Monday 15th October
Season Rehearsals:
Today in season rehearsals, we continued to work on “Rules, Regulations and Respect”, we added to the routine and only have 3 bars of 4 left to add movement to. We added from “No smoking in the halls”, and reached to the final “Rules, Regulations and Respect”. We also began to clean this routine and worked on going over the certain routines that we had not worked on in a while.
Initial thoughts:
- Everybody remembered what we had done in rehearsals on Friday very well, the different sections began to link very fluidly.
- I think that everybody knew their harmony lines, which meant that we could focus on the movement and what line it was being put to.
- There are individual things that we need to work on, ensuring all directions and timing within the choreography are the same for everybody, improving how neat it is.
Breaking this down:
Good
It is very positive that everybody knew what we had done on Friday very well, implying that work had been put into recapping this over the weekend. This also meant that our entrances and exits were smoother, helping the routine to flow. We can now see how it all fits together and correlates to the music. Additionally, as we were all aware of what we are singing and what our individual harmony lines were, we could focus on the choreography for that rehearsal, with our harmonies in mind. As well as this, when we were asked to sing full out we could (with are harmonies as best as they could be).
Bad
Sometimes, there was confusion with directions of certain movements and what timings are for specific sections. However, as I watch myself back I can reflect on what I may have done differently to everybody else. E.g. I noticed that on the line “Rules, Regulations and Respect”, I had a different arm in front of another.
Evaluative Analysis:
We have just begun our 5th week of rehearsals and are working very well. The rehearsal today particularly reflects that we are always adding to things and working on new aspects of a routine or song. We added approximately 1 minute and 10 seconds of choreography to this number. We work as a whole group for these sections, meaning that it was also our job to figure out spacings and ways to format the routines when given new choreography. I believe that we managed to get through this much as we did a large company warmup and were in the mindset to dance as well as personally, having the determination to finish this routine. Also, we continued to record different stages of the rehearsal, so that when we have a spare moment we can look back at these, reflect on progress and fix anything that we may have done differently to others. I personally, have a different section to others as I run and do a half figure of 8 around the other group, within the part of all students listing what cannot be done at Enrico Fermi High. This means that I reach my space slightly later. However, I pick up from “Rules, Regulations And Respect”, for the first time sung in the group triangle. If we continue to work this hard and watch back any videos we will be on track and can fix anything in these early stages.
Action Plan:
- To go home and re watch the videos to look out for anything minor which can be fixed within the performance of choreography. ‘
- To recap harmonies for the next song in the score which may be staged next so that I am 100% confident.
Tuesday 16th October
Season Rehearsals:
Today in season Rehearsals we worked with Claire until 4 on the song “Then came Jonny” . Following this, until 5 we worked with Han and our dance captains to clean “Rules, Regulations and Respect” until the rehearsal had finished.
Initial thoughts:
- There was a high concentration throughout the rehearsal room meaning that we worked through a lot of the song, with only the final page to finish.
- We cleaned the dance to a good extent and worked through it stage by stage, meaning we had fixed as many problems as possible each time.
- From the cleaning session we can understand what we need to work on to improve the routine as much as possible.
- I was happy that I picked up my harmony line particularly quickly.
Breaking this down:
Good
It was very positive that we worked through a large amount of the song and learnt and recorded our harmonies to a good standard. Additionally, having the final time in the rehearsal to clean the dance we had just finished meant that we could edit parts that need changing and improve different sections. We also know what we need to do further in our own time for the best outcome.
Bad
After cleaning, there were still moments where general mistakes were being made by most of the company. However, this can easily be fixed as we go home and look back at the days recording and reflect on this.
Evaluative Analysis:
We have finished our first rehearsal of the week and have finished our first cleaning session of the song. I believe that this was helpful as we can work together as a group and fix the individual problems which may occur at home in our own time. Additionally, this rehearsal was also a singing and dance based rehearsal as we worked with Claire for the first hour and Han for the second. I personally think that this shows the best outcome of a rehearsal as we get the opportunity to work through song and dance and put the two together (at times). Finally, I think that I picked up the harmonies well and could perform this alongside the others. I also recorded my harmony lines, which I do every rehearsal, so that if I ever get lost or forget my starting note I can look back at my recordings for the day. I believe that as a company we are at a good stage as many are aware of what they individually need to work on. This sets us in a good place to work to a goal and work through at a reasonable pace.
Action plan:
- To look at the end of the song we had nearly finished so that I can have an idea of what my part for the ending will be.
- To watch back today’s rehearsal after cleaning and look at what may still need working on.
Wednesday 17th October
Today in season Rehearsals we worked with Han from 3:00pm-4:15pm on the transition between “Enrico Fermi High and “Ain’t no going back”. We also worked on the ensemble sections of “Ain’t no going back” and the duet and movement throughout the song with Jonny and Toffee.
Initial thoughts:
- Throughout the room, there was a high level of concentration, impacting on how much we managed to work through.
- I feel happy that we worked through this and are ready to begin the girls number which appears next (Jonny don’t go to the Nuclear plant).
- Singing through the songs we had the least confidence on to end the rehearsal was a good opportunity to fix anything.
Breaking this down:
Good
It was good that we all concentrated well and everyone was focused and their was little chatting within the group. This meant that we worked through a great deal of the piece. I feel positive that we are ready to work on “Jonny don’t go to the nuclear plant”. This means that we have progressed a lot today. We were given the opportunity to work as a company for 15 minutes and fix any songs and go over any that we felt needed any work.
Bad
I feel that we could of worked on cleaning in our opportunity to go over anything we were unsure on as we would of had our dance captains with us. As we record harmonies we could of done this at home.
Evaluative Analysis:
I believe that the rehearsal today was particularly effective due to how much we worked through. We staged the floor section which are brought in by the sirens which appear at the end of “Enrico Fermi High”. Following this, we began to work on the next number and develop both ensemble and principal parts meaning we got a great deal done. I believe we had high focus due to wanting to work through everything at a fast and effective pace. Additionally, it shows positivity that we are ready to move on to the next number “Jonny don’t go to the nuclear plant”. Finally, we now know that when given spare time cleaning the routine is a priority . We are aware of this for next time.
Action plan:
- Recap harmonies for “Jonny don’t go to the nuclear plant”
Thursday 18th October
Season Rehearsals:
Today in season Rehearsals we had a singing lesson for the two hours. We worked with Brigita as Claire could not be in today. We worked on the songs “Zombie Prom” and “Isn’t it”.
Initial thoughts:
- I feel happy that we worked through the tasks of the two songs in our time and recorded most aspects along the way.
- I think that most people concentrated well and were on top of different points to begin recording.
- I had to switch between alto and tenor. However, this was simple as the section of the alto part was more in my range.
Good
I think that it was good that we all carried on recording throughout the two hours, on top of what was happening and catching our parts at all times. I also think that it shows great work ethic that we managed to do every part for the both songs.
Bad
If there was anything I could have improved on throughout the rehearsal it was that at one point I switch to alto, sometimes it was easy to continue on the tenor part. To change this, it is important I listen to all the recordings to improve my confidence on this specific part.
Evaluative Analysis:
I think that it was very good that we had a whole rehearsal dedicated to singing. I think that this immediately increased how many songs we had worked through. The two songs were very big songs, with many components to get through. However, now we have worked through these and have very few ensemble songs left to learn. I believe that we are definitely on track and working with great determination and concentration in each rehearsal. This means that we can begin to stage more with our dance captains inside and outside of scheduled rehearsal time. As soon as we get all numbers done, we are in a place to add dialogue with all the principles to the score. After this, we can work on any scenes and begin to put the show together. I believe that the more we practise outside the rehearsal, on harmonies and doing both song and dance for the full numbers- the more confident we will be straight away in rehearsal time. This means that we will not have to mark any numbers and can try and go full out first time. I think that if we all continue with this mindset we will continue to be on track.
Action plan:
- To go over everything we have done so far and try and arrange extra rehearsals in a lunch or break time.
Friday 19th October
Season Rehearsals
Today in season Rehearsals, the whole company worked with Rob to begin to run as much as we have put together so far. Therefore, we ran from the opening number “Enrico Fermi High” to “Blast from the Past”. We managed to work through all of this twice.
Initial thoughts:
- I felt happy that as a group we worked together to complete the two runs in the best way.
- I felt happy that everybody remembered an order and what needed to come next.
- I feel that this run will show us what we needs working on in this specific section.
Breaking this down:
Good
The first run usually lets you know what went wrong and what needs fixing within this section. I believe that everybody remembered the order and their placements on stage for everything. I also think that it is very good that we can watch this back and see what individually needs work.
Bad
I think that the cleaning of the dances need the most work. Watching ourselves back gives us an idea of individual moments which need developing and fixing, for everyone. I believe that we need more scheduled rehearsals with our dance captains to have the routines as generally clean and perfect as possible.
Evaluative Analysis:
We have just finished our first half-term of rehearsals and have just completed a run of everything we have managed to stage so far. I think that this is a very good stage to be at as we are beginning to form everything we have managed to both work on and stage so far. I feel that we worked particularly well as a team to perform our first run, holding concentration and being on top of what we were doing at all times. This meant that we knew what was coming next, entrances, exits and choreography. Next, I believe that we remembered what we were doing due to looking back at recordings from each rehearsal. This means that everyday we reflect on what we have done in the rehearsal, work on improving anything for the next run, and have now remembered this to a good extent. Finally, I think ending the half-term with a run was very positive as it shows us our whole progress so far and lets us know what needs to be work on. I believe that the next stage is to finish the rest of the numbers and stage anything in between. Han has scheduled a half-term rehearsal on Friday, this means we can fit in anything before returning back on Monday.
Action Plan:
- To recap everything we have worked on so far.
- Watch back our final run of the section.
- To recap my harmonies for every song, so that I am fully prepared for what may be staged next.
Monday 15th October
Technique Class
Today we had the class Theatre History and Script work with Rachel and Poppy. We continued to progress with our scripts which featured around medieval theatre. We performed our performances in our groups which all linked together as a class. I played the role of Angel 2 in a scene of 3 angels and Jesus. The scene showed the evolution of the earth.
Initial thoughts:
- I felt that our group performed well and particularly memorised their lines in the best way so it flowed well.
- We worked on our characterisation as a group so everybody’s characteristics were very distinct.
- If we were to do this again, I think we needed to work on the ideas of levels and dynamics a tiny bit more.
Breaking this down:
Good
I believe that we worked very well as a group, developing our characters well as we had a high friendship level throughout the group. This meant that ideas were said confidently. Additionally, we all learnt our lines for the piece. This meant that we were all at the same level and didn’t have to rely on paper- we could focus on our characters and proxemics throughout the piece.
Bad
I think that our performance was at a high level, we had all learnt our lines, discussed and worked on proxemics as well as individual characterisation. This meant that we had a clear storyline and aim for the piece. We can also see what we need to work on. However, if I was to do this performance again, I would improve our use of levels to add visual interest and dynamics to show status.
Evaluative Analysis:
We had began to work on this piece last Monday- working through the lines and staging the piece whilst discussing what we want as an outcome. We worked through our individual characters and worked through the piece. This meant that it was our job for the following week to learn our lines and think more into our individual characters and how we might want to play this. As we all learnt our lines well, we were all at the same level and could perform with confidence and an understanding of what we were doing. The piece that we had worked on flowed well and also interlinked with the others well. However, our interpretation was slightly different to others meaning that there was differentiation throughout the class performance. This added interest and helped the story to progress. It was also nice to see how the other groups took on the piece and how the different scenes fitted together to tell this particular story.
Action plan:
- To focus on different aspects of the performance if it was to be done again, but specifically to develop levels and voice as well as dynamics within this.
- To watch the performance back and evaluate on our choices as well as connect our feedback from this.
The group performance:
https://www.facebook.com/george.cutler.526/videos/510825229383202/
Our feedback from this:
Emily Gordon Year 1 
These blogs are great and I hope you are finding them useful as part of the process!
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