Unit 8- collaborative performance project
Candidate Declaration - I confirm that the attached portfolio is all my own work and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself
Task 1
For task 1 please see Production diary- https://hayleypbacting.blogspot.com/2024/05/performance-journey-term-5.html
Task 2
Audition process
First audition, - monologue from 'Annie' locket monologue
For my audition today, i chose a monologue from Annie known as her 'locket' monologue, i chose this because i felt like it showed a different emotion to that of which i have shown in my acting so far. The morning of auditions, i felt very nervous, but at the same time i felt like i was as prepared as i could be for the auditions, i had picked a monologue u felt portrayed the things i wanted to in a monologue, and i also had learnt it, for good luck i took in with me a locket that my (adoptive) mother let me use, this also doubled as a prop for my audition because the monologue is all about her locket. I practised for my audition by saying my monologue to Scarlet Layla and Evie in the LRC, they gave me some feed back, i needed to slow down my lines and act as if i was in a room with the person i was talking about.
i took their feedback on board, i then did it again for them, and they said that it was much better, at this time it was my time to go in for my audition, i was extremely nervous, but not as nervous as i have been in the past for auditions. As i was walking in for my audition i became more and more nervous, but as i was stood in the room to do my audition i felt okay as i could only do as good as my best. I stood there and did my audition, and then i was asked some questions by Kelly and Abbie, as i walked out of my audition i realised that there was quite a few things i messed up in my audition and i knew instantly that i could have done better. I was doing my audition as if the other person was in the room with me, and i think i messed up on the spacing because i found myself looking to the side of the room when i could in my head have positioned them in front of me so i was interacting with someone closer to where Kelly and Abbie were sat so i would have been facing towards them. I could have also had better projection.
A video of my monologue:
For the second part of auditions, we chose another person to team up with and chose a part of the script and act it out together, for this i paired up with Freya who was wanting to go for Grace, and i wanted to go for Miss Wiley, and we did the final scene in act 1, where they meet for the first time and discuss what Grace wants. This was also my first time attempting an american accent, i gave it a good try because i wanted to learn it earlier on than leave it till the end.
Task 2.1
For my research for my production role, i started with some contextual research, i researched what was going on at the time the play was set, and why the events of the play took place. I also did research on each of the characters and their lives so i could understand them as a person, i did this not only for the production role, but also so when i am acting on stage alongside these characters, i am able to truly understand their feelings and the reasoning for their actions.
Task 2.2
For my production role, i chose to costume design, i started off with contextual research, i then moved on to researching fashion during the 1920-1940s, which is the time span of the play. i made a board on pinterest and i also made a mood board, i then made a powerpoint for each of the characters and what they would wear, and what the people in the different social classes would wear. The higher up in society you were, the richer the colours of your clothes were and the better the material. Most men wore a suit every day, and if you were richer you often wore a bow tie rather than a normal tie. For my plan, i created a grid which includes each of the characters, who plays the characters and my plan for what they are going to wear.
I then made a not of what we already had, and got people to try the costumes we had on. I started with the Mrs Wileys, and got them both sorted then i looked through the rest of the costumes to get an idea of who could wear what. once i tried all of the costumes we had on people, i moved on to working out what we still need. i looked in charity shops and found some dresses and i have also been looking online for things. As time went on, my costumes changed for different people, Tom had brought costumes in from his costume store, and i sorted them out with his help, we got to the point where most people were sorted, and i talked to the left over people about their costumes.
Radium girls costume powerpoint- radium girls costumes.pptx
link for radium girls pinterest board- https://pin.it/4wL2QI8ka
Task 2.3
I researched costumes of the period, but i also did research on the context of the time period, and then i also delved into the life of the radium girls, and who they were as people, how they would have felt. i did this for an understanding of the play, but also so when i was acting with these characters as my character, i can truly understand them and how they would feel so it benefits the play as a whole.
Task 3.1
During rehearsals, the skills that i have learnt are, teamwork, organisation, research and collaboration. What helped me with my teamwork skills was, for one, doing costumes as a team, we had to work together to decide what people would wear, and we also worked together to make a list of what we had and what we needed, My team were to start off with it was just me and Keira, then Laura Alan and Pheebs joined the costume Team, so when we started, me and Keira did the time period research, and the planning. I learned how to be organised because when we first started giving people their costumes, i labelled them all and put each person's costumes together on the rail, i went to the costume balcony and found a rail and brought it back to the dance studio with Laura. I improved my research skills, because once i had done my online research me and Keira went to the LRC and found books on 1920s fashion and did more research from there. We also Collaborated as a team, we listened to each other and worked together to find the right costumes for the right people.
I did a lot of research for my characters, i researched the roles of women in the 1920s and i also researched how to do an american accent, because i could not do one before we started rehearsals, i also listened to Tom's advice, and learnt how to make my voice sound deeper. Tom said this would help me to sound more mature and more like a mother, because older women have deeper more mature sounding voices and i have listened to him and worked on it. During rehearsals for the Society woman scenes, Tom gave me notes, he told me i need to be more confident and excited, as she is very powerful and believes in what she is saying.
Task 3.2
Costume production role, All explained in blog and production role blog posts.
https://hayleypbacting.blogspot.com/2024/06/production-role-costume-design-radium.html
https://hayleypbacting.blogspot.com/2024/05/performance-journey-term-5.html
Production role- all on production role costume design blog.
Production role
Task 4.1
My first thoughts when we were told the play we would be dong for our end of year show, was that it was going to be difficult to pull off because of the nature of the show, it is a very naturalistic and serious piece, something very unlike anything i have done in the past, as rehearsals went on, i began to love it and i was very excited for the show.
My initial approach to the piece, was to read the whole script, and i found versions of the play on YouTube and watched it, i also watched the Radium Girls film, the film is a different story than the script, the film is about Bessie Covalo a young woman, and the play follows the story of Grace Fryer and her life and death, and the fight she put up to win the lawsuit. I did research so that when it came to getting to know the play and my character, i was a step ahead. In the long run, i found this made my journey as an actor easier when it came down to knowing my character inside out.
Throughout this journey, i have seen myself grow as an actor, there has been many skills that i have learnt which have helped not only as an actor but also as a person. As time grew nearer towards the performance, i was very nervous, as time grew nearer, i realised that it was a tight schedule, the weeks went by and i personally as an actor was struggling with the time frame. My main focus for the show other than my character, was costume, i was on costume design for my production role, i did many hours of research and i did fundraising for the costumes, i then spent a lot of time searching shops and online to find costumes.
Through the journey, i managed to really connect with my character Mrs Fryer (Grace's Mother) and her relationship with her daughter she supports her daughter and her choices, but when it really comes down to it, she tries to change Grace's mind she always wants what is best for Grace, and she tries to get her there but after her and grace talk it over which turns into a fight, she sees the passion Grace shows for fighting and winning, and she in the end changes her mind, this is not written in the script but when rehearsing, this is what i gave to my character, i felt that she needed to choose in the end to stick by her daughter, she really always supported her and wanted her to be happy. I chose to show this, by being there in the court room scene near the end, holding Grace's hand and being there for her.
Another approach i had was to talk to Freya who plays Mrs Fryer in cast 1, i talked to her and i watched her. I payed attention to how she played the character and i took parts from it, but i also wanted to bring something different to the character, i wanted to show how worn down she was, how hard she has tried to be there for grace. And all she ever wanted was for Grace to be happy and safe. Talking to Freya about the character i feel also helped me in learning to work with and communicate to other actors, which is a very important thing to be able to do as an actor, to truly work as a team, you have to communicate, listen and learn from each other.
The other character i played was Society Woman, she is there for public speeches, she is a very high member of society and she is a part of the woman's club, she escorts Madame Curie and she Is a close friend of Miss Wiley, playing the society woman was a very different character than Mrs fryer, they are essentially from different worlds, she is very well spoken and people respect her as a person, this was very difficult to portray.
Task 4.2
Night 1- Tonight, i played Society Woman, the society woman is a role that i love, she is a really respected and valued part of society, which i think is hard to play, she knows that people respect her and she knows how to command a crowd, she knows what to say and she is very confident. On the night of the show, My first scene was messed up, Sophia who plays Grace didn't come on in time so I started the scene, and i got on with it, i know that i messed up, but i put my all into the character, and i tried my hardest, and i think i did a good job, feedback that i got from people was that i did a good job covering up the mistake and i used it as part of my character, when Grace did come into the scene, i spoke louder to command the audience, and show them i was talking and i was in charge.
Night 2- Tonight i Played Mrs Fryer my first scene went really well, i followed notes i had been given in rehearsal, and i used them in my performance, personally i think this is the best i have ever played the character, i got on the stage and i really felt like Mrs Fryer, not someone playing her, My first scene, i am mad that mad at Grace because she has given up a really good job at the factory where she was earning a lot of money, and i am arguing with her about it.
When it came to my final scene as Mrs Fryer, i really wanted to show the care, but also anger i felt towards grace, in this scene i am trying to get her to sign a check from the radium company the settlement that they have offered her, if she keeps quiet then she gets the money, i am just done with her fighting, because i know that she does not have much time left and i just want her to live her life. To show this, i sat and i had my head in my hands after the argument, because she doesn't know what to do, all she really wants is for Grace to be safe, she doesn't want to see her wear herself down fighting for what she can't have. In my final moment on that stage with Grace she is talking to me, explaining why she is doing it, and i share a look with her, we make eye contact and we hold the look, we did this to show that moment between them, when Mrs Fryer finally notices why she is doing this, and that it is what she needs to do, and during the court room scene in act 2, she stands next to grace and holds her hand, and she is there for her, she wants her to fight, in the end she is there for Grace until the day that she dies.
"I think you did really well, even when you stuttered with your lines but you caried on and it didn't faze you, it was very good"- Feedback from an audience member.
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