- Imagining a new world. We did an activity where we had to pretend to be picnicers in a park. We didn't have any props, so we had to work together as an ensemble and mime out our actions such as laying out our picnic mat. We had to envision our surrounding and environment, which was a park and mime out actions that would fit our role.

- Working with my friends. When we work on a scene together, everyone's different ideas get mixed up. I might think of an action that might fit my role or character, and someone else adds on the idea which enhances my performance. By the end the scene is a hundred times better than it would have been if I just did it all by myself. This is also apart of being an ensemble. 

- Not being afraid to mess up. There's no such thing as being "wrong". That's a good thing because sometimes a scene that I may thought as “stupid” as was very anticipated to perform turn into one of the best parts of the scene. Being creative means being brave enough to try something even if it seems a little weird because that's where the best ideas come from.

Related concept: expression, role, presentation

- For me expression is how you show everyone what's going on with your character even without a single line of dialogue. It's not just making a random sad face I think it's about being very specific. A random sad face might tell the audience your character is upset but it doesn't tell them why or what kind of sad they are. Is it a quiet, lonely kind of sad, or is it the start of a deep angry grief. By moving past a "random sad face" and focusing on the specific, intentional details of your expression you start telling the story with your entire body.

- Adopting a role to presenting a role requires a understanding of the character. It means going beyond the script to figure out the "why" behind my character's actions. I have to have motivation, why is my character doing what they're doing? If my character is stealing something, is it because they are desperate or greedy. This changes everything about how I present the role. Relationships, a character's role changes depending on who they are with. My character might act differently with their best friend than with an enemy or a parent. 

- Presentation is how we put everything together for the audience. It's the product of expression and role development. It involves making choices about how to use my voice, body, and space to create a convincing and impactful performance.

Communicate:

- As a communicator I will consistently listen to other's idea an

Developing the scene

This process took a lot of creativity as orginally our first idea only took about 30 seconds and we wanted to extend our performance even longer. We combined all of our ideas together and imagined ourselves as if we were actual group of picnicers at a busy park. We brainstormed many ideas and sort of mashed it all together to create this peice of work. This uses the ATL communication as it allowed us to listen and express our ideas, it also uses the open-minded skill from the learner profile since we had to be open-minded about other ideas.

Strength

Our strengths were developing ideas and working as a group and being open minded and accepting variety of ideas. We worked as a group and performed it being aware of our mistakes and using it as a way to improve. We rehearsed a couple of times as well. We all worked well as an ensemble and we kept our cool and was pretty focused.

Improvments

We could probably improve by reheaarsing a little more as the timing of some were a bit off and maybe not make last minute ideas as some of us did forget what to do. For me individually I would probably focus a little more as I laughed a lot and that was probably because I was nervous as it was our first performance in front of the class and laughping was my coping machenism.

Positives: Our group communicated well and supported each other during the performance. Everyone stayed in character, which helped the audience understand what was happening without us needing to speak.

Negatives: Some moments could have been smoother. The timing between the fight and the wave wasn’t always synced and we could have improved our transitions into each shape. Our story could have been clearer if we added more detailed movements or reactions. A bit more creativity in the choreography would have made the piece stronger.

Positives: Our group worked well together to create freeze frames, slow motion moments, and movements that matched. Everyone stayed in character and because of that, the audience could understand the story easily. We also stayed focused and improved our timing each time we rehearsed.

Negatives: Some parts of our piece could have had more detail. Our story could have been clearer and our choreography could have been more creative. A few movements felt too simple, especially when we compared our work to groups who used more unique actions or stronger character relationships.

How do we build trust in a creative space? We build trust by listening to one another, respecting different ideas and creating a space where everyone feels safe to experiment. Trust grows when we treat mistakes as normal and part of the learning process. When people feel heard and valued, they become more confident sharing their creativity.

What makes you feel more confident when performing in front of others?

I feel more confident when I know the audience is supportive rather than judgmental. Positive energy, encouragement from my peers and clear understanding of my performance all help me stay calm. When I can express myself freely without worrying about criticism, I perform much better.

How can we work together to build trust in our group during rehearsals?

We can build trust by staying focused and encouraging each other during rehersels . Sharing ideas respectfully and listening without interrupting helps create a strong ensemble. If we avoid laughing at mistakes and remain patient, the group will feel comfortable enough to take risks.

Why is trust important when performing or working in a group? Trust is important because it allows us to explore characters, try new techniques and commit fully to our roles. When everyone feels respected, teamwork becomes easier and performances become more unified. Without trust, it’s difficult to collaborate or create meaningful scenes.

How can we work better together as a team during rehearsals or performances? We can work better by communicating clearly, being organized and supporting each other’s ideas. Staying flexible is also important because drama often changes as we rehearse. When everyone contributes equally and respects the process, the performance becomes stronger.

Why is it important to be open and honest with each other in a drama group? Being open and honest helps us solve problems quickly and prevents confusion. If someone is struggling or unsure honesty allows the group to help and adjust. Clear communication also builds trust and makes the ensemble more efficient.

How do you handle feedback or suggestions from others when working on a performance? I try to listen to the feedback calmly and think about how it can improve my performance. I remind myself that suggestions are there to help me grow, not to criticize me personally. If I don’t understand something, I ask questions so I can apply the advice correctly.

In this ensemble piece, our group performed a scene from the story of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves. The scene focused on the contrast between Alibaba, who is poor and his brother Kasim, who is wealthy. In this performance, I played Kasim’s wife and the cave. This piece helped me understand how physical acting and character expression can show a story clearly, especially when different actors play different parts of the world.

As Kasim’s wife, I used attitude, facial expressions and body language to show confidence and sassiness, which fit her personality as someone used to wealth and comfort. As the cave, I had to switch to a completely different style of acting. I used stillness, shapes, and slow movements to create the feeling of a mysterious, powerful environment. Playing two opposite roles helped me practice quick transitions and staying in character.

Positives:

Our group worked well together to show the story of the two brothers. Everyone stayed focused and committed to their characters. The contrast between the poor and rich characters was clear in someway and the cave scene was easy for the audience to understand. My switch between Kasim’s wife and the cave felt smooth and I was able to show different emotions and energy levels.

Negatives:

Some parts of our performance could have been more detailed. We could have added clearer storytelling moments to show the relationship between the brothers more strongly. A few transitions between scenes felt a bit rushed and we could have improved our timing. Adding more creative physical movement especially when I was the cave would have made the scene even more dramatic.

Overall, this ensemble unit helped me improve both character acting and physical theatre. I learned how to change roles quickly, work with others and use movement to help tell the story.

Positives

-very funny “COMEDY GOLD!” 

-Good sound effects and loud

-oud voice (clear voices)

-Lovely intro with the music

-Clear story plot

-good spacing/stage usage

-smooth transition

-effective narration

-horse scare if fun

-fun performance

-Introduction hooks the audience's attention 

EBI:

-Tree scene is messy (use more space) 

-At certain times, it gets messy

-Shows the setting more clearly

-Use more sound effects during the cave scene

-don't break character

 - no laughing / control laugh better

 -try not to make scenes that make you laugh hahah

-use more horse sound effects

-work on background/scenery

-narrate what's happening

-could sync energy levels

-could add more scenes