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Below is my completed Unit 9 evaluation, where I recap the research/rehearsal/characterisation processes:

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Blue=Research
Green=Rehearsal Process
Orange=Character Profiles/Characterization
Red=Planning & Production
Purple=Evaluation

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Our rehearsals for the production started on the 29th of April and will continue for 6 weeks, until the set performance date Tuesday 11th of June.

Within this timespan, we will be rehearsing for a minimum of 7  1/2 hours each week, which should give us a minimum of 45 hours rehearsal time in total. We shall hold a full dress rehearsal on the 10th of June.

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Below is a checklist made by our tutor Michelle, which was designed to enable us to reach the best possible grade.

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During the play's production, I think I would be best suited as an assistant director. This job role would include helping the director make decisions, assisting HR in interviewing and employing staff, creating a budget for the project and handling employee complaints/concerns. I don't have enough knowledge or experience to lead the directing process, but I'm fascinated by the profession.

I was given the opportunity to direct certain parts of scenes. This was done by stepping out of the "actor" role and viewing the stage with an outsiders perspective. As well as this, I also helped to correct spacing errors on-stage.

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How Meisner's Technique is Used Within the Performance

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How Meisner's Technique is Used Within the Performance

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Meisner's theory of turning off the instinctual human responses and truly LISTENING to your fellow actors is perfect for productions where the sole focus is human interaction. In Hacktivists, all 12 characters are constantly talking and interacting with each other, so it becomes hard to follow the dialogue as it bounces around the stage.

To combat this, one of my peers, Tyler, and I have been practicing Meisner's repetition technique (link below) in order to strip back our natural automatic responses. Therefore researching Meisner has helped me to hone my listening skills and be able to live "in the moment" during the performance.

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I hate WordPress: this is my third attempt at writing this for you, fingers crossed this time. :o)

Repetition or the Repetition Exercise or Game was developed by Sandy Meisner in the USA to train actors to actively listen to each other and pay attention to their stage partners. Repetition is a foundation exercise in Practical Aesthetics, the approach to acting developed by David Mamet & WH Macy.

Traditionally actors do not need to listen to each other. They've rehearsed the scene in the same way throughout the entire rehearsal process, so they know what's coming next. This means that their skill must be in pretending to respond truthfully to something they've heard hundreds of times. However, sooner or later, your performance will degrade over time. This might be fine on film but on the stage, where you need to remain spontaneous night after night, it becomes problematic.

In Meisner's view and that of practitioners of Practical Aesthetics, actors should listen and should not set their performances in stone. In the words of Mike Alfreds, they should be 'different every night.'

If your performance is to be truly spontaneous and immediate (meaning based on what's happening here and now rather than copying what happened in rehearsal ad naseum), then you must learn to work off what the other actor is doing in this moment.

Repetition helps you to build the skills to deal with this new spontaneous and immediate style of performance.

Repetition is simple. Say something truthful about the other person and then that person repeats from their perspective and continue to repeat what you hear until something happens that makes you change. For example:

You're unsure
I'm unsure
You're unsure
I'm unsure
You're unsure
I'm unsure
You're unsure
I'm unsure
You're unsure
I'm unsure
You're unsure
I'm unsure
Etc etc...

There's no need to do anything, there's no need to change what you say or how you say it unless you see something new occurring.

Simply put: if you see the person fidgeting and biting their lip, you may believe they are nervous, then say it and continue to repeat (until one of you sees some new change occuring).

You're unsure
I'm unsure
You're unsure
I'm unsure (you see them bite their lip)
You're nervous
I'm nervous
You're nervous
I'm nervous
You're nerbus (you hear them err)
You made a mistake
I made a mistake (they go red)
You're embarrassed
I'm embarrassed
You're embarrassed
I'm embarrassed
You're embarrassed
I'm embarrassed

As David Mamet says 'Invent Nothing, Deny Nothing'. This means that you do NOT need to change anything on purpose but if you see a change in your repetition partner, then say it, don't deny it. Remember it's Invent Nothing, Deny Nothing.

There are three rules for repetition:

1) Tell the Truth
2) If in doubt Repeat
3) Dont stop playing the game: keep playing if you get it right, get it wrong, completely fuck it up or a herd of gazelles tramples your classmates. Place your focus on your partner and play the game until you're told to stop.

You must allow yourself to be influenced by the other actor and to inadvertently (at this stage) influence their behaviour (without attempting to do so).

This game has no winner, it's not a competition. When you make a mistake or get stuck for words just attempt to keep going, your worst mistakes are gifts to your fellow repetition practitioner that will keep the game going.

Simply say what you see regardless of social politeness. Meisner used to say 'Fuck Polite'. He doesn't mean be rude, he simply means that if you are an actor, you must be open to live truthfully under a wide range of imaginary circumstances and scenarios. For this reason, the actor must be unrestricted by social niceties in order to prepare to do this. It's not about being mean to each other, it's about being open enough to say what you see and respond to it.

Over time your repetition skills are integrated into your scene work. From herein it's just practise. So what are you waiting for? Get practising!

See you in class!

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Repetition or the Repetition Exercise or Game was developed by Sandy Meisner in the USA to train actors to actively listen to each other and pay attention to their stage partners.

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The simplified definition of the Meisner technique is learning to "live in the moment". Meisner believed that in order to create realistic reactions and responses, the actors must truly LISTEN to their fellow actor's words and respond naturally. The technique was described by Meisner as a  "progressive system of structured improvisations for developing concentration and imagination, stimulating instincts and impulse, and achieving the reality of doing” in performance.

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Freud believed that much of what defines human behavior, including impulses, urges, thoughts, emotions and feelings, comes to the individual person in ways that she in not entirely cognizant of. Instead, said phenomena are produced or issue from a realm of being he termed "the unconscious." However, according to Freud, there is a smaller region from which we can actively receive and analyze information in our conscious, waking mind. This small part is what actually controls the traits and behaviors typically labeled personality.

Because of this theoretical separation between the small definable portion of being and the large, uncontrolled subconscious portion, Freud offers the topographically apt analogy of the iceberg, where the tiny visible portion at the top obscures the size and power of the submerged aspect. In technical Freudian terms, the portion nearest the surface of the water - personality - is called the ego. Just below the ego, nearing the bottom, is the superego, the part of a person's interiority that offers moral or social restraint against the unknown, unauthorized impulses of the subconscious. Finally, the greatest portion of the hidden mass is the id, the darkest, most recessed province of human thought, motivation and desire.

Researching and studying Freud's theory has helped me to expand my knowledge of human behavior. Additionally, it has helped me to develop a deeper understanding of Seb's subconscious impulses and motives.

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Scene 1 opens with an innocent problem. This shows the characters' maturity (or lack of) when faced with a dilemma. This is crucial in order to properly explore and understand the major character developments that take place.

For example, when we are introduced to the group, they are bickering, arguing and struggling to simply open a door. Whereas during the play's conclusion, they have colluded with a group of Chinese hackers and planned an elaborate cyber-attack on an infrastructure which could wreak physical damage. This massive change in the group's dynamics and personalities is largely due to the introduction of Beth.

Within days, she is able to alter their views on hacking legality, distort their moral compass and transform them into essentially "black-hat hackers". This shows the dangerous level of manipulation that Beth possesses and shamelessly wields in order to further her own psychotic agenda.

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Adolescence is defined as "a period of transition from childhood to adulthood which extends from 12-20 years" During this period the individual attains puberty leading to many changes. These changes have enormous implications for the individual’s sexual, social, emotional and vocational life

These changes help the individual to find an identity, which means developing an understanding of self, the goals one wishes to achieve and the work/occupation role. The individual craves for encouragement and support of caretakers and peer groups. If he is successful he will develop a sense of self or identity, otherwise he will suffer from role confusion/ identity confusion.

This explains why the group changes their moral views so quickly throughout the course of the play. During this stage of their adolescence their identities are constantly developing and changing, which in turn creates a never-ending cycle of different perspectives and subconscious personality shifts.

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With a play that consists of 12 equally important characters, its no surprise that theres a wide variety of personalities. Yet one of the most obvious differences between these characters is their natural introverted/extroverted natures. Even though the spectrum between introversion and extroversion is seemingly never-ending, Ockrent manages to cover as wide a range as possible.

Extroverts
Extroverts are commonly known as outgoing, confident and borderline cocky people. They thrive in social environments, enjoy being the centre of attention and have a tendency to act on impulse. Characters within the play that fit this profile include Beth, Hugs, Archie and Steve.

Introverts
Introverts are essentially the exact opposite of extroverts. They prefer solitude and isolation over socialisation, prefer ono-to-one conversations and think logically when making decisions. Characters who match this description include Pez, Jenny, Cath and Drew.

Ambivert
An ambivert is someone who falls in the middle of the introvert/extrovert continuum. Ambiverts have a blend of traits from both introverts and extroverts, as well as their own unique strengths. Nisha, for example, is particularly quiet throughout the first scene and a half. Yet as we reach halfway through scene 2, she begins to speak up, showing her extroverted side. Other characters who fall into this category are Seb and Tania.

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Archie (played by Jessica Dove) is introduced as the apparent leader of the democratic hacktivist group, yet throughout the course of the play his authority is constantly questioned. This is due to the introduction of rebellious Beth.

For example, When Beth decides to seek revenge after they were refused entry to Daniel Cooper's party, Archie became the voice of reason. He attempted to convince his peers to look past their anger and take the hight road, with very little success. This appears to be the first time his authority has been questioned to this extent.

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In order to create a realistic character, I decided to study similar characters from different TV shows, films and stage productions. After thorough researching, I discovered that the children from the Cherub book series have very similar personality traits. This could be due to the fact that both the book characters and Seb spent time in residential care for children.

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At the beginning of the play, Beth (played by Emily Gibson) is introduced as an innocent new girl to the school. Yet, throughout the course of the show, she begins to manipulate her peers to carry out heinous acts and becomes the production's antagonist.

Beth's motives and decisions are constantly fuelled by her own psychological need to cause havoc, yet she hides her true intentions behind the facade of wanting to aid her "friends". This combined with her complete lack of emotional empathy makes her a master manipulator. These characteristics are extremely common with people diagnosed with sociopathic tendencies.

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When I was given the character Seb, my first thought was to create a detailed and complex character. Since there is little information in the play regarding Seb's personality or personal life, I've had to create my character profile completely from scratch. I started by trying to understand his emotional characteristics, such as how he would deal with certain emotions and mental maturity. From there I began to analyse his self confidence. By doing this, I'm able to accurately convey these emotional responses through my body language and tone of voice/speech patterns.

Once I finished studying his psychological characteristics, I then focused on his family background in anticipation for our Hot-Seat interviews. I researched different types of child upbringing with the intention of finding an alternative, yet realistic story. Eventually I discovered that Seb's personality traits were very similar to those who grew up in government-funded residential homes.

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During the first week of rehearsals for our upcoming FMP performance, we focused on blocking and setting each scene. Not many people are off-script yet, which is slightly hindering the development of character interactions and characterisation, but I have high hopes that within a couple week that will change.

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Below is the full character profile and analysis for my Hacktivists character, Seb.

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In the third week of rehearsals, we primarily centred around our theory work. This included researching the play, the hacking community, expanding on our character profiles and much more. All of which is displayed on either a Padlet such as this, or a sketchbook. We also designed our own costumes for the performance.

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Week 4 was steered off-track by the installation of the level 3's acting FMP scaffolding. With only 1 dance studio available for rehearsals, priority was given to the level 3's. This was due to the fact that their opening night was 3 weeks before ours. Therefore, we spent our time wisely by improving our padlets.

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As we entered the second week of the show's rehearsals, we began exploring our individual character profiles and expanding on their social interactions. The play is fuelled by the relationships and "banter" between the characters. Therefore, its imperative for our group to create a more realistic school atmosphere. This can be done by increasing the pace, staying in character, creating contrasting dynamics between characters and LEARNING LINES.

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The 2015 edition of National Theatre's "Connections" series, which included Ockrent's Hacktivists, also gave recognition to:
Drama, Baby by Jamie Brittain

Hood by Katherine Chandler

The Boy Preference by Elinor Cook

The Edelweiss Pirates by Ayub Khan Din

Follow, Follow by Katie Douglas

The Accordion Shop by Cush Jumbo

Hospital Food by Eugene O'Hare

Remote by Stef Smith

The Crazy Sexy Cool Girls' Fan Club by Sarah Solemani

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Psychiatrist George Emann Vaillant introduced a four-level classification system of defence mechanisms. These include:
Level 1 - Pathological Defences
Level 2 - Immature Defences
Level 3 - Neurotic Defences
Level 4 - Mature defences

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Psychology's Importance in Performing Arts

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Psychology's Importance in Performing Arts

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When discussing performing arts, its almost impossible to avoid talking about psychology. Like bread and butter, the two subjects are the perfect match. In order to become a great performer, you must have an understanding of human psychology.

Having knowledge about human behaviour and psychology helps actors, choreographers, playwrights, directors and producers to convey the correct intentions to their audience.

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White-Hat Hackers
White hat hackers, also known as ethical hackers are the cybersecurity experts who help the Govt and organizations by performing penetration testing and identifying loopholes in their cybersecurity.

Black-Hat Hackers
While their agenda may be monetary most of the time, it's not always just that. These hackers look for vulnerabilities in individual PCs, organizations and bank systems. Using any loopholes they may find, they can hack into your network and get access to your personal, business and financial information.

Script Kiddies
A derogatory term often used by amateur hackers who don't care much about the coding skills. These hackers usually download tools or use available hacking codes written by other developers and hackers. Their primary purpose is often to impress their friends or gain attention.

State/Government Sponsored Hackers
State or Nation sponsored hackers are those who have been employed by their state or nation's government to snoop in and penetrate through full security to gain confidential information from other governments to stay at the top online.

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During scenes 3 and 4, the hacktivist group use different defence mechanisms in order to justify their actions. For example, when discussing their plans to execute a cyber attack against BT, Pez approaches the problem with purely logical thinking. His complete lack of empathy for the victims is a prime example of intellectualisation.

Defence mechanisms are embedded into our brains from birth, yet they have the ability to change over time. This could be due to dramatic changes in your personal life or simply "growing up".

Studying defence mechanisms has helped me to gain a deeper understanding of the characters' emotional responses. Which in turn, will improve the quality of my character profiles.

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Less Primitive, More Mature Defense Mechanisms

Less primitive defense mechanisms are a step up from the primitive defense mechanisms in the previous section. Many people employ these defenses as adults, and while they work okay for many, they are not ideal ways of dealing with our feelings, stress and anxiety. If you recognize yourself using a few of these, don't feel bad - everybody does.

8. Repression

Repression is the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses. The key to repression is that people do it unconsciously, so they often have very little control over it. "Repressed memories" are memories that have been unconsciously blocked from access or view. But because memory is very malleable and ever-changing, it is not like playing back a DVD of your life. The DVD has been filtered and even altered by your life experiences, even by what you've read or viewed.

9. Displacement

Displacement is the redirecting of thoughts feelings and impulses directed at one person or object, but taken out upon another person or object. People often use displacement when they cannot express their feelings in a safe manner to the person they are directed at. The classic example is the man who gets angry at his boss, but can't express his anger to his boss for fear of being fired. He instead comes home and kicks the dog or starts an argument with his wife. The man is redirecting his anger from his boss to his dog or wife. Naturally, this is a pretty ineffective defense mechanism, because while the anger finds a route for expression, it's misapplication to other harmless people or objects will cause additional problems for most people.

10. Intellectualization

Intellectualization is the overemphasis on thinking when confronted with an unacceptable impulse, situation or behavior without employing any emotions whatsoever to help mediate and place the thoughts into an emotional, human context. Rather than deal with the painful associated emotions, a person might employ intellectualization to distance themselves from the impulse, event or behavior. For instance, a person who has just been given a terminal medical diagnosis, instead of expressing their sadness and grief, focuses instead on the details of all possible fruitless medical procedures.

11. Rationalization

Rationalization is putting something into a different light or offering a different explanation for one's perceptions or behaviors in the face of a changing reality. For instance, a woman who starts dating a man she really, really likes and thinks the world of is suddenly dumped by the man for no reason. She reframes the situation in her mind with, "I suspected he was a loser all along."

12. Undoing

Undoing is the attempt to take back an unconscious behavior or thought that is unacceptable or hurtful. For instance, after realizing you just insulted your significant other unintentionally, you might spend then next hour praising their beauty, charm and intellect. By "undoing" the previous action, the person is attempting to counteract the damage done by the original comment, hoping the two will balance one another out.

Mature Defense Mechanisms

Mature defense mechanisms are often the most constructive and helpful to most adults, but may require practice and effort to put into daily use. While primitive defense mechanisms do little to try and resolve underlying issues or problems, mature defenses are more focused on helping a person be a more constructive component of their environment. People with more mature defenses tend to be more at peace with themselves and those around them.

13. Sublimation

Sublimation is simply the channeling of unacceptable impulses, thoughts and emotions into more acceptable ones. For instance, when a person has sexual impulses they would like not to act upon, they may instead focus on rigorous exercise. Refocusing such unacceptable or harmful impulses into productive use helps a person channel energy that otherwise would be lost or used in a manner that might cause the person more anxiety.

Sublimation can also be done with humor or fantasy. Humor, when used as a defense mechanism, is the channeling of unacceptable impulses or thoughts into a light-hearted story or joke. Humor reduces the intensity of a situation, and places a cushion of laughter between the person and the impulses. Fantasy, when used as a defense mechanism, is the channeling of unacceptable or unattainable desires into imagination. For example, imagining one's ultimate career goals can be helpful when one experiences temporary setbacks in academic achievement. Both can help a person look at a situation in a different way, or focus on aspects of the situation not previously explored.

14. Compensation

Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other arenas. By emphasizing and focusing on one's strengths, a person is recognizing they cannot be strong at all things and in all areas in their lives. For instance, when a person says, "I may not know how to cook, but I can sure do the dishes!," they're trying to compensate for their lack of cooking skills by emphasizing their cleaning skills instead. When done appropriately and not in an attempt to over-compensate, compensation is defense mechanism that helps reinforce a person's self-esteem and self-image.

15. Assertiveness

Assertiveness is the emphasis of a person's needs or thoughts in a manner that is respectful, direct and firm. Communication styles exist on a continuum, ranging from passive to aggressive, with assertiveness falling neatly inbetween. People who are passive and communicate in a passive manner tend to be good listeners, but rarely speak up for themselves or their own needs in a relationship. People who are aggressive and communicate in an aggressive manner tend to be good leaders, but often at the expense of being able to listen empathetically to others and their ideas and needs. People who are assertive strike a balance where they speak up for themselves, express their opinions or needs in a respectful yet firm manner, and listen when they are being spoken to. Becoming more assertive is one of the most desired communication skills and helpful defense mechanisms most people want to learn, and would benefit in doing so.

Remember, defense mechanisms are most often learned behaviors, most of which we learned during childhood. That's a good thing, because it means that, as an adult, you can choose to learn some new behaviors and new defense mechanisms that may be more beneficial to you in your life. Many psychotherapists will help you work on these things, if you'd like. But even becoming more aware of when you're using one of the less primitive types of defense mechanisms above can be helpful in identifying behaviors you'd like to reduce.

15 Common Defense Mechanisms

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In some areas of psychology (especially in psychodynamic theory), psychologists talk about "defense mechanisms," or manners in which we behave or think in certain ways to better protect or "defend" ourselves. Defense mechanisms are one way of looking at how people distance themselves from a full awareness of unpleasant thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

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In 2008, Anonymous believed that the Church Of Scientology was spreading misinformation about scientology using Internet censorship. Anonymous used Google bombing, linking the word "scientology" to the cult or their dangerous agenda so that searching Scientology into Google would produce misleading, off-putting and wayward results. One propaganda video was posted on YouTube, for which the Church sued the video website. Anonymous responded with a video of their own, generating over 5 million views.

Studying cyber-attacks such as this helped me to develop my character and increase my knowledge of the hacking community.

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CPD (cognitive processing disorder) can be separated into different categories, such as:

Auditory Processing: The capacity to analyze, synthesize and discriminate (tell the difference between) different sounds, including the ability to process and differentiate sounds heard under distorted conditions.

Processing Speed: Measures the ability to perform automatic mental tasks, particularly when under pressure to maintain attention.

Delayed Recall: Measures the ability to both recall and relearn associations that were previously learned.

Visual-Spatial Processing: The ability to perceive, analyze (mentally break down), synthesize (reconstruct or put back together) and think using visual patterns, including the ability to store and recall things visually.

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"Hacktivists" is a National Theatre production that centres around a group of self-titled hacktivists and their independent school club. The tale begins as new girl Beth seemingly invades the group with a big smile and even bigger ideas. As the group begins to question their own philosophies, cracks begin to form within the self-made family. From simply opening a door to creating an elaborate cyber-attack that has the potential to wreak physical damage, there is no limit to the destruction Beth's manipulation could cause...

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Whilst researching the play, I kept stumbling upon similar pieces of work surrounding the topic of hacktivism. The most popular of which is the Amazon Prime original series Mr. Robot. This Emmy and Golden Globe winning series was created by Sam Esmail. The show centers around Elliot Alderson (played by Academy Award winner Rami Malek), a cybersecurity engineer and hacker who suffers from social anxiety disorder and clinical depression.

Elliot's mental state is slowly diminishing due to the combination of his anxiety, depression and dissociative identity disorder. With the addition of his masterful knowledge of hacking, this makes him easy prey for opportunists and manipulators such as Mr. Robot himself.

This is almost a direct relation to Hacktivists. During the play, Beth uses the group's naivety to manipulate them into doing her bidding. This same tactic is used in Mr. Robot to recruit Elliot to the cause, except instead of naivety it was mental instability.

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Reasoning Behind Placing Children into the Care System

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Reasoning Behind Placing Children into the Care System

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Below is a link to a blog post by mother-of-two Amy Harmon. In this post, she depicts the 8 main reasons for children to be placed into the foster system. These include:
Neglect
Drug Abuse
Death
Incarceration
Illness
Voluntary Placement
Child's Choice
Abuse
This information is vital to my research as it helps to fully understand my character Seb, who spent time in the foster system before being essentially rescued by his grandparents.

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As many as half a million children are a part of the foster system at any given time, with an average stay of two years. Most commonly, these children are placed in a non-relative home. Other times they will live in a relative's home, a group home setting, or, rarely, supervised independent living. Although each situation is different, there are a few common reasons children enter the foster system. Child safety and welfare is always at the root. Here is a breakdown of reasons that children enter the foster system.
1. Abuse
Abuse is probably the first thing people think of when discussing foster care. Despite what many believe, it is not the most common reason children enter the foster system. It is, unfortunately, all too common. When a child is a victim of physical or sexual abuse, they need to be removed from that situation immediately. Foster care is used to protect the child while other interventions take place in the home.
2. Neglect
When a child goes without basic needs, this is cause for the courts to remove the child from the home. Neglect includes leaving a child alone for an extended period, lack of food or clean living, or lack of necessary medical care. This is the most common form of ause.
3. Illness
Sometimes a parent's health does not allow them to care for their children. If there is not a family member available to step in, foster care may be considered.
4. Incarceration
When a parent faces incarceration, attempts will be made for children to be placed in the care of friends or family. Until this can be arranged, the child may enter foster care.
5. Death
When a parent dies, all attempts will be made to keep the child within the care of family. When this is not possible, the child may enter the foster system. This may be temporary until family can be located or another situation determined.
6. Drug Abuse
When a parent is suffering from an addiction, children suffer. Children have a right to grow up without this influence. Sometimes drug abuse leads to abuse, neglect, or incarceration. As the parent(s) work through their addiction, children may be placed in another environment.
7. Child's Choices
Although we usually think it is the caregiver's actions that lead to foster placement, it can occasionally be the cause of the child's choices. If the child breaks the law, runs away, or has truancy concerns, the court may determine that a foster care situation would be best for the child.
8. Voluntary placement
Rarely, parents may choose to place a child into foster care. In these circumstances, parents relinquish their rights and children become eligible for adoption. They may be adopted by their foster parents, or another suitable situation may be found.

In short, children enter the foster system because their family is in crisis. Foster care is intended to be a temporary solution on the path to building a safe and stable family. Foster care changes people, with the goal to change the situation into a better one. Children deserve to be raised in a home with kindness, needs met, and stability.

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8 Big Reasons Kids Enter the Foster Care System

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As many as half a million children are a part of the foster system at any given time, with an average stay of two years. Most commonly, these children are placed in a non-relative home. Other times they will live in a relative's home, a group home setting, or, rarely, supervised independent living.

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5th Degree: Damage to or the value of the property or computer services, if any, is $500 or less. Penalty: B misdemeanor (up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both)

4th Degree: Damage to or the value of the property or computer services is over $500. Penalty: A misdemeanor (up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both

3rd Degree: Damage to or the value of the property or computer services is over $1,000 or reckless conduct that creates a risk of serious physical injury to another person. Penalty: D felony (up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both)

2nd Degree: Damage to or the value of the property or computer services is over $5,000. Penalty: C felony (up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both)

1st Degree: Damage to or the value of the property or computer services is over $10,000. Penalty: B felony (up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $15,000, or both)

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Residential care for children and children's homes are there to ensure that the needs of children are met when they cannot live with their own family. They are a place for children to develop and grow, as well as providing food, shelter, and space for play and leisure in a caring environment.

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Started under the George W Bush administration in 2006, Operation Olympic Games was a covert and still unacknowledgeable wave of sabotage by means of cyber disruption. Directed at Iranian nuclear facilities by United states and Israel, the movement was fast-tracked by the Obama administration in 2010.

This cyber-attack was the first on record to create actual, PHYSICAL damage! Once the electronic assault was completed the infrastructure was demolished. The attack was described as "the most significant covert manipulation of the electromagnetic spectrum since World War II". It was also the inspiration for our hacktivist's master plan.

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DERP: Derptrolling has been an active part of the community since 2011 and attacked solely gaming sites. The group recently drew public attention after an attack on popular gaming site League of Legends. They have also targeted other websites such as EA.com and World of Tanks. Their motive is still unclear due to the many unsuccessful attempts to catch the group.

Cult of the Dead Cow: CDC is a white-hat hacker group which was founded in a small slaughterhouse of Texas in 1984. They are known for releasing some computer security system for national system administration. Throughout the years, many members have taken part in magazine interviews and even appeared on an international televised news outlet.

Researching a variety of hacking organisations is helping me to gain a deeper understanding of hackers' motives and beliefs, which in turn will further my characterisation of Seb.

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Fear
Trust
Loyalty
Justice
Power
Manipulation
Greed

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Although most hacktivists started out with good intentions and a strong moral compass, others have taken a more aggressive approach throughout history. This includes the cyber-attacks on Ashley Madison, Operation Aurora (mentioned in the play) and the attack on PayPal organised by Anonymous.

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The term hacktivist originated back in 1994, when a member of the hacking group Cult of a Dead Cow known as Omega referred to themselves as such in an e-mail. From then, groups such as Anonymous, LulzSec and WikiLeaks have trademarked the term.

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A hacktivist is officially defined as "a person who gains unauthorized access to computer files or networks in order to further social or political ends".

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Drawing together the work of ten leading playwrights - a mixture of established and emerging writers - this National Theatre Connections anthology is published to coincide with the 2015 festival, which takes place across the UK and Ireland, finishing up at the National Theatre in London. The programme offers young performers between the ages of thirteen and nineteen everywhere an engaging selection of plays to perform, read or study.

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Archie=Jessica Dove
Beth=Emily Gibson
Steve=Blake White
Hugs=Becca Gore
Eloise=Lydia Spencer
Tania=Annabelle Malone
Cath=Kamar Smith
Jenny=Chaelsea Roberts
Drew=Chelsea Key
Pez=Tyler Phillips
Nisha=Bethany Sidders
Seb=James Smith

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The play Hacktivists was written by notable playwright Ben Ockrent. He collaborated with the National Theatre to produce the play as a part of their "Connections" series.