Casting week:
This week we it was revealed to us that the show we would be performing for our first contempary theatre piece and, after our first initial read through to get an idea of the story, I am really looking forward to performing the show as I feel it will challenge us and, me in particular as I am very much used to performing comedies as opposed to something serious like this show. I always enjoy being challenged in my abilities and look forward to seeing where the challenge takes me.
In the next session we started reading and blocking scenes to see which characters we would suit. I began by reading as Rochester in the scene between him and Jane Eyre and this was different for me as I never really saw myself as a romantic character in a show so it was interesting for me to try and perform. Afterwards, I performed as Branwell in the scene which opens act 2, where he returns drunk. for me I found this difficult as it's hard to play drunk believably without going too comedic but I feel as though I managed quite well for my first try. Upon completing today's session I feel that the character I would most like to play is Branwell as his character's transformation in the show is so versatile I feel it would give me a chance to show off my acting skills and also challenge myself as a character who isn't particularly the nicest of people.
In the last session of this week we began by reading through a few more scenes as different characters or possibly the same. I began by reading as Patrick, the father, in the opening scene and then I read for Branwell again in two different scenes, once in the scene where he is a child and then again in the scene where he lays on Charlotte's lap while she reads him a story. After this we were cast in the show and I was cast as Branwell and I really look forward to finding out more about his life and playing his character in the most believable way I can.
Week 1:
This week began with us going over the research of the topics we were given, mine being illnesses, and we shared what we had found with the rest of the group. The reason we did this is because the research could be used in order to help our character development, my research of illnesses helped me discover how my character died and also what caused it. Afterwards, we began by looking through our script and reading through scenes in small groups in order to familiarise ourselves with the show and begin "actioning" the text in order to find out how to deliver lines among other things.
The next session we started looking at blocking scenes in individual groups. My group's scene was in part 2 of the show in which Branwell confesses his love for the woman he was having an affair with to Anne. Blocking it, we began by having the three girls interact as normal until I came in and read a letter out loud which I was sending to my love. I decided that, in order to fit in with the Brechtian style we are looking at, I would read the letter to the audience to remind them that they are watching a show by breaking the fourth wall. This is a Brechtian technique as Brecht often like to break the fourth wall in order to remind the audience that they're watching a show. After this, Becky, playing Anne stepped out of her scene with Charlotte and Emily to join me in a flashback where I confess to her the details of the affair and then I exited the scene for her to resume with Charlotte and Emily.
In the next session we were split into groups again to rehearse separate scenes and my group's scene was the beginning of act 2, and part 3, where Branwell returns home to his sisters waiting for him and the scene results in a confrontation between Branwell and Charlotte. There comes a part in the scene where the stage directions say that Branwell "holds her fast, pushing his hand down between her legs" and we didn't particularly feel really comfortable so we workshopped a few ideas on how not to make it uncomfortable to perform. we began by having me just hold her hip and messing with her skirt, then went to me holding her against the table. We then settled on the idea where I would force Charlotte to the floor and crawl up against her whilst pushing her skirt up. There is two moments in this scene where we added the Brechtian technique of fourth wall breaking, Charlotte has two moments where she turns the audience, emotionless and says her lines:
-"Who has defiled herself in her own home, under the nose of her children, her husband. Who has sinned against God and all that is-"
-"Always everyone else's fault. Never your own. Never"
In this session we also decided that we would end part 2 and act 1 on my entrance with the line "to what do I owe this great and unexpected pleasure? My three dear sisters awake at two o'clock in the morning to welcome me back into the bosom of-" and I sit in the tableaux we made for the beginning of the show mirroring the portrait Branwell painted.
Strengths:
This week I feel my main strengths were the knowledge of the play and how it ran. The reason I feel this is because over the weekend I went away and researched the show and the characters, mainly my own, in order to find out more about them and how they may act. I found out that the reason Branwell may have gone off the rails, so to speak, is because, as the only male in his family, he would have been under a lot of pressure to live up to the family name and make something of himself thanks to the constant pressure put on him from his father and sisters, mainly Charlotte.
Weaknesses:
My weaknesses this week were mainly the lines as, having only just gotten the script, it would be difficult to learn them over the course of a few days. I also feel that I really struggled with the accent and needed to work on that.
Target:
My target for this week was to work on the accent of Branwell. I really struggled grasping the Yorkshire accent so I feel I need to work on that and I could do this by watching videos on YouTube that give tutorials on how to do a Yorkshire accent.
Week 2:
To begin this week we went looked at Brechtian techniques and were told how we could incorporate his style into the show. In physical theatre we looked at things and came up with things we could include in the show, like hymns hands made a good effect for Bertha and the flying could be used in sequences where the characters from the books appear. In the actual rehearsals, we recalled other things we had rehearsed and looked mainly at those scenes. The next lesson we began rehearsals and split off into separate groups to rehearse scenes individually. My group rehearsed the scene in which I was painting the portrait of the three girls and myself, we rehearsed it with me stood behind the table in the centre of the stage and the girls stood in front in the same positions as the opening tableaux. Throughout this part of the scene I stayed in the place where I was painting up until we moved to the next section where the girls are stitching me a new jacket. Any time I say a line in this scene I addressed it to the audience in a Brechtian style to remind the audience they are watching a show as Brecht wanted the audience to know they were watching a show and not getting emotionally involved.
The next session we rehearsed the scene in which I leave home to go to London and return a week later drunk. We began this by picking up from the end of the previous section where I get onto one of the blocks and say the line "as the commander set sail the sun was rising. The weapons shone in the early light, the cannons pointed towards the glittering horizon. He kissed goodbye to his young bride." this was followed by a short paragraph said by Charlotte in which Will stood in front of me as Rochester and, in unison, we turned towards Charlotte and Bertha to wave goodbye exiting. We did this in order to show how Charlotte may have based parts of Rochester on her brother Branwell. this is also a Brechtian technique as we were having the fictional characters and the real life people mixing together to show that we were in a show. I then entered from the same side I exited as that made most sense. towards the end of this scene there was a moment where charlotte points out I bought myself a new cravat after I had said my purse was stolen. to mark this moment we paused to make it clear this was a significant change in the pace of the scene. I then went on to tell them to tell the others in the house, Anne and Patrick, not to disturb me before I quickly exited the scene and went to my bedroom. we then went straight into the next scene with Bertha before I returned with a letter and cueing the girls portraying Bertha to leave. throughout this scene I withhold information from my sisters about the job I had recently gotten. at the end of the scene I moved to the table and chair upstage right that was supposed to be our father's study, meanwhile the three girls discussed my job and how they were disappointed. however, they spoke in past tense bringing them into the present time, I see this as a Brechtian technique as they time jumped and this, in some cases, may confuse the audience, but we are using as a way to show we are performing a show. during the scene I read aloud a letter I am writing whilst Emily P, playing Charlotte, reads from a biography and after I finished the letter, I exit the scene.
Strengths:
My strength this week were, after watching Wuthering Heights and listening to the accent, I was able to grasp Yorkshire accent and mimic it and portray the character more believably as I could now sound like I was from Yorkshire like the family.
Weaknesses:
This week I feel I didn't really grasp the child scene, I feel that I struggled to play a child convincingly and believably. I think that it is very difficult for someone older to play a child as believably as they can. I feel that, in order to improve this, I could watch Blood Brothers and see how they act at the beginning of the show as they portray 8 year olds extremely well and I could learn from that.
Targets:
This week I set myself two targets, one is to start learning my lines and begin getting off book for some scenes. To do this I just need to go over and over my lines as much as I can. My second target is to perfect my accent for Branwell and to do this I decided that, as much as I could, I would speak in a Yorkshire accent on a day to day basis.
Week 3
This week we began by going over what we had already rehearsed and editing where we felt we could. In one scene, where I am painting the portrait of the girls and we moved my position from behind the table to on the platform we have representing the attic. The girls always direct their lines out to the audience as do I, in order to break the fourth wall before returning the wall in the next scene as a way to bring the audience in and then remind them again that they are indeed watching a show as Brecht would have wanted. unfortunately this session I left early due to being ill. in order to make sure I didn't lose out, when I got home I decided to go over my lines as best I could in order to learn them for when we come back after the half term.
The next session I was informed a short sequence had been added after a scene between Anne and Emily in part 2 where myself and Anne would say goodbye to Emily and Charlotte before we left for our new job. We also blocked the children's scene of part 1. after blocking this scene it meant all of part 1 had been blocked. we spent the rest of this session going over what we had rehearsed in order to be sure we would remember it after the half term. we found whilst doing running part 2 that it felt as though the energy and pace dropped in a few places and that, sometimes, the Bertha segments in all parts didn't often fit together or make sense so we all began starting to think of ways to improve this. However I feel it was as though they weren't committing enough to the character.
The next session we started blocking more of part 3 during which there is a scene where I am apologising to Charlotte for the opening scene of part 3 where I assault her. originally I had an idea for my exit, I was supposed to be asleep on Charlottes lap according to the stage directions, and we discovered that would limit her movement. So I suggested that perhaps Bertha could take me off. we found that this caused too much disruption and so decided to have me on the attic for this entire scene and, on the mention of the commander, Rochester, Will suggested that he could stand on the attic with me back to back as there are times where Rochester and Branwell are similar, suggesting Charlotte possibly based Rochester on Branwell.
Strengths:
This week I really feel as though I did well to learn my lines as I was off book for the scene in which I request money from my sisters as well as the children scene. Also, I feel I was really starting to bring Branwell to life as a character. My main strength, however, is that I feel as though I really understand the show and perform it in such a way where the audience will really understand what my character is about.
Weaknesses:
My weakness this week I feel was that I didn't really perform in a very Brechtian style, I feel that I performed more naturalistically this week and that, if an audience had watched, they may have become emotionally invested in the performance I was given and not been aware of the direct fourth wall showing them they were watching a show.
Target:
This week I set myself the targets of getting off book even more as well as looking at more Brechtian performances in order to give a performance that Brecht himself would approve of.
This week began with us going over the research of the topics we were given, mine being illnesses, and we shared what we had found with the rest of the group. The reason we did this is because the research could be used in order to help our character development, my research of illnesses helped me discover how my character died and also what caused it. Afterwards, we began by looking through our script and reading through scenes in small groups in order to familiarise ourselves with the show and begin "actioning" the text in order to find out how to deliver lines among other things.
The next session we started looking at blocking scenes in individual groups. My group's scene was in part 2 of the show in which Branwell confesses his love for the woman he was having an affair with to Anne. Blocking it, we began by having the three girls interact as normal until I came in and read a letter out loud which I was sending to my love. I decided that, in order to fit in with the Brechtian style we are looking at, I would read the letter to the audience to remind them that they are watching a show by breaking the fourth wall. This is a Brechtian technique as Brecht often like to break the fourth wall in order to remind the audience that they're watching a show. After this, Becky, playing Anne stepped out of her scene with Charlotte and Emily to join me in a flashback where I confess to her the details of the affair and then I exited the scene for her to resume with Charlotte and Emily.
In the next session we were split into groups again to rehearse separate scenes and my group's scene was the beginning of act 2, and part 3, where Branwell returns home to his sisters waiting for him and the scene results in a confrontation between Branwell and Charlotte. There comes a part in the scene where the stage directions say that Branwell "holds her fast, pushing his hand down between her legs" and we didn't particularly feel really comfortable so we workshopped a few ideas on how not to make it uncomfortable to perform. we began by having me just hold her hip and messing with her skirt, then went to me holding her against the table. We then settled on the idea where I would force Charlotte to the floor and crawl up against her whilst pushing her skirt up. There is two moments in this scene where we added the Brechtian technique of fourth wall breaking, Charlotte has two moments where she turns the audience, emotionless and says her lines:
-"Who has defiled herself in her own home, under the nose of her children, her husband. Who has sinned against God and all that is-"
-"Always everyone else's fault. Never your own. Never"
In this session we also decided that we would end part 2 and act 1 on my entrance with the line "to what do I owe this great and unexpected pleasure? My three dear sisters awake at two o'clock in the morning to welcome me back into the bosom of-" and I sit in the tableaux we made for the beginning of the show mirroring the portrait Branwell painted.
Strengths:
This week I feel my main strengths were the knowledge of the play and how it ran. The reason I feel this is because over the weekend I went away and researched the show and the characters, mainly my own, in order to find out more about them and how they may act. I found out that the reason Branwell may have gone off the rails, so to speak, is because, as the only male in his family, he would have been under a lot of pressure to live up to the family name and make something of himself thanks to the constant pressure put on him from his father and sisters, mainly Charlotte.
Weaknesses:
My weaknesses this week were mainly the lines as, having only just gotten the script, it would be difficult to learn them over the course of a few days. I also feel that I really struggled with the accent and needed to work on that.
Target:
My target for this week was to work on the accent of Branwell. I really struggled grasping the Yorkshire accent so I feel I need to work on that and I could do this by watching videos on YouTube that give tutorials on how to do a Yorkshire accent.
Week 2:
To begin this week we went looked at Brechtian techniques and were told how we could incorporate his style into the show. In physical theatre we looked at things and came up with things we could include in the show, like hymns hands made a good effect for Bertha and the flying could be used in sequences where the characters from the books appear. In the actual rehearsals, we recalled other things we had rehearsed and looked mainly at those scenes. The next lesson we began rehearsals and split off into separate groups to rehearse scenes individually. My group rehearsed the scene in which I was painting the portrait of the three girls and myself, we rehearsed it with me stood behind the table in the centre of the stage and the girls stood in front in the same positions as the opening tableaux. Throughout this part of the scene I stayed in the place where I was painting up until we moved to the next section where the girls are stitching me a new jacket. Any time I say a line in this scene I addressed it to the audience in a Brechtian style to remind the audience they are watching a show as Brecht wanted the audience to know they were watching a show and not getting emotionally involved.
The next session we rehearsed the scene in which I leave home to go to London and return a week later drunk. We began this by picking up from the end of the previous section where I get onto one of the blocks and say the line "as the commander set sail the sun was rising. The weapons shone in the early light, the cannons pointed towards the glittering horizon. He kissed goodbye to his young bride." this was followed by a short paragraph said by Charlotte in which Will stood in front of me as Rochester and, in unison, we turned towards Charlotte and Bertha to wave goodbye exiting. We did this in order to show how Charlotte may have based parts of Rochester on her brother Branwell. this is also a Brechtian technique as we were having the fictional characters and the real life people mixing together to show that we were in a show. I then entered from the same side I exited as that made most sense. towards the end of this scene there was a moment where charlotte points out I bought myself a new cravat after I had said my purse was stolen. to mark this moment we paused to make it clear this was a significant change in the pace of the scene. I then went on to tell them to tell the others in the house, Anne and Patrick, not to disturb me before I quickly exited the scene and went to my bedroom. we then went straight into the next scene with Bertha before I returned with a letter and cueing the girls portraying Bertha to leave. throughout this scene I withhold information from my sisters about the job I had recently gotten. at the end of the scene I moved to the table and chair upstage right that was supposed to be our father's study, meanwhile the three girls discussed my job and how they were disappointed. however, they spoke in past tense bringing them into the present time, I see this as a Brechtian technique as they time jumped and this, in some cases, may confuse the audience, but we are using as a way to show we are performing a show. during the scene I read aloud a letter I am writing whilst Emily P, playing Charlotte, reads from a biography and after I finished the letter, I exit the scene.
Strengths:
My strength this week were, after watching Wuthering Heights and listening to the accent, I was able to grasp Yorkshire accent and mimic it and portray the character more believably as I could now sound like I was from Yorkshire like the family.
Weaknesses:
This week I feel I didn't really grasp the child scene, I feel that I struggled to play a child convincingly and believably. I think that it is very difficult for someone older to play a child as believably as they can. I feel that, in order to improve this, I could watch Blood Brothers and see how they act at the beginning of the show as they portray 8 year olds extremely well and I could learn from that.
Targets:
This week I set myself two targets, one is to start learning my lines and begin getting off book for some scenes. To do this I just need to go over and over my lines as much as I can. My second target is to perfect my accent for Branwell and to do this I decided that, as much as I could, I would speak in a Yorkshire accent on a day to day basis.
Week 3
This week we began by going over what we had already rehearsed and editing where we felt we could. In one scene, where I am painting the portrait of the girls and we moved my position from behind the table to on the platform we have representing the attic. The girls always direct their lines out to the audience as do I, in order to break the fourth wall before returning the wall in the next scene as a way to bring the audience in and then remind them again that they are indeed watching a show as Brecht would have wanted. unfortunately this session I left early due to being ill. in order to make sure I didn't lose out, when I got home I decided to go over my lines as best I could in order to learn them for when we come back after the half term.
The next session I was informed a short sequence had been added after a scene between Anne and Emily in part 2 where myself and Anne would say goodbye to Emily and Charlotte before we left for our new job. We also blocked the children's scene of part 1. after blocking this scene it meant all of part 1 had been blocked. we spent the rest of this session going over what we had rehearsed in order to be sure we would remember it after the half term. we found whilst doing running part 2 that it felt as though the energy and pace dropped in a few places and that, sometimes, the Bertha segments in all parts didn't often fit together or make sense so we all began starting to think of ways to improve this. However I feel it was as though they weren't committing enough to the character.
The next session we started blocking more of part 3 during which there is a scene where I am apologising to Charlotte for the opening scene of part 3 where I assault her. originally I had an idea for my exit, I was supposed to be asleep on Charlottes lap according to the stage directions, and we discovered that would limit her movement. So I suggested that perhaps Bertha could take me off. we found that this caused too much disruption and so decided to have me on the attic for this entire scene and, on the mention of the commander, Rochester, Will suggested that he could stand on the attic with me back to back as there are times where Rochester and Branwell are similar, suggesting Charlotte possibly based Rochester on Branwell.
Strengths:
This week I really feel as though I did well to learn my lines as I was off book for the scene in which I request money from my sisters as well as the children scene. Also, I feel I was really starting to bring Branwell to life as a character. My main strength, however, is that I feel as though I really understand the show and perform it in such a way where the audience will really understand what my character is about.
Weaknesses:
My weakness this week I feel was that I didn't really perform in a very Brechtian style, I feel that I performed more naturalistically this week and that, if an audience had watched, they may have become emotionally invested in the performance I was given and not been aware of the direct fourth wall showing them they were watching a show.
Target:
This week I set myself the targets of getting off book even more as well as looking at more Brechtian performances in order to give a performance that Brecht himself would approve of.
Week 4:
This week was our first week back after half term and we started off by looking at blogging techniques so we could make sure we improve our blogs where needed. After this we went straight back into rehearsals and began by going over everything so far to see what still needed blocking. one scene that still needed work was the death scene of Branwell which we had previously blocked but I still wasn't 100% on. In the scene I head to the attic so I can pray with Kieran, playing Patrick, our father. After this I lowered my head and hands on the line "He is praying" to symbolise that I had died. rather than moving straight away I stayed on the attic up until the line "I do not cry for my own loss..." and on the move I move with a burst of energy and appear as a child again to do the next few lines to show the three girls reflecting on my life and, more so, on my more pleasant years before the pressure of being the only boy and having so many expectation from everyone got to him and sent him into a downwards spiral.
The next session we rehearsed and blocked the scene in which Branwell believes he has seen the devil and his chariot. We started with Will interrupting the three girls informing them of an incident at the factory in which Branwell suffered a blow to the head and had started acting and talking strangely. He also mentioned that I "thought the burning cart was the devil's chariot". When I entered I decided to enter in a rush and grab Will before rushing past and informing them all of my panic as I believed I was being followed by people wanting to kill me. After my initial panic I begged Bell Nichols, Will, to go the chemist to purchase "a small amount of laudanum, or else I cannot, I will not survive the night." Laudanum is a type of drug which can be used to create heroin in present time, along with opium which Branwell was also addicted to. The scene ended when Charlotte tells Emily to take me to my room, to which Emily says she will stay with me as I should not be alone due to the fragile state I am in during the scene.
The next session of this week I was absent for due to being ill. In order to be sure I kept on top of things for the show I decided to research my character and also I decided to look idiosyncrasies and characteristics of drug addicts and alcoholics to ensure the portrayal of Branwell towards the end of the show was more believable.
This week my strength came in form of my lines as, over the half term, I learnt my lines to the point where I could run the show without holding my script. Although there were moments where I needed to ask for a prompt, for the most part of the runs, I did not need anything. This also helped my performance as I wasn't restricted in my movements because I did not have a book in my hand.
Weaknesses:
My weakness this week was, again, the lack of Brechtian techniques in my performance which means I failed my previous target so I decided that this week I would set myself multiple targets.
Targets:
I set myself the targets this week of again, looking at Brechtian performances to enhance the Brechtian style of our show as well as researching Brecht to add to this. I also decided that I would watch the three films based on the books of the Bronte's in order to grasp what they were about and what links there are to the show we are performing. My final target of this week was to go over all the blocking as well as my lines and accent over the weekend so that I was ready for the runs we were to do the following week.
Week 5:
This weeks session began with us going over anything we felt week on before going into a speed run. I wanted to go over the scene in which I request to borrow money from my sisters as, due to what I found in my research, I could portray Branwell as an addict who hadn't received their "fix" for an extended period of time and show their characteristics, such as scratching my neck and shaking as a suffering addict would. After this we ran through the shows doing a speed run to show us where we could speed up things in the show when there might be a drop in pace or energy. We then also did a "fun run" of the show, in which Karen would shout a different way of us performing that we would instantly have to adapt to. This run helped us find new ways of performing scenes to make them more interesting. For example, during the scene where with Will and Taya as Rochester and Jane Eyre, they were given Twilight, which made Will act more brooding as Rochester which I feel really worked during the scene.
The next session we ran the show as best we could in order to see where we struggled. during the run we found that we a lot of the scenes lacked pace and energy and a lot of us really needed to work on our lines to get them slick for the show the following week. After doing this we looked at getting our costumes for a costume run the following day and we had to be sure to keep with the time period. I decided to keep the same shoes, socks, shirt and trousers throughout the show but change jacket as I get older, starting with a blue jacket for when I'm a child, a red jacket with tails for part 2 when I am slightly older and a black jacket for the scenes when I am drunk and disorderly in part 3 before going to having no jacket for the scenes where I am suffering and ill and, eventually, for the scene where I die.
The final session of this week we did a dress run of the show to see how smoothly it would run with all of the costume changes. The costume changes in the show ran extremely smoothly but the lines, however, some of us still really struggled with.
Strengths:
This week my strength was again my lines as I only really needed a prompt once or twice in the speed run but managed to get through the fun run without asking for a prompt at all. I also feel that I portrayed a more Brechtian performance this week as I directed things to the audience more and brought them out of the show a few times.
Weaknesses:
My biggest weakness this week was my accent as I felt it slipped a few times and sounded more like a Manchester or Liverpudlian accent at times. I also struggled in the speed run because the pace was a lot faster than I was used to, even if the pace in the scene we were running should be fast, I struggled either way.
Target:
My target for this week is to just keep going over my lines as well as I could in order to be sure I was 100% ready for the shows the next week so I wouldn't mess up during the show or put anyone off by skipping lines or just messing up. I also decided that it may be a good idea to run some lines faster to prepare myself for the more fast paced scenes.
