When I got to the studios, I first went into makeup, and then I spoke to the director, who told me exactly what to do when I get on stage. We did the rehearsals as well as possible, as the Tongos hadn’t arrived yet, but the Dicksons were there. Around half an hour later, the Tongos had got to the studios, and we were nearly ready to film.
I was introduced by the host and I went on stage. When the two families were introduced to each other, their first reactions were good, they were surprised, and happy to see the new people they would be living with. Although, this happiness could soon change. As the viewers were seeing how the families were getting along, I would pause the action every now and again and give a summary of what is happening. At first, everyone was having fun, comparing lifestyles, chatting to each other, and
exploring the alien lifestyles that that have been placed in.
For Akia Tongo though, things aren’t good for long. After a short while, the novelty wears off, she is plunged into a world of boredom, having to cope with no television, or stereo. She is unimpressed at the Dickson’s attempt at teaching her to ballroom dance, and so decides to give them a rendition of the type of dancing she is used to.
Mrs Dickson, on the other hand, is having a whale of a time with her new family, she gets along with them, cooks new meals for them, and introduces them to the culture she is more used to.
After that, I was asked to present a summary speech to the audience, summing up what everyone has learnt over the fortnight, I was asked to keep it short, and simple, and so I did. When all of the filming was over, I went to the after-show party, where the Tongos treated us to a rather unorthodox rendition of ‘You can leave you hat on’.
Two days later, I returned to the States. Soon after I was sent a tape of the finished programme, and I must say, I was very pleased with the outcome.
Drama mediums
In our performance we used several drama mediums. We used:
Sound: In our production, we used accents, and various pieces of music, to give a better atmosphere in the scenes.
Lighting: We used various lighting effects in our scenes, including in the show scenes, we used lighting simulating an actual show.
Space: We used space well in the show scenes, when we had each family sitting on either side of a board, so they could not see each other.
Mime: We used a lot of mime during the scenes where the families were dancing with each other etc.
Scene 1
Studio. The Host, (Bradley) is on stage, and introduces and quickly interviews the two families, and then introduces the psychiatrist (me) who will analyse the family’s reactions to each other. The two mothers (Claire & Joanne) switch over.
Conventions used: Mime
Scene 2
Studio. (One week later) Everything looks the same, the families have spent a week together and we are about to see how they have been getting on.
Conventions used: Mime
Scene 3
Tongo house. When the scene starts, all of the family are dancing, including Mrs Dickson. They start talking about what they do in their spare time. Prof Bopp freezes the action, and tells the audience that everyone is having a good time with the new arrival, and Mrs Dickson is settling in very well.
Conventions used: Mime, Still Image ,Music, Marking the moment
Scene 4
Dickson house. Akia is bored, the other Dicksons try to cheer her up by teaching her to ballroom dance. Akia is very unimpressed, and gives the Dicksons, to their horror, a taste of the type of dancing she usually does at home. Again, the psychiatrist freezes, and tells the audience that now Akia has loosened up a little, she is having a good time.
Conventions used: Mime, Narration, Music, Marking the moment
Scene 5
Studio. It is now the final episode, the wives go back to their own families, and Prof Bopp gives the summary speech, and rates the overall experiment.
Conventions used: Marking the moment, mime
Task 3
Assessment
Overall, I think that we performed our piece well, having completed it with few or no mistakes.
The scene I liked the most was the Tongo house scene, as it shows they put their differences aside and get along really well.
I think all the actors in our play did very well, especially Claire and Natalie, as they really put character into the roles they were playing.
I think I also did well, but I could’ve spoke louder, especially during the final scene.
However, I think that the way the production was put together, and the way that everyone pulled together and learned their lines in time.
All in all, I think we did a good show, and we improved our knowledge of putting together a play, and improved the way we use rehearsal time well, also we learned that using music in our production really improved it.
Part 2
Recently, I went to see ‘Wind in the willows’ in theatre. The way they performed was very professional, they knew all their lines perfectly, and also performed it perfectly. Each character had a different accent, which suited the kind of animal or character they were, e.g. the mole was very shy, and therefore spoke softly and hesitatingly. Also the toad, who is a posh and eccentric character, so he is well spoken, and speaks quite fast.
They used space very well, having large, spaced out scenery, because they had a large stage to work with. They all had full costumes, and changed it whenever the scene needed it, e.g. they had posh clothes for the toad, and dirty overalls for the mole.
They used mime and movement perfectly, doing exactly what the character would do when they were not speaking in real life, for example, straightening their clothes clothes, and doing things in the background.
They used sound effects depending on the action happening on stage, for example, when toad is driving his car, or flying the plane. Music was also used, along with singing and dancing. They also used lighting for full effect, like when they were in the forest, they lowered the lights, and used spooky sound effects.
All in all, they performed the play perfectly well, having had hours and hours of rehearsal time, and the experience of having performed it in front of an audience dozens of times, and also being able to use all of the scenery, and full props as they would be on the night of performance.
By David Cruise