Voice Portfolio - Greek Chorus

Greek Chorus – Orestes by Euripides

     For this performance assignment, we have been tasked to modernise an ancient Greek Chorus using speech extracts from ‘Orestes’ (synopsis for the play: http://www.ancient-literature.com/greece_euripides_orestes.html).  The purpose of the assignment was to test our devising and vocal skills to embrace a contemporary audience into the tragedy of ‘Orestes’. 

     Our devising skills were put to the test via our understanding of the text and our originality by creating a scenario in the modern era that suited the speech.  While our vocal skills were the main focus and put to the test via our performance range and techniques used to make the speech all the more engaging.

     Firstly, we looked to our group’s scenario for the speech…   

Chosen Scenario – ‘Story Time’

     Analysing the final Chorus speech we found that the Chorus provided the perspective of lower class citizens and speak in a manner of sympathy towards ‘Orestes’.  In the previous scene the Chorus support ‘Orestes’ in his assassination of Aegisthus, while in this scene ‘Orestes’ regrets and morns Aegisthus, the Chorus represent the sympathetic side of his thoughts, telling him that the killing was a good act.  Because of its written style and sympathetic nature we devised the scenario of ‘Story Time’ at a primary school.

     We chose this scenario because of its nature of the speech’s ‘talking down to the listener’ and reflection of ‘innocence’ styles.  We deduced the ‘talking down to the listener’ through the Chorus’ means to encourage ‘Orestes’ that he did the right thing (when he believes he didn’t).  We deduced the ‘innocence’ style through the character of ‘Orestes’’ nakedness, as he has never committed a crime on this scale and the Chorus are more or less “playing the character on”. 

     We hoped to bring these styles to life in our scenario of ‘Story Time’ in a primary school; to have us as the teachers/Chorus and talk down to the children and tell them the story we feel is good and right, and not dark and wrong in contrast.  Giving the feeling of what a Chorus would look like in modern times and provide various perspectives on serious subjects.   

Personal Input

     Through our initial read through, of the Chorus speeches, I pictured the Chorus and the characters in a different manner and representing different character types.  My personal input was to have them be:

Chorus – The Police Force – To provide the true perspective of what is right and what is wrong.

Characters – The Royalists – To reflect the characters’ royal statuses in the play and reflect the moral that too much wealth and power is not always a good thing.  

     While we decided to represent the Chorus and characters through primary school teachers and children; I was still able to input towards our vocal performance of the Chorus speech.  Particularly emphasis; I noticed that we chose a speech filled with strong and meaningful words that I felt needed emphasising vocally.  These words listed from:

·         Blood

·         Slow

·         Shout

·         Justice

·         and Guilt

     I felt these words reflected the Chorus’ purpose of persuading ‘Orestes’ that his act of murder was not, necessarily, a bad thing.  Plus the emphasis, I felt, would intrigue our audience a step closer.

Vocal Performance

     With our chosen scenario being ‘Story Time’ in the setting of a primary school, we, as an ensemble, took these vocal performance styles:

·         Slow Pacing – to engage our audience, and reflect the teacher’s methods to get the children listening to the story.

·         Emphasis on Key Words – to further engage our audience, and represent a teacher’s style to either scare or get the children excited into the story.

·         Pitch Variations – based through our uses of whispers and sharp belches of key words, enhancing the dark tragedy elements of the play.

·         Repetition – our chosen pattern of speaking through the text was to read follow a pattern of one member reading first, followed by another etc. but our pattern and method of having all of us read the final line out loud enhance the image of the Chorus being a shared mind/perspective and working a sync with one another.  

     All of our vocal performance techniques, in the end, served as a homage towards previous Greek Chorus performance work and as a method to further enhance our audience into the story to conclude ‘Orestes’. 

     A key source of inspiration for our vocal performance was this example of a Greek Chorus in production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP7_XERqv-Y.  I found the performers vocal range, through means of shouts and whispers and an unwritten pattern amongst their group members (as in who speaks first) came to great effect.  An engaging ensemble piece that I hoped to imitate, on a smaller scale, to enthral our audience to the performance and story of ‘Orestes’.

Techniques Used

     Through previous assignments and performances I found these vocal techniques to be the most helpful and efficient in supporting my vocal performance:

·         Facial and Throat Massages – I find these warmups to be the most efficient of all my used techniques.  The purpose of the facial massages is to remove any unwanted tensions within facial area.  Plus it supports efficient movement within the lips, cheeks, and nasal areas.  On the other hand, throat massages are used to support vocal cord warmups and support breath control, as the movements release carbon dioxide and ensure enough oxygen is delivered to the lungs and support towards the larynx.  These images will show the method of the massages and the support a throat massage can bring:

·         Intercostal and Diaphragm Muscle Stretches – These stretches are carried out through to ensure a healthy vocal performance.  The intercostal muscles support breath control within the lungs and loosen any unwanted tensions in between the rib cage.  While the diaphragm on the other hand is essential to support the respiratory system.  This brings about speech within the human body.  When oxygen is inhaled, it transfers down the lungs and to the diaphragm, where it can be adapted to support pitch, tone, range, and pacing.  These stretches are supported through physical stretches and breathing exercises to ensure that they are in the right state and efficient during the performance.  These image show how the stretches are carried out:

·         Alexander Technique – This is more of an actor’s performance technique to support their acting.  The purpose of the Alexander technique is to help the actor embody their character and given scenario.  The method is simply passed around meditation and relaxation and to slowly embrace their given character/scenario.  This can also support posture and relaxation within vocal muscles, thereby making the vocal performance fresh and adaptable for the main performance.

Previous Vocal Work

     When performing this Chorus speech and putting our vocal techniques to use in our vocal performance, we looked to our previous performance work to see what feedback we received and what we achieved that supported our vocal performance as a Greek Chorus.  Two assignments in particular, I found, were supportive vocally and helped me through this performance process.  These assignments were:

·         Radio Play – This assignment was supportive in the sense that we had more focus on vocal, and not physical, performance, just as we do for this performance.  But one aspect that I found the most similar was vocal range; as stated previously, we decided to give our scenario a smaller and quieter tone thereby enhancing interest to the story.  This, I found, was rather similar to our audio performance of a radio play, one method that I struggled with was vocal range.  In particular, understanding the scenes setting to support how the character would be speaking in this particular environment and how I would project this to a microphone.  All very different, in contrast to a stage performance.  Although because of our minimal vocal range in this performance, I felt a similarity that supported my vocal projection and bring about a mature and quieter performance.    

·         Shakespeare – Having worked on various Shakespearean pieces I became rather fond of the language and could see minor similarities within the writing of Shakespeare’s work and the Greek Theatre playwrights.  While not so much in language but more of written pattern.  During our first read through I did find it struggling to master the pattern and certain words, but this reminded me of a previous Shakespeare performance I took part in.  While I understood the language, I was confused as to how to perform the lines.  This was when I used Iambic Pentameter (Beats Per Minute).  The purpose of this technique is to assist in the performer’s deliver of their lines.  Iambic Pentameter ensures a steady and efficient pattern in which it gives the speech a rhythmic style that supports the performer’s delivery.  This is a technique I used for this performance to ensure I would not mispronounce any words or give no sense with the speech.

'The Man of Mode' - Post 04

Classical Theatre Performance Assignment –

‘The Man of Mode’ or, ‘Sir Fopling Flutter’

Tuesday 19^th – Thursday 21^st January 2016

Act II Run Through

     Unlike the first act, Act II was broken down into two scenes.  My role as ‘Young Bellair’ was limited in this Act as the character only took a minor part in the first scene, but I became rather fond of this scene.

     This scene takes place in the building where ‘Emilia’, ‘Young Bellair’s’ love, lodges and they have discovered that his father, ‘Old Bellair’, has returned from his travels and wishes to marry ‘Emilia’ and have his son marry ‘Mrs. Harriet’.  Plus, ‘Old Bellair’ is completely oblivious to ‘Young Bellair’ and ‘Emilia’s’ love for each other.  Therefore this scene intrigued me into the brief conversations between ‘Young Bellair’ and ‘Emilia’.

     To me it indicated various emotions:

·         Love – unlike many in the play their love for each other is deep and passionate.

·         Dread – knowing little to nothing as to what the future may hold for the pair of them.

·         Hate – particularly from ‘Young Bellair’ towards his father.

     Plus when ‘Old Bellair’ enters I wanted to indicate new emotions, to set a different range for the character:

·         Love – this will be maintained throughout the character as he is loyal to ‘Emilia’.

·         Grace – at the knowledge that ‘Old Bellair’ knows nothing about him and ‘Emilia’.

·         Admiration – toward ‘Emilia’ who is staying loyal to ‘Young Bellair’ and not revealing their secret.

     All in all I feel there is so much to be taken from this scene, where there is little to no stage directions and minimal dialogue.  Plus maintaining the Restoration performer’s characteristics and staging style I feel we could even add a sense of comedy within the entertaining scene.

The Scripted Text

     Throughout the script of ‘The Man of Mode’ the adaptation has stayed as true as possible to the original text, similarly to all Shakespeare productions.  Our director especially wanted us to say loyal to the script and perform in word for word accurate projection.

     Another interesting aspect of the script, I couldn’t help but notice, was the lack of stage direction.  This has proven to be a challenge for our director, and us performers, as it gives us the opportunity to experiment with our staging/performance abilities and bring the play to life in a style that was making homage towards the Restoration period and making an entertaining production for our contemporary performance.

     The goal was to continue the rehearsal process breaking down each scene and key lines of dialogue so we may bring the play to life with good intentions and leave no details out of perspective.   

'The Man of Mode' - Post 03

Classical Theatre Performance Assignment –

‘The Man of Mode’ or, ‘Sir Fopling Flutter’

Tuesday 12^th – Thursday 14^th January 2016

Prologue

     After last week’s introduction to the style of performances our director wanted to bring to the play, we proceeded with early rehearsals.  The main focus for this session was bringing the prologue of ‘The Man of Mode’ to life in a stylized fashion that would engage the audience to both our performance style and what to expect with this play.

     Firstly we questioned; what is the purpose of a prologue?

·         To begin the story.

·         Offer an introduction to the themes and characters of the play.

·         (Or in the case of ‘The Man of Mode’) Tell the entire story of the play through means of poetry.

     Capitalized in the script as “Prologue by Sir Car Scroope, Baronet”; Sir Car Scroope was the son of a wealthy family, named Scroope, and later an established English poet in the late 1600s, whom became one of many companions of King Charles II, and wrote the prologue for Sir George Etherege’s play.

     We believed that the prologue depicted the entirety of the play and its lead characters.  With emphasized words such as “giddy fools”, “delight”, and “unheard-of fool”, in my opinion, reflect the character of ‘Dorimant’ who is depicted as a gentleman who is accompanied more by ladies than his gentleman friends.  Not only that, but words like “perish young”, I feel, reflect the innocence of younger characters like ‘Young Bellair’ and ‘Emilia’, both characters have a strong love for each other and do not wish to follow their friends in their lively and pro-active lifestyles.  Plus, finally, I noticed a hint of repetition of words such as “France” and “foppish”, these could be indications to the character of ‘Sir Fopling Flutter’ who is the most outlandish character within the ensemble.

     All in all this prologue offered various indications to the characters within the play, but also hinted towards the audience.  “Then for your own sake be not too severe,” indicating to the audience that this will be a different kind of experience for them and, in some ways, it is saying “expect something new with this play”. 

     Offering an entertaining introduction to the play; but how could we, as an ensemble cast, make this prologue intriguing for our audience and not boring?

     I personally found that the answer was that similar to the ‘Greek Chorus’.  The purpose of the ‘Greek Chorus’ was to enthrall the audience into a particular scene/moment when a major impact occurs to the plot or lead character.  The ‘Chorus’ often offers an ensemble of performers speaking in one voice, this could reflect the character’s subconscious or even the audience’s perspective offering a view point of the scene and questioning what will come next.  In the case of our performance, our director wanted every performer on stage and one by one we would speak our given sentences in order of how it was written and bring a singular voice of the prologue, introducing our audience to the play.  We were also directed to emphasis our delivery to embrace the stereotypical restoration performers acting.  The results should be entertaining and intriguing for our upcoming audience.      

Early Research

     Briefly moving away from rehearsals we took time for key and essential research into the time period and any historical figures and events that took place in the 1600s.  Tasked in pairs to research key subjects we later collaborated to share our research to get a better perspective of the time period.

     My partner and I were tasked with researching several topics under the title of ‘The Interregnum’.  The subjects (and research) we were under:

·         The Puritans – These English Protestants aimed to purity the Church of England from all Roman Catholic practices.  Aiming to bring their beliefs to ruling the country, their beliefs was an emphasis on the righteousness and sovereignty of God.  This resulted in the English Civil War against King Charles I.

·         Oliver Cromwell – Born in 1599 and died in 1658, Oliver Cromwell was known as a Republican leader who fought with the Puritans during the Civil War.  After the Puritans victory and the trial and death of King Charles I, Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and Head of the State of England, and ruled for five years.

·         The Protectorate – This was the given name of the time period in which Oliver Cromwell became the Head of the State of England.  However after the fall of the Cromwell family and the Puritan armies, the country was reinstated by the Royalists and was known as the Restoration, crowning Charles II as King of England.

·         and Richard Cromwell – The eldest son of Oliver Cromwell, Richard Cromwell inherited the Head of State position after his father’s death in 1658.  However, due to his lack of authority and strong will, compared to his fathers, he resigned power nine months after succeeding.  This brought about the downfall of the Puritan armies and made his family in debt at an estimate of £2 Million.

     We shared this information with our fellow performers, and they shared their research which consisted of various subjects similar to the English Civil War period or the Restoration period.  All interesting information that, I feel, has given us a better idea of how to envision the environment of the play.

‘Sir Car Scroope’ Research Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carr_Scrope

‘Greek Chorus’ Research Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlXi8LfKv-0

'The Man of Mode' - Post 02

Classical Theatre Performance Assignment –

‘The Man of Mode’ or, ‘Sir Fopling Flutter’

Tuesday 5^th – Friday 8^th January 2016

Movement Workshop and Character Mannerisms

     In preparation for our rehearsal process, for ‘The Man of Mode’, we began by taking part in several workshops exploring the nature of the restoration period.  Firstly, we looked to what we already knew about the play’s time period and characters:

·         It is set in the year 1676 (roughly thirty years after the English Civil War).

·         The Dramatis Personae reads the lead characters and wealthy personnel (“a gentleman” and “a lady”).

·         In our read through we noticed, several characters read in poetry (showing signs of education and manners).

     Knowing these little details were enough to support our introduction/plots to create character movement.  The plan was to understand the significant difference between high and low status characters, their movement, their mannerisms, and our performance adaptability to bring these characters to life physically.  Firstly, we looked to high status characters, in particular their walking and sitting structure; what does the performer have to maintain to achieve high restoration status?

Walking:

·         Straight back – to make their high status literal.

·         Chin raised – to impersonate as all high status characters look down on the world.

·         Chest pointed outwards – to show the gentleman’s masculine body and physical power.

·         Writing hand gestured outwards – shows polite manners and preparation to bow to friends/family or even kiss a lady on the hand.

·         Other hand tucked behind your back – to show respect to others and support of their own back as they walk and bow.

·         Toes pointing when pacing – to show precise efficiency when walking and enhance their strong physical structure.

·         and Walk leading with chin or hips – chin, to show intrigue into the conversation, and hips, to present themselves to the ladies or uphold their reputation of being a “gentleman about town”.

Sitting:

·         Sitting on the edge of the seat – to show that they are ready to leap into action, if needed.

·         Cloak brushed away as they sit – a gentleman of that time would not want to ruin a neat cloak by sitting on it, therefore they would always brush it away from their bottom to ensure it stays neat.

·         Back straight – to uphold their physical picture of being high status individual.

·         Always let the lady sit first – in one scenario we pictured that there was only one chair in the room, and a lady and a gentleman entered the room, then the gentleman would let the lady sit, while the gentleman stands behind the chair.

     I maintained these physical structures to show the gentleman quality of my character ‘Young Bellair’.  This is a character has a reputation, within the play, of being polite, loyal, and gentle to all his friends and family, and I made it a personal goal to maintain these physical structures to show the character’s true gentleman qualities and how he blends in with his other gentleman friends.

     In contrast, my second character ‘Handy’ needed a completely different physical structure.  ‘Handy’ is the loyal servant to ‘Dorimant’; while lower in status I wanted to devise a physical structure that was different, but unique compared to other lower class characters in the play.  For ‘Handy’, I would physically maintain:

·         Straight back – to show his respectable attitude about his working status.

·         Lowered chin, chest, and shoulders – to show lack of confidence and energy compared to a high status character.

·         Walking at a slow pace leading with the nose – to make a little homage to the  ‘Commedia Dell ‘Arte’ character of ‘Zanni’, a very lower status character who would lead with his nose to give a more animalist type of quality to his movements giving a significant difference to his counterparts and make him stand out.

     I believe this movement workshop was extremely helpful in understanding the characteristic traits of the restoration period and will undoubtable support our performances.  Enhancing a visual sense of realism and, hopefully through rehearsals, naturalism; bringing stereotypical character traits to life in an entertaining fashion.

The Language of the Fan

     The second workshop that was entertaining to take part in focused on the language of the fan.  It was common in the restoration period that ladies carried a fan at all times; it was in the youth generation where the fan was used to express silent/private messages to one another.  For example:

·         Drawing the fan across the cheek – means “I love you”.

·         Drawing the fan through the hand – means “I hate you”.

·         Putting the handle of the fan to the lips – means “kiss me”.

·         Fanning very slowly – means “I am married”.

·         Twirling the fan in the right hand – means “I love another”.

·         Etc.

     In many ways it was the restoration periods method of texting.  Our task was to pair up and use various methods to speak to one another using the language of the fan.  The message I sent read as:

     “You have changed (drawing the fan across the forehead).  I am sorry (drawing the fan across the eyes).  Come and talk to me (carrying the fan, open, in the left hand).  I love another (twirling the fan in the right hand).  Forgive me (clasping the hands under the open fan).  We will be friends (dropping the fan).”

     While the language of the fan is aimed towards the female performers, I found it interesting to learn the methods that the youth generation would endure when in the company of their parents.  Plus, article in which we learnt the language of the fan, came from the extract of Joan Wildeblood’s novel “THE POLITE WORLD: A Guide to English Manners and Deportment”; an intriguing read that should further support my development in embodying a restoration character in a restoration setting production.