Improvisations

During the rehearsal process me and Ffion had a improvisation in which I told her to leave me for Andrew. We had a situation of her coming in from playing tennis with Andrew whilst I was sitting by the fire and then once she came in for a drink, I was to tell her. Looking back I thought we did it well, but perhaps I was little to cold in that improvisation and lacked emotion, to such and extent that it became unrealistic. Although I certainly should have been demanding and stern whilst (effectively) leaving my wife, I think that decision making I spoke of earlier in my blog didn't play a big enough part. 

We also did an improvisation in which my and Khai basically stalked the daughter on her way home from school, for me this was very important, because it was moment I referenced constantly as the time he first sees this person that will have such an impact in my life. Every time on stage when I saw I thought back to that moment, because I thought that's exactly what he would do and so I am very thankful for that improvisation. 

The Group Warm-Up We Lead

Our warm-up that we did as group was mainly focused on finding characters, this was our outline:

. Vocal warm-up: Sirening, Jack's laughing exercise, humming, humming into sound.

. Physical warm-up: walking around the space, running around the space- carefully, basic stretches focusing on the spine (help find posture of character)

. Character: close eyes, visualise character, breathe character in, find physicality, maintaining physicality walk around room, make eye contact with everyone and react as your character would, shake it off

. Game: splat!

How did I respond to direction?

How did I respond to direction. 

This is an interesting question because, as I'm sure Jack will agree, I readily responded to direction and was willing to try new things, but I was adamant about certain things that I felt my character would/wouldn't do, one example of this is with the lines. For example I felt very attached to lines about 'the solid earth' disappearing beneath (her) feet, and so felt very resistant to Jacks idea to cut said lines and I hope that Jack will agree that this was the right time for him to let me have my own way!

One thing I felt I really took onboard from Jack was the idea of my character holding something in all the time, the anger simmering beneath the surface. I tried to show that gradual build of aggression inside The Father and I felt it very important to let this occasionally bubble over. For example I worked a lot on the line 'No madam, not ours!' And what I eventually (hopefully) achieved on that line was a momentary release of the hidden anger, but then on the next line try to regain that control. I think this helped build to the fight scene, because the anger shown in that is not coming from out of nowhere, but it is also a surprise, to the audience, that he looses control quite that much. 

Another piece of direction I really appreciate is Jack's 'move with purpose' line. I really took that on board and tried to implement it and, I think I achieved it, because after the performance both the film actors and agent that came commented on the fact they noticed that about me, that I moved with purpose, of course it's all thanks to Jacks visionary directing!

Me in Costume

The costume is slightly Victorianin it's look, which is fitting considering time in which The Father was born. It is clearly a mourning suit as he is showing solidarity for the families loss to try and ingratiate himself with them. The long black coat helps set up the given circumstances (cold) and also gives an old fashioned (it was always cold and misty and everyone wore long black coats) and slightly sinister look to the character. The makeup mixed with with the out of date (by 1964 standards) costume, behaviour and language all adds to the mystery of the characters and the question of what they are.

It's Four in the Morning

Although The Father is clearly not overly considerate man, I still don't think he is entirely without conscience or compassion and so listening to this 1956 masterpiece of a song really brought home to me what a difficult decision it must have been to tell his wife to leave him. 

It's Four in the Morning- Faron Young

It's four in the morning and once more the dawning
Just woke up the wanting in me
Wishing I'd never met her knowing if I'd forget her
How much better off she would be
The longer I hold on and the longer this goes on
The harder that it's gonna be

But it's four in the morning and once more the dawning
Just woke up the wanting in me

I've never deserved her God knows when I hurt her
That's the last thing that I want to do
She tries but she can't tell how she feels but I know
Too well what she's going through
If I love her so much I don't know why I can't do
The right thing and just let her be

But it's four in the morning and once more the dawning
Just woke up the wanting in me

Last night I told her this time it's all over making
Ten times I've told her goodbye
Last night we broke up this morning I woke up
And for the tenth time I'm changing my mind
I saw more love in her eyes when I left her
Than most foolish men will ever see

And it's four in the morning and once more the dawning
Just woke up the wanting in me
It's four in the morning and once more the dawning just woke up the wanting in me

http://youtu.be/Ml3MJfr_wXQ

Diary Overveiw

I made sure that none of the big moments I spoke of in his life were events that one might feel were of great significance i.e. the day he got married or his first child, as I feel that these events in his career and those on a national may be of greater importance in his mind. I Also tried to write it in such a way that it felt far more formal and structured than a standard diary, because I think this would probably be the way in which he wrote, with a general lack of genuine emotion. I also tried to portray this through the lack of real remorse in his last post, as we know although he feels ashamed, he feels almost justified in his abhorrent act and I imagine him to be concerned about how people viewed him as a result of this rather than how it would actually impact his family. I also attempted to show the development of his writing style from 1914-1957.

Diary Entry 1957

Dear Diary,

It is the 3rd of August in the year of our Lord 1957 and I must confess that I have finally been debased to such a level I thought never possible. I finally gave into the claret wash, that is the sinful lusts of the Flesh and for such a carnal act may The Lord, God Almighty forgive my wicked soul. I was, unfortunately discovered in a most compromising position, by the most unlikely of persons whilst on a sordid appointment at Madame Pace's, the dressmakers.

I found myself coerced into unwanted, inappropriate relations with a young harlot. Whilst in the company of this fallen creature, I was sharply awoken from this, what I can only describe as a nightmare, by the entrance, in the most dramatic of fashions, by my ape stranger wife, Amelia. This of course meant that, on this occasion, I had not indulged in that most wicked of sins, adultery, although looking upon such childish beauty caused my brain to sear with a sinful lust I had not experienced in many a year.

It so happened this young demon was in fact the daughter of my wife and Clerk, that same girl that I have often spoken of in here. That same said girl who I once followed from her school, the girl who I gave ribbons and flowers too, that girl whom I regarded as one of my own. I feel a deep shame, which feel may remain with me from this day forth until God himself judges me in such a way, I can scarcely imagine. My one over-whelming fear at the moment is , however none of this. My fear is that the Fidelity Fiduciary bank's United Kingdom board of trustees may discover me an that my illustrious career at said bank may cease sooner than I had expected.

Only time will tell.

This a brothel 'The House of Lou Graham' that opened in the late 19th century and continued to operate into the mid 20th century

This is Brothel owner Liliane Brown aka Madame Katz