Audition Tapes Carrie Hope Fletcher Audition For Forbidden Broadway
In Carrie's audition she comes into the room well spoken and appearing confident. After being asked a few questions she was asked whether she can act, sing and dance, saying yes to these 3 disciplines the Casting Director asked her if she could perform a combination of all 3. She did this by dancing on the spot whilst singing the well known line from Hamlet 'To be or not to be, that is the question'. This looked shocking her doing that as it was unprofessionally and it didn't appear she was taking this audition seriously as she was very much mockingly doing these bizarre combinations. If someone did this in an audition for lets say a drama school and I was on the audition panel I would ask the auditionee to leave as I would feel they are not taking the audition seriously and it is a joke to them, The casting director then asked for her to sing a song which she replied she had prepared 2 songs. 'On my own' - Les Miserables and 'Memory' - Cats. Both these songs are very well known musical theatre songs and are extremely popular choice which isn't the most wise choice as choosing these songs can bore your audition panel as they have heard these songs lots of times before. Also by choosing a big song like 'Memory' Elaine Page is the original cast of playing Grizabella who is the character that sings 'Memory', and by choosing a big song to sing for your audition song you are at risk of being compared to the original person who sings the song. Along with the musical 'Wicked' and the song 'Defying Gravity' it is just such an overdone song and such a big well known musical number by Idina Menzel that it it would be ridiculous to even think about singing that song as an audition song because you will always be compared to the original unless you can blow the original out of the water. Carrie then starts to sing her song and she is getting the songs mixed up by singing the words to 'On my own' to the music of 'Memory' and vice versa. This shows how unprepared she is for the audition and she is getting the songs wrong and getting embarrassed that she is getting it all wrong. This video is clearly how a bad audition would be.
Artistic Policy What is Artistic Policy? Artistic Policy is a written statement/paragraph about the aims of a theatre company and the type of work that they produce and offer. It involves the target audiences that the company produce their work for and their creatives and strategic plans for upcoming events for their company. DV8 Artistic policy DV8's Artistic Policy speaks a lot about what they offer and what their company is about. They state that they are largely accessible to all audiences and touch on wide range of topics and communicating ideas and feelings. I personally feel that this Artistic Policy is heavily focusing on what their company is about and what they create and ho whey communicate their ideas as a company. They don't suggest so much as to what their target audience is however the idea I get is that it is for a general all age audience as I personally believe that it would specifically state appropriate age ranges and target audiences if was specifically for children or most definitely for 18+ etc. Frantic Assembly Artistic Policy Frantic Assembly - Strategic Plan The artistic policy for Frantic assembly speaks about what their performances offer and explain that they 'create thrilling, energetic and unforgettable theatre. The company attracts new and young audiences with work that reflects contemporary culture. Vivid and dynamic, Frantic Assembly's unique physical style combines movement, design, music and text.' In their Strategic plan they go into more detail and explain further about what the company offers through their performances, the types of audiences they attract and also the learn and train programme they offer. Though the strategic plan the page states the achievements and success that they company has achieved and attained over the years.
2 Job Roles From the hierarchical structure of a production house I then had to chose 2 job roles which one of which should involve casting. Fully investigate how the people employed in these roles function and the qualifications and experience required to do the job successfully. The job roles that I have chosen are; Casting Director and Stage Manager. Casting Director The main way realistically to become a casting director is to have experience in work as a casting assistant/casting associate. There are no particular educational requirements however experience is essential and key. People seeking work as a Casting Director can increase their opportunities by completing bachelor degrees or taking classes in theatre or film production, acting, or business. Casting directors typically work on a freelance basis, charging a set fee for each production in which they are involved in. They must possess strong interpersonal and communication abilities, because they work closely with producers, directors, writers, casting agents, and talent agencies. Being a casting director also requires a flexible schedule, because the job requires long hours and often frequent travel to find talent or meet with producers, directors, and other key production staff. Casting Directors read scripts and collaborate with producers, directors, and writers to create breakdown notices, which are brief descriptions of the physical attributes, skills, and experience needed in actors to portray and play particular characters. With the help of casting assistants, casting directors submit these breakdown notices to agents and talent agencies. Casting directors then receive actors headshots and Cv's, which they must select the most qualified actors and schedule them for auditions, often with the help of casting assistants.
Depending on the size of a production, a casting director may hold an initial round of auditions and personally decide which actors to call back for the producer and director. After each round of auditions, the casting director becomes responsible for notifying and scheduling selected actors for additional rounds of auditions, until a final casting decision is made. Although the decision of which actors to cast is ultimately up to directors or producers, casting agents often directly influence the decision of which actor is cast for a particular role.
Here is a video clip of an interview from a LA Casting Director - Gabrielle Evans and she is talking about the casting process, what makes her call an actor in for auditions, what she expects from actors during acting auditions, gives advice to new and aspiring actors on how to start an acting career
Stage Manager
The entry requirements for becoming a stage manager is that although this area of work is open to all graduates, the following subjects may increase your chances:
performing arts;
drama/theatre studies;
music
Some drama schools offer specific degrees in subjects such as theatre stage management and technical theatre which can boost the best opportunities for candidates applying for a stage manager. Entry with an HND (Higher National Diploma) is also possible and relevant subjects include performing arts and technical theatre. It is also possible to enter the profession without a degree or HND, however this will be at a junior level such as a member of the stage crew. people may then be able to work their way up to the role of an assistant stage manager and then progress further. It is extremely useful to have practical experience of theatre work and this will increase the chance of finding work once having completed qualifications. Trying to gain experience through student, community or amateur theatre groups and get involved in as many different areas of the theatre as possible is a great way of gaining theatre experience for the application of a stage manager.
A stage manager must have a range of skills. Candidates need to show evidence of the following:
Excellent communication and organisational skills;
A sharp eye for detail;
A sense of humour and the ability to stay calm in a crisis;
People skills: persuasiveness, patience, tact and the ability to deal with 'artistic temperaments';
Computer skills and awareness of current technologies;
The ability to work under pressure, especially in the run-up to a performance;
Problem-solving skills and the ability to think on your feet;
Confidence, decision-making ability and negotiation skills;
Stamina, to cope with long hours during technical and dress rehearsals, and for touring.
Here is a video of an interview with Jason Daunter who is the stage manager for 'Wicked' in the states. He speaks about his job roles of being a Stage Manager.
In this section of assignment 2 is looking into researching two theatrical production companies and their hierarchical structures.
Below is a diagram of the hierarchical structures of a general production house company looking at the jobs of Production, Performers and admin.
When creating this mind map I found interesting looking into the different job roles and how job roles that are related to production also overlap and affect job roles of performers. I found it interesting to see that from every role there was another job role under it in a hierarchy and It was very interesting to evaluate that for example a lighting designer would have a worker under him which would then Plot the rigg and system, then below that worker there would then be the operator who works the lights in shows and productions. It really put in perspective how many people would be needed and involved in a production house and cover all the different job roles and field of work. As part of this task we then had to create a video in a small group on the organisational structures on your posters of 2 production house companies, discuss the roles within each one and comparing similarities, differences and links between the roles and how they work together. The 2 Production house that we looked at were; Oldham Coliseum and Regents Park Open Air theatre. Click here to watch the video of our presentation
Lighting Basics
As part of my production role for 'Electra' Myself and Cherkanah have taken on the production role of Lighting. To start this I have looked at general lighting basics and lighting states and colour basics General Cover-To not have any gaps - black spots in the lighting - meaning all the stage is to look the same. 3 angles to bleach and get rid of shadows-Ways to avoid unwanted shadows light in every area from 3 points around each area to bleach shadows. Hot Spot-This is like a spotlight but over the top of a general cover.
Example of down lighting
Down Lighting-Is a vertical light which is good for scary, intense isolated moods in a scene. This lighting creates shadows on the face such as blacking out the eyes, highlighting the nose which would then shadow the mouth.
Up Lighting (floor lighting)-Highlights wrong parts of the face. Unusual parts lit up. Another scary effect that could be effective to use for a scary intense mood in a scene. Side lighting-For a 2 tone effect. Back Lighting-Useful to not show definitions in the face - blanches the face, however highlights hair to give halo effect. - This lighting would be ideal to use for scene with Jaffery and William with the shadows on the sheet cloth. Frensel-Ridges in lens on light - gives a mellow light. Profile-Smooth lens- Hard edge shadow gives sharp lighting. Colour Basics GREEN + REDlight together makes ORANGE/YELLOW REDGREENBLUE - Primary colours in lighting
YELLOW Jel in light - WARM COLOUR BLUEJel in light - COLD COLOUR
Lighting Colour state basics.
The lighting that we wish to create for our performance of Electra is that we are going to use quite Autumnal colours, meaning greens, browns, yellows and oranges. To do this we can mix coloured jels of light through the colour chart guide above and also do adjustments and add blue jel in light to create a cold colour which can create the more eerie feel to the scenes when Electra is talking to her 'friends' as it gives the idea of being in her imagination and reflects the eeriness of Electra's friends. Also we can use the red and yellow colours to create either orange or red colours to represent blood and anguish and would be fitting at the end of the play when Clytemnestra and Aegistus are killed by Orestes.
http://www.stagelightingguide.co.uk = this website shows more examples of lighting and also gives pictures of positioning of actors on stage and positioning of lights and how to create the correct light.
06/10/14 In todays lesson we started off by looking at the aspects of costume design. We started off by looking at a video from the National Theatre and how their costuming works. The video stated that in big companies the designer researches the character and the script and all sorts of background information. They then will meet with the people who will then make the costumes and have meeting on them on producing the costume. It is generally with the bigger companies that the designers will not be the ones who make the costumes but will have regular meetings on the process and how the costumes are coming along. After watching that initial video, we then spoke about what is a costume bible? A costume bible is what contains all the information about the show. Every show will have a costume bible and the things that are included in it are:
Example of The Costume Bible
Sketches
Fabric Samples
Costume plot
Research of character
Research of the play
Research of the period and where it is set
Age of character
Actors measurements
Records of meetings with the rest of the team ; Actors, Directors
Make notes of lighting - lighting affects costume colours on stage
Make up
Cost and prices of fabrics
After our introduction to the lesson about the aspects of costume design and how this is what we should have for when we are designing costumes for the upcoming shows that the college are doing, it was then time to continue making our hat for our mini design unit and present it to the rest of the class. The final stages of the making process were to cover the rest of the helmet in the brown tape and then cover the rest of the horns in the yellow tape. After that was done we were able to pop the balloon and then we were left with the helmet. We then realised that the inside of the hat was sticky so we then had to stick some newspaper in the inside of the hat so that it wasn't sticky anymore. After that we then attached the horns to the helmet with some hot glue and tape. Once the horns were attached we then added the final detail of the grey tape to the helmet to create the last detail, it was then time to present our hat to the class. During our presentation we spoke about the requirements and considerations for our hat in relation to our brief. Appropriateness: We believe that our costume is appropriate to childrens theatre because it is easily recognised to be a viking. My sister is 4 and she instantly recognised that this hat was meant for a viking. Historically Viking helmets would not have horns however through education and children friendly learning vikings with horns is easily associated. It is big and bold and is appropriate to childrens learning and understanding because it is instantly recognisable. The materials used are appropriate for children as they are only card, tape and newspaper which are all children friendly. Personality of character: The personality of the character is seen through the hat in its coloring. We first designed the horns to be a red colour but then we changed our initial idea because red can be associated with bad and evil and our character that we designed the hat for is the hero of the story so we decided to change the colour to a bright bold happy yellow which can be associated with a nice character. The size of the hat is very large which can reflect on the fact that the Viking is supposed to be very important part to his tribe as he is the leader. So the size can emphasise his importance as it is very big and bold. The yellow colour can also be seen as a regal colour of gold which can also reflect on his importance. Our brief stated to create a hat for an angry viking, we created his background story that he was angry within the story because a dragon stole his axe. The hat however doesn't necessarily show that he is angry however it is quite a fearsome looking hat. Social Status of character: The social status of the character is that he is very well respected and the leader of his tribe/cult. He is very regal and important and this can be seen in the size of the helmet and the golden regal colour of the horns Actors Measurements: Josh - 22.6 inches/57.4 cm Physical movement of character: Depending on what sort of movement that the actor may do in this hat it is very stable on Josh's head and doesn't move very much and is a very good fit, however if it was to be used on stage and he needed to jump around a lot or do a lot of physical movement then there is the opportunity to add an elastic band to the helmet to put round the chin of the actor if it doesn't feel stable. Suitable Materials/Fabric: The materials are suitable as they are children friendly and not harmful as they are neither sharp or dangerous. The materials are quite fun and give a good handmade look. What Period: 8th-11th Century
Faustus Performance Analysis
Following to mine and Magic's performance of Faustus I now need to do a performance evaluation on how I did and comment on the rest of the class.
The criteria for the performance to evaluate myself and others on is the following:
Confidence in performance
Clarity
Strong vocal
Use of space
Self directed
Movement
Understanding
Voice + Movement = Characterisation
Prior to my performance I was very nervous as I was extremely worried about forgetting my lines or messing them up and as it is written in old language it is more difficult to improvised if I was to forget any words to my dialogue. Before we went in to do our assessment, Magic was feeling the same and we were both struggling to get the words into our head. So we kept on going over and over the scene alternating doing it once with the script and then without and so on. This really helped me as it got the dialogue into my head and i felt a lot more confident to do my assessment.
When we watched back on the performance I felt that I had a good strong clarity to my voice and when watching back I could clearly hear every word that I said. I felt this was a good thing to pick out and realize because I wanted to have this well spoken and clearly heard voice because the character that I was playing was very mysterious and I wanted to have a strong vocal come across which then lead to a change in volume when appropriate when i spoke. There was a moment where I shouted and got a bit angry and there was a distinctive change in volume which was appropriate to the text and characterisation. A weakness to my performance was that I did forget some of the lines and I did have to use improvisation to keep myself on track and stay in character. I managed to get the general gist of some of my lines as I was trying to visually seem my script and remember what it said which did work as I didn't lose focus and I was able to carry on and not come out of character and managed to cover it well. A bit more movement and contact could have been use in our scene, there was some but more could have been used however I was worried about my lines being forgotten. It looked effective when I started to circle Magic when he was saying his last bit of dialogue as it gave a sinister feel to the piece and reinforced our self direction of wanting my circling around him to be seen as his thoughts circling and going round his head.
When watching other people's scenes back I really liked Beth and Catrina's scene and their use of physical theatre when they used John and Josh as a chair and a desk. The reason why I liked this is because it have the whole class performance a different dimension and direction to the piece as it created a new level of interest which I felt worked really well and was really interesting to watch.
I also really liked Ellie and Josh's piece as they used the idea of split personality and they shared the part of Faustus and used the idea of almost the good and bad side to him talking and they had very strong use of characterisation and the frantic thoughts and feelings of Faustus. There was very minimal movement in their scene, but I feel it really worked as I don't think it needed to have lots of movement as it would have taken it away from their scene and their dialogue.
A weakness that I picked up was that Saxona forgot some of her lines, however she still stayed in character and Cherkanah also stayed in character and was able to cover it well and carry on as normal. Cherkanah took the initiative to keep going with her lines when sax forgot which was fine because they both stayed in character and if you didn't know the piece and what their scene should have been like from an audience point of view I don't think you would have noticed.
Grace in her scene did forget some of her lines, however instead of trying to carrying on she did say 'no' in the middle of her scene as if she couldn't carry on which was a shame for her to have done that because she could have got herself out of the situation by taking her time instead of saying no and coming out of her character. John who she was partnered with did extremely well by digging her out of a few holes and helping her get on track with his brilliant character skills. John really did well in his scene because he had great clarity to his voice and his characterisation skills were on point.
As a class I feel we all managed to do well in this performance because there were no real big mistakes that happened and if they did they all were covered really well. I believe that we all had strong clarity to our voice and all portrayed good scenes and was able to respond to our task well. Visually watching back the video of our performance it looked well spaced and the lighting was very good too having the red colour which gave a menacing feel to the performance which went well with the performance as it touches on themes of hell and the devil and overall i feel visually it all worked. As a whole we should all be happy as it came across well presented and everyone worked hard in their scenes. The way in which the original performances back in Elizabethan times is compared to our performance was that back at the original the performances would have been performed outside at the Globe theatre whereas in our performance we performed it in our studio theatre inside. Originally performers would all have been men, now we have women in performances and we have the ability to have women and men cross play genders which originally it woud just be men doing both.
