Showcase May 1st 2015

Calling Agents

We continued to call agents so that we went to the end of the agents in the contact book and we completed that which was great so that we called over four bundle agents which is an achievement. For me there was some competition as the years before some didn't even go to London but none have got an agent to come to their showcase so we might be the first year in a while who have got an agent to come to the showcase. We have invited so many and although it was time consuming it has been great to gain that experience of the marketing side and I think it has been great to see how the admin side works.

Material Showing

Although we have done so much on the marketing side we haven't as yet got all this material together and worked or come together as a company. It hasn't helped that we have had no guidance or check in's what so ever and we have been kicked out of spaces that we wanted to work in. It's like the HND's get the runt of the litter. So this week when Denise came down to work with us on Wednesday it was a breathe of fresh air and everyone admires and love working with Denise. Over the course of this one day we got so much done, we showed all the material that we have got and Denise said whether it worked or not and on some occasions helped direct us in it so that there was more meat to the bones. Half of us were still on book because we didn't know if this was the material for us.

Showcase 1

DENISE THE SAVIOUR

My Strengths Working material

This week I've worked with material with Denise and I have felt like I have gained so many skills, it's also learning the lines. It's just a nice feeling to be working with a director working as an actor.

developing a Role Medea I got given this week to look over and I feel like in such a short period of time I have developed a character that has depth to it and Denise likes what I'm bringing to it as well. I feel vocally my voice sounds very strong and this character in this scene is weak so I have found more dynamics throughout the scene and the pace and tone builds up to a climax.

Marketing This week I have made the flyer to hand out to agents with the roles what we are doing as well as so we can hand these out to agents to take away with them and it looks professional. If I didn't do it no one would have and I feel this was a strength.

Showcase May 1st 2015

I have felt that over the past year I have become less of an actor because I haven't acted! I told Denise this that we have only done this secrets out and we had to hone skills se already had to the performance we didn't learn anything knew. Unlike when we were on a process and you do workshops and learn skills and for me the variety show wanted an actors show by any forms, apart from when we did acting for camera with gavin that all I have learnt. I don't feel I have progressed as much which worries me and now I feel like I can't even learn lines or bring material to the table to work. The only pieces I suggested were OWALW which Denise wasn't sure about and then she suggested I do my Hamlet so I gave that ago. the atmosphere in the room wasn't exciting and made me feel like I wasn't supported in the room.

Later on I did have a break down to Denise, where she was so lovely about it because I feel there are so many monologues in the showcase and I believe it should be more scenes and duologues because it will get so boring and I don't want to do a monologue but I feel that we all can't find material so we have just got bits and bobs from what we already know and have done before because we know we can do that. Denise then suggested I did Medea and for her to say that I was really shocked and I thought I'm doing Hamlet and Medea, I don't know how they come across and if they look any good and I'm doing these to agents I have got myself and I don't even feel confident to act because I feel I have lost the ability.

Sam and I stayed behind and we read for Creon and Medea, I really liked the scene I felt that I wouldn't be much to learn and that I could potentially be really great fun to work on and have a lot of passion inside of it. Elan.

Working Independently

During the week on Thursday it was said we were suppose to be working with carleigh but we didn't for some reason. We all had things we knew we needed to do and with working with Denise it all out the fire back in our bellies and made us more enthusiastic. We knew what to work on as Denise had gone through all the material and suggested material to work on and prioritise. I felt like we worked well, I started getting the flyer that we will be using for the showcase as now we are more solid on which material we are doing but not the order.

Showcase 2

My WeaknessesConfidence During this week I have lots of doubts within myself and I had a chat with Denise about how my confidence has become very low over the last year. With everyone bringing so much material and although I had some material I didn't feel confident that this would showcase me.

Professionalism I felt that this week with my outburst which I didn't really want to have but I just felt so down that this was partially a weaknesses and lack of professionalism in the space.

Time We have not had much time on this process to look for material which is so hard and being left to our own devices with no guidance has been completely frustrating and we have only just had help from Denise, but I feel like the showcase could be even better with that little support of a few working days.

Showcase May 1st 2015

Denise the Star

Friday we worked material with Denise, she looked at some scenes as they were the priority and Medea was one of them. Sam and I are semi o book so it was easier to work but the pace was still slow because of us trying to remember the lines. I thought it worked well however I want more aggression in it because I feel very passive and although Medea is a very dominating character in this scene where she is begin for Creon to let her stay one more day she shows signs of weakness, but only playing up to that for him. When rehearsing it with Sam I found it to be more aggressive but I understand that it's not and I felt I took on Denise's notes well as she said she liked what I was doing and where I was going with the character. I really like the feel of the support from the women chorus just being present in the background. I felt like when I take my entrance I feel supported and also I don't feel I'm playing the moment to hammy, I'm just thinking about the fact her husband has left her and that state of shock she is going through and how she has to be strong now. I went over the scene with Sam for lines and to get more the emotional context of the scene. I also went over hamlet to get the punctuation right because Denise said some of my inflections in the lines were wrongly placed so I wanted to go over this as I feel they are such well known scenes I was to do them justice. I was also placed in Posh which is now a scene with Erol and some of the boys, it's very comical and they are a parody of the Middle upper and upper class boys, I feel like I can totally relate this to made in Chelsea which I love and I feel the stylistic way we are playing it shows another side to me in this showcase because I did really want to do something that was comedic and I feel like I have achieved what I wanted to do. I am doing something contemporary and something classical, something comedic, lighthearted and dramatic.

We also have now a structure for the beginning and end which is really lovely from Denise, who has just saved the show and I cannot thank her enough because I don't think we would be in this place if it wasn't for her, mentally and physically. She took a poem from a play and we are taking that structure but applying it to our characters. At the end we are doing something from East end tales which is nice to have a few lines each, I do feel however that some lines have been dished out unfairly because there should be an equal time to shine moments. Lewis has six things to do as well as Sam and most of those are monologues and I do feel there is so much material and I think the agents will get bored because there is so many monologues and although they were 2 mins long we have scenes going for 7! Which I think is very long and I don't think the agents will want to sit all the way though. I think we really need for next week plan the structure of the show and place strategically the pieces so it keeps the audience and agents entertained.

Showcase 3