ACTING CLASS - 17 Dec 18

Yesterday, The Broken Heart Youth Theatre came once again for the sequel to do a workshop. We did warm-up exercises, listening exercises and talked about the skills of acting and exercises that enhances those skills. We also did improvisation exercises. I worked with Katie Miller with that and we staged our scenario on the street and she was playing a charity worker and I was just a member of the public, my job as an actor was think of different personalities, characteristics like James McAvoy from Split and the upcoming Glass. Trailer is below. Just like the movie, I wanted us to go up to 24 but I we only did 8.

1. A normal person
2. A 6 year old boy
3. A drunkard
4. An insane anti-sociopath
5. A robber
6. A psychic fortune teller
7. An old lady
8. A crazily blind fanboy

Unfortunately, I missed a whole hour of the workshop because of my ALS session.

When I came back, we started learning how to write a script. I worked with Teigan Kalekezi on this. Obviously, when we come back from Christmas, there's two of us, so we have to act it out. It's a duologue/soliloquy. We based it as a coming-of-age/slice-of-life type of scene where our two characters: Zoey and Lucky, talk about age and society and how it's affecting them and how it could everyone and everything else around them and how age and society are a good combo and how they are relevant to each other. There were working titles: Influence, The Edge of Eighteen, S**t Don't Stop & S**t Happens.

It was a great experience and I look forward to seeing you again in January 2019. Same goes to Rob, Sharon and pretty much everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let the games begin or should I say let the holidays begin. 2019, here we come.

ACTING CLASS - 13 Dec 18

Last Thursday, for the third time, we continued rehearsing Act 1 with R-Alex and S-McK for Macbeth.

I WAS ON AN AUTHORISED ABSENCE BUT I WAS TOLD THIS BY ROB ALEXANDER.

Something tells me that even though I wasn't there, I shouldn't have been there anyway because I play Macduff and he only appears in Act 2 and 4. That's it.

ACTING CLASS - 12 Dec 18

Last Wednesday, for the second time, we were rehearsing Act 1 throughout the week with possibly S-McK in Macbeth.

I WAS LATE BUT AN AUTHORISED ABSENCE ANYWAY (I THINK). I WAS TOLD THIS BY ROB ALEXANDER

ACTING CLASS - 11 Dec 18

Last Tuesday, for the first time, we started production for Macbeth.

I WAS ON AN AUTHORISED ABSENCE BUT THIS WAS TOLD TO ME BY ROB ALEXANDER

ACTING CLASS - 6 Dec 18

On today's Acting Class, we were with R-Alex, we have finally read through the entire official script of Macbeth. I think the script was amazing and it's well detailed and the tone is really dark and serious. The plot is fully in depth. The characters are almost relatable and fully understandable. The mature/adult themes were uncomfortably hilarious - satirically twisted. When we read the script, the roles I auditioned for were: Macbeth, Macduff, Duncan, Seyton, Lennox, Ross & Malcolm.

ACTING CLASS - 3 Dec 18 - PART 1

New week, new month and Christmas around the corner. LAST THURSDAY. WHAT A BLAST!!!! On today's Acting Class, we were with R-Alex. We started off with what other brand new skills we have gained when we were working on our Stanislavski/Chekhov projects. In order to do that, we drew on a piece of paper, a spider-diagram to show all of that.

• We developed our leadership skills
• We learnt about comedic timing
• We learnt how to relate to our characters
• We learnt how important communication is.
• We successfully included props in our acts, this enhanced our performance
• We learnt how to engage with the audience
• We developed our team-working skills

For myself, the skills I thought I gained:

• How to engage with the audience
• Confidence
• Voice projection
• Eye contact
• Memory
• Practice
• Use of space - spatial awareness
• Respect the actors I work with
• Thick skin
• Range

I got some good feedback on my peers:

"You have a clear adaption of character. Good facial expressions. Good vocal projection and articulation" - Kadi

"You've got good range. Good diction/articulation, teamwork, confidence and vocal projection" - Ben M

"I liked how you adapted your character and made it your own. You have good comedic timing. You got good range and use of articulation. Good preparation. Good listening skills and good reactions" - Teigan & Rob Alexander

ACTING CLASS - 3 Dec 18 - PART 2 / WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - INITIAL RESPONSES

In the second part of yesterday's Acting Class, we started development on Macbeth by learning more about William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Shakespeare provides love interests that show romantic tension in his love stories to make them more exciting but boring at the same time. When actors, play out the show, they speak like pirates. That's called Iambic Pentameter. Shakespeare likes to think outside the box while writing his shows, he has a sense of adventure, he fills his shows with amazement and they intrigue the audience. Most of his shows are around royal eras like Jacobean, Elizabethan, Victorian etc. and have Englishmen in them. Some of his shows are big hits but they are also tragedies: Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth.

Shakespeare's shows are cliche because of all of the aspects of his shows can be similar to different things like life. Shakespeare's shows are obviously old because he started writing his plays at around late-16th century to early-17th century. I think Macbeth is interesting because if you read and watch the play, you will find out that it's all there: love, lust, sexual manipulation, seduction, betrayal, war, blood, death, suspense, mystery, thriller etc. All of those aspects of make Macbeth so emotional but cool and educational. Some of Shakespeare's shows can be too complicated, too difficult to understand or to comprehend, hence the language. Shakespeare's shows are mostly performed here in the UK at the Globe Theatre. There are monologues and soliloquies in all of his shows. There's also tragic events that happen in tragedies, forgiveness and family.

Some of his shows are comedies: The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Anything etc. They can be half-hearted but blank and hard, so many tragedy heroes and irony. Romance plays have sonnets in them.

The language is what we prefer to call Old English. Shakespeare was alive through the Elizabethan era (Queen Elizabeth - 1558-1603), but he died during King James I's reign in 1616 at where was born, nine years before James I's reign ended. Shakespeare must be somewhere around the Medieval era. If a stanza in a play is 14 lines long then it's a sonnet. There are some other really good shows: Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Richard III, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI and Antony & Cleopatra.

There are many things in Shakespeare that are involved and can also be a parody of it (St. Trinians). Goblets, swords, daggers, fate, ambition, make-up, milk, black magic, supernatural, religion, dramaticism, fair fights, insanity, justice, Scotland, Old England, costumes, corsets, stay-at-home women stereotypes, empires, kingdoms, royalty, horses and friendship.

After that, we were given a mini-script which literally explains Macbeth in 20 minutes and we were given an extract of the piece and we were supposed to perform theatrically and I was given 3 remarkable actors to pull this off: Diamond Burton, Favour Dantes and Pedro Small. I used my newfound directing skills to make all of us rehearse numerous times and execute what's in the script and make it perfect and we did. Basically, it was like a screen test.

CAST

Diamond Burton - Cheering Citizen/First Witch
Favour Dantes - Cheering Citizen/Second Witch
Troy Wilson - Cheering and Praising Citizen/Third Witch/Norway Soldier/Director
Pedro Small - Macbeth

This is exactly how we did it. We did change a few things

(There is a fierce battle between Scotland and Norway. MACBETH impales last man standing NORWAY SOLDIER through the chest. NORWAY SOLDIER screams with pain and dies instantly. MACBETH and Scotland win the battle triumphantly. THREE WITCHES plot to meet MACBETH on his way home.)

FIRST WITCH: When shall we three meet again? In thunder

SECOND WITCH: In lightning

THIRD WITCH: Or in rain?

(As MACBETH enters through the gates of his home land, THREE CITIZENS praise and cheer for MACBETH for his courage and bravery in winning the battle. MACBETH just struts across the city.)

CHEERING AND PRAISING CITIZEN (shouts): Worthy gentleman, brave Macbeth, worthy thane, great Glamis.

(After that, MACBETH meets the THREE WITCHES on the heath. They make a prophecy.)

FIRST WITCH: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!

SECOND WITCH: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!

THIRD WITCH: All hail, Macbeth, that shall be king hereafter!

ACTING CLASS - 29 Nov 18

Last Thursday, was the day when it finally began. We performed our pieces in front of the audience and we did great. The Seagulls, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters and many others because students from Level 2 and Musical Theatre have actually come together to perform their own pieces.