Scaramouche Jones Week 6

Final Rehearsal & Showtime

The sixth and final week of our assignment of 'Scaramouche Jones' began with our final rehearsal before the main performance.  These rehearsals consisted of us having a full fun through, without any hesitation, and making any final tweaks towards our individual performances. 

     Monday 11th November began with our normal timetable, although our main focus was on the performance.  Preparing with costumes on and scripts to the side, we simply started with seeing how far we could go without any mistakes.  The day consisted of minor errors when a member of the cast would forget their lines, or chorus members would forget their queues, although the main concern was when certain members of the group failed to show up on time for rehearsals.  However our confidence didn't change.  The day resulted in each attended member remembering practically all their lines and staging movement.  The minor errors consisted of actors on stage having difficulty with remembering how to pronounce certain descriptive words, along with assisting the chorus with their queues.  The actor assisting the chorus’ queue consisted of the actor having to say a particular/strong word or a sentence which could lead to the chorus reacting to the word, repeating the word, or in case of a sentence the chorus could mime out the event being described.  All these errors were resolved by taking notes in our scripts and rehearsing them as equally as much as our own lines.

     Tuesday 12th November consisted of the whole day being near same as Monday, a full on rehearsal.  While yesterday we managed to succeed in running through the whole play the only problem consisted of members of the cast missing rehearsals.  However today we had a full attendance, a full cast.  Now we returned to the rehearsals.  Again in costume, in a big class room and no scripts.  We managed to go through the beginning to the end; but again there were some minor errors.  The main one consisted main on lines.  While we had a full cast the only problem was their hesitation in remembering certain key parts of their lines which lead to chorus queues, then resulting in some difficulties.  Our teacher/director was very helpful towards people who struggled with lines, prompting them with a script, along with the other members of the group, while being in the chorus, were able to remind them of what’s coming chorus movement wise.  The day ended with these errors being the main focus in the rehearsal and saw how we could fix them for when it came to the main performance. 

     Wednesday 13th November what was to be the end of the week, was now the final rehearsal day therefore spending the whole day in a bigger room used for performance space.  With full costume, and a video camera at the ready to record the rehearsal, so we could look back on our rehearsals and see the development of how we progressed to making this performance more intriguing and entertaining.  The result was not disappointing.  Although mistakes such as people forgetting lines and chorus queues were still amongst us and there were members of the group that couldn’t attend.  We managed to perform the basic story line of ‘Scaramouche Jones’’ life and show the plot to a teacher who could attend the main performance.  And the review from this rehearsal was a positive.  The day ended with all of us going through some notes and seeing what is the most important thing for us to remember for when we do the actual performance.  Such as pronunciation of certain words.  Along with our performance movement to act out the descriptive events.  But all in all the final rehearsal was a success.  

     Thursday 14th November the day of the performance began in the college theatre.  As each member of the group show up for the day, we started with preparing the stage for the show and getting props, costumes and make up together for the evening’s performance.  After a couple of hours preparing and having everything at the ready, we began the last minute rehearsal.  This one was by far the most successful rehearsal, for many reasons including the fact that we had a full cast attendance and with use of props and make up, it brought the story to life.  Although there were again errors including lines and timing but they were almost unnoticeable.  When it came nearer the hour of our main performance we had another run through but this time with an audience.  An audience of Level 3 students in Performing Arts and again there were some mistakes but once we finished that performance, the students and teachers gave their reviews and they were all positive.  They mentioned how we worked well in a group and how it was perfectly timed to create a great performance with a great and interesting story.  Once this rehearsal was very successful we rapped up and prepared for the main performance.  Then at 7pm it was Showtime.

     Friday 15th November, after a very successful first performance, the second performance had high hopes and didn’t disappoint.  The day began just as it did the day before, in preparing the stage for the afternoons show.  However, there was no rehearsal today.  As soon as we were all prepared in costume and make up, with our own props at the ready, our Physical Theatre teacher stepped in and gave us a few warm up exercises getting us prepared.  This was helpful to get ourselves in character again after a successful first performance, and getting us focused for when we begin.  Finally we had a conversation about certain moments in the play when people struggled with timing and we looked at how the chorus would move and react, and how the actor should pronounce/perform this line.  Giving the chorus time to think for when they have to move and when the actor has to say the line.  After notes were taking the audience entered and then we began the second and final performance of ‘Scaramouche Jones’.