A Christmas Carol

Before we started reading A Christmas Carol, I decided to do some research about the historical, social and political context about Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol to help me understand the story clearly and how it affected and changed lives during the Industrial Revolution.

Historical Context

Though he became a popular novelist quickly, Charles Dickens grew up in a lower-middle-class family. When he was only twelve, Dickens's father was arrested because he could not pay off a debt. To help pay off the debt, Charles went to work in Warren's Blacking Warehouse, a shoe polish factory. There, he worked long hours alongside other children. He was deeply moved by the plight of the poor and the exploitation of child labourers due to his past experiences of poverty during his childhood. Charles Dickens was a writer who used his pen to shed light on the injustices of his era and his works often served as a call to action, compelling readers to confront the harsh realities of society. Dickens included many facts from his life and translated them into his stories.  A Christmas Carol was published in 1943 in response to the wage gap during the Hungry Forties and it is a tale about Ebenezer Scrooge, a money-hungry, selfish businessman. A Christmas Carol was a natural extension of Dickens’ commitment to social reform. 

In the novella, he created a vivid portrait of the Victorian era. He drew from his experiences and observations. Through Ebenezer Scrooge, Dickens personified the harshness of those who profited at the expense of others. While Christmas Carol was written in response to the specific challenges of the Victorian era, its message is still relevant today. Dickens’ critique of social inequality, his call for empathy and compassion, and his belief in the power of personal transformation continue to resonate with readers today.

Social Context

The early 19th century was a tumultuous time for England. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, transforming the nation’s economy and society. Urbanisation and technological advancements led to rapid growth in cities like London. This drew people from the countryside to move to the city to seek work in factories and mills. This migration resulted in overcrowded, poor living conditions. The differences between social classes were noticeable. The upper class enjoyed lavish lifestyles, while the lower class struggled to make ends meet. Child labour was rampant, and general working conditions were awful. Many families lived in cramped rooms with barely any access to education and healthcare. 

The earlier traditions for Christmas was for nobility to host feasts in their manors with some lasting up to twelve days for their tenant farmers but that practice had begun to fall out of favour during the Victorian era as a result of the industrial revolution. And there was an uncertainty about how to celebrate Christmas in the cities. A Christmas Carol was very influential in demonstrating to the Victorians that they could uphold the generosity of the Georgians’ way of celebrating Christmas. Instead of being a communal feast or party, the celebrations became smaller, more intimate, and focused on families and children. Amid their changing world, A Christmas Carol showed the Victorians wonderful images of warm family celebrations and of people sharing their good fortune.

Political Context 

In 1843, Dickens received the report from the Parliamentary Commission on the Employment of Women and Children and was horrified by its findings. The report described the horrible conditions in which young children were working, including dangerous jobs down mines and in factories. He described himself as “perfectly stricken down” by the contents of the report and resolved to write “something to strike the heaviest blow in my power” on behalf of these children whom he saw as the innocent victims of the Industrial Revolution.

The impact of Dickens’s story was immediate and wide-reaching. The widespread success of A Christmas Carol may have helped in achieving changes to the law surrounding child labor. Shortly after the publication of the story, the 1844 Factories Act established health and safety guidelines, including the edict that no child or young person was to clean mill machinery while it was in motion. It also limited the hours worked by children and made schooling a necessary part of the workday. Further acts of parliament over the course of the 19th century eventually culminated in the abolition of child labor, via the Children and Young Persons Act of 1933.

After watching two different adaptations of 'A Christmas Carol' - the 1951 and 1999 films, I noticed that the 1951's version practically used the same dialogue from the original novel itself which would help with our devising process if we could use the same dialogue but change it slightly so it fits our version of the show and still has the same vibe as the original novel of 'A Christmas Carol'. However, in the 1999's version of 'A Christmas Carol', I really liked the way they portrayed Scrooge's character changing over the course of the film. Having him start off as this cold and closed off person who doesn't see the point of Christmas and ending off as this giddy man dancing and leaping around his room after waking up on Christmas day. I feel that this massive change in character is the key point of 'A Christmas Carol', showing that Scrooge can change and that it was always there beneath his cruel personality and bitterness.

I also watched some videos of Theatre gone wrong by Mischief Theatre, I would like to do a show that goes wrong while still following the story of 'A Christmas Carol' with comedic elements such as one actor having to play four roles on stage and struggling to keep up with those roles or having the set fall apart around them or even using the wrong props for the scene. The reason that I'd like to do a performance like this is because I've never done a show that goes wrong on purpose and I feel it would be a very fun experience and I could learn new techniques from work-shopping the performance.

Videos below:

To start off our devising for Christmas Carol, we decided to research all of the characters that are important and are needed for the plot. We also added a small description of the characters and their roles in the story. The character that I am interested in playing is Fred because he is a very positive and optimistic character and I think it would be a good challenge for me to play as him to boost my confidence on stage.

This is a list of important characters in Christmas Carol

1. Ebenezer Scrooge

• Description: The central figure of the story, Scrooge is an elderly, miserly businessman who values money over human connection. He is known for his greed, coldness, and disdain for Christmas. He lives alone, keeping to himself and ignoring the needs of others. Scrooge’s journey is one of redemption, as he learns the importance of generosity, kindness, and love.

• Role: Protagonist, whose transformation is the heart of the story.

2. Jacob Marley

• Description: Scrooge's former business partner, Jacob Marley, is condemned to wander the earth in chains as punishment for his own greed and selfishness in life. Marley's ghost appears to warn Scrooge about his own fate if he doesn’t change his ways. His ghostly visitation sets the stage for Scrooge’s supernatural encounters.

• Role: The spirit who initiates Scrooge’s transformation, urging him to take heed of the ghosts’ visits.

3. The Ghost of Christmas Past

• Description: This spirit is often depicted as a figure with both youthful and elderly features, symbolizing the passage of time. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge on a journey through his own memories, revisiting his childhood, his early adulthood, and his lost love, Belle. Through these scenes, Scrooge begins to understand how his past choices shaped the man he has become.

• Role: To show Scrooge his earlier life and help him see the origins of his hardened heart.

4. The Ghost of Christmas Present

• Description: A jolly, larger-than-life figure, this spirit embodies the joy and generosity of the Christmas season. The Ghost of Christmas Present is surrounded by abundance, often depicted as sitting atop a feast, and shows Scrooge the happiness and hardship of those living in the present. He reveals to Scrooge the struggles of people like Bob Cratchit and his family, as well as the fate of Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, who continues to invite Scrooge to Christmas dinner despite his uncle’s disdain.

• Role: To show Scrooge the warmth of current relationships and the impact of his actions on those around him.

5. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (or Christmas Future)

• Description: Often depicted as a dark, silent, and foreboding figure cloaked in black, this spirit represents the unknown future. Unlike the other two spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not speak but communicates through gestures, showing Scrooge a grim vision of his death. The spirit reveals that Scrooge will die alone and unloved, with no one to mourn him, which serves as the final wake-up call for the miser.

• Role: To show Scrooge the potential consequences of continuing his selfish ways, motivating his change.

6. Bob Cratchit

• Description: Scrooge’s humble and overworked clerk. Bob Cratchit is a family man who, despite being paid a meager salary and enduring difficult working conditions, remains kind-hearted and devoted to his family. He is especially loving toward his sickly son, Tiny Tim, whose health is precarious. Bob Cratchit represents the everyday person struggling to make ends meet, and his enduring optimism and compassion stand in stark contrast to Scrooge’s greed.

• Role: Symbolizes the virtues of kindness, sacrifice, and love even in the face of hardship. His family’s struggles are a catalyst for Scrooge’s transformation.

7. Tiny Tim

• Description: The youngest son of Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim is a sweet, gentle child who suffers from a debilitating illness, often portrayed as a form of tuberculosis. Despite his fragile health, Tim remains full of cheer, expressing hope for a better future. His famous line, “God bless us, every one,” becomes a symbol of the joy and spirit of Christmas. His fate is a key factor in Scrooge’s change, as Scrooge realizes that if he doesn’t act, Tim may not survive.

• Role: A symbol of innocence and the fragility of life. His potential death is a major turning point in Scrooge’s realization.

8. Fred

• Description: Scrooge’s cheerful and optimistic nephew. Fred loves Christmas and refuses to give up on his relationship with his miserly uncle. Despite Scrooge’s repeated dismissals and ridicule, Fred continues to invite him to Christmas dinner each year. Fred represents the qualities of generosity and goodwill, and his unwavering kindness to Scrooge helps show the contrast between the two men.

• Role: Represents the joy and warmth of family, and serves as a reminder to Scrooge of what he has lost in his pursuit of wealth.

9. The Charity Collectors

• Description: Two gentlemen who approach Scrooge in the beginning of the story, seeking a donation for the poor and needy. They represent the charitable organizations trying to alleviate the suffering of the less fortunate. When Scrooge dismisses them and expresses his disdain for helping the poor, they continue their efforts without him. These men symbolize the growing social consciousness and the idea of collective responsibility for the welfare of others.

• Role: To highlight Scrooge’s indifference and illustrate his disconnect from the suffering of others, which makes his later change so significant.

10. Belle

• Description: Belle is Scrooge’s former fiancée, whom he lost due to his obsession with money and business. In the past, Belle represents the love and happiness Scrooge could have had, but his growing greed caused him to prioritize wealth over their relationship. She eventually breaks off their engagement, and her departure marks a critical moment in Scrooge’s life, turning him further toward a life of isolation and greed.

• Role: Represents lost love and the emotional cost of Scrooge’s choices. She symbolizes the path not taken, showing Scrooge what he sacrificed in pursuit of wealth.

11. Various Minor Characters

• Description: There are numerous minor characters who help illustrate the world in which Scrooge lives. These include Scrooge’s employees, the Cratchit family’s neighbors, and townspeople who react to Scrooge’s character. Their attitudes toward Scrooge range from pity to scorn, and they add depth to the depiction of the social climate of the time.

• Role: These characters help to flesh out the setting and social dynamics, showing the wider effect of Scrooge’s behavior and his eventual transformation.

In this video, our group had been asked to find a way to introduce all of the characters in a Christmas Carol by using props and clothes. To start off, our group would read off all of the characters, their descriptions and their roles in the story. We then gathered a bunch of different clothes and props and used some of them to fit the characters so giving Tiny Tim a blanket and a crutch or had the charity workers wear hats and carry buckets around for people to put money. This exercise is a great way to discuss different ideas for how to portray certain characters and help the group get a clearer idea of how we want the performance to go, giving us as a group more chance to brainstorm about the show.

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For this video, we learned about Chaos Movement from Mischief Theatre and it is about creating one sequence at first such as one person walking to another person in the circle until everyone has changed positions and then adding more sequences like passing a ball to the person to your left or hi-fiving the person opposite you. Basically, it is just creating multiple sequences and trying to remember them all and do all of the sequences. The main purpose of the game is learning how to help with multitasking during a show, for example, trying to balance listening for your cues, putting on your next costume quickly and grabbing any props or set you need to bring on, learning how to stay calm while doing all these tasks will help the performance go a lot more smoother. But if someone is having difficulty while trying to find a prop, I could go on stage and put longer pauses in between words or spend more time going across the stage to give more time to other actors to find what they need or time to put on their costume.

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To start our lesson off, we read a book about devising a novel to a stage play and the pros and cons about it. With devising, there are multiple different ways to adapt a novel to a stage play but the most popular options are either try to copy the book 1 to 1 onto a stage play and have it follow the author's interpretation or you can pick out the important parts of the book and fit them into a stage play with your own interpretation. Both ways has their own advantages and disadvantages. 

Trying to copy a novel 1 to 1 may seem like a good idea so that the people who are a fan of the book watch but they might be upset if the stage play fails to achieve the same effect that the novel has. Another problem you might have is that the amount of content that is in novels will be hours longer than a 2 hour play and you might also miss some hidden context if you cut a ton of content trying to make it shorter. But with adapting a play and shortening it down with only the important parts might lose fans of the Novel but you might gain a new audience with the new shortened version of the story.

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For the next part of our devising process, we listened to an audio book of the entire novel of A Christmas Carol and while it played on a speaker, we brought out a bunch of props, tables, chairs, hats and costumes and placed them around the room so we could interact with them while listening to the different stages of the novel. These workshops that we did were inspired by Theatre de complicete and help us to brainstorm text and ideas through the actors playground.

In these first two videos, we went through all of stave 2 in the actors playground. What I got from this stave was that the ghost of Christmas past comes to take Scrooge to his old memories, going from his time in school and seeing Fran again to meeting Fezziwig at Scrooge's old job and then seeing Scrooge and Bell meeting for the first time and then having them drift apart due to Scrooge's selfishness of making more money. 

I mostly played the part of the ghost of Christmas past and since he was described to be holding some holly in his hand, I grabbed a bunch of flowers and held them while I played as the ghost. After finishing the 2nd stave, we then had a discussion about what we found out while listening to stave 2. To help the audience recognise the characters on stage, we would wear costumes that symbolise the character and compliment their personalities.

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in stave 3, we move onto the ghost of Christmas present with the main events being the ghost waking Scrooge up and taking him to the streets on Christmas eve, showing him the markets and variety of middle and low class getting through on Christmas and sharing the joy with each other. We then move onto the ghost taking Scrooge to people working on Christmas in work houses. The next scene shows the Cratchit family getting together on Christmas eve and with Scrooge seeing how ill Tiny Tim is and how he reminds him of Fran. After that, Scrooge is taken to Fred's party where they celebrate Christmas and play games with Scrooge taking part even though they can't see him and him realising how much Fred cares about him. In the last scene, we see the ghost growing old and telling Scrooge to embrace Christmas.

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in stave 4, we are introduced to the ghost of Christmas yet to come. I played the ghost of future Christmas and to follow that role, I hid my hands in my sleeves and only pointed and kept quiet. We then saw thieves that stole from Scrooge after he passed away, trying to sell his bed curtains and his cane to make some money. After that, we visited Bob Cratchit's House and saw that Tiny Tim had died with Scrooge becoming upset and not wanting him to die but even though the Cratchit family was affected by his passing, they grieved but came back stronger with their love for Tiny Tim bringing them closer. The ghost took him to a morgue and Scrooge was too scared to peel back the covers so the ghost then takes him to his grave to show that Scrooge will die. Seeing this, Scrooge breaks down and begs the ghost for forgiveness, finally accepting his regrets and promises to change for the better and for Fran, Tiny Tim and Belle.

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In Stave 5, Scrooge wakes up from his dream with the Ghost of Christmas past and decides to be thankful for the ghost's visit, going around his room like a happy child. He then asks a boy what day it is and once Scrooge realises it’s Christmas, he goes down to the market to buy the biggest turkey he can get and asks for it to be delivered to Bob Cratchit by horse and carriage. He makes his way to Fred's house to have dinner with him, greeting people on the street with a smile and embracing Christmas cheer. Once there, he has dinner with Fred and then meets Bob Cratchit at their office, showing his appreciation for Bob and working with him for all those years. The narration then tells us that the vision of the Ghost of Christmas yet to come was wrong and Scrooge lived his life to fullest, embracing his family and friends. What I liked about what the actors did in the actors playground was that they were able to encapsulate the essence of Scrooge and show how much he has changed from the ghost’s visits. I also liked seeing the workers holding up the turkey and struggling with it, they also did a good job of having a few people play all of the different characters in Stave 5. I hope we will be able to keep the turkey and the conversations of Scrooge and the different cast members in to make the play seem bigger than it actually is.

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To further our research and understanding of the time period of 'A Christmas Carol' so that we can create a true experience of what it was like for our show. We wrote up mind maps about 1840's England with the main topics being what was the housing and prisons like, were they clean, how many people lived in them and how many people died in them. We also had to look up about workhouses, what were the working conditions like? Did they help the homeless or unemployed people? What were the laws in the 1840s and did they improve England and we saw the differences between all of the classes and how terrible it was to live in the lower class. I had to search up and research prisons and how the conditions killed more people than death sentences.

Video below about our discussion of the 1840's:

After doing our research about 1840's England, we thought it would be a good idea to do a short improv performance about how terrible it was to live in Victorian era London. We discussed having it be a walk through of London, having the performance follow one person to create a sense of story progression. We follow this rich person being served by a waitress and then gets his house and assets taken by debt collectors and thrown on the street by debt collectors. He becomes homeless and poor, laughed at people walking by on the street. I play as a police officer to take him over to custody, the man then goes to court for not paying his taxes and is sent to prison to mine with other prisoners. 

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We had a group discussion about how we could present our show to the audience. Since we only had a couple weeks to create our show, we decided on trying to make a shortened version of Christmas Carol and highlighting the key events needed for Scrooge's character to change over the course of the play but also adding in our own ideas to implement. We then spoke about which characters we would each play as but we were stuck on what to do with the ghosts since we already had people playing 2 roles but it wouldn't be possible for us to switch as the ghosts without confusing the audience. I thought to solve that issue, we could use lighting and shadows to portray the ghosts and use our voices to record as the four ghosts.

Videos below:

We began brainstorming for Stave 1 and wanted to put a different spin on it. We then discussed having two girls read out at the beginning like it's a story they're reading. I would play as Fred and walk into Scrooge's office, talking about inviting him to a party but I wasn't sure how to keep the conversation going. After Fred leaves, we would have Scrooge walk home and try to relax once he gets home but when he does, we thought about having his paintings follow him and have Marley calling his name to build that ghostly atmosphere.

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After doing improv for the first scene, we decided to plan and discuss the entire play but this wasn't final, it was just putting our ideas we had in the group discussion earlier into cohesive bullet points that we can follow. For the characters I play as, everyone was happy for me to play Fred as my main role but for the extra characters, I wouldn't mind playing any of them so we all agreed that I could play as the cemetery caretaker and Thief 1 since they had really small parts in the show and would give the other actors time to breathe and change costumes.

The notes we took during our discussion:

Over the weekend, Faith, Fru and Mike spent time writing up an incomplete script that went up to Stave 4 so we decided to do a group reading of the script. The criticisms that we had for the script was that Stave 2, 3 and 4 were too short and needed to be expanded upon further, some of the conversations and interactions between the characters felt very stiff and clunky but it was a good start to have some parts of the script written up. To help improve upon the script, we all agreed that I would help take some of the writing load from the others by nominating myself to write all of Stave 5. I also spent some time today writing the script by reading Stave 5 from the novel and our notes from our earlier discussions, trying to find a balance and summarise them into a script format. 

In this video, we fully confirmed everyone's roles and that I would be taking on the roles of Fred and Graveyard Caretaker. We also discussed the situations with the three ghosts and found a solution by asking Emily to play all three ghosts by herself which would really help with the stress of taking more roles and doing impossibly fast costumes changes.

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The notes I wrote on my script to help with my rehearsals:

Since we had some time after our discussions, we decided to do some blocking for Stave 1 while reading off the script. In this scene, Fred is trying to convince his Uncle Scrooge to come to his Christmas party but Scrooge just won't budge. So I tried to give off a joyful mood that Fred would have and said his lines with projection and clarity, using my hands to enhance Fred's joy further. However, as I continued with the scene, I felt my voice growing quieter and mainly focusing on holding the script and looking down at it.

So to help with the acting as our characters, we did a character exercise where we walked around the room as our characters and repeated one line from the role we play. Since I play Fred, he is a very happy and charismatic character but is also rich, so to incorporate that, I sat up straight and smiled as I went around the room, saying my line with that input in mind. This exercise really helped my understanding of Fred's character and how I should be aiming to be acting like further along into our development process of the performance.

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Before we started our rehearsal, the musician came in to start practising Silent Night with us to prepare for the show. The main instrument she was going to play was the lyre which was a good choice and felt like it could be played in 1840's London. When we started singing, I only knew the first verse of the song so I had to read the second and third verse but the main problem I had was knowing when to start singing each line, what I realised was that I would have to sing before the strum of the Lyre.

For our next singing rehearsal, I would like to be able to sing Silent Night without reading the lyrics from my phone. How I will do this is by singing the three verses at home and going over them multiple times to remember them off by heart so I can raise my head during rehearsals to project my voice and focus on knowing when I should start singing.

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We started blocking for Stave 1 and 2, running up to pg 11 and the only scene I was included in was the first scene between Fred and Scrooge. I tried to include what I learned the last time we rehearsed this scene and tried to remain bright and optimistic with Scrooge, hoping to change his mind to come to the party. To improve for our next rehearsal, I would like to include more movement in the scene with me stepping back and leaning back to make Scrooge more menacing.

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In the process to learn all of my lines before the 28th of November, Yana and I spent some time going through our Thief scene together and we made the effort to go off script for this video so we can spend more time without carrying our scripts around.  In this video, we did our entire scene without needing a prompt from the script. 

To improve for our next rehearsal, I will try and apply more characterisation to Thief 1 and sound more rough, putting on an older English accent to fit the character of a thief in Victorian England by listening to movies that are in the 1840's period and try to adapt and create my own version of their accent.

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In this rehearsal, we did a run through of previous pages and started the blocking process for Stave 2 and 3. Since our script included a homeless man at the market, I offered to play him. For my characterisation of the homeless man, I decided to be shivering in the cold while eating some bread. I then get sprinkled with Marmite by the ghost of Christmas present and enjoy the bread, becoming joyful.

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We showed the other actors what we practised yesterday and went up to the end of Stave 3. We then went through the entire script with all of the actors to rehearse all the scenes. I was a bit slow with the first Fred scene and used some different lines. For the homeless man, I kept leaving early but I leave when Emily says ‘Since the poor need it the most’. When it came to my Fred scene in Stave 3, I got confused on the order of my lines but we restarted the scene and we finished it. My singing was rough so I have to make my voice smoother.

Since we were constantly using the script, we decided to re-do the rehearsal and hopefully be a lot quicker and in Stave 4, I need to walk on earlier and go straight towards the table and try to incorporate some shifty body language to give my character more personality, laughing weirdly with the other Thief and then taking the boxes off.

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Blocking rehearsals

To start our rehearsal process, we had to begin with blocking which is mostly just following the script and trying to replicate the ideas from the script onto the stage with the other actors giving their input for what to change or to improve. This is an important part of the process because it lays the foundation for the actors to build upon and gives us the direction for a basic layout of the show. In my opinion, I believe blocking is the most creative part of the process since we can throw out any ideas that we have and see what works and what doesn't work like having the ghost hiding under the bed. It also gives me the chance to try out anything I have in mind for my characters without worrying about nailing it on the first try, such as singing Fred's greeting to Scrooge or throwing my hands up mid conversation.

Since Faith couldn't manage to play Scrooge, we had to change some roles around with MIke now playing as Scrooge but we had to get new actors in with Ryan playing Bob Cratchit and Sam coming in and playing as Fezziwig and Morgue worker 2. So we spent some time going through all the scenes with Bob Cratchit in so he knows the flow of our performance and gave him a clear idea for how he should act as Bob. As a group, we had to make the decision to cut out the musician since we were more used to singing it without her and it would disrupt audience immersion if we had a musician just walk on to play the lute and walk off just for one scene and she would also have to be dressed up and stay backstage for the whole show. We all agreed it would be better to cut the musician just for more time to be rehearsing and focusing on what we know so far.

Notes that I wrote down after the rehearsal:

I need to remember to walk on stage as the Graveyard Caretaker when the narration reaches “Yet” so I can make my way down to the front, next to Marley's grave. I also changed my scene pathing as Fred to go around the left table and face semi-forwards so the audience can see me and Scrooge more clearly and so my back isn't facing them so they can't see our expressions.

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From looking back at our last rehearsal, the main issue i wanted to resolve was the singing of Silent Night and that I was struggling to reach the higher notes of the song and my voice sounded off tune to me. So to fix this problem, I came up with the idea of doing a vocal warm-up before any rehearsals to make our voices clearer, make it easier for us to project further and have our singing sound more smoother than before.

To start off with our vocal warm-ups, we had to open and close our mouths and faces to fully stretch out our jaws so it's used to moving in a certain way before using it and overexerting our mouths. We then pressed our tongues to the top of our hard palette and moved our jaw up and down to help build up some muscle in our tongues. We then sang Silent Night loudly and off tune to help build confidence in our singing and to help warm our faces and mouths up for singing.

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We had a group discussion about props and set, characters where they stand and leave. After that, we all then started a full rehearsal of the entire show so far. 

Some of my notes that I took after our rehearsal and what I need to improve on:

Graveyard Caretaker - Went slower on ‘Friends of the deceased’ to say it clearly. 

Fred Office - I stood in front of the table, facing the audience. On ‘Don't be Angry, Uncle’, I tried to lighten my voice to calm Scrooge down.

Party Fred - Smiled warmly at the guests walking in while looking out the door at the curtains. I was stronger on my singing of Silent Night and we hummed the first verse while Scrooge and Present spoke but we could fit two verses in. 

Thief 1 - Tried laughing more and used more volume on my voice, sounding more rough and not caring. 

End Fred - Walked to the curtain and smiled, having a bigger smile when Scrooge walks in and then walking to the front with him and then going back to the table after their conversation and talking to the other guests about the turkey and Scrooge. 

We then started the lights programming for the show and got to Stave 3 and ending on the Ghost of Christmas present's monologue with red lights flashing around and adding in the sounds for the workhouses and the prisons.

Videos below:

Technical rehearsals

Once we had finished the blocking and performed multiple run-throughs of the whole show, we would then move onto the technical part of the rehearsals where the lighting is programmed for each scene, adding the use of sound effects such as wind howling and putting in the props and set that we will use in the show. These rehearsals are very much just stopping and starting since there will be times where the lighting might need to be corrected for that scene or that we might have the wrong timing for the sound effects and will have to readjust and start the whole scene over again. In my opinion, I found that it helps get me ready for any blackouts that happen on stage while I'm making my way off stage since I don't want to bump into anyone or block their way if they have set or props in hand. I will also wait for blackouts on stage for my next scene so I can come on stage during the blackout and start the scene when the light come back on.

For today, we decided to do our first dress rehearsal with all of our costumes with me wearing a white shirt and having Sam help me get all of my costumes on. I tried on my Caretaker outfit where I would wear a large grey coat but to simplify, I would wear the coat over my shoulders as the Caretaker. For my Fred costume, since I could not get my left arm into the jacket, I decided to just wear a black scarf for all of my Fred Scenes. For the market scene where I play the homeless man, Sam would place a large blanket over my body and I would walk onto stage after. For thief 1, I would wear a white scarf and come off with the pink scarf over my shoulder while holding one of the boxes. When i got backstage, I took the white scarf off by myself and had Sam put on black scarf for Stave 5 which went smoothly. I almost forgot my lines but quickly remembered that I spoke first.

When I came in today, I was wearing a red sweater over my white button-up shirt and that I would take it off before we started rehearsing but everyone really liked the sweater and said that I should wear it for Fred, so now I will be including the sweater as part of my costume. While everyone put their costumes on, I asked to actually wear the big grey coat for the graveyard caretaker but it was difficult to take it off and it wasn't worth it for just one line on stage so I'm just going to be wearing it over my shoulders from now on for ease of use. For the market scene as the homeless man, I wore my white scarf over my knees because I thought it suited more for the homeless man since it looked old and torn but since it barely covered my sweater, I'm going to use the blanket for better effect and it makes more sense for him to be wrapped up more for the winter.

We decided to do a quick costume rehearsal to just get used to our cues and the timings of when we should leave the stage, we went up to Stave 3 at Fred's party with the other party guests. The feedback that I could give myself to improve on is to make my entrance as Fred in Stave 3 is more natural so I could try to keep looking outside and maybe hold the curtain so it looks like I'm holding the door open for Scrooge to hopefully walk in.

Video below:

Did a full run with costume, lights and sound effects. Since we couldn't get any lights backstage, I used my phone torch and balanced it on the radiator to help everyone on the left corner to see in the dark. We also found a clip-on light to put on the door which also helped with seeing behind the curtains. Set up my black scarf, white scarf, coat on a chair and put the finger-less gloves on the radiator backstage to help with costume transitions. 

After doing my Fred scene in Stave 1, I had Sam put on the blanket that I wear as the homeless man to make things easier. Everything went smoothly. The clothing transitions were great, hitting all my cues. Came on too early as Fred during the party scene in Stave 3. Sang Silent Night clearly. Tried Humming when Scrooge and Present spoke but we messed up the timing. For the thief scene, I put on finger-less gloves to show that I'm poor. When I came off stage, I put the white scarf in the box I took off to have less stuff lying around. In the last scene, I came on too early and saw Scrooge, Bob and Tiny Tim walking off stage so we'll have to work on that timing. At the end, we all stood at the front, saying Merry Christmas, standing there while the narration went on.

Video below:

Dress rehearsal

For the final part of our rehearsal process, we had to do a dress rehearsal which includes everyone getting in costume and perform any quick changes as practise before the main show. A usual dress rehearsal has the lights and sound effects ready and any costumes behind the curtains and out of the way for the other actors. A dress rehearsal is one of the most important parts of the process because everyone should know their lines and cues and when they should be on stage and we're just mostly fixing any issue that pops up during the show so the show day isn't full of stress worrying about small mistakes and focusing on their acting abilities. To me, I was mostly worried that I wouldn't be able to perform all the quick changes of costume and I would slow the performance but once the old actors came back to help filling up the roles, I would be able to have someone nearby behind the curtains, taking my coat off and wrapping a scarf around my neck so the dress rehearsal was a big help for that part of the performance for me.

Last week, I was asked to bring in some bread for the market scene to eat as the homeless man. Before the lesson started, I brought in some bread rolls and put them backstage where I can easily access them right before Stave 2. I did a vocal warm up by myself to prepare myself for singing Silent Night, including Minnie Minnie Mar, where I repeated it and increased the pitch with each repeat to help me reach higher notes and I also did some jaw and mouth exercises by opening my mouth as wide as I can go and closing my mouth as small as I do to help stretch my jaw for singing. 

We then started our final rehearsal before the show with me actually holding and eating bread as the homeless man. The rehearsal went well, I was able to do all of my costume changes without difficulty and when it came to the market scene in Stave 2, I brought the bread on, bit into it and then walked off with the bread and put it backstage out of the way, continuing with the rest of the rehearsal. I also sang Silent Night smoother due to the warm up exercises I did earlier.

This is the video of our final show that took place in front of an audience

Feedback of my performance during the show

Strengths: Fred - During the show, I really think I portrayed Fred the best out of all of my characters, he's the one I gave the most time to work out my characterisation with and who I mostly acted as. In Stave 1, I made it Fred's goal to try and convince Scrooge to come over to his party, trying to show Scrooge that he's there for him and just wants to be his friend and I portrayed this by smiling and softening my voice to not be shouting at Scrooge but to get him to listen. 

In Stave 3, at the start of the scene, I made sure to spend more time at the door to show the audience that Fred is still waiting for Scrooge to arrive. During the guessing game, I really tried to give off the fact that Fred was enjoying the game but when it came to the speech, I took it slowly and wanted it to be sincere and heartfelt since Fred cares a lot about Scrooge. During the final scene when Scrooge joins the party, I made sure to keep eye contact and smile warmly at him, giving off more of the positive vibe and respecting Scrooge, still being humble and warm when he hands Fred the company. I believe that when playing Fred, I was able to show my acting skills off and be way more confident on stage compared to last year's murder mystery.

Costume changes - When doing the costume changes backstage, I didn't have any problems and they were really quick and simple to swap with, giving me more time to prepare myself for my scene and get on stage with less stress. At first, I was worried we would struggle and that I wouldn't have time to change. But with Sam and Ryan backstage helping me take off the big coat in the beginning or swapping the scarf for the homeless man blanket, I wasn't worried at all and since we had stage lights backstage and my phone's torch on, we were able to see where we were going and do the costume changes much easier.

What i could Improve on: My voice for the thief - When it came to the thief scene in Stave 4, I wasn't too sure on how to use my voice. I tried to put on a deeper and rougher Victorian English accent which sounded similar to how I wanted it sound but to me, it sounded off and I really struggled on how to laugh with that deep accent so if I am to play that type of character again, I would spend more time learning how to do a deep, natural laugh and look up how to perform with that old Victorian accent to be more confident with it.

Singing Silent Night - I should've rehearsed the second and third verses of Silent Night so that we're able to sing more of the song without repeating ourselves and we also should have decided on not having a musician to give us more time to practice singing, learning the other verses and more time to rehearse the rest of the show. During the show, I felt my voice wobbling as I sang the first line of the song but that was because I was the only one singing at first with no backing track. I feel it would have helped to have an instrumental of Silent Night in the background to help the singing sound even better.

In this video, we decided to read all of the audience feedback that we received from the show. Overall, the comments were very positive but the one criticism that the audience had was some trouble hearing some of the end of the actors sentences which we could improve by pronouncing all of our words clearly and doing more vocal warm ups with our jaws and mouths.

https://www.alleytheatre.org/dickensian-delights-the-historical-context-of-a-christmas-carol/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/a-christmas-carol-history-facts.html

https://pshares.org/blog/the-radical-politics-of-a-christmas-carol/

https://news.ucdenver.edu/how-a-christmas-carol-became-a-holiday-classic/?hl=en-GB 

https://www.gloucesterwelcomesrefugees.co.uk/