Performance

Performance

We arrived at room 413 at 4:20pm the latest. Our first performance started at 5:00pm so we had to arrive 40 minutes early in order to have time to warm up and get into costume. As soon as we got to the spare room for unnecessary items, we got changed into costume straight away and headed to the big theatre room to start our warm ups. Ms Lee took charge of our warm ups. We included vocal warm ups and physical warm ups. One was an exercise where we had to lie still on our backs in neutral on the floor, we had to project our voices to the ceiling saying "ahh". This was not an exercise to see who can shout the loudest or a game. It was a exercise to help warm up our voices and to practice our projection before we went and performed. By doing theatre, you need to understand that you have to project your voice. It's no good being an actor on stage and not being able to project. Your audience needs to be able to hear you! This was a great exercise to do because it helped us with projection. This vocal exercise is definitely my favourite vocal one because its so calming and peaceful. It's similar to meditation and it helps me to just focus on my voice and posture instead of thinking about my other acting techniques, for example; facial expressions, body language, gestures and the tone of my voice. I just have to focus on projection and my breathing and I love this.

Another warm up we did was a physical one which helped us wake up our bodies that had just been sitting in a chair in our previous lesson. We rolled our bodies down to the floor, starting with our heads then all the way so our arms dangled down and our hands touched our feet. We then rolled our spine up until we were standing tall and straight again in neutral. This is my favourite physical stretch because yet again it is very calming and relaxing and it helps stretch every inch of my back/ body so we are ready, relaxed for performing.

After our warm ups we got into positions ready for our audience who were waiting in the Foyer. I was really nervous to start but i was so excited at the same time. We were scene five, so we had while until they came upstairs to our scene. We were looking out the window to see when our audience left scene four which was out at the big tree near the main entrance. Once we saw through the small window in one of the theatre rooms that our audience had left scene 4, we walked quickly over to the scenes taking place in the room next to ours (scenes 6,7,8 and 9) and told them to be quiet now as our audience are downstairs. Then we quickly moved into our opening positions ready to perform our scene.

Multimedia used in the performance
1.     Live feed
2.     TV, pre-recorded videos
3.     garage band (voice recordings)
4.     mobile phones

How did multimedia enhance the overall performance? 
Multimedia help us to perform our show in  a unique and more interesting way. It helped show a different side of theatre and created tension in the audience at some points, for example; when one group used live feed it could have made the audience feel tension as they didn't know where to look so they had a choice on where to focus their attention on. either the live acting or the live feed. It gave our audience the choice to look at different sides of our performance which enhanced our overall piece as a company.

What impact do you think it had on the audience and why?
I think it had different effects on different people. From the information I gathered from various parents afterwards the feeling differed. mainly it was a good opinion of our show which was great
! people loved how we incorporated multimedia in our play and thought it was interesting and a different way to approach theatre, a way the had never experienced before. They also agreed that they like how we set our show in promenade. They thought it was exciting to keep on moving around the school to see different scenes of Antigone. however I think that some people would have preferred to be seated and thought that the piece was quite confusing and didn't really understand the story-line. However overall I think the use of multimedia opened up people's views on theatre because it was something unique.

Would the performance have been as effective without the multimedia?
Perhaps if we didn't have the play as a promenade it may have been as effective, however because it was, I don't think it would have been as effective without the multimedia because i think it could have became boring.

Which moment of multimedia was most effective and why?
I really enjoyed the live feed used in our performance. this was because it was more effective for the audience to watch because they had a choice of what they could focus on.

Scenes from Antigone:	Multimedia used and locations	How did the multimedia in each scene enhance the performance?
1. Creon announces that Eteocles will be honoured and Polynices will be shamed and left un-buried.	Video to be shown on screen in reception.	Showed the Audience a different side of creon through a tv screen instead of live acting.
2. Antigone goes to Ismene to persuade her to assist the burial of their brother. Ismene refuses.	By the tree - video shown of the thoughts of the characters.	Showed the audience the inner thoughts of the characters instead of us using direct address and coming out of our characters to talk to the audience.
3. Antigone goes to bury her brother.	Round of wooden stumps.	Set the scene well of where Polyneices was buried looked realistic
4. Creon looks for the support of the chorus of Theban Elders in his  decision to leave Polynices unburied.	Creon announces from fire escape door of 415 - chorus round the tree looking up. Audience looking up also.	Using the speaker enhanced our use of levels and was more captivating for the audience to watch
5. A Sentry reports the burial of Polynices. Creon insists that the Sentry finds out who or face death.	Filmed footage of event is shown on screen top of stairs. Sentry talking to Creon.	Gave the audience the opportunity to witness what happened previously opened their minds to the world of theatre.
6. Chorus sing about honouring gods.	From the yard up to windows of 413 Recorded chorus played.	Pre-recorded voice recording. Shocked the audience because they wasn’t expecting a recording to be played, they were expecting the actors to shout from the courtyard
7. Sentry returns with the Culprit: Antigone. Creon confronts her.	Burst into 413 - audience turn to see. Lighting used.	Lighting used helped create effect and tension
8. Creon confronts Ismene. Ismene tries to confess but Antigone won't allow it. And in the end, the two sisters are imprisoned.	Still in 413 but Creon live speaks to a projected Ismene. Antigone is walked out the room and joins the real Ismene - escorted off. Lighting used	Lighting used helped create effect and tension
9. Haemon both pledges allegiance to his father, Creon, and asks that Antigone be spared. After the discussion deteriorate, Haemon storms out vowing never to speak to him again.	Traverse in 413 - iphone lights as the two talk. Throughout confrontation, lights go out, one by one.	The iphone lights gave a different effect instead of lighting used from the stage, instead we incorporated our everyday technology. This was unique for the audience to watch
10. Creon chooses to spare Ismene, and to bury Antigone alive. As she is dragged out, the chorus express their Sorrow.	One light left on Creon's face. Sound of s body being dragged...etc. Projection and video used	Video clip was used which enhanced our performance as it lifted the scene and made it even more interesting as it was a different approach to tell the story.
11. Tiresias attempts to advise Creon that what he is doing is wrong and that the Gods are angry. The prophecy of a dead son is mentioned.	Tiresias never moves his mouth but what he says coupled with weird underscore is played through speakers of 415. Projected video played	Video clip was used which enhanced our performance as it lifted the scene
12. The chorus, terrified, begs him to take Tiresias' advice. Shaken, Creon agrees to release Antigone and bury Polynices.	As many chorus as possible fill cavities of 415 and urge Creon. Three doors and side grated window thing.	As a company we made the play enhance further by creating tension by gathering in one room and making it cramped to the audience therefore they thought they were involved in the show. Use of promenade theatre.
13. Chorus deliver a choral ode to the god Dionysus.
14. Messenger informs Eurydice of Haemon and Antigone's death.	Filmed footage on repeat of Haemon stabbing himself and Antigone hanging, swinging from a branch.	Repetition gave the thought to the audience that what happened in this Greek Tragedy was terrible and it was really quite sad. Enhanced tension
15. Carrying the body of his dead son Haemon, Creon is then met by a 2nd messenger informing him of Eurydice's death.	Audience back outside looking at tree. Creon walking through the courtyard, holding Creon, confronted by messenger at the tree. Chorus look down from 415.	Gave the moral: Treat people how you would like to be treated because the pain you caused others could come back around to you