Preparation for specialist study

Future plans

After i complete this course, I will go onto studying at university to get a degree in Literature and Theatre. My passion for acting and performing combined with my for English literature creates the perfect combination. I plan on going to stay in the University Of Essex for 3 years to further develop my acting/reading writing skills.

When I first started the year i possessed skills of;

Good memory/ability to learn lines- 

This is an important skill to have as when rehearsing for a play, if i'm able to learn lines quickly, i can focus on other things like my stage presence, vocal projection, stage awareness etc. All of these things are so much more easier when you don't have a script in front of your hand. Also having good memory can benefit for not only learning lines but also helps with remembering cues, stage positions etc.

Confidence

This is very crucial to have as an actor as every good actor shows confidence in their wor. I am able to show portray confidence when performing and believe in myself. When i believe in myself and my strength in playing a character, it reflects to the audience and make my character seem more believable to them as well.

Willing to work on performance techniques

I am a great learner and listener, and i can acknowledge i am not perfect in some elements, however the most important thing is that I know how to take on criticism/feedback and learn how to implement it into my acting and help me further perfect my techniques. I was always open to listen to my teachers feed back and let it help me bring my character back to life.

From being in this course the skills i have developed are;

Having a true commitment-

As an actor i have learnt throughout the year in this course that is important to always keep yourself motivated always try your best. At the start of the year I used to not like long rehearsals as i used to get tired throughout the day, however i learnt that long rehearsal days make a big impact towards your performance and can change the whole performance. Another example of in class, I used to not want to do certain exercise in the morning lesson as i was tired. But throughout the year i realized doing certain exercises like tongue twisters has helped my vocal projection a lot more now and i notice when i am performing. It is important to work hard and persevere through difficult times.

 Being captavating

Being captivating chimes in with being creative and at the beginning of the year i lack creativity. On my first performance with Romeo and Juliet i was given a role with one line and didn't think i could do much with it and i didn't perform to the best of my ability. My teacher gave me feedback that i could've done more and been more creative with it. Since then, I have learnt to how to hold an audience captive through stage presence, stage awareness and other skills and techniques from Stan's theories.

Having good physical skills

I have learnt to develop my skill in physical movement and portray the movements of different characters successfully. 

Shakespeare speech

for my speech i performed Helena's speech from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in Act 1 Scene 1 'How Happy some o'er some can be'. 

When learning about this monologue i researched context about the scene, what happened in the scene previously and more about the character and her personality.  Helena's character is described as insecure as desperate as she is so over obsessed with Demetrius and the fact of winning his love, she'll do absolutely anything. She even said will still pursue him even if he treats her like a dog. This shows she lacks self confidence and self respect.

In this scene before Helena's speech a nobleman Egeus offers two options for Hermia, either she marry Demetrius or join a nunnery and if she refuse to decline any of the two offers she will be murdered. Hearing these orders, Lysander urges Hermia to get married in secret at his aunt's house in Athens and Hermia agrees. Helena arrives and weeps over the fact that her Demetrius do not share mutual feelings towards each other. She stresses that her love for Lysander is far more stronger than Hermia's could ever be as Hermia loves Lysander and not him. This when her speech proceeds. I tried to portray my anger and frustration of Demetrius not loving me back during my monologue.

My teacher gave me feedback that i projected my emotion very well, my speech and articulation was clear, I used the space around me effectively and I didn't rush. However he stated that i should also work on my articulation and connecting with my character more, feeling as though i am the actual character instead of an actress saying a monologue.