Evaluation

All three performances posed different challenges for me personally and the company as a whole. The first performance felt like there was a lot of pressure, the nerves were the greatest. I had no idea how the audience would react to the piece and this was extremely difficult. The second performance was not sold out and it was at four-thirty which meant there was a much younger audience. This posed the challenge of making a period drama appeal to fifteen year olds. The final performance also had pressure, the final show had to be good, but as we had already performed it multiple times I had to work extra hard to keep the lines feeling fresh and new.

One aspect of performing which is both difficult and vital is keeping the energy up. When off stage it is very easy to relax, however, when you go back on stage you are likely not to have the same level of focus of energy. I think I was able to keep this level of readiness fairly well, there were points in the first act when I found it extremely challenging as there were long gaps between when I needed to be on. Despite this I do not feel it effected my performance. The matinée did pose issues, the nature of the audience and the fact that a few things went wrong technically made the energy level of the whole cast drop. This was difficult to combat and I feel that I could have tried harder to remove the issues from my mind rather then let them effect my performance.

The style of the piece is interesting as it is a period drama yet the second act has large amounts of action. This juxtaposition resulted in the need for multiple disciplines to be executed. Posture and voice was key to setting the time period of the 1750s. Vast differences are seen between modern dress, movement and speech in comparison to those of the 18th Century. However, I then had to fight onstage whilst still having to maintain the sense of the time period. I found this element extremely difficult and believe there are elements I could have improved upon. One example of this is not losing the aristocratic nature of Alexander in the confrontation scene with Otis. It was a fine line and I believe that I managed to strike that line relatively successfully, however, could have improved by being more aware of the character rather then the raw emotions.

Reacting to things that happen on stage is one of the most difficult aspects of acting for me, when things don't go to plan it is crucial to be able to work around the issues. The key aspects of this are knowing the text inside-out but also being able to communicate with fellow actors and help each other out on stage. For example, in the final performance mine and Lucy's (Melissa) scene did not happen exactly as it was written, a line was missed. To us it was obvious but we tried to work through it together so that it was unnoticeable to the audience, I believe we did this very successfully. By supporting each other through things like that which undoubtedly will happen at times is very difficult but very important.

All of these issues that I faced personally or we faced as a group we dealt with relatively well and in the end performed Coram Boy three times, all at a high standard. The one thing that we had to keep in mind throughout the whole process was the audience and their reaction. The play would be pointless without an audience and they are the most important aspect. Making sure the story was told truthfully and excitingly was something we had to ensure was the case. This included opening up the acting so that it was not insular but allowed the audience in to the world of the characters. It also included making sure that we new exactly what was happening throughout the play and what was being conveyed. This was something that I think we, as a whole company did very well. We new the story and the script inside-out and loved it which allowed us to convey our engagement with the action in to the audience. This love for the play and full knowledge of the script, I think, was the major reason for our production of Coram Boy being so successful.

Rehearsal Evaluation

Evaluation of personal role

I believe my overall role and contribution to the rehearsal process was positive. I was open to helping throughout the play, although I was not in Act One I helped with 'Footman Wilson' bringing chairs on and off. This not only gave me something to do during this act but also made the blocking easier and more fluid.

 There were points in the rehearsal when I could had more focus however overall I thought I stayed energetic and focused to a fairly high level. Some rehearsals were very long and I found these hard to keep the same level of professionalism as I would ordinarily bring to shorter rehearsals. This is a skill that the process has helped me learn, it is something that is vital in the life of an actor as long rehearsals are not uncommon. 

Outside of the rehearsal I did extra work with both Lucy and Toby. These two relationships were extremely complex, a best friend and my first love both of whom I haven't seen in eight years. The scene's in which we were reunited were the ones that required the most work. Me and Lucy discovered that a lot happens in our first scene together but it is just a page long. We worked hard at gaining that sense of importance and tension in that small space of time. The work outside the rehearsal allowed me to discover more about my character and his relationships, I could talk through what was happening and the sub text with the other actor at length, I think it really helped me grasp these high tension scenes. 

Evaluation of the whole rehearsal process

The rehearsal process was extremely successful, we produced a very thrilling and exciting piece of theatre and told a wonderful story. The play did throw up some very big challenges but these were circumnavigated, sometimes more successfully then others. The play has a lot of scene changes, this posed both a blocking problem and an acting problem. The play had a lot of blocking to remember, seven entrances and exits and sixty three scenes, remembering it all was difficult and making the scenes flow in to each other was also a challenge. But also reacting to changing given circumstances quickly was also an issue. I went from outside a grand house in london to docks within five seconds, however these issues were dealt with effectively. We blocked the piece and had very few alterations which made it much easier to be in the right place and the right time. The dry tech also allowed me to really get a feel for the entrances and exits and the distances between them.

In the early days of the rehearsal it felt difficult to really understand the play as a whole. So much happens and it is such an epic story, this makes it challenging to tell. However, once we were able to run the whole piece the arc of the story presented itself and I found it much easier to understand what I was doing as a character and what the play was truly about.

The cast gelled really well and the rehearsal space felt open and free. There were very few tensions and overall I felt that this ability to experiment and take risks really helped the final show become what it was and personally helped me to develop character more thoroughly. 

Warm-Up

Warm-ups for both rehearsals and performances are very important, they help to gain focus and prepare the body and voice for the things to come.

Here are a few of the exercises we undertook to warm up...

Sirening

We said the word 'king' and on the 'ng' sound we went up and down in pitch in a sirening fashion. This warms the voice up and allows us to use our voices fully without damaging them. This is absolutely vital for an actor as in a large proportion of plays, especially period dramas such as Coram Boy, speech is central and the ability to make ones voice heard and not damage it is key to giving a great and consistent performance. This exercise also brakes down the barriers that we hold stopping us from using our voices to the full amount they can be. Which allows us to be more open in rehearsals and explore things that we may not have previously.

Yoga

We would do a series of motions in connection with our breath. Breath is vital to any performance, being able to breath properly means you can enter the character to a greater extent and push the voice further with diction and projection. Opening the body up in this way allows character to come much more easily and be much more of a full body experience rather then just in the voice. Connecting the two in this warm-up exercise allowed me, as an actor, to enter a focused and prepared state of mind and body.

Pass the line 

This was a warm up exercise we did before each of the three performances, it consisted of all the actors walking around the space and then stopping. Someone would say the name of another actor and then one of their lines, sending it across the space at full performance level, this process was then repeated by the actor whose name was said. This exercise has many benefits for the actor, most obviously it gave me the chance to get used to speaking at the level at which I would have to throughout the performance. It also allowed us to connect as a group, saying the lines, moving around the space and calling each others names created a sense of company which we could then take on to the stage.