If

youre making mistakes it

means youre out there doing
something Neil Gaiman

(Credited: http://wekosh.com/daily-motivational-quotes-makingmistakes-quotes/)

3rd 7th November 2014

Games and
Exercises:
1-20, A - Z
Click Clap Number
Game
Surnames/Animals.
I love you but I just
cant smile
Death Game
Bullet, Grenade,
Gas
Cut the Cake
Oi, Take it, No!
Elephant, Queen
Mary.
Celebrity Name
Game

Newspaper Project and Skills

This week has been really full on and I have loved just
how much we have done! It has been a diverse week
where I have felt constantly challenged and pushed to
take risks as an actor and as a director.
(Credited: Google Images)

3rd 7th November 2014

On Monday, we did a day of gymnastics, which proved to be a great challenge! We

learnt a variety of skills and it was good to take risks and push the boundaries as
individuals and as a company.

One of the moves we did we did was putting your legs against the wall. The aim is to
get a perfect right angle. When doing this I had a tendency to be too far forward in
fear that I was going to loose balance. I need to make sure that I bring my hands
forward before I go up so that I have a better chance of making the right angle.

We also did handstands against the wall, I have never been able to do handstands but
I started to feel that moment of suspension when you get your legs up higher. I feel I
now understand the technique it's just about making sure I get the desired height.

(Credited: Google Images)

Forward rolls were more of a success! I managed to do them!! I think now I need to
work on getting into them and coming out of them more smoothly! Backward rolls
were a lot harder though, as your hands have to be in a really specific position and I
found it hard to reach over properly and getting the momentum.

We also did leaps and jumps and then made this harder by doing leaps where you
have to bring your feet out or keep your legs together as you move.

We also did cartwheels, which I need a lot more practice on! It was good though to
learn the proper technique of having flat hands and putting them into the right
position and how you go into it.


2

3rd 7th November 2014

Headstands were really difficult for me; it's the arm strength and getting the balance
right as well. We were taught a position called the crow, which is how you go into
the headstand. It's a really difficult position actually; I found it hard to get my legs to
balance on my arms! However, by the end of the year my goal is to be able to do this!

Most of what we did was relatively new to me so I didn't pick it up straight away.
However, I feel positive that now I have the basics and am more aware of how to do
these moves effectively; I will be able to be more daring next time and go into them
with more confidence, pushing myself with height too.

Lifts were another challenge! Something I find difficult about lifts is understanding
how personally I am best placed. I am not really a natural flyer but I also don't have
natural grounded earthy quality to be a really strong base. I was paired with Levi who
is also a mid so this meant we were able to explore and chop and change roles
throughout. At times, I felt confident being a base but other times it scared me
because I was worried about holding Levi and doubted my ability to hold him
securely. I know it's not all about strength, a lot of it is about balance but I just felt
daunted and found it hard to trust myself. When it came to being lifted I was quite
nervous but once we had done a lift a few times my confidence started to build. One
of the hardest lifts was kneeling down and the other person standing on your
shoulders. Being the base was ok, but I was glad Carleigh was there to help support
because you do feel really responsible for that person. When we switched it around I
found it easier once I was in position and started to trust my balance and
coordination.

Lifts that we covered included:

v Superman
v One leg on knee
v Base for handstands
v Shoulder Stand
v Superman Roll




3

3rd 7th November 2014

At the end of the day, we had a short amount of time to make up a routine using
the moves we have learnt so far. I must admit Levi and I found it really difficult at
times to get into the lifts because we are both not definitive in being a base or flyer
so sometimes it was hard to lift each other. However, when it came to making up
this routine we created some fun characters and tried to keep what we were doing
playful. Even though the technique lacked we had fun with it and I believe put our
all into making contact work the focal point. I had a lot of fun in this session and
even though I struggled at times I liked the fact I was taking risks and learning
something new.

(Credited: Google Images)

3rd 7th November 2014

(Continued)

Newspaper Project
The following are ideas the individual
On Tuesday, we started the newspaper
groups generated:
project. We spent the first part of our

rehearsal talking to the group about the
Sid, Rahim, Lacey, James
decided concept after our meeting with

Gavin. They seemed quite inspired with the GM foods
ideas and people had a lot to say. The
Shadow theatre
general concept is eating disorders, pressure How this affects our body - body parts
to look a certain way for example, from the
media or peers etc, and online personas.
Holly, Jess, Cameron and Jack
The plan is to link all of these things

together in a creative way!
Online personas and physicalisation of

thoughts.
We split the company into groups and asked
them to improvise a scene with these issues Hartpreet, Zac and Courtney
giving them freedom to explore whatever

they wanted to. It was good to see the
Mannequins, pressure to look a certain
actors just being creative and going with
way.
what they are passionate about.


I loved how different all of the pieces

were, they were all really simple in their

structure, but got their point across
clearly. It was great how many ideas
were being touched upon.
We then took all of the concepts and
in the same groups gave them specific
scenarios to create improvisation
around after discovering some strong
ideas.

Directors Note:

Be definitive with the notes you give.

Carleigh When directing a group of actors
you have to be firm in the choices you make.
You cannot expect actors to trust you if you
give over the impression you are not sure what
you are doing. You have to be self-assured and
go with your instincts without questioning
yourself. You have to believe you can do it and
then they will believe they can too!

Images right of text box and below:
Credited Google Images

The next improvisations were also really interesting to

watch. The mannequin idea was taken further and
became something we wanted to focus on. This idea
that in the shops mannequins are skinny and people
feel that they have to look like that in order wear the
clothes that they display. They present an unrealistic
image of how clothes should fit you.

This idea of models eating the wrong foods stemmed
from Sidneys idea about GM foods and creative ways
were found to link this together.

I was really pleased that everyone had just given the
ideas a go and some material was produced. We put a
lot of emphasis on the fact that when we do these
little explorations actors should not feel they are being
asked to create a final product. Its about exploring and
then one idea will inspire another.

We had a meeting with Carleigh and

it was useful to get some pointers as
to how to be more effective as a
whole when directing a group of
actors.

Points included:

Give definitive notes, not I
think its I know.
Be aware of your positioning
At the side you can see them all
if your giving notes to people

on stage and are also offering
something to the audience.
The music has to aid the work
otherwise it should not be
there.
Professionalism Your stance
their energy will match yours.
Voice assert authority fill
the space almost a
performance level.
Take the Directors Role
Be present
Be commanding in tone and
body language
Demand a respect dont start
until they are all on board.
The director has to be one step
ahead of the actor their job is
to respond to you.
If you change the game, you all
need to know what the game is.
Make decisions sue you eyes
more often be firm with each
other professional conduct.

It was really useful to get these notes and it

makes you realise how as a director in the
room you have a huge responsibility to bring a
big energy. Especially as this is their first
process they may not be aware of how to
bring energy, so you have to put in your best
so that they match this and you have a room
of buzzing actors.

Open Day

On Wednesday, it was open day and we took
part in a workshop led by Claire with potential
new actors. It was really good fun!

Games and Exercises:

Name and Action
ENERGY
Kings Chair
Spare Chair
Yes, No
Will you marry me? OK.
You stole my Lollipop, No I didnt.

Friends of the Miskin was also a good
evening to talk about the plan for the year.
Personally, I am really enjoying this year and
cant wait to do all of the things that are
planned! Its a full on and challenging but I like
the fact I am taking risks and being constantly
pushed and forced to better myself.

3rd 7th November 2014

On Wednesday, we had a monologue workshop with Innes, which was really

beneficial. I tried out a monologue from Top Girls by Caryl Churchill and the
character Shona. I had never put this monologue on its feet before so it was a really
good opportunity to try it for the first time. I found the comedy inside it more and
discovered a lot about the character. The first time we presented the monologues we
formed an audience as each person got up to perform.

Notes each individuals received from the group on monologue:

Alex - Passive, Intriguing, Recital

Anna - Pauses, Little giggles, Awkwardness, Giggly

Julia - Mischievous, Engaging, Dark, mystery

Me - Different tones, Rambling, Hilarious, Businesswoman

We then did a physical workshop where you build the character starting from your
feet all the way up. This enabled me to get the attention to detail and really embody
the character. We also didn't add facial expressions till the very end which meant I
had to really focus on physical clarity and how this would have told the audience
something about the character without saying anything in the face.

We also did an exercise where we would walk around the room and go over our
monologue in our mind and when there is a change of thought we have to physically
change direction. I found this really useful, especially for my character, I realised just
how scatty she is and how everything she says is coming to her spontaneously and
half the time she goes off on a tangent!

Physicalising Emotions

Innes also led us in a workshop where we would walk around the space and he would
call out different emotions. We then had to react to these emotions physically and be
spontaneous as to how they make me feel. Emotions included:

Happy - Light on my feet, bouncy, free flowing.
Jealous - Closed off, internal, slow.
Angry - Fast paced, wide steps, tension.
Disappointed - Slow, enclosed, plodding along.

Doing this made me realise just how much mood affects our physicality and vice
versa. Being happy in my physicality automatically made me feel happier. Its like you
have a physical memory that connects with something inside you.

Re- Live your Morning Routine

We also did an exercise where we had to close our eyes and think about what we had
done that morning, not missing out anything and really being concise with exactly
how we felt, what the temperature was, where we were going and how we did things.
We did this all the way through until we got to The Miskin. It was fun to re-live what
we did and it required imagination as you have to work out how you will phsycialise
certain things without them being there! It was a challenge as sometimes I missed out
really big details like walking out the house without my shoes on! It made me realise
that you think you are remembering exactly what you did but when it comes to it
there are so many things you miss out by accident!

Waiting for a bus

We did a similar exercise by recreating a time where we were waiting for a bus. After
reminiscing what happened before, who I was with, why I was catching the bus and
what I was doing and was just standing at the bus stop, I started to genuinely feel that
boredom and restlessness of when will the bus come? As an actor, I clocked that
being natural is often the answer! Innes further demonstrated this by dropping a pen
next to me when we were having a discussion. My instinct was to pick it up and give it
back to Innes. He spoke about the fact that when this is planned sometimes people
over play it and give the pen back in a dramatic way! This looks so strange, you have
to be realistic and true to how you would react in that situation.

9

3rd 7th November 2014

Round 2 of Monologues
In round two of the monologues we were all a part of one anothers in one way or
another. For example, Alex was given the scenario that we were her best friends
getting ready for prom, Anna was at a job interview and we were the panel, Julia was
telling her story to children and I was on an episode of The Apprentice. I really liked
being a part of the other monologues as it was a chance for us to all really engage
from another perspective. I found it really hard when it came to my monologue
though as I feel I over thought it and this affected my rhythm and natural flow. This is
something I want to work on; being able to adjust to different scenarios without being
thrown. However, at the end of the workshop we had to take the monologue out of
context and I was given two more different scenarios. These included an AA meeting
and me being late to a meeting and feeling really flustered. I had a lot of fun doing
this as it allowed me to find that sense of play. I think I need to know that I can
explore and not feel this will inhibit what I have already discovered. Monologues
should always be kept fresh and playful and I need to embrace that opportunity to try
new things. I discovered a lot about my monologue in this session and the one thing I
would like to take further and explore in more depth is the sense of deception
because she is lying in the job interview about what she has done. There needs to be
a twinkle in her eye that tells us she is telling a fib!

10

On Thursday morning, we did a warm up with the whole of the first year company. It
was a challenging warm up because there was a lot of unfocused energy and actors
complaining about games. I find this really odd because surely every game is a new
challenge, a new chance to explore and another opportunity to be playful.

We then split off into our groups and we wanted to work on the mannequin section.
At the start of our next rehearsal we did some shoaling work. The idea was to get
them to feel how to move as a company and also move this on to the idea of
manipulation we had with the mannequins. This led on nicely to talking about
manipulation and the mannequins being subject to change and that they are made to
be the perfect size and image. They explored copying a leaders movement in a
robotic mannequin style, which also gave everyone more inspiration for the
possibilities available.

We started off in the studio but it became difficult to balance the space as another
group was using music, we couldn't hear each other and communication was failing.
It was a challenge, as we didn't have a constant working space. Therefore, we
decided to go outside, I was proud of the company though for sticking at it and we
got some productive work done.

When we were outside we wanted to really push this mannequin idea and creating a
physical section to go with this. We didn't want to tell the actors what to do because
ultimately it is their piece Therefore; we gave them the opportunity to come up with
some choreography. Ideas were produced but it took quite a long time and I felt like
there was just so much discussion going on and not enough of just trusting each
other and going with an idea. However, we all worked together to refine the
movements and in the end we started to make good progress. We also started to play
with the idea of having judges who put their seal of approval on the mannequins, or
not as the case may be. We also looked at having the European fashion designer,
which is a really comical aspect. The aim is to make this a really big build and then
suddenly have the atmosphere dropped when the designer notices the size 12. The
chaos if played correctly will hopefully articulate the silence and give it greater
impact.

11

3rd 7th November 2014

We came up with a little introduction for the presenter figure, which Harpreet
explored

Hello, and welcome to our retail store One size, no lies, please feel free to browse
our mannequins and find something to suit you, but remember, One Size, no lies.

We got the basic principals for this section in motion and I was pleased with the
progress so far.

Fridays Company warm up was not good at all. It started off well with Connor
initiating a warm up where we could go outside and it certainly got everyone
energised. However, it went on a downwards spiral and actors were just talking when
someone would try and explain a game. Its horrible because the whole point is to get
focused but no one can understand the rules and for those wanting to play its almost
impossible to reap the benefits. As a HND company, we need to work together more
and decide how we are going to deal with this. We cant just carry on like it.

We split off into our groups, and Connor started by leading a character workshop,
which really got them focused and set a nice atmosphere in the room to start work on
the piece. We started by rehearsing the mannequin section we did previously and it
was good to polish this more and get the movements crisp and sharp.
We then started work on the concept for another section of the piece. The original
idea came from the concept of us seeing the persons thoughts and them being
haunted by the voices in their head. In the week I had researched images and quotes
from someone who suffers with an eating disorder that also inspired me. I initiated a
brainstorming session with two mind maps, one labeled The Mind and one The
Media. A lot of thoughts were gathered and then from this they each took a phrase
and we created a sound scape. Lewis then found some music, which seemed to work
well and this eerie, controlling dramatic atmosphere was created. Jack volunteered
to go in the middle and be the person suffering from all these thoughts controlling his
mind. We basically improvised this section working and the company totally took
ownership of it from the start. I was so impressed with their initiative. It was great to
see such a powerful image be created. Lewis then asked Jack questions after all these
voices started to shrink backwards including; How did this make you feel? What are
you going to do about it? Do you want to change?

12

Jack was totally in the moment

and we got some real, honest
feelings from this. We ran it again
but asked Jack to improvise a
speech on how he feels about all
these voices. It was really
powerful and actually moved me.
Jack then wrote down his ideas
and came up with a really
powerful speech. I believe he is
the right actor for this part, he has
natural vulnerability and the way
he took the character on board
and came up with some great
material in the moment was
impressive.

We shared our work with the
wider company and Carleigh in
the afternoon. It was great to see
the work other groups had
created and it was encouraging to
see how inspired everyone has
been from their concepts. There
were really strong moments in all
of the pieces that touched and
moved me. I am excited as I think
the potential for this show now is
huge.

Our groups performance went well, we had

a technical problem but the actors really
stayed in it and did not let this affect them
on stage, which was really good. There is still
a lot of work to do and many more ideas to
discover but I believe we are on the right
track now and will make discoveries more
easily and with more flow because we know
the style we are going for.

Two members of the company were not in
which means we will have to work extra
hard next week to incorporate them into the
material we have further developed.

(Credited: Google Images)

13

3rd 7th November 2014

The Mind:









- Stressful


- Hide what your doing
- Intimately conscious
- Make yourself sick
- Dont get caught
- Not good enough
- Too skinny/Too fat
- Wit if
- Loose weight
- Stop
- You cant eat that
- No one understands
- Depressed
- Alienation
- Insecurity
- Daily Battle
- Weak
- Loneliness
- Ill

The
Media:

- Food
packaging calorie counts
- Airbrush, Photoshop
- Shops
- Pop ups
- Instagram
- Bill boards
- Advertising
- Articles
- Expectations
- Snap chat
- Facebook
- Smoking packets
- Twitter
- Newspapers
- Transport
- Magazines
- Weight loss programmers

Directors Notes we gave this week.

14

Less talking, more doing - try out an idea physically as a company, push the
boundaries while you can.
There are no rules
The build gives you scope for dynamic and means you will earn the silence
(realisation of model which is not right)
Transitions need to be crisp - unison moments look effective when strong and
sharp.
Be aware of one another - listen and react always
Be alert and alive in a moment
Physical clarity is key for the mannequin movements
Commit to the facial expression and physicality
Dont let your audience be one step ahead of you
One up man ship

Stage Combat

We had a stage combat workshop with Carliegh, which I really enjoyed!

The warm up we did was good as it got the joints warm and prepared us to use
muscles we dont usually use on a day to day basis.

I was actually surprised how much fun stage combat is because at first I felt quite
daunted by the concept! However, when you throw yourself into it I discovered so
much. It opened me eyes to how this works and it was great that we covered so much
and got to grips with the basic principals. I know that I have such a long way to go in
making it effective but you have to start somewhere!

The key techniques are:

Distance You have to be in safe distance of your partner.
Sight Lines You need to angle the shot in a way that the audience will believe
it.
Acting You have to act and react otherwise it just doesnt work.
Knap The sound made when the shot is recovered it varies, sometimes its
the attacker and sometimes it the victim; it depends on the shot.
Prep You have to show your partner you are about to hit the more advanced
you get the quicker the preparation becomes.
Selling the shot Incorporates all of these elements if they are all done
effectively the audience will buy into the shot.

We did all sorts of moves including; slap, punch, hair pull and kick to the head.
We also learnt something called a bob and weave, which is where you go to punch the
other person but this time are in real distance. You prep and then it is up to the other
person to really duck down and move out the way because if they dont, they will
really get hit.

I have a better appreciation now of what it takes to be good at stage combat. Its
definitely something I would like to explore further and develop as after the
techniques we learnt, it would be good to see how we can move this on.

15

3rd 7th November 2014

Sources of Inspiration
Research has been a big part of what I have done on the floor this week, especially
inside the newspaper project. I spent time researching articles and videos that have
helped me to understand eating disorders further. For example, the noise people hear
when they are about to eat something led me on to thinking about finding inner
thoughts and then the sound scape idea.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/03/thinspiration-adam-
richman-man-v-food

This article also challenged me and made me think about how the media play a part in
the pressure to be a certain shape and size.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEysOExcwrE&app=desktop

This video is where I got the initial inspiration about the noise and voices in the mind.
She talks about how someone
with an eating disorder cannot focus
because of their mind controlling
what they do and the amount of
noise they have to deal with when
about to eat a meal.




(Credited: Google Images)

16

Plan of Action!
As a company I believe we have moved on a lot this week. We are supporting each
other when taking risks and trusting the fact we are all learning and discovering new
things together.

I believe my strengths this week have been being able to command the room when
directing. This week, I didn't hinder in commanding the space in a way thats assertive
but still means we are working collaboratively. In the company we have established a
mutual respect and its a really good working relationship.

I also feel my strengths this week has been the ability to play. In workshops, I feel I
have been playful and made lots of new discoveries by exploring. I have pushed the
boundaries and been challenged in so many ways.

I believe my weaknesses this week has been being scared of failing. In the workshops
such as gymnastics and stage combat I was hesitant at first and not as confident as I
could have been because I was afraid of it going wrong. Actually this should not be my
mindset at all, I should just go with it and after a while I proved this by being playful
and explorative. However, I should not have this doubt as it just means that I dont go
as far as I could go. I need to have an open mind from the start and know that
anything is possible when you put your mind to it and not be afraid of failing. Failing
makes you a stronger after as it enables you to realise where your going wrong and
what you need to do to make it better next time.

My plan of action for next week is to be more confident from the off when trying new
things and embrace that making a mistake will make you better next time. I also want
to move the newspaper project on by exploring more possible sections and making
the ideas we already have more epic.

I have really enjoyed myself this week and hope we can take what we have
discovered and put it into all we do in the week ahead!

(Credited: Google Images)

17