17|12|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 10"

Meeting

For this rehearsal no matter who turns up we want to do a full run through, with the rest of the cast watching when they are not in. This means they can see their queues for entrances and how the energy needs to contrast with the end of the scene previous to pick up the pace. We are also saying that it has to be script down, we will allow them to look at scripts when off stage, and we will prompt them. We know that in the future rehearsal we will do a full run where we treat it as if we have an audience, there will be no prompt and we will see how they deal with it. But this will be the first time without scripts, so we feel allowing prompting will be helpful. 

Rehearsal

Again, the only people unable to make it were India and Freya, so again me and Alex stood in for those. We decided to skip past the Lea and Phil scenes as it would be unproductive to continue with those. 

We finished the blocking of scene 5, we wanted to show the end result due to the chaos and question how much it takes to change a person. It is throughout the play that each individual goes through a struggle and become a different person. 

This is shown in Rachel's monologue where she explains what everyone has become. Rachel has changed person, this is due to Phil's presence & since Lea has left, Rachel now feel's he is able to pursue Phil. We see a softer side of her due to this as she attempts to connect with Phil. We see that Phil has truly realised what he had too late when Lea leaves, this is shown through the placement of a starburst on Lea's seat. 

Taking into consideration the transformation from violence to passive within Rachel, we see the opposite take place within Cathy. We previously see her as quite niave, self obsessed, at the end we see her violent streak grow and her become a more authoritative figure. So it was key throughout the end of scene 5 to show Cathy's new status by her directing threats towards Brian, and it is her that now babysits Brian instead of Rachel. 

Brian's character is shown to have finally hit the rock bottom of his mental state, becoming highly dysfunctional is shown through his lines already, we wanted to reflect this in his personality, his mood being able to flip through the simple production of a sweet, and then being returned to a hysterical mess when told he must go into the police station.  

I want scene 5 to really encase the change that has happened to the group due to the chaos. I feel like Phil' character is the only person who notices this, due to his analytical traits, meaning he knows who he can depend on. Lea also hasn't necessarily changed, the thing that happens with Lea, is that she loses hope. The joke of leaving becomes a reality, her morals can be seen as more than her affections towards Phil.

1|10|14   - Week 1 - introduction - quick fire workshop

8|10|14   - Week 2 - workshop - read through - look at script

15|10|14 - Week 3 - work on script sections

20|10|14 - Week 4 - work on script sections

5|11|14   - Week 5 - work on script - fully blocked (group scenes)

12|11|14 - Week 6 - duologue blocking 

26|11|14 - Week 7 - duologue blocking

3|12|14   - Week 8 - develop duologues, revisit group scenes

10|12|14 - Week 9 - script down - develop tone and body language

17|11|14 - Week 10 - script down - tidy

14|1|15 - Week 11 - script down, full run through, dress?
21|1|15 - Week 12 - dress & tech rehearsal, no script/prompt. two run throughs?

10|12|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 9"

Meeting

Me and Alex were aware that the year 11's were preparing for their mock exams and therefore, Freya, India and Daisy wouldn't be attending the rehearsal. This meant that we knew we couldn't do the Lea and Phil duologues, and we have decided that we will do these out of n2c time in order to have more focus on them. Instead, we want to go over the group scenes and develop the tone and confidence of their placing. 

Rehearsal

We started the rehearsal discussing the closing deadline for the performance, telling them we wanted to do a full run through of the play next week so they could get an idea for the structure and when they are on. We then started to carry on with the rehearsal, fortunately Daisy turned up, this meant that me and Alex could fill in for Lea and Rachel. We went through the scenes multiple times, saving the feedback until the end of the run through so we could start to get a smooth flow. 

Confidence in their lines was the main fault, the lack of confidence in their delivery slowed the pace of the performance. We told them that the best way was to learn their queues so that they could make their line instantaneous, this will help to develop the atmosphere of panic and urgency within the scenes. 

The delivery of the lines is becoming more definite, they are all showing a large improvement with the understanding of the context of the play. As they grasp the purpose and reason for their lines they are able to add more characterisation to it, which gives the scene depth over all. 

The only thing that I feel needs to happen is a full run through with everyone there, this will help link all the scenes together. I also need to hold a rehearsal with just India and Felix to go over Lea's monologues. Doing this separately will ensure that we don't waste time when the whole cast is there. It also allows me to engage with them more, focusing on how the context effects their character and why I am directing them to do the things they way I do. 

3|12|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 8"

Meeting

Looking over what me and Alex have left to do, it is still only the end of scene 5 and the Lea and Phil scenes that need completing. We also want to work on the thought behind lines, we feel this will help with the expression of the lines including their tone. With the Phil and Lea scenes we want to show the developing corruption of Lea's faith within Phil. This happens in the scene where there is actually no talking. 

Rehearsal

The cast members that play Cathy and Lea were not at rehearsals due to other commitments, this meant it was hard to complete what me and Alex wanted to do as both carry major roles within the parts we still have left to block. We didn't want to do the group scenes and have us stand in for them as they we didn't feel the cast would benefit from this as they are the ones that carry the scene. Instead, we decided to do a workshop revolving around their characters tone. 

We sat in a circle and one by one I asked them to choose five of their lines from various points within the play. This was a great way to see who also felt most confident with their lines. I then sent them to separate parts of the room so they could go over those fives lines. I then told them to remove context from the line, take them a way from the situation that they are actually from and think about how that might change the way they are said. For example, one of Phil's lines is 'do you want to go?' - in context he is referring to where Adam would like to be, it is a serious question that carries a lot of consequence. If we replace this with a different context, such as, asking a girl to come home after a night out, the tone and delivery of the line would be very different.  We then re-grouped, and I told them to go round saying one line at a time, and changing the tone for each one. I then set up a line of chairs, I then gave them numbers and switched so that when they said their lines in the number order or would come from a more interesting pattern then one after the other in a line.
I then videoed this. 

To develop it into something more interesting to watch we added actions to mimic each tone or line, this meant exaggerated the feeling within the delivery. I felt that this was a successful way to get the cast to think about the meaning and motives behind there lines. This will mean that they will be able to get a more realistic delivery. I think this will  help when we go back to running through the scenes as they will be able to take that knowledge and bring it through the rest of their lines. 

26|11|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 7"

Meeting 

Looking at our schedule, we realised that we were unable to block the Lea and Phil scenes due to India's absence, so we thought we should get started with one of those. The one thing we both think is missing from the scenes is the intensity of worry, fear and concern, therefore Alex said he would do some developing work on the rest of the cast until I've blocked one of Lea and Phil's scenes. I told Alex my plan of direction, how it would be simple staging and I will mainly be focusing on Phil's reactions and how Lea conveys herself. 

Rehearsal

We felt the cast had a good energy and focus and therefore we felt that if we started a game they may feel liable to get too hyper and less focused. I took Lea and Phil away, as I felt it worked really well with Felix and Freya to explain the context of the scene I decided to do the same with this scene. This meant me telling them how Lea could be seen as the 'moral voice' within the play, showing glimpse of hope within each scene of how they can resolve the situation. The scene concludes on a key moment when Lea asks "If you can change one thing, you can change the world?" Dennis himself felt this moment might well be the heart of the play. I agree as I feel the play deals with the effects a situation has on a group and the consequences it has on the individuals, and although this is just a on a group, we could see the group metaphorically represent a country. I wanted to make Lea understand it's Phil's intelligence and control and how he isolates himself that she finds attractive. They are the balance of each other, where Lea's overriding confidence to talk and display any of her thoughts, Phil is analytic, concise with words and speaks when only he finds necessary. 

We then decided to go through a run through of scene 5. I wanted to bare in mind context, the only points of feedback of the group is to understand what their characters are feeling at this point. The situation is growing more and more difficult and the characters are becoming more desperate in finding a way to resolve the situation. I also want to make it clear of Cathy's growing violent streak and the status she is receiving in the group because of this - maybe having some sort of action between Rachel, the previous clique leader, would show this. Showing Cathy as violent makes it a clear choice for Phil to choose her to carry out the violent plan at the end of scene 5 which is not yet blocked. 

12|11|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 6"

Meeting 

Me and Alex thought we would go over all of the group scenes, finishing the blocking for scene 5. We would decide at the start of the rehearsal if there was a need for a group game at the beginning based on the energy of the cast, and if we feel they need focus we will do a run through of scene 1 in order to regain their focus. We then agreed that if we finished working on the group scenes we should move onto the duologue scenes as it is technically only the end of scene 5 that needs to be blocked. 

Rehearsal

At the rehearsal, both our Cathy (Daisy W) and Lea (India) were unavailable, due to this, working on any group scenes seemed an invaluable use of time as the cast would be missing to of the strongest voices within the group scenes, therefore we decided that we would have the cast in groups working on different sections of script. We had Mark (Jake) and Jan (Daisy V) developing there characters, working on the pace of their scenes and going over the blocking of positions. Brian (Zack) would help Adam (Sam) with learning his monologue, suggesting ideas of tone. Alex said he would flit between the two in order to keep watch while I focused on blocking the final scene of the play which includes Rachel (Freya) and Phil (Felix). We let the group have a game of their choice which they could play independently to give myself and Alex time to discuss the plan due to the fact we were unable to do what we wanted. 

We agreed on a character development of making Rachel have a thing for Phil, and the end scene, although being a way to communicate to the audience the way nothing seems to have changed (Phil's relunctance to reply) but how everything has changed, the characters development, Rachel's new fondness of Phil & the group no longer being a 'clique'.

I then explained to Freya and Felix my feelings for the last scene, as I feel that if they have an understanding of the context and subtext they will be able to perform it better. I explain how Rachel was attempting to replace Lea with that style of monologue. This meant there was an underlying tone of Rachel wanting Phil in a more romantic way, where as Phil remains reluctant, even more so now Lea has gone. Rachel at the beginning of our half of the script was the 'ring leader' figure, but now the trauma is over, the group no longer exists - this means she no longer has that reputation to keep up and she can follow through on feelings she has for someone who before would've been in a different clique and therefore not an option for 

(FILM IT) 

5|11|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 5"

Meeting

Me and Alex discussed how we would handle the progression into working on scenes that only contain a couple of the cast members. Now we have almost completed blocking the scenes that include the entire cast we are able to work on the Jan and Mark duologues as well as the Lea and Phil scenes and the members that are focused within the group can continue to learn and develop their characters and help each other. Knowing that from now I will be attending only the first hour of rehearsal we are splitting our time, I will be leading the majority of the first section of the rehearsal, continuing with the blocking of scene 5 and revisiting scene 1. Me and Alex feel that by going over scene 1 and scene 5 we enable the cast to get in touch with their characters, it also helps to develop the pace as the more they are rehearsing them the easier it will be for them to learn their lines. We also know that to get a whole group to come out of a set study time will be difficult compared to taking out the duologue characters. We then decided that I would take Jan and Mark as their scenes are a lot shorter than Lea's monologue so I would definitely be able to produce something with them, whilst I am doing this, Alex will take over with Lea and Phil developing their characters in their scenes. 

Rehearsal 

Mr Chipp lead a calming game of following the point. This needed focus and the aim was that whenever you found someone pointing at you, you had to point at someone else and this would continue until the whole group had joined in pointing. This linked to the theme of blame within 'DNA' nicely, as the entire group is keen to place blame on other characters in order to be part of the rest of the group. 

We did not have Freya for this rehearsal who is playing Rachel, so whilst we did the run through of scene 1 I stepped in for her. I used this an opportunity to show how quickly the lines should come in after each other. This run through was also needed as since the holiday had passed little details had been forgotten and it was easy enough to remind them. One thing I am thinking of doing is a workshop on tone or actioning. I want the cast to understanding their lines and how they are trying to make the other person feel as I feel this will give the performance a more realistic Stanislavsky style.

We went through scene 5, which again had little mistakes. As we had stopped just before Adam's monologue we continued from that point. As he read through he was showing aspects of tone, but there needs to be more variation in order for the audience not to loose interest. It also occurred to me that the rest of the cast need to develop their reactions. This means I will talk to them in the next session about constantly being involved in the scene. During blocking sessions I understand they may drift off but in the run through's I think it is key they listen to what is going on and develop and characterize themselves to give the scene more energy and life. 

I then worked with Daisy and Jake who are playing Jan and Mark. I started by talking to them a little more about their characters. I told them that they were the kind of friends who were inseparable, almost twin like. They are the balance of each other - whilst Jan is flustered and easily worried, Mark has a sense of calm and reassured understanding of situations. We started in chronological order. 

(ADD FILM AND JAN AND MARK SCENE OFF FACEBOOK)

22|10|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 4"

Meeting

Me and Alex held a brief meeting to discuss how this rehearsal would go and to feedback to each other on the notes we had so we could discuss what to feedback to the cast. We decided that the way we worked last week was successful, we felt as thought we blocked a substantial amount and feel that if we could block the same amount we had last time we would be setting ourselves a good schedule. Our aim is to block the rest of scene one and then begin our blocking on scene five, finishing around Adam's monologue. 

Rehearsal

We started the rehearsal with a game of their choice, and they chose the name game again saying that they felt more confident with it this week. Their enjoyment of this was a lot greater this week and it felt as if they had a more positive attitude towards the rehearsal. Alex took Sam to go over the Adam monologue to make sure he wasn't sat around and that he had a focus for the rehearsal. I then took over the rest of the group for a run through of the scene one blocking that we had created last week, this gave me a chance to give them the overall feed back that myself and Alex had discussed in our meeting (end of previous blog). 

By intersecting at the points in which individual feedback was required it gave me a chance to know that they were able to take on the feedback and deliver it how me and Alex desired. When we came up to where we had finished blocking last time, I explained how we were going to continue in the same way as last time. I also reminded them the seriousness of the situation as well as their annoyance with Brian and his inability to do what needs to be done. We skipped over Adam's monologue as we felt we needed to work with Sam more closely with the broken and disorientated tone. Here are some pictures of the cast during the rehearsal: 

 

 

(From Left to Right) Jan, Rachel, Mark, Cathy, Brian, Phil & Lea

By just revisiting scenes that we had been doing we were able to refine some details to save some time later as we knew we would just be able to refresh their memories the next time instead of directing it for the first time. 

1|10|14   - Week 1 - introduction - quick fire workshop

8|10|14   - Week 2 - workshop - read through - look at script

15|10|14 - Week 3 - work on script sections

20|10|14 - Week 4 - work on script sections

5|11|14   - Week 5 - work on script - fully blocked 

12|11|14 - Week 6 - script down - develop tone and body language

26|11|14 - Week 7 - script down - tidy

3|12|14   - Week 8 - full run through, no script, dress? 

At this point, week 4, we feel like we are mostly on target. The only scenes we really need to work on are the end of scene 5, and any duologue scenes. We also found out that the date of the performance will be around the 14th, 15th, 16th of Jan. 

This means that we can make an edit to our rehearsal schedule, which is great as we can have a more refined and finished product, it also helps as some of the cast will be missing rehearsals due to exam revision, and we can have time to work with who we have. 

1|10|14   - Week 1 - introduction - quick fire workshop

8|10|14   - Week 2 - workshop - read through - look at script

15|10|14 - Week 3 - work on script sections

20|10|14 - Week 4 - work on script sections

5|11|14   - Week 5 - work on script - fully blocked (group scenes)

12|11|14 - Week 6 - duologue blocking 

26|11|14 - Week 7 - duologue blocking

3|12|14   - Week 8 - develop duologues, revisit group scenes

10|12|14 - Week 9 - script down - develop tone and body language

17|11|14 - Week 10 - script down - tidy

7|1|15 - Week 11 - full run through, no script, dress? 

20|10|14 - Directing Unit - Tech Meeting

Meeting 

We went forward with the meeting with out the limitations of funding or context. This allowed us to have a productive meeting as more ideas could be put forward. We had the focus of setting although we would touch upon other aspects. 

First I proposed my own initially ideas to Chipp, these were: 

- A raised stage at the back for the duologue scenes, so half set as a bench, half a street. 

- On ground level an 'urban wood' set. This would be large to cope with the group scenes. Bringing in leaves, crates, cigarette packets and booze cans and bottles to show it to be a 'hang out' area. 

He then return doing a rough sketch explaining how we could develop it: 
(insert picture) 

Chipp had the idea to use lighting to highlight which part of the set was being used, he also said how the raised level could be diminished with being able to use a fly tower to drop in a lamp post and a bench in order to create the duologue scenes without the raised level as the audience would be closer and more involved with those scenes. We would then use lighting to highlight which set was being used, blues for the bench in the field, dim greens for the woods, and it was also suggested that we make the lamppost work so that when it drops in, the light emanating from the lamp lights the scenes for Jan and Mark. 

We also talked about the idea of making into in a warehouse within a wood, as if it was an abandoned warehouse that had a tree breaking through the walls. We could have a wall of collapsing brick that the cast could sit on for levels, as well as a broken 'on it's side' battered fridge that could be used to sit on as well. Having these would show it is a regular place, somewhere very hidden and isolated but somewhere where they themselves feel safe. 

This brought us onto the idea of media, having a projection on the back wall that highlight aspects of whichever setting is happening on stage e.g:

Woods – Wall graffiti

Field – Blue sky, moving trees

Street – Street sign wall, path

Then there is also the idea of naturalistic sounds, birds chirping, wind, cars going by, dependent on the scene these faint noises could make the scenes more realistic and therefore the audience more involved with the action going on stage. 

After discussing these ideas in depth, it came to a point where we felt the meeting had come to a close. What would then happen is the setting designer would go away and make a scale model and then bring this back. Here is where I would be able to correct any misunderstood ideas or change my mind as proportions may look different when presented in the scale model form. There would usually be several technical meetings throughout the rehearsal process with all the members of the stage production team. There would be conversations about set changes and lighting that needs to be shifted due to what happens on stage and how this might affect what is needed on stage that is managed by them. 

My Set: 

Adding back in context, I have to remember that my piece will follow on from a first half of the play directed by someone else, and will be performed within the school. This means I will have to factor in the aspect of reality and limitations that come with it. Having a complicated set that involves a lot of adaption will take a while to set up and place. As we do not have access to a fly tower, and we want to keep an aspect of realism, I will stick to the raised stage behind the woods setting and keep the idea of lighting the scene that is in action to create a sense of focus for the audience. I also really liked the idea of sound effects that can create a more naturalistic environment for the piece following a Stanislavsky's style. The idea of having a tree at the side of the stage is unrealistic but there is an opportunity to have a fridge at the side of the stage in order to create the more urban feel and add levels, as well as maybe a wall graffiti back drop to make it feel more inside a warehouse hidden in the woods. 

15|10|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 3"

Meeting

Myself and Alex met up before rehearsal to discuss what we wanted to do in the next rehearsal. After deciding we would do a game, focus Sam on his Adam monologue whilst the rest of the cast work on Scene One which does not include him. Together, we sat through the script and developed ideas for staging that we would then develop when working with the cast. By writing these ideas on the script, I would be able to refer to them when blocking the scene during rehearsal, adding to them if there were issues as well as creating new aspects of stage direction. 

The first thing we discussed was the staging we had a discussion about using the crates to represent the groups 'wood' hang out. We also talked about the addition of cans and bottles to add to the suspicion that this is a group society would consider as a 'gang' and give implications of troublesome youths.

We want Lea and Phil to start on SL where there are two crates, we decided that the entrance and exit for their hang out should be USR and using this continuity will be able to change when Adam appears and he goes to his hide out USL instead.

To give a more dynamic flow we want to separate Cathy and Rachel when they come on stage, Cathy going DSR and Rachel going SC, this means that we can emphasise Cathy being in her own world and being detached from the situation.

We also liked the idea of Phil friended Brian and stop him from crying by offering him a sweet, and then recreating the fear in Brian by telling he must go into the police, this we want to try out with how they eat the food.

Rehearsal


We started the rehearsal with a game, as we planned to do. This one is 'The name game' which helped everyone to learn everyone in the groups name, this allows the group to focus and aware whilst being able to have a good time. We decided to make the game more challenging by using the casts character names instead of their real names so people could also get familiar with them as well. This was a lot of fun as even me and Alex participated in the first part. 

I then sat the Cast down and went through the script sectioning it up so that when giving them sections to focus on they can relate easier than page numbers. We then did a read through of scene one to refresh what happens, this also gave Alex time to set Sam on his task so that we could start blocking the scene together. 

Here is the script as in progress with annotations of stage directions and notes that I put in throughout the rehearsal. 

We directed Cathy to be 'in her own world' and by doing this we set her up to appear detached, it also creates a light hearted contrast to the more serious issue being handled on SL. Once Cathy asks the others and they don't respond, I didn't want her to sit idle and as she seems to be occupied until she is asked a question by, we thought we should incorporate her surroundings keeping her distracted so that when Lea talks to her the response is bigger. We tried out Cathy look at bottles and cans of alcohol in order to see if there was anything she could drink, she ends up, shuffling through a small pile near the crate, giving levels as the other three are stood up. 

We wanted to show Rachel as being in control as she is the 'leader' of the group, which is why she makes the first aggressive move of leaning towards Lea on the line 'excuse me', we wanted Lea to then make an exaggerated mimic of Rachel's lean to show Lea's character progression of feeling more comfortable with the group she is helping. This part of the script where she talks about 'DNA evidence' we want India to play a bit show offy, so that we can see Rachel become annoyed at Lea, developing the depth of the script. 

Having Cathy surrounded by both Rachel and Lea shows that Cathy did the wrong thing, it allows for some comedy when they both intensely stare at her and she says 'there were quite a few'. By having Cathy play the 'ditsy' character, we enable the frustration within Rachel and Lea to come through which is shown in the next fast paced part which makes sure the audience also knows what happening with the DNA situation and why Cathy disrupted it for the wrong reason. When Lea finally states they're fucked Cathy sinks back onto the floor to create a better aesthetic set of levels, as well as removing a chance of blocking Brian's dramatic entrance. 

To make Brian's character more hysterical, we want him to repeat the first line of 'I'm not going in' from the moment he is dragged in by both Jan and Mark to being sat on the crate. The two will then stand either side behind him as if guarding him. The rests of the group reaction show that this is not a unusual way for Brian to act. At the side you can see a small sketch in which the stage looks like at this point. Lea retreats to Phil as the group gets bigger on stage due to the fact that that's whom she is closest too. We also arranged how the movement with Phil, offering Brian a sweet on 'But it is like this' and by the time that Brian takes the sweet and calms down, Phil says 'You're going in' causing Brian to drop the sweet and become hysterically for the next part. This is where we finished blocking.

But, me and Alex did make some plans in our meeting for stage directions to give to the cast, when blocking the rest of scene one. We want to be able to give feel and intimating sense of aggression when he does he next part, using the contrasting tone to the violence implied in his words can create a menacing hold, but we will try out a variety. Brian's reacts spur reactions within the rest of the group who are in shock of Phil's outburst. 

Here is a video of the first half of scene one before Brian's entrance. 

The Notes for improvements that I have for this scene are: 

-understanding the lines more might help with the delivery of lines: 

   -Lea: "DN.. what are you talking about?" - needs to be confused, not so harsh on the "dn" 

            "DNA from a random.." the intonation should drop as if a trailing thought is                              interrupted by "Cathy?" where the intonation should raise up, whilst looking at Cathy              disapprovingly. 

  -Rachel: "Excuse me...." should be said more sarcastically to support Lea's next line. 

-fludity of lines from Brian to show that it is a running trail of thought in a moment of panic. assured this will improve with knowledge of lines. 

-Sam's Adam monologue in the process of development, first part learnt and is progressing with 'broken' tone and discussed the meaning of the words in order to aid delivery of them. 

-the biggest improvement required is pace, this will come once scripts are down, this will also make it easier to develop body language and facial expressions. 

8|10|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 2"

We new that we had certain aims for this weeks session and those were
- develop characterisation on the theme of guilt
- to dedicate parts to the cast
- do a read through of the script

As me and Alex had already discussed what we would do we just now had to successfully follow through on it.

We started off with the game 'zip zap boing' and this raised the energy levels with in the room creating a positive atmosphere. It was clear at the beginning that they seemed tired and had a lack of focus so we used this game as a way for them to connect with each other, having fun whilst developing their awareness and focus. It is from this experience that we have decided to do a game at the beginning of each session and this is something that we will let them also decide on so they can feel more included on the sessions and what happens in them.

We then wanted to start our work shop on characterisation when dealing with the emotion of guilt. I took the cast outside whilst Alex set the room up to be more atmospheric, he also placed 9 chairs in a circle with a spot light in the centre. Whilst outside, I gave the cast a slip with their a name and personality traits of this character that my alter how they behave when dealing with guilt, I also wanted them to know that they were playing their own ages which is 15-18, this means they can also take on aspects of life that they are familiar with and use them in an advantage when placed in those shoes.

Alex then called them in, after giving them the instructions to lay down and think deeply of how this character would feel in numerous situations, whether they were happy or sad. To think about how they associated themselves with and how that affects their behaviour. By doing this I was slowly dropping in Stanlavski's "what if?" method, allowing the cast to consider 'what if' they were that person. Alex then told them that they had all been accused of a crime, one that they did commit, one that they refused to admit too and due to this, felt overwhelming guilt. They were also told to create the whole story in their head, so that if they were questioned they'd be able to answer anything. Me and Alex wanted to see how the casts view on how their characters felt when being interrogated, because it is these aspects of panic and guilt that are evident in many places throughout the script. 

I then asked them to each sit on a chair, myself was sat on one. I greeted them all as if we were at a support group, saying that they were all there for the same reason, I did this to let them know it was the safe place for them to be their character, and by starting in a group it would make it easier for the difficult situation when placed on their own with Alex in the next part of the workshop. I asked them that when they were ready, if they could discuss why they were here, to tell me what happened. But as reminded at the beginning, they all knew they weren't allowed to tell me, this is where the panic of guilt would show through their character. It was interesting to see, as I gave them all a character from the script, how they would play it, and it actually gave myself some more idea's. Such as Lea, at first I thought Lea should we a shy girl apart from when she's with Phil, slightly geeky due to her monologue where she admits she doesn't have any friends. But, India portrayed Lea as confident in a self assured way, and I think this might be a good way to show that Lea's character has developed as being part of the group. 

We then isolated one chair, from this Alex asked one person to come up onto the chair and he interrogated them as shown in the image above. He had been watching the types of guilt that they put across and he created a counter emotion in order to stir their guilt and bring more of it through. It was interesting to see how the cast developed this guilt into the inability to discuss what they had done. It was helpful to see who could create and stretch the personalities that we had given them and we felt like they all suited the character we gave them. This workshop not only helped the cast get to grips with one of the major themes within the script, but gave me and Alex ideas for the variety of ways that different people deal with guilt. From this were able to Cast our group, something we felt we should do as soon as possible in order for them to start learning lines and come to grips with their character. 

The Cast 
Lea - India Allatt
Phil - Felix James
Jan - Daisy Veysey 
Mark - Jake Spence
Cathy - Daisy Waugh
Rachel - Freya Turton 
Brian - Zack Bland
Adam - Sam Clugston

From this we were able to move onto a read through, something we felt highly important to do so that our group knew what the play was about and knew what they would be working on for the next few weeks. It also meant that we knew everyone would have read the script before the next rehearsal and we could clarify any confusion with plot or lines, such as Rachel actually being named Richard in the script as well as taking up Lou and Danny's lines as there are very little and don't have people to play them. They were also able to define their character, what a person says can have implications on the character and I felt that the read through really helped them identify the type of person they were. This is an essential feeling that we want the cast to have in order for them to follow Stanislavsky's naturalistic methods.  

We wanted to give them a quick taste of how the rehearsal process would be, so we focused on blocking Scene Five, as this requires the whole cast. We went through giving them ways to adjust there tone, also showing how the proxemics relate to the script in certain places. As we only had around 10 minutes it was a vague outline, but I felt the cast did a lot during this session and due to the amount of characterisation work the were able to perform an extract from the scene five with the delivery of their character. 

1|10|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA - Week 1"

As I was unable to attend this week of N2C Alex took hold of the rehearsal covering one of our agreed necessities within the play's dynamics. We had a meeting the day after the rehearsal to discuss the process so far and plan the next rehearsal.

 As we are following the style of practitioner Stanislavsky we want to create the realistic speak patterns that would occur and as the situation is very panicked, this will require the ability to say their line with little space between the two but without the pace of the spoken line being too quick to understand. It is this idea of 'quick sparking' responses in which Alex work shopped through a number of paired activities spotting good character balances for the characters of those of Mark and Jan who must have a strong ability to bounce of each other to fulfil our ideas for those characters. He also made the topic of conversation to do with their dealing with a tricky situation similar to the play which helped to see our casts initial reactions. 

From this we talked about how we would want to schedule for the entire process to be. For this we decided to work backwards so we knew the aim and could decide where it should be before it gets the next stage. Here is the final aim for each week on a rough guide of having 8 weeks. 

Week 1 - introduction - quick fire workshop

Week 2 - workshop - read through - look at script

Week 3 - work on script sections

Week 4 - work on script sections

Week 5 - work on script - fully blocked 

Week 6 - script down - develop tone and body language

Week 7 - script down - tidy

Week 8 - full run through, no script, dress? 

We then decided to plan into more detail the closer weeks so we had a better idea which we could then change or elaborate on when we start rehearsals. We also agreed that doing a group game or activity at the beginning of each rehearsal was essential for them to feel like a whole cast and make them work well together. Games such as 'zip zap boing' that awaken focus and being alert and ones we aim to play in order to contribute to the performance. 

For week 2 we wanted to develop the feeling of guilt through characterisation, so we decided that if we created a workshop that allowed them to take on one of the characters we think they'd suit and then they could use Stanislavsky's 'what if?' method in order to adopt those features and how the character they would adapt when they have the feeling of guilt. 

We plan make give them the slip of paper, enter the room to where they can lay down and become the character, we will then introduce the feeling of guilt and explain how they must keep the characters personality traits and show how they would deal with the feeling of guilt. We will then ask them to sit on a chair that is lit, and Alex will become a figure of accusation that spurs on the feelings of guilt. From this we can see if they suit the characters we gave them, although we must take into consideration we are giving them a very filtered version of their character, it also might show us more interesting ideas to do with character traits that may be usable for the play. 

After this work shop we aim to do a read through of our half of the script, we will give them a five minute break where me and Alex can discuss if we think the characters still fit and then we can bring them back to read. If we then have time, we will aim to start blocking scene 5 which involves all of the cast members. Hopefully they will receive a copy of their script as we are following the script closely and want them to be able to start learning their lines as soon as possible. 

We also figured out who was needed in each scene, that way when it came to deciding who we needed to work with we could see what everyone could do in order to create a fulfilling rehearsal. 

24|9|14 - Directing Unit - "DNA"

Like last year, I will be working with a co-director and a group of the students from N2C and will be able to work on developing a piece of theatre for a public performance after around 8 weeks of rehearsal time.

I have the pleasure of working with Alex Mellor of the script "Deoxyribonucleic Acid" or "DNA" by Dennis Kelly. Together we will be directing the second half of the script with a group of 8 students from N2C.

The Cast: 

Jake

Felix James

Freya Turton

Daisy Waugh

India Allatt

Zack Bland

Daisy Veysey

Sam Clugston

We are very fortunate with these numbers, genders and ages as they suit the variety of characters we have in the second act. 

Before we received are groups me and Alex sat down and did a read through of our section of the play. By doing this, we managed to get a feel for how we both thought the characters talked and reacted around each other. I think that a certain level of understanding will be key in our roles as co-directors in order to deliver consistent direction and a therefore a slick performance. Are next step was to then discuss the characters within the play and ideally we'd like them to be played. 

Characters: 

Phil: as the 'unsuspecting nerd', We felt this because of his held back nature and how that juxtaposes with the amount of information and help he provides in the times of troubles. It is his final selection of 'advice' that he gives to Brian and Cathy and his negligence of emotions towards Lea in their relationship that made me and Alex deem him as completely logical and therefore detaches himself from emotions and follows sense rather than emotions. He is analytic and considers every ounce of details throughout all his actions. 

Lea: has an overwhelming sense of confidence, shown through her monologues that are directed at the object of her affection, Phil. We think she is also unexpectedly smart but unlike Phil, it is emotions that drive her rather than the logically reasoning which is what, in the end separates them. We also think she has a redeeming comical quality in her over dramatical take on situations in which she talks with Phil. With Phil, we are able to see a 'truer' form of herself showing her emotional connection with Phil. 

Cathy: We found that 'ditsy' was not the correct term to label Cathy but rather detached from the seriousness of situations, perhaps as a coping mechanism. There are also aspects of her character that we found self absorbed, especially during the first part of our section. We then felt that as the situation gets progressively worse the realisation is knowing that she has to play a part in resolving the situation, which is perhaps why she is agrees to the end of Adam. 

Richard: We felt that Richard was seen as your stereotypical 'rough' child, a hard shell. But we see through the situation that it is in fact a misunderstanding in the character, as if the realisation of the serious consequences of the groups actions allows him to see the faults in the tough façade put on for his peers. We want to show the challenge of remaining with a strong reputation as leader of a group that crumbles under the pressure of a traumatic event. 

Jan: we felt that joined with Mark, as if she was non self dependant and that creates relationship she has with Mark to be as if they are so connected, resulting in the quick sparks of their lines in which they fire off each other. We felt that Jan had an element of 'panic' that leaves her flustered and jittery in chaotic situations. 

Mark: like Jan, they have the connection which allows there to responses to bounce off each other as they are on the same wavelength. Something we also thought was that Jan and Mark were like balancing scales, so where as Jan becomes flustered, we see Mark as focused relax that understands the situations and instead of panicking - broods in the moment. This juxtaposition with Jan's character will allow a balance on stage and it is their understanding and ability to cooperate that we want to show. 

Brian: as we see the group as a teenage 'clique' we feel that Brian is the excitable tag-a-long of the group that often follows in the activity's set up by Jon Tate but doesn't quite necessarily fit in. We feel that the group may allow him to 'tag-a-long' as his weird and slight mental disposition gives the impression he will be up to do anything in order to be part of that group. With this aspect of 'crazy' in the first half, as the situation worsens we see that Brian's mental stability deteriorates and he becomes a slightly hysterical psychotic. 

Adam: as Adam is the one that has gone through the traumatic event and received injuries, we only see Adam as a traumatised psychotic which leads him to not fully understand the difficulties in which the rest of the group is dealing with. Suffering from serious head injuries he becomes delusional in the moral thing to do which is to return home, showing his inability to function as a his usual self. This may mean that his demeaner is fairly monotone or dazed as if not really in the moment. If we wanted to look further into the 'previous' Adam, we could conclude that he is fairly naive as he is encouraged into participating and often becoming the victim of the groups rough activities. 

The Group - as a whole I think shows the dynamics of the stereotypical 'rough' secondary school group due to the setting of the woods being there gangs location to hang. Using this idea of the secondary school cliques, I see Lea and Phil being the most different personalities and therefore I see them as more social rejects of secondary school and therefore slightly intimidated by the group in which they are utilising their intelligence to help and divert a situation. This adds a certain self confidence to Phil's character as he agrees to help and can show off whilst helping and covering the fact that any of them know what happened to Adam. 

After discussing the elements of the characters we decided that over all the script had a fast pace to it and covered the theme of guilt and trauma. From this we decided that we would do workshops covering these in order to to see peoples strongest elements and how they could be cast as well as previous knowledge of what they excel well in. 

Year 14 - New Group - 11|9|2014

I'm currently beginning my third year of the course so I can extend my qualification to the Extended Diploma. I had opportunties to work with many of these students in N2C and throughout combined projects last year and I'm looking forward to working with them again this year. There is: myself, Emelia Hardiman, Abbie Sherrif, Laura Hodgkinson, Richard Huxley, Phoebe Cox, Livvy Mason and Mia Fathers. 

18|6|14 - Business Unit - Case Study (N2C Funding)

I am going to be looking at projection of the N2C’s fund for the next year, looking at the income in comparison to the expenditure and if we are able to run N2C as a finically stable theatre company.

 

Table 1

Here, we can see that the N2C Company is lucky enough to be sponsored by MITIE, meaning that the overall expected cost of the building is removed due to their sponsorship of N2C, where 2 performance spaces are lent to the Company that include full lighting and sound equipment within both rooms.

We also received a grant of £1,000 pounds to achieve a road safety performance for Sheffield County Council. This money was not all spent for the performance itself which means that N2C were able to keep this for further development.

Within props, the cost will probably fluctuate around £500 if we estimate from recent productions in the past year. Although, we have collected a variety of generic props that we may be able to reuse therefore the price of the props could possibly reduce.

I have created a separate table to show the expected income due to ticket sales, again – due to the scale of the production or audience required these price changes could change. By saying that the company should aim to do 4 productions that bring in this money, and by taking into account we usually do 6 or 7 performances, but with some bringing in a small audience, we can achieve those tickets sales over the year.

For the t-shirts, in the past year we have lost money due to money not being paid in for the transaction of the shirts that were at a reduced cost. This means that in the next year we may have to ask for members to pay for the shirts at full price in order to stay on budget.

Table 2

One of our most significant costs is the employment of the Group Leader who would be waged around £15,000 - £16,000 pounds – fortunately the Group Leader for N2C is a volunteer, and therefore does not need to be paid. This allows the evident previous loss to be demolished and leave us with a profit that we can spend on following props or tours that we may then also receive money for.

If we were not fortunate enough to have our Group Leader as a volunteer, we may have to look into the adoption of a grant to help sustain N2C as a business. There are a variety of grants that offer a variety of money for different things.

Grants

If we were not fortunate enough to have our Group Leader as a volunteer, we may have to look into the adoption of a grant to help sustain N2C as a business. There are a variety of grants that offer a variety of money for different things.