First Night- Wednesday

Wow! I really felt that our performance went sooo well on Wednesday! Even though there were a few little glitches, we mangaged to cover them up and i think the audience really enjoyed the performance.

Strengths

• Delivered all my lines correctly and felt my projection was much better that on Tuesday.
• Was ready to go on in costume and hair in every scene (with some help from maddy)
• Felt that there was a strong contrast with all my characters
• Covered up dropping of hula hoop in character

Weaknesses

• Dropped my hula hoop in opening scene
• Got really nervous before i went on
• In cooking for mum i said"heavenly" to mum when it should have been directed at the girl.

Overall, it was a good night and i got some really nice feedback from friends in the audience

One more sleep to go!!!

OMG! Its the night before our first real performance night and i think the feeling in my stomach is a huge combination of nerves and excitement!

Well the last week has been testing for me fitting in the usual onset of year 12 homework and part time work, drama rehursals have been very damanding. However, i have also thoroughly enjoyed this expireince. i truly belive that we are going to be one of the top year 12 productions throughout SA. Needless to say that we have the best director and an enthused and energetic group we also have such an amazing space to perfom in so we are so luky.

Ok getting down to the nitty gritty part, i think that i have improved with my whole diversity of characters. Especially in this last week and with the feedback i got yesterday my character has seriously devolped to the level where i almost fell to pieces in my best friend scene today. I think that this play is soo deep. I feel so ridicoulously stupid when im a hula hooper, duck and mallrat but its is so much fun. I think my costumes realy help with the transition though and i feel completely different everytime of come on as a different charater.
Some might say why put a circus and anorexia together but i think it is a perfect combination. The elements of the circus balance out the dark and depressing side of the play. It has meaning and depth and i think as a group we have worked really hard to try and put this across to the audience.

I sincerely feel that even though some of our rehursals were not made use of at the start and not everyone has been able to attend that what we are about to present to our friends, families, moderators and randoms that is of excellent quality. My estimated mark from yesterday has inspired me and i am going to perfom my little heart out for the next three nights.

I'd like to mention that have felt a little consumed by this subject. A lot of people are unaware of the extensive amount of energy that needs to be continously fed into it. It can become quite tiring physically and mentally, especially doing physical theatre. BUT i am so happy that for my final year at school i got to be a part of something like this.

Finally, Sundays full run through was interesting. I learnt that i need a running sheet with notes on how to change my hair(not my costume, thats ok:) ) because it is too much to store in ones head along with our lines. Therefore, i found a little corner behind the syche, which i will now have to move, thanks ms mace, that i can put everthing i need for the performance. It was weird not being able to run to the seats and get more stuf so i officially realised that i will have to have everything i need backstage. So figuring this out on sunday benefited my performance today as i stuck up my little running sheet(along with everyone elses) and was organized. Now today i nearly threw up before i went onstage because i was so nervous but this usually happens with the first encounter of the audience but then i eventually forget the audience is even there.

Well i think thats it for me goodluck everyone we will be awsome!!!

Getting sooo close!

Wow sunday's rehursal was awsome, aside from the fact we spent more than the usual amount of hours at school on a non school day, i think it was so productive!

Firstly,the energy we put into space jump was so beneficial to our group as a whole. I felt so confortable getting up as apposed to the day we did space jump when we had just got our characters. This highlights that our ensemble as a group even when we are not performing Mirror, mirror is excellent. Also doing park bench in our characters really helped me to see the friend in a different light up until last week i had always imagined the friend being quite loud and overly exaggerated but i've realised that she is slightly like this but more of a all rounder type of person i feel she is a little bit of each kind a a friend possible. Yes, she is bright and bubbly like i always imagined but there is a whole different perspective she wants to fit in just like the girl does, with her family, frinds, boyfrind, socially,etc she too has a lot of pressure, however she is mentally healthy and has a good balance whereas the girl is caught up in her own perfection.
Sorry getting back to park bench... it really allowed me to be the friend sitting next to her and feel that connection in a non-scene of the play.

Also i was so relieved when i finally got to do my Best Friend scene i got goosebumps when i actually delivered my lines. It was such an awsome feeling to know that i can take on a character and feel what they are feeling. Oh and the last scene.... it is totally wiked!! That church music really sets the mood and i almost cried GO JOSH!. I really think the audience will be truly moved by our production, i cant wait!!!

I know that we don't have much time left and as i group i think that we wasted quite a bit of time at the beginnig but going through act one without stopping on Sunday showed me how capable we really are of pulling this off. At this point i think we are well on our way to a top performance.

My only anxieties at the moment are costume and hair changes so that i can show my diversity as an actor and truly maintain each chracter without looking similar i.e( completely changing hair each time will be a challenge) I also truly think that my sewing ability is developing because of this play lol

Ok well i think i have completely vented now, i hope!

Although just a reminder to Ali to take not on how she communticates with people as we are all doing our best to help.

Ok bibi

Rehursals!!!

Omg I cant belive we are almost at the end of week three! And we still have a whole other act to get through...

The last three weeks have been so exciting getting scenes blocked in and i think everyone kinda thought we had heaps of time but now its like two weeks til were on and i felt sick when i realised that to day. I dont mean to state the obvious and make eveyone stressed but i really think we are going to have to be so focused to polish this thing up!

I think as a group we are working well trying to encourage and keep people on the ball and most have really made a commitment which is so good. But i think there is still a slight bit of negativity in the group , in regards to when someone has an idea or is trying to help ,people get defenssive and make people feel guilty for expressing their thoughts.However, i think this cannot be avoided as our group is filled with so many talented and strong minded people that there are bound to be some power struggles.

I would also just like to say that josh is doing a fantastic job!(Everyone else is too with acting!!!!) But for someone to put so much thought and effort into the music for our play it is so awsome!
In the past few rehursals i have really enjoyed the "Dancing Ponies" scene because the music is so compelling and easy to get into which gives makes me want to put all my energy into not only this scene but all the ones i am involved in.

The only thing im nervous about is that i am going to loose my hoola hoop on stage lol i hope i get one soon so i can practise.....

Well know that i've put all my random thoughts down im going to add in a few pics i have found to help with character development

Holidays... Character Development

I found the work we did on both tues and thurs was very helpful in developing our character. The 'hot seat' in the round activity was particularily beneficial!

As i was the first to go up i didnt know what to expect but i really enjoyed experimenting with my character. The only challenge that i see myself facing is trying to steer away from being MYSELF but i know i can overcome this...

Soo far i know that my character....

• does ballet
• loves horses
• has a boy friend
• wants to gain back the relationship she used to have with her best friend
• is a happy strong character
• is satisfied with her body image

I found some of these web sites useful in understanding how people cope with their close freinds having anorexia

• "TEENVOUGE" - http://boards.teenvogue.com/message.jspa?messageID=927798
• Reality reads.."Anorexia nearly killed my best friend"-http://dolly.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=253717

I really like my character i cant wait until we start blocking!!

Week Ten....Casting

I am the girls best friend. When i first heard this i was slightly shocked as i hadn't even really considered taking on her role. However, i am really excited about the challenge of playing a straight character. I know it will be a challange because i will have to dig deep to develop this character. I have to really become the girls best friend. I have to portray to the audience how the girls illness affects me and her social life. I am a representative of all friends who witness their friends suffer through eating disorders. I will do my very best to portray this character and carry out the neccessary research to get a better understanding of eating disorders.

I cant believe how much i am looking forward to working with everyone in rehursals!
Will see everyone in the holiday rehursals.. have a great holiday!

Del~

Week Eight and Nine... Ideas

Mirror, Mirror is a play which explores the ideas surrounding the seriousness of eating disorders. It is important that as a group we work towards creating an atmosphere which represents the girls mind as well as displays the impact she has on her surroundings.

Some suggestions that have been discussed in class that i agree would work well are:

• theatre in the round
• material positioned on the ceiling to create a circus tent like feel
• carnival stands in the front of house
• smoke machines

I think that this play will be amazing and if we sustain our characters as well as utilize these suggestions our audience will really feel as if they are a part of the girls' journey in her world of dellusion.