Diploma in

Performing &
Production Arts
Unit 12 Project Proposal

Candidate
Name Charlotte Hutcheson
Candidate
Number
Pathway Level 3 Extended Diploma: Performing and Production Arts

Project Title Final Major Project - Metamorphoses

Section 1: Review
When I initially joined this course, I assumed I would be learning about acting and acting only. Now, as
two years have gone by, I’ve been able to work with numerous practitioners already in the industry,
teaching and helping me understand there is so much to do behind the scenes, so many other
opportunities than just acting. I had a dream of being up on stage doing the one thing I love but never
understood until now, that there is so much more than just acting on a stage.

A significant skill I’ve picked up throughout the course was allowing myself to dig deeper into movement
and explore the world of physical theatre. I first looked at the schedule of the week and saw ‘Movement’
on there and instantly imagined it would be dance related. However, it’s so much more than that. I’ve
been able to learn about the different parts of the body. I’ve been open to looking deeper into
mindfulness and have begun to move the body in physical ways without it being dance. I have always
been an outgoing, energetic person so when I was introduced to physical theatre, I later learnt that all
the energy I have can be put into physical theatre. I had always been told that joining a course with
people who have the same interest can be dangerous as there’s apparently always competition and
sometimes people don’t like the way others act or some actors can sometimes cause conflict, especially
in group work. However, I’ve been able to learn so much more from having different actors around me.
Working with different types of people has helped influence my ability to see how others work and I’ve
been able to learn about their personalities Also, I’ve learnt to become an ensemble and create
teamwork as there’s been many chances to work with others.

I think that overall, my understanding of theatre has been widened and I’ve been given the opportunity
to become more creative with my work. I enjoy being an ensemble as it creates a sense of community
as we all share the same interest and always want the best for each other. My progress throughout this
experience has helped me realise that I do want to carry on doing acting and I will be exploring Screen
Acting as a career as this is what I find the most interesting as I’m able to understand the world of film.

Section 2: Project Concept

The concept of this project is to develop and perform a brilliant, ensemble work, challenging script called
Metamorphoses. It is a contemporary adaptation of Greek Mythology and throughout the show it has
themes of love and destruction and human's vs Gods. First time reading the script, it looked challenging
as there’s a lot of explicit content throughout the play. We’ll be researching a lot about the past Greek
Mythology and will start to develop as an ensemble creating a union for the play. It would initially be
hard for the play to work if there were clashes within the ensemble so our aim is to keep any conflicts
out of the room and stay engaged throughout the sessions, this will be helpful because this script is
challenging so concentration must always be there. What excites me is that we’ll be exploring gore and
physical theatre throughout the process, and we’ll be able to use resources like fake blood and props to
explore the idea of death. An idea we have already researched is physical theatre. This will be fun to
explore as we’ll be able to use props to express how someone will die in the play. Using physical theatre
will mean it’ll become more effective as a result and will give the ensemble a chance to use their skills
throughout the play. It’ll also give us a chance to develop our movement skills for the scenes to work.
We will eventually dig deeper into the world of abuse which will become challenging for the cast as it’s a
hard subject to explore as it can affect people in many ways. I believe as our group is inspiring and we
work together as a team, it’ll create a calm environment in the rehearsal room. When getting peer
feedback throughout the process, it’ll help me understand more about how I act personally and influence
me to develop as an actor throughout the rehearsal process all the way through to tech week as I can
learn from my peers’ feedback.

To develop my own understanding, I will need to explore the world of Greek Mythology as it’s something
I don’t have much knowledge on. Also, I'll need to educate myself on specific characters and learn their
stories before the scene because as I explore their stories, I’ll be able to understand the effect it had on
them. I’ll begin to understand why they have an aggression when talking or why they’re so sweet to the
God’s but horrible to their family. It will develop my own character as I’ll be able to create an accurate
understanding of why my character acts a certain way and it’ll overall develop my way of acting.
Sometimes it’s difficult to act a Greek character as they aren’t alive anymore in this present world also
it’s easier to act like something you’ve experienced. Since we’ll be researching online about the
characters and we’ll be exploring the modernised version of this script, the different roles could be
explored in a personal way and all actors could build on their characters by making them personal to the
actor. I’m excited to learn and develop the play Metamorphoses and educate my peers if they’re
struggling as I know they’d do the same since this project will be challenging but also will enhance ideas
along the way.

Section 3: Evaluation
I will be reflecting and evaluating on my journey by completing a detailed weekly Action Plan which will
explain the workshops I’ve been doing each week alongside the achievements I picked up along the
way. This will help me track the work I’ve been doing in class and what I've been doing independently.
I’ll also be doing weekly reflection videos elaborating on my own progression and challenging the
development process, digging deeper into what I can achieve throughout the process and will include
what I need to do better each session. Also, I’ll be mentioning the successes within the session but also
explaining the challenges within the group or the lesson overall. As my work progresses, I’ll be writing
up notes on what we did during each session and things I've learnt in the lesson for my own
understanding but also, it’ll help me remember what happens to complete the action plan. This will help
me remember the new skills I’ve been learning each lesson which will end up increasing my knowledge
for the future. I’ll also aim to do a lot of research for this project as it can get confusing since it’s based
on Greek mythology meaning there will be some subjects I won't understand so to have researched
before the lesson will increase my knowledge further and I won't have to keep asking questions which
would end up being an annoyance.

Working in collaboration with others can be positive as it shows a sense of ensemble and to be a
theatre maker, there should be elements of a team, this is because to create a play there will be help
from more than one person. Although, sometimes working with others can be challenging and negative
because there can be conflict within the groups especially when it comes to ideas. It can be upsetting
when an idea is not being listened to as it can become quite personal. It can also be hard when
someone disapproves of your idea without giving you a chance to explain. To avoid this circumstance, I
think I’ll aim to push others’ ideas and challenge them with my own as we can learn from each other.
This will increase my own progress because I’ll gain the ability to become a better person by
collaborating with other ideas and showing a sense of teamwork within a group. It’s also can be
beneficial to challenge other ideas as that’ll be how to improve as an actor/actress since you’d be
learning constantly from others and listening to what they have to say.

Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format)

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