Even further on

Hi guys.

Over the last two days, we have progressed in many areas and the play seems to be fitting together.

For a more suitable conclusion, we have added a new scene that was rehearsed and fitted in with the remainder of the play. Personally, it seems to work and has potential to be extended if necessary to add more humour.

The rehearsals have been working on our speech, delivering it faster and faster. My speech is one thing I've tried to slow down, amazingly the faster I delivered it, my voice had more clarity, my words did not get mumbled up and my accent seemed to be a bit better. (Although I still ain’t sold on it) One thing I have to careful of is not shouting the lines, but projecting them to ensure our audience can hear every word, as the Robert Powell Stage is huge. Reflecting on this exercise, the play seemed to become more alive with the pace. Certain parts of it did not seem to benefit from the fast delivery, as the intention of awkwardness was lost. At some point we will have to identify the sections that do not require the pace, more silence or awkwardness, but we will have to be careful to ensure we do not lose the audience's attention.

In Thursday’s rehearsal, we had the chance to play more with our characters. My physicality aspect seems to be getting there, just need to maintain the consistency of it through the play with hunched shoulders and sticking my stomach out. My voice also became quite interesting as well, discovering a deeper tone, which is potential to work on.

Talking to the director and producer on Wednesday morning helped me a bit, I know the lines and blocking of each scene and now need to have fun with the role. By this I mean playing around with mannerisms that I could occupy myself with, whilst the cast play the scene. Also try to find objects that can distract George from his wife, continuously describing the Bette Davis film she can't remember.

We have time to make this show really work to the best of its ability.

Swifty