Lawyer Closing Argument - SCRIPT WRITING

  After our lesson of media and politics we were given topics to pick from they were as following:

-A lawyers closing argument
-A policeman/ policewoman who was questioning a person and the officer was trying to get them to snitch on their friend who committed the crime.
-A celebrities speech at a charity event

I chose the lawyers closing argument as its an experience i've been through so i will use the knowledge i know to build up this statement.
This was to help guide us to as a class begin story writing, this is my monologue which will  be said from the lawyers perspective.


     (Looks and Positively nods to defendant/ Jacob)

Thank you your honour, thank you to for your attention ladies and gentlemen of the jury, on this very important case. May i remind your decisions must be met beyond all reasonable doubt.

(looks to Jacob Moore one last time)

The prosecutor didn’t face a threat that night.  The judge didn’t face a threat that night, and the 12 of you didn’t face a threat that night.  Only one person did.  And that is my client.  He did what he thought he had to.  None of us had to make the split second decision that he did.  And yet, we are all asked to second guess him today.  To Monday-morning quarterback him, if you will.  It was Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendall Holmes who said that “you can’t expect calm detachment in the presence of an uplifted knife.”  Now there was no knife involved in this case, but the point is the same.  People have to make split second decisions in exercising self-defence.  Sometimes people in hindsight should have, or could have, handled the matter differently.  But hindsight isn’t the measure we use when judging a defendant’s actions.  Rather we analyse what happened from the perspective of how things looked at the time to my client.

When you came to this court on November 11th 2013. I think it was, we all asked you a number of questions, and we asked the jury to keep an open mind until all the evidence was in.

The alleged victim doesn’t look so scary in the light of day, in the courtroom witness chair, all dressed up, cleaned up.  But that is not the circumstance when my client used force, is it?  The man came at my client in a dark alley behind a tavern, and no one knew or could have known his intentions.  And my client decided that he wanted to go home that night, that he wanted to survive.

Self-defence is not just the stuff of law books.  Self-defence is a defence that nature herself recognises, a recognition really that any living creature is going to act, or react a certain way when faced with a threat.

Self-defence is often something that police and prosecutors don’t really understand.  No one walks up to police and prosecutors on the street and threatens them.  That doesn’t happen because the system would come down on them like a ton of bricks.  No, it is people like my client Jacob Moore who get messed with, who get bullied.  The nobodies of this world.  My client isn’t particularly big, he isn’t important around town, and he might have looked like he was fair game for intimidation, for bullying.  But he stuck up for himself.  He reacted.  And now he is being judged.  The jury system was intended to stick up for the little guy.  Our forefathers knew that someone or something had to serve as a buffer between the individual citizen and the powerful government.  My client has no burden of proof, the state has to disprove self-defence beyond a reasonable doubt.

My client faces a serious offence.  He is charged with a violent crime.  His life is on the line.  You think the police would have done a more thorough job in the investigation.  You really would.  You would think my client would be entitled to a fair investigation before people would pass judgment on him.  The police should have tried to find independent witnesses who were at the tavern that night.  They did not.  How come none of the bartenders were subpoenaed?  Instead the police relied on the word of the alleged victim and his friends.  And you know the kind of people they are.  None of their stories matched.  Half of them admitted to drug use on the night in question.  Is that the type of scant proof that can send a man to jail?  Doesn’t my client deserve better?  Don’t we all? Hold the state to its burden.  A conviction in this case would be a travesty.  Do the right thing. 

Section 1 - Politics And Social Media

What 3 political issues have directly or indirectly had an impact on your life?

In the first part of the lesson we began discussing social media, and how this had typically impacted our lives. We first discussed 3 political issues that have impacted our lives, I chose when liberal democrats and conservative came to power in a duel election. This had side effects on my life as depending on who is in power there rights and beliefs effects my life. For example them coming into power meant that they changed laws and rights, and one that particularly had an impact on myself and others is the new law of paying for university, regardless of whether i agree with this or not its still impacted my life.

Another political issue I thought of was Barak Obama coming into power in the united states in 2008, I was in america when he was elected and this was a breakthrough across the world as Obama was the first black president to ever be elected and giving the what was seen as the 'underdog' in the past, it boosted the nation as a whole with his excellent leadership skills. This changed my life in the sense that that it has impacted the world and its history. Also the influence of america being a power country has on the world will form my society as i know it.

My final political issue that has impacted my life personally is how the justice system was affected. If you were a youth in court you would usually have had to go to a youth court, even if an adult was involved in the case they would be video linked into court so the child has the child benefits of that specific courts. However, laws changed recently meaning that if you were a youth who had to go to court and an adult was involves in the case then it would go to an adult court. This law change is a political issue that has directly affected me.

Where do you usually find out the news?

Personally i have watched BBC and itv news everyday since i can remember, via television i believe is a great way to get the main headlines across to the public. Others ways i hear the news is on the radio or on facebook from news headlines that people have shared.

What 3 social issues have you experienced?

One of the main issues i believe in the youth of todays society, comes from online. More than 1 in 3 young people have experiences cyber-threats online, and i am one of them. The most damming thing of all is that if someone creates a fake profile online then there is no way in recording who is harassing you, if you report it to the police they cannot begin to even prosecute; even if the anonymous person has a profile picture of themselves. They do this because the picture could be also used as fake, so unless investigated most cases like this get unsolved. Meaning the crime of cyber bullying will continue to uprise. 
I believe that cyber bullying should be taken more serious than it is and should be resolved in different ways, as usually the suspects are let off with warning i think if they got more of a shock they wouldn't do it again, giving them a warning gives them a chance to commit the crime again. If it were taken to court more often as cyber bullying is one of the fewer crimes seen taken to court. This would then be released into the media and would scare the younger youths of even doing it if they knew the consequences were more serious.

A second social issue i have experienced is the equality in men and women, and how women have to put up with things such a 'cat calling' from men. They think of themselves higher as they believe it is okay for them to have sexual suggestions even when walking down the street. Having to deal with this social issue on a day to day life can make you lose trust in humanity, and all of us represent the human race and i think its a shame how some people like to portray us as a race. We aren't different from one another regardless of gender we are the same as a race so why is it okay for a man to hoot and cat call at teenage girls as they innocently are walking to college or school?

My third and final social issue i have experienced is how permanent things can be on the internet. Whatever you post online is up their forever so young people in particular need to be more aware of the concequences this can have in later life. Social media is something as a nation we use every second of everyday, so it can be tempting to post or share something without giving it any thought. 
But an example of this going horrible wrong was a young MP who was elected in Essex she posted something 8 years ago on twitter about getting so so drunk and how she wanted wanted to never be sober and experiment with drugs was suggested. Well 8 years later she became MP and had to resign as all her twitter got searched through and was put into the media. Youths need to be aware of more cases like this and closer to home so they can think twice before posting something on instagram or twitter.

Who has the most power?

I believe the person who has the most power is the 'power' countries governments. The 10 most powerful countries on our world currently is:

- United Kingdom
-United States of America
-Canada
-Russia
-China
-India
-Germany 
-France
-Japan
-Israel
(based on the 2012 National Power Index)

These countries governments i believe have the most power. Yes, there are top inside corporations that have a high say in politics today, but if the world was to come into disaster these governments would conform together to decide all important decisions. So regardless of other people who are high up and wealthy for example the Queen of England, i believe in a shortened time frame these would be the people we would see pop up to help Earth and guide the nations to come together at as a human race. 

Photos from Electra

All these photos are my own photos.

Electra Show Week

Electra Show 1

For the first show, I felt like it didn't go well on my behalf and I was really disappointed as i knew all my lines which i had spent time to learn only to get on stage and mess my lines up. However, regardless of my line troubles i felt i managed to act as a professional and continue the show and try get to a part of the show where i could recall so even though i skipped part of Act 2, the show continued and everyone managed to adapt around my mistake. I spoke to an audience member after and they thought it was excellent and didn't notice any different and they still fully understood the story line.

The chorus worked really well together and managed to uplift the atmosphere of the play and kept it together and interesting. I felt the songs worked really well and were key moments and highlights of the play. The smoke machine we used helped create the atmosphere and just added to the play considerable.

After my mistake i made sure i went home and made sure i went through it to the point where i knew all the cues and lines inside out, as i was apprehensive about the next show.

Electra Show 2

This was an evening performance and to the public and I tried hard in the break to stay calm so i wouldn't panic and mess up my lines again. They still weren't perfect but it was an improvement from the first performance. We decided to change the blanket that is used when i am dead and wrapped up. We originally had a solid grey blanket but it was slightly too small, so we changed this to a white lacy blanket this fit my height better so covered my feet so looked more effective.

All the other roles i felt went really well, Chrytopholese' facial expression could have done with more as i felt they just delivered the lines instead of performing them. I still felt like i wanted to build up my anger when arguing with Electra (Katrina). The direction of this part was acted well as the movements were clear and simple so not over the top that the audience would be distracted from the text of the play.

Electra Show 3

After going home, I re-familised myself with the lines and the next day got in extra early to go through it with someone so i could boost my confidence in it. When it was my turn to go on stage i missed a few lines but was thrilled with my performance, even though there was still room for improvement i was just chuffed with the improvement since the first show as it is very recognisable.
Grace playing the third Electra performed very well as she used more psychopathic and itched her arms and face making her seem more crazy, which i enjoyed.

In this performance when i was playing dead and had the blanket covered over me, it was positioned oddly so Josh found it hard to pull it off revealing my face, it got caught on a part of my clothing which was a slight wardrobe malfunction.

The last detail we changed in this third performance was the dresses that Electra wore, we felt they needed more colour as they were the main character they needed to be the attention of the audiences eyes. So instead of them wearing black t-shirt and trousers or the layered up rag dress, they wore all the same burgundy dress of all one block colour, we made them look more authentic by rubbing dirt in them so she portrayed a more 'homeless' character.

For the other 3 performances Sophie was playing the mother and these performances all went i believe i couldn't watch it as i was in charge of the smoke machine, but from what i could hear it sounded like it all went smoothly.

Costume Design - RAPUNZEL

Here is my costume design for Rapunzel. I based my costume design from the Elizabethan era, I did costume research from that point in time, this allowed me to understand what people from that time would wear so i could adapt my costume around this style. I looked more at Elizabethan Peasant costume, as if they were royal they would be wearing a lot more extravagant clothing. On the right is an image of a modern day girl in an olden version costume style from the Elizabethan peasant era.
The reason i wanted to make it peasant instead of royal as Rapunzel's 'mother' the witch would have treated her with riches as she was an only child who captured Rapunzel to have her all to herself so she did cherish her. However, when i picture someone captured i picture them all grubby and not well cleansed so i imagine them of a lower spectrum especially when its a case told from a fairy tale, which in my mind is all olden anyway as its a tale thats been around for years.
I based the colour of Rapunzel's costume around the colour green, i did this in contrast from her traditional purple outfit.
 On the left is also an Elizabethan dress this is a very layered and heavy. This is what i based my ideas around, i have an off the shoulder light green tee shirt and then over this is an darker green material layered dress which like the dress on the left all layered up at the waist.(1)
 This was a typical style of dress where it would all be pleated in. I made it modern slightly by adapting it with the shortness of the sleeves as these would most likely be long sleeved, however this wouldn't be practical for the character as she is from a tower and does a lot of chores and works so to have long sleeves they may get in the way of her actions, so i made them shorter. (2)The dress will also be cut jagged, this isn't Elizabethan but the purpose behind it is that it looks more 'wood' like and it also portrays Rapunzel's character as she needs more practical clothing. (3)

The last part of my costume design which i looked at was her hair and wig, i had researched the wigs in another blog post. (4)

The numbers in brackets link to the part of my costume design.
Below is my costume design drawing of Rapunzels costume:

Electra Final Rehearsal

During Electra we have faced challenges that we have had to overcome as a group. One of these was using the staging space correctly as we have decided to have the audience on stage left and stage right. I felt that another struggle was the chorus and allowing them to have the movements to guide the play along, they have to keep up the atmosphere for the play to flow properly.

For me and a lot of other we struggled with line learning, this was because it was done in an older english so if we couldnt understand the lines we found it hard to have a flowing conversation and keep the play going, if one stuttered then this affected others on stage, as its not a language you can blag.
In rehersals we have struggled to stay fluent this made us feel unprepared although we had come far in the short time we had to complete Electra.
I also struggled with the story line as i hadnt seen it before and everyone had. Even though i had done my research so i tried to understand it i felt not seeing it made me misunderstand how the play is meant to flow.

For the lighting in Electra we decided to keep with the colour scheme thats involed in the programme and costumes. For the main part of the play we have a basic lighting thats used this is 4 blue tinted lights, they are all downstage and 2 are stage left and 2 are stage right. We then have 2 red fog lights which are left centre stage and right centre stage. The colour blue connates cold, this could reflect my characters cold heart as a mother as she shows little care towards Electra. The red light conntates the evil and anger involved in Electra.

Review of Electra at Old Vic

We went on a college trip to watch a production of Electra. Unfortunately, i couldn't attend this trip however with my peers feedback i still managed to gathered a lot about the production and how it they portrayed it. The seating of the theatre was set up similarly to how they would have been built in ancient greek times. The theatre was set like and old amphitheatre. This was affective as it automatically gave an audience a mindset like they were taken back in time, to the time of greek theatre.

The staging has sand floor which represented the natural environment from Greece. The set also had rocks on which captured that period in Greece, it also highlights Greeks setting which is predominately rocks. The lighting was imitating natural light and they used 360 degrees lighting so it was bright and no shadows were created. 

If shadows were created it could have set a difference ambience and portray emotions which may not have been wanted as it wouldn't be realistic. Also, the theatre was created to be similar to what it would have been like watching it in Greece in the past, and they wouldn't of had the equipment like lights to create shadows so they wanted to make it as natural as possible. Furthermore, there was a tree and a water pump as props for the set. The tree helped visually with creating levels on stage making the set more appealing from an audiences perspective.

Electra's costume was plain and ragged looking. She had a 'homeless' look about her and the costume didn't fit her properly. This portrayed that she was poor and didn't have the money to buy fresh new clothes, she looked dirty and run down. The actress playing Electra i thought was cast as too old for the role as this confused the audience slightly as she was old enough to be Orestes' mother.

The chorus in Electra was kept in the traditional form of Greek theatre. The chorus consisted of 10-15 males as women wouldn't have performed in those days. The chorus wore layered dark clothing which didn't detract away from the main characters. I thought it was disappointing that the chorus didn't sing or dance at all; however is is a drama piece and not a musical, so this was expected.

Electra cried over mums death which confused the audience as Electra hates her mother, however it showed that even though she hated her mother, she was still family and its sad to see her die. This allowed the audience to have a further understanding of electra's personality as she comes across more sincere than i would expected.

In those days if the father was killed its the sons job to seek revenge, i had a greater understanding of this by the performance. This explained why Electra put Orestes into hiding, so she could get him to then seek revenge. In the performance it didn't show the murder which is what they would have done in ancient greek times. This made it slightly boring as it intrigued me into how they would have portrayed that. However, it was still effective when the actors came out with bloody hands. On the other hand, the sound needed to be maximised when the murder took place, the sound was too plain for someone to die.

Electra Performance Videos

Tuesday Evening Electra Performance Part 1


Tuesday Evening Electra Performance Part 2


Wednesday Evening Electra Performance Part 1


Wednesday Evening Electra Performance Part 2


Here are the videos of my performances within Electra, these performances link with the evaluation on a later post in my blog.

Check list

Niamh Kenny

Costume

1. Upload pictures of each page in your costume portfolio, you should have;
   1. Character and text analysis
   2. Costume research – Period and social status
   3. Costume plot for THREE characters
   4. Written work about how no. 1 has contributed to no. 2
   5. Colours, fabric swatches and measurements
   6. Initial designs - Based on established period and social status
   7. Established designs with written work about practicalities, character portrayal, portrayal of mood/emotion

Drama

1. Look at each show of Electra and how well you are doing identify strengths/ weaknesses and what you could do to improve for the next one.
2. Include a review of Electra Performance at Old Vic

My Budget For A Production

For my performance I decided to use the show Electra. This play I have a lot of knowledge about as i have researched it thoroughly and i would know exactly how i would conduct it.

For starters I chose the Sealight Theatre as my choice of theatre, this meant that i would get it at a discounted rate. All the actors and Actresses within this production of Electra would be performed by college students so it would be funding inkind.

After then laying out what i would need to set up a production i did research into each one about how much it would all cost and where would be the cheapest place to go.
For the ticket sales I wanted to make them realistic prices but also the capacity of our theatre is 90 seats so i needed to take that into account and how many people would turn up, as i cant assume that it will be 100% ticket sales.I worked out this price by logically thinking about how much a college play would sell their tickets at.

I looked at the Worthing Tavana which is a greek restaurant in Worthing and for a half page sponsor advert in our programme i settled a price with them for £30, they said this is about right for this type of advertising and they said if this were a real production this is what they would do.

I didn't want to just have programmes for sale as i know that in house merchandise and drink stalls make good money.
So i decided that you could buy drinks and crisps before the show or in the interval this would cost £5 for 1 bottle of white wine and you can get 5 glasses out of 1 bottle so assuming that 10 people bought a glass of wine costing at £2 i would make a profit of £10. All this i believe adds to having an entrepreneur mindset in wanting to achieve good profit margins.
For the Orange Juice i decided to make them good and affordable especially for children. I made it 40p a glass as this would still allow you to make profit. Each carton of juice costs 75p and i did the same you could get 5 glasses out of this so if i sold 25 glasses of orange juice which is what i would expect as 35 students and children were estimated to attend making a total of £5.75.
Crisps i could buy in at 60p each which meant we would only be making a 10p profit per bag we sold, assuming i sell 20 packets i only make £2.

For the programme i have good photoshop skills so would create them myself and by doing this it meant i could get them with a professional look at get 50 printed at a cost of £16.99, this was an excellent price and i got this off of Vista Print.

This allowed me to make a total of £817 this is without the expenditure of the food and drinks. The Net total for my income is £762.75.

My discounted rate venue hire would only cost £100 and this is where i saved the most money within the whole production.
As i decided to do the production Electra this meant i could get an online copy for free as the playwright has no copyright issues.

My publicity total was £19.49, i spent this on posters and flyers. The posters would cost £11.40 this would have cost £32.40 if i got them done online and professionally, but with my photoshop skills i would design the poster myself however the £11.40 would cover my printing ink and poster paper costs. Which just goes to show if you can and have the skills to do it yourself it can cost more than half the price.
The other percentage of money that got spent in publicity was on flyers. For 25 flyers it cost £8.09 this figure i also got on VistaPrint.

The sets and props would be made on site with college resources that was all funding inkind. However, in Electra the only staging that was needed is a staging that is provided with the theatre and the only prop used is a door frame which could be found for free off GumTree or Freecycle, that is if the sealight theatre didn't have one, luckily however they do.

The lights usually would also come with the Sealight Theatre, however i made room for error so i also looked up how much it would cost to hire the lighting from somewhere else. I found off West Sussex Lighting And Party Hire, that i could hire 10 main lights with colour filters at a renting cost for £40 this is for 2 days, which would last us the 2 performances. However, this is included with the cost of the Sealight Theatre so that £40 wouldn't necessarily be needed.

Costumes will mainly be provided by actors as it is a basic costume, however i left £25 as 4 sets of black wings were purchased off of eBay at the price of £4 each this comes to a total of £16 for the wings leaving us £9 for other bits and bobs if needed. The make-up would be provided by actors and put on by actors.

The programme printing i got off vistapint this was for 25 of them which was fine as we estimated to only sell 20, this cost £16.99 which i believed to be reasonable. I left £50 emergency money in case not all went to plan and i needed to invest more money in certain areas.

However, this left me with a total profit of £751.27 after all my costs were added up.

5 Production Companies

How do these 5 companies work together?

I looked at Spotlight, most casting directors will look at this website to find actors for specific productions. It is a big main website used across the UK and as many as 60,000 people use Spotlight. It's a good way for actors to find work as they can also find job adverts on their which may interest them and the skills they have. Clients will range from BBC, Itv and other production companies.

Equity negotiate with the casting directors to assure that the terms and conditions are correct so no actor is going into a job unsure about what they will expect to turn up too, as acting can be a dangerous business where terms and conditions may be slipped past actors and not actually realise they are going into a dodgy production, such as pornography. Equity and makes sure that actors are getting paid and treated correctly. It protects actors rights and makes sure that they are working in correct health and safety conditions
They offer legal advice and financial advice this includes, staff development and copyright. Equity provide a service to help all actors and the equality in the performing arts.

The BETCU is a service to help protect the technical team and side of the performance. The tech crew have a union for staging and lighting this makes sure that they also have their terms and conditions protected. They also make sure they are working in regulated health and safety conditions as this can be dangerous within rigging stages.

Arts council England help funding from literature, singers, dancers and all round performances and they give out an estimate of £1.2 billion to the arts within England. This would be the place to go if you were putting on a production of your own this would be the place you would first go to get funding. When applying for funding from the Arts council it is best to have some possible funding already under your belt they don't want you to fully rely on just 1 place of funding as this is not practical for a production.


BECTU is the last company I will be looking it at. It is the UK's media and entertainment trade union; sectors covered include broadcasting, film, independent production, theatre and the arts, leisure and digital media.

BECTU provides a wide range of services to its circa 25,000 members, including:

• Negotiating pay, conditions and contracts with employers
• Personal advice and representation for individual members
• Advice and representation on health and safety
• Benefits and services for BECTU members
• Training support and courses
• Networking events and career development opportunities
• Union journal, Stage Screen and Radio, published six times a year.
• Website designed to improve access to the union's advice and support.

The union is financed entirely by individual subscriptions from members.
The key aims of the union are to:
- protect jobs
- increase membership
- win new recognition agreements
- improve pay and conditions of service, including pensions.


ITC which stands for Independent Theatre Council. The ITC exists to enable the creation of high quality professional performing arts by supporting, representing and developing those who manage and produce it.
As an ITC member they recognise:

• That the performing arts have the power and potential to change lives and should be available to the many not the few.
• That the performing arts thrive when people are put before profit.
• The value of belonging to a community of performing arts professionals sharing and learning together.

They also aim to:

• Bring high quality, imaginative art to the widest possible audience.
• Provide the best possible working conditions and pay.
• Promote inclusion, equal opportunities and diversity.
• Share knowledge and experience with peers.
• Actively engage with ITC and make good use of the services.

Cat Dance Audition Rehearsal

In dance today, we did an energetic warm up by jogging round the room whilst changing directions, we then did starjump side steps. We did this for a good 5-10 minutes so it got our heart going and warmed us all up. After that we looked at the board which had key movements this allowed us to think a bit more about the indidiviual movements in our dance. It also meant with people who didnt know how to start this gave them some simple ideas, you could take 3 movements off the board and then if you conduct it in the style motif that cats the musical has you have a starting point. In the background we had dances from Cats on so we could pick like a few movements from there.

We were told we had to focus a lot on characterisation, and as i didn't know any of the characters from Cats i had to do some research to see which character i would actually like to be so i could conduct my dance in the style of that specific character.

These descriptions, in alphabetical order, are based on more recent versions of the show, although there are minor variations from production to production.

• Asparagus / Gus – The theatre cat. One of the oldest tribe members. He was once an actor, and is one of two cats who is only seen during his song.
• Bombalurina – A red female. She is not the subject of a song herself, but plays a leading part in introducing several of the cats, and also sings of Macavity.
• Bustopher Jones – A fat cat, a "twenty-five pounder." Dresses in a snappy tuxedo and spats. Respected by all, as the upper class "St. James's Street Cat". In most productions, the actor playing Gus also plays Bustopher, perhaps because both are only seen during their song, though in early productions the part was handled by the actor playing Old Deuteronomy.
• Demeter – A very skittish female cat. She is not the subject of a song, but plays a lead role in several.
• Grizabella – The former Glamour Cat who has lost her sparkle and now only wants to be accepted. Grizabella left the tribe when she was younger to see the world for herself; she has experienced the harshness of the world and is a pariah in the cats' society.
• Griddlebone – A fluffy white Persian female cat. Growltiger's lover in Growltiger's Last Stand, where she sings The Ballad of Billy M'Caw or the mock Italian aria In Una Tepida Notte (depending on production) with Growltiger. Almost always played by the actress playing Jellylorum. In some productions the role is played by the actress playing Jennyanydots. "Growltiger's Last Stand" was a play in which Gus, the Theatre Cat, acted, and a scene from it is used as a dream sequence, but it is omitted from some productions. Whether she is the same Griddlebone who is one of MacAvity's agents is not known.
• Growltiger – A theatrical character Gus recalls playing in his youth, and who appears in Gus' memory of the production of Growltiger's Last Stand. In some productions he is portrayed as a vicious pirate; in others, he is more comical.
• Jellylorum – A female who watches out for the kittens, along with Jennyanydots. She is Gus' mate. Named after T. S. Eliot's own cat. The actress who plays Jellylorum usually also plays Griddlebone in Growltiger's Last Stand.
• Jemima – A kitten interchangeable with Sillabub, though Jemima is used in most international productions. She is the kitten who sings the Memory refrain in The Moments of Happiness for Old Deuteronomy. Jemima sings the happier parts of Memory, while Grizabella sings the sadder parts. She is the first cat/kitten to accept Grizabella by singing with her and not judge her.
• Jennyanydots – The old Gumbie cat. She sits all day and rules the mice and cockroaches at night, forcing them to undertake helpful functions and creative projects, to curb their naturally destructive habits.
• Macavity – the show's only real villain, who only appears briefly and has no dialogue. The character is a literary allusion to the Sherlock Holmes character Professor Moriarty. Usually played by the same actor as Plato or Admetus.
• Mr. Mistoffelees – A young black tom (with some white) who has magical powers which he doesn't fully control. His signature dance move is "The Conjuring Turn", twenty-four fouettés en tournant. In the UK production, Mistoffelees has an alter-ego named Quaxo, who appears as a general chorus cat throughout the show, and is dressed slightly differently.
• Mungojerrie – Male half of a pair of notorious cat-burglars, with Rumpleteazer. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are most commonly remembered for their featured dance number where at the end, they do a "double windmill" across the stage.
• Munkustrap – The show's main narrator. A tabby tomcat who is storyteller and protector of the Jellicle tribe. He is Old Deuteronomy's second-in-command.
• Old Deuteronomy – The lovable patriarch of the Jellicle Tribe. He is very old and dignified.
• Rumpleteazer – Female half of a pair of notorious cat-burglars, with Mungojerrie.
• The Rum Tum Tugger – A flashy tomcat. His temperament ranges from clownish to serious. He is Munkustrap's brother, though they differ in temperament.
• Skimbleshanks – The railway cat. An active orange tabby cat, who lives on the trains and acts as an unofficial chaperone to such an extent he is considered rather indispensable to the train and station employees.
• Victoria – A pure white kitten gifted in dancing. The "official" Jellicle Ball begins with her solo dance. She also does a Pas de Deux with Plato during the Jellicle Ball. She is also the first to touch Grizzabella.
• Alonzo – A black and white tom cat in most productions; in the Broadway and early European productions, he was depicted as being a black and gold tabby. Sometimes considered the third in command after Munkustrap as he also fights Macavity. However, he is not the subject of any song, and has no dialogue.

I got this information from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_(musical)#Characters

I felt that this information was useful but not as useful as i would have liked as i wanted to know more about their personalities not who they were as such. I wanted to find out if there was an evil cat in the musical. Before i knew about the characters i wanted to portray an evil cat as i found this would be an interesting character and would excite me.

However after my research i didnt like the sound of the villian in cats, the villain was called Macativy. I liked the sound of the character Grizella she's a glamous cat but has lot her sparkle. I felt i could relate to this character as shes had a rough past. This can be hard to portray these emotions sometimes as a way to react in certain circumstances may be incorrect to someone who had been through that, but baring in mind everyone reacts differently. I feel like i could connect to this character and would love to gain the personalitiy of this character. This means i may have to alter certain motifs and movements i have already devised, but this is mainly emotion and facial expressions which can easily be changed.

Steve Carell Audition Tape - Anchorman

I chose this audition tape as comedy is supposedly  the hardest quality and genre to portray within an audition, this is because auditions have a serious atmosphere about them and then trying to break this down with humour can either go one way or the other. However, Steve Carell did really well in this audition leading him on to become the character in Anchorman. He gets into character instantly which you may think he is awkward at the beginning and not fluent with comedy but soon you can see that this is a quality of his character which he then opens up and becomes.

Even if this video was muted you can see his careful miming skills, and how he goes for it so much that his face colour changes red. This is when his character Brick would laugh and having the correct laugh is even a fine detail in comedy as this could transform the character.

Most auditions will expect to involve movement which i thought i would have felt lacked in this audition but after watching it fully the script and the character spoke for itself and you didn't need any movement because the audiences focus was so directed it could have been diverted if movement was then added in.

His body language fits the criteria needed for the character for Brick however, Steve Carell has also made that character his own this has occured through such things as his laugh and how Steve has adapted that to fit the character his movements and thought process as well how he ate that sandwich so convincingly and how his thought process thought it was okay to eat it.

Steve Carell must have studied the script in depth to understand the character Brick as much as he did, this is vital when auditioning.

Electra Blocking Act 3

At the very beginning of act 3 there is a song that is played which will be sung by the chorus. Whilst they continue to sing they wander round the space of the stage. They also do movements such as the shoal of fish exercise which we ran through in the Electra workshop.
After this the music continues whilst electra has a conversation, during this the chorus form a circle on the floor and link arms and sway sideways. We wanted a movement that wouldn't distract from the acting but would be effective on how to portray to Electra's mind.
The act goes on and the next main blocking point was when Electra hugged her brother when she realises he is alive and not dead in ash form. He is alive so Electra was told to dramatically pause when hugging him, electra was then directed to smell him, as this is a realistic movement that would occur when being reunited with somebody.
I am directed to be carried in the old mans arms after i have died down the stage which acts as a stage. My body flops either side of the old mans arms making my death look realistic

In todays lesson we also fully established how our staging was going to be set out. Below is a picture of how we have designed our stage. In the middle blocks centre up stage is where the door will be to Electra's house. This door will fully function. I feel like the staging is quite far back which may be hard to connect to the audience, but i'm sure as rehearsals continue that this challenge can be conquered.

Electra Blocking Part 1

The chorus will start the show by roaming through the audience, singing 'Lamb's Glory Box' directly to faces of the audience. We discussed this is lesson and we had further thoughts by maybe not singing it as it might sound odd against the sound track so we have decided that it may be whispered.

'Just...Give me a reason to love youGive me a reason to be a womanI just wanna be a woman'The lyrics of the song show Electra's desire to be a woman, which is significant because nor her or her sister can have children, due to their stepfather. This song basically tells the audience there is a female character who desperately wants freedom from the life she is living.
At the end of song, Electra approaches the chorus who are centre downstage. The chorus bring Electra down to the floor with them, this suggests the chorus being close with her and give her sympathy. Together, they sit in a semi-circle.The action is performed as if it's in slow motion; we whisper and joke.

In the opening dialogue between Old Man and Orestes, the chorus acts as protectors for Electra - distracting her from what is going on behind her. Electra shouts 'Woe for my hapless lot!' - this leads the chorus to taming her, such as placing a comforting hand on the shoulder and instructing her to quiet down. This comes across as effective to the audience as they show their affection. In Electra's first speech, starting 'O purest light', the chorus will be doing a shoal of fish, which we all previously had engaged in the Electra workshop, this means that the chorus had a small understanding on how to be a chorus. The shoal of fish needs to be in rhythm with the dialogue, which Electra will join and re-join throughout. After this speech comes to an end, we flood around Electra. They comfort Electra further, performing it again in a shoal of fish, which ends on the line 'To this land with happy omen brought?'
The reason i look so much at the chorus is because in rehearsals i wasn't acting as the chorus but that will be my role when i'm not playing Electra's mother this meant i didn't have much rehearsal time of the chorus so i was determined to take notes so i would thoroughly know what to do.


After that, the 'Friends' circle Electra, the chorus deliver their lines individually whilst doing so. This breaks up them saying the lines as a chorus and shows diversity to the audience to keep them on edge.

Electra and the Friends remain sat down together for a while, until Electra becomes angry, and aims certain lines at each one of the chorus This leads her to standing above the chorus and watch her intensely.
Chrysothemis enters, and the four Friends hide away in separate corners of the stage. The next time the chorus talk is in a loud whisper in unison, kneeling up to Electra and hiding again afterwards, this highlights the fact that the chorus aren't real people and only a spirit. We come out of our corners, running up and between Electra and the Sisters, acting as a metaphorical wall. The chorus spy on me Clytemnestra, and get the attention of the other friends by clapping and miming. During Electra's and my conversation of being the mother. I have to grow in anger but attempt to dismiss my anger from the audience in a way as i want them to be on my side Electra verbally abuses her Mother, which shows the audience what sort of person Electra can actually be.

Rapunzel Costume Design - Into The Woods

Rapunzel is shy but as she grows older she stands up more to the witch that locked her in the tower. For her costume i think she should have long blonde hair made by string or a synthetic hair wig. My original idea was to have her in a beautiful dress in possible royal colours like purple. Purple is also the contrasting colour of blonde so will fit in with the colour spectrum. This was the traditional costume colour from rapunzel. However, i wanted to wade away from tradition and make it our own. I looked for inspiration on the internet and only found 1 costume interpretation which was in green. The green dress was a flowing fit and had a green lighter tee shirt underneath which was an off the shoulder shirt. It would also be long sleeved.  Over this would be an emerald green dress similar to the ones in Medea but of a different material i suggested cotton or polyester.

But i thought a rapunzel wig instead of string however more expensive will be much more effective.

Her make up would be beautiful and natural but slightly over the top.

Even though her witch mother was rich and made sure her daughter was kept beautiful also there was resent between their relationships and i felt that rupunzel could express this through her slightly rebelious style.

I looked online for synthetic hair wigs as i felt this would look for relatistic and would look so much more effective than string. As i knew this was a more expensive route to go down i decided to do some research on the wigs and found 3 wigs.

http://www.wondercostumes.com/rapunzel-wig-adult-wig-ptarwdu.html

This wig is a more paler blonde that i wanted and come plaited this is the cheapest wig i found at £13. But would fit the costume well.

http://www.costumes.net/adult-rapunzel-wig.html

This wig isnt styled so could then be cut later on if blonde wigs are needed in future productions. It is a long golden blonde wig but would have to be styled into plaits but this means it can be something she does on stage as a movement this can add to the production and means she can have different styles in different scenes whether thats a down hair style or in a side plait. This wig is £16.50. This wig is ankle length.

http://www.costumeexpress.com/p/34552/rapunzel-adult-wig

This wig is quite a luxury wig and is designed with extra small plaiting intwining in her main plait topped off with red ribbon. However this comes at a price of £19

Choreography Starter Task

What is a stimulus?

A stimulus is the original idea for a piece of choreography.

Write down what these 5 different types of stimulus mean?

Visual- a type of visual stimuli could be a photograph or video.

Tactile - a type of tactile stimuli would be something you can feel, something like a hedgehog or a cloud.

Auditory- a type of auditory stimuli would be a sound or piece of music.

Ideational- a type of ideational stimuli would be a theme and idea.

Kinaesthetic- a type of kinaesthetic stimuli would be a stimuli based on movement.

What is motif?

A series of repeated movements that represent stimulus.

What is a climax in a dance choreography?

The climax in a piece of dance is the highlight of the piece, the memorable part which stands out from the rest.

Write down as many ways as you can remember to develop a motif/choreographic devices and explain what they mean?

1) Variety with dynamics

2) Fragmentation

3)Embellishment

4)Repetition

5)Canon

6)Retro

7)Instrumentation

8)Tempo

9)Size

10)Levels

Compositional structures: this is a way of forming art and giving a dance piece structure.

The AB structure- binary (two part) is one of the more simplistic structures, like a verse and chorus of a song. A and B need a transition or a link.

Chance movements are chosen at random or randomly structured to create a movement sequence or a dance.

Narrative/Episodic structures is a choreographic structure that follows a specific story line. The structure helps the story unfold and each section is a further exposure of the idea of the story. The choreographer must consider the linking/transitions of each section.

ABACADAE - structure - Rondo is a further extension of AB. The idea that A keeps returning.

ABA structure - ternary (three part) so the beginning and end are same with a contrast in the middle. Like chorus verse chorus.

Theme and variation - A1, A2, A3, A4 varying a motif, not developing into something totally new and unseen before but instead varying/ changing the dynamics, mood, space, style of A.

Akram Khan Rush

This is me and my group in our 1st rehearsals. For our next rehearsal we need to expand our piece as we need to fit in more choreographic devices such as change of tempo, levels, canon. We are still continuing to improve our piece so we can dance to the best of our abilities. I am the dancer on the left in the trio.

Akram Khan -Rush Rehearsal 2

This is me and my group in our 2nd rehearsals. We added and expanded to our piece as we needed to fit in more choreographic devices such as change of tempo, levels, canon. We are still continuing to improve our piece so we can dance to the best of our abilities. I am the dancer on the left in the trio.

2 Job Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibilities of a Casting Director

A casting director is a middleman or middle woman who finds the actors needed to fill roles in movies, TV shows, theatrical productions, commercials or even corporate and music videos.

The studio, producers, director and writers are on one side, and the actors and talent agents on the other -- with the casting director in the middle. "Middlewoman" applies because casting directors represent one of the few entertainment occupations that's dominated by women, not men. I think this is because women maybe are more comfortable and instinctive judgements. 

A casting director's responsibilities extend beyond contacting actors or agents and holding auditions. Casting directors assemble casts that may include hundreds of actors, negotiate deals with the actors' agents and manage the contracts once the actors have signed.

Casting directors become involved in pre-production. The casting director may be employed by the studio, own or work for a casting agency or be a solo operator. The casting director:

• meets with the producers, the director and possibly the writer to understand the project
• meets with the production accountant for information about the casting budget, the money that'll be used to pay the actors
• reads the script and make notes about all the speaking parts
• creates a list of possible actors, in preferred order, for the most important parts first
• contacts the actors or their agents to determine their availability
• provides the list to the producers and director to make their decision Lead actors may not be asked to audition.
• prepares lists of actors and production schedule for supporting and more minor actors
• makes appointments for auditions or readings with the available actors
• provides information about available parts to talent agencies and lists opportunities with Breakdown Services, a company that maintains a daily list of acting opportunities
• conducts auditions
• makes recommendations, based on auditions, for each speaking part The director and producers make the final selections.
• negotiates contracts with the actors' agents, keeping an eye on the casting budget
• issues casting calls for minor acting parts and conducts those auditions
• acts as a liaison between the director and the actors, once contracts are signed
• finds replacements, as needed, during production for actors who can't fulfill their contracts

Casting Directors will work their way up in the industry and will start off small, they will be hired to do little job and work up to get work experience in being a theatrical agent or manager, where you will learn how the business works, who the casting directors are, what areas they specialise in, and perhaps who is looking to add to their staff.

Responsibilities for Marketing Directors

For most businesses, there are several different organisational approaches to marketing. The duty may lie with a single member of the team, or it could be a group responsibility. 

Depending on budget availability and the skills of the team, you may choose to outsource certain elements of the marketing process (such as market research) or decide to do these jobs in-house. Key responsibilities of the marketing director vary according to the business but can include:

• Instilling a marketing led ethos throughout the business
• Researching and reporting on external opportunities
• Understanding current and potential customers
• Managing the customer journey (customer relationship management)
• Developing the marketing strategy and plan
• Management of the marketing mix
• Managing agencies
• Measuring success
• Managing budgets
• Ensuring timely delivery
• Writing copy
• Approving images
• Developing guidelines
• Making customer focused decisions

Information can be gathered from questionnaires, focus groups, the internet, interviews, buying habits and many more sources, but it's important that the information is examined in a scientific way using proper statistical methods. 

Marketing Directors may have specific degrees in marketing which will help them achieve a job such as this. They may start off in work experience or work there way up in the industry.

Assignment 1 - Other Job Opportunities

In this assignment we are to look at 3 job roles that you would consider doing if not in a production job role. My first job that i looked at outside of performance roles, was a front of house role.

My application letter to a Front of House job would be:

Dear Employer,

Further to your advertisement in the The Telegraph, I would like to apply for the front of house position at your theatre. I have many years of experience in the theatre, as I started performing from the age of 9. I am familiar with how you must behave in a theatre and familiar with the ins and outs (backstage) of a building. In my time i have seen 25 west end prodcutions so i have a clear understanding of how the theatre works. This also is reflected accademically in my achievements within the theatre.

 Academically, i have achieved all my singing grades up to grade 5 all with distinction. I have done a total of 30 hours volenterring with disabled children at an organisation called CCPS  all the children their had a wide range of disabilities. I have performed in various theatre's including The Royal Albert Hall (London), The Capital (Horsham), Brighton Dome (Brighton), Eisteddfod Theatre (Wales).

As well as having knowledge about the basics of the theatre, I also have experience with some of the technology, such as mics - how and where to put them on the actor as i have also worked backstage in prodctions including a National Theatre's Connextions production.

 I understand that a Front of House role also requires customer service skills. I gained a lot of experience in customer service at Pebbles Catering Company, where I took payments in person and over the phone, greeted customers and dealt with any complaints. I handled all these situations very professionally, and built a good relationship with many of the frequent Pebbles customers. In this job it also means i have good catering experience so if any function rooms in the theatre were in use and required staff, i would be equipt with the health and safety regarding food and nutrition.

Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours Faithfully,

 

Niamh Kenny

SECOND JOB APPLICATION LETTER

To apply for a position with any Walt Disney Company, I need to start at DisneyCareers.com and choose my position of interest. I need to create a profile which includes an application to fill out, and then I can upload my CV. After applying online, I will receive a confirmation acknowledgement email, this is so I know my application has gone through, and I can also review it. Hearing back can be immediate or up to a couple weeks, it will depend on the volume of applicants. The company would've decided if your skills and experience match the role.

If successful, I will have an interview. It is most common to expect one phone interview and two in-person interviews per position.

My letter of application to Disney would be:

Dear Employer,

I am writing to you to apply for the role as a cast member (Disney Princess) at your theme park. My name is Niamh Kenny, I'm 17 years of age, and Caucasian. Being Caucasian allows me to take up various roles in Disney. I believe I would suite characters such as; Cinderella as I have long blonde hair and a similar build. Elsa would also be a well suited role for me as it is of similar characteristics. I've loved Disney since I can remember who hasn't? But as a performer, I see this as a real opportunity and a possible dream come true. I am great with children and have volunteered with a wide range of disabled children as I believe in giving everyone an equal opportunity to have fun

I am musically talented, which is what Disney reflects in their park parades, and of course, the films. This is reflected in my achievements of getting a Distinction* in my Performing Arts Level 3 Diploma. My peers would describe me as a confident and approachable, which are two characteristics I believe you must have for a role like this one.

I have been to Disneyland Paris and Orlando, and have recently booked a returning visit. I have found my experience at Disney Land phenomenal and in I particular remember receiving a V.I.P ticket from a Disney worker at Disney’s Wildlife park by one of your colleagues, this enlightened my Disney dreams and ever since I’ve wanted to give other children the experience I had and allow them to step into the world of magic, love and dreams.

Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.

 

Yours Faithfully,

Niamh Kenny

THIRD JOB APPLICATION LETTER

For several years, I went to Brighton Festival Youth Choir. This led me to enquiring if they had any positions going there, so I have chosen to email the manager.

 

Dear Ester,

It is Niamh Kenny, former member of your choir. I am currently looking for a job in the performing arts that would work alongside my regular auditioning. Therefore, I am writing to you today to see if there any positions of work for me, or to see  if there were any opportunities for me to run singing  and possibly acting workshops. This allows the choir members to have a wider insight into the showbiz world, and how they can further there hobbies from choir to outside of choir.

At my time at Brighton Festival Youth Choir, I learnt a lot about myself and progressively became a stronger performer than ever before. On many occasions, I had the responsibility of looking after the younger years, both on and off stage, which is something I really enjoyed. I developed a strong relationship with all the conductors and choir masters, and would love to work with them. I believe there is still so much more for me to learn and gain from them. As well as the members to learn from what they taught me over years.

I would love to give back to the choir that provided me with so much.

 

Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Kindest Regards,

Niamh Kenny