Shakespeare Character Blog - Term 4

Evaluation

In our 'As You Like It' performance, we kept the energy high throughout the whole performance to keep it interesting and entertaining for the audience. Considering the theme of ours was in the 1930's it may have been slightly less attention grabbing when first hearing of our theme, however we didn't make the show boring as we were always energetic on stage and projecting our voices well so all the audience could hear.
Additionally, one thing that we did do well was working with the timing. This was something that we struggled with as an ensemble during rehearsals, but we managed to pick up the slack and work towards our deadline.
Being a character that comes onstage later on in the play, it was important for me and my fellow scene actors to really kick it off with a high energy, which would allow the audience to engage in something new when watching. I think we did that to a great standard.
Furthermore, another thing that went well during our show was the part when myself, Saskia, and Lizzie had to sing 'Spring time, the only pretty ring time...' song. After singing this when we found out that 'Touchstone' found the singing a waste of time, I was so in the moment with my character that I unknowingly did a gesture that broke members of the audience into laughter. This was an experience that taught me that when you get lost into the moment, those are the parts that the audience enjoy the most!

At times people forgot to take props off stage as they went, however we didn't allow this to affect the performance. Good teamwork was played by one of our cast members as they took the prop off stage whilst in their character so it added to the humorous content of the play.
Also, at one point apparently there was a silence on stage, I imagine that someone either forgot their cue or their lines. That can always be improved in advance by simply learning lines on time, therefore you'd feel much less under pressure when on stage, allowing you to deliver your lines properly with meaning.

One thing that could've been improved in our performance was probably the transition between the two Rosalind's. From the feedback, some members of the audience weren't sure what the concept of the play was, as they seemed slightly confused.

I did take time to watch the modern day version of 'As You Like It', and from what I knew Rosalind was kept using the same actor so therefore I think it was more clear to understand, as even I was still learning more about the play. Another thing I liked about the modern day version of 'As You Like It', is that I felt that I and many others in the audience could relate to the theme of the play, therefore it was really enjoyable and entertaining at all times. The acting was also really great in the performance such as the melancholy Jacques played by Josh! Another favorite part from the show was when rap battles occurred and when Daniella and Serita sung the 'Spring Time' song in a version of a rap! This got the whole audience laughing and it surely was entertaining and suited their chosen theme! I really didn't want the show to end!

During our Brighton show, it was very important that we projected our voices because there were several background voices. At times this was quite hard, because when I was on stage I thought I was talking loud enough for people sitting at the back to hear. This also made it difficult for people to hear the cues when to go on stage, but this just meant that we had to be that much more focused on the performance. Our energy levels had to be double the standard in order to bring the performance to life, and at times I thought that this dropped due to other distractions in the background, therefore the audience weren't reacting as much as we'd like to. Also, I think that affected the audience's understanding of the overall play, as at one point I saw someone which looked like they were describing the story line to their friend.

Overall, I believe that as an ensemble we performed both productions at a good standard, and we took time to do character research, historical content, and research of the playwright, which helped us as actors also understand more about the play. We believed the lines we were reading, and added actions which rid along with the text. We kept the humor natural and I believe many of us didn't force the comedy into our character's but we allowed it to happen with the mistakes that the character makes as a person, which in my opinion made both our productions good. We also worked well as a group and didn't react badly to any mistakes that happened. The energy was kept high at all times as we were on point when it came to being on stage.

Shakespeare Character Blog - Term 4

As You Like it has been performed in many different ways, here are a few examples:

Shakespeare Character Blog - Term 4

Recently, I did a dress rehearsal in the new Theater where I will be performing our future show. This was very helpful to me because it gave me an insight of what the actual show would be like.
A few days before I got given a sheet of the plan of the theater onstage and backstage which prepared me and helped me to understand where I'll be entering the stage and going off, basically we were given a head start.

In addition, I was able to dress in my costume for the first time which helped me get into character. Here is what my costume looked like: 

In this dress rehearsal, we did it with the technical team which helped both sides of the production as we were able to practice as if it were the real show. This helped me learn my cues, as that was the part I found most difficult when rehearsing for the shows.

During the first run through, there was a special light that was meant to be used for 'Duke Senior' as we enter the stage when standing behind the set, however I was standing in that position, I later then learned that Faye and I were meant to swap sides, this helped me because in the future our positions when entering on stage wouldn't be so messy, which made it easier for us, as we did this part with ease during the second run through.

Although the actual set was limited, we were told not to restrict ourselves just to that specific space but we were told to use all of the space when on stage. This suits my character as we are meant to be in a forest which is free, therefore making it more believable to the audience when watching.

Furthermore, in both rehearsals our show was running for 2 hours, which was meant to be minimized to 1 hour 30 minutes, this means that we have to work as a team to do things faster and adapt the pace of our speaking but making sure that it is still understandable for the audience.

Shakespeare Character Blog - Term 4

What would happen if my characters didn't get what they wanted?

Second Lord to Duke Senior:
If the 'Second Lord to Duke Senior' didn't get what he wanted, I believe that he would've been in the company of 'Duke Frederick' and his Lords because of his dictator ways.
I think that 'Second Lord to Duke Senior' wouldn't have a place in hierarchy, despite being banished with 'Duke Senior'.
Environment is an obstacle for my character because there are many dangers in the 'Arden Forest', however he overcomes this by sticking as a group with the other Lords and Duke Senior.
First Page:
Class is an obstacle for my character because she is living in the 'Arden Forest', I think that other people from a higher class wouldn't have taken them very seriously as they think they have nothing to do with their time in the forest.
At one point in the play when the 'Pages' are finished singing to 'Touchstone' and 'Audrey', the 'Pages' didn't get the reply they wanted as he says '...yet the note was untunable'. In this case of not getting what they wanted, 'First Page' simply argues back by saying 'You are deceived sir, we kept our time, we lost not our time'...
In the play we chose to action this by walking away, therefore I imagine that in any other situation of my character not getting what she wanted, she'd simply say her opinion first and if it doesn't work then she'd walk away from the problem.

Shakespeare Character Blog - Term 4

What do my characters have to overcome to get what they want?

Second Lord to Duke Senior:

My character has to overcome the conflict between 'Duke Frederick' and his Lords in order to get back to living in the court. In order to do this, I believe that their group of Lords have to come across to people in a well-mannered way and always be willing to welcome others with a blessing from 'Duke Senior'.
Despite this, I believe that the rules under 'Duke Senior' do have some boundaries, as they will always protect each other which means they will be quite unsure of other characters that they meet at first.
This helps me understand more about how I will portray my character to the audience because, when meeting a stranger in the forest, I will show my defensive side, however I will later welcome them to join us. I believe that this will help my character get to their overall objective.

First Page:

First Page has to overcome the many different personalities that they come across in the 'Forest of Arden'. There could be bad personalities or good personalities, that's why my character has to get through to them in a happy and entertaining way!

Considering this character isn't in the play at all until the end, I found it difficult to work out any objectives, or even what my character wants, but because of this, I think that I have been able to develop character background through it, as I have created my own super-objective through actions, what my character says/sings, and how they react with other character. That's how I came to the conclusion that First Page's overall objective is to be happy in the 'Forest of Arden'.

I've done a lot of character research in lessons which has helped me develop my characters and I feel like I'd be able to tell their story before the events of the play even occurred. In my opinion this is important because when performing on stage, it will be much more believable for the audience, also it will help us as the actors know what we are saying and why we are saying it, rather than just reading and learning some lines, and in my opinion my group and I have done that very well thanks to the help of our director.  

Shakespeare Character Blog - Term 4

Why do my characters want their objective/now?

Second Lord to Duke Senior:
Second Lord to Duke Senior wants to be in company with 'Duke Senior' because, if he wasn't in company with him then he'd probably be in the clubhouse with 'Duke Frederick' and his Lords. There is conflict between them because 'Duke Frederick' originally banished Duke Senior out of the clubhouse, so I imagine that my character wouldn't want to be within company of Frederick.
When my character is sitting at the banquet with the other Lord, Duke Senior, 'Jacques' and 'Amiens', and 'Orlando' joins them, at first the Lord are defensive over this, in which they use their golf clubs in order to prepare to attack. The Lords then get the sign that they can join us at the banquet, and we then relax and reassure ourselves that they aren't there for trouble. The actions we've put together in this scene should be convincing to the audience so that they know that we're here to protect ourselves and 'Duke Senior', also, the fact that we then later allow them to 'come sit' with us at the banquet and drop all of our weapons, should show the audience that we are the good people as opposed to 'Duke Frederick' and his Lords.
First Page:
First Page wants to be happy and free in the forest because, without being happy and at ease within the forest, they'd probably be living in fear, because there are 'fools' in the forest. Therefore, the Page's approaches people in a polite way to get on the correct side of them in the first place, because the outdoors can be a place of danger, filled with thieves and people who are up to no good.
That's the reason why my character is always light-spirited and at ease with others, because they are living in the 'Forest of Arden' which consists of a lot of freedom.

Shakespeare Character Blog - Term 4

What do my character's want?

Second Lord to Duke Senior:
Second Lord to Duke Senior's overall objective is to deliver news and information to Duke Senior. However, they have been banished from the court, so their overall objective is to get back to the life they had before which was living in the court, although they do enjoy living in the forest where there is plenty of freedom. The Second Lord to Duke Senior wants to be in company of Duke Senior and join him in the forest and not in Duke Frederick's Clubhouse because there is more freedom within their club.
First Page:
First Page simply wants to welcome people into the 'Forest of Arden' with a song... 'Spring Time, the only pretty ring time, with a hey and a ho no ni no'.  First page wants to entertain anybody who they come across, and their overall objective I believe is to simply be happy in 'The Forest of Arden'.

How do my characters get what they want?

Second Lord to Duke Senior:
I believe that Second Lord to Duke Senior gets what they want by just supporting their main leader whom is Duke Senior. This is because if anything they'd end up in Frederick's clubhouse.
They are informative and helpful to Duke Senior ('We did my Lord...', 'I'll bring you to him straight'...)
My character is kind towards other characters and does what they command in order to get what they want.
I believe that this character is supportive of sport, because I think that it is something that represents their class, but it is also a way of escaping the reality, by playing a fun game of golf. 
First Page:
My characters objective I believe is to be happy within themselves in the forest, therefore, in order to get what they want, my character responds to other characters by singing them a cheerful song with 'Second Page', and by entertaining others.

Knowing the objectives of my character allows me to develop the choices I make for my character on stage, therefore I can get a wider image of how I'd want my characters to act and react on stage.

Shakespeare Character Blog - Term 4

When is it?
Our version of 'As You Like It' was set in 1935, when the build up to the 1936 German Olympics was.
I believe that the season ours was set in was Spring time, the reason being because in our set we include a tree in the 'Forest of Arden' which has thriving leaves growing on it, therefore it is obvious that it isn't Autumn or Winter.
Also, I believe that the time of the day our play is set in is usually day time, because during rehearsals, we haven't staged a particular part where any of the characters require a torch light, or there isn't a part where character's are sleeping, therefore I imagine that it takes place over a few weeks, during daytime.
It is important to understand these things because I believe that these can effect my character's tone of voice and the physicality of my character. During rehearsals I have taken this into consideration, allowing me to make broader decisions with how I will portray my character for the future show.