First rehearsal back after Christmas; 12th January 2010 7-10 pm, Room UTGO6
UNITS TWO AND THREE:
Aim: To map out unit two and three. The aim is not to perfect the acts but to lay down the bones so there is strong understanding and good use of movement, text and sound so the cast can feel the characters with the scene. The group aims to all understand Belle and father’s perspectives in the context of the play.
*warm up with Samuel Tebbatt*
Tidy and recap
Tidy and recap of previous vocal work on lyrics ‘ broken, empty, plain’. A build up and mix of male and female vocals as words are repeated to deepen the feelings of Beast. Sam Grogan highlighted that vocals must harmonise and illustrate the torture of the beast while repeated so that the scene gives depth to the turmoil of the character’s feelings.
There was positive feedback given by Sam Grogan for the recap after Christmas as the session started off strongly and positively.
Mapping out Unit 2: Just to recap the unit, here is what the Iumentum has set so far:
A.He leaves to stalk the city. (end of unit one in regards to beast)
B. Belle Cries Alone.
Belle is alone. She has no one. Suffocated by misdirected love. Her Father’s devotion is shown only in pounds and pence leaving Belle longing for a companion, a friend with a human face. It was not always like this.
She was happy once. She had a mother and a father. They were a family.
Father and mother worked hard to support the family.
Mother died unexpectedly. Father has no time to grieve. He must provide. Poverty threatens. Committing himself to long hours away from his daughter for his daughter.
Bereft of attention, Belle grows lonely and sad. She cries out for Father at home. There is no one there to hear her. He cannot answer. He is working. She thinks she holds no significance in the world but actually is the reason behind everything Father does and is soon to become everything that Beast has ever wanted and needed.
Interspersed with these scenes we see snatches of Beast quietly hunting. We see him sitting at home, tortured, on a street corner, in a crowded tube, unnoticed.
Development of unit 2 in session:
A. Sam Grogan emphasises that the scene that bridges units one and two must be almost un-choreographed with people walking the street. There must be an 'organic' hum of people around the Beast as he moves through the crowd slowly.
B. The first section of Belle’s song is then practiced ‘every door in my house slams on me’. This scene is from a present perspective and shows Belle’s home life (friends, family) being warped and slipping from her. The cast switch from the bustle of the street to a series of portraits; a group of friends; a family portrait and the funeral of Belle’s mother.
The photos are described as natural and happy; the cast suggested Belle should be almost super imposed in the photo, as if although the scene could have happened but the memory is more colourful than the reality. The scene then turns sour and is described as the ‘proverbial fist in the family photo’ by Sam Grogan. The characters pose happily, then sing minor tones and begin to slip into an uncomfortable mass (knees are bent, arms are down, faces are up and group merges a little). The cast then break out into the street walking to bridge to the next portrait.
*Think and feel exercise* To feel the energy of the scene, Sam Grogan asked the cast to close their eyes, repeat the words describing the scene whilst slowly elevating their faces and dropping their bodies slowly and uncomfortably . Words used were ‘ pain, broken, lost, lonely, sad, detached, sadness, fractured, empty, forgotten, longing, contained, hollow..’
The second photo is key, displaying Belle viewing her mother fall from her father’s arms to the floor (head to hit the floor first while body twists and falls). The surrounding cast face in various directions and join in singing the line ‘golden days are over….I have no one..’. Again the cast snaps back into the bustle of the street, on a count of ten the rejoin in the final funeral scene.
The funeral’s key lyrical line is ‘clinging to ghosts’ and the focus is on the relationship between Belle and her father in the middle of the scene. The cast have two even lines of either side of what is treated as the burial of Belle’s mother, Belle and Farther are centre. The six around the grave begin to crumple using core muscles.
The end of the scene is going to bridge units two and three. The key focus of Belle and her farther should show him slipping away from the pose to work and her displaying a longing for him.
4.Mapping out unit 3: Just to recap the unit, here is what the Iumentum has set so far:
Father the blind slave.
Father is a slave to the all-consuming need to provide for the daughter he loves. He lives at work, sleeps at work. He has enough now, but is driven by the fear that his fortune could turn in an instant. He develops spreadsheets for eyes and data streams for speech. He loves his daughter but is only able to show this through working harder, longer. This is all he knows now. He cannot, must not, will not lose this ground. He will not give up his wealth for anything. He is doing this for her. He is a methodical man. Things will be done this way and his way no matter the consequences. Brush it under the desk and carry on.
Development of unit 3 in session:
The back drop from unit four is the busy office and work environment for Belle’s father. The cast collect to discuss the feel for the scene. The father is to have 45/60 seconds of dialog of him working to show the audience his stressful job and him pushing away his daughter. The scene is from a present perspective of the father. The group brainstorm the environment father is in with stories of office bullying and pressure. The key example given was the Foxton’s estate agency that has been known for bullying the least successful employee of the month.
*Think and feel exercise*. The group were given a piece of fast paced, industrial dance music to exercise dance movements for the back drop of father’s work. Each cast member played with the music and movements they felt fitted.
The cast rejoined to discuss the movements found and build up the choreography for the office within the more confined black lines on the dance floor. The music chosen was ‘Printer Jam’ by Mistabishi Drop which fitted the scene and pace well. The choreography what repeated twice over period of the song; speeding up in the second part. The dance consisted of mechanical movements, dead pan faces, lifting, shifting and keeping a fast pace.
Please find below the video for the Printer Jam song to keep the feel of the office and routine fresh:
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is-HVxmUELQ )
The scene showed strong development and illustrated the father’s sense of pressure in the working world he lives.
Thursday’s Aim:
To embed the office dance with father’s scene and monologue.
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