For the opening scene I used acting techniques to help create the characters I played. I first used mime because while the scene opens, with music playing. I had to play various customers within the café where we located the scene where mime had to be used. For the same scene I then moved into standing at an angle with my arms together pointing outwards in front of another member of my group. We were now using physical theatre as we were playing doors for the entrance and exist to the café. Shortly after the customers enter, me and the other group members playing a door walks offstage and back on, this time using the technique of slow motion. I was now playing another customer in the café.
We came up with this idea of using mime, physical theatre and slow motion as we felt this really works for musical theatre.
Scene two I played one of the three judges. For this particular character, I had to be impatient because ‘wanna be singers’’ who have been auditioning all day long has taken its toll, I am very tired and quiet bored as well. My character is also American so an accent is essential at this point.
I also greet and open the performance in the ‘Boom Boom Room’, jazz bar. For this I had to be loud, so projection was vital at this moment, confident and again using an American accent.
My character, who goes by the name of Jack Murray, comes into the piece half way through and was developed because the ‘wanna be stars’ Jasmine and Starlet want to make it bigger than Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey who are already big superstars. The group thought of maybe including an agent as another character within the story. We wrote down ideas and finally improvised a scene with him, Jasmine and Starlet about him wanting to sign them up. The rest of the group thought this was a brilliant idea and I developed my character from there.
As I am playing a man I found it quite difficult to use an American accent while still trying to sound like a man. I then came up with the idea of being an English agent from London and tried using a posh, well spoken tone of voice. This worked well but someone suggested trying out using a cockney accent as this made me look more suspicious and up to something.
To help me emerge my character I first practiced and developed my body language as I was playing a man. By doing this it made me more comfortable with playing the opposite sex. I didn’t need to put too much effort for my voice. I needed to project my voice to show my confidence as my character is a business man who knows his business so he needs to be confident.
I am now playing a thirty something English cockney man named Jack Murray who claims to be an agent to the stars. Originally I used a posh English accent who was well spoken, however everyone thought it looked and sounded better if I used a cockney accent as it made my character seem more suspicious as he immediately greets himself to both jasmine and Starlet and signs them up near enough straight away from meeting them and says something needs to be done to get Bessie Smith and Ma Rainy out of the spot light.
The first scene the audience get to see Jack Murray is one where he talks to the audience and this is how the audience get to know who he is and why/how he connects to the story.
I need to be very confident and my voice needs to be projected most of the time unless I am whispering to both Jasmine and Starlet. I am a business man who knows his business and my body language cannot be shy and hidden away. When I walk I can’t stand behind people. I need to stand at the front with my head healed high as this would indicate that my character likes to be in control, even though in reality he only gives instructions out to Jasmine and Starlet and makes them do the deed, and finally lets them take the blame when the police get involved.