Sarah's Final Post...

Welcome to the FINAL blog entry...

Well done team BLONDIE! I was so impressed with the final show! The performance was mature, thought provoking, fresh and BRECHTIAN! 

You need to ensure that the final link to your blog is sent to me by 5pm on Tuesday 18th December so I can mark your final work. 

You need to go through all of my blog entries and the final questions below to ensure your blog covers:

• character research
• play/context reserach
• practitioner research
• workshop reflections 
• anything else that is relevant to the work we have been doing this term.

Please see the critieria below to remind yourselves of what you are and have been marked on. You should play close attention to P4,M4,D4 for how your blog will be marked. 

 

Evaluation:

• Write about both performances on 11th December. How were they different - think about the audience responses during the shows and maybe what was said to you after
• Did the play achieve what we wanted it to say? How do we know this?
• How did we successfully use Brechtian techniques to create our piece? Give detailed examples to justify your answer.
• How did you think the final performance went? Speak in deatil about your own performance giving deatiled examples. 
• Write about a peer from our group. Why were they successful in the piece? What could they have developed further?
• What have you learnt about political theatre? 
• Is this a genre you have enjoyed working on?
• Again, is all theatre political? (You answered this question at the start of the project, has your opinion changed?)

Remember I will mark  - writing by hand loaded onto the blog, typed notes, videos of you speaking,  annotated photos!

Workshop 5 - 4th December

Today we were able to fit all the pieces of our performance together. Your blog entry for today should be reflective of the rehearsal. You might choose to write about any of the following things:

• Having performed the whole piece now, what do you think it says to our audience? 
• What do you hope the audience go away asking themselves, and/or discussing with others?
• What do you think the most powerful moment of the performance is and why?
• What is you favourite moment so far and why?
• How have we ensured we have embedded the work of Brecht in our performance?
• What do you need to work on individually for next week? 

Remember for next week you need to bring in black clothing for the performance. 

You need to double check over your lines and run the show in you head so that you know the running order.

Everyone needs to think a little more carefully about their characters. Think about the detail needed for your performance. 

Workshop 4 - 27th November

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Political Protests! 

Firstly, well done some excellent work. There was such a great buzz around the school at break time! 

You need to do a 500 word evaluation on your protest. There are a few points below that might help with writing your evaluation.

-      Give a brief overview of what you did?

Q –Why did you select the protest? How did you gather information? Research/personal opinion? Did you have a passion?

Q-Was it successful? If so why?

Q-What elements of the protest were most effective?

Q-How did your audience react? Were you able to get any direct feedback? 

Q-What elements of the protest would you change if you were to do it again?

Theatre Workshop 3 - 20th November

Well done on a productive rehearsal.

Things to do for next week are:

Learn any lines you were given on the scripts given out. You should go through and annotate scripts as needed. You might want to UPLOAD photos of your script to show the scenes you have been rehearsing. In lessons you can photograph rehearsals to add to your blogfs and annotate.

Rehearse the song. We will be mastering a dance on Monday. Use the video below to help you to remember the tune

VOTE ME:

The other song we shall be using on Monday is:

Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie

Answer the following questions and reflect on the lesson:

 Q - How did we bring the short social scenes (section below) to life? Why have we directed it this way? What do we want to show the audience with this text If you are in the scenes describe what you do.

Text section to write about:

Scene 2 – WHO did you vote for?

A series of conversations between different social groups about the big vote. Each person wears a placard. All characters are stereotypes.

Ensemble create the house.

Husband Have you decided who to vote for yet?

Wife No.

Husband I have…aren’t you going to ask me who I’m voting for?

Wife No.

Husband Well ’m voting for her, you know the one….beautiful…ummm…. blondie one.

*

Ensemble create the pub.

Boy 1 I’m getting to vote for the first time.

Boy 2 Waste of time.

Boy 1 I just want to experience it.

Boy 2 You want to experience putting a tick in a box?

They laugh.

So who you voting for anyway?

Boy 1 The one with the bangers.

Boy 2 Of course! I suppose we get to see more of her on the box if she gets in. Yeah vote for her.

They mimic her talking.

*

Ensemble creates the office.

City office worker 1 Well I get the train to work everyday and rarely get a seat. It really is a terrible business trying to read the broadsheet, drink my large skinny mocha-choca-sugar-free-vanilla latte and reply to my emails on my ipad.

City office worker 2 I agree Tarquin, it really is awful. I spoke to her about the transport system and she said she would be in talks immediately with Boris.

*

Ensemble creates the shop.

Old person 1 We’ve worked in this shop for years.

Old person 2 Years yes, years.

Old person 1 We are voting for that lovely young girl, blonde hair.

Old person 2 Yes, lovely young girl, lovely young girl blonde hair.

Old person 1 She came herself to ask us for her vote. Had a cup of tea.

Old person 2 Yes, cup of tea, here, yes. Lovely, absolutely lovely.

*

Ensemble creates the benefit office.

Single mother 1 Nah, I ain’t voting for that stuck up prick again, I’m voting for that woman. She is just… normal, init Shaz,  do you know what I mean? She is proper nice.

Single mother 2  Chantelle, CHANTELLE! (Calling off ) Get back here now!

Single mother 1 What about you babes?

Single mother 2 Yeah, she is proper nice like, yeah I’m voting for her.

Single mother 1 Free nappies she said, that will be good.

Single mother 2 Free nappies and better benefits.

Single mother 1 It’s hard to survive on what we get now, init Shaz?

*

Ensemble create the common room.

Student 1 I didn’t apply to uni this year because of the fees. I was going to do a degree in Cyberporn and Society.

Student 2 She’s promised to cut them so we hope to be able to go next year.

Student 1 We’ve really missed out this year. Rizzle Kicks were at the freshers ball.

Student 2 It’s out of order.

 

Reflect on...

...the scenes so far. We blocked five sections of the 'Blondie' script. Which character are you playing? What choices have you made about the role?

Beauty = Power?

Theatre Workshop 2 - 13th November

Apologies for not being in your lesson today! I hope you have worked hard. I will be speaking to Ryan tomorrow to check what you did and then I will post up some questions for you to reflect on! 

I’m looking forward to seeing your pieces next week and I am equally excited about filming on Friday! I wrote some of the script for the opening section which I will share with you on Monday and we can continue to create our political piece! If you are having trouble with your blogs please come and see me and ask questions...I will help you! 

GO TEAM ‘BLONDIE'!

Brecht's quote of the day...

“Because things are the way they are, things

 will not stay the way they are.”

― Bertolt Brecht



“In the dark times 

Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing.
About the dark times.” 

― Bertolt Brecht



“Art is not a mirror held up to reality
but a hammer with which to shape it.”
― Bertolt Brecht

“Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon.”

― Bertolt Brecht

Homework Tasks

Below will be listed all homework tasks:

Tuesday 6th November

‘Blondie’ - due Monday 12th November 

• Read ‘Blondie’ 
• Annotate the script
• Brainstorm themes in the text
• Find some research on the text and wider research that connects with it that can be used as stimulus. 

Lesson notes - ongoing

‘Blondie'

By Monday you should have read ‘Blondie’.

I’m interested to know what you think...

Write three words here to explain your initial response to the play:

HOMEWORK UPDATE...due tomorrow!

12th November 

Today we spoke about your initial impressions of the text and themes. You need to record these in your log under research!

Research

Have a look at these video clips. There are lots more on youtube...

This one is a bit of fun...

Discuss this question...

Isn’t all theatre political?

Theatre Workshop 1 - Exploring Brecht

Tuesday 6th November

Here is a breakdown of the session today.

After a brief overview of the term and introduction to the practitioner we explored some Brechtian techniques. 

Represent, don't become!

GESTUS

Gesture + Attitude = Gestus 

Task 1 - Told a nursery rhyme to each other from opposite ends of the room - you had to shout. Could you hear? Performers had to focus on using their body language to tell enforce the verbal communication. How did this help?

Task 2 - Created paired still images to show characters such as Romeo and Juliet, Cat and Mouse, Sweet and Sour, War and Peace, Rich and Poor. Dicuss what everyone did for Rich and Poor - why did everyone create the same image? How did this demonstrate Gestus? 

Task 3 - An actor played a soldier, they walked on stage, stopped and walked off. How did you know he was a soldier? What did you think of the character, if anything? Then we added in seven dead bodies, the soldier appeared and disappeared again. What was different about this scene? What did the soldier do? How did this demonstrate Gestus?

Task 4 - You created two still images to show opposing gestic images:

War the maker of heroes & War the taker of lives

Exaplain what you did and why? How were these gestic? 

Thinking questions...

• Summarise Gestus using examples from the above exercises?
• Explain this:  Gesture + Attitude = Gestus
• How do you feel about this technique? 

EXAGGERATION

Write about the first or second scene. If you were in the scene you can write about your actor experience. 

A pair of actor demonstrated a scene between Doctor and patient. Describe the key characteristics of the characters in the first scene. Actors were told to play a stereotype of the characters and to exaggerate them both physically and vocally. How were the characters played? When I clapped my hands the actors had to switch roles. Explain the audience reaction and what happened in the scene. Why was this a good exercise to explore for Brechtian theatre for both the audience and actor?

NARRATIVE 

In groups you created a performance of a fairy story using four styles of Narration.

1. A narrator
2. Actor stepping out of character to narrate
3. Actor speaking in 3rd person
4. Singing narration

Thinking questions...

• Explain what you did and why?
• Why did Brecht use narration?

VERFREMDUNGSEFFEKT

German translation: effect of making strange

Task 1: In pairs you created a naturalistic scene that Stan would have been proud of. We shared with the group. What were your reactions to the performances?

Task 2: You revisited the scene and selected the climactic moment and rehearsed this so you knew the stage directions well.

Task 3: You recreated that moment keeping the character dialogue, but the characters had to speak every stage direction too. 

Thinking questions...

• How did the activity help you to understand the 'V' effect?
• Why would Brecht use this? Why did he want to distance as audience?
• What were the challenges as an actor?

Thinking questions...

• What do you understand about Epic theatre so far from the session today?
• What is your opinion so far on Brechtian theatre?
• Why does Brecht and political theatre go hand in hand successfully? 

Remember to keep track of your strengths and weaknesses as you go, set yourself targets throughout the project!