31.1.2014

Today in class we started to properly work on our second scenes, or in my case, the third scene. The scene starts off with Nell's first time on the stage. Just before, she has convinced Mrs. Betterton that Mr. Betterton has given her some time on the stage, that Nell must have a line, but in reality she is lying. So, when Nell finally goes on stage, not knowing what she is supposed to do and is left by everyone else to deal with the shame on her own, she starts to dance, finally getting the audience on her side. While Nell is on stage, the actors of the playhouse come off stage enraged by Nell lying to them, and possibly risking their reputations as actors and as an playhouse. Once Nell comes from the stage triumphant, the others try to blame her for what she's done, but after telling everyone what she did on stage, Nell gains her place at the playhouse. This is followed by Mrs. Marshall going outside to tell some men to stop bothering the actresses, but instead she gets thrown feces on herself. It was one of Mrs. Marshall's former lovers that sent the men to do this to her, showing really how women and actresses were treated during those times.
   The first thing we as a group focused on was the blocking. We first started by just going trough the scene and seeing, where would we go naturally. After this we could start working on things, like what works and what doesn't. Some things worked better than others, for example when Nell first comes on stage. We had Mrs.Marshall positioned stage left, and Doll, Mrs.Betterton and Mrs.Farley in a line on stage right, so that there is a space for Nell to come center stage.This works especially when the others leave the stage and Nell is left alone, since it centers the attention to Nell and makes it seem even more lonely and threatening for her to be in that situation. But once Nell tells everyone what she did on stage and basically saved hers and the playhouse's reputation(even thought it was her in the first who jeopardized it),she wins Mrs. Betterton to her side, getting her to be some sort of a mentor for Nell.
   Since the scene is mostly located in the Tiring room, with only having a bit of it on the stage, one of the things we need to work out, is how to have the actresses seem busy in their space, without people upstaging or blocking each other during their important bits. This is one of the reasons why we really need to choreograph this scene and block it well, so that everyone know exactly their spots. We still need to work on it in future rehearsals, but at least now we have a base to work from.

One of the hardest things in this scene for me personally will be developing and executing the dance bit. I am not experienced in dance, so I will definitely be asking for help on this one, and I need to do plenty of research about the dance styles of that period, as well as look for inspiration from different kinds of jigs. I have turned my attention towards Irish and Scottish jigs especially, since they are more focused on the choreography of the feet and lower body rather than hands, since Nell probably has to be holding her dress up to be able to dance. Also, these dance styles have the kind of fun lightness that Nell's spirit has.

   The problem with these particular dancing styles is, that they do not give out the 'sensuality' that the actresses would use to draw the attention of the men in the audience. So, rather than just copying the dance moves used in these videos, I have to take them and change them a bit to suite Nell's character and the situation she is in. I really want to be able to show Nell's fun and confident nature, but at the same time reveal how persuasive she can be in given situation.

28.01.2014

What we worked on today?

Since we were given feedback on our scenes yesterday, today we all decided that rather than starting to properly work on our second scenes, we should go over our feedback and adapt those comments to our existing scenes, so that the changes would come fresh from our minds, and then we could move on to the other scenes after finishing the first ones.

    I worked first with my group with Bella, Jenny and Max in it. The main things we felt that should be worked on was the blocking, since we hadn't had the chance to work on it properly before. I felt that the blocking was too linear, everyone just sitting in a line, not using the stage to its full potential. So, we decided on a setting of something like this:

 

  1. Chaise Longue with Max's character Rochester dying
2. Extra chair with Monimia's dress on it(Doll is probably in the middle of fixing it)
3. Table with couple of chairs around it. This is where Mrs. Barry and Doll are counting the money.
 
   This kind of setting gives then the middle of the stage to move around in and at the end, when Nell has her little moment with dancing with the dress, the focus of the audience is directed towards the centre and Nell. Also, keeping the sets more upstage gives the characters the focus in the scene and the possibility to play around with the blocking more. After figuring the set out, the blocking came to us quite naturally, and with a little help from our tutor, we were able to make sense to all of the moves our characters made and make it effectual.


   After this I went to my other group, with Yunusa, Lucy, Greta, Chloe and Sophia in it, and started to fine tune our scene. Mostly what I, and the other members in our group needed to, was to be more in character, and so going trough the scene over and over helped to become more our characters, as there were no scripts on the way any longer. We also started to re-block the part where the women in the scene are teasing Otway about showing our breasts to the audience, Nell trying to get more jokes for her character. Before we felt that it was way too crowded, since all the girls were huddled around Otway. We decided that Sophie, Mrs. Marshall, should be a bit further away, reading the different parts of the play where Nell is needed to show her nude front to the audience. Then we tried to have the other women circling Otway, but it felt a bit awkward, and not getting tough the raunchy gestures the different women doing to annoy Otway. We ended up having Nell and Mrs. Farley being mainly around Otway, teasing him in different ways to get his attention, as we grab our breasts to confuse the poor fella.
  I also tried to become Nell more than I have before. I focused on her movements and way of holding herself. Confidence is a big part of Nell's character, and I tried to show it by her body language. For example, when she is listening to Otway reading his play, she is clearly bored and tired of hearing this long play, but the way she sits on her chair, leaning fully on the back of the chair, on hand over it, and legs crossed, signals a hint of smugness. Even though Nell isn't necessarily a smug character, but unlike the other women, she isn't trying to be any more sophisticated than she is. She embraces the fact that she might act and be more 'common' than the other, because she knows it works for her. And I think this might be the core I need to start acting Nell from, the fact that she isn't ashamed of her background and what she does. This also comes across when she talks to Otway. She isn't taking no for an answer, but she doesn't argue about why she should get the jokes with Otway. She knows she deserves those jokes and the way she gets them is by showing Otway that exactly.

27.01.2014

We have been working on our first scenes for some time now. Most of the work has been done independently, without any one really giving us feedback on our characters, blocking or the scene in general, from an outside perspective, so it was good that we got this time to show all of our scenes to Jerry-Lee, and get some comments on what we should further develop in our scenes.

   On my first scene, most of the feedback was directed for each individual, so I will be focusing on the comments that I got, but first I should point out that there was a part in our scene, where the women of the playhouse are 'harassing' Otway, about showing their breasts on the stage too much. What we have done, was gathering around Otway, to intimidate him and tease him, but this seemed too clumped up on the stage. This was a good point, since we have discussed it before in the group, but have not been sure weather or not to change it, but this certainly gave us the push to do something about it. Perhaps it would be ise to have some of the characters spread around a bit, bringing the attention to Otway and my character Nell on the middle, since it is Nell specifically who is trying to get her other talents on the spotlight on the stage.
   Jerry-Lee also said that in this scene my french accent was very good, which I found quite funny, since I was trying to over act it a bit, to make Nell's comedic sense shine trough even when she is playing.

   A comment, that I was given from both of the scenes was about my stage presence, and how "Heta was still coming trough the character". I was told that I need to be more in character. I didn't quite understand, in which way did I need to further develop Nell, but now thinking of it, maybe going over her natural tempo again could help. Perhaps I need to bring her tempo-rhythm a bit up, to get that confidence of hers to shine and simultaneously push my own nature into hiding. Jerry-Lee also suggested that I should look into learning cockney-accent, since Nell is from the London area. This could help me with coming in touch with the character more, and giving her lines the flow they were written for. Still, I am a bit hesitant to go trough and do this, since I will not be the only one playing Nell. I do not think the other ones are doing a cockney accent, and so me suddenly bursting out on the stage with a full on cockney speech would be some what inconsistent. I can still try to adapt elements of cockney into my way of speaking.

  During my second groups discussion, I also pointed out, that there should something done with our blocking. Right now it seems a bit bland, as the characters are mostly in a straight line, rather than using the space to our advantage.  

Research Assessment week

Restoration
   The play is set from the late 1660's to 1670's. The period that started at this time in English history was called the Restoration. After the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the mid 17th Century, England, Scotland and Ireland had been united to become three nations under a single government, the monarch Charles I. Yet, this wasn't without problems, since it created friction within the three nations, resulting in series of conflicts between 1639 and 1651. In 1649 Charles I was executed by the English parliament because of high treason after a 7 year civil war. This was an end to the monarchy, and after the excecution of Charles I, England was under different form s of republican government to try and please all of the three nations as one country. Yet, as the year 1660 changed, and the government was still on unstable grounds, it was decided to be best to restore the monarchy under Charless II. So, simply put, the Restoration was the period in time, when the monarchy in England returned after decade of various forms of republican government.

   
Actresses in Restoration Theatre
   Before the time of Restoration, around 1640's, Puritans closed all the theatres, distroyed playhouses and actors from all over were harassed. This continued for eighteen years, until the restoration and the return of Charles II from France back to England to take his place on the trhone. Upon the return of the court, Charles II brought many customs and fashions which he had learned in France, especially in theatre. He provided some of the remaining playwrites playhouses where performances would be soon enough be put on. With this, women also were now allowed to be on stage as actresses, like in France since 1620's. Before Restoration time, it was strictly forbidden for women to act, and only men were allowed to be on stage, female parts being played by young boys. Still, even if women were now allowed to act, they weren't the same as male actors. Women were entertainment for the men, meaning that they often had to reveal their naked bodies as amusement, working more like modern strippers do than actresses. Women were “sexual props on stage”, and often even the older scripts were changed to bring more females into them. Even the purest of female characters were often sexualized, further objectifying women and their bodies. 


Nell Gwyn
    Eleanor 'Nell' Gwyn was spent most of her childhood in quite unfortunate situation. She was born in February of 1650. Some sources say that she was born in London, but others that I research from said that her mother moved Nell and her sister Rose there, after their father's death. In London Mrs. Gwyn became to be known as Madam Gwyn, as she eventually opened her own bawdy house, after falling back on prostitution, because of the obvious lack of theatre work. She employed her daughters as well, serving drinks and working as street vendor's. This is where Nell learned to project and use her voice. Later on Nell became an orange girl at the Drury Lane Theatre, trough her older sister, which is where she attracted the attention of the theatre's leading actor Charles Hart. Nell became his mistress soon enough, which helped her to get her big break on the stage as a comic actress at the King's Theatre Company. She was only fifteen when she started acting. As an actress she became quite known for her comedic, witty characters like Florimel in Dryden's Secret Love, or the Maiden Queen. Her success was mostly to thank for John Dryden, who wrote characters especially for her. Still, it wasn't until Nell started as a mistress to King Charles II, that she really became known to the public. It was her wit, good temper and her beauty that made her popular with the King, as well as the public. In 1669 Nell's left the theatre for a while, since she fell pregnant to the King, giving birth to an son. Even though Nell Gwyn never acquired a title, unlike King's other long-term mistresses, she did manage to get one for her son, Earl of Burford. Nell did return to the stage in late 1670 to perform Dryden's The conquest of Granada, but this is said to might have been her last play.  Around this time Nell also had her second son, who died during studying in Paris at an early age. Nell stayed faithful to the King, even after he passed away in 1685. Because of the King's wish, all Nell's debts were payed off and she received a pension of 1500 pounds a year. She didn't live herself much longer, just two years after the King's death, Nell Gwyn died from apoplexy, probably from getting syphilis from the King. 


Restoration Acting
   Since re-opening the theatre's was a celebration of the end of Puritans, plays started to become more about amusement and enjoyment, bringing on more comedic plays. The acting was almost an opposite to acting today; nowadays actors try to convey the emotions of their characters in the most realistic way possible, but in restoration acting this would have been considered bad acting. During the restoration era, acting consisted of over the top gestures that each had a certain emotions attached to them. The most famous actors were always attached to a certain archetype e.g. a fool, a heroic or evil character, that they played in every play they were in, and the plays were written for them to portray this character they did the best. Charles II also encouraged to make the plays very sexually explicit, making women even more important to be allowed on stage, since they were the ones to bare their breasts and excite the male audience.

Sources

http://bcw-project.org/ http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/English_Restoration.html http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8704 http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/cmh/cmh505.html http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-english-restoration http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/restoration_drama_001.html http://www.cwu.edu/~robinsos/ppages/resources/Theatre_History/Theahis_10.html http://www.theatredatabase.com/17th_century/restoration_drama.html http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Nell-Gwyn-Gwynne/ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/250188/Nell-Gwyn http://restorationtheater.wordpress.com/ http://www.london.umb.edu/index.php/entry_detail/women_in_the_restoration_theatre/theatre_intro/ http://www.backstage.com/news/acting-in-restoration-comedy/ http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/ngwynne.html

20.01.2014

We started the lesson with an exercise, where we walked around the room in 3 different tempo's, one slow, one fast and the last one quite medium speed. After each tempo, we were then asked to think of an word to describe an character that would possibly move with this particular tempo. This was to start to understand the concept Tempo-Rhythm, that was the theme of today's class.

What is tempo - rhythm?
   Stanislavski used tempo-rhythm technique to show a person's, place's, or thing's natural speed and beat. It can also show the mood of an character or the scene. This can really help an actor to find and really internalize their characters inner essence, and be closer to becoming the character themselves. Tempo-rhythm is linked strongly with the characters personality, wants and emotions, affecting how these different sides of the character are shown, how they would most naturally react to different situations. In music the different tempo's are named:

• Grave (Very slow)
• Comodo (Bit faster)
• Animato (Medium)
• Vivace (Lively)
• Pretissimo (Very fast)

These can be used when thinking about the character and what their natural tempo-rhythm would be. 

Describe the difference between the 2 shoe shop scenes. 
How did the change in tempo-rhythm affect this?
   The group was divided into pairs, and within the pairs we had to label ourselves A and B. Each of these labels were given a specific tempo, slow or fast, and then the pair was supposed to act out an scene in a shoe shop, where the other one would be the customer and the other half of the pair the shopkeeper. It was important to apply this given tempo to the character. In my group, that happened to have three people in it instead of two, I started out as the customer with my tempo being fast. Instead of making my character be in a hurry, I made her be quite fidgety and maybe even too excited about being in a shoe shop. She couldn't really decide on the type of shoe she wanted and she asked way too many questions from the obviously bored vendors, that couldn't be more bothered to serve the customer. After a while, the tempos were switched, this time the customer having the slower tempo. This time, I took my time with one pair of shoes, trying them on and trying to decide whether or not I wanted to buy them. The character that I put on didn't really seem to be bothered to be in the shop, but still wanted to get her mission of getting new shoes just over with.
   The change in the tempo-rhythm really affected the mood of the scene, since I think the tempo of the scene changed as the characters' tempo changed. On the first time, i could imagine an empty store, with only few customers inside, since the vendors weren't in a hurry anywhere and took their time serving the customer. But during the second scene, the whole scene was busier, and it either felt like the shop keepers wanted to get home as soon as possible, or they simply had too much to do around the shop already without this slow customer intruding them.

What do you think is your character's natural Tempo-Rhythm?
    Nell is naturally very confident and used to taking care of herself. She might not always be in control of the situation, but she certainly possesses the stage and has an inherent presence anywhere she stands. So, her natural tempo must be faster than normal. I wouldn't say she would be quite prestissimo but definitely vivace. Why I think this is because I don't feel she is a nervous type or too fidgety. Still, she is quick witted which brings her that comedic essence, something she draws pride from. This comes to be a bit of a difficulty later on, since in the last scene she is suffering from the effects of syphilis, and so she doesn't have all the strength and excitement of youth any longer. Even though she is sick, I still need to be able to show that natural tempo that comes from her inside and mind, but her body just can't keep up with it. This will be a challenge to portray, but enough practice I hope I can manage to show the lively and confident woman that Nell used to be, from the eyes of a body that is slowly decaying. To do this, I really need to focus on getting that inner tempo of hers figured out, so that I still keep it during the last scene, but showing in a different way than trough Nell's body.
 

07.01.2014

Objectives
   Thinking about Nell's objectives throughout the two scenes I have been working on so far, I believe her set of mind and objectives change quite drastically. Of course something like is only natural, since there is years between these two scenes and Nell's life has changed.

In my first scene(p. 203-213) Nell is still quite young. She has made her way on the stage, being one of the regular actresses by now. She is not too famous yet, but one of her main passions, and so objectives, is to become more known as an actress. This can be seen in the way she insist from Otway to get some jokes to her role. Nell knows that humour is what she is good at, and something how she can succeed in her profession, but also protect her place as an actress in the company. I think almost all of the women in this play have a shared objective; to have a protected and good life. Since most of them were not born into the position of wealth, all of them are left to find out a way to get money for themselves, and since acting might not bring them the safety they need, the women are left to sell their company and their bodies to get what they need. Nell is at this point in her life as well, and that is why she insists on getting jokes. It is still quite obvious that her naivety prevents her from seeing all the dangers that her, and all the other actresses, way of living and choice of career might come up at some point. So, when in the scene Mrs. Farley is found out to be pregnant, I feel that Nell at first doesn't see it as a warning for herself, but rather  is scared for Mrs. Farley. The whole situation makes Nell very uncomfortable, since she isn't experienced in these sort of things, and her young age takes a part in it as well. So, when Doll tells about seeing someone rotting inside after having an abortion, I don't think Nell shouts out "Shut up, Doll!" thinking of Mrs. Farley, but rather trying to spare her own ears from those sort of things. She wants to deny the whole situation, not be a part of it. Still, when Mrs. Farley pleads for someone to hold her hand, Nell feels the need to be there to support a fellow woman, or rather a girl. When it is evident that Mrs. Farley cannot go trough with the abortion, all of the women turn against her, driving Mrs. Farley away from the theatre to deal with her problems by herself. As a last effort to help the poor woman, Nell offers to buy Mrs. Farley's petticoat. Nell pities the woman, trying to give her some kind of help, but still being careful with it; she doesn't want to put her own reputation on the line.

    In the second scene(228-231) years have passed, and Nell's days on the stage are far gone. She is now in her late thirties, a mother and a long time lover of the King's. Unfortunately, the King has died and Nell has been left to the world with syphilis, getting weaker everyday from it. The decease probably already spread to her brain, Nell finds herself wondering back to the playhouse to say her last goodbyes, or perhaps get a glimpse of what she used to have and where her success came from. She knows the tiring room doesn't belong to her any longer, which is why rather than demanding to get to see the room she asks for a favour.  Nell knows that she is too much in weak position to do anything else. Still, when she is allowed to hold the dress of Monimia, a character that she remembers Mrs. Marhsall making up years ago, she is overwhelmed with emotions. I am not clear yet, weather she is happy or sad, since it could strongly be both, but when Charles II is mentioned, Nell cannot hold back all these emotions that she is going trough at that moment, and finds herself restless. Since the disease has most likely already affected her mental state, she doesn't care about her reputation or seeming to be strong in front of Doll and Mrs. Barry. Yet, when Doll tells the story of her traumatic childhood, reflecting the bears as the actresses at the playhouse, Nell finds something within her, that gives her strength to just enjoy these last moment of her fleeing life.

The third scene(185-190), which is actually happening before the two of my other scenes, we haven't started working on properly yet, but going trough it, Nell's main objectives is to get into the playhouse. She has fooled the other actresses by telling them that she is to have a line, assigned by Mr. Betterton. Yet, her cover is blown first by Mrs. Farley and then by everyone when Nell goes on stage, not knowing what to do. Still, her determination to get to an actress enables her to think on her feet and save the moment by making up a dance on the spot, entertaining the audience and so earning her a place as an actress. When Nell comes of stage, the other actresses are at first against her, blaming her for ruining all of their reputations, but after telling everyone what she did, trying to convince them that she had a reason for it and that the dance was a success, Mrs. Betterton sees something in Nell and considers the playhouse's reputation saved. This scene is a lot about Nell trying to prove herself to the other actresses, especially to Mrs. Farley, since Nell goes to her to tell that she wasn't scared at all, even getting the King to cheer for her. She is soon shut down by Mrs. Farley, but I do not think that gets Nell to give up, but rather try and work even harder towards a better future.

Super Objective
Obviously this play is a feminist play, portraying the complicated lives of the women during the Restoration era. The play follows the progression of each of these women's careers, which is one of the super objectives. All of the characters want to get forwards in their lives, but their position in the society makes it hard for them to go anywhere. As women, they are seen as property of men, and are not worth much without a husband or a very powerful lover. Women's right is one of the other main themes, if not the biggest theme, in the play. Most of the characters in the play are women, and the men are either drunks, abusers, or weak and end up manipulated by the women. On the other hand, these women are powerless under the men, the actresses letting the men use them in hopes of gaining more power themselves. Only couple of the characters actually end benefiting from these affairs, mainly Nell and Mrs. Barry. Nell manages to get on the King's good side, giving her a good life, but with the price of always being dependent on the wealth and power of the King. Mrs. Barry, instead is able to built her own career earning her own money, with a little help of Rochester. She is the image of the modern woman, showing the true feminist meaning of the play.

06.01.2014

Why is it important that an actor works with:

• Energy is a very important  aspect of acting, since it the core of every action and line you deliver, keeping the attention of the audience in you and what going on the stage. It also helps you with your character development and how you present them, for example, if your character is more laid-back, you need to bring your energy up, and if your character is more aggressive, keeping your energy emphasis lower gives the needed contrast to not overwhelm the audience and keeping the balance of the play in place.
     Energy can also be used to emphasis certain parts of the play. Especially when putting on a comedy, with lots of gags and jokes to perform, it is important to know how to use your energy in different levels to build up to the main joke. Rather than keeping the energy level the same gag after another, you can use energy to your advantage to create varying kind of jokes.
• Focus   is used plenty in rehearsals, but is also a crucial element during performances. It is part of making the perfect working environment, a place where there are no giggles and chats during working hours. By focusing on what your are supposed to do, the work is done much more efficiently and the work done is better quality. It helps us stay in character on and off the stage. Focus is also necessary part of performing, when you are on or off stage, you MUST know your cues perfectly, and be focused at all times, to know what to do if and when someone(or you yourself) messes up.
     This seems to be a very difficult part to comprehend for our group, and it has been a clear problem since the beginning. It is very hard to go and tell others to stop chatting or giggling besides you, and easily breaks your own focus as well. To fix this, I feel that everyone needs to make a true commitment to this course. What I can do, is try to ignore others losing focus during class, and not drag myself into the dreadful cycle of giggling. 
• Complicity is all about being aware of the things you and the people around you are doing and acknowledging their actions. Complicity is heavily linked with focus, since focus is needed to create a good relationship within the group, the ensemble. It the kind of energy that the whole group shares, and is able to feel and use as an advantage, for example to predict each others actions, or use it to do something in unison. 
• Trust has a lot to do with being able to truly let out your inner demons lose, and have some kind of bond with the other actors to be able to give your all during rehearsals and performances. It is not only trusting the others to catch you when you fall, but also trusting yourself enough to be able to embarrass yourself in front of everyone. You must trust yourself to be able to take on the responsibility of helping your peers when they might mess up or fall. 

Initial response to the scene

The scene we started to work on, is the scene right at the end(p. 227-230). It is set two years later than the scene before it, focusing in the tiring room, starting with only Doll, Mrs. Barry and Rochester in the room. Mrs. Barry has become quite wealthy and famous actress and is actually counting her money in front of the dying Rochester. Apparently, Rochester has drunk his liver away, and is now suffering the cold consequence of dying because of his greatest pleasure. He manages to confess his love towards Mrs. Barry for the last time, also revealing his thoughts about Mrs. Barry's coldness towards him, and how he think that all Mrs. Barry ever wanted was money. She doesn't deny this, but actually confirms after Rochester dies, that she feels nothing of his death. After this, a woman has come their door, seeming to be begging for something, It turns out, that it is actually Nell who is withered to be just a shadow of what she used to be, because of syphilis. The king has died and Nell has been left to die apparently alone. It seems, that she has come back to the playhouse to remember back on the times she still was working there. The scene ends with Doll telling a terrible story about the bear pit the playhouse used to be, comparing the actresses at the playhouse to the bears.