WEEK THREE

To be blunt, I think my group did very well with our presentation as we were able to give well-rounded information leading from what we know about the history we know from it to the areas that many would not unless they did research in that area. With the plan that I made regarding what themes we should each cover, I think executed each task well and there were no problems that came up that could have disrupted us. I think I did well in staying confident with the work I did as I was able to share it with the cast whilst also adapting to not having the presentation projected for reference. Also, after rewatching our presentation and seeing the other groups, I think I could have used a more informal tone so that I could keep the whole cast even more engaged than they previously - which is evident in the person that recorded our presentation.

Afterward, we relooked at Scene 1 and the Director has decided that the Boy's characterisation should be that of a 7-year-old. As changes were made to the action on stage, the initial line that the operators were in was changed into a 'V' shape where June is the point that we all meet at. I think this was done because the room that we rehearsed in was too small, so to avoid having the holding pilots holding planes colliding with us, we changed our positions so that they can move around.

01/02/2022

Unlike previous rehearsals, as we revisited the Opening Scene, we started to add and refine the various elements in the scene. For example, when I think of the involvement of operators in the scene and our formation, my thoughts are as followed in my reflection:

• Being an Operator

I really liked the idea of there being operators around June as she speaks to Peter because it fills the void between them and shows the different worlds that June and Peter are in. June's environment is fixed and mechanical whereas Peter's is free and falling apart (quite literally). Additionally, I quite like the idea of us collectively working with the pilots as the equilibrium while June and Peter speak to each other.

• Specific characters: the Boy, June & Peter, and the Woman

As we progress in the rehearsals, I think the boy is still in the works of being a defined character since character choices haven't been decided yet - it can be said about most characters are in the same position. I think in terms of June and Peter's dialogue, I think the most important thing is to show how the bond between them is made and how quickly their relationship forms. With that in mind, I think that will come more from the actors responding to one another on stage by reacting and staying present. As for the Woman (and for the characters leading to this), I am especially impressed by the accents that are being developed for the play. I'm not sure if it is counted as historically/regionally accurate, however, I think it does well to give context to the audience in terms of when the play is set and sounds good when it changes with the comedic moments.

Then, we worked on 'Talking to an Angel' as a group again and decided on what sections of the song we were going to keep. As part of the process, we would continue to make sure that we learn the complete song before cutting it down to adjust to our needs for the show and alleviate confusion whilst we learn it. However, as we continued to rehearse the songs, I found it became increasingly more frustrating to sing as the same people kept on talking at crucial moments where we needed to focus. These feelings were confirmed by the notes our vocal leaders gave us:

• Be delicate with the notes.

• Don't try to overpower each other with your voices.

Once we had taken on the feedback, we continued to do a full run of the Opening Scene with the song included. As I was not on stage at the beginning of the scene, from my perspective it was really encouraging to witness how music and the song specifically heightened the scene and created an eerie, war-like atmosphere. With that said, I think the only issue that I know we will rectify is the volume of our singing and how it becomes quieter than we intend when we are trying to remember where we go whilst staying confident. We also experienced a bit of miscommunication on what lines we would say together in unison as operators, but this was quickly resolved as I had made notes of the cues in my script.

02/02/2022

Before the rehearsal began, Imogen and I did our warmup using the plan that we made (found in the first week). We weren't able to get through the whole plan because many people found it hard to stay focused for the group as it was the morning. However, I think this also comes to us planning too much to accomplish in a short amount of time. With that being said, our classmates also weren't being greatly cooperative, though we were able to lift the mood at the end.

Later on, we went back to rehearsing the Opening Scene and began to block Scenes 2 and 3. A problem that was consistent in this rehearsal was the lack of attention when needed from the cast and following instructions from the Director. We then moved on to learn the Girl's song, 'La Vie en Rose' which I enjoyed because we were able to quickly work through it and the Vocal leaders were able to adapt to the ensemble struggling to concentrate by taking a few of us who were willing to focus and sing the harmonies.

After learning the 'Basic', we moved on to different variations of the jive that were more complex than that dance move. For example, we focused on a harder step called the 'Flick Ball Kick', which required us to kick our legs out in time with the beat and go back into a sidestep. I think it would be said across the whole class that this move was difficult because you would need to get the timing and the steps matched with the rhythm of the music or you would lose your coordination. The last dance move that we looked at was the 'Mooch', which consisted of mostly kicks. I really liked this dance move because I believe it required more enthusiasm for the steps, which instantly made me enjoy dancing more. And, unlike the dance moves that we learned before, we worked on a transitional step called a 'change', which helped us to swap positions with our partners and allow us to change the dance moves if we wanted to. I think this experience was really important because it gave me an insight as to what would have been happening in the 1940s and gave me better context as to why the dance is involved in the play. Moreover, I found that these dances were successful in lifting my energy and allowed me to invest in paying attention to my partner and the teacher. So, I believe I did really well that day with the dance and I found working with choreography could become my strength rather than being worried to dance. As I have mentioned before, it took me a moment to get the steps right, whereas it posed a developing issue for the cast as a whole. I think we could improve as a group by supporting each other when we struggle with the dance or asking for the teacher rather than distracting one another out of excitement.