Musical Theatre: " Weekly Summary"

We only have 3 rehearsals before the actual show-day, the whole process has been sped up in order to finish the preparations on time. As a class (including the teacher) we have decided that Wednesday will consists of a whole day rehearsal plus tech run; setting up the stage (lighting etc). It will also include checking if everyone remembers when to get on and off the stage as well as when to move the platforms. In class, we have also discussed the costumes, so what each person is going to wear for each scene in the play. Our self-prepared costumes need to be brought to the rehearsal on Wednesday, as well as the props in order to check if everything is matching with the scene and the script. It will be a long and tough week up ahead because we have to set everything to perfection (including us and our roles). Each and every one of us is expected to have memorised the script, songs and choreography of by heart. There are no more excuses. A lot of work and no time to spare, but I believe that if we try really hard to make it work, it will be a very good show. The show will take place in our school (Leyton Sixth Form College) on Thursday and Friday in this week at 19:30 on each day, the entry is free for the audience. I cannot wait! Keep your fingers crossed that everything will be on tip top and ready. During the rehearsals as well as up to the show, I will be practising songs, scenes and choreography that I am involved in after school hours. I want this to be the best show I have taken part of, especially as it will be my last show in this group and probably in my near future. I want to be proud of what and how I’ve done, I will miss this.

Musical Theatre: " Practise Journal"

Throughout the week we have continued to practise scenes one by one, we paused at the scenes that needed changes and improvements. We have also rehearsed particular songs that we struggled with as well as fixed or added in to the choreography where it was necessary. We have worked really hard on every little detail that needed our attention in order to make it perfect. In addition, we had to learn all of the songs and script of by heart and when each person steps onto the stage and when to move the platform that we will be using. The platforms play a very big role in the play as they are used to change the scene through the play as well as used as props. In the next week, we only have 2 rehearsals before the show-day, of which is the tech run which involves setting up the lighting and other technical stuff ready for the show which takes up a lot of time. The will also including checking our costumes and timing if there will be enough time in-between the scene to get changed for the next scene. Everybody has a to be perfectly prepared for tomorrow’s rehearsals so that there will be no stoppage during. So recapping, we have to work hard and make sure that we are perfectly ready for our last show this year.

Last Thursday after our rehearsal, our teacher gave us an overall opinion and thoughts about the whole show thus far as well as individual feedback to each and every one of us. He told us what our strengths and weaknesses, how we can improve our character, what scenes to improve on etc. I have to improve on the song “Opportunity” and “Getting Ready”. I have to practise on my diction because I sound unclear in the last couple of lines. In the second song, I have to improve my timing as I don’t sing exactly with the music as well as rushing words in certain lines. So my goal and aim for improvement was and still is diction and rhythm.

From the acting side, my teacher gave a feedback on the volume level whilst I’m on the stage. He said I am too quite at times and I need to talk louder so that the audience will hear what I am saying. Although I think this may be because he is playing on the piano throughout the play and it may appear like I am not loud enough because he sits closer to the piano and can hear it much loud. On the other hand I do agree with this opinion because I can catch myself saying lines too quietly at time, where I think I am loud enough but re-watching it on the computer shows that I need to be louder. The fact that we will all have a microphone when on the stage will make us all sound much louder. He also said to me that I need to play more with my character and let loose so that it will make it more reliable and realistic. I think that I will improve on all of the points so that on show day I will be ready to give the best performance I will ever have.

So I am pasting the 2 videos below where I am practising the points I had to improve on (including diction):

 

 

Muiscal Theatre: "Practise Journal"

In this week, we have practised and mastered most of the scenes from the play. We only have a few scenes, which mainly consists of choreography practise, before it’s all ready for the show. The scene that we didn’t practise yet is the scene from “Brand New You”. Next week, our plan is to practise the choreography with the song as well as there will be a person chosen by my teacher to present this scene. I hope that I am the one that is chosen to sing this song because I really like it, and I believe that it is another song that can show my vocal range and skill and I also think that it suits me very well. I like the rhythm and tempo of this song as well as the style, I actually like it a lot as a whole. Also in this week, we have begun rehearsing the entire play from the beginning. We started to rehears the timing of when each one of us enters the stage and other technical stage propping stuff. If there was something we didn’t like or it didn’t work, we transformed and change it so that it fits the play better. Tomorrow is another day of rehearsal of the songs, choreography and the script from the beginning. There is a lot of work to be done and so little time to spare, but we are closer to the finish day after day. I am getting more excited after every rehearsal.

Here I'm pasting the video with song  "Brand New You" from Musical 13:

 

 

    From the vocal side, during this week I have practised the emission of my voice and singing quiet and gentle notes as well as the louder and stronger ones. Of course, I am still practising my diction, this is the one thing I will have to be practising for a long time in order to get really good at, although I can see improvement week by week. I never back down and stay stubborn to my practise routine. My aim was to get better at the quiet notes and tones when singing because most of the songs I will be doing require me to be gentle and soft. There are many songs that I really like, but I realise that I don’t have an as well-rounded voice as I need in order to sing them comfortably and up to a very good level. It was a hard task to do over the week, and from the first week I honestly cannot judge if there are any improvements in this field of singing, I will continue to practise this over the next week. From the acting side, I believe that every song allows me to show myself from a different acting perspective, and I feel that with every song I improve and evolve my acting skills. With every rehearsed song I feel like I understand my character better which allows me to get in role better with every characters’ song or scene. This makes me more reliable as I act out the role as well as makes me a better actress. I also believe that it makes my performances better and more memorable for the audience. Through this skill I can an atmosphere around me and the character I am playing, and to make the audience empathise with me.

 Here I am posting two songs that I have used for this week to practise my skills listed above:
1)Big Girls Don't Cry- Fergie
2)Bubbly- Colbie Caillat

 

 

 

 

Musical Theatre:"Practise Journal"

in the past week, we have practiced as a class the scene "It can't be true", which includes songs mixed with dialogues and in addition we practiced our dance choreography for this song. We have also practiced our position of every person in the scene. We have finished the scene/ song/ choreography of "Opportunity". In addition, we have rehearsed the whole scene of "Getting Ready", we still have to practice that scene in the future lessons, although it is close to finishing it off. This is the song that I need most practice with because it is necessary to speak clearly in order for the audience to understand it well (diction). I am still struggling with a couple of lines, therefore I have to rehears and focus on this scene more than others right now.

In the song "It can be true" the thing I have to learn most urgently is the dance choreography due to the fact that I am standing in the front row, and I am leading the rest of the group. Also, I have to learn the chorus of the song because I wasn't supposed to sing it before but now my teacher gave me this as an additional part to perform. In addition, I have to practice the timing of this particular song in the second verse, as well as when I am singing at the same time with Molly. I have practiced the scenes Did that work ?You bet it did and "A little more homework" in my spare time.

In the next week, I am planing to practice all of the scenes I have already rehearsed, go over any material that I did not fully understand and focus o my role and the preparation for the show.From the vocal side, my biggest struggle/ challenge is the song "Getting Ready" because it enforces me to practice my diction which is my biggest weakness. I think that until the show, practicing the songs, will massively improve my diction, timing and other parts that I am struggling with. I will take this as a challenge and will strive to make sure i learn from it as much as I can and in effect become a better performer. From the acting side, I believe that this role will allow me to evolve and show-off all my acting skills such as impressions, improvisation, playing with my role.

Here I am pasting my rehearsal video of "Getting ready", and the second video is "It can't be true":

Musical Theatre:"Practise Journal"

Throughout this week, as a class we have focused on practising the following songs; “13”, “Opportunity” and “Getting Ready”. We have also practised the choreography for the mentioned songs. I hope that I will be able to get some videos for you to see us during rehearsals. Personally, I have already learned the first two songs (13 and Opportunity) as well as the choreography which has allowed me to have more time to prepare myself for the third solo of mine in the song “Getting Ready”. I have also practised scenes called “Hey Kendra”, “invitations” and “Any time”. I have a plan to also practise “Bloodmaster fight underscore”, “Bad news” and “Tell her”.

I would like to learn every single part in the play as soon as possible so that I will have more time to improve my imperfections in the play, and to pay all of my attention and focus on the rehearsals prior to the show. I feel like from week to week, I am learning more and getting into my role, which enables me to learn the script, sings and dance choreography quicker.

 From the vocal side, I think that regular training and practising of the vocal exercises throughout the month allowed/ made it easier for me to prepare myself/ my voice to the songs I will be performing and the play as a whole. I have much less troubles with learning the music lines/ sheets, timing and correct breathing. Due to these exercises, I can feel the difference in my singing, it became easier and I can do it with more pleasure. Whereas in the past I have stressed and got angry over my singing if I did something wrong. The learning of new songs and acts was harder because I didn’t know how to prepare and use my voice properly, and due to the exercises, I am more confident in my voice. In this week I will try to paste more videos where I practise my solos to show/ prove that from one week to the next, I am improving and my singing is better.

Here I'm pasting the video where we practised dance for the "Opportunity " scene :

 

That's the first video which we did in this week .Today we cleaned this scene and we added more staff into it , so I will be trying to upload videos all the time to show you differences and improvements'.

And also I'm pasting the video where I practise my song "Opportunity" to show you improvements from the last week:

 

Musical Theatre: " 13 Musical - pracise journal"

General summary of this week:
In this week we were practising songs "Thirteen", "Opportunity", "All Hail the Brain" and "And a little more homework". These are the group songs where everyone is singing together. Each person have a line /lines to sing and is divided on different harmony.
Here you have videos of those songs:

"13" song:

"Opportunity" song:

"All Hail the Brain" song:

"A little more homework" song:

Also in this week I decided to practise scenes :"Hey Kendra" and "Invitations". Here I'm pasting the video where I play these scenes with my boyfriend.

 We really had fun by doing these scenes. I think if I will practice my scenario in my free time more than at the lessons , I will definitely learn my lines quicker than I thought. Also that will help me to build my character and my confidence with it.
After the first week of practicing, I think I've quickly adapted to the new role of Lucy. I really enjoy her as a character and I know I will be able to act out her role with humour but also professionalism. The show as a whole is a very funny play ,you can almost call it a comedy with some additional morals in the story. So I think that as a class and individually as Lucy, the show will be a great spectacle.

Here I am pasting a video where I practice my vocal and my performance solo:

 Through the continuous practice of my vocal and timing, I can see improve in that department. In addition, this song allows me to practice my pronunciation and diction. From the first week of rehearsals, I have already seen improvement in my overall performance including my vocal skills. This has also improved my acting skills, every time we rehears in class, I can feel and see that I am getting more confident and better at being Lucy. Due to the practice of the breathing exercises and the daily warm-up routine, the performance and emission of my voice has improved quiet a bit and that these exercises are getting easier for me.