4/12/13 AS Drama

Rachels Lesson

AS Drama

Frantic Assembly

In todays we did a warm up run by Lucy and James. We did the 7 stages of tension and the trust exercise when you hold the person lightly on their neck and guide them around whilest they have their eyes closed, they have to trust you to direct them around.

This we smoothly, so we got on with our pieces from 'Beautiful Burnout'. We worked on our syncronization and our tranistions from section to section, specifically the syncronization between myself and James. The transitions that needed work were with Sax and James, so we just added a Frantic turn, to get us in the right places.
We all ran throuhg it a few times, to get it in our heads and to make sure that we got our lines right. We did which was a good thing.
After a few mintues of rehearsing and making sure everything was in order, Rachel spoke to us and told us an order of groups; Eddies,

Learning Zone Pack Review

Learning Zone Pack
Name		Minimum Target Grade		Challenge Grade
AS Drama and Theatre Studies
Contents: 1.    Learning Zone assignments – unit 1. 2.    Evaluation Notes Assignments - unit 1 3.    Learning materials for Learning Zone assignments - unit 1

1.   Learning Zone Assignments:

Instructions: You must complete all the tasks for the Challenge Grade you are aiming to achieve. If you complete the tasks before the end of your Learning Zone Session you must work on the independent learning assignments described below

Week / task	Dates	Learning Zone Task	Checking method
1 Playwright & Context	09.09.13-13.09.13 (timetabled teaching starts 11.09.13)	Explain how the context of the play Gotcha is directly referred to in the script. Gather quotes and create a blog page that links each quote to the contextual information you gathered for your  ‘getting ready’ packs.	Blog Post
		Write a paragraph that explains the main difference between the context of the play and your own context.
2 Visual, Aural, Spatial	16.09.13-20.09.13	Select a non-naturalistic set design from Pinterest and evaluate the success of the design in creating a suitable setting for the action, at particular moments in the play.	Blog Post – Peer Check
		Create a blog post that has an annotated picture of your set design. Write up all your ideas for sound, lighting, props costume etc
3 Practitioner Week -Relaxation -Circles of Attention -Given Circumstances -Emotion Memory	23.09.13-27.09.13	Find three reviews of the Gotcha production at The Riverside Theatre. Highlight all sentences that contain opinion and post in your blog with a summary of your findings.	Self Review Blog Check
		Create a mind map with Stanislavski at the centre and the examples from the weeks lesson around it. Photograph the mind map and insert into your blog.
4 Non Verbal Communication Blog Check	30.09.13-04.10.13	Create a table in your blog that records and analyses the exercises you participated in during Non Verbal/movement week.	Teacher Blog Check
		Select a character from Gotcha and write a description of how you could use the exercises you tried this week to develop the character.
5 Vocal Awareness	07.10.13-11.10.13	Explain how one or more performers used vocal, physical and facial expression to engage the audience at particular moments within one live production you have seen. Assess the effectiveness of their performances. (PEE Rule)	Practical Grade by Teacher
		Create a blog post that presents your findings on your work understanding your own voice and then describing the techniques you tried within the lesson.
6 Interpretation & Language Blog Checked & Graded.	14.10.14- 18.10.13	The language of the play contains references that suggest the context of the characters.  List the references and explain what you feel they suggest.	Blog Graded by Teacher
		Create a blog post on how you would direct the play. What do you think the message is? What is it important for the audience to understand?
7 ASSESSMENT WEEK.1. Exam Circs	22.10.13-25.10.13	Prepare to reduce your class notes on Gotcha to 1500 words. Arrive at the lesson having edited your blog notes into one post.
		In exam circumstances you will review your notes and prepare your final 1500 word piece of coursework on Gotcha.
October Half Term –     Purchase beautiful Burnout by Frantic Assembly and read blog posts about the piece.
8 Induction, Playwright & Context	04.11.13-08.11.13	Summarise the steps that Frantic took to devise Beautiful Burnout. What was interesting/original about the way they explored the Boxing theme? Look at the Education for guidance. (See below) Follow You Tube links and make notes on the two injured boxers in your blog.
		Insert the class chair duets film into your blog and assess what worked particularly well? Highlight all ‘opinion’ in all posts so far.
9 Pre Show Review Lesson	11.11.13- 15.11.13	Prepare for shows by reading reviews and highlighting opinion.	Blog Graded by Teacher
		Evaluate the Sylised Pedestrian Movement Video. What was difficult when adapting the mimed pedestraian movement? What worked well? Was it easiest to try things  physically or discuss? Was your sequence in time with the music?
10 Post Show Review Lesson & Quad Jumps	18.11.13- 22.11.13	Which scene could work well with the first three techniques and why?
		Evaluate the Quad Jumps Video. How could you develop the exercise? What kind of dialogue would work well with this approach?
11 Characterisation, Non Verbal & Vocal awareness	25.11.13- 29.12.13	Write 200 words about how your group is progressing? Include group analysis gathered on whiteboards.	Blog Graded by Teacher
		Discuss ‘Around By Through’ as a technique. Could you add it into your routine?
12 Scene Development **Filmed BB Scenes Lesson	2.12.13 – 6.12.13	Summarise the group peer assessment of your choreographed scenes. Do you agree? Write 200 words on the most memorable moments from the scenes (including your own)	Group Peer Review
		Ensure all filmed class work is in your blog. Write 200 words about the challenges faced during the process of preparing the scenes. In particular discuss combining dialogue and continuous  movement.
13 Interpretation, Context & Visual, Aural, Spatial	09.12.13-13.12.13	Upload set designs into blog with full detailed annotation. Comment on mood, colour, levels and proxemics.	Blog Review by Teacher
		Summarise your approach to interpreting Beautiful Burnout from ‘page to stage’. How much does the language dictate context?
14 Exam Circumstances.2.	16.12.13-20.12.13	Prepare notes for both plays. Ensure you have sentence starters for each section and have made clear choices to support each category.	End of Unit Assessment
		Write second draft of Theatre Review, responding to feedback.

2/12/13 AS Drama

Rachels Lesson

AS Drama

Frantic Assembly

In todays lesson, we worked more on our piece

27/11/13 AS Drama

Rachels Lesson

AS Drama

In todays lesson, we were going to be filmed, so we were all on our best behaviour.
We did Frantic Assembly work. We worked on our scene we created the week before - scene eighteen.
We started off with a warm up exercise of guiding our partner round making sure they didn't bump into anything in the room or other people. They also had their eyes closed.
We did this a couple of times to get warmed up.

In our individual groups, we went over what we had done previously.

'insley - Alright Dina?
Dina - can't see you
Ainsley - if you need any help back-up feedback type thing
Dina - can't hear you
Ainsley - occupied. Right? Focused. Right? i get it respect
Bobby - Ainsley Binnie
Ainsley - Yes Bobby?

Medea Review

Medea - Live Theatre Review.

What was so good about watching Medea was how incredible the use of ariel was. They way they used ariel to create drama and tension with different levels really caught my eye.
Medeas role began after Jason arrived from Iolcus to Colchis, to claim his inheritance and throne by retrieiving the Golden Fleece, In the most complete surviving account, the Argonautica of Apollonius, Medea fell in love with him and promised to help him, but only on the condition that if he succeeded, he would take her with him and marry her. Jason agreed. In a similar motif, Aeetes promised to give him the fleece, but only if he could perform certain tasks. First, Jason had to plough a feild with fire-breathing oxen that he had to yoke himself. Medea gavea him an unguent with which to anoint himself and his weapons, to protect him from the bull's fiery breath.
Then, Jason had to sow the teeth of a dragon in the ploughed field. The teeth sprouted into an army warriors. Jason was forewarned by Medea, however, and knew to throw a rock into the crowd. Unable to determine where the rock had come from, the soldiers attacked and killed each other. Finally Aeetes made Jason fight and kill the sleepless dragon that guarded the fleece. Medea put the beast to sleep with her narcotic herbs. Jason then took the fleece and sailed away with Medea, as he promised. Apollonius says that Medea only helped Jasonin the first place becaue Hera had convinced Aphrodite of Eros to cause Medea to fall in love with him.

How did the production tell the story?
The production was amazing. I loved everything about Medea and the way they did it. The staging was just as the diagram shows. The set was used to tell certain parts of the story e.g. when Jason and Glauce were climbing up the ladder showing they were having an affair, the way the used the ladder to show the sultrey, seductiveness between them and when they were falling off the ladder one at a time, they were showing how they can't be together, how they shouldn't be together. Also the lighting represented the mood of the play, if there were any scary/thrilling moments, the lighting would go dark and the music also would go slower and it would be a deeper tone.

Did you find the story convincing?
At first I didn't understand the story at first even though I am studying it. But after seeing this production I understood fully what was going on.
I found Medeas character convincing. She portrayed the character really well, especially when she was doing ariel work and she had different levels, it made her character more powerful over the other characters that were grounded.
I think that having characters doing multi-roles made it a bit harder to understand and it was less convincing because I was focusing on which character was which at some points. So I think that could've been clearer, but other than that, I thought everything worked well!

What bits of the story worked best?
Bits of the story that worked best for me were the nurses speech at the beginning and the way they used ariel. I loved the nurse character. I liked the way when she was playing different characters her voice was different, her whole persona and the way she played the characters was different.




Did any moments stir you emotions - did you laugh? did you feel sad?
How did you feel about the characters?
Did the production hold the audiences' interest? all the time? how? if not, why?
Did anything about the set particularly catch your eye?
Describe abouw lighting was used to create atmosphere
What did the lighting add to the production?
Was there an obvious use of soundtrack, specail effects or music?
How was sound used in this production?
What did you think about the costume/props?
Were there any special effects that particularly stood out for you in terms of the creation of mood or place?
Discuss the interaction of the design and the performers

25/11/13 AS Drama

Rachels Lesson

AS Drama

In todays lesson we did Frantic Assembly work. We did a running warm up and found a space that was warm - we felt comfortable, a cold place - where you feel wet and hungover, place you feel ecstatic and a place you want to hide a place where you feel ashamed.  We had to find a place for each of these feelings e.g for a warm place I went to the corner of the room, by the curtains, so it felt warm!

The first task we did was pick a scene from Beautiful Burnout and work out how to put some movements to it.

Scene Eighteen - Dina, Ainsley, Bobby, Cameron and NeilNeil.

18/11/13 AS Drama

Rachels Lesson

AS Drama

Frantic Assembly

In todays lesson we talked about Medea and what we thought were the best parts of the play. The pros and cons. 

This is were we went to see the performance of Medea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medea









Quad Jumps
This was our quad jumps that we did to build us up to working towards doing Frantic Assembly 'Beautiful Burnout'

I thought this exercise was good, because as I have seen 'beautiful burnout' they use quad jumps throughout most of the play. It's good because you could do it however you wanted and doing this got us motivated and clear on what frantic involves.