Theatre Studies Teacher

What a week! 

• Blocking complete    
• Fantastic set model to work with    
• Timber ordered  
• Poster ideas developing well  
• Costume ideas presented 
• Decisions on props firming up   
• Great character creation happening 

You guys are so great that you make my job so much easier.

 Burak’s poster idea still needs some developing.  Originally, the idea was to have the sillohettes positioned partially inside the 100 and I think there is still merit in this idea.  There are a number of basic inclusions for the poster… the legal details of who wrote the play and who has given us permission to perform it …. and I would like to see everyone’s name listed on the poster as this has been such a collaborative effort!

I also love Erika’s poster idea.  Erika and Burak really need to get together. I think Erika’s background and fonts, Burak’s silohettes and then the slogans Erika has on the bottom should all be included. 

I also love the font work on Erika’s second design for the Farmhouse logo. 

Put all of these different ideas together and we have an absolute winner!!!!!

It is great to read the comments you are all leaving each other.  Some really positive stuff which highlights the ownership of the project which many of you are feeling.

I agree with a lot of people who commented on the difference that adding lighting and audio has made.  Also the amazing transformation and further development of some characters who no longer have scripts in hand.  Keep it up!

Thanks to Gemma for coming in and giving some time to playing around with lighting.  We now need to get together and look at the standard rig at MIPAC, available stock and working out a more concrete LX design.

I know each of you are just as tired as me, so let’s all work together to wrap up the final week of the term … get through musical camp ….  the musical and then what I think might be one of the highlights of the year…. 
 

The Melbourne Amateur

Premiere of “100″.

This week started off on a very pleasing note.  Our first class, the double, began with the news that the class had blocked the majority of the memories while I was away last Friday.  Great leadership Lisa and fantastic work Farmhouse Productions.  The ensuing rehearsal showed that the blocking of these scenes had a marked effect on the confidence and understanding of everyone in the group.  We’re so close to finishing the blocking it is great.  The fantastic work continued on Wednesday’s class.

Tuesday also involved our next whole class Production Meeting.  A  huge congratulations to Jarrod and Tasha on the set work.  The model looks great.  Hopefully, Jarrod can soon have a photo of it up on his Blog.  The massive leap forward made by Bethany and Teigan on costumes is also heartening.  A masterstroke idea to use some of the costume styles we already have in the costume department as a template for the types of costumes that you want to make.

Publicity is still a worry for me.  Although it may not be necessary to have things published yet, to get stuff into newspapers etc often requires three-four weeks prior notice.  Same with producing a poster/brochure or contacting schools.  It is also a little disappointing that great enthusiasm of ideas in both the poster design and the design for Farmhouse Productions logo seems to have stagnated and hasn’t been realised over the past four weeks.

The remaining areas of Audio and Lighting now really need to start to develop.  Mini-production meetings with me should be arranged for the coming week.  Information for standard lighting rig at MIPAC is available in my office and it would be nice if we had some ideas before the visit to Brunswick on the second day of next term.

This week was also about completing audits. Now that all ten students have finished, many have come to the realisation of just how much work is involved in getting this play up and running.  We have probably now hot the point that most productions hit…. the midway point where it starts to get hard to keep up the energy and momentum.  Stick with it team, we’re almost there.

We are now over the half way mark of the term and things seems to be rolling along.  Apart from again losing some classes due to an excursion on Tuesday and my absence on Friday, it feels like we are getting the bulk of the blocking done.

The dedication of the cast, led by Lisa is very impresive, as is Lisa’s direction of the memory scenes.  There is a healthy amount of respect being shown towards Lisa and the job that she has to do.

This week was primarily about audits.  Although a daunting process for most of you, the majority actually seem to have found them less worrying than they first thought.  It has become a great opportunity for discussion and feedback and critical self-analysis.  I encourage urge those who have not been in yet, or in some cases, not even scheduled an appointment to do so immediately.  Like any assignment, I will need to subtract marks/grades for late submission.

‘100′ is becoming more and more exciting with each day and certainly with each rehearsal.  The charcaters are now starting to come very naturally and more importantly, the interactions between each of the characters is becoming much more meaningful.

It is now time that we really begin marketing the show to the public.  I’m looking forward to the production meeting on Tuesday when we can really finalise things.  Do you all realise that we only have four production meetings left until this thing is on-stage?  Still very excited and totally impressed with all of the work you are doing.

The word of the week —— FRUSTRATION.  Nothing to do with the class who continue to do brilliant work and demonstrate a willingness to ‘own’ this project and go beyond the call.  “100″ is really exciting me as a piece of theatre.  It is one that already I am incredibly proud of and one which I hope a lot of people will get to see.  You deserve that with the efforts being put in in all areas.

The frustration I speak of is with the immense interruptions to the timetable.  The effect on us and the work we are undertaking is magnified by the fact that this is an ensemble task, a team-effort…. and even having one person missing or one of you not focused (no names) makes the task more difficult.

This week it has been especially noticable as I felt we lost the flow a little, after the great work of the previous week.  It took greater concentration from everyone to get back on task and get back into the rthym we had discovered.  Thank you.  Let’s just stay focused and keep with it.

Audits begin this week and provide an interesting insight into where you each are at.  I will write more next week but I urge you to take them as an opportunity to review where you are at and what you need to do to ensure a great grade at the end of the process.  Forget that it is an in-progress ’grading’ session, but instead, take the chance to be honest with me and yourselves about how much you have done, what you have or haven’t contributed and what it is that you really need to do over the coming weeks to land the result that you truly deserve.

You are a fantastic class.  I could not have asked for a better group of individuals to work with.  I respect your ideas and the relationship we are all developing, under the title… “Farmhouse Productions”.  Thanks.