In this project, we will be putting on a charity musical theatre show in which we will create material from the musicals chosen. We are raising money for Paint Jamaica and will be musical theatre performers in this performance. Paint Jamaica raise funds for education and art in Kingston, Jamaica to better the community
Task one
Musical theatre timeline
Reference
https://prezi.com/lwkvtpqvt5dz/musical-theatre-history-timeline/
The History Of Theatre Timeline
Comparison between Tin Drum and An American In Paris
The similarities in the shows were that they both had moving set on trucks, were both set in and around the 1940's and both had narration but in different styles.
An American in Paris was set after WW2 and had a light-hearted style to the performance. In terms of technique, there was a major inclusion of the ballet dance style. This was a traditional musical with traditional lighting, it had Principals and chorus. Also, it had an orchestra under the pit and was performed end on in a theatre with a proscenium arch.
Tin Drum was set during WW2 and was performed in a dark and abstract style with atmospherical lighting. It used many techniques such as puppetry (the goose and Oscar) and multi-rolling. It dragged set across bodies which were effective. It was a physical theatre piece with singing and a 3 man band on the stage.
In my opinion Tin drum wasn't good because of the seats we were in and also the type of theatre it was. I much prefer shows that are more traditional and that uses more traditional techniques. Also, that carries the storyline a lot better. I feel that An American in Paris It had a much better storyline and was more to my liking.
REVIEW OF TIN DRUM
I did not enjoy this play with music due to the style that it was performed in. I found the storyline hard to follow and found that the lower section of the thrust staging wasn't used well as I was sitting on the side of the stage and was only acknowledged by one actor. Also, due to my seating, I lost moments on the rostrum and did not get the full effect of certain moments. One example is the moment they dragged a representation of bodies over some of the actors. There were some good moments in it but were ultimately ruined. Some of these were the moment one actor went into the water and died, another was the shooting section that was effective. Overall it was good but the main problems I had with it was the seating aspect and also the lack of recognition that there was audience on 3 sides.
MUSICAL THEATRE
Background:
The musicals as we know have some of its roots in the French and Viennese Operettas of the 1800s. The satiric works of Jacques Offenbach (Paris) and the romantic comedies of Johann Strauss II (Vienna) were the first musicals to achieve international popularity. Continental operettas were well received in England, but audiences there preferred the looser variety format of the Music Hall.
Leading practitioners:
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim and Alan Menken are just a few of the famous composers of musical theatre.
Highly significant pieces of work:
Some of the longest-running musicals on Broadway are Les Misérables, Mamma mia and Cats. In the West End, it is Les Misérables, The Phantom Of The Opera and Blood Brothers.
Why its unique as a style:
Musical theatre combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and the emotional content of a musical are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as a whole.
Other information:
Some elements of theatre include Plot, Character, Thought, Music and Spectacle.
Julie Andrews, Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth are a few of the most famous musical theatre actresses. Julie Andrews has appeared in The sound of music, Mary Poppins and on Broadway in The Boyfriend in 1948. Idina Menzel has appeared in Rent both on screen and stage, Glee (as the recurring character of Shelby) and is in the original cast of Wicked where she played Elphaba alongside Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda.
PHYSICAL THEATRE
Background:
Complicite started in 1983 with their first production being "Put it on your head". Artaud was born in 1896 and in 1932-1933 he published his first work of dramatic theory, Manifestos of the Theater of Cruelty, and in 1935 he staged the first work based on his theories, an adaptation of Les Cenci, which was heavily dependent on the earlier works on that theme by the British poet Shelley and the French novelist Stendhal. Le Coq taught at the school he founded in Paris, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq from 1956 until his death in 1999.
Leading Practitioners:
- Antonin Artaud
- Jaques Le Coq
Highly significant pieces of work:
Why it's unique as a style:
It is a meeting point between dance and drama that can include techniques like mime and slapstick.
Other Information and my opinion of the practitioners:
Antonin Artaud and Jaques Le Coq both have different takes on their styles. Artod has the theatre of cruelty where he likes to immerse the audience in the piece and to use screams and extravagant set to truly make the audience on edge about what will happen next in the piece. Whereas Le Coq introduced the use of mask and mime into physical theatre, in addition, he felt strongly about teaching his method. It is still taught now and he has a Drama school in France where his method is taught.
In my opinion, Complicite and Le Coq have the most links as both use the contemporary style of theatre. This also links because the main influence of complicite was Lecoq in its initial years and his ideas on playfulness were very influential.
Companies
Complicite
DV8
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
References
Musical Theatre:
Background info - http://www.musicals101.com/stagecap.htm
The style - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_theatre
Other info - http://homepage.smc.edu/adair-lynch_terrin/ta%205/elements.htm
Physical Theatre:
Background information - https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/french-literature-biographies/antonin-artaud
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Lecoq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complicite
Pieces of work - https://www.franticassembly.co.uk/productions
http://www.complicite.org/productions-home.php
The style - https://prezi.com/iys5lxqnaffo/physical-theatre/
http://www.complicite.org/company.php
Information on the musicals
Annie
The plot is:
An orphan in a facility run by the mean Miss Hannigan, Annie believes that her parents left her there by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to let an orphan live at his home to promote his image, Annie is selected. While Annie gets accustomed to living in Warbucks' mansion, she still longs to meet her parents. So Warbucks announces a search for them and a reward, which brings out many frauds.
It has been running for about 40 years on and off. It is originally set in 1933. It is successful because to keep the seats filled they have celebrities like Miranda Hart and Craig Revel Horwood playing Miss Hannigan.
Key songs include Tomorrow, Its a hard knock life and I don't need anything from you.
Matilda
Matilda is based on a book by Roald Dahl. It was adapted by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. The musicals narrative centres on Matilda, a precocious 5-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis, who loves reading, overcome obstacles caused by her family and school and helps her teacher to reclaim her life. It has been running for 5 years and lasts for 2 hours 40 minutes. It is successful as it been a book with a following and has won at the Tony's and Oliviers.
Key songs include Naughty and Revolting Children.
Guys and dolls
The plot is:
Gambler Nathan Detroit has few options for the location of his big craps game. Needing $1,000 to pay a garage owner to host the game, Nathan bets Sky Masterson that Sky cannot get virtuous Sarah Brown out on a date. Despite some resistance, Sky negotiates a date with her in exchange for bringing people into her mission. Meanwhile, Nathan's longtime fiancée, Adelaide, wants him to go legit and marry her.
It has run on and off for 65 years and runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes. It is successful because of its catchy songs and its story.
It has run on and off for 65 years and runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes. It is successful because of its catchy songs and its story.
Key songs include Sit Down your rocking the boat and Luck be a Lady.
Calamity Jane
The plot is:
In the lonely Deadwood, Dakota, territory, sharpshooter Calamity Jane falls for cavalry Lt. Danny Gilmartin when she is forced to rescue him from the Indians. Recognizing that the women-starved townsmen long for a "real" woman, Calamity journeys to Chicago to bring back famous singer Adelaide Adams, but mistakenly brings her maid Katie instead. Heartbroken when Danny falls for Katie, Calamity all but ignores her jovial friend Wild Bill Hickok.
It ran on and off from 1979 to 2015 and is 1 hour and 40 minutes long. It is successful because of the comedy aspect in the musical.
It ran on and off from 1979 to 2015 and is 1 hour and 40 minutes long. It is successful because of the comedy aspect in the musical.
Key songs include Just blew in from the windy city and The deadwood stage.
An American in Paris
The plot is:
Jerry Mulligan is an American ex-GI who stays in post-war Paris to become a painter and falls for the gamine charms of Lise Bouvier. However, his paintings come to the attention of Milo Roberts, a rich American heiress, who is interested in more than just art.
It opened a year ago and is 2 hours and 30 minutes. It is successful because of its dance aspects and love story.
Some songs include I got rhythm and S'wonderful.
This was ultimately removed from the show as we have 4 musicals worth of material.
La La land
The plot is:
Sebastian and Mia are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But as success mounts, they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
It came out in 2016 and has won BAFTA's, Golden Globes and Academy Awards. It is successful because of the casting and also the songs and dances.
Some songs include Someone in the crowd, another day of sun and City of stars.
This was ultimately removed from the show as we have 4 musicals worth of material.
References
Annie:
https://link4life.org/arts-heritage/whats-on-touchstones/4-heywood-civic-centre/305-hey-kids-present-annie
Matilda:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_the_Musical
Guys and dolls:
http://www.altonevents.co.uk/events/2018/aods-guys-and-dolls.asp
Calamity Jane:
http://tv.twcc.com/movie/calamity-james/612024
An American in Paris:
http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/pec-events/american-paris-monroe-theatre/
La La Land:
Task Two
Audition prep presentation
References
Photos:
https://www.facebook.com/AuditionsDatabase/
The Colour Purple -
https://atlanta.broadway.com/shows/color-purple-baa/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcnAGDra8gI
http://tickets.hellojoburg.co.za/event/the-color-purple/2018-03-03/
Addams Family -
https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/1413/the-addams-family
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaCsDGr6eC0
https://www.broadway.com/shows/the-addams-family/photos/the-addams-familys-krysta-rodriguez-gets-pulled-onto-good-day-new-york/156710/krysta-good-day-krysta-rodriguez-5
Matilda -
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/matilda/id539325398
https://ladygeekgirl.wordpress.com/2017/01/12/throwback-thursdays-matilda/matilda-miss-honey/
http://www.atgtickets.com/news/matilda-the-musical-tour-announcement/
Guys and Dolls -
https://www.door2tour.com/holiday-type/theatre-breaks/london-theatre-breaks/guys-and-dolls/
https://tomandlorenzo.com/2007/06/musical-monday-guys-and-dolls/
Audition songs and monologue
Pulled - Addams Family
I'm Here - The Colour purple
Monologue
Guys and Dolls Sarah Brown
Matilda Miss Honey
References
Guys and dolls -
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/591b492ed2b8570e4ad5ef11/t/59303943e6f2e1d64768f287/1496332612582/G%26D+Monologue+-+Sarah.pdf
Matilda -
https://www.sites.google.com/site/qitranscripts/matilda-act-2
My audition
EVALUATION
In the variety show, I would like to play Miss Honey as I feel that I can portray the emotions needed for this role and the innocence and kind nature of the character. I would like to play Sarah Brown as she is focused and determined which adds to her storyline and shows her passion for the cause she is fighting. Both their storylines have depth and I think that they are a crucial part of the musicals due to their relationships with the other characters.
To prepare for the audition I learnt my monologues and songs and thought ahead when thinking about what I'd wear. I went with darker colours to fit the character of Wednesday and a dress to fit with the other characters. I also decided to relax the evening before so I didn't stress or work myself up about the audition. On the day I went through my audition pieces once or twice but not too much as I feel that I would have forgotten lyrics or words if I went over it too much. I acted professionally in the audition and if something went wrong I pushed past it and didn't worry too much about it as that would have impacted my performance.
In terms of the other units and using elements of them in my audition I feel that I used the vocal techniques unit more than anything else, and took certain skills from MADE IN DAGENHAM to project in my songs and monologues. From the vocal techniques unit, I took the facial expressions and hand gestures, as during pulled Wednesday is trying to fight the emotions she is feeling about Lucas. I chose songs that didn't need much movement, however, I had twisted my ankle the day before and was in pain so it was better on the day to have those songs. But if I had chosen more dancey numbers and not had a twisted ankle I would have added movement to my songs and monologues.
I think my the areas I need to improve on are the top of my range vocals and my accent as I think I dropped out of it a few times. I think that my strengths were the lower part of my vocal range and my characterisation, at points I was inhibited but I feel that I did the best I could in that situation.
Task 3
Research into / inspiration for Revolting Children
Plan for set
Planning for The Crapshooters dance
Which song fits the theatre style best based on out ideas -
Plan of action to prepare for the show:
Video evidence:
Revolting children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwMX87P2Orc
Naughty
https://youtu.be/wn2lQNDBB9E
I am mostly happy with the roles I received as Miss Honey is one of my favourite Characters in Matilda, in terms of Guys and dolls I am happy with getting Sarah as I auditioned for her in the audition along with Miss Honey. I wasn’t expecting to get one of the gamblers but due to our mini musical I get it. I think with the preparation we have gone through numbers at quite a good speed as Hard knock life, Revolting Children, the Crapshooters dance and most of Naughty are now choreographed leaving us time to get other numbers and scenes done. I feel that we have gotten things done efficiently leaving us enough time to finish the show and get it to a good place where there may only be a few tweaks that can be ironed out.
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