise it and like it.