Task 2: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Performance: Shakespeare Duologue Evaluation and Feedback

 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Performance Evaluation

PART ONE

1. What was your initial response to the practitioner Shakespeare? How has this developed/changed during the course of rehearsals and performance?

• I overall had a very positive initial response to the practitioner Shakespeare. I personally really like the way he uses language in his plays. The hidden meanings of his plays are metaphorically hidden in his scripts and I really enjoy that as it makes audiences think deeper about what he’s writing about in his plays. I find the language in Shakespeare’s plays rather mesmerising but I knew it would be tricky to learn. As the language is different to modern day language, I knew learning the scripts would be complicated as it is a completely different way of speaking. This is something I was a bit apprehensive about. Shakespeare writes tragedies and comedies and I was hoping that we would be ding one of his comedy plays as they are something that fit my acting style more. I personally feel more confident when acting out a script that is comedic as it gives me more creative ideas. I would personally struggle with one of his tragedies. I have always really liked Shakespeare and have studied several of his plays so I was very intrigued about this practitioner from the beginning. Also the way actors perform his plays is different through the tone you use when you say the lines, character and setting so I was excited to explore these. 
• During the course of rehearsals and our performance, my initial response stayed the same. Looking at the way Mathilde and I were going to set our scene and characterise the characters was vey fun to do as it was a completely different style to what I have done before so I have learnt a lot more about acting techniques. 

2. What was your initial response to, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’? How has this developed/changed during the course of rehearsals and performance?

• My initial response to, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was overall positive. This play is one that I haven’t studied before so I was very happy about that as everything I learnt was new. I already had a vague idea about the play’s synopsis which did help me to be able to understand the play. I was very happy that we were going to be doing extracts to, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. I prefer to act a scene that can be funny and comedic because I can think of more staging ideas as comedy is more of my personal acting style. When reading through our chosen extracts I had so many ideas, particularly with the Bottom and Titania script. To begin with when we first learnt about this play, I didn’t want to play Bottom as I wasn’t a fan of his character but once Mathilde and I read through the particular extract we picked I actually found this scene hilarious and I really enjoyed it and my part and just went with it. I was holding back slightly to begin with as I was slightly embarrassed to be a gross donkey but as rehearsals went on I had so much fun with it and I am so glad we picked this extract. We chose this extract as we saw so many creative opportunities we could have with the comedic elements to the scene. 
• Mathilde and I were slightly reserved about the Lysander and Hermia script as the comedy wasn’t as obvious as it was in the Bottom and Titania script but as we brainstormed the script we began to find the places where the comedy is in the scene. As rehearsals went on, we began to equally enjoy this scene too. 
• My initial response to te actual language of the script was that it would be tricky to learn and that I was something I still felt during the course of rehearsals and the performance. The language is difficult to remember due to its odd pattern and structure of words and rhyming elements so I thought I would struggle with that throughout. 

3. Describe the challenges you faced in developing your character and how you overcame these.

• One of the main challenges I personally faced was to learn my lines due to them being Shakespearean language. I struggled to keep the lines in my head as the random way some lines rhyme threw me off. I overcame this by dividing my script into sections and gradually learn and work on my lines each section at a time. Dividing my script up, allowed me to focus on the smaller bits I struggled with in more detail. I would only move on to the next bit once I was sure I was confident with the previous section or until I was getting it perfect. This method really helped me with learning my lines. 
• Another challenge I had was my ability to include the audience into our scene. I had the tendency to speak my lines directly to Mathilde which then cut the audience off from our scene a which makes them feel as if they are intruding on our scene instead of feeling a part of it. I overcame this challenge by shifting my body to be less direct to Mathilde and more on the diagonal so that I am still facing the audience and Mathilde. This then helped me speak some of my lines mor towards the audience and include them into the scenes . 
• When it came to developing our Lysander and Hermia script we faced some challenges with how we could make the scene as comedic as our Bottom and Titania one. We lacked ideas and inspiration for the Lysander and Hermia scene and struggled to get ideas flowing.  We overcame this by researching the scene further and really focusing of the context of the scene. honking about where we are in the scene and what piston is this in the play.

4. What techniques did you incorporate into the rehearsal process? How did these aid/hinder the process?

• We broke down our scenes and worked on each section at a time focusing on each line we say and how we can add movement and comedy in each line without overpowering the script and over-complicating it. The first thing we focused on was how I was going to enter the stage for our Bottom and Titania scene. We focused on the staging and how it would come across to an audience. This then developed into focusing on the physicality of Bottom and Titania and how we would make them physically move differently. Without costumes, we had to think how a donkey/man and fairy queen would actually move on stage. We had to think about how we would make are characters completely different so that it was obvious who we were without the added imagery of a costume.
• We also thought about the proxemics between Mathilde and I and the proxemics between us and the audience. Our proxemics in our scenes can show the amount of love between the characters. For example, the proxemics between us when we were Hermia and Lysander were quite big, nearer to the end of the scene, showing how separate they are in their relationship. Whereas, our proxemics when we were Bottom and Titania were very close together showing their lust for one another. Yet our proxemics between us and the audience stayed the same but our lines and eye-line towards the audience brought us closer to them and included them into our scene.

5. What were the strengths and weaknesses of your performance?

Strengths

• My overall personal strengths was that I was very optimistic when it came to the performance. I was optimistic in the way that I let loose with my characters, particularly when I was Bottom. The element of the Donkey head was a kind of mask that allowed me to be fully confident in what I was doing and allowed me to put my all into the character. This too worked with my costume for when I played Hermia. This allowed me to take full control of the character and really make it my own. The use of the donkey head also elevated my facial expressions even more and finished the overall look of my character. Another one of my strengths was that I was able to show versatility in my acting as I completely contrasted my 2 characters from one another by not just making the costumes vastly different but also with my physicality. I also think my ability to add comedy to the performance was a strength as the comedic elements to our scenes were successfully communicated to the audience and resulted in them positively reacting with laughter. 

Weaknesses

• I would say that one of my weaknesses in my performance was tying the donkey head into our movements. Mathilde and I had less rehearsal practice with the donkey head and our movements were more adapted to not have a donkey head that ended up making me appear taller. This was a weakness as it meant that Mathilde and I had to not only focus on our lines and movements in the scene but we also needed to be very conscious and aware of the donkey head and our actions to make sure that it wouldn't fall off in anyway.
• Another weakness was that I think I could have experimented more with the dynamics of my voice . I was clear and projected my lines well but I could have fluctuated my voice more to really enhance the emotion of my character. Different dynamics of the voice can portray different moods and create different atmospheres. Experimenting more with my voice, could have elevated my character more.

6. What techniques from this process do you feel will inform your future development as an actor?

• From this process I learnt the language and performance technique of iambic pentameter that Shakespeare uses in his writing. This technique will inform my future development as an actor as iambic pentameter creates a sense of heightened emotion and dramatic tension within Shakespeare's characters. Iambic pentameter emphasises certain syllables making them stressed or unstressed this in turn creates a pleasing rhythm for the audience. It gives the text a sense of importance but Shakespeare specifically uses it in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to make the script sound more conversational. The way Shakespeare experimented and used iambic pentameter can help to vary the way a text/script can be spoken therefore effecting the emotion that is portrayed. Knowing this and how it can effective how a scenes emotion can be portrayed will develop me as an actor. 
• During this process and the development of our scenes, Mathilde and I used Stanislavski's system to help develop not only our scenes but our characters too. This system is a technique that includes actors to ask themselves these questions: Who am I?, Where am I?, When is it?, What do I want?, Why do I want it?, How will I get it?, What do I need to overcome? This questions that we answered during our rehearsals, allowed Mathilde and I to fully understand our characters and their aims. This then helped us to really be able to develop our scenes further, This system/technique will inform my future development as an actor as it will really help me to understand the character I am playing.

7. What skills and techniques did you apply to your classical role performance to make it engaging

• To make our performance engaging, we used a variety of skills and techniques. We used facial expressions to react to what each other our saying and to non-verbally communicate to our audiences. In the moments of silence, our facial expressions still very much communicated to the audience exactly what our characters are feeling or thinking. We used gesture to make our performances visually interesting. We had a variety of gestures that sent messages about our characters and what is happening in the scenes to the audience. We used stance which is the way you hold your posture which overall helps an audience to understand more about our characters. My stance vastly contrasted between Hermia and Bottom as I had a different posture and walk for both. We also used a range of levels in our scene which also established a sense of hierarchy between our characters. In our Bottom and Titania scene, I was mainly in positions lower than Mathilde near the end of the scene which showed Titania's dominance between the 2.  In comparison, in our Hermia and Lysander scene, I was in mainly higher positions than Mathilde, which showed Hermia's dominance in their relationship. We also experimented with the proxemics between Mathilde and I on stage and between us and the audience. 

PART TWO

1. You must now reference at least TWO performances by your peers. Identify the successful elements of their performances along with areas you considered weaker. Discuss what made these performances strong/weak.

Performance 1: Verity and Gracie = Helena and Hermia

• STRENGTHS: I think they channelled the emotion very well as it is such an angry and passionate piece between characters Helena and Hermia. I think they secured that and were very confident with it too and this was well communicated to the audience. I think another one of their strengths was their overall choreography for their scene as it was really engaging for the audience and really helped to establish the shifts in hierarchy/dominance between the characters. Helena is written as 'tall' therefore her height makes her have more power compared to Hermia but they were able to shift the dynamic so that their was a control shift throughout their scene. 
• WEAKNESSES: I do think one of their weaknesses was that at certain parts in the scene they were slightly hesitating and wavering by walking a bit back and forth which did kind of distract the audience from what they should be focusing on during the scene. Another weakness was that they spoke their lines rather quickly which at points a couple of words/lines were missed which can have an effect on how the audience understand the scene. I think they could have embraced some of their pauses between lines a bit more and focus more on their non-verbal communication i.e. through facial expression and actions. 

Performance 2: Ellie and Harrison = Helena and Demetrius

• STRENGTHS: I think their strengths was that their emotion in their voices was very clear to the audience. I think the emotion of their characters was clearly communicated to the audience. Their scene was simplistic in movement as they didn't have a lot of specific actions but when is came to the tone, range of volumes and emotions in their voice it was evident what the characters were feeling. This was linked to their facial expressions as well. Their ability to show a contrast in their characters emotions was very well communicated as you completely understood that Harrison (Demetrius) was completely disgusted and fed up of Ellie (Helena). Their clear expressions and emotion in their voices overall really helped the audience to understand the meaning of their scene.
• WEAKNESSES: I think their main weakness was that their scene did lack a range of physical movements. They were mainly standing or sitting. I think they could have developed their scene further by experimenting with more movements to elevate the scene even more. I think they could have also played around with their proxemics between one another and between them and the audience.

2. What was your most enjoyable performance to watch and why?

• My most enjoyable performance to watch was Lola and Chloe's performance. Lola played a fully human Bottom and Chloe played Peter Quince. Their performance was the one I found most enjoyable because they engaged the audience and almost brought them into the scene but including them at certain moments of their scene (particularly when Lola bowed towards them). They also played on the comedic elements of the script really well and successfully communicated their characters across to the audience. They used the performance space well and used a range of actions to help tell the story in their scene. The also had a prop which made their performance stay engaging as it makes an audience curious as to what the prop is. 

TEACHER FEEDBACK

Kacie, within your two duologue Shakespearean performances, I can see that you had worked hard on during the rehearsals and the final performance to create an engaging and dynamic performance.  

Within both of your performances, you showcased a range of acting techniques. I observed the nuanced ways in which you approached the Bard's language and the unique demands of a classical role, demonstrating versatility in your execution. It's evident that you have dedicated time to mastering the intricacies of Shakespearean acting. 

Your ability to explore and integrate acting techniques seamlessly into the Shakespearean context was impressive. Navigating the complexities of iambic pentameter and embodying the subtleties of Shakespearean characters requires a special skill set, and you executed this with finesse. Your commitment to understanding and embodying the nuances of the language enhanced the overall effectiveness of your portrayal. 

The progress made in developing your Shakespearean role through workshops and rehearsals was notable. Your commitment to the rehearsal process, particularly in understanding the poetic rhythm and rhetorical devices, was evident in the depth and authenticity of your character portrayal. The workshops played a crucial role in shaping your interpretation of the classical role, contributing significantly to the success of the Shakespearean production. You really understood the comedic aspects of a Midsummer, and these were clearly seen in your nonverbal communication, physicality and in your vocal techniques.  

Your performances of the Shakespearean characters, who were so different, was a testament to your dedication and preparation. Successfully navigating the complexities of the Bard's language and embodying the essence of the character showcased your understanding of the historical and cultural context. Your portrayal demonstrated an understanding of the character, creating a compelling and memorable Shakespearean performance. 

Your ability to apply skills, style, and techniques in a manner that fully engaged the audience in a Shakespearean setting was remarkable. The authenticity and emotional depth you brought to the characters resonated with the audience, (especially the Donkey!!!)  capturing the essence of Shakespearean drama. Your awareness of the audience's connection and engagement showcased a keen understanding of the unique dynamics of Shakespearean performance. 

The dynamism in your Shakespearean performance was a standout feature. Your application of a dynamic range of skills, styles, and techniques contributed to a rich and multifaceted portrayal. The varied moments of intensity, subtlety, and emotional resonance showcased your ability to navigate the complexities of a Shakespearean role with finesse. 

 

Congratulations on a splendid Shakespearean performance! 

Name: Tanya Verow - 18/1/2024