'Auditions for Actors' - Vocal Programme

Vocal Development Programme – ‘Auditions for Actors’ Performance Assignment
Date	Tuesday 10th May 2016
Exercise Used	-          Facial Warmup -          and “Why fly so high” rhyme
Vocal Characteristics	Pre-Performance: -          Crisp -          Throat resonated -          Quiet Post-Performance: -          Throat resonated -          Articulate -          Strong
Vocal Reflection	‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’: -          Articulate – when projecting Shakespearean text. -          Paced – to show character’s thought process. -          Husky – to show character’s status and occupation (clown). ‘The Seagull’: -          Articulate – to show character’s high status, education, and understanding of the English language. -          Distorted – to show the character’s hesitation in expressing their opinion. -          Emphasised – particularly on words like “theatre” and “love” to show disgust. ‘Kiss Me Like You Mean It’: -          Shaky – to show the character’s nervous state. -          Clipped – to show hesitation to speak his mind. -          Neutral Tone and Pitch – to show innocence and low social status.
Received Feedback	-          Good pacing -          Clear diction (through understanding of the texts) -          and Good and clear projection.
Strengths	-          Pacing -          Transitioning from one vocal state to the other -          Emphasising certain scripted words -          and Projecting.
Areas of Improvement	I aim to rehearse the scripted texts, and practice more vocal exercises to increase my overall vocal performance abilities.

Kiss Me Like You Mean It - Auditions for Actors

Auditions for Actors –

Kiss Me Like You Mean It

Intro

     ‘Kiss Me Like You Mean It’ is a contemporary production written by Chris Chibnall.  This play tells the story of two young people, on a warm summers evening, as they explore their lives, meet new people, and build a relationship together.

     The character I will be performing as is:  

Name:                        Tony

Age:                            Early 20s

Relationships:           Ruth (the woman he loves)

Likes:                         Parties

                                    Drinking

Dislikes:                     Cancer

                                    Death

     What has happened before the monologue?

     When we are introduced to our leads, Tony and Ruth, we see various similarities between them.  The both of them are in tricky situations and are desperate to escape, and both have a desire to be loved and appreciated.  When they meet, both are hesitant in talking to each other, but after long conversations they begin to reveal to each other why they are upset.  Ruth has received a marriage proposal from a man she has had a relationship with for some time, and does not want to marry him.  Tony on the other hand has received the news that he has testicular cancer.  Shortly after getting closer, they meet Don and Edie, an elderly couple living in a flat near them.  Both couples join together and have a party.  After the party, Don reveals to Tony that this is his and his wife’s last night, as he is terminally ill, and he convinces Tony that life is too short and he should ask Ruth out.

     What transpires during the monologue?

     Plucking up the courage, and receiving a few words of advice from Don, Tony has an intimate talk with Ruth.  Telling her that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on, and how he wants to fall in love with her.

     Why did I choose this monologue?

     When choosing a contemporary monologue, my initial choice was Douglas’ monologue from Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Man of the Moment’.  Having previous experience with this monologue and decent understanding of the character, I felt it would suit the criteria, plus I would embody the character without the need to devise something new for the character.  However I needed to experiment the performance abilities and expand my contemporary play knowledge.  Therefore Tony’s monologue was recommended to me.

     After my first read through I was instantly fond of this piece.  I found a connection to the character, with his age, his social status, and above all else his passion.  This was a character I could relate to.

     The monologue explores:

-          Tony’s passionate – especially his feelings for Ruth.

-          Tony’s social status – as Ruth is “out of his league” and he tries to break that by expressing true love.

-          and Tony’s tragedy – with the background knowledge that he has testicular cancer, seeing Don and Edie together, and Don telling him “life’s too short” he feels the need to spend the rest of his life with Ruth to ensure she is happy with her life and he enjoys his last days.

Themes of the Play

Love – deduced from the passionate connections between Tony and Ruth, as well as Don and Edie.  As the moral of the story states that people should follow their hearts and express their true feelings.  Only then can they find true love.

     This theme has a huge impact on the monologue as Tony is fuelled by love and the desperate need to see if Ruth loves him.

Life – the tragedy behind this romantic comedy is the inevitable death of our leads.  Both Tony and Don are diagnosed with life destroying symptoms, and the pair of them take challenges in this play.  Challenges that could backfire in everyday life, but they pursue ignoring the backlashing only knowing “life is too short” and they need to enjoy it while it lasts.

     This theme has a minor impact on the monologue, but I take it in mind because it foreshadows the life Tony and Ruth will have in the future.

Dedication & Trust – I deduced this theme based on the early relationship of Tony and Ruth.  In the beginning of the play both characters have just met and by the end they fall in love, vowing to never leave one another.  Therefore the themes of dedication and trust take a huge impact on the characters and their motivations.  Indicating to their untold future and bringing the audience on their side.

Performance Style and Inspirations

Physically – since becoming very fond of the character and seeing a few similarities with the character of Tony, I decided to keep my physicality as naturalistic as possible.  I felt that minimal movement could emphasis the deeper meaning behind Tony’s words.  Plus I feel the audience could be a good representation of the character of Ruth and have the audience decide whether she should love him or leave him.  The majority of my movements would be to show his desire to be with her by taking slow steps forward, and gests towards her to exaggerate his true meaning.

Vocally – similarly to my physical performance I aim to keep it as naturalistic as possible.  However to convey the true passion behind his words, I imagined that the character of Ruth was attempting to leave out of sheer awkwardness.  This would lead the character to push his words out further, showing true desire and love within, not just my vocal, but my overall performance.

‘Man of the Moment’ Synopsis: http://manofthemoment.alanayckbourn.net/styled-10/index.html

‘Kiss Me Like You Mean It’ Summary: http://www.headgatetheatre.co.uk/pdf/kmlymi_synopsis_character_profiles.pdf

The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Auditions for Actors

Auditions for Actors –

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Intro

     ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’ was written by William Shakespeare between the years 1589 and 1593.  The play tells the story of two gentlemen whose friendships are put to the test when they meet the women of their dreams.  This is a comedy that puts its characters in humorous situations and explores the power of love and friendship.

     The character I will be performing as is:   

Name:                        Launce

Age:                            Early 20s

Relationships:           Proteus (his master)

                                    Crab (his dog)

Likes:                         Crab

                                    Entertaining people/his master

Dislikes:                     Goodbyes

     What transpires during the monologue?  The monologue takes play just before, one of the two titled gentlemen, Proteus departs for the Duke’s court in Milan (where he has been asked to go on behalf of his father) and Launce is his witty servant and has to accompany him.  The purpose of this monologue is to show two sides of Launce’s personality.  His humorous side, as he entertains all the people around him.  With his emotional side, as he says farewell to his trusty companion, his poorly trained dog named Crab. 

     The monologue explores:

-          Launce’s passion for entertainment - as he performs to an audience without his master present and in his spare time.

-          Launce’s love for his dog, Crab – despite the fact that Crab is poorly trained and makes little to no notice towards his master.

-          and His commitment to his master – as he too is leaving everything behind to accompany him to another country.

Themes of the Play

Love – deduced from relationships between the plays four leads; Proteus, Valentine, Julia, and Silvia.  In the beginning of the play, Valentine is arranged to marry Silvia (the daughter of the Duke of Milan), and Proteus is to marry Julia out of true love.  Throughout the play we see various comedic scenarios showing the male leads competitiveness against one another to find a marriage and true love.

     But the theme of love transpires within the character of Launce, in this monologue, as we see his strong relationship with his dog Crab.  Knowing he is the servant to Proteus (one of the leads who is the more ungentlemanly of the two) it isn’t hard to imagine that he is constantly working to entertain his master.  Therefore the only company he would have is with his dog.  This makes their farewell all the more impacting, as Launce is losing his only friend.

Friendship – deduced from the close bond that the two gentlemen share as close friends.  Their friendship does spawn competitiveness to see who can find true love the first.  But the overall power of friendship comes to its full might in the end of the play.  As Proteus makes an incredibly disgraceful act, to which Valentine immediately forgives him.

     The theme of friendship can be found within Launce’s close bond/love for his dog Crab.  As well as a possible friendship between Launce and Proteus; while never fully seen the loyalty between servant and master is clear.  

Dedication – deduced partially from our lead’s passion towards finding true love and staying loyal to one another; but majorly from Launce’s dedication to his master and his entertaining skills.  Launce is a very dedicated and loyal servant to Proteus so much so that he entertains him at will, without objection, and does join him on a journey abroad.  While it is his job to do so, Launce does his job with little to no concern.  It is only when he says farewell to his dog Crab, where we see a little objection within his eyes, suggesting that he does not want to leave his only friend behind.  Plus his dedication to his entertaining skills, especially in this monologue, suggests that he is a natural entertainer and can trigger a clown like state at will.  Knowing full well that he is making a fool of himself, he progresses without hesitation.  Upholding a passion and dedication to all those around him.

Why did I choose this monologue?

     When choosing a Shakespearean monologue for one of my classical pieces I wanted to choose something different and out of my comfort zone.  One monologue I was keen to try was Ford’s outburst in Act II Scene II of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ (http://www.shakespeare-monologues.org/plays/11?g=3).  I was fond of this monologue because of its bizarre role within the rest of the play, plus it showed the character, of Ford, going a little mad over a ridiculous situation.  All performance elements I wanted to test within my own performing abilities.

     However this character seemed to be too out of my comfort zone and had little to no connections with my own character.  Therefore I was recommended Launce’s monologue.  I instantly felt a connection with the character and was invested to the bigger story surrounding the plot of the play and his role.   

Performance Style and Inspirations

Physically – when analysing this monologue I found a few similarities between the character of Launce and the Commedia character of Harlequin.  Harlequin’s characteristic state shows a naïve and sensitive physical structure:

     This is how I wanted to interpret Launce.  To have the appearance of a shy and naïve servant, but is subconsciously aware that he is making a fool of himself.  Plus I would use exaggerated movements and gests (during his descriptions of saying farewell to his family) to emphasis his clown like lifestyle and indicating that this is his natural physicality.

Vocally – considering the character’s status, physicality, and role within the play, I wanted my vocal state to be near neutral.  Neutral in the sense that the character doesn’t have a sophisticated lifestyle, or education.  Although the character does understand what he is talking about and understands his role as a servant and where he is going.  Therefore I will inflict several emotional states within my vocal performance to enhance these thoughts and feelings.  These emotions list from:

-          Pride – when thinking of his payment for joining his master on his journey to Milan.

-          Excitement – when thinking about the adventures he is going to have.

-          Disappointment – when his dog, Crab, doesn’t seem to be upset at all when he says farewell.

-          Confusion – when he makes a joke that doesn’t quite make sense in front of an audience, and needs justifying.

-          and Sadness – when he says his final goodbye to Crab and the dog still does not respond.

     Taking these performance notes about my physical and vocal performing style choices, I believe I can convey several layers of emotion and investment to a character whom has a minor role in a bigger story.

‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ Plot Summary: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/twogentlemen/summary.html

Launce’s Monologue: http://www.shakespeare-monologues.org/plays/16?g=3

Harlequin Resource Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin

The Seagull - Auditions for Actors

Auditions for Actors –

The Seagull

Intro

     ‘The Seagull’ was written by Anton Chekhov in 1895, and was first performed on stage at Petersburg in 1896.  ‘The Seagull’ takes place at a Russian estate, and tells the stories of various characters that live the lives of wealth, power and fame.  The play explores the struggles and misfortunes that come with having everything you wanted, but not finding happiness.

     The character I will be performing as is:

Name:                        Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplev

Age:                            25

Relationships:           Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina (mother)

                                    Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin (mother’s lover)   

                                    Sorin (uncle)

                                    Yevgeny Sergeyevich Dorn (doctor)

                                    Nina Mikhailovna Zarechnaya (admirer)

                                    Masha (admirer)

Likes:                         Writing

Dislikes:                     His mother’s fame

                                    Being ignored.

     What transpires during the monologue?  The scene is moment of silence for a few of the lead characters, and a chance for the audience to absorb more of the leads back stories; particularly Konstantin’s history with his mother.  Konstantin, and his uncle Sorin, talk about their relationships with Irina.  We establish that Sorin and Irina, as brother and sister, get along rather well and know each other’s personalities.  Whereas Konstantin and Irina, as mother and son, do not get along. 

     Konstantin’s key role in ‘The Seagull’ is he has written a unique play that he wishes to bring to life.  Sorin hosts his estate to perform the play, and his mother Irina is performing in the play.  However because he lives in the shadow of his mother’s fame, he is constantly being told he needs to change various details/writing styles, or to listen to the professionals, he becomes frustrated and feels the need to escape this life.

     The monologue explores:

-          His admiration for his mother

-          His hatred for his mother’s fame

-          His distaste for the current state of theatre

-          and His desire to be something unique.

Themes of the Play

Love – Deduced from the lack of “true” love between the lead characters.  The mother and son relationship (between Konstantin and Irina) is less than stellar.  The relationships between the lead and his two admirers (between Konstantin, and Nina and Masha) are a mix of desire and uncertainty (as Nina misleads Konstantin just to get closer to Irina and Boris, and Masha is tormented by her uncertain feelings towards Konstantin).  All enhancing the inevitable tragedy that the play concludes on.

Lust – Deduced from certain character motivations; shown particularly in our lead’s objectives.  Konstantin desires to achieve a big name for himself in the world of writing.  Irina wishes to achieve more and more out of her fame and fortune.  Boris becomes enchanted by Nina’s beauty and seduction.  Nina, alternatively, misleads Konstantin into thinking she loves him, when in truth, she desires to get closer to Irina to become a famous actress and to steal the heart of Boris.  All conflicting and contrasting to Konstantin himself.

Backfiring – The inevitable tragedy that ends the play is Konstantin committing suicide.  The play explores backfiring as a theme demonstrating to the audience that words and actions can have a devastating effect.  This is shown through Konstantin’s progressive journey with more and more disappointing acts towards him, leading him to a permanent end.  Enhancing the moral of: “think before you act”.

Connections

     To both a contemporary audience, and myself, there are various elements within the monologue and the characterisation where a modern audience member, like myself, can relate.  Elements that I feel are the more relatable list from:

-          The desire to be noticed

-          The desire to be accepted

-          and The desire to be appreciated.

     These three elements in particular are what I aim to reflect within my vocal and physical performance of Konstantin.  This is a character I can relate to, and I feel a contemporary audience would feel sympathy for him and embrace the tragedy when he falls to the brutal end.


 

     Why did I choose this monologue?

     I have previously performed this monologue to achieve my LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) Silver Certificate, so I had few background experiences with the speech.  Although the texted version I used was suited for GCSE performance level, whereas this version of the monologue is written in classical Chekhov text.  Therefore I chose this monologue piece, out of familiarity, plus the opportunity to test my vocal performance adaptability by performing in Chekhov’s original writing style.   

Performance Style

Physically – the current state of Konstantin in this monologue shows deep frustration and disapproval as he boast about his mother’s career and lack of commitment as a mother.  Therefore in my physical performance I shall incorporate both emotions to allow the audience to see and empathise with the character’s disappointed state, and foreshadow his future within the play.  How do I aim to show this?

     Sitting; having a posture where my eyes are locked onto the floor and slouching, when sat down, I feel, almost exaggerates the character’s emotional state, but works for this monologue piece.

     Standing; maintaining a upright posture to indicate a sophisticated and polite upbringing, I will also exaggerate pacing to show emotional state.  I will support the pacing with harsh foot stomps and strong stature to further encourage the character’s desire to escape. 

     Plus I will use gestures in select moments; cued by words such as “theatre”, “love” and “mother”, mainly to show his disapproval and distaste for such words and subjects.    

Vocally – similarly to my physical performance, I aim to transcend to the audience that the character is frustrated and disapproves of his current state of living, all transcended vocally. 

     Looking particularly to the character’s origins and state of wellbeing, I know he has received a decent education and is an established author aiming to devise new forms of art.  Therefore I want to incorporate clear diction and articulation to show that the character knows what he is talking about.  Also including a sharp tone to emphasis his frustration.

     Plus with select words such as “humanity”, “depicting”, “tritest”, “vulgarity”, “fatuous” and “fatiguing” shows he has a strong range of vocabulary to further support his understanding of the English language.  Also demonstrating to himself that he is capable of making himself seem strong vocally and enhancing a theme of ‘Standing up for Yourself’.

Inspirations – when looking for inspiration to perform as this character I looked to two characters, from two different forms of literature, for support to get a better understanding of how I can project such emotions physically and vocally.

     My first inspiration was the character of Rosalind Franklin from Anna Ziegler’s ‘Photograph 51’.  This is a character with a completely different origin story, but I see a connection between her, and Konstantin’s, objectives.  Both have a desire to be respected for their work and not seen just for what they are.  As everyone saw Rosalind Franklin as nothing more than a woman, when in a matter of fact she was the scientist who made the discovery of DNA imagery through ‘Photograph 51’.  Throughout her story we see her desperate desire to be heard amongst her colleagues and to receive credit for her work, which was all underwhelmed due to her gender.  Inflicting both characters’ share the desire to be heard.

     My second inspiration was the character of Nick Dunne from Gillian Flynn’s ‘Gone Girl’.  Now this is a character representing the everyday man in a contemporary time period, being attacked by the press because of an event he wasn’t involved in.  The story of ‘Gone Girl’ takes a minor exploration to the misfortunes and heavy backlashes that come with being the centre of attention to thousands of people.  This is something I can see a connection to in Konstantin’s lifestyle.  Konstantin’s mother is hugely famous actress in ‘The Seagull’ and he has been raised and lives in the shadow of her fame and fortune.  All things he doesn’t want.  Similarly to the lead of ‘Gone Girl’, as he himself is trapped with the worlds press watching his every move.  Inflicting both characters’ share the desire to escape.

     These are elements and reflections that I aim to use for inspiration to further enhance my performance to a contemporary audience and bring good intention to the character of Konstantin.

‘The Seagull’ Plot Summary: http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/seagull/summary.html

‘Photograph 51’ Review: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/sep/14/nicole-kidman-photograph-51-noel-coward-theatre-rosalind-franklin-review

‘Gone Girl’ Synopsis: http://www.shmoop.com/gone-girl/summary.html

'The Man of Mode' - Vocal Programme

Vocal Development Programme – ‘The Man of Mode’ Production Week
Date	Wednesday 20th April 2016
Exercise Used	-          Breath Control -          Breath Resonation -          Tongue Twisters -          and Rubber Chicken
Vocal Characteristics	Pre-Production: -          Raspy -          Crisp -          Throat Resonated Post-Production: -          Articulate -          Paced
Vocal Reflection	Pre-Production I found my natural vocal state took over which I needed to rectify in order to enhance the vocal characteristics of a well-educated rich young man.  Focusing on my breath control, chest, nasal, and head resonators I was able to warmup and prepare my vocal folds and muscles to ensure articulate control and projected diction.      I personally could see a clear different pre and post production and I feel I succeeded in changed my vocal characteristic state to suit my character on stage.
Received Feedback	-          Good vocal diction -          Clear articulation -          and Good breath control
Strengths	-          Pacing -          Breath Control
Areas of Improvement	I feel the need to take more time, pre-production, to truly analyse my vocal stage in order to gain a clear view of development, for future reference.