18/1/16 Technical Rehearsal

Our technical rehearsal really allowed us to observe the work that we need to do - but it also allowed us to see what's going right and how we should continue that success. For me, the most useful thing about the technical rehearsal is working in the performance space with all the props and set - it's hard to visualise what the stage is supposed to look like without having a chance to rehearse with everything.

It was very useful to understand how loud we have to be when we speak our lines - projection is key otherwise you definitely wouldn't be heard. This was also evident when I was sitting in the audience and could barely hear some of the scenes - it's a major barrier that everyone needs to work hard at overcoming in order for the show to run more smoothly. The play will definitely lose it's desired affect if it cannot be heard clearly.

I feel we have all definitely improved, as a group, on our prop work. The majority of the cast are remembering the correct props to bring on at the correct time and taking them off efficiently. This really allows us to develop the scenes further as we don't have to worry about focusing too much on the props - it's also a major help to have TTA backstage with us.

It's going to be interesting to see how Lay Me Low pans out in all of the performances as it has been relatively different in each rehearsal with different timings. It went okay in the technical, we just really need to focus on the singing and making sure we're loud enough and singing with enough clarity - otherwise the sentimentality of the scene will definitely not work.

'That?'

As the opening scene with me and Will is quite complicated, to help me remember which order the different marks come in I (badly) drew this diagram to help me remember. Though I don't necessarily use it to remember during the scene, by creating it it definitely solidified and consolidated my knowledge and made me feel confident that I knew what I was doing.

This was after we had mapped out all of the marks whereabouts on the table so I was not only say it with the lines but also visualise the actual places where the marks were going to be.

By mapping out where the marks are on the table I was able to create a routine of movements with Will, eg - going to the front for 'is that the big one', this allowed the scene to develop more smoothly as we both knew what we were doing and where we were going to go next.

This is the song I modelled Su-Lin's Canto-pop song off of, though it's a Japanese pop song rather than Cantonese one, I think it still works. This was recommended to me by Olivia and it had a simple melody I could follow and an extremely wacky video that I thought Su-Lin would enjoy.

By having a song to model and follow my one off, it means I'm able to go back to it whenever I feel the song isn't sticking and go over it again.

Exploring different genres

By looking at the scenes in the play with a different set of "genre glasses" eg: playing it as a soap opera or crime drama, really force you as an actor to investigate what you understand about the scene and make sure you know what you're doing and what you're supposed to say. The aim is to know the scene and your character well enough to be able to play them in whatever context possible.

We played part 2, scene 4 as an American comedy/sitcom - think Friends, Modern Family or The US Office. The most challenging thing about this was the fact that I am absolutely awful when it comes to accents - though American possibly being the easiest for me. This meant that I put a lot of focus onto the accent and really playing the style rather than thinking about my character - if I'm honest, I think I played Su-Lin a little older than her 9 years at some points. It was hard to keep inside the theme and keep the character going, but I think we were relatively successful despite there being a few moments of laughter. A particular success for myself was that I didn't get any lines wrong or incorrect - meaning I knew the scene well enough to keep my role running smoothly.

It was a really entertaining way to assess the work that people need to put into the scenes and the characters to ensure that they run smoothly and effectively.

Scene	Entrance	Prop	Summary	Exit
Preset	Upstage right.	No.	Walk around the table.	Remain on stage.
Part 1. Scene 1.	Upstage right.	No.	Gideon and Su-Lin discuss the table’s marks.	Upstage right.
Part 1. Scene 3.	Upstage right.	Headphones. Veil. Car keys.	Sit on table. Michelle and Su-Lin discuss Gideon.	Upstage right.
Part 1. Scene 4.	Downstage left.	No.	Run on, call for Michelle and run across the stage towards her.	Upstage right.
Part 2. Scene 4.	Upstage right.	2013 crockery; cups, bowls and plates.	Anthony and Gideon enter, Gideon and Su-Lin talk about Sarah and what foods Gideon likes.	Downstage right.
Part 3. Scene 1.	Downstage right.	2013 crockery; cups bowls and plates.	Su-Lin asks Gideon to break off a rib for her, they discuss Gideon’s travels and Jack Holman.	Downstage left.
Part 3. Scene 10.	Upstage right.	No.	Gideon and Su-Lin discuss the table’s marks. Su-Lin asks about Jack. End with singing the song.	Remain on table.

This allows me to know where I'm coming on from, what prop I need, what I do and where I go off. It's a cheat sheet to ensure that my rehearsals run smoothly - though I may not necessarily use it, it's always very useful to have it as back up just in case I forget what props I need to bring on or where I enter or exit from.

EDIT:
As we have now figured out the ending of the show, I no longer simply remain on the table at the very end. I run off stage UPSTAGE RIGHT without any props. 

Relationships

Dry Tech Rehearsal

Our dry tech rehearsal allowed us to really observe what it is we need to improve on. I've learnt all of my lines so it's easier now I don't have to focus on carrying my script on stage however, it's obvious that we all need to do more work.

One of the major aspects we need to improve on is our props work. The play features many props that are specific to a certain timeframe and so it would be extremely historically inaccurate to get them mixed up. This means that everyone who has to bring a prop on needs to know which prop it is, when it's coming on and when it's coming off - this has proved quite a difficulty. I'm lucky as I have few props to bring on - multiple bowls and some headphones - but the entire scene wouldn't work if they're not in the right place. This means I need to work hard to ensure that all the props I carry on - especially the bowls and cutlery - are in the correct places to carry on, are set in the correct places when on stage and are carried off at the right time. It was evident this was a struggle for some as many of the props were left on stage as the scenes were finished - notably the saws from the 1960's scenes. This highlighted a major issue we all need to work harder at in order for the entire piece to be successful.

I feel we were all, on a whole, pretty successful when it came to our cues and being on stage at the right time. There were no major mishaps with someone not being on the stage when they were supposed - this was one of the more positive aspects to come out of the rehearsal. However, the speech and dialogue felt quite stifled. Due to us being in a new space for the first time, I feel people resorted back to being nervous in their lines - speaking them how they did when they first got the script - I know I was particularly nervous. We also need to raise our voices a little louder, there were moments when I was sitting in the wings in which I was unable to hear some scenes. As Su-Lin is young and quite loud, I tried to have my voice at the correct level that would be believable but also hearable by the audience - this is also hindered by the fact a lot of the action takes place around the table and so the dialogue can accidentally fall to quite quiet as we go into 'TV acting' rather than stage. The means we all need to work harder on projecting our voice to make sure we're all heard clearly as well as opening all the action up a little more.

Furthermore on that point, as a lot of the action takes place around the table, it was highlighted by this rehearsal that everyone is sort of sucked into it. We all need to open the performance up and use all the space we have rather than just sticking to the table and it's perimeter. This is a lot harder, granted, in scene's which actually take place sat at the table - the 2013 lunch, the commune and the convent - however, there are still ways we could develop it into being more open. This is one of my biggest issues I need to work on as I sometimes catch myself acting too small - for those around the table - rather than opening it up for those who would be sitting in the audience.

All in all, the rehearsal was extremely useful. It definitely highlighted the areas we need to work on most - it also gave us a very good idea on the flow of the piece and how much more effort we need to put in at picking the energy up and making sure it doesn't fall flat. However, given the amount of time we have left, I am confident we're in a good place for our opening in January.