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We have been introduced to the two plays that we are doing for project 2; Martyn’s show is called ‘Cowbois’ and Michael’s show is called ‘The Laramie Project’. Both shows have a similar core message, queer recognition in identities but in different time periods.

We did some research into both shows/themes relating to the shows, for Cowbois we looked at iconic Western Films and their troupes: https://dunedincollege-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/ec2126053_edinburghcollege_ac_uk/Ec2WmfFwF1VLi1ysbTmNq5wBCzAMefBi11XTa3i59UrpFg

Out of the two plays, I definitely feel myself gravitating towards ‘Cowbois’. As this will be my first ever full show, I wanted to make sure I could thoroughly enjoy the experience and have some fun with it. The Laramie Project is a fantastic piece, on an incredibly fascinating story that happened in the 90’s, which keeps Matthew Shepards legacy alive, however I just don’t feel as connected to it as I do with ‘Cowbois’.

For some research into ‘The Laramie Project’, my group looked into what Verbatim Theatre was and how it relates to ‘The Laramie Project’. Please see attached evidence below.

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Evidence for Verbatim Theatre information.

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Starting my weekly reflections from Monday 8th December 2025.

08/12: In Patricia’s we performed small scenes set in Western times. Our group did a scene about a lone cowboy who rode into a town, entered a saloon, got into an altercation, had his horse shot, then the sheriff challenged them to a duel. We then moved on to work on 4 line dance/western themed sequences. I found them all quite fun, however quite challenging as like I’ve said in the past I’m not a natural dancer at all. However I did give it my best shot!

After lunch, we had another workshop with Meggie, who’s a dance teacher. We did traditional line dancing and also western movement pieces. This workshop however was interrupted due to us receiving 1-2-1 feedback on project one which I will now talk about below.

My feedback: Clara gave us our feedback. She told me I was good with my projection, I gave a believable performance and it was clear that I was playing two different characters. Her one wish for me to work towards in the future is to play a more subdued character, one who’s not as emotionally understood, someone who’s emotions can’t be as easily read, which I think is a possible achievement with the character Miss Lillian in Cowbois.

16/12: In the morning we worked with Michael, and discussed The Laramie project, which he will be directing. He went over his ideas and plans for the show. He also answered any questions we may have, and then tasked us with something. He paired us and asked us to interview for a few minutes on something that makes us happy. I interviewed Olivia C and then Michael asked us to switch, and try recreate the interview but I had to act just like Olivia did during the interview. This gave us an insight to how the cast of Laramie would have to work. After lunch, we were with Eleanor and Martyn, to discuss Cowbois (my preferred show). We did scenes, as different characters from the show and also informed Martyn of our preference characters and play. I, of course, said Miss Lillian in Cowbois.

18/12: This morning we were informed of our casting. I was so happy to see that I was casted in Cowbois as Miss Lillian. I will be Miss Lillian in either act one or act two. Spirit McNally has also been casted as her!

Week commencing 05/01: our first week back started off pretty badly, 1.5 hours into our first studio session the college was closed due to the boilers being broken. However this was rectified and college reopened on Tuesday! On Tuesday we worked with Fiona for the morning and early afternoon, learning some songs that will be put into the play. I never knew so many were going to be implemented, but I’m super excited to see how it works! We managed to read a few scenes of Act One, and I think I’d prefer to be in act one, but either way I’ll be happy! On the Friday we continued on reading the entire play, and we began figuring out characters that needed replacing or switching around due to people not coming back etc. Martyn says we may have both casts switch in act one and act two as well, meaning you’d get a chance to be in both acts. There’s a few scenes in each act I want to be in so I’m happy either way. In act two there’s some intense scenes between Miss Lillian and her husband, I’d really want to be apart of those ones. The one thing I’m nervous about is my accent, as it’s quite easy to lose it after talking for a while, but plenty time to rehearse and get it down.

Week commencing 12/01:

Monday: On Monday we made a start on Scene one. Rehearsal processes are very long and repetitive and it was quite interesting to see how long it took us to block and go through the scene and how quickly it actually goes when we run through. I also like how at the end of scene one I get a song solo, even just for a line or two I’m happy I get to challenge myself to do that! We also began working on scene two, when the ladies tell Miss Lillian about Jack Cannons long list of crimes. This included all the guys so they get a chance to do something before Act 2.

Tuesday: On Tuesday we had Eleanor, those in scene 2 got to play around with what they had done on Monday and it got changed. It flows MUCH better now and also introduces all 3 Jack Cannons. I really hope Martyn likes this and keeps it in, it looks so much better and works so well with all the cast being in it. I didn’t really get to do much acting on Tuesday but that’s okay as I love helping with stage directions and production stuff. We were told that on Friday we’ll be having a look at the bath tub scene, that will be very interesting.

Friday: in the morning we had Martyn and we went over some more scenes in act 2, these weren’t any of my own scenes so there was a lot of sitting and watching. However we did begin to construct a movement scene to go from Cast B to Cast A again, which I actually really enjoyed. With Eleanor we had originally planned to do the bathtub scene, however Kae wasn’t in so we have postponed that. So we continued to work on scenes from Act One. We FINALLY got to do a first run on Act two with the boys.

Week commencing 19/01:

Monday,Tuesday & Friday:

We continued working on the final scenes in act one. We had a lot of focus on the bathtub scene, as Kae was back in. It’s a beautiful scene and I can’t wait to see how we coordinate the scene with different lighting techniques/props.

Week commencing 26/01:

Monday- Unfortunately my dog was put down this day, so I was not in.

Tuesday: I was in however we mainly focused on act 2, which I was glad about as I was not in the right head space .

Week commencing 02/02:

This week we revisited Act One. We have run through all of the show, but separately from Martyn and Eleanor so now it is the time to do the real work and show Martyn what we have done. I’ve struggled this week because people in the company don’t understand how rehearsals work. They have yet to realise that this is Martyn’s show, and his ideas and direction is what is meant to be. Yes we have blocked some initial scenes with Eleanor but at the end of the day Martyn is the director. I do put this down to inexperience and immaturity within some members of the cast, but I really wish people would just have patience and understanding.

We were able to finally get back to the bathtub scene between me and Kae, but due to their injuries and lack of props we weren’t able to do it to our full potential. I’m just really anxious about the whole production at this moment.

23/02- After a relaxing February break we finally got back to college and went straight into rehearsals. Before the break we settled on the decision that we are going to do 3 runs of Cowbois, so each person playing Jack Cannon got a chance to play him as a whole, and also so everyone double casted got a chance to do the whole thing themselves as well. I’m excited to do my first full production as a leading role, but also really look forward to doing a show as ensemble. I’m casted as one of the Tommy Toothless boys and honestly I’m really excited to play about with that with the audience etc.

We also discussed wardrobe which I’m SO keen to get into as I feel it really helps with bringing the rehearsal space to life. I’m feeling confident with how my line memorisation is coming along, but really fear for many people in the cast.

ONE WEEK UNTIL SHOWDAY REFLECTIONS:

Today is Monday 16th March, we have one week until our dress rehearsal for PASS students and two shows the day after. We had a really successful run through on Friday, but today really let me down. Everyone was off script, and some main cast members still aren’t fully understanding their lines and it completely throws off the rest of the cast. We have also yet to do a dress rehearsal so I’m really hoping that’s achieved this week.

SHOW WEEK:

On Monday we had our mixed cast dress rehearsal, apart from a few snags here and there I truly feel it went well.

Tuesday: Cast A morning performance. I feel really disappointed with our performance. Some people within cast A forgot major parts of the show and relied upon myself and others to remind them of their cues/lines. We lost massive chunks of dialogue which just really disappointed me. It’s upsetting as a person who knows the script inside out, that we lost so much. I also felt disappointed as during the dress rehearsal we had some sort of lighting, even if it was just curtains and a small disco light. In the actual performance we had the bright overhead studio lights. It’s upsetting how The Laramie Project was able to use lighting and the confide of B106 for their show, and we got no such treatment. It baffled me how in project one we got use of the theatre and tech, then no such thing for project two. I understand the theatre was getting stripped from being used for The Addams Family so we could not use that, I just expected to get some sort of lighting for the show, as the previous UAL’s last year who used the same room as we did, got lighting.

Cast B afternoon performance: this performance was absolutely brilliant, everyone brought their A-game and we had a fantastic audience as well. This did help lighten the mood and was a good send off for show.

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I found this video on YouTube that introduces us to the characters in Cowbois, and ever since I read the play, I felt an instant connection with the character ‘Miss Lillian’. She’s the patriarch or the place, and has a certain matronly personality towards the other female characters and the sheriff. This is definitely the character I am dying to play, so we shall see who I get casted as.

18/12 update: I have been casted as Miss Lillian! I’m super excited to kick start this, and will be reading the full play again over the Christmas holidays.

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A link to my Pinterest board looking into clothing, hair and makeup styles I have in mind for Miss Lillian, adhering to traditional dress of that time, whilst bringing a theatrical look to it.

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Explore a hand-picked collection of Pins about Cowbois (Miss Lillian) on Pinterest.

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In regards to props, I have been playing a vital role with other members of the cast when it comes to setting up the stage and clearing it. This has not been a job that has been allocated to me, but in all honesty it’s something I feel I’ve had to step up to do as so many others just simply don’t contribute.

With costumes we are currently at the stage of trying to figure that out. I have created mood boards (see previous column), and will look at the college’s wardrobe rooms soon to put together my costume for Miss Lillian and Tommy Toothless Boy. I think I will be sourcing my own costume for the bathtub scene but that’s okay.

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·       Within the Cowbois production we have really focused primarily on using sound to help piece together the show. Not only does it tell the story of each individual character but it helps us bring to life the many wonderful stories that are woven into the show. Whether it’s the beginning of Miss Lillian and Jack’s romance with ‘Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes’ or ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ or ‘Mary Don’t You Weep’ celebrating the fact everyone has found themselves or ‘Bar Song (tipsy)’ that has a daker meaning behind Frank’s use of it. Each piece of music, lyrical or otherwise, has such an important role throughout.

·        Design choices I have personally taken on, is researching how woman in the western times (1800’s) styled their hair or how they dressed. You can see examples of these via my Pinterest that is linked, and looking at my mood boards I have attached. I wanted to try keep as historically accurate as possible, however with a limited wardrobe / budget I feel we have done our best to accommodate that.

·       I feel that collectively as a group deciding what specific outfit choices we liked helped us portray the correct time in history across. As we did not have much of a set, and very little to no props, we heavily relied on how we sounded and looked to portray the correct message across for the audience.

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·       Going into Cowbois, I didn’t realise quite how much music would be a big focus, and didn’t realise how much I’d personally get to step up and sing. So my voice quickly became a massive focus for me, focusing not only on singing but also my accent work. This really helped grow my confidence and find out different styles I can construct my voice. I contributed to the production by offering to take on any solos in the show, and also by working with Fiona and other cast members on harmonies.

• Going into any production/project I always have a feeling of dread when it comes to choreography. Whether that’s minor movement or major dance sequences, I have always lacked in the talent. So going into Cowbois and realising there was musical/dancing elements I knew I would have to really focus to get it correct. Despite my lack of confidence, myself and Kae took it upon ourselves to choreograph a movement piece for the bathtub scene. Many of those moves have been kept in, so despite my initial dread, I’m proud of how it worked out.

Doing research on a show that is still extremely new arose some challenges, however I took it upon myself to watch all videos of the cast who performed it for the first time (linked earlier on in my Padlet). I also looked into Charlie Josephine and their work on the queer/trans community and discovered that the Cowbois show in 2025 had a sold out run when performed so knew that there was a huge desire for it audience wise. I wanted to make sure we did it justice so I focused on learning the correct accents by watching western themed shows and movies and looking into historically accurate costume/hair.

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Product skills and context (costumes/sound) 

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Product skills and context (costumes/sound) 

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I took on the job of sourcing my own costume for the show. I’m a visual learner so I knew that having control over how my costume looked would assist me in giving a better performance. I looked into dresses and clothing from the time period (seen in my Pinterest board linked) and went from there. I settled for a corseted dress, which was well received from fellow cast members and audience. I knew we wouldn’t be mic’ed for this show, so projection was my main focus, for when I was singing and speaking dialogue.

Not many difficulties arose when incorporating these elements into the performance, however I would’ve liked to have had a costume change for the tub scene. I had accumulated a white corset and undergarments for that scene to make it make more sense for the audience, to help them understand that there was intimacy between Jack and Lillian, however this ended up not being possible. Again being a visual learner I felt like being able to have that change would’ve perfected the performance and that whole scene. I also felt that Lillian not even having a pregnancy belly for the remainder of the show was a let down for me personally however the show was still a success without these elements, these would’ve just been my personal desires if we did it again.

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With regard to my contribution to the performance/production I feel I did my part effectively. I took on any recommendations Martyn had for my character, I also undertook any musical requests that were given. Prior to rehearsals I took it upon myself to fill in a character card and a character worksheet for Miss Lillian (see both attached under ‘cowbois/miss Lillian work section previously). I feel this greatly benefited how I played Miss Lillian in the show as I had a good understanding of her background and character. I also was a present member of the cast who undertook setting up and taking down the set before and after rehearsals, and was always present for conversations regarding changes/alterations.

Like all rehearsal spaces, challenges arise. I personally didn’t feel like I had any major challenges to overcome. However I am a grade A control freak, and I had to stop myself on some occasions from getting involved with the other casts portrayals of some characters when they were covering the scenes that my cast were originally given. I felt it really wasn’t my place to comment as everyone is making it their own. I also really struggled with people who don’t do the solid work, and don’t commit themselves to learning their lines and it felt as though some people took it as a bit of a joke, which really showed in the final performance. To cope with this I just reminded myself everyone learns differently and is at different levels in their learning. As someone who really wants to do this for a living once I’ve completed my education it can be a very challenging process.

Thinking about my main progressions within the process, I can absolutely say that my singing has been my main progression. At the start of UAL3, I sang for the first time during a Diana session and was a fit of nerves, fast forward to our production of ‘Cowbois’ it’s quite empowering to see the difference within myself. I also would say my confidence has continued to grow, this was my first ever show where I took on a lead role, so the memorisation of lines and choreography and lyrics is is a triumph for me personally.

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Research is such a massive part of any project you undertake, especially when doing a play. Knowing the importance of the show Cowbois and its links and connections to the LGBTQ+ community, research was especially important. I made sure to look into Charlie Josephine and their previous works, and also I particularly liked listening to Vinnie Heaven doing his/their interview talking about the show (linked previously). Knowing the time period (late 1800’s), being openly queer/gay was basically a death sentence, so seeing how the male members of the cast portrayed that disgust when playing the husbands helped bring that historical perspective to light. All of this research helped bring the realism to the final performance.

When comparing Project One and Project Two and reviewing my progression, I believe the most clear improvement is my confidence. I am naturally a confident performer, but in Project One I was still feeling great mounds of anxiety when going in front of an audience, but in Project Two those anxieties mellowed and I felt far more at ease and confident within myself. In my feedback for P1, I was told to slow down when I talked and not to rush my words, I feel I have begun to do some solid work on that as my performance anxieties have settled.

UAL3 so far has provided important skills that I can take onto future courses such as; vocal training with Fiona, Accent work with Taylor (personal training/development I did at home too), movement training with Patricia/Martyn. All these will be necessities for future education. When thinking about courses I’d like to take in the future I feel the natural one is the 2 year HND course, I feel I would get the most out of this course and it focuses on acting. I say this because I originally felt that the Musical Theatre course was my natural path, however I do not have the dancing experience to make that a reality. With that in mind the HND acting course still has focus on singing and vocal work, so I feel I’ll get the most out of it. I have my conditional offer already for HND2, so I just need to continue the good work to secure that place.