Theatre for Children: Lesson Eleventh

Tuesday 25^th November

This week we work on the set out of the play again. This was helpful as we could add the improved part of our scene. I found it easier this week as I remember most of what was said last week and we also work on our arrival on stage which was is look really effective as we run on and do cartwheels and jumps over each other. I think we need to work on it as we need to do make it flow in to one another, we have starting to do it remember and come in at the right places but we had to rethink the arrive as one member will not be there so we just change who was doing what. This work as we the arrival was simple and any one could do which was handed. 

Running thought our scene with the new part made us all feel like it was smoother and we practice the plan of catching action man work well. Our teacher said that it would be a good idea to add different level when we talking about catching action-man, she always said to come up with a script that will make it quicker as we take a lot of time to discuss catching action-man and Dora would take charge at this point to help it more faster so the children would get bored. This is my script for the second section of our scene: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ql1ql38e8fshvzg/Catching%20Action-man%20script.docx?dl=0

I was thinking about my costume and I thought that I need to be exact with my costume but I was talking to mum and she was saying that if I have the same clothes like shorts, t-shirt, socks and trainers and I think the most important item is Dora backpack that has the eyes and mouths with a map pointing out of the top. So I have found most of the items and I've got some felt to use for eyes and mouth.

my strengths was that I remeber want happen last week and know when we had to come in. my weakness what not given it my all. so next time I will ush my acting skills and just go out and do my best instead of worrying what I look like,

Theatre For Children: Tenth Lesson

Tuesday 18th November

Performances workshop

We didn’t performance workshop this week so we had storytelling all afternoon, we work on our set out of our play. Which was good as we all got to see when went need to be on and where. I feel that I have trouble remembering but I remember some sections and placements but I didn’t want to get it wrong so I didn’t say anything. Which I feel was a little silly but I think next time if it happening again I'm going to speak up, that was one of my weakness from this lesson.

We change some sections in out scene because we were going too slow with getting out of the sack and action-man moving the toys, so we come out of the sack we move quicker and we use more moving in the sack and dialogue. We also change when we are frozen in our places and action-man changes our positions, our teacher thought it would be better if we would change on our own and action-man would just doing movements so it seem like he was moving us. We also need to think up some more ideas to catch action-man because one of our classmate isn't here, so we thought we could add “do you want to build a snowman” because all the kids know where comes from and it also means the children can relate to the phase.

Theatre for Children

We finished are dance piece which is good because we can focus on our last dance section which will include bow for the end of the show, we add a Mexico wave down the line which we reveal Santa and then we will run in to 5 group which two of the groups will open around of the toys and the other groups will become a tree or look up to the tree and open a present. I really like this because it feels like if we really saw excitement in our face we can really give the feeling of excitement at Christmas. We can get that excitement all the way though out the show, the children will really enjoy the show. Strengths was that I develops the unwrapping of presents, I develops the presents but going in close together so that when pop out it so it was more opening, than just throwing you arms in the air. Weakness I find to stay in  time with the dance piece because I am confused and how many counts we wake up to?

Theatre For Children: Ninth Lesson

Tuesday 11^th November 2014

Performance workshop

This week we focused on our entrance to the stage as we need to go on to the stage in a sack shape. So we figured out that we thought about how the sack would move on the back of someone.  We thought about bobbing up and down which would give the effect  that we were on Santa’s back, we need to get in are starting positions which we start our scene in. so we ask our teacher and she said we could move and go under and over each other which will hopeful make the audiences see the sack shape we are  trying to creative. I think we need to work on our ending, and try and figure out how we are doing to we are going to all get  back in the sack and I was thinking that maybe we would sing a song (which was molly’s idea) and say that action man needs to go in first so he doesn’t get lost again. Each one of us would go in to the sack like in the sound of music song “so long farewell” and we would learn the dance and the baby would go last. We also start to learn the end of the poem in storytelling, and workout how we were going to set it out of stage, our teacher Emma which we would come on in groups and watch Santa fly off as with looking in pure wonder.  We would join in reading the poem at different times this is the order it goes in mice, reindeer, children, toys. We were put in to groups and ask to make a cluster of different levels and shapes.

I really feel this show is coming together; I need to be more confidence with saying the poem which I think I can do which I have learnt it. I think I give lots of ideas and help with other people understanding if they are confused about how we should stand or do.

Theatre for Children

We carried on with our dance piece and we brought in out PJ so we could take pictures and see if we would do the moves in our PJ. After last week went we had to walk round in 8 steps and do a greeting to another person we find it hard to find someone so this week we choose 3 people that we would greet too and it was so much easier because we were going somewhere on stage, last time I felt we were just walking and seeing where we would end up and half the time we wouldn’t have any one to greet.

I felt this week most of the class were focus and we got quite a bit of work done than last week. I think next time we should aim to complete the dance so the following weeks we can touch up of different sections.

Theatre For Children: Eighth Lesson

Tuesday 4^th November

Performance workshop

We were given the running order of the show this week, which is

1.    Toys – in entrance looking for action man

2.   Mice – part 1

3.    Dance –  waking up on christmas day

4.    St. nick

5.    Reindeer – part 1

6.    Toys – part 1 up to losing Mel

7.    Mice – part 2

8.    St. nick

9.    Toy – part 2

10. Reindeer – part 2

11. End everyone on stage

I think is running order is really good because  you not just have one section after other it becomes flowing and you become hooked on what the going  to happen in the section part of each section. We were also linking the work as well which means we are getting a story line for our short scene so they all flow in to one another.

We were given feedback as well for out scene from last term, we were told we need to go in to the audience more like action man need to go under chairs in and out the aisle, she also said that we need to have action man doing push and other exercise in Santa’s sack.

We also had to do  a workshop on Thursday for a group of year 2s at the Crescent primary school, which help because we did our first section of out scene and ask them for feedback which was all the naught bits like the robot being moved by action man to touch his butt which they laughed at, one of the assistance said that when the robot tries to flirt with Barbie they didn’t find it funny so maybe we should have that bit but have something funny instead so the children would laugh. We play a game where the children had to change one of the classmates in to a funny position, we got a couple of ideas from this as when one of the children put his class mate on one foot he feel straight over so we could use that idea when everyone freeze in out scene action man could put one of us on one leg and when we unfreeze that person falls over.

In storytelling we were setting out where everyone would come on stand on stage. The toys start our scene in a heap so Emma our teacher thought we could us physical theatre to come on stage like folding over each and making shapes which would imply we were in a sack on Santa’s back.  We would also be on stage in our heap as Santa come down the chimney in other scene happening and when Santa throws the sack on the floor we would fall out of our heap which would imply that we were being move and tangled up. I feel this is a really good idea as not all the scene start on stage but I’m feel that maybe in our toy scene we are going to find it difficult to put the physical theatre piece together as we are having difficulty with being in a sack so hopeful we will have help and we’ll be able to set it out.

Theatre for Children

We were carrying on we our group dance and if looks really good. We’ve added more so it now 2 minutes long.  After waking up in cannon we wake up in a Mexica wave type style, we use the idea we had in the group I was in, which we wake up in steps so we use the step

1.    Sleeping

2.    getting out of bed

3.    yawning while standing up

4.    standing up rubbing your eyes

the last group would wake the next group up then so on till everyone was a wake then we would walk round for 8 counts the for 2 counts we would do one of our three greeting that we did in early lesson.

I need to come up with three actions as I change my character which is Dora the explorer

 Here are the three greeting

1.    holding a map looking at it

2.    saying ihola

3.    holding one hand on my backpack and the other looking out in to the distance

 I feel this really shows who my character is; I found it difficult to come up with actions as when we had Anaish Nathan Parmar he said the children can tell straight away if the character is real or not so I’m have been looking at Dora the explorer TV show to get some ideas to help me get in to character.

After watching some episode I find that she use the Spanish words as well as using the English word so I have look up the Spanish words for the objects I pull out the bags to try and caught action man with:

Rope – Cuerda

Cheese – Queso

Net – Neto

Shoe – Zapatoo

Wig – Peluca

I am going to try and learn these words so I can pull the objects out the bag I can say it in Spanish and English, I can also get the children in the audience can get learn the words too.

Till next time

Theatre For Children: Seventh Lesson

Tuesday 14th October

Performance workshop

In the lesson this week we had the same set up for class as we had last week. We had about 2 hours to have lunch and get some more of our toy’s scene done. We had some time to strengthen some of the ideas and we added some more trap to catch Mel. We choose to use a rope and tied it in a lope so Mel’s leg gets caught in it but the yo-yo gets caught instead. We also use a net that Barbie get caught in. we choose to use one of my ideas with Matthew in a wig acting as action women this one works. We had to show what we had come up with from the last weeks on camera and in front of our classmates which was good because we had strong start to our scene, we added this week talking when we are in the sack because the feedback we got last week from our teacher was that it was little dead when we are in the sack. We are also introducing our self to the audience not to each other because we are already in the sack and we not need to introduce each other. So next term we need to strength the last bit of our scene and we had going to have different objects I get out of backpack so we don’t go straight in to doing the traps, thinking about this idea we could have each person get something out of the backpack instead of being one person.

Theatre for Children

In theatre for children this week, we went over our on solo piece then we went over our pairs dance but my pair wasn't in to I had to show one of my classmates what me and my pair did. We then were put in to groups and had to combine all of our dances in to one. I was in a group with Ky, Shazzy, Sam which was good because we all have good ideas which focus our movement piece on excitement and family. We came up with the idea that we would all start one of the waking up stages which included: sleeping then waking and getting out or bed then yawing and standing then stretching. We would all move so we end in the last position and the hug each other so we would stand in a square then hug the person opposite then the person on the side. I feel that one member though that we would wake up excited then that would be all we need to do for that main point and I feel we need to bring it all the way though the dance because everyone feels  excited though out christmas young and old. So I think we need to work on showing excitement all the way thought the dance next week. We then start on our whole class dance which include each of us waking up for 4 counts then lay back down and then wake up in a Mexican wave which work really well because everyone wakes up at different times on christmas and when we all wake up at the same time and then go back to sleep it feels like at christmas some people wake up at wrong time like a 5 because they are so excited. I think maybe we should add checking the time to show that we are wondering if it’s time to wake up mum and dad to get them to let us open our presents.

Research

I'm thinking about working in a children company like Cbeebie or Cbbc because I enjoy making children smile and bring a little sunshine to their days so I am going to look at what you need to have like qualification or experience to get in to the industry. I have find and it same you need to be able to do the following things: confidence and an outgoing personality, excellent communication and presentation skills, a flexible approach, the ability to improvise when necessary, research and interviewing skills, calmness under pressure, the ability to work to strict deadlines, a good memory, for recalling scripts and facts, the ability to work on more than one task at a time, great team working skills. But for preparation you could take some of these universities courses: theatre, television and performance as well as Performing Arts (Film, Television and Stage) and if you wanted to extend you knowledge you can do a masters in MA media production: Children’s TV production.

 

I still haven’t had any response for my letter.

Till Next Time

Theatre For Children: Sixth Lesson

Wednesday 8th october

Performance workshop

We show Josie our scene this week and had a hour to come up with more ideas or go over with what we come up already. We come up we scene for before the chasing scene, so when we show Josie, she said we should added some talking when we are doing the sack scene and that we should come up with some more ideas for when we try to catch Mel because we thought as I’m Dora the explorer we would use the song for the show called “backpack song”  to help us find things that would stop Mel so we already use a net so we could uses Mathew in a wig to try and get Mel or dig a hole and try and get Mel to fall in to it.

Theatre for Children

We had a practitioner come in to help us with our play. He was called Anaish Nathan Parmar and I found it really interesting because he told us about being in a theatre show called “In the night garden” and he was saying about how the man who created this show look at young children sociology and listening the man who created this show was really fascinating. We did puppetry which was really good fun because we got to try different size puppets and trying to get them to come alive in your hands. He told about committing yourself to the character because children can know when it’s someone pretend that you’re doing that character because children can ingrain with the character and  believe that they are there in the scene as it like real life.  This helps me get more focus on my character and I feel like I need to know more about my character and about what she does and how she moves so the children can really engage with our scene.

My research

Cbeebie is run by the BBC but is operated by the BBC children division and part of BBC north.  It is controlled by kay Benbow (who I wrote a letter to). The director of Children’s is Joe Godwin and has been in that position since late 2009. The children division is in control of CBBC an older children show. The shows on Cbeebie is timetable so they are the same all on at the same time on week days but a different times on weekend so the children know the different for the weekend and the week days. Cbeebie do a range of children shows that have the themes, simple science, natural history, music and movement, storytelling, make up and make do, puzzle programmes and animation. Here are some of the different shows they play on Cbeebie: Justin’s house, Chuggington, the Octonauts, Nina and the neurons. I still haven’t received a letter from Cbeebie.

Till next time

Jenny

Theatre For Chilren: Fifth Lesson

Monday 30^th September 2014

Performance workshop

We had 5 minutes of a group feedback then we were told to carry on with our scene, we have been working on but people in my group were not willing to work or talk about it so it was very unproductive so next week we would break in to smaller groups and, come up with ideas for the

Scene and then come back and show each other and try the ideas all together.  I feel that the scene is little dull as we have had many week to bright it up when we come to next week I feel we need to get the lay out work out and then  work  on the scene that we had done then following week work on developing the ideas.

Theatre For Children

We were still looking at our movement piece from last week but we were ask to get in to pairs and join out two routines together, I paired up with molly and we had the same beginning so we just added each other movement section  when we thought it would work. We did it so we were in sync with each other and some of the feedback we got from the class was about maybe having different level or not doing it in sync because it got a little boring towards then end because it was interesting as it could have been if we used motif development. This task was more effective than last week because we used points of christmas were we did the same things like waking up with excitement running though you veins on christmas as a whole instant doing it individually. What went well for me was that we already have our ideas for our own pieces for we had a base to work off and I wrote my down at the end of the last lesson which mean I could read off what I did instant of worrying that I forgot it and coming up with something new. My target for next week would be that I be more creative in my ideas.

Research

I thought this week I would turn my attention on to the company Cbeebie.

Cbeebie is the brand used by the BBC for programming aimed to 0-6 years old. It used the phrase "learning through play” to help creative shows that are engaging and fun for the children to watch. The channel was first launched on 11 February 200 and has won a number of awards. At the BAFTA Children's Awards, it won awards in 2002 and in every year between 2004 and 2009, including "Best Pre-school Live Action Series" in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2008. It has also won "Best Schools Programme – 0–6 years" awards from the Royal Television Society from 2002 to 2005. Cbeebie is the most-watched children's channel in the UK. Cbeebie HD officially launched on 10 December 2013. The links between programmes on Cbeebie are primarily achieved through the use of in-vision continuity, using presenters to interact with the children. In the UK, links are pre-recorded rather than broadcast live.