Exploring text

To start the lesson we got to see a model box presentation of our set from the set designers and a presentation of the costumes from the costume designers. Seeing the set really helped me visualise the final outcome of the play and was really helpful in getting to understand the directors concept of a WW1 women's factory, for the first time i could see Shakespeare and WW1 working together. The costume designers also helped provide a visual aid to the concept as they showed us sketches of the costume and brought along the top half of the costume we all would be wearing. Henry's costume looks very different and original as they have gone against the stereotypical man wears trousers idea and have instead put Henry is a dress and a blazer like jacket. 

"There is an energy that runs through Shakespeare an energy that runs through the text which is not a naturalistic one; an energy which impels one word to the next, one thought to the next, one speech to the next, and one scene to the next. I would say that there is really not a full stop until the end of the play"  The Actor And The Text, Cicely Berryp.82 

TEXT

We responded to this quote and were looking at applying voice techniques to text in the first half of the lesson. The first important lesson we learnt was how to stand in a way that would allow us to both read our lines but also be present and responsive to the actors you are in a scene with. This technique I found really helped me with my role in the exercise because I was alert and comfortable as I could see what was going on around me but I could also see my script clearly. After getting to know the right way to stand, the next task proved to be a lot easier than it would have been. We had to read a line each from the opening speech of the play spoken by the chorus, I delivered my line from my stomach and projected it out into the open space we created as a circle. We changed this up by changing the line we recited and adding a push towards the end of the line, when I got pushed i got slightly distracted by the fact that i had just got pushed and reacted by giggling. This threw me off my line and when i pushed the person next to me they also reacted with laughter and put them off, an advantage of this though was the fact that the last couple of words i spoke were the strongest as they followed the sharp and quick movement of my arm pushing against someone else.

Walking into the centre and delivering a line from the opening speech put the posture of the actor into play as i was able to walk comfortably with my script away from my face in my left hand and also deliver my line ensuring the speech was energised and followed the rhythm the person before me had set with the pace of their delivery. Reading the line one after the other, at a natural pace mimicked the way one person would have read the whole opening speech and showed us ( especially the chorus ) how we can comfortably split lines up spontaneously but still keep the text sounding fluid and natural.