BTEC Perfoming Arts - Logs

On Wednesday it was my performance night. Overall, I was very pleased with the way it went, I have never had such a long rehearsal process so the lines and the staging for each section felt like muscle memory. I didn't have to think very hard about what my next line was and where I was supposed to be on the stage because each scene had been thoroughly rehearsed so I could really focus on embodying the character of Antigone and I had never felt so in character as I did on my performance night. Another element that we could only really engage until performance was the metatheatre element of it because when the chorus says 'she's going to have to play her part right through to the end.' I only really understood that line until that night when the audience was there. It blurred the line even further as to what was acted and what was real because I found that I didn't have to act that gut feeling of what I was about to do and each line the chorus said I slowly got more...

With the second nurse scene we had some problems with the physical touching of the piece, it was looking very staged and awkward because Antigone was sat down with a tray on her lap while Nurse stood over her trying to cuddle and comfort her. There is also lines in the section which wouldn't make sense if they were staged in a certain way such as: 'hold my hand' 'I'm holding the rough hand' ' rest your hand on my cheek like this', so we sorted this out. At this section of the scene Antigone is quite vulnerable, I feel as though she is trying to take in every memory of her Nurse, who she loves dearly and is scared by thought of her death. I think this scene is summed up by her line 'I'm just a bit small for it all', it is clear that the presence of her Nurse and her Nurses patronising words and behaviour (bringing her coffee and toast and calling her 'little dove,' and 'pigeon') has reminded Antigone of her childhood happiness....

Rehearsing in soil - Creon scene grab soil and stage combat being thrown to floor bc crash mats, chair bits, dynamic stick movement spacing Rehearsing props - water, Ismene pick up cup and chair, machete placement, paper bit when chorus, nurse tray keep it horizontal Dress runs - volume, energy On Saturday was the first time we had rehearsed on the set we will be performing on which is effectively a huge sand pit full of three tonnes of soil. We have been aware of this set for the majority of the rehearsal process therefore all the staging incorporates the soil, there are many moments in which we interact with the soil,Antigone rubs her feet in the soil and lays down in it in the nurse scene, rubs her clothes in it in defiance in the Ismene scene and then in the whole of the second act it is a huge part of the play as the Act begins with the audience able to visibly see Antigone burying the body of her brother and the rest of the play takes place with his uncovered body on the st...

no noise with noise

We worked on the Haemon scene in more frequent shorter sessions so I have condensed the process into one log.   We first worked on Haemon's entrance in which he interrupts a conversation between Antigone and Nan, because Nurse is a comical character she is hesitant to leave and makes the situation a bit awkward and uncomfortable for Antigone and Haemon. Antigone and Haemon have had an argument the night before and that is immediately obvious due to the distance between them and Antigone's first line 'forgive me'. We staged it so that Haemon would come close to her twice, following her to front stage left and attempting physical contact by touching her hand showing his reasonable human efforts to comfort his fiancé, then she throws him off annoyed at herself for ruining her chances at making love to him and moves hastily to front stage right, again Haemon follows her and hugs her from behind which she enjoys and encourages and I think she forgets for a moment that t...