First Full Run Through (Off Cast)

Teacher:
This is the first time I have run my teacher lines. This character is quite simple minded and has clearly been at least partially brainwashed by Killer Queen and Globalsoft. This is clear in her enthusiasm for the Globalsoft company and Galileo having a job there.
When doing the scene I cut off Khashoggi and Galileo a few times because I wasn't relaxed on stage. I was worrying about my lines and thought I knew them less than I did. I need to review my Que lines to ensure this doesn't happen in the show. However, I feel much more confident about these scenes and know what I need to work on.


Ensemble:
Because we didn't quite finish the run through I didn't get to rehearse all of my ensemble parts, the songs I did get to rehearse went well. Killer Queen hasn't been full choreographed yet, so I could not perform it fully but I did try to pick up the chorus part and I knew the lyrics and parts better than I thought. This is the same for Play the Game. In both of these I play a Yuppie, one of Killer Queens robotic creations, meaning I have to show plain emotion but make sure it looks fake and harsh. This is quite challenging, and when making eye contact with others I tended to loose my character but as the song goes on I get into character better, especially when performing a song I am confident with.
I have been working with my double casted Brit, Jaydee, as we both play the same parts and have the same roles in dances because we can swap easily. We teach each other what we choreograph or block for on and off cast. We have been working on Jaydee's characterisation, and she has been helping with some of the choreography. This is really useful as I get to work with her one on one, and giving her advise helps my character too, whilst being able to see an interpretation of Brit and the Teacher to mine.

What is a Costume Bible? What determines a costume design? What is a Costume Plot?

What you need for a costume bible:

• Costume Plot (all costume changes in a chart)

This part is like a timetable, of when and what each characters costume changed are through a production. This is vital because having this level of organisation makes it easy for a dresser and designer to work together to work out the most efficient way to change costumes

• Draft designs and final designs

This is important because the designer can then compare the designs and use it for future productions or keep aspects of the design that they like

• Compilation of all costume information

Keeping all of the sources of information and influences allows the designer to give credit when it's due, and discuss further ideas with the artistic director

• Detailed information about specific add-ons (zips, buttons, jewellery)

Working with the actors to compensate any costume props that the script states 

• Sketches of costume

• Fabric samples and where to source them, with prices

This can bring designs to life when they are actually makeable, otherwise they would just be designs that can never work. This level of research is vital when trying to keep to a budget and expenditure 

• Inspiration and starting points

Having these kinds of details in one place makes it easier to go back to them at later stages in the designing process for more detailed ideas and designs

• Measurements

Without measurements the designer cannot create accurate costumes freely, especially for specific costumes for only one person or a character with a lot of meaning or active scenes

• Colour Scheme

The designer needs to keep to the colour scheme, therefore being able to regularly look back on it will help them to keep to a common theme

What determines a costume design?

• Inspiration
• Practicality - Do you need to dance? stage combat? small acting space? it needs to suit the actors physical needs and appropriate for quick changes if needed
• Original costume - Comparing and taking inspiration from another designers, mainly the first, and taking or discard parts from this design
• Themes of the piece
• Other characters costumes
• Colour schemes
• Personal preference
• Budget - Strategic spending, using a budget form and making thrifty decisions, making sacrifices can be necessary
• Status - What the character is trying to portray to the audience, how they are measured against another character
• Social status/class
• Time period - Needs to be suitable for the time period, linking with status
• Culture
• Lighting - Lighting can change the colour or shade of a costume, white can pick it up but black can take it in. Colours on white create layers and can be used strategically. Sequins cause issues.
• Size
• Staging
• Character personality - For example colour would determine the warmth or mood of the person 'they think I'm a lesbian because I don't wear pastels' Stereotyping
• Audience appropriate - Eg for children (make noises, colourful, bright, texture, size, interactive, exaggeration) or appealing to certain people

What is a costume plot?

A costume plot is a chart which shows when and what characters, played by which actors, need changes throughout a production. It states each aspect of the costume, often with which side of the stage a dresser would need to be to help with quick changes, and notes telling which parts or items might need extra attention. 

Initial Look Into Costume - Why Do We Dress The Way We Do?

The main focus of this lesson was to look into the costume unit for this year. As we will be designing some costumes for We Will Rock you, we need to analyse different items, colours and styles of clothing. Therefore we decided to look at our own outfits in small groups.
Amber Isabel and I discovered that none of us really conform to mainstream styles. We found that comfort is an important aspect of all of our dress senses and self confidence has a lot to do with what we choose to wear. For example Isabel stated that what she wears often gives her more confidence, and that she wants other people to inspired to have confidence to wear what they want. Her style is mainly based on creativity, colours/patterns, comfort and an independent style. This reflects her personality, in that she is an interesting and creative person, but remains sophisticated when necessary. She has a natural flair about her, and doesn't like to be boring.
Amber is more simple, she likes simplicity but with an accessory, and says that her hair is definitely one. She will see something she likes and make sure she has it, but wears it in her own way. She likes a signature belt or jeans and likes to be bold. This simplicity doesn't reflect her personality in that she is a simple or boring person, she isn't, however she is organised and tidy, as seen in her outfit choices.
I found that my style is low maintenance on a daily bases, reflecting a laid back feel, however if I want to I like to make lazy seeming fashion staples look classier or more 'dressed up', such as converse or dungarees. I also recently have enjoyed using glitter products in my hair or makeup, also linking with a creative loose feel, and not keeping with any current trends. Like Isabel, I like to do my own thing and go with how I am emotionally feeling each day.

This is a collection of thoughts about our personal style, after discussion-

Spice Girls Presentation Evaluation

Research Content & My Contribution:
Our Spice Girls sketch was successful in that we maintained our characters well, gave a lot of information about our own characters before after and during the Spice Girls and focused on the reasoning behind their break up, which is something we wanted to look at. My contribution included gathering information about my character, Baby Spice and also my area to research. We decided to allocate these out-

I had to look up why Virgin wanted a new girl band and how the fans reacted to them. The research aspect of my contribution was not the easiest for me. I struggled to find specific bits of information that I was looking for. It was important for our group to know about why the Spice Girls were wanted because this was a part of our scene, we plan to discuss why Virgin records approached us on a talk show style show. I also had to look up their audience reaction and their fans. I found that they gained a lot of fans very quickly, meaning we then knew that we would have to act as if we knew that we had support and had the confidence to carry ourselves in a certain way when performing as these characters.

In the sketch, I had to answer questions on the area that I studied, to prepare for this I looked up some real interviews in the earlier months of their debut, which also gave me a clearer idea as to how they interacted.

From this clip, I found that the girls have a lot of energy and their separate personalities come out. Especially between 'scary' and 'ginger' spice, they all talk over each other a lot which is something I reported back to my group. I feel that my character, Baby Spice, didn't have much to say, and maybe is more shy than the others, however she is sweet and unlike the other girls in ways, but seems to pull them together well. I noticed that Victoria, 'Posh Spice' remained very secluded throughout the interview, when saying her name she simply replied with 'Victoria' and is very composed and classy. This compared to Sporty, Ginger and Scary really adds to the idea of her being posh. 

This clip shows them being even more natural on television, they are very free and improvised in the way they discuss and present themselves to the public, enhancing their fun loving vibe they describe. From what I have found, This interview was 3-4 years after their success, and you can see some of the tension between them, especially compared to the earlier first clip.
I also researched some of the Spice Girls merchandise that was available, this included mugs, stationary, chocolates, clothing and dolls-

Devising Strategies:
In terms of devising we found this stage the easiest due to our planned research. Because everyone had their own sections to look up, we found that when putting it all together we had everything we needed. Initially, we found ourselves repeating parts that didn't matter, we practised our song 'Wannabe' more than needed, as this was supposed to seem improvised and free anyway. By using a trail and error method, we decided on the questions previously mentioned for Megan, our show host, to ask us and improvise our answers based on the research we all did. This way, we found small lines or jokes that worked well and chose to keep them , but keeping with our 'on the spot' style, influenced by the Spice Girls themselves. To make it easier, we decided to create a scene plan to secure our narrative-

When rehearing, we found it challenging to create an ending that fit the brief of the story of the band, which meant we needed to include some form of break up. We considered doing small monologues each to the audience, whoever this would have become quite boring for the audience as it would be a lower tone compared to the rest of the piece. we then planned to do a recorded scene and show it, but we decideed that doing a dramatic scene on stage would be much more effective due to the general vibe of the group. This also allowed us to bring up reasons as to why the girls often bickered and show their true opinions of each other, showing the audience the level of research we had done, without taking away from the presentation style that we had chosen, still incorporating the improvised, random interview feel as well as the dynamic of the band.

What I've Learnt About Working As A Musical Ensemble:

From creating and performing this piece, I have found that the most effective methods of working together involve all contributing and all having separate areas to focus on. Rather than one person leading, we found that if we all had an equal say and compromised efficiently we got things done well. Although it took us a little time in the beginning to find this rhythm and level ground it worked really well and allowed us to perfectly portray our intentions to the audience. Our main goal was to show the dynamic in the group from the inside and out, displaying the bands professionalism, but also the bare honesty between them, along with their own separate personalities. I think that if I were to do this again, I would have prioritised things better, ensuring we got everything done to our desired standard in time, we struggled to all create effective costumes, and revise the narrative, possibly making our performance seem unprepared. I also learnt that if everyone in a group is prepared to take their role seriously, you can really get a lot done in an effective way without compromising the quality of work produced. 

The Life And Times Of The Spice Girls-