09/12/15

Sound and art in 1930 Spain.
In the first period we had been shown three different images. At the start what were from Spain in 1930. For the first image I had done a sound of disgust. This was because I found the image unappealing and unpleasant. It was because it was a mostly blue image of a person in a sort of abstract way. The second was lower pitched sound of disgust as I liked it even less. It was a image of a woman where it had been made up of different types of fruit. The third sound had been a higher pitched one as i did like the image.

02/12/1998

In the first half of the lesson we had to write down ten points what were about the play, the point of this is to show that we have a knowledge of the play. After that we had to choose a color what had matched out personality. After that we had to choose a sound which related to the color following this a movement to go with it as well. The point of this is that in "Blood Wedding" there are different colors for different scenes and this lets us realize what the different colors are meaning.

In the second half we had to read the first scene while another person had created rhythm. The affect this had was that we said the lines to the rhythm. The point of this is that Lorca had also been a poet where rhythm is key to making a good poem.

Whys does Federico García Lorca give out nature names?

This could be so that the character are genderless. The reasoning behind this is that Lorca was homosexual and may of thought that genders were not important. It also in addition maybe showing the wants of everyone at the wedding as they all want everything to be calm and relaxed like a forest. In contrast they already maybe like it as the moon is being very spiteful and it helps in the deaths at the end.

Brecht two

In some of Brechts productions he would have his actors do a Gestus. These would be Exaggerated actions what would define the character they would be playing. The actors would of have adapted an non-naturlistic sounding voice that way the audience would be reminded that what they are watching isn't real, this would be backed by the Movement and gesture they would be doing to create this affect. The Attitude and Emotion of these actors would be relatable so that the audience would have a realistic view while knowing it's not real affect on people it would be improving their Reason and Rational.

Brecht one

Brecht is a type of practitioner who has mostly developed techniques which are non naturalistic. He would often alienate the audience in his productions. Doing this would create a difference between the cast and the audience. The affect this had was that the audience wouldn't feel that they are watching something real. In fact they were meant to be observing what is happening in it. In other situations they would have the audience participate as he believed it was their play not his. When it was over he would have hoped that the audience would of thought about something important. A way to do this was to create ideas what are highly similar to what would of been happening.

Doll's House

Use of language:

The play is set in an older time in British history the audience can tell this as shillings are used in the play and that what they considered to be a high amount is not what we would consider a high amount. We can also tell this as it is a time where people still had maids and nurses looking after the house and children. Due to that we can also identify that this is a household what is very well off and that the Helmer is a bank manager. Because of this the characters would speak in a more upper class tone of voice. With this would come that they would be very well educated so they would use more complex sentences. The use of speeches is common in this play as they are used to tell a story, for example the story of how Helmer was poorly. Doing this means that the audience will get some of the backstory to the performance so they know what has also happened before the play.

Non-verbal communication:

This can often be done through peoples facial movements as doing that will show the emotions the characters are having for example; I’d have Helmer crying to show that his wife leaving is making him sad. The audience should know this as it’s normal that when people are sad they cry. There are many stage directions throughout this play they can be used to show how other characters are to others by using levels as one actor maybe lower than another. An example of this would be where Nora rests on Mrs Linde it shows that Nora at that point in time is focusing on Mrs Linde. The way of how I would have my actors move would be dependent on who they are portraying and also what the characters motive at the time is. If someone wanted to see another in urgency then I would have them pace with a bit of speed to show that they are awaiting something or someone or an important item and etc.

Vocal awareness:

Earlier in the play where Nora meets Mrs Linde I’d have Nora speak in a more of a peaceful voice this would show that she would be full of joy as she had just seen her old friend. However to the end I’d have her in a more serious tone so that the audience would know that she is serious about leaving Helmer as it doesn’t appear to be a scene which either the two are enjoying very much. She'd also speak slowly as it would help him understand what would be happening. In contrast I would have Helmer speaking in a fast as it would show how desperate he is to not be left or have his life collapse. I would use pauses in as I feel that it would show that a character is thinking. As these characters appear to be very well educated I would have them pronounce everything correctly to how it was meant to be.

Characterisation:

In the scene where Nora talks to Krogstad I'd have Nora be looking confident as doing this means that it'd show that Nora isn't intimidated by Krogstad as he is blackmailing her. One of the advantages of doing this is that it'd be showing she's a very strong and confident person who is more than the average house wife what so many consider her to be. The reasoning behind this is that her personal object is "I must not be intimidated by Krogstad." To achieve this her gesture would be her hands behind her back to clearly show that she is analysing the situation making her seem strong. The movement of her would be wandering about as staying still would mean that Krogstad would have her stuck un knowing of what she should do. Her voice would need to be clear showing no sign of weakness or more importantly fear.

Practitioner:

Gestus is one of Brecht's techniques it is where a character can be symbolised by a position or action. For example a gestus for Nora could be her with her hands on her hips. This would be symbolising that she is a strong person as this position often shows confidence. A technique of Stanislavski was the magic if this is where actors would ask as many questions about their actor to get a deeper understanding. By achieving this it would help the actors get a better understanding of who they need to become making it for a far better performance. Another technique of his is given circumstances where they performers would perform in a way what suits the circumstances what have been given. An example of this could that Helmer is a bit drunk nearer to the end as it's said he has some to drink.

Social, Cultural, Historical and Political Context:

One of the stories main focuses is that debts need to be paid. This is because as a child he had to move to a country house as his father was unable to pay a debt and he needed to sell the house to pay it off. Some of this play had been inspired where there was a character which is similar to Nora as they felt that they were being controlled and was against the bonds of marriage. In addition of this this character makes references to dolls and children just like in this play. A play of his had be refused in the past as it was considered to be immoral as it viewed marriage and love as not in the same way. this is one of the conclusions that the characters in this play reach as they seemed to of stopped loving each other and yet were married.

Visual, Aural and Spatial Elements:

The clothing of the performers I would have would be in a olden style possibly a Victorian style. the reasoning behind this is that they play seems to be set during that period in time. For example most of the men in the play will be wearing suits and the women

Performacnce spaces

Performance spaces

Amphitheatre has the audience facing the stage end on however the stage and the audience are outside. One of the advantages of this for the play the smile is that they would be able to use this to their advantages by having the surrounding area turn cold in the trench section as it’ll make it very immersive. Proscenium arch is like a combination of Amphitheatre and End On however this is indoors the reason it has its name is that the audience faces the stage and there is a very large arch above it what the audience can see as well. This could be used to show the different skies as it’d show where about they are in relation to the story. End On is where the performing area is on one side and the audience is on the other side. This could be used for the play by clearly showing how close two different characters are in relation to each other. Thrust stage type is where part of the stage is sticking out of the stage and part of the audience are seated around it. This could easily be used to show the different levels for example characters at the back could be feeling ashamed yet others with more confidence could be further forward. In The Round is a staging type where the audience completely surround the performers in what they are doing. This could be used in the performance by having harry have his back turned to everyone else in the performance. Traverse this stage type is where the audience is positioned on opposite sides of the performing area so that they can see each other. This could be used in the piece by constantly refusing to show either side his face. Promenade staging is where the audience and the performers are all together. This could be used so that the audience could feel similar to what Harry feels and other characters throughout the piece. A Courtyard stage type is a combination of trust and In The Round this is where the thrust part of the stage is so large that the audience surround most of it like In The Round.

Approaching a text for production

To find out the meaning of the performance there are many techniques what can be used to do this. For the play “The Smile” one of the techniques I’d use would be detailed textual analysis. Doing this means that I’d be able to read beneath the lines and understand the play. Stage directions would help as what the actors have to do would demonstrate how the characters are feeling at that point; for example a direction Harry has is that he must keep his back to the audience this shows that he’s ashamed of how he looks. Doing research would let you know that the play is based off a true story that there was a man who helped men who had suffered farcical disfigurement create a mask. I believe that the themes of the play are about self acceptance as throughout the time when Harry is disfigured he doesn’t accept what has happened to him. It is also I feel about loyalty as it is about the loyalty as it tests Violets loyalty to Harry has he has had a large life changing event and it’s not just her being loyal but also the nurse as Harry tells her to stop but she doesn’t.

Approaching text as an actor

I personally would have liked to play of Wood. I find this character to be interesting as he was a real person meaning that it’d be easy to explore the feelings and what he had to go through throughout this time period. This makes research really easy what I personally would have enjoyed. He also is a key character however he is not in the majority of the entire play what suits me as I would find it challenging to play a part for such a long time and he seems to have very similar emotions to Harry throughout the duration of the performance this also would show me that he doesn’t feel completely sorry for him as I assume that he has to see many other men at the same time.

This character of Wood seems to want to help as many people as possible what I completely admire as I also wish to help as many as possible in a sense so I feel that I’d find it very easy to mimic this man in a performance as I could view things form his point of view. He also does seem to be doing that much in the form of moving what I could be very comfortable with as it feel it’d help me work on facial expressions and voice as I feel that is what shows the true character.