The Journey

With six entrances, two characters and 62 scenes learning the blocking of the play is a difficult job. One way in which I decided to do this was to create this list of my entrances and exits through out the play. So this is my journey.

ACT ONE

Scene One, wait at B for entrance in scene two.

Enter after - 

“DR SMITH: Out! Out, out! This is not a shelter for vagrants! Out with you!”

Have LOG.

Walk around and talk with people and buy things, become silent when OTIS speaks.

When BELL RINGS walk to and exit from A2.

                 

Scene Twelve, wait at D for entrance at the end of the scene.

(Melissa is playing on the harpsichord at waterside.)

Enter after –

“OTIS: Meshak! Get here before I brake your bones!”

Have CHAIRS and TRAY OF TEA ready.

Set chairs for the drawing room. Exit and get the tray of tea, stand with tray until the scene ends, exit D.

Scene Twenty, wait at C2 for entrance in the middle of scene.

(Isobel and Melissa talk of the ball, Thomas enters)

Enter after –

“ISOBEL: Guests! Let’s go and watch.”

Have TRAY OF CUPS.

Enter and stand with cups, let people take them from the tray. When Miss Price and Mrs Lynch re-enter COLLECT THE CUPS from the guests. Take them off at C2. Take CHAIRS OFF and then stand until the dance. When music plays get ready for the DANCE and then go through it twice. Once we are done exit A2. Wait until Claymore and Miss Price go back inside and Mrs Lynch says: “Good evening, Sir.” Enter A2 and stand until the scene ends and then reset the CHAIRS for the drawing room. Exit B.  

Scene Twenty-Nine, wait at B for entrance at the end of the scene.

(Mellissa has her dream)

Enter after –

“MELLISSA: Alexander…”

No Props.

Enter and take chairs off at Mrs Lynch’s order.  Exit B.

Scene Thirty-Two, wait at B for entrance at the end of the scene.

(Children playing and they find the skulls)

Enter after –

Mrs Milcote enters the house.

Have SHOVEL AND CLOTH.

Enter and pick the boxes and up and take them off B. Do this until they are all gone.

Scene Thirty-Three, wait at A for entrance at the end of the scene.

(Mr Claymore speaks to the Ashbrook’s)

Enter after –

“CLAYMORE: …I’ll hang him anyway, confession or no confession.”

Have OTIS and NOOSE ready.

Pull Otis through the doors and hold him, after Otis says, “…Pay me to do their dirty work!” Drag him off through the doors. Then put a bag on Toby’s head and get the noose in position ready to be put around his neck.

ACT TWO

Scene Six, wait at B for entrance in the middle of the scene.

(Aaron and Mr Ledbury walking around my house)

Enter after –

“THOMAS: Now then – ♫ In Gloucester docks, so I… ♫ Perhaps not.”

Have CUPS ready for next scene.

Walk on and perform scene, remember the ‘MOMENT’ on the last line. Show other characters off A1.

Scene Seven, wait at A1 for entrance at the end of the scene.

(Gaddarn talking to Toby)

Enter after –

“GADDARN: …Now get out there and serve. And smile, Toby Gaddarn.”

Have CUPS.

Enter and put the cups down, set the chair and then pour the drinks. Hand one to Thomas and sit. Make sure the scene is alive and not too slow. At the end of the scene replace the cups on the table and walk straight into the scene in front of us. Clap along to Gaddarn’s toast, when it has finished walk to the choir and share a LOOK with Gaddarn. When Toby says “I don’t like surprises anymore” ensure you are near Thomas. Move to the centre of the stage and go through lines after Toby says, “I’m not allowed to speak to people.” After lines rejoin the crowds ‘chatting’, at the end of the scene exit C1.

Scene Seventeen, Wait at B for entrance at the end of the scene.

(Gaddarn puts girls in the passage)

Enter after –

“OTIS: Run, run, Toby Gaddarn.”

No props.

Enter and look around the house. Make sure I have my back to D, as each person enters hug etc. Share a significant LOOK with Melissa. At the end of the scene exit through B and RUN to A (The double doors). Walk the length of the stage and do the Waterside scene with Melissa. When Isobel enters follow her off through the double doors at A.

Scene Twenty-One, wait at D for entrance in the middle of the scene.

(Melissa talks to Thomas about the whereabouts of Aaron.)

Enter after –

“THOMAS: Are you alright, Melissa?”

No props.

Enter frantically and turn to Mellissa. Share a MOMENT, turn in to the next scene as people enter from B. Be sure to use the space and keep moving. Play scene, at the end move and kneel in front of Melissa and take her hand. Exit through B.

Scene Twenty-Four, wait at C1 for entrance at the end of the scene.

(Mrs Lynch tells Otis that he has been found out)

Enter after –

‘When TOBY gets to the middle of the stage’

No props.

Run to the middle and do the scene, follow Toby off C2, when others enter and are a quarter of the way across the stage run on and meet them in the middle from C2. Say lines and lunge for Aaron and fight Otis, go to Aaron and then see Thomas take a knife for you and as you tend to him take a blow to the head. Come round after Otis says, “You mad bitch, I hope you rot in hell.” Exit B.

Scene Twenty-Seven, wait at C2 for entrance at the end of the scene.

(Meshak jumps of the ship.)

Enter after –

“ANGEL: Come now, Meshak. Come to me.”

No props.

Enter and take the bench with Peter to the middle of the stage, place it at a slight diagonal. Then pace in front of A. Do lines with Melissa and go to the choir, get stopped and turned. Have loving moments with Aaron and hug him, Melissa and Toby. When Aaron asks to let him go, do so and follow him. Count the choir in, black out. 

Alexander and his Music

Music is one the key elements to Alexander as a character, he runs away from home for eight years for it and then develops a career around it. 

I decided to research the type of music that was around at the time, including his idle, Handel. Here is one of the pieces in the play which I listened to, it is still a very famous piece of music and yet one rarely hears it from a full chorus and orchestra.

The period in which the play is set is a time of great change, the period of popular Baroque music is moving towards an era now named the classical period. Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn all came in the second half of the 18th Century and changed the face of the musical world. Alexander's musical taste would have been transforming throughout his life, however the great composer of the time, Handel, remained. Christianity was in fashion at the time and music was largely joyful, this is reflected in the text and the obsession Alex has with finding his joy.

The period is also a time in which orchestra's are beginning to take shape, they are starting to gain more and more instruments all working perfectly with one another. This allows composers to have greater freedom and opportunity to really experiment and come up with, what are now deemed the greatest pieces of music ever written.

Understanding the state of music in this period and the types that most people were listening to and Alexander would have been playing and singing helped me grasp his passion. I now know what he loves so much and although personally I am not a naturally talented musician who has Synesthesia (when some one sees colours when they listen to music) I am able to use this knowledge to try and picture it.

Lets Dance

Learning the dance did pose some serious obstacles however it also helped me realise some characterisations I could use for Alexander. 

The style of dancing we are attempting is called Baroque which was the precursor to modern ballet and was the fashionable music and dancing of the time. I looked on YouTube at some videos of Baroque dancers to get an idea of the way in which it was meant to look. Here is one of the videos I watched. 

The Character

One thing that I immediately realised was the graceful nature in which they dance, it is light and smooth. The difference in the sexes is minimal they are both as light and bouncy as one another. I also thought about the upright nature of which they were standing, this was also pointed out by Josie, the lady who taught us the dance. The 21st Century posture is very different from the 18th Century one and this is something I not only have to take into consideration for the dance but also the characterisation of Alexander. Letting my posture slide would brake the illusion, it would pull the 18th Century world we create straight back to a group of modern actors trying to act like they are from the 1700s. 

The Dance

Learning the dance and getting it right was also a challenge, as a group we went through all the steps and practiced them over and over again. One way that helped me remember what to do was create a chart of all the moves. This is shown below.

As a group of non-dancers it was definitely a challenge and finding my graceful side was not the easiest thing. However, by practicing it with cast members and asking them for advice I believe that my posture is sliding in to place. Repetition and the chart helped me memorise the moves and although I was nervous at the start I am beginning to grow more confident with this section of the play. 

Creating Character

In the past rehearsals I have tried to look into greater depth at my character and his physicality.

I started to think about the differences between how I stand and Alexander stands, how I talk and how Alexander talks. Alex is Upper Class, although he ran away he has still been raised in a family from the landed aristocracy. This is somewhat different to my middle class upbringing. This makes me walk more upright, talk with complete clarity and have certain traits. For example, he will always feel a sense of being higher status then most other people. Although he denounced his role in the aristocracy he still has that upbringing which makes him slightly look down on everyone in a subtle way. This made me think about an upright posture, with my neck stretched and my head tilted down. I discovered this when doing and exercise in which we exaggerated out character from one to ten. This allowed me to realise exactly what my character was doing, such as the head tilt.

Character in the scene.

When running the second scene I was in I found it difficult to juggle lines, character and to lift the scene. It became slow and monotonous, this had to be changed. The director told us to look at the script and find points when things change and react to them. This really helped me, by acting on impulse and standing and moving when it feels right the scene transformed.

The main thing that I believe is necessary to do within the next week is to learn lines and become confident with them. This will allow me to really engage in the character without holding a script.

Character Journey

I Sing in the cathedral choir -> I am happy, I am respected by my peers and noticed as talented by the conductor.

I am not allowed to continue singing ->  I am angry, I feel as if no one understands anything about me except those with musical talent such as my friend Thomas. I will do anything to carry on with my music.

My voice brakes -> I am embarrassed. I made a fool of myself, I want to cry.

I am denied access to musical instruments -> I can't take it, the only thing that makes me happy has been taken away from me and I cannot see my future in a house in which I am denied access to the one thing I love.

Melissa shows me a secret instrument -> There is hope, Melissa has given me hope and it feels like she understands how I feel. I love her.

The one instrument I have left is broken -> I cannot believe my father would do such a thing, without this I cannot survive, I must leave, leave this house and leave Melissa. I am sorry.

I move to Switzerland -> I am lonely and poor, I do not like it here and want to move as soon as possible.

I go to Germany -> I feel Handel, his passion is amongst the other musicians here but I want to go home.

I move to London -> I am so close to home, I long to be with my family. After meeting Handel I feel happy but this is false, I thought music could bring me everything I could want from life. But it is nothing unless you have people to share it with.

I hear Thomas' name -> My mind jumps straight to Melissa, whenever I think of home I think of her first. This is my opportunity, I must take it.

I meet Thomas and we talk -> I am happy to see him, my old friend but the only thing I can think about is Melissa, I want to know how she is, what she is doing and whether she is with another man.

I am told the Coram Choir will perform at Ashbrook -> I am delighted but not convinced, my father still hasn't agreed and he is the one who ruined everything, he smashed my instrument.

The Coram Choir sing -> I am in my room at an inn and pacing, I am nervous for the children and thinking what my father may do.

I am allowed back -> I cannot wait, my limbs feel unsteady the thought of seeing them all is overwhelming. But the first thing I have to do is talk to Melissa, she has to know how I feel and I have to know if I have the slightest chance to be with her.

I am told I had a child -> I feel even worse then when my voice broke. I am embarrassed for being so childish and not facing my responsibility, I want to make it up to Melissa, do something, anything.

I realise -> Everything fits together, Mr. Gaddarn, the children, my child. I am angry, furious but I have to make sure my accusations are true before I jump to conclusions.

I find my son with Otis -> I am scared, this boy who i have never properly met before makes me want to risk my life for him. But I do not hesitate, I have to save him.

I recover from injuries -> My wounds are not bad, not like Thomas' but I have the emotional pain of loosing a son who I didn't even know. I felt worse then ever before, the only thing keeping me together is Melissa, we are dealing with it together.

I am reunited with my son -> This moment, right now is the best moment of my life. Nothing before it has even come close. I am surrounded by the people I love and we are happy.

Notes


Directorial notes can be very useful but they only aid a performance if one is able to take them on board and react accordingly. I believe on most occasions i was able to do this. Notes ranged from practical ones such as, 'when taking the boxes off use cloths' to far more difficult emotional ones such as, 'knowing exactly what your character wants at any given time.' As a result of this note I decided to do even greater work on character and the text. Really stripping back each line and working out what Alexander wants and why he is saying and doing what he is doing. I also looked into the given circumstances, so when I went back to my old house I thought about its size and grandness but also its mixture of new but also very familiar. The first time I did this I did not think about it enough and didn't go in to enough depth, however, I believe I righted this after the feedback.

We also received group feedback at points, the most prominent was volume. The rehearsal space was relatively small in comparison to the stage space. The Obie Theatre is an unforgiving space for un-amplified voice and I had to really think about projecting my voice so that it would not be lost.

Enter Alexander!

Over the past few rehearsals blocking has begun for Act Two, the act Alexander (my character) enters. This has thrown up more challenges, with more things to do and the difficulty of starting to develop a character. 


Blocking


Learning where and when to enter and exit will be a challenge, the stage consists of seven entrances and exits. This process started with me writing down all blocking notes in my script. Eventually this should become second nature, I will learn the pattern of the piece and know when and where to enter and leave. However, learning both this and the lines for the play will take difficult. If I start now, everything should run smoothly.

Blocking is vital, it gives the piece shape and allows all the characters to exist throughout the play in a harmonious manner. However, the blocking also allows one to begin to develop a character and discover the relationships characters have with one another.

Character

Alexander is a happy child, he finds joy in God, music and his family. When he is asked to choose between music and his family he becomes angsty and eventually runs away. When he reenters the play eight years later, he has grown and matured, he becomes shy and reserved. He feels that he is not happy, he has gained everything he ever could want from music but without his family, without Melissa he can not find joy. This relays to my characterisation as it makes him kind and loving but held back, not willing to show everything. When he first meets Thomas after years of absence, he does not hug him straight away but waits for his response. He is almost frightened when he meets the people of his past.

Costume

We have also received the costumes for our characters which helped me enormously with visualising exactly what Alexander will look like and some of the mannerisms he may have.

This is a picture of the costume...

The red shows his passion, he has passion for music and Melissa, he is the type of person who does things one hundred percent or not at all. The costume also allowed me to think of the time period and the way in which that will effect the way he walks and talks. He will not have the modern teenage way of standing and is unlikely to slump in his chair, he is from the landed aristocracy, after all.

The Life and Times of Footman Wilson

After the first read through we started to block the play. This can often be one of the longest parts of the rehearsal process. The character that I play in Coram Boy is Alexander (as and adult), this means that I do not appear until act two, which gives me the first half of the play off, or does it? 

Throughout the process of blocking the first act I realised just how much I have to do, even when my character is still played by someone else. The street scenes, party scenes, searching scenes and moving props on and off stage are all vital to the play and the world in which it is set. This element of the rehearsal process can be laborious but it is necessary, learning all the tiny parts in which I serve drinks at a party or take a chair off the stage is essential to creating a fully realised play.

In an acting technuque class we learnt about how when we are doing actions an actor should think about what they are doing, why they are doing it and what exterior forces are effecting the action. I found this really helpful for doing the non speaking roles, it makes what I'm doing interesting and precise. I am not just an actor serving drinks because I have to, but I'm footman Wilson carrying out my duties in a hot crowded room but all I really want is to get paid so to look after my daughter who is not well. It adds a personal thought process which the audience will never know but they will notice that I have more depth then just walking in the right places.

 By using what I learnt in another lesson blocking the first half of Coram Boy went from the bit that I'm not in to the bit where I am footman Wilson an unlisted character that caries out important roles of building atmosphere and helping with the movement of props.

Research

Coram Boy is set in 1742, a time that is removed from our own. This research has helped me relate to the time and ground me the my contextual understanding of the play. 

Social

• 74% of children die before they are five, this figure goes up to 90% with children who live in workhouses.
• In the early 18th Century a third of the population die from small pox.
• The roads between towns, cities and villages were dangerous due to the number of highwayman that patrolled them. 
• Religion was out of fashion in the early 1700s but by the mid 18th Century there was a great enthusiasm reinstalled in the nation. 
• In 1742 construction started for the Coram Foundling Hospital. 
• In upper class families that sent their children to school, the girls would study embroidery and music in contrast to science and other more academic subjects that boys were taught. 
• The upper class had a social hierarchy of their own. There was the landowners, who had political power, the gentry and then the yeomen. This was on top of the strict class boundaries of the middle and working classes.

Cultural

• The Church and the state were separated but in 1710 there was an attempt to reunify the two entities, this failed in 1714. 
• The first performance of 'Rule Britania' was in 1740. 
• Handel composed 'Messiah' in 1740 and it was first performed in 1741 in Dublin. 
• The west tower of Westminster Abbey was built in 1745 
• Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833 but anti-slavery feelings were expressed by the Pope as early as 1741.

Economic

• In the 1700s half the population worked in agriculture and manufacturing. The Industrial Revolution was in its infancy, but the might of industrial Britain was not created at this time. 
• In 1712 Thomas Newcomen invented the steam powered piston engine which laid the foundation for the steam engine and the development of that to power trains, this was a driving force of the Industrial Revolution. 
• 1747 saw Liverpool overtake Bristol as the leading slave trading port. 

Political 

• In 1743 George II led the English army into battle in the War of Austrian Succession. This was the last time a British monarch led the army into war. 
• In 1707 England and Wales (which was invaded by the English in 1283 and gradually absorbed into the English political system) created a union with Scotland. 
• Gloucester was run by merchants. 
• 1742 saw Prussia (Germany) and England create an anti-French treaty, England and France were fighting throughout this century. 
• The 1751 'Murder Act' meant murderers would suffer public dissection or hanging in the gibbet. 
• In the mid-1700s an act was past that prevented infants from being raised in workhouses. 
• The early 18th Century saw the fist premier of England in Walpole who used bribery and political maneuvering to invent a his own job, leading parliament. He was the first person in public office to live at 10 Downing Street. In 1742 he was forced to resign due to a poor election and questions over his leadership when dealing with a war with Spain. He was replaced by the Earl of Wilmington, Spencer Compton, who held office until he died a year later. 
• In 1751 a tax on gin was introduced to try and lower the excessive drinking problem that England had. 
• The Empire was taking shape throughout this period, it was based on merchantism which meant private companies such as the East India Trading Company would do business overseas and be supported by troops from the state. India was taken over in 1757.