Monday 26th November
Zombie Prom Tech Rehearsal
First of all we began our show week by having photos taken by Tony Kelly of moments in our show. We are based in the theatre all week and this was from 10am-12pm. Following on from this, we began our tech run. This run was full of stopping and starting as we were setting every element of tech for the whole show. In today’s session we had made it to the end of Rules, Regulations and Respect as many of the MT students had an opening evening this day.
Initial thoughts:
- I am very excited to see the photos that were taken as we worked very well and remained concentrated and focus to hopefully receive a wonderful outcome.
- I am pleased that everybody has adapted to the space and is ready to finish the final elements of the tech run tomorrow. This means that we are soon going to be ready to move on to the dress rehearsal in full with the band.
- I think that we worked well and had a high level of focus, remaining quiet so that the tech team could sort out the mics, lighting and sound.
Breaking this down:
Good
I feel very positive that we had a whole day scheduled to fitting in how the performance will work in the performance environment with all of the additional tech features. I also feel that working through this slowly helped to give us all a better idea of our entrances, exits and placements with the lighting and sound queues. Next, this helped many people to understand where they need to be at all times in preparation for their next number and scene. I am also happy that we are all working in a very good mindset and will have the show as our number one priority through this whole week.
Bad
We are working well and effectively. All cast members are on top of what they need to be doing at all times. We are working on track and on time with our official dress run tomorrow evening. If we continue to work at this pace, we should have finished the tech elements of act 1 very early on tomorrow. This puts us in the place to complete act 2 and then begin the dress run by 7:30pm tomorrow night.
Evaluative Analysis:
We have officially finished our first day of show week! Today allowed us to work on many different features of the production. Starting the day with photos, and running these on time, mean that we could move on swiftly to being able to make a start on the tech run. Additionally, completing these photos first and being focused throughout means that we should have some wonderful shots of the production which will be put up on the morning of opening night. Everybody entered the theatre this morning in a very focused mood, but also with a wonderful amount of energy which will be needed for the rest of the week. After lunch, we returned to the theatre and made a start on the tech run straight away. This was full of pauses so that Rob, Han, Tim and the rest of production arts team could ensure that everything was being logged correctly and is in the correct place. I am glad that we worked at this pace as we could double check spacing as well as have a high understanding of how the show will run alongside every tech element which is being added. Completing 3/4 of act 1 in today’s session, means that we are set to complete the final section of this, followed by all of act 2 tomorrow. If we stay focused and on track, this should run swiftly in preparation for our dress rehearsal with the band tomorrow. We finished at approximately 4:15 today. this was due to having an open evening this night. Finishing early gave me time to prepare for the flash mob, Amado and Ballet Barre. I am confident that everybody is aware of where they need to be at all times on stage and how the show will run with all of the tech elements. Working at this rate, sets us in a good position to execute the dress run successfully tomorrow. I have high hopes that this will go well, due to it being our only dress run with the band before opening night.
Action plan
Han’s feedback from today:
- Before the section of “Rebel without an H”, react harshly to what Miss Strict says about Jonny.
- We need to remember that until the end of “It’s Alive”, we are supporting Jonny and on his side.
- Ensure that when we are on the chairs in “That’s the beat for me” we are grabbing each others waists when we are pulling one another in.
- The girls need to show more sadness and anger when Miss Strict cancels the Pep Squad before the dance break in “Then Came Jonny”.
- To fix the bopping times in “How can I say Goodbye?”
Tuesday 27th November
Zombie Prom Tech and Dress Rehearsal
Today we began the day by finishing the tech run which we started yesterday. We began by running from the end of “Rules, regulations and Respect” till the very end of the second act. This took us till approximately 4pm. Once this was finished, we all got ready in the late afternoon to complete a dress run in the evening in full with our band. This ran from about 7:45-9:15pm. We completed this full out and performed as if it was a show with a whole audience present.
Initial thoughts:
- I was happy that we finished the tech run in good time and concentrated well to have a great amount of time to prepare and pre-set for the run of the show in full.
- I think that performing with the band majorly raised the energy and gave us the boost that we had been after. Everybody was very focused and ready to perform their best.
- I was pleased that there was no stops and this run was very successful and fluid.
Breaking this down:
Good
I am happy that we were working in very good timed conditions today. We finished the tech run in very good time. We worked well and continued to remain focused as well as being very prepared for our dress run this evening. I was very happy that we adapted to working with the band very well and remembered anything that was changed in our full tech run. Additionally, I think that our dress run this evening was the best run of the show we had done. Everybody was focused and full of energy which was shown on stage.
Bad
I do not think that there were any negative elements to today’s rehearsals. Everybody is working incredibly well as a team and helping one another out if anyone is stuck or worried. Today has also made more aware of my mic changes and how these will fit in with my two quick changes. It has made it clear to me that if we do anything differently to tonight then myself and the other secretaries and Motorwise guys may miss our queues to enter the stage.
Evaluative Analysis:
I am happy and full of confidence that after today that we are fully prepared and in a very good position for opening night tomorrow. Additionally, we also have a final dress run tomorrow, without the band, to fix any minor issues. Finishing the tech run, meant that we knew every entrance/exit and had a very good idea of any changes that the production arts team changed. This was our first official dress run, with costume and tech in full swing. This rehearsal was very helpful and useful to every cast member. Personally, getting through this showed me where I need to be at all times. This was specifically made clear when it came to any mic and quick changes. I had two of these myself. Therefore, this dress run made it clear how much time we have to do everything and fit it in with the numbers. I think that as a cast we are working well a team, helping each other out at all times. There were many points when cast members who were not needed, were helping myself and the other secretaries and Motorwise Guys with our quick changes. This was very helpful as we were saving time and were full of confidence that we would be on time for our queues. Following on from this, I think this dress run worked very well and everybody implied any feedback from the tech run. However, due to it being our first official dress run it was obvious that minor things may be different. But, we all worked well and were not thrown by having a full band on the stage as we were all fully concentrating and in the moment. We finished in very good time and did not have any reason to stop this run. Finally, we will receive feedback from Han tomorrow morning, so that we can apply these corrections for our final dress run tomorrow before the show.
Action plan
Han’s feedback from today:
- Watch the spacings in things that we changed in our tech run.
- To work on our facial expressions in “Jonny Don’t Go” as well as body language.
- Secretaries need to watch the way we are receiving the notebook.
- We need to make noise when Rosie cancels the Pep Squad leading into our dance break.
- Ensemble ned to show more shock when Miss Strict reveals she has a child.
Wednesday 28th November
Final Dress Run and Opening Night
Today, we began at in the theatre at 9am and fixed anything that may have not gone well in the dress run yesterday. This took us to approximately 12pm. After lunch, we returned ready to complete a final dress run with only Claire accompanying to ensure that we were fully prepared. From four O’clock onwards we left for dinner and returned to get ready for our opening night of the show.
Initial thoughts:
- I think that having this day to perfect anything which may have gone wrong for us in the official dress run was useful.
- I was happy that we had a final dress run after Tuesday night to correct anything and reinforce any feedback given into this run.
- I think that as a cast we let the energy drop slightly today. This was due to having the full band previously and only running with Claire today. However, it was our job to fix any problems which had previously occurred.
Breaking this down:
Good
I feel very happy that we have the final dress run today so imply feedback from our first official dress run last night. This was helpful as we had today to show this and see if it was successful before we open tonight. Also, I think that we adapted well to only having Claire play for us during the final dress run during the day.
I was very pleased with how the show ran this evening! Everybody showed that they were on top of what they were doing at all times. As well as this, we had a nervous energy which carried throughout the show and added an element of excitement. We all implied any tech changes and worked as a team on any mic, costume and set changes throughout the show.
Bad
I think that most aspects of tonight’s show were showing to be very positive. We are all aware of what may have not been perfect and any individual problems that may have occurred for us to fix in tomorrows show. However, I think that we were all happy with the energy levels throughout the show and how we carried ourselves throughout the evening.
Evaluative Analysis:
I was very pleased with how today ran and how the process of our opening night went. I think that we are all implying the feedback from Han very effectively and working/performing very well as a company. I feel that the show has run very smoothly from the very start to the end and we are all remaining very focused and carrying a very positive mindset. Similarly, I think that as we have just performed our first show which carried very good energy, it is crucial that we do not get too relaxed and let this drop. I am aware that there is always something to improve on and I am happy that these next shows will carry increasing energy and positivity throughout them. In our final dress run today, we experienced some technical problems, this meant that Claire’s piano had transposed itself into another key and there came a point where we had to take a brief stop. This was very minor and we all held our final position until the problem was fixed and we could carry on performing. This did not effect the rest of the performance and I think that we dealt with this problem effectively and didn’t allow this to effect our performance this evening or worry us. We were all very professional and aware that things like this can happen, we all acted calmly and carried on well. Han was very pleased with our first performance to a full audience and hopes that it will only get better. We have a full audience for every night, therefore, it is important that we let nothing drop and we are always in top of our game.
Action plan
Han’s feedback from the dress run:
- When the “angry dance break” happens in “Then Came Jonny”, make sure it is clear that we are mad at what Miss Strict has said.
- Do not let the energy drop at any points throughout the show.
- When doing a dance break or section of heavy dance, try and keep your head up so that the audience can see your emotion.
Han’s feedback from our opening night:
- At any point if you are ever the last person which exits the stage, always be considerate and close the curtain.
- Ensure that we are professional when the show is over by getting to our dressing rooms quickly.
- Make sure that we are giving the audience time so react. Therefore, we need to delay any limes or actions if they respond.
Thursday 29th November
Show Night 2
We returned back into normal timetabled lessons for today. However, my first session of the day (which would normally be Amado) was unfortunately cancelled. This meant that I had a directed study session. Following on from this, my only other scheduled lesson for the day was also cancelled. Due to not having a voice ensemble class, I used this time to catch up on any work and to prepare effectively for the evening show.
The show this evening ran very smoothly from beginning to end and I am confident that everybody performed with energy at all times. We tried to add any changes that were made and enforce anything that was given in notes to improve the minor changes.
We all met in the theatre at our call time to receive notes from Thursday’s nights show so that we could apply these to tonight’s performance.
Initial thoughts:
- I am happy that we were all providing a show full of high energy and were on top of what we were meant to be doing from the very beginning to end.
- We were confident with everything and never had any points where anybody was stuck.
- We are working well as a whole company and helping one another out.
- When we receive feedback from Han, we are continuing to take this in note form and write this down so that we have the chance to act upon this.
Breaking this down:
Good
I feel that we performed well and kept up the standard which we had last night. We continued to work well together and keep the positive working environment throughout the show.
Bad
Due to executing such a brilliant show last night, I think that a couple of us may have felt the pressure tonight and made very minor and unnoticeable mistakes. However, I am full of confidence that these will not happen again.
Han’s feedback from tonight’s performance:
- At the end of “As Good As it Gets”, we need to make sure that we are leaving the stage as soon as there is a blackout and not wait for the lights to come back up.
- During the “Angry Dance” when Miss Strict cancels the Pep Squad in “Then Came Jonny” we need to look up and hold a face of anger so that the audience can see how this makes us feel instead of looking down.
- The ensemble need to wait until Eddie has finished his line completely before reacting. This happens on “I remember it like it was yesterday”.
Evaluative Analysis:
I think that today’s show went well and we all remained on top of everything throughout the duration of the performance. In comparison to last nights show I think that we remained with the same high standard of work. The performance was fluid and very tight. Personally, I am aware that there is always something to work on. For the next performance, the two key moments I would like to work on are the entrance of “Jonny Don’t go” and sitting down all together in “That’s the beat for me”. These are two moments which are normally correct but I made mistakes on last night.
I think that we can all imply Han’s feedback from tonight very accurately in tomorrows show. We are all aware of how to apply these and how they will improve the look of the performance.
- At the end of “As Good As it Gets”, we need to make sure that we are leaving the stage as soon as there is a blackout and not wait for the lights to come back up.
It is very important for us to leave in the blackout, I think that this may have initially gone wrong due to us thinking that we initially staged on stage, hence why we didn’t leave until the lights came back up. This is a very easy problem to fix, remaining focused and understanding where we are at all times will help us to do this. This number goes straight into “The C word”. So, we need to remember to exit to prepare for “Rules, Regulations and Respect”.
- During the “Angry Dance” when Miss Strict cancels the Pep Squad in “Then Came Jonny” we need to look up and hold a face of anger so that the audience can see how this makes us feel instead of looking down.
This moment in the performance is a moment of frustration as Miss Strict has just banished the Pep Squad. It is very important that we relate this to our character and how they would feel throughout. We need to lift our heads and portray the anger and frustration of all of the girls. However, this is a very large dance with a lot of people in it, so we ned to ensure that we are in the right space so that we are not worried about tripping.
- The ensemble need to wait until Eddie has finished his line completely before reacting. This happens on “I remember it like it was yesterday”.
It is very important that we allow Eddie to get his line out as it is a crucial revelation in the performance. We learn about Miss Strict and Eddie’s old love life. If we interrupt by acting shocked to early, it may mean that the audience miss the end of his line.
Friday 30th November
Today I have a very WordPress allocated day. Due to not having seasons, I had directed study, independent study and WordPress. Therefore. I used this time yet again to prepare for tonight’s show and complete any written work.
We all met in the theatre at our call time to receive notes from Thursday’s nights show so that we could apply these to tonight’s performance.
Show night 3
I think that the show went very well on the whole today. We all performed well with such high levels of energy throughout. We are remaining focused throughout the process, improving how the show runs.
The only problem that I faced in tonight’s show was slipping on a newspaper which is used for “Jonny Don’t Go”. It is very important that these are put into the wings properly so that people do not slip when they run on stage for the second time. However, I do not think that this was noticeable as I was mostly in the wing for this. To avoid this happening anymore, we need to take care when putting these into the wings.
Han’s feedback from tonight’s show:
- To ensure that the secretaries notebooks are given the right way around so that when they are lifted up the pattern is correct.
- To be confident when singing the first “Then Came Jonny” at the very end of the song as the actors on stage exit.
Evaluative Analysis:
- To ensure that the secretaries notebooks are given the right way around so that when they are lifted up the pattern is correct.
I think that this problem can be very easily fixed. Before the show and when we are at the stage of preparation we have the chance to set any props. George and Josh T usually set these. However, the secretaries can also check these before the show. This will mean that if anyone has misplaced this we have time to collect it and if for any reason they are in a different order we can also fix this by making sure they are in the right order in the right place. We can do this from now on to ensure that this is happening throughout.
- To be confident when singing the first “Then Came Jonny” at the very end of the song as the actors on stage exit.
At this stage of the show, I am not on stage as I am getting changed and preparing for the numbers where I perform as a Motorwise Guy. To help out those on stage, I could sing this final section the wing and stand there as I do my hair and mic change if I have time. However, with how much we gave to do I’m not sure that this will work. But, to boost the sound and confidence on these lines this may be an idea.
I think that we are all working very well and have become a lot closer as a cast throughout the process. We have all put in 100% effort and are acting very supportive throughout, maintaining the high standard from the very beginning to end.
Saturday 1st December
Show 4
Personally, I think that this show was the best show so far! Everybody performed with 100% energy and could not be more excited to show their hard work for the final time. We were all adding our feedback from the previous nights in this show and were sad to be performing this for the last time. I think that the energy levels were the best they had ever been everybody was performing in the moment at all times.
Emily Gordon Year 1 