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Breath control
week 2: we worked on breath control and I managed to control my breath for 12 seconds.
week 3: this week I managed to control my breath for 16 seconds, a clear improvement of my breath control by using the exercises.

over the pat few months I have been working hard on my breath control to get it to a high standard and its been improving the more I practice. I sit at an average of 38 seconds for this and I will continue to work on being able to control my breath for longer.

time management
I need to get better at handing things in.

over the winter I have been having trouble handing things in due to technical issues and other issues in my personal life taking the forefront but I have been working to better this issue.

B2 week 2: I have been getting better at handing things in. I have been handing things in on time so I can get feed back and I have been able to hand In my summative for the Directorial Concepts essay a week early.
B2 Week 4: this week I contracted covid-19 and it has had a toll on my physical health. I am extremely fatigued along with having issues with my lungs. due to this I am having issues with working and keeping up with everything. I have been able to hand most of my work in on time but I have been focusing on bettering my physical health this week and resting because my body needs it. even with this in mind I continued to hand in my summative essay about the technical aspects of productions a week early again. this gave me time to focus on other things.
B2 Week 5: this week I am working on handing in my padlet and my evaluation for my Intro to Graded Unit.

over this time I have seen a massive growth in my time management skills and I have become a better student who can hand things in efficiently.

confidence
a big part of drama is confidence and it is something I lack a lot. I get very nervous to perform in front of others out of fear of being judged and mocked, however I know that the people in my class are not those kinds of people. I have been working on this and as much as I know I have a long way to go until im in a comfortable place with this I am happy with the developments I have made over this past academic year.

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time management
week1-2: I have been on time to college in person and for all my classes so far.
week 3: I was onetime to my classes on Tuesday, however my alarm didn't go off on Thursday meaning I didn't manage to make it to my Technical Theatre class. I'm not sure exactly what happened but I did make sure to double check my alarms the night before so I could wake up on time but it didn't go off for some reason. this will be something I will try and figure out so It won't happen again.
week 4: I was on time to my classes that were online and I managed to wake up on Time on Thursday, meaning I think I figured out why my alarm wasn't working.
week 5: I was late to in person class today due to bad luck with traffic and traffic lights. im still trying to figure out a good time to leave home in the morning so I can get to college on time with rush hour traffic.
week 10: I think I have figured out a good time to leave so I can get to college with enough time to get myself ready and not stress out and be in a rush.
week 16: I have been struggling recently with getting work in on time due to my mental health and other personal issues taking up a majority of my time. I am starting to get into a better headspace and the other issues that came up seem to be calming down a lot, so I think I should be able to get myself caught up now, but it has been stressing me out and it can feel quite overwhelming for me.
B2 Week 1: This week I managed to hand in a summative piece of work a week early and it passed with flying colours. this means Im not as stressed about it and I can put my energy into other things. I will work on doing this more often.
B2 Week 5: this week I managed to hand in my summative a week early again meaning I can focus on other things such as line learning and evaluations for performances.
organisation
I have been rewriting my notes in my notebook and also typing them up on my laptop so that I will always have a copy of the notes just incase I forget my notebooks or my laptop. I make sure to keep everything dated and In appropriate folders to make sure everything is easy to access.
I have been making sure to wear clothes appropriate for class.
I keep all deadlines and events and such on a physical school planner along with on my phone so I can be reminded on when I have these deadlines and to help me retain the information.
B 2 Week 2: over then next few weeks there are going to be roadworks in the route I take to get to college. because of this, I will need to keep up to date as to where it is so I can figure out a potential alternative route or know when to leave the house so I can get on time with traffic and potential obstructions in the road.

research
week1-3: I have been working on researching the practitioners I need to study in class. these practitioners are Konstantin Stanislavski and Bertolt Brecht.
week4-10: I have began working on researching appropriate information for my chosen theme for my investigative drama piece. I am researching about the rise of hitler into power and devising a piece on the indoctrinating that the citizens of Germany went through.
Block 2 week 1: this week I began to research the life of people in Deptford England in the early 1900's for the play we are studying called 'The Gut Girls' by Sarah Daniels. I am specifically looking at the women who worked in the factories because that is what the play it is about.

throughout this I have been doing my research on my Intro to Graded Unit piece- Incendiary by Adam Szymkowicz. this piece is about a fire chief who is also a Pyromaniac meaning she enjoys setting fires. it follows her as she falls in love with the police chief that is investigating the fires she sets.

teamwork
I have been working well with my group I am working with for the Investigative Drama piece. we figured out what theme we wanted to use quickly and the next week we were able to create a storyline for our piece, decided who would direct each section, who would script each section and what we needed to research. sadly due to the covid situation we were not able to come into class to rehearse and perform so we did it online instead and recorded it. we were able come together as a group to record the piece and perform well even under the circumstances. we did have a few technical difficulties but it turned out well in the end and we created an effective piece.

the group I worked with for performing the cherry orchard was a hardworking group. we managed to get off script quite fast and we shared our ideas for staging and set. we had similar ideas that came together well to set the scene. sadly, both the members of my group were off when we came to do the final assessment so I had to come together with the other group that did the same scene and we managed to create an effective piece last minute that would be good enough to be assessed on. it was great that we were able to come together and work so well under all the pressure and with the time crunch.

the group I was with for Arturo Ui started off well. we got the script and worked on our accents so that they would come across as good as realistic as possible. we didn't have as much time to work on the scenes as we did for the cherry orchard which caused a lot of stress because we were trying to come up with a setting that was Brechtian which was out of our comfort zone. some of us were also not off script yet, myself included, which made the process a lot harder. we worked hard on the day of the assessment to come up with a scene that worked well. we all put our hardest into the scenes and by the end we had a good enough piece to be marked on. during this time, however, I did have a panic attack, but the group helped me calm down and continue on with the work, which I am very appreciative of.

Attendance
overall my attendance has been good, apart from days in which I have struggled with my general or mental health. I have had a couple migraines this year due to lack of sleep and stress which have both been brought on by anxiety. sadly, the week before we had to do out intro to graded unit assessments I contracted covid and I had to isolate so I couldn't do it in person and had to do it online. this was a struggle because I had a cough so it was hard to get a good recording where I didn't sound breathless and congested.

apart from these few instances I have been coming to college or being in online classes.

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the play we are studying from Bertolt Brecht is called: "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui".

this play is a satirical piece of work telling the story of the rise of Hitler into power as if it was about 1930's mobsters in Chicago and Cicero, Illinois. Arturo Ui, the character representing hitler, is trying to gain power over the vegetable trades in the area during troubling Financial Times due to the Great Depression.

the character I am playing is Dullfoot. he is a newspaper reporter is Cicero who is printing the truth about Ui and his intentions, which Arturo doesn't like. they meet and talk things out, which Dullfoot thinks is the end of the situation, however Arturo kills him soon after.

Dullfoots goals are to expose Arturo Ui's plans and true intentions  if he was to step out of line and cause any more issues than he already has.

the scene we are doing is the scene in Givola's flower shop where Ui, Dullfoot, Betty Dullfoot and Givola. Dullfoot is meeting to discuss the information he is putting out and the things that Ui is doing to retaliate, that being smashing some of his printing presses. they come to an "agreement" about the situation, but in the end Dullfoot still gets killed by Ui.

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Betty Dullfoot- Dullfoot seems to understand his wife's intelligence and doesn't look down on her as much. however he speaks to her emotionally due to the stress he is under because of Ui.

Arturo Ui- He doesn't trust Arturo because he knows he has a secret agenda. he is aware of the crimes he has committed and the fact that the issues he has had with the smashed printing presses was because of Arturo not being able to take his criticism.

Givola- Dullfoot thinks Gilvola is sketchy and doesn't really understand him due to this. he has very little trust in him and what he is offering to him and gets angry with him due to his snarky comments and nature.

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after I complete Level 6 I am planning on going on to do HND Acting and Performance in Nescol. I have already accepted my conditional offer for a place on the course, the condition being that I pass level 6.

I haven't thought about what I want to do after college, since the pandemic has taught me not to think too far in advance because you never know what is around the corner. there are courses I could do in different parts of the area to further my education if I feel like I want to do that or I can go elsewhere. im going to wait until im further into my drama education to make those next calls for my future.

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Intro to Graded Unit and Voice Skills Assessment (Monologue)

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Intro to Graded Unit and Voice Skills Assessment (Monologue)

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https://youtu.be/6v9hDu1ICOs

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example Questions:
- Describe your methods of working and preparing your speech.

- How did you manage to integrate your research into your rehearsal process?

- Describe the strengths/weaknesses of your performance.

Which practical skills have you most successfully related to your character?

- In what ways could you have improved your performance?

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'The Cherry Orchard'- Anton Chekov, Michael Frayn translation.

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the play we are studying In class in `The Cherry Orchard' and we are using the Michael Frayn translation because its a realistic and well translated version.

this play about an aristocratic Russian landowner coming back from some time away to her home, which has a cherry orchard,  under threat of being auctioned off due to financial issues.

the character I am playing is Varya, the Adopted daughter of the land-owner. she is a very hard working and sensitive person who is very in touch with her religious beliefs (christianity).

Varyas goals are to stop the house from being sold due to the issues with paying for it. she also wants to be able to freely practice her religion in a safe and welcoming space like a church and become a nun.

the scene we did was a scene from the start of the play in the nursery. she is talking to her sister after she comes back from France to get her mother who has been mourning her sons death. they talk about the time in France and their mothers behaviour then move onto the topic of the cherry orchard and whether they can save it. her younger sister is naive and hopeful about the situation whilst varya is well aware of the state of their family's finances.

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Anya- she loves Anya dearly but also understands she is young and naïve. she watches on as Anya is starting to understand the real world and the issues her mum has whilst varya has known for years.

Dunyasha- she appreciates dunyasha and the work she provides but can also get agitated by her easily because she is very talkative and has a tendency to slack off on tasks

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Theme: Radicalisation

week 2: we got put into groups this week and we were able to choose a theme we wanted to use and began brainstorming what the theme meant and the different ways we could go about it.

week 3: this week we narrowed down our choices and decided a good route to go down would be the radicalisation of Nazi Germany. we didn't finalise the idea though because there was an absence in the group and we didn't want to decide on something without them. this week we also made a group chat to make communication easier.

week 4: this week was very productive! we finalised the idea of Nazi Germany and we created a storyline and figured out roles. for next week we are planning on researching information on Nazi Germany and how they radicalised the public. we have also decided on who will direct which scene and also who will script each part.

week 6-10: these weeks were spent researching the nazis and their rise to power and creating a script for our scene. due to our focus on other parts of the course, investigative drama hasn't been our main focus, however we have still been working on it.

week 11: this week we got together to finalise and edit the script together. this helped us figure out the flow of the piece and to see if the information lines up well together.

week 16: due to the issues with covid we are doing everything online for now, which makes this a little bit more difficult in regards to things like blocking and directing, but we are making do with what we have.

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play: Incidiary- Adam Szymkowicz

Character: Elise

Elise is the youngest NYC fire chief who is also a pyromaniac. she has fallen in love with the detective who is investigating the fires she sets. she has to choose between her obsession with fires and love.

synopsis: Elise is a pyromaniac fire chief who falls in love with Jake, the detective investigating her fires. Carrie, Elise's therapist, is trying to get her to stop lighting fires and Carrie's husband, Gary, is leading the life of a somewhat ineffective corporate spy.

"I want to stop. I really do. I’m trying. I really am. But I don’t think you understand. A fire is the most beautiful thing ever created. I dare you to show me a work of art that can rival a five alarm fire. You couldn’t do it. You just couldn’t. And I like art as much as the next person but I wonder always when I see a Van Gogh or a Rembrant--I imagine, as I’m sure you do, what it would look like on fire. That second before the painting caves in, that would be . . . it would be . . . incomparable. But sadly, I don’t think any of us will live to see it. We could burn prints, I suppose, cheap gift store prints, but it would just be paper. No melting paint, no disintegrating wood. It’s a waste.

There is nothing in this world like fire. At first it’s just a match, an idea, a spark, a little yellow flame, and it need nurturing to grow to an inferno. Those oranges, those yellows, those cores of blue don’t just happen by themselves. They take planning. They take skill. They take love. I am not some Zippo-flicking fourteen year old—no. I am an artist. I can light a fire so precise all that’s left of the building is dust while the rest of the block is miraculously untouched. And of course, me and the boys are always around to come and put it out in case anything should happen."

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Zoe:

Alexander: *talking to the congressmen*

“Gentlemen, we all know what toll the war has taken on us over the last three decades; our country is not the same as it used to be. The other chancellors that preceded us were incompetent, unqualified. They didn’t listen to the people. To you. They were not able to bring Germany back to its original splendor. And instead of leaving the power to more expert hands, they screwed up!’

‘What you and the people of Germany, need right now is someone that will give you what you’ve been asking for all along, someone that will make this country great again. And the Fuhrer can do that.’

(pause)

‘He comes from a small town himself; he has been raised by modest parents in a working-class environment: he is one of you. He knows what you want, and he will not make false promises. He always keeps his word, and right now, right here, what the Fuhrer promises you all is freedom. Equality. Opportunities. He-’

Reitz: ‘For who?’

Alexander: *ignoring him*

‘He promises a better Germany, where the tragedies of the war will be looked back upon as though they were a fever dream that never happened.’

Reitz: *louder*

‘For whom though?’

Alexander: ‘for who...?’

Reitz: ‘this better Germany. These opportunities and freedom that you are speaking of: who are they for?’

Alexander: *confused*

‘For everyone, of course?’

Reitz: ‘everyone?’

Alexander: *starts to get suspicious*

‘Yes. Everyone. Now, back to what I-’

Reitz: ‘Including Jewish people then? And women, I suppose?’

Alexander: ‘Well obviously there might-’

Reitz: ‘And people of color I imagine, right?’

Alexander: …

Reitz: ‘Unless you are not telling the whole truth, and the liberty you preach about will only be available to those who share your ideology and resemble yourself.

Alexander: *visibly losing his temper* ‘That is not-’

Reitz: ‘True?’

*Searches for something in his bag and takes out a small white book*

‘Has anyone in this room ever heard of this book, ‘mein kampf’? The book that you, Adolf hitler, wrote while in PRISON? The same book that states, and I quote, that ‘people that fail to preserve the purity of their racial blood thereby destroy the unity of the soul of the nation’, ‘whenever Aryans have mingled their blood with that of an inferior race the result has been the downfall of the people who were the standard-bearers of a higher culture’ and ‘The Jew has never been a nomad, but always a parasite’? Anyone?

*Talking to Hitler*

‘How do you explain this?’

Hitler: enough!

*Hitler gets up, stone cold, expressionless. Walks up to Reitz, shakes his hand and leaves without a word*

Freya:

*Knock on door*

Hitler: Enter

*Enter 2 Nazi officers: Alexander and Felix*

Alexander: Fuhrer, it has been taken care of.

*Alexander drops a newspaper of Hitlers’ desk*

*Hitler reads the newspaper*

Felix: Our men are getting stronger by the day; more and more men are joining to fight for our cause. The artillery is in the works, the battle ships are close to finishing production. At this rate everything we have worked so hard for will fall into place. We will have everything ready to go within a matter of weeks Fuhrer.

Alexander: The commoners fell in line easier than expected. The scum will feel the boot. I just wish they didn’t smell so bad when they fill the streets, diseased ridden mutts. This is why we keep the ghettos, so they know their place.

Felix: According to the Gestapo, all the “problems” have been… dealt with.

Alexander: Dealt with indeed. Our perfect society will soon be reality; people will praise our work once the blueprints are set. No one will dare question our Nazi party or our regime. We have the strongest army in the entire world, our forces are untouchable. Unbeatable and loyal to their core. These men will die for what is right. For what we know is right. For what is right! Seig Hail...

Felix: So, what became of our guest yesterday?

Alexander: He felt the boot.

Hitler: ah yes, our good friend Rohm was causing quite the problem to our parties rise to power. Gather the men, we are ready for war!

*blackout*

Rachel:

Hitler: People of Germany. Men. Women. Children. We have done it. We have taken back power for our people, and we have paved the way for our future. Our pure blood German line. It is ours. This party started with seven members. Now it has twelve million. We serve the Volk. We serve the Reich, and you have all made this possible. Before this regime, our people were starving. Our people would suffer. Our people would know only pain. But you all have made this possible. Our small party. With one goal. Fourteen years I have worked tirelessly. Day and night, to bring this movement to the forefront. Fourteen years I have had one goal. One objective. To resurrect the German Volk. To bring life back to our precious homeland. I did not do this for reward. I did not do this for thanks. I did it all for you. All I think about is Germany. All I think about is our people. All this party thinks about is our German nation! Four years is all we need. And we will continue to deliver these promises we fulfil each and every day. I believe in Germany. I believe in the people of Germany. But ‘I believe’ is not enough. We must act now. We must act now before it is too late! Will you stand with us?! Will you fight alongside our noblest of men? Germany, I am asking of you, to continue to stand alongside us. Our party, our small party that has gone from 7 to 12 million. I am asking you to help take back what is rightfully ours. What has been kept from our people for so long! Germany I am asking you to take a stand and fight for our freedom. To fight for our nation! Hail Victory! Hail Victory! Hail Victory! (Sieg Heil (Zeeg-hail)

Cara:

Slavinski: We all know why we are here so let us not waste any more time. When were you drafted?

Felix: I was under Hitler since 1923

Alexander: …

Slavinski: Where were you based?

Felix: I was stationed in Munich for Hitlers parliamentary meetings then moved with him to Berlin when he became in charge of the whole of Germany

Alexander: …

Slavinski: How close were you to Hitler?

Felix: As close as he needed me to be

Alexander: …

Slavinski: What was your rank?

Felix: I was a general

Alexander: …

Slavinski: Do you not have anything to say Hans?

Alexander: *Spits on the floor*

Slavinski: What were your duties?

Felix: I was one of Hitler’s personal guards

Alexander: …

Slavinski: Did you work in the camps?

Felix: I was associated with them but never worked in them as I was always stationed near Hitler

Alexander: …

Slavinski: Who did you take your orders from?

Felix: The people I took orders from changed a couple of times over the years, but I can still remember who they were. Julius Schreck, Joseph Brechtold, Erhard Heiden, Heinrich Himmler then finally Karl Hanke in that order.

Alexander: …

Slavinski: Who was in your unit?

Felix: There were several soldiers in my unit, but I never bothered to find out their names as you never knew who you could trust but the person I was always stationed with Hans.

Alexander: …

Slavinski: Do you have anything else to say? Hans?

Alexander: I would rather die than give any information to the likes of you!

Slavinski: Luckily for you Hans, your wish will be granted. It’s the Gallows for you. Nazi scum!

*  Slavinski leaves room, both Nazis get up, stand at front of the stage Hans stands with head held high and Schmitt stands head down, tear coming from eye. *

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Ellen is one of the girls who work in the gutting sheds, dubbed the 'Gut Girls'. she is outspoken about her beliefs about trying to create a better working environment for everyone in the factories due to the current situation was dangerous for them to work in because of the blood and other fluids and also the temperature which is kept low so the meat can be kept fresh.

her goal is to create a trade union for the girls so that they can fight for better working conditions, however, the others are skeptical due to it not being the norm to conform to these conditions.

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Specific- Goal is direct, detailed and meaningful
Measurable- Goal is quantifiable to track progress
Attainable- Agreed with lecturer, clear steps to complete
Relevant- Goal has to connect to personal skill set
Time-Based- goal has a deadline

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Polly and Maggie- these two like to joke about the goals and thoughts of Ellen and how they aren't attainable because they don't see themselves getting those better conditions Ellen is pushing for. they think she is very outspoken and don't take her seriously because of their lack of faith.
Kate- Kate also likes to joke about her and has mentioned that she gives off a scary aura, but she respects and likes her due to her underlying kind nature. she openly talks about how Ellen helped her when her mum died and how she helped fund the funeral.
Annie- Annie mentions that she is scared of Ellen based on their first interaction but she opens up to her because Ellen listens to what she has to say. these two definitely have a special relationship and Annie seems to appreciate how Ellen helped her get out of the home she was in and into a new one and then let her talk about her trauma without judgement.
Harry- harry sees Ellen as scary and annoying due to her outspoken belief system and how she will be openly disrespectful and jokey with him even though he has more power than her. his feelings for her do link to the sexist view men had towards women during this time.

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due to it being a recording I managed to record it and if I didn't like what I had done I rerecorded it until I was satisfied with the result.

Strengths:
- didn't need to use my script
- portrayed the character effectively and in a convincing way using my body language and facial expressions
- good pronunciations with the words I was using

weaknesses:
- lack of space and places to record meaning I couldn't perform the way I wanted to
- should've used an accent but I was struggling with it especially because I was sick so I decided against it.