Peter and the Wolf POST-DRESS REHEARSAL

In the morning, before our performance, we had a dress rehearsal in front of a large section of our primary school. It went very successfully, receiving very positive feedback from the teachers and students. These are the directors notes:

• Make sure I open the gate properly at the start
• Hunters need to make their movements bigger
• Improve bow

The children liked the performance so much that we received some posters made by them:

Peter and the Wolf PERSONAL DANCE

My personal dance movements

For this piece, I worked the most with our choreographer (also the bird) to introduce ballet into the piece.

These are the moves I was taught:

• pas de chat
• sissones
• developee jump
• lift
• balances
• hitchkick step

We chose to add this to get closer to a dance production. It also helps with changing up movement. A scene can get tedious if there is just standard walking, which is why we include dance and different styles of movement.

I managed to pick up the movement relatively quickly, despite never dancing before.

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 13

Today, we worked with the OCL once again. It went well, and we blocked the procession again. We built on what we had previously improvised. Previously, I had walked into the audience and walked round the back of them, but this time I went off stage and went as far as a couple steps. I then give one student a high five. After this, I walk back down in front of the stage and jokingly recreated what the hunters were doing with the wolf. After this, I went to sit on the steps, until the hunters and wolf start heading towards me (and then I jump backwards and hide behind the narrator to show I'm still scared of the wolf). While I'm waving at the children on the floor, the hunters are performing a routine on stage, pushing the wolf around and presenting their dominance (while still obtaining a comic affect).

When I get on stage, I skip to the other side of the stage while Amelie gets down from the tree. We wave at each other, then wave at the audience. We then perform several ballet moves that help present  our friendship. After this, we skip around the stage until the bird turns into Peter's arms. I then walk over to the narrator and Amelie performs her own short sequence. Completing the play, the narrator says, "if one would listen closely, you could hear the duck quacking inside the wolf' and all characters lean into the wolf's belly, before bowing. There was an issue with the bow therefore we will work on that tomorrow.

Apart from the bow, we feel very well prepared for tomorrow's performance, and without any mess ups, we feel we can create a performance that the little children will love.

Peter and the Wolf WARM-UP

SALLY UP SALLY DOWN CHALLENGE 

To warm up for our Peter and the Wolf rehearsals, we often do the 'Sally up, Sally down Challenge'. There is a song that repeats that line. The aim is to work your muscles and warm up before rehearsals.  There are several versions of this challenge, and the aim is to do the exercise on the 'Sally down' lines, and then when it says, 'Sally up', you rest. Here are some online examples...






We usually do the squat version. I struggled with this challenge the first time we ever did it, as it is a massive test, however I was close to completing it in our most recent lesson. I had one break in the middle of the song, but completed the rest.

THUNDERSTRUCK CHALLENGE

This challenge is very similar, however when the song says, 'Thunder' or 'Thunderstruck', you do a burpee. Pushups are my weakness, which is why I struggle a lot with this challenge. I will continue doing it though, as it is very beneficial for improving my physical wellbeing. Here is an example...

RIHANNA AND EMINEM CHALLENGE

In this exercise, it is the same style again, but with sit ups. When Rihanna sings, you must hold a half sit up position. When Eminem sings, you need to be doing active sit ups and then when it is just instrumental, you can rest. I was able to complete this challenge, as I have a decent level of strength in my core. Here is a similar online version...

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 12

In our after school rehearsal, we worked with the OCL for the first time. This was our first rehearsal where the piece looks like a final performance. We had 3 total run-throughs in this session, with one being before the orchestra arrived. We didn't have our full costumes on at this point, as it was just a warm-up rehearsal to guarantee our narrator knew his whole script and we all knew the blocking.

We were missing the bassoon as the musician was caught in traffic. This didn't seem to be a big issue as the other musicians were able to work around it.

Mrs Williams was there for this rehearsal, meaning she could give her advice and change things that she thought could be improved. She decided we should try and block the procession again. The previous choice was to go into the audience and interact with the audience, however this leaves the stage slightly dull. It also means everyones focus will be in different places. At the end of our last run-through, we were told to improvise the procession. In tomorrows rehearsals, we will block this properly and choose what bits we liked from our improvised version.

The pace was slightly different with the orchestra in comparison to the tracks we have been using, we means we need to take slightly longer for each section of movement. This could be a benefit as tomorrow we might work on adding some more movement as we know we have time.

The one scene we hadn't blocked was during the procession, where Peter and the bird have a few bars of music to signify their friendship. Originally we had been rehearsing with this being a solo short performance from the bird, however we felt it would be best for Peter to come back on stage for it. In our first run-through, we completely improvised this scene to see if we could get any ideas from it. We started doing a hand-shake and felt we should develop that. We spent a few minutes devising a hand-shake to do during that section. After comments from the audience, we decided to scrap this idea. This was because we are clapping every time we hit each others hands, therefore it distracts from the music as they aren't in beat together. We were trying out the handshake in a run-through and they music dragged on a bit longer than we had anticipated, so we improvised some more. I began to do some silly looking ballet moves to create a comic effect, and this was something Mrs Trono chose to continue looking at. The idea of Peter doing silly dance moves fits the character quite well, as he is a silly and high energy child. He is always smiling and laughing, therefore a dance around with the bird fits well, even if he is doing the moves poorly. In tomorrow's rehearsal, this scene will be completely blocked, with as much dance and activity as possible.

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 11

In this lesson, we were making sure as many run-throughs were being done. 

We did one run-through at the start of the lesson, which the cast were not too happy about. Several things went wrong, including the rope being tangled, people forgetting cues and so on. Despite this, we still received positive feedback from our teachers. This is because it is the first run-through they have seen us do, so they were happy with the progress.

We are at the stage of rehearsals where we want to do as many run-throughs as possible, and then receive directors notes on what we can improve. One part that wasn't making complete sense was Peter's entry after getting kicked off of the stage by his grandfather. Previously we had my character entering when the line 'In the meantime, Peter stood behind the gate', however, it would make the most sense if Peter gradually moves back on stage when the wolf is at the front of the stage. This makes more sense as now, it looks like he is crawling away from his grandfather. The line also makes more sense, as the line suggests Peter is already behind the gate when the line is delivered. 

Another problem we found is when the bird enters. Previously, we had the bird entering when her music first comes on. This didn't make sense as the narrator's line says that the bird should be in the tree from the very start. We now have the bird entering at the same time as Peter. Due to this, Peter now waves at the narrator (like before) and then turns and waves at the bird (once again, to symbolise friendship).

At this point in rehearsals, we feel very prepared for the performance, as there are only small amounts that we have to change.

Tomorrow, we will be working with the musicians for the first time. This might be a challenge as their pace could be slightly different to the tracks we have been using. Despite this, I think we will make the most progress tomorrow as it will help Tristan (the narrator) with the timing of his lines.

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 10

We chose to do some extra rehearsals over the weekend to make sure we had a full run-through for Monday. We also tidied up the end of the play, with the procession now being complete.

We worked for 4 hours.

Just before the procession, we added a synchronised dance routine, including the hunters, Peter and the bird. The hunters taking steps while swinging their guns in the air, while Peter and the bird dance in the background. We added a couple lifts, with Peter lifting the bird out of the tree and Peter lifting the bird while in the dance routine.

We also worked on our physical well being, working with different gym equipment to help us become more prepared. Quite often, when we weren't on stage, we would be working on these exercises.

This rehearsal helped us a lot as the run-through gave us and our teachers an understanding of how our final performance might look.

On Monday, we are looking to showcase our full run-through to our teachers and get feedback on whether it all works.

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 9

In todays lesson, we had the wolf back in rehearsals, meaning we could translate our rehearsal ideas from the days without him, into his performance. Beforehand, we were struggling with the wolf's entry scene, as Hugo (the wolf) was unsure on the exact movements to do, he felt the music went on for too long meaning he didn't know how to fill the space and none of his movements matched up with the music. We rehearsed the same scene for a long time to make sure Hugo knew exactly what movement to do and when. One specific part is when the music begins to speed up. We decided that Hugo would walk on the beat, while saying at an audience member angrily. The idea of the fast walk helps present the wolf as scary and dominant, therefore he is walking aggressively, with intent. By the end of this scene rehearsal, Hugo was also exaggerating his movements a lot more, meaning the final pieces are starting to fit together.

We also managed to link this to the following scenes, working from this wolf scene to the wolf and the bird conflict scene. It transitioned well until we reaches Peters scene, where he enters, re-enters with rope, balances on a wall and climbs in the tree. The narrator claims Peter climbs on a wall however previous to todays lesson, we hadn't incorporated that into our play. We introduced it through mime, as my character walks along the stage, as if he was walking along a thin wobbly wall. I made sure I took my steps in time with the end of the music. Once this scene was complete, we were able to run the wolf scene to this very smoothly. It is beginning to seem like we are prepared and comfortable with everything. However it is still slightly worrying that we are yet to complete a full run-through, although tomorrow we have all our characters + our teacher there, meaning we will complete a full run-through and receive all the necessary improvement points.

Here is a clip from todays rehearsal

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 8

We had completed a run through in the morning of today, despite not having Hugo in class (the wolf). Georgia (the duck) and Silvana (a hunter) managed to complete the roles of Hugo, with Silvana playing it in the first half, and Georgia playing it in the second half. We went through the whole piece, but were forced to have a few pauses to solve confusion.

I felt my performance was okay, as I have sorted out all the issues I have previously had (with my final developing scene being completed yesterday). This meant that I could focus my time on helping the others with completing their scenes.

The scenes that were developed surround the hunters, the duck and the bird. One specific scene was when Peter shouts about how he wants to take the wolf to the zoo". He mentions the bird in this quote, therefore we chose for my character to bring the bird down from the tree and they perform movement together, to show their friendship. They dance around the hunters and perform their motif again. At the end, they do the high five that they did at the start.

Later on in the day we had more rehearsals, which we struggled in as our duck had not turned up to rehearsals. Despite this, we still managed to work through a scene and make improvements. This was after the duck dies, and the duck ceremony music takes place. We wanted the wolf to come on stage, take a feather out of his mouth, rub his belly and then lie down for a sleep. We also chose to have some movement from the other characters on stage, being the bird and the cat. Both get out the tree and put a little gravestone in front of it. This means there will be no blank space and it will give more creativity to the set.

Here is a discussion video we took in our afternoon rehearsal.



This is our rehearsal footage from the morning...

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 7

Here is a video of us discussing our current position


In today's lesson, we looked at 2 specific scenes. These scenes were Peters alterations with his grandfather and the scenes with the hunters. The reason we wanted to work on the grandfather scene was because we felt it was slightly irregular, and we wanted specific movements fitting with specific beats of the music. Along with this, it was convenient for the cast members we had there. We changed one section that didn't seem to working (when the grandfather leans in to tell Peter off and falls towards him). Instead of this we added some specific hand movements to be made by the grandfather (including a reference to the scary wolf). I also decided to have some interactions with the narrator, as at the time, we were struggling to choreograph the narrators every move. This is why interactions between the narrator and any character will work well.

The hunters scene was also relatively static towards the end. In this scene, the two hunters enter stage and circle the stage, ending when they point their gun at the wolf. There were several points where the hunters (Silvana and Seth) were out of sync, therefore we worked on that and it was fine by the end. We filled the open spaces with different tricks with the guns. The hunters now use movement including turning the gun around, throwing the gun to each other and pointing it at the audience. This means that it will no longer be repetitive and the children will remain engaged during this scene.

An ongoing issue in our group this year has been a failure to exaggerate + the energy has been too low. This is something that is starting to improve, as we are all beginning to acknowledge it. As you can see in todays rehearsal, we noticed a certain group member with slightly lower energy. By the end of the rehearsal, we had managed to bring her energy back up. This is something that we need to cut out completely as it will affect each others performances, meaning we won't have 100% energy in all rehearsals. This will then mean that we won't produce ideas to our best of abilities.

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 6

In todays lesson, there were a limited number of students, therefore we could not work on the whole piece. This was not such a negative point, as it meant I could work on specific scenes with specific people. I worked on the first scene shared between Peter and the Bird and Peter's scene with the Grandfather.

Our aim for the scene between Peter and the bird was to include our motifs and create a scene that is more exciting. We decided to alter our ending, and add more 'dance' to it. We achieved this, and now this scene is less dull. It begins with the bird helping Peter stand up. Then Peter tries to teach the bird how to kick some grass, however the bird fails. Then the bird tries to teach Peter how to do a specific ballet hop, however Peter fails. Peter then tries to teach the bird how to kick one more time, and the bird succeeds. This is then followed by Peters successful attempt at the hop. The two characters then kick and hop together, before performing their motifs to either side of the stage. Both run into the middle and high five, showing their friendship. The significance of each character learning these specific moves is important as it shows the development of friendship, which foreshadows what they will do together later on in the play.

The scene with the grandfather just needed reviewing from our teacher, and by the end of our lesson, we had a full scene that fitted well with the music. The grandfather enters slowly, and then we added the grandfather falling backwards after opening the gate. We want the grandfather to seem as grumpy and clumsy as possible, in order for his character to have binary opposition to Peter's constant cheerful attitude. After the grandfather falls, he makes his way over to Peter and, timed perfectly to the change in music pace, they both see each other and fall backwards. Then they walk back together and the grandfather begins to shout at Peter. The grandfather then turns around, but falls back again, into Peter's arms. Peter laughs at his grandfather for this. The grandfather then gets frustrated and leans forward too much, falling into Peters arms again. We want the repetitiveness of the grandfather falling as we want to show Peter is in control. This means that we can shock the children when the grandfather later takes control. 

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 5

In todays lesson, we worked on blocking a specific scene that we felt needed work done. It is the scene in which James Whiteing (The Grandfather) comes on to drag me (Peter) off stage. Our intention is to add more movement to the scene, as it was slightly dull and dragged on a bit. We added some more dance to it, as the higher energy of a scene, the more a younger audience will enjoy it.

At the moment, the scenes are looking more and more complete, however they look like they need a lot more work. There is only a limit to how much we can do as our narrator is struggling with his lines. This means we find it harder to rehearse outside of lesson, as we aren't able to run smoothly.

Along with this, I worked with our costume designer (Georgia) on putting together the best possible outfit. I am intending on wearing denim dungarees over a red t-shirt. This is something often recanted to a child-like outfit. I also worked with our make-up artist to produce a solid concept on what I should look like on the night. We want to exaggerate a 'cute' child look, and add lots of freckles.

Anti-Bullying Mock complete RUN THROUGH

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Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 4

Unfortunately in this rehearsal, I was clearly not feeling my best, therefore my input was lower than usual. Despite having a headache, I still tried to provide a few ideas to the class. As you can see in the rehearsal, we were working on the scenes where the wolf is introduced, along with the combat scene. In this scene, we want the wolf to crawl out from behind the tree and move around with menace. I believe the scene still has a lot of work to do, however we will see it develop after doing many run through.

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 3

Procession follow up

Today, we used our previous research on different processions to create an entertaining procession. Going into the lesson, we had little idea as to what we would do with is, however we looked at what would be the most creative way of using all the space. To show that the characters were walking to the zoo, we wanted Peter, the wolf and the hunters to walk up the stairs, cross over to the other side, come back down the stairs and then exit through the audience door. This shows that we are going on a journey.While we are halfway, the cat and grandfather will come and do their movement on stage, both performing their motifs. The grandfather will fall back with his walking stick, while the cat will attempt to get the attention from the audience. Then by the time they are done, Peter, the hunters and the wolf will be down by the stage and the grandfather and cat will tag along. Then the birds music will play, meaning the bird will have a small dance routine on stage while the rest of the cast keep walking. Once her section is complete, she will tag along and we will all walk off. Then the music will continue and we will rush back on stage to finish the piece with a final pose. The key to making this entertaining is the audience interaction. My job (as Peter) is to be constantly high giving the children in the audience, while the wolf we be growling at them.

Peter and the Wolf BLOCKING 2

WARM UP
In this rehearsal we did the warm up game Chinese Whispers but with actions to get our bodies moving.  We had to use movements from the characters from Peter and the Wolf and it would go down the line until we had a movement that should have but didn't look anything like the movement at the start.

PROCESSION

We then looked at the procession and watched some videos online to help us figure out how we want to choreograph this section.  We looked at contact improvisation for ideas on how the characters could interact with each other as there is no dialogue.

Anti-Bullying Mock BLOCKING

This is when we started looking at performing a piece of theatre for year 7-9. Our intention is to create a piece of theatre that can impact these students with a positive message. These are some ideas we started off with.

WHY CHARACTER IS BULLIED?

• Single parent, dad
• Bullied about mother (bullies make up stories)
• Has to care for parent at home - always late for school
• Don’t judge because you don’t know what’s going on

TIMELINE1

• Mel goes to teachers (who don’t help)
• Teachers snitch to their child who goes to that school
• That child tells the bullies and then bullying gets worse
• Go into hospital - parent seriously ill
• Bullies realize what they’ve done

TIMELINE2

• Boy moves to new school
• Gets in with wrong crowd
• Gets dared to do things in class
• Gets suspended
• Comes back to school & doesn’t want to do anything
• Bullying gets reported & stops

EXPOSITION

• Start with tragic ending
• Mel in hospital - mum has passed away
• Mel stopped eating - having treatment for anorexia

BEGINNING

• Mel’s first day at new school
• Comes in late - nothing prepared
• Nice students 
• Gets detentions after time
• Detentions turn into suspension because he can’t go to them 

• Gets taken around school by bad person
• Gets into wrong crowd
• Everyone bullies so he feels he has to as well
• Lies about background & family life

MIDDLE

• Keeps bullying because feels he has to stay that way to stay in group
• Gets suspended for bullying (victim tells teacher)
• Friends go to his house - discover he was lying about his wealth & his mum 
• Has argument with mum so goes to park 
• Friends bully him
• Gets phone call that mum is dead
• Goes to hospital

ENDING

• Stops eating - becomes anorexic
• Physically bullied as well for dead mother
• Hospitalized

DEVISING STRATEGIES

• Improvisation
• Physical Theatre
• Writing in role
• Verbatim - direct audience address or dialogue