Diploma in Perfor

Performing &
Production Arts
Unit 8 Project Proposal

Candidate Molly Smith

Name
Candidate 544864
Number
Pathway Level 3 Production and Performing arts

Project Title Final Major Project- buckets

Section 1: Review
Prior to my college course I had a fair amount of experience around small scale productions and dance
shows but my only real drama skills were from GCSE drama so I had limited knowledge around the
diversity and multiple paths within the theatrical world. During the course so far we have done
workshops in movement which I have thoroughly enjoyed and which have allowed me to use my own
dance knowledge within the theatre space and see how they could tie in to performance work. Other
workshops while not directly appealing to me (as I don’t want to act) have certainly helped again in
boosting my bravery and self esteem in front of others-as well as strengthening the groups bond.
Leading up to this project we have worked on a large group devised piece with a director that helped
elevate my self belief when it came to sharing ideas and thinking a bit more outside the box. After this
we worked on a design project which allowed me to not only explore an interest in directing and having
a vision when I look at a script but also getting to work in costume and set design which gave an insight
in how all aspects of a show come together to illustrate meaning. This also involved a presentation
which again helped with my presentation of my own creative ideas and outlooks. After this we worked in
small companies on our own devised pieces which really aided me in learning the trial and errors of
making a piece with original ideas – I got to learn how to work closely with other people and
professionals for a piece we were all equally proud of.

Section 2: Project Concept

For this project we have formed a theatre company with director Scott Hurran and an experienced
creative team. The play chosen for us is called Buckets by Adam Barnard which is derived of a
collection of short scenes that explore the meaning of life and how we spend it using dark comedy. For
the first 6 weeks we will work with Scott from 10-4 every Monday exploring the way scenes could be
played, how we could incorporate different ideas and perspectives and how we can link scenes together
so the show will flow. After this we will have 2 intensive weeks to rehearse the piece and finialise its
development. We have some movement workshops with Deeps who will be our movement director and
I will use these to start thinking about how I can apply dance and movement in our piece as a
suggestion to add some depth and even surrealism into a play that on paper seems very realistic.
Within my independent study I will look at Adam Barnard and the reviews of previous buckets
performances, then I will start to read through and analyse bits of the script. In theory we are working
through lots of research tasks to enhance our knowledge around the work we are doing. All of this will
go onto my website made for this project, ordered to inform about me, the research and development
phase, the review of each week, and the context of the piece itself.

Section 3: Evaluation
During this project I plan to take notes at the end of every day to document what I have done as well as
annotating my script whenever something necessary is discussed. At the end of each week, I will film a
reflection video for my website that will detail what I have done and what was difficult and successful in
the day. On my script I will write initial ideas and then as these ideas develop and change, I shall add
them to the script so I can see the journey taken with the scenes. Sometimes I may not write it all down
as we will experiment a lot in the session but anything I find particularly works will be jotted down. This
will be implemented a lot more in the intensive rehearsal weeks as this is when a lot of trial and error
with scenes will come in to play. Working with other people can be tricky during these processes due to
others having lots of ideas and hence changing what the plan was. However, it can also be positive to
have so many people taking these notes and making similar reflections because it means if I miss
anything or haven’t been aware of certain changes I can talk to others and share the reflection and
progressions we have. To make sure others don’t impact on my work too much I will make sure all my
work is written down by me in my notebook, on my script and in notes documents on my phone.

Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format)

Owen Bowcott. 30 July 2018. UK judges no longer required to rule on removing life-support. The
Guardian. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/jul/30/uk-judges-will-no-longer-
have-to-rule-in-vegetative-state-decisions-supreme-court [Accessed 26th March]

Yessenia Funes. July 23, 2019. Sorry, The Lion King's 'Circle of Life' Doesn't Exist in the Natural World.
[Online] GIZMODO. Available at: https://gizmodo.com/sorry-the-lion-kings-circle-of-life-doesnt-exist-in-
th-1836639513 [Accessed on 7th March]

Simon Kemp. 26 January 2023. Understanding the decline in time spent online. DatarePortal. [Online]
Available at: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-deep-dive-time-spent-online [Accessed on 24th
March]

Jefferies Law. 19 December 2019. Top 10 Law milestones of the last decade [Online] Available at:
https://jefferieslaw.co.uk/news/top-10-law-milestones-of-the-decade/ [Accessed on 24th March]

Rebecca Lindsey and Luann Dahlman. 18 January 2023. Climate Change: Global Temperature.
Climate Gov. [Online] Available at :
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature
[Accessed on 24th March]

Tim Loughton. 2023. Mental Health Legislation Over Time. Mental Health & Well-being. [Online]
Available at: https://www.adurandworthingmentalhelp.org.uk/mental-health-legislation-over-time
[Accessed on 26th March]

Vasiliki Marapas. January 11, 2015. Top 100 Pop Culture Trends of 2014. [Online] Trend hunter.
Available at: www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/2014-pop-culture-trends [Accessed on 21st March 2023]

Jeff McCallister. March 2020. What is the Circle of Life? [Online] Quora. Available at:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-circle-of-life [Accessed on 7th March]

Liana Minassian. 06 April 2022. Why the Global Rise in Vegan and Plant-Based Eating is No Fad. Food
Revolution Network. [Online] Available at:
https://foodrevolution.org/blog/vegan-statistics-global/#:~:text=More%20Evidence%20Veganism%20Is
%20Growing&text=Here’s%20more%20vegan%20growth%20statistics,veganism%20from
%202004%20to%202022. [Accessed on 25th March]

Emily Pidgeon. 30 December 2023. 28 unforgettable history-defining moments of the past decade.
[Online] The CEO magazine. Available at: 28 historical moments that shaped the decade 2010-2020
(theceomagazine.com) [Accessed on 21st March 2023]

Samiraj Singh. 19 July 2022. Sustainable Fashion: Calling it out as a new fashion trend among Gen Z
and Millennial. India Times. [Online] Available at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/sustainable-fashion-calling-it-out-as-a-new-fashion-
trend-among-gen-z-and-millennial/ [Accessed on 25th March]

Angus Stewart. 28 October 2022. From Viral Video to Magic Medicine. The Medicine Maker. [Online]
Available at: https://themedicinemaker.com/discovery-development/ice-bucket-challenge-pays-off-in-als-
approval [Accessed on 25th March]

Mina Tumay. 09 April 2020. The Circle of Life in a Coronavirus World. [Online] IMPAKTER. Available at:
https://impakter.com/the-circle-of-life/ [Accessed on 7th March]

Dr Anna Valero. 20 October 2022. Why have energy bills in the UK been rising? LSE British Politics and
Policy. [Online] Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/why-have-energy-bills-in-the-uk-
been-rising-net-zero/ [Accessed 26th March]

Thomas Vato. 08 February 2022. Notable AI developments in the last decade. Datadriveninvestor.
[Online] Available at : https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/notable-ai-advancements-in-the-last-
decade-2ce496004994 [Accessed on 24th March]

Nicky Woolf. 27 July 2016. Remember the Ice-bucket challenge? It just funded an ALS breakthrough.
The Guardian. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/26/ice-bucket-
challenge-als-charity-gene-discovery [Accessed on 25th March]

BMA. 2023. Physician assisted dying. [Online] Available at: bma-pad-map-and-uk-legislative-proposals-

aug-2021.pdf [Accessed on 7th March]

Billboard. 2014. Top artists 2014. [Online] Available at: Top Artists – Billboard [Accessed on 21st March
2023]

Collins dictionary. 24 November 2012. Circle of Life definition. [Online] Available at:
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/submission/6884/Circle+of+life#:~:text=Circle%20of%20life-,New
%20Word%20Suggestion,gives%20new%20life%20to%20another [Accessed on 7th March]

Covalent Logic. 23 April 2019. The Circle of Life: A Roundup of Interpretations. [Online] Available at:
https://www.covalentlogic.com/news/529 [Accessed on 7th March]
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and The Rt Hon Chris Philp MP. 22 September 2021.
New ten-year plan to make the UK a global AI superpower. Gov. UK. [Online] Available at: New ten-
year plan to make the UK a global AI superpower - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) [Accessed on 21st March
2023]

Global X ETFs. May 16, 2022. A Decade of Change: How Tech Evolved in the 2010s and What’s in
Store for the 2020s. Nasdaq. [Online] Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwixhKnx3-
z9AhVIZMAKHfzlAPoQFnoECA4QAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasdaq.com%2Farticles%2Fa-
decade-of-change%253A-how-tech-evolved-in-the-2010s-and-whats-in-store-for-the-2020s%23%3A~
%3Atext%3DThe%25202010s%2520were%2520a%2520decade%2Cshortens%2520and%2520AI
%2520algorithms%2520improve.&usg=AOvVaw3cLfRJZQDEJBJ8ylTeyiWa [Accessed on 21st March
2023]

Globaldata Technology. 29 January 2020. History of Virtual reality – Time line. Verdict. [Online]
Available at :
https://www.verdict.co.uk/history-virtual-reality-timeline/#:~:text=1991%20%E2%80%93%20The%20first
%20VR%20arcade,Oculus%20Rift%20headset%20was%20designed. [Accessed on 24th March]

MediaVSReality. Mar 1, 2019. How The Media Shaped Your Idea Of Love. [Online] Thoughts And
Ideas. Available at: How The Media Shaped Your Idea Of Love | by MediaVSReality | Thoughts And
Ideas | Medium [Accessed on 21st March 2023]

Oberlo. 2023. How many people use social media in 2023? [Online] Available at:
https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/how-many-people-use-social-media#:~:text=The%20latest%20figures
%20show%20that,jump%20in%20just%20five%20years. [Accessed on 24th March]
On this day. Historical Events in 2014 (Part 2). [Online] Available at: Historical Events in 2014 (Part 2) -
On This Day [Accessed on 21st March 2023]

PA News. 09 March 2023. Significant rise in mental health incidents over past five years, police say.
[Online] Kent Online. Available at: Significant rise in mental health incidents over past five years, police
say (kentonline.co.uk) [Accessed on 21st March 2023]

Project Action Plan and Timetable

Week Date Week Activity / What you are intending to do - Resources / What you will need to do it -
Beginning including independent study including access to workshops
Week Monday: We met our director and we’re My script. Session notes. Google.
1 20/02/23 given a brief summary of buckets. Then
sat in a circle and read through the
whole script a line at a time. After this
we played with putting random
scenarios, characters and themes
together in short devised pieces. We
shared these and then had to change
the genre (eg: musical into a horror).
We discussed how this affected the
scene and it’s message. Went into
groups to apply different characters to
the scene ‘Not Working’. Shared these
and discussed what worked and what
was effective.

Independent: Read my script and make

notes of all my initial ideas. Start work
on my website. Film my weekly
reflection.
Week Monday: I was off sick for our Monday My script. A friend’s notes made from
2 27/02/23 session and therefore did not participate session. Google.
in the activities of that day. They worked
on the scene doctor and how this could
be alternatively interpreted.

Independent: Read through and made

annotations on my script. Researched
reviews of previous buckets
productions. Messaged a member of my
group to fill me in on what they did in
that days session.
Week Monday: We worked on physical theatre My script. Notes made in the session.
3 06/03/23 within this session. We discussed ideas Google. Spotify. PowerPoint
people had for the show then walked
around the room at different paces with
some people fast some slow to play with
movement dynamics. We explored more
movement techniques (worked in threes
and the outer two would move the
person in the centre, formed a fish as
physical theatre, followed the palm of a
partner) In the afternoon we worked in
groups tying together some of the
physical techniques under a stimulus.
We also learnt how to fly a person
safely.

Independent: I’m going to look at some

design and theme ideas to create mood
boards for the show. I will annotate the
themes of each scene to assist in
making a corrolated Playlist. Work on
 my research presentation. Video and
upload weekly reflection.

Week 13/03/23 Monday: We formed an improvising Notes from session. My script. Google.
4 circle with props starting with briefcase PowerPoint.
Split into groups to make props and
costume become a character
Wrote down ideas of what the story and
character could be, what ideas it
prompted.
Moved as a unit to make a lifelike
character
Shared with others and discussed what
worked and what didn’t
Spoke about ideas for hamster scene.
Used the scene 'hamster' trying to add
in the physical aspects of week before
as well as different ways we could tell
the story. Shared these and discussed
what we liked.
Joined another group to reframe the
scene into a different narrative. Showed
everyone and watched others and again
discussed what was effective and why.

Independent: Prepare PowerPoint for

sharing. Interview Mum and write up
transcript and analysis. Film weekly
reflection.
Week 20/03/23 Monday: Starting with splatogries game Notes from session. My script. Spotify.
5 then we read through terms and Canva. Google.
conditions scene and began to discuss
how AI could be staged.
Got into groups and began working on a
devised scene about AI in a domestic
environment. Shared these with each
other and discussed the concept and
ideas of AI.
In the afternoon we then went into
different groups to apply our work to the
actual scene of terms and conditions.
We used different genres. Then we
shared with the others and discussed
what we liked. At the end of the session
I then gave 3 scenes I wouldn't mind
being in and one that I had lots of
design ideas for.
Independent : Write two creative writing
scenes that work with buckets. Begin
research and creation of posters. Finish
off Playlist with notes. Film weekly
reflection.
Week Monday: The night before we were Notes from sessions. My script.
6 27/03/23 given our casting (which scenes we Google.
would be in) We came into the session
and went straight into groups to work on
scenes 1 - 6. Started looking at
assigning lines, characters, where it
could be set and the world it is in. I
worked first on ‘free time’ (scene 4).
Annotated scripts with who our
characters, when we saw this scene,
the time it would take place, how old the
characters were, how they knew each
other, what were their individual
personalities and how would they place
themselves in the scene.
We then took notes and read our ideas
while we talked through all the scenes
so far as a company.
Next, we moved on to repeat the
process for the next scenes we were in
up to 24.
After lunch we recapped the decisions,
we had made and then shared them as
rough 50% energy read through so we
could all visualize the dynamics and the
thoughts in action. I took notes on the
decisions other groups had made.

Tuesday: In the morning we did the

same annotating and exploration of the
text as the day before from scene 24
onwards so now all the scenes are
completed. It was then up to us to
decide character names and see if we
could make some of our characters
recurring. After this we shared in a large
read through.

In the afternoon we worked with our

movement director Deepraj Singh and
director Scott on some for the
movement ideas for the show. We
began with some flocking techniques to
get us working together. After this
Deeps took us through creating an
ensemble concert that came in and off
for the ‘Stan scene.’ Following from that
we then went to see how we could
create the atmosphere of a hospital for
the scene ‘doctor.’ This was done with
lots of angular walking like we were in
the aisles of a hospital and with some
intermittent sound scaping.
 Independent: Write my character
analysis. Check my website is up to
date. Upload my weekly reflection.

Week Monday: We came in and had our

7 17/04/23 websites checked to ensure everything Script, notes, pictures and files on
that needed to be there was submitted teams chat
and clear. We were then introduced to
the set design (in the mod box) with
images of the colour palette and a rough
visual language. We also got to see the
ideas behind our costumes and images
that have inspired some of the larger
costumes.
After lunch we then got to work on
blocking the first 4 scenes of the play -
looking at what the characters want and
their surroundings and situations. We
recapped the ensemble work for doctor
that we had done before easter and
then blocked how the ensemble will
leave so this scene can continue. We
blocked my first scene, introducing
movement around the stage and having
me get angry and respond at the same
level.

Tuesday: I'm the morning we were

working with Deeps on the scene 'Stan'
we had begun before the Easter break.
This meant recapping what we had
done and practicing it, as well as
introduction a way for the ensemble to
leave and allow the scene to continue.
After this, I requested to stay in and
watch the movement directing as Deeps
worked on 'Bungeeabseilskydive'. We
looked at lots of ways they could
effectively frame this scene. After that, I
had a talk with Deeps about movement
directing and how I could learn some
more about it. 'Terms and conditions'
was the next scene we did movement
for and I took notes and offered a few
suggestions on how we make the AI
move and swap positions.

After lunch we blocked 'Journalism',

'You're going to die', 'Minecraft',
'Charity’, ‘Teacher 1’ and 'Stan' again
looking at motives, positioning and the
greater world. Then we ran them all in
order to see how its beginning to flow.
Wednesday:

In the morning we worked with Deeps

on some more movement scenes.
Today we were in the egg auditorium so
were able to rehearse with the actual
spacing for the performance. We
rehearsed ‘Stan’ again to check it all
worked well with the space we had.
After that we spent a while on the ‘Being
there’ scene – forming a slow motion
protest into a riot. We tried it many times
to figure the correct timing. Finally, we
did the ‘Status update’ scene where we
figured out 3 positions to show
disconnection on our phones.

After lunch, we showed our cover

director Lex some for the ensemble
scenes we have worked on so she
could gather a feel for the show. We
then moved into the ‘Kiss me’ scene
where we became a tinder page on the
stage. Once we had this timed and
blocked from beginning to end, the next
scene for us to block was ‘A spoonful of
Cinnamon (or something else entirely)’
where we used ensemble to increase
impact.

Thursday: In the morning we worked on

‘Pouring and Sipping’ to begin with,
looking at how we could create the
movement of pigeons with a group of
ensemble. After this we worked on the
physicality of mice for those in the
scene ‘Not working’. I assisted Deeps
here and got to understand the process
a bit more. I spoke with Scott and
Deeps about the upcoming scene
‘Charity’ and the different types of
shoppers that we could have in this
scene. Once we brought the ensemble
in, we looked at this in practice, and
how we could create the world in the
space. Finally, we practiced ‘Stan’ and
‘Doctor’ again just to recap the timings
and placing.

In the afternoon, the scenes ‘The

decision’, ‘The score’ and ‘ Better
Belieber (Harry Me) were blocked and
 then as an ensemble we created a
funeral on stage for ‘In Point of Fact’.
Once we had done this we rehearsed
scenes 8 to?.

Friday:
In the morning, ‘Parenting’ was blocked
first, followed by my scene ‘Not moving’.
Then ‘Leading Question’ was blocked
with ensemble followed by a recap of
the ‘Terms and Conditions’ scene,
where a few more transitions were
added. Finally we created a wedding
with the ensemble for my final scene ‘So
happy I could cry.’

After lunch, ‘Teacher 2’ was blocked

and then we blocked ‘The End’
introducing the ensemble part way
through and designating a song. Then
we moved on to ‘Kiss Me’ 1, 2 and 3.
We had already worked on the first Kiss
me with Lex on Wednesday so just
recapped and taught it to those who
weren’t there. The second one utilised
the whole ensemble to create a cinema
and Scott added in reactions and
relationships to increase the storytelling
of the scene. The final ‘Kiss Me’ was
then blocked with Angel and Louie –
once this was done we ran Scenes 26,
27, 31 and 33 – making sure that all
cues were clear so we could write them
down.

Independent: Film my reflection video

for this week, ensure all my queues and
notes are written down and check my
website is looking up to date and tidy.

Week 23/04/23 Monday: Script, notes

8 This morning we did a warm up and
then a stagger through of our
performance with the creative team. We
had some of the props and it was the
first time we got to see every scene
back to back. 

In the afternoon we went through the

beginning and end of scenes so that
Deeps and Scott could work out
transitions. Got up to scene 16,
incorporating all the props we had and
how these could also be moved in
transitions. 

Tuesday : Worked on 'On the phone'

first to block it and then 'Days'. 
(Difficult to jump from funny to serious
and allow myself to be silly) After this
we then ran the first 10 scenes, going
though the transitions and notes from
the previous day. After this we ran the
whole first 10 scenes in a constant flow.

After lunch we repeated this process

withs scenes 10-20, again looking at
notes and transitions and then running
the whole thing.

Wednesday: This morning I was called

in for a monologue workshop to help
with my scene in 'On the phone'. We
practiced walking around the space,
changing angles on the punctuation.
After this we did some voice and breath
work, eventually adding in our lines.
Following this we tried an exercise
where we 'painted' our monologues as
we spoke.

I then had my costume fitting

This afternoon we worked through the

blocking and transitions of Scene's 21 to
30.

Thursday:

This morning I came in to run 'Not

moving' and 'On the phone'. Sorting out
all our movements and when thoughts
needed to 'crash'. After this we began to
run scenes 1 - 10 with the sound track
that had been developed by Joseph.

 In the afternoon we then ran through

notes and some scenes. After this we
then ran scenes 11 onwards and
gathered notes again.

Friday :
In the morning we ran scenes 12
onwards with some additional sounds
and then we completed a full run that
 we timed.

When we came back in the afternoon,

we did another notes session and then
had a look at some of the new props
and went over moving the bed. We then
played a game to warm up before we
completed a full run for the creative
team to watch, as well as Debs and
Kris. We finished the day with more
notes, and a quick talk through how the
intensives will look. 

Independent: Keep going over lines and

queues. Update website with photos
and film weekly reflection.

02/05 Week 9 Tuesday: This morning we worked with Script, notes

/23 Deeps on the entry to Stan due to wing
space , Status update moving together
and locking in the position and clarifying
the Being there scene. Then Deeps ran
through some physicality for scenes
such as BungeeAbseilSkydive and
Forward planning. Then we had a quick
talk with Scott about scenes we wanted
to go over and we ran the tracks of
some parts in the show in the need of
understudies.

In the afternoon we walked the whole

show through with all Scott’s notes and
following that talked through the plan for
tech.

Wednesday: In the morning we came in

and got our costumes fitted and
organised. After this we came down to
the auditorium where we had a safety
briefing and then went round locating all
the props set up in the wings. Once we
were all prepped we began the tech run,
starting from the very first scene,
working out all the transitions in the
space and with limited wing room. We
got up to scene around scene 7 before
lunch.

After lunch we again carried on going

through the scenes, stopping repeatedly
to adjust lights and sound as well as
arrange transitions – by dinner we were
up to 15.

After dinner we carried on sorting tech

and managed to get all the way to the
beginning of scene 28, we then stopped
and got out of costumes after a very
long day.

Thursday:
In the morning we finished blocking tech
for the last 4 scenes and within this me
and Chloe had some help from Deeps
with elevating our ‘fight’ within the scene
‘On the Phone’ (adding counts and
some different movement). When we
did ‘So Happy I Could Cry’, I also had to
adjust some movement around the table
to make it more practical (crawl around
rather than through) and we all had to
be aware of the wedding dress taking
up space.

After lunch, we were in the Ustinov and

ran through the track of the whole show,
jumping to each transition and creating
an order for where everyone was so that
we avoided congestion on the night.

Friday: In the morning we ran through

the final scene a few times with Deeps
and then ran through Stan to check it
was working with the few tweaks that
had been made. After this we went
down to the auditorium and teched the
first 2/3 of our transitions to ensure
everyone’s individual tracks lined up
and it flowed professionally.

After lunch, we got into costume and I

had my fight call prior to the full run. We
then performed our dress run to the
other cast and the 2nd years as well as a
professional photographer. (Really
successful). Then we watched
Variations perform. Following that we
had notes with Scott and then went for
dinner.

After dinner, we waited upstairs while

Variations performed and during this
time we got ourselves in costume. Scott
came up for a warm up and then we set
all of our props in the auditorium. We
then got into the wings ready to do our
opening show. We performed the show
and it went very well, then we went to to
get out of costumes and go home.

Saturday:
Had a quick notes session with Scott
and worked through the transition for
‘Status Update’ into ‘The Decision’ with
tech. We then had a group check in with
both casts and directors and then went
for dinner.
After dinner I got into costume and had
my fight call and then it was time to
check props. Once we were happy we
got set in the wings and performed. We
finished with another very successful
show and lots of congratulations and
hugs with each other and good lucks to
the other cast.

Independent:
Finish off and upload my final reflection,
upload script and movement notes, tidy
website