As You Like It Performance Evaluation

Yesterday was the day in which our seven weeks of work had led up to. We had worked in the new theatre and after our dress rehearsal I felt very sceptical about the performance that night. It was clear that our concept still did not work and we had not found the Arden school girls therefore the play lacked energy and purpose. Also there had been some line slip ups , adding to the stress of whether our play would actually be watch-able that night or just a really boring Shakespeare disaster.

However i feel that we improved a lot from the dress rehearsal. Everyone gave full energy to the performance and it came to life. I'm not sure if our Arden school concept fully translated to the whole audience however it was an extremely big challenge to carry two characters at all time on stage especially as one of these characters was extremely different to to anyone we really knew speaking different language and living in a completely different time frame. However given the challenge I think we mostly embraced it and managed to keep energy and not look like dead pan faced girls awkwardly placed in clumps on stage.

In terms of the As You Like it character relationships i think they really worked on the whole. Orlando and Jacques and a comedic chemistry which really got the audience involved , this relationship came together on the day of the performance. Due to little touches like this the play managed to achieve the light highlighted comedy which it was meant to be being a Shakespeare comedy. Myself and Rebecca also worked really hard on finding Touchstone and Audrey's relationship. Due to the difficult language it had been difficult to really understand how the felt about each other but in the play they were the foolish couple , meant to bring comedy to the play not deep love. I think we achieved this relationship and I found that as I made boulder choices with Touchstone , showing his lust to Audrey our scenes picked up and didn't stick out as slightly unwanted scenes. Another part of the play that I am proud of was me and Cielia and Rosalind's relationship. Particularly me and Cielia's. During the rehearsal process i think we had lacked a spark but during the last rehearsal and the performance we found our fiery relationship , due to this both of our lines made alot more sense and also the reason for Touchstones love for Ceilia was described. The energy that we bought to our performance really picked up the performance at parts and I think helped to keep the audience engaged through a confusing play in a very different language to the normal.

On a more negative note i feel like my performance lacked multi-layering. I dot think i ever really found my Arden school girl or knew how to actually allow her to come through in my performance. It was an extremely challenging task and as there weren't any scene of proper dialogue I found it hard to find a full characterisation. I was also focusing most of my energy on Touchstone as I knew that my performance had to be full of energy and I also had to make sure I spoke my riddly lines with confidence and truth. Therefore being able to fully get across my Arden girl was very hard and I don't feel like I really knew who my character was. I think this was generally a struggle for all of us. Though we had done some work on our characters I don't think we had done enough in the context of the play to be fully comfortable with our multi layering. Due to this reason I don't think our concept was as strong as it could of been.

The all girls cast worked well in my opinion. By the end of the play i had forgot that it was even different to have all girls playing male characters. Obviously this was partly due to our theme but mainly I think it was due to our character relationships. Which I think was the real strength of the performance. Silvius and Phebe conveyed there relationship of love and rejection perfectly succeeding to show this to the audience whilst also being extremely funny. Also Rosalind and Silvius's relationship was successful in showing Silvius's pure ignorance to Roalsind's clever wit and Phebe's love games.

Overall I think our performance went well and couldn't of really gone better on the night for our rehearsal time and concept. Though I don't think it was necessarily that much of a strong performance of a Shakespeare play we all worked very hard and i think characterisation and relationships were impressive for our first time doing Shakespeare as a company.

final rehearsals

As the show approaches i finally feel like i am becoming able to fully connect touchstone and actually create a strong character. After really working on characterising our Arden school girl i began to really think what my girl would think of touchstone and approach then Touchstone from that direction. This h=really helped me as i began getting less bogged down in trying to fully understand touchstone and thought less about the lines and more Touchstones role in the play. My arden character is a playful slightly naughty girl who likes to poke fun at the other girls. With this in mind i have been bolder with my choices for Touchstone and used my tone and voice more effectively in a way to actually create humour. Another thing that has been really important is making sure i bring a lot of energy to my performance. As soon as i began thinking about energy ,playfulness and my arden girl my difficulties with touchstone became less prominent and I could actually have fun with the words and speak them better. Making sure i realise that my arden girl is playing a man had also been an important part of the process. I feel i over looked the importance of the fact i have a gender change essentially in the play. I think that my 50s girl from an all girls school would have a different approach to men than myself. They would be more alien therefor the approach to playing one would be more exaggerated on 'manly' features. Therefor i have tried to use a deeper voice and a more firm stance with my physicality. 

There is still work i have to do to fully become Touchstone but it is refreshing to feel like I am actually improving and getting somewhere with my character.

Touchstone and Ceilia

In rehearsal today me and kate explored Touchstone and Ceilias relationship. Touchstone loves Cielia and respects her and this is due to her feistiness and ability to taunt and play with Touchstone. They are clearly very close in a fun playful way , almost like a brother and sister.
We played one scene along as we finger jousted. This really helped to get our dynamic right , kate playfully attacked me and as she did her words became alive and our dialect made a lot more sense. As i got more sass from Kate i could really react as Touchstone , being witty and playful as i wound her up.
By having our initial scene together much stronger I have been able to connect with Touchstone further and understand his wittiness.

We also looked at playing our two characters today. As we are a school girl from the 50s as well as our shakespeare character it is important that we play our character through the eyes of our school girl. Thus creating a multi textural performance. As we worked on this i began to think more about me being a girl playing a man in the play. Therefor i tried to exxagerrte masculinity and also the fun side of Touchstone. As i began to play Touchstone less refined i found that my relationships with other characters worked a lot better. Also as a play i think working on our school girls is very important , otherwise our climbing frame set , costume and 50s music is all bait irrelevant and disconnected thus making the theme weak.

nearing show, Building on physicality

As we are nearing the time of our performance our rehearsals have become more intense and more important to really engage in . I have become familiar with Touchstone as a character and now that my lines have learnt i am working on re-visiting Touchstone and looking at my character in a fresh way.
Movement in scenes and my physicality to others is really important. As Touchstone speaks in complicated rifles that not only bewilder the audience but also the other characters it is important that i communicate relationships to others through physicality. Also to make Touchstone a fun character and for the words to really come to life its important for me to experiment and keep Touchstone moving so that the words do not become flat. This has been hard without the actual climbing frame to fully experiment on , however i have tried to use the chairs and blocks more and have tried climbing on them. Also in my scene with William instead of sitting and talking to him i get up and will use the different levels of the climbing frame to show my heir achy to him and also to highlight my intelligence to his simple mind which is what is being said in the words shakespeare uses.

I think Touchstone is an adjile character therefor wouldn't really just stand still. I have found it a challenge to play enough with Touchstones movement. Partly due to trying to make sure i don't mess up the lines. Yet i think that in a way his physicality is as important as the words as otherwise they will sound wooden and recited. When the climbing frame is ready i want to take my physicality to the next level and swing on the frame and pop out of different little holes and really make comedy of my entrances and exits.

Touchstone and Audrey - relationship

Touchstone and Audreys relationship is playful and comedic , unlike Rosalind and Orlando it is not filled with deep love but more on the surface want. Touchstone likes the way Audrey looks and wants her and Audrey likes Toucshtones position is society and wants to marry him for status. therefore in a sense it could be said that they use each other , however at the same time there is no sense of wickedness to the relationship and especially as the play yes on it is clear to see they are very fond of each other even if they do not share deep love.

Touchstone like the fact that Audrey is a country bumpkin and not an intelligent woman , she is very different to girls at court and although Touchstone is very found of Ceilai and Roaslind he loves to play around with the fact he is from court and Audrey is from the forest. Touchstone is able to have fun with Audrey and he defeintly like the look of her and is attracted to her. We see this want from the way he repeats her name in the scene where he is going to marry her with sir oliver martext.

The scene with Oliver Martext is interesting as it is slightly puzzling as to what Touchstone wants. Using his clever wit he decides that if the useless vicar Sir Oliver marries him to Audrey than he will have a good excuse to leave her , suggesting he wants her for one thing and when he is done he can leave her . However Touchstone does not let Sir Oliver marry them in the end and tells audrey they will find another time. This is partly spurred on by Jaques commentary to being married in such a low way for a man of court , yet i also think it is because Touchstone does really care for Audrey. Though it is a fun relationship he enjoys her company and how he can act around her , its almost like he actually respected Audrey and is charmed by her. Therefor he does not let the ridicule of wedding take place. This could always be looked on , on the other hand as Touchstone finding excuses so that he doesn't actually have to marry Audrey.

finding Touchstone and Audrey's relationship has been really fun and I think with rusher experimentation and bolder character choices our scene together will be effective.

Photo inspiration for my physicality

Rehearsal process . Further character development.

Rehearsal today was a challenge. My particular struggle was my scene with corin. Our scene is a casual conversation yet Touchstones witty playful digs at Corin our then shut down my Corin. Due to the fact there is not much content to the conversation in regard to the rest of the play it was a struggle getting enough energy and fun into the scene . Also I had long witty paragraphs to say which was a struggle to tone correctly and keep enough energy whilst staying true to my character. I find it much easier to find Touchstones character when working with Audrey or Celia and Rosalind and I found it a struggle to really find Touchstone in this scene.

One way in which I am gong to work on getting this scene right is by looking at pitch , tone and pace within the riddles. Sometimes we found the lines were dragging on to long making the scene feel long and dry. Also it would help me to look more at touchstones characters details as I feel I know the general feel of Touchstone yet it is in the detail that I will be able to connect with Touchstone further and be able to find the comedy and fun rather than making the scene drag on.

Staging in our scene I feel could be played with further to create a more interesting atmosphere to a scene which is lacking in content. I felt we were both standing still and my physicality was quite wooden. Especially with Touchstone it is important that I play around with my physicality and make sure I use my whole body as his will not only strengthen my stage presence but also it will bring the difficult lines to life and give the play the comedy that Touchstone is meant to bring.

With more work on my lines I think I will be able to do this and find Touchstones details.

Development

Today we finished our first stage reading of the play. I felt the rehearsal did lack energy and drive in general yet personally i feel like i began to find Touchstone more.

My main challenge is to make sure i am able to say my difficult rifle lines with playfulness yet still highlighting inner messages . Also how i react to different characters is difficult as as the fool i don't have as simple of a social position as other characters.In my scene with Audrey and Oliver Martext i struggled as I love Audrey and love her simpleness yet at the same time i am playing with this and sometimes insulting her. I am also above Audrey in class so i mist note this and get the glance right whilst still being very playful and silly. Now I am more familiar with my lines having fun is more easy but I think i still really need to work with Audrey to get our relationship full of comedy as after all As You Like It is a comedy and the fool is central to this.

Though I found my first scene with Audrey a struggle , the next with William too was much easier. I feel like I established my social position more and was able to have more fun with my lines. Poking fun at William was especially interesting to work on , I felt like I really used my lines and the words given to me to impose comedy to the play whilst also developing my 'sassy' character. The scene defiantly needs more work on it to really create a light hearted humour. Yet I feel for the first time that I am beginning to actually go somewhere with my character. Another thing that helped this was actually using the set more effectively. Me and Audrey were placed on the climbing frame which gave another level to work on , thus keeping it fresh. As the play is long and complicated i think this is really important as I don't want the play to drag on. Adding to the importance is that my scenes are on the most part the light hearted comedy of the play , almost a break to the audience therefor having boring long scenes would defeat the purpose completely.

Tomorrow we will be doing a full run through to page 42 and i feel this will really help my create a journey for Touchstone , as I will be able to react to my different characters and find my lines and tone more effectively.

My School Girl Character

As i have become more familiar withTouchstone as a character i have developed an idea of what my school girl character should be. I want my school girl to be mischievous , the class clown as Touchstone is the jester of the play. I think my school girl should also be rather outspoken and not afraid to say whats on her mind almost bait feisty. Touchstone really shows this side to him as he teases many characters and is not afraid to speak what is on his mind to the people that other people would be afraid to speak the truth to. My school girl should also be clever yet not thought of as the 'clever - nerd' type. Touchstone is the voice of reason behind the play yet he says reason through riddle and he is the fool. Meaning it is important that my school girl is clever yet in a playful , clown feisty way. 

Rehearsal 2

Today we carried on where we left off in rehearsal. I had more lines to work on as the section we covered had Touchstone in more.

Since doing more work on Touchstone is has strangely got easier yet also a lot harder at the same time. Speaking the lines out loud and having other characters to react to has certainly made my understanding of touchstone as a character increase. Yet having said that this makes my job harder as playing Touchstone well is a challenge. My particular struggle is putting enough energy and fun into Touchstone whilst still conveying his serious message. Also I am still getting used to touchstones relationships with the different characters in the play. With Roaslind and Cielia I am more comfortable , Touchstone has a cheeky relationship with them. He is also from the court like them therefor they have a connection before the forest which helps me to create comedy as they have inside jokes and Touchstone certainly pokes fun at Roaslind in particular.

However I found my first scene with Audrey more of a struggle. It was the first time that I had been on stage alone without Roaslind and Ciela which made it harder to hold myself as it was Touchstone not Touchstone in relation to the two girls. I also found my lines more of a struggle to say , due to this it was harder to really play with them and get into character. However I feel that once i have really got to grips with the lines the fun will follow.

I am still getting to know Touchstone as a character therefor it is a struggle to fully connect at this stage in rehearsal. Also i think Touchstone is a complex character with a lot of different perspectives. Though today was a struggle it was also really fun to actually see the play really get on its feet and the more i do the more i become comfortable with my character.

Touchstone - character profile

Touchstone is a licensed fold and therefor can say whatever he pleases. He is Duke Frederick's jester and then joins Rosalind and Cielia  on their runaway adventure. Touchstone is extremely insightful about human nature and has quick wit. Touchstone enjoys to twist events and stir up argument he is also very nit picky.

As touchstone jokes around he says much truth beneath the surface of his riddle lines. Touchstone is like a monitor for the rest of the casts honesty and truth. This is told by Shakespeare simply from his name as Touchstone is a stone that is used to judge materials. Touchstone has a way of saying wise things a=in amusing ways without sounding like a drone.

Touchstone is able to laugh at himself and also certainly at others. He is a cheeky character and though a fool he is very wise.

Rehearsal session one.

Today we began to put the play on its feet. After we saw a model of what are set is to look like it really helped me to understand more fully the concept of the play. In place of the climbing frame we used chairs and began to explore using the space. As our whole set is to be on stage at all times it was interesting to play with focus. At first when i entered the stage i struggled in how to enter as my line came a while after meaning i couldn't pull focus with a line. However when told I could simply stand up i really began to get in to role. I began to understand the simple steps to physicality that could pull focus and really began to visualise playing on the combing frame and what my lines will look like alongside interesting physicality. 

Today i realised the importance of really getting to grips with what Touchstone is saying. As touchstone is the fool it is important for me to be fun and playful. Yet as the fool in a shakespeaen play i often must communicate an important message. Shakespeare uses riddle for Touchstones line which for me extend the challenge. TO be able for me to become playful with the lines i must really understand the rhythm and meaning. Otherwise my performance will be flat. Though this is going to be a big challenge i am very excited to really start working on my character and i can see elements of Touchstone that i personally can relate to even though i am a very different person to a shakespearan fool. Beginning to work with Ceila and Rosalind also has made my lines come to life. I am able too feed of their speech and then incorporate mood appropriately. Also with my character i am there to provoke and react and provoke therefor in order to create a performance with life i feel it is really important for me to feed of my fellow actors.

We have only got up to page 18 of the play but i am really excited to carry on working with it and begin to understand Touchstone more fully. 

First Read through

Today we began the process of putting on our all girls cast version of 'As you like it'. We began the session by being told our concept. We are an all girls independent school in the 50's , kept from certain poetry , songs and litreture we have a climbing frame in school where we go to escape these regulations. There the play as you like it is found and we begin the play. I thought this was a really interesting concept and really ties are all girl cast into the play. Furthermore I think the climbing frame set will work really well to create a visually pleasing ensemble piece.

I have been cast as Touchstone and the first reading we did in our rehearsal was the first time i properly heard my lines next to others. As Touchstone speaks in riddle yet points out very important points I see i have a big challenge. It will be hard to make sure that I get my head around my lines and can speak them with meaning through the riddle yet simulateonlsy remain playful and fun.

After reading the play as a class i understood the events much more clearly. I feel with Shakespeare due to the difficult language it is really hard to read all parts to yourself like a book. When we all read the words really began to come to life and i was able to understand what the characters meant through there long descriptive paragraphs of speech.

This first rehearsal has got me through roughly excited for the play , i now must study Touchstone as a character and his lines in order to really start connecting to the play.