Overall act 1 went alright, however Andy gave us quite a lot of notes for us to work on;
-Lunatics are way too loud, take the volume down and put more tension in the body instead of the voice.
-Renfield needs to be given the opiate which Doctor Seward suggests and this needs to be given to Renfield by Grice, while he is holding Renfield.
-In scene 3 with Jonathan and Seward all the lunatics need to turn when describing the house and make shapes like gargles and turrets and turn when Jonathan says 'Gothic'.
-Grice grab Renfield's hair in scene 4 and tug him about when Grice says 'Mad bastard'.
-Scene 5 at Heartwood house the lunatics are too loud that the acting being done on stage cannot be heard so the lunatics need to be turned down.
-In Dracula's first scene which is scene 7, when we have all been sword fighting and we collapse on the floor, one side gets up when Dracula says 'Romanoths' and the other side gets up when Dracula says 'Hapsburgs' and then all the lunatics sit back down when Dracula says 'Upstarts'.
I feel after getting this feedback and running through it again, it all looks a lot better because we're now complimenting the act 1 scene 1 scene between Mina and Lucy, instead of making a whole new scene just behind their scene.
The queues for certain bits has made the act look a lot neater and smoother. Very good.
Friday, 20 June 2014
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Act 2
We ran act 2 today without Andy as we were not sure what the transitions were after each scene.
Overall, it went alright, however for scene 7-(the cell scene), the people who were forming the cell around Renfield were not too sure when they should be moving, so we had to establish what words people would move on. Because of this, it made it look messy and unorganised because people were moving at different times and the movement wasn't sharp enough.
We also changed scene 15, we made it so there were only two movements, one of the movements having four beats and swinging our right arm on the fourth beat and moving forward then back. The other movement being two steps, arms out, like an eagle almost with your head high and then another two steps and you cross your arms across your chest and put your head down.
Overall, it went alright, however for scene 7-(the cell scene), the people who were forming the cell around Renfield were not too sure when they should be moving, so we had to establish what words people would move on. Because of this, it made it look messy and unorganised because people were moving at different times and the movement wasn't sharp enough.
We also changed scene 15, we made it so there were only two movements, one of the movements having four beats and swinging our right arm on the fourth beat and moving forward then back. The other movement being two steps, arms out, like an eagle almost with your head high and then another two steps and you cross your arms across your chest and put your head down.
Show day
On the day of the show we ran through the show 3 times-(that's including performing it). When we were rehearsing it, I didn't feel ready, at all! I kept mucking up my lines and forgetting where I'm meant to be. However, the second time we ran through it, I focussed a lot more and I remembered where I was meant to be, I did stutter over a line, but I paused, took a breathe in and continued and I feel it went well. Overall I think the first two run trough's went well, we just had to be more confident in our lines. When we performed the show, I think everyone could tell that we had put so much hard work and effort into it, and everyone stayed in character and did great.
That day we did change part of scene ten-(act 1), where Lucy is sleepwalking and Mina is calling her name. What we did in stead is have Lucy stood in front of the bottom step with Dracula holding it's cape around her, so only her face is showing. This made a lot more sense, too, because it gives Mina a reason to be worried because she can't see Lucy.
That day we did change part of scene ten-(act 1), where Lucy is sleepwalking and Mina is calling her name. What we did in stead is have Lucy stood in front of the bottom step with Dracula holding it's cape around her, so only her face is showing. This made a lot more sense, too, because it gives Mina a reason to be worried because she can't see Lucy.
My interpretation
The main point Liz Lochhead is trying to make in her adaptation of Dracula is good overcomes evil, but there are also other points given in the play.
The play starts by showing two vulnerable young woman, they both come across as innocents who are interested in finding love and staying in love. Mina has already found the man she loves, Jonathon and she is to marry him on her 25th birthday, and Lucy is hoping to have the same thing to happen to her.
Lucy is vulnerable because of her little, fragile figure and is ill quite often, which is the reason their father bought Whitby before he died because they believe that Whitby's air is a curative.
Mina is vulnerable because she doesn't have anytime to look after herself as she worries about Lucy's health and when Jonathon goes away to Europe and she doesn't hear from him she then starts worrying about him too.
When Jonathon shows Dracula the picture of Lucy, Mina and Florrie, he instantly see's Lucy's vulnerability and that's why he take such an interest in her as he believes that she would be easier to manipulate.
Dracula starts visiting Lucy after seeing the picture of her, he starts visiting her in her sleep-(act 1, scene 10), because she is at her most vulnerable and easy to take advantage of because she's very ill and asleep.
The mental asylum people have a sixth sense, they can sense when Dracula is coming or near. As Renfield proves in act 1, scene 10 when he starts going mad when Dracula is coming he says "Faster master faster faster faster master master master...". Also in act 2, scene 12 Renfield is warning Mina that Dracula is coming-(even though he wasn't told, he can just sense that he is coming).
Even though it isn't in the script, I know that Renfield was a lawyer before Dracula turned him mad, and I'm not too sure how Dracula manipulated him, but I think Dracula managed to manipulate him because Renfield was scared of death, I think this because in act 1, scene 2, Renfield eats flies and spiders and after eating a fly he says "It's fat with life, strong life, and gives life to me.." so I think where Dracula eats living things and lives forever, it makes him believe that if he dos the same he can also live forever.
Van Helsing is the religious symbol of the play and shows the audience that good will overcome evil, as many plays do. Lochhead shows this by using the crosses, consecrated wafers, and praying.
The play starts by showing two vulnerable young woman, they both come across as innocents who are interested in finding love and staying in love. Mina has already found the man she loves, Jonathon and she is to marry him on her 25th birthday, and Lucy is hoping to have the same thing to happen to her.
Lucy is vulnerable because of her little, fragile figure and is ill quite often, which is the reason their father bought Whitby before he died because they believe that Whitby's air is a curative.
Mina is vulnerable because she doesn't have anytime to look after herself as she worries about Lucy's health and when Jonathon goes away to Europe and she doesn't hear from him she then starts worrying about him too.
When Jonathon shows Dracula the picture of Lucy, Mina and Florrie, he instantly see's Lucy's vulnerability and that's why he take such an interest in her as he believes that she would be easier to manipulate.
Dracula starts visiting Lucy after seeing the picture of her, he starts visiting her in her sleep-(act 1, scene 10), because she is at her most vulnerable and easy to take advantage of because she's very ill and asleep.
The mental asylum people have a sixth sense, they can sense when Dracula is coming or near. As Renfield proves in act 1, scene 10 when he starts going mad when Dracula is coming he says "Faster master faster faster faster master master master...". Also in act 2, scene 12 Renfield is warning Mina that Dracula is coming-(even though he wasn't told, he can just sense that he is coming).
Even though it isn't in the script, I know that Renfield was a lawyer before Dracula turned him mad, and I'm not too sure how Dracula manipulated him, but I think Dracula managed to manipulate him because Renfield was scared of death, I think this because in act 1, scene 2, Renfield eats flies and spiders and after eating a fly he says "It's fat with life, strong life, and gives life to me.." so I think where Dracula eats living things and lives forever, it makes him believe that if he dos the same he can also live forever.
Van Helsing is the religious symbol of the play and shows the audience that good will overcome evil, as many plays do. Lochhead shows this by using the crosses, consecrated wafers, and praying.
All of the characters
Lucy Westerman-
Lucy is a very young girl in a young woman's body. I think this because she is very naïve because her sister, Mina, has babied her as both their parents are dead. Even when their dad was alive, Lucy was a "daddy's girl", so she's always been treated a lot younger than what she actually is. I think she's been treated like this because she's very fragile, sensitive and vulnerable and she sleep walks and doesn't eat much, so they worry about her a lot.
Mina Westerman-
Mina is has had to grow up before her time since her dad died, because she had to take responsibility of her younger sister Lucy. She's a very caring sister, because she always worries about Lucy. I also think she's also full of lust over Jonathan, but where she's a higher class lady, she has to behave until she's married. I think she tries to be more sensible than she needs to be to set Lucy a good example of what a lady should be like.
Jonathan Harker-
I think Jonathan is a true gentleman, and a hard worker. However, I also think there's a slight "naughty" side to him. I think this because in act 1, scene 3, when he's talking to Seward about his secretary, he tells Seward she's a "peach" and tells Mina she's an "absolute dragon".
Arthur Seward-
Seward is a middle aged man, who wants to find love, but feels like he doesn't have enough time for it because he works in a madhouse, he also feels like a woman wouldn't marry him as he works in a madhouse, this is said in act 1 scene 3. He falls madly in love with Lucy Westerman, but when she dies, all he wants is revenge on Dracula!
Dracula-
Dracula is a manipulative and lustful character in this adaptation of the play. He/she/it, shows this because he begins manipulating the most vulnerable character in the play, Lucy. He does this by visiting her when she is asleep and ill.
Van Helsing-
Van Helsing is the religious symbol in the play, he shows how good always overcomes evil. He does this by using crosses and consecrated wafers throughout the play. He shows that good overcomes evil because in the end, after all their hard work, it all pays off. He believes that when they killed Dracula, is was an act of "mercy, and not of hate".
Lucy is a very young girl in a young woman's body. I think this because she is very naïve because her sister, Mina, has babied her as both their parents are dead. Even when their dad was alive, Lucy was a "daddy's girl", so she's always been treated a lot younger than what she actually is. I think she's been treated like this because she's very fragile, sensitive and vulnerable and she sleep walks and doesn't eat much, so they worry about her a lot.
Mina Westerman-
Mina is has had to grow up before her time since her dad died, because she had to take responsibility of her younger sister Lucy. She's a very caring sister, because she always worries about Lucy. I also think she's also full of lust over Jonathan, but where she's a higher class lady, she has to behave until she's married. I think she tries to be more sensible than she needs to be to set Lucy a good example of what a lady should be like.
Jonathan Harker-
I think Jonathan is a true gentleman, and a hard worker. However, I also think there's a slight "naughty" side to him. I think this because in act 1, scene 3, when he's talking to Seward about his secretary, he tells Seward she's a "peach" and tells Mina she's an "absolute dragon".
Arthur Seward-
Seward is a middle aged man, who wants to find love, but feels like he doesn't have enough time for it because he works in a madhouse, he also feels like a woman wouldn't marry him as he works in a madhouse, this is said in act 1 scene 3. He falls madly in love with Lucy Westerman, but when she dies, all he wants is revenge on Dracula!
Dracula-
Dracula is a manipulative and lustful character in this adaptation of the play. He/she/it, shows this because he begins manipulating the most vulnerable character in the play, Lucy. He does this by visiting her when she is asleep and ill.
Van Helsing-
Van Helsing is the religious symbol in the play, he shows how good always overcomes evil. He does this by using crosses and consecrated wafers throughout the play. He shows that good overcomes evil because in the end, after all their hard work, it all pays off. He believes that when they killed Dracula, is was an act of "mercy, and not of hate".
Act 1 Scene 3
For this scene the chorus were all stood in lines, making an office type shape around Jonathon and Seward. Then on certain words the chorus would turn around and look at them both, like for instance when Seward says "Miss Westerman, eh?" and when he says "yes, well... all a bit Gothic for my taste".
There were not too many issues with this scene, but Andy told the two main characters to have more fun with the scene and told one of the actors to find things to do for his character.
There were not too many issues with this scene, but Andy told the two main characters to have more fun with the scene and told one of the actors to find things to do for his character.
Act 2 Scene 16
This scene isn't very long as we all cut lines out of it because Nisbett and Grice had to carry Renfield around and they didn't want to run out of things to do.
Before we started with this scene, we got a safety mat, because I was going to be getting thrown about and we didn't want to risk any serious injuries.
At first we were just practising what they were going to be doing with my dead body, the first thing we tried, and decided to keep was they'd hold my legs and my arms and carry me up to the top of the steps onto the stage and then put me down. After that they both grabbed an arm each and dragged me up so I was standing up nearly-(still holding me up) and the Harry-(Grice) would then put me over his shoulder in a fireman carry. They then walked around a little bit and he'd then put me down and quickly push me towards Michelle-(Nisbett) before I fell to the ground and then they'd keep on pushing me to one another and then they laid me down and walk off, after a couple of beats they run back on, grab my arms and drag me off stage.
Where we decided what we were going to be doing in this scene before we started doing it, it was pretty straight forward, however. we had to make a few tweaks and decide on queues for when they'd pick me up, push me to one another etc.
The first queue was Grice's first line "Would you credit it?" and that's when they'd lift me up and start carrying me to the top of the stage.
Then the next one was "Sewage pipes..." that's when they'd lift me up so I was in a standing position, Grice then puts me over his should when he says "must've gone berserk...". After they went off stage and say "But hey, I will miss ya' Renfield" a beat after that they run back on to come grab me and take me off stage.
This scene was so hard to keep a straight face in and not take any of my weight, as I find it scary when people are lifting me and throwing me about everywhere because I worry that I'm too heavy and I have to have a lot of trust in the people doing it. It took me quite a while before I stopped caring about them taking my weight and trusting them not to drop me. But when we were rehearsing it, they made sure that they were fully focussed on the scene which made me feel a lot more safer.
Before we started with this scene, we got a safety mat, because I was going to be getting thrown about and we didn't want to risk any serious injuries.
At first we were just practising what they were going to be doing with my dead body, the first thing we tried, and decided to keep was they'd hold my legs and my arms and carry me up to the top of the steps onto the stage and then put me down. After that they both grabbed an arm each and dragged me up so I was standing up nearly-(still holding me up) and the Harry-(Grice) would then put me over his shoulder in a fireman carry. They then walked around a little bit and he'd then put me down and quickly push me towards Michelle-(Nisbett) before I fell to the ground and then they'd keep on pushing me to one another and then they laid me down and walk off, after a couple of beats they run back on, grab my arms and drag me off stage.
Where we decided what we were going to be doing in this scene before we started doing it, it was pretty straight forward, however. we had to make a few tweaks and decide on queues for when they'd pick me up, push me to one another etc.
The first queue was Grice's first line "Would you credit it?" and that's when they'd lift me up and start carrying me to the top of the stage.
Then the next one was "Sewage pipes..." that's when they'd lift me up so I was in a standing position, Grice then puts me over his should when he says "must've gone berserk...". After they went off stage and say "But hey, I will miss ya' Renfield" a beat after that they run back on to come grab me and take me off stage.
This scene was so hard to keep a straight face in and not take any of my weight, as I find it scary when people are lifting me and throwing me about everywhere because I worry that I'm too heavy and I have to have a lot of trust in the people doing it. It took me quite a while before I stopped caring about them taking my weight and trusting them not to drop me. But when we were rehearsing it, they made sure that they were fully focussed on the scene which made me feel a lot more safer.
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