https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete en-us 2023-03-13 14:45:05 UTC 2026-02-23 04:13:48 UTC hello@padlet.com ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514556104 2023-03-13 14:45:52 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514556104 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514695917 2023-03-13 16:13:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514695917 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514696197 Starting this project, I need a strong article that gives me a good volume of information in regards to the author of these famous children's books/characters Dr Seuss. Luckily, this article does just that, not only does it give me insight into the life of the man known as Theador Seuss Geisel, starting off at the bottom when his first book was rejected by 30 publishers at the time, to then soaring with his line of family friendly children's books such as Cat In The Hat, Horton Hears a Who, I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew, and so many more timeless classics that still inspire children to this day. Furthermore, this helps me learn of Seuss's influence during times of war and conlifct, such as WI, WII, and even the Cold War which he's not only lived through but also drawn posters that advertise propaganda against Nazi's, the Japanese, serving in the military, and many other heavy realistic topics made from such a cartoonie style. Taking all of this has helped me undertsand the cultural background Seuss is from, how he managed to come from humble beginnings and go on to grow up in three of the most influential times in our history, giving me an idea of where he got his inspiration from for characters like General Genghis Kahn Shmitz, and the possible inspiration for the Jungle of Nool's society and viewpoints on anything out of the ordinary and different.]]> 2023-03-13 16:13:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514696197 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514702068 2023-03-13 16:18:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514702068 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514702199 I've always been curious as to what influenced Seuss to make the wondrously strange worlds within his books/stories, and after searching online I've found these two sources that give me the insight I needed to answer that question. After reading the article by Brian Hoey, and watching the video by Bedtime History, these sources portrayed his life as a child all the way into adulthood with how he would stay with his mother and be quite the troublemaker in college, even his first book 'Green Eggs and Ham' was created from merely a dare given by one of his co-workers that he couldn't write a book using only 50 words. The man was a poet and inspiration those who read his books, and the way he started from simple beginnings and worked his way up to a famous author is remarkable and inspirational. His overall inspiration and influence came from a mixture of how his mother would recite rhythmic chants to Seuss as a child instead of children's books, alongside an array of boardgames, manufacturing near his old home, architectural and many other marvels that inspired his first and many other books that he had written for the public, from all these aspects, he went on to create some of the greatest children's books the world has ever known. This all helps in my progress of the show because it allows me to know what helped inspire the man who created the world that my character, Horton the Elephant, lives within alongside the other jungle citizens, gaining insight as to what helped create places such as the jungle of Nool, the planet of Who, Solla Sollew, and so many other strange wonderful places that lurk within Seussical.]]> 2023-03-13 16:18:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514702199 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514705755 2023-03-13 16:20:43 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514705755 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514705923 This article is all about what kind of children's books were around during the 20th century, all listed from different periods within that century of storybook characters that brought inspiration to children and adults around the globe. Knowing what these books are has helped me understand what might have been popular back those days, knowing what might have inspired Seuss and his creations, alongside with what was popular with children during this particular time period, will give me some ideas on how I can deliver/present myself on stage for a show such as Seussical, with a child friendly nature to it there's tons of opportunities to bring out a form of kid friendly energy that you'd see on TV to the stage to entertain the audience.]]> 2023-03-13 16:20:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514705923 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514707248 2023-03-13 16:21:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514707248 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514710008 2023-03-13 16:23:42 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514710008 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514710236 Before Seuss became a famous author and writer, he used to be a man of enigneering, making contraptions such as the Infatograph that would work similarily as a camera that could show you what your future child would look like with your current partner. However due to some complications with the machine, with all the pictures/babies tending to "look like William Randolph Hearst" he eventuslly scrapped the project, and focussed more on children's books. By 1957, he was stumped on what to create, looking at two words that would rhyme and flow nicely with eachother, he was almost ready to give up, that is until he thought of "Cat", and "Hat", and after some writing the beloved children's book "The Cat in the Hat" was born, with over 250,000 copies sold by Christmas that year, flooding not only homes but schools of America as well, and alongside his other books over the years, Seuss's stories would go on to teach children how to read for generations to come, teaching them the lessons they need with lots of fun characters to emjoy along the way. All this helps in understanding what kind of influence Seuss had on people in the world, America mainly, and seeing how his work has managed to shape the minds of thousands, if not millions of people all across the USA.]]> 2023-03-13 16:23:52 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514710236 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514710438 It's no secret that the wondrous stories of Dr Seuss's characters have definitely warmed our hearts at least once in our lives, especially over in America, with Dr Seuss's books flying off the shelves they each had special messages and lessons by the ends of certain ones, for example, in 'Horton Hears a Who' it teaches the valuable life lesson that no matter what size you are, whether big or small, your life will always have purpose and meaning behind it, or with 'The Lorax' it teaches you to take care of the earth/nature and that every action causes a reaction to come after it, these lessons are what have given children such joy and hope during their youth, moulding the future and inspiring them to pursue these hopes and use the lessons learnt from these books to do great things, though I myself didn't always understand the lessons these books taught when I was younger, but seeing how it's impacted people in such an amazing way, it gives me insight as to how Dr Seuss has changed the lives of so many and the lessons his books taught to the youth of back then and today, it'll help me understand the lessons and more sombre moments of Seussical as I start to dive into the plot and its characters.]]> 2023-03-13 16:24:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2514710438 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531822250 2023-03-26 14:17:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531822250 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531828367 2023-03-26 14:27:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531828367 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531828497 To understand Seussical, I'll need to look not just the original inspiration, but also the makers of the musical itself. This website is the official website of the writers and directors of Seussical the musical, famous playwrights Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who are well known for their successes and unforgettbale muscials, compositions, shows, and anyhting to do with the world of the perofrming arts or TV cinema. These two longtime partners are very well known in their field for both their independant, and collaborative work, some familiar mentions in the world of theatre include Anastasia, Ragtime the musical, Once on this Island,Rucky the musical, and of course our currnet show, Seussical the musical, these are all creation sof this brilliant dynamic duo, and will fruther help in my progress in regards to FMP, learning more on the background of this musical and the playwrights I've created a google slides that goes into more detail of their achievement in this and other field of the perofrming arts world.]]> 2023-03-26 14:27:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531828497 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531829798 2023-03-26 14:30:09 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531829798 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531829840 This video is an hour long interview with the playwrights Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and within the interview it talks about how they ended up creating Seussical the musical. After watching this interview I’ve felt that I have more of an idea on how a book musical is made, the elements that go into it and how they were inspired by Dr Seuss’s books so much to create such a show like this, having a joint fascination with Seuss’s world, and the books that created it, they put their heads together back in early 2000’s to create this wondrous show, with a difficulty of theirs being how they could bring to life such a wild and vibrant world right from off of the page. Knowing how they’ve put together this show has helped me understand how my character Horton the elephant was originally written, inspiring myself to look back on Seuss’s original stories to learn and understand Horton’s character on a much deeper level, seeing his relationships within the story and comparing them to Seussical itself in order to create my own interpretation of the friendly elephant.]]> 2023-03-26 14:30:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531829840 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531830616 2023-03-26 14:31:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531830616 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531830777 2023-03-26 14:31:45 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531830777 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531830831 In order to properly understand the story of Seussical, and to an extent my character, I'll need to go back and look at the original source of where they came from, and thus I decided to rewatch the classic animated adaptation of 'Horton Hears a Who', and read the book 'Oh, the Places You'll Go!'. These two sources retell the tales of Seuss's stories, the first being the story of a humble imaginative Elephant who was one day relaxing in the jungle of Nool, until he heard the sound of a small person calling out towards him for help, realising soon that it was a speck of dust that caused this strange yelling, and so he took the dust speck and palced it donw on a clover to keep it safe from harm, and throguh his travles he faces danger after danger form the other citizens like the Sour Kangaroo, or the Wickersham brothers, who want to get rid of the clover thinking he was crazy, however through all the hardships and persuits, he is finally able to save the Who's when they make themsleves known to eveyrone around, teaching us that a person IS a person, no matter how big or small they are. The other story focusses mainly around the various different places you'll go within the world of Seuss, from the most open of fields, to the highest of skies, to the coldest of mountains and to the busiest of towns, we are taken across various different lands throughout the world of Dr Seuss. After watching and learning both sources, it has helped me gain a grasp of what my character is like, a great thinker who's imagination likes to wander as he keeps a sense of priority and care towards his Who's, alwyas wanting to make others happy whilst keeping true to his word and not wanting to cause trouble, it's sources like these that will help in my characterizational work for Horton.]]> 2023-03-26 14:31:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531830831 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531831609 2023-03-26 14:32:41 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531831609 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531832506 2023-03-26 14:34:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531832506 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531832604 Giving an example and expanding on the previous note, one my prime examples for a Book Musical well executed is definitley 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' written and directed by David Greig. It is known that Book Musicals are hard to pull off if not done right, and that is why I'm using this one in particular as an example, the story of a humble young boy named Charlie Bucket, who lives in an old run down house with his mum, dad, two grandpa's and grandma's, who don't exactly have enough money to do many things or buy much for the family, but that doesn't get Charlie down, he always tries to stay positive through every day whether rain or shine. So when the mysterious Willy Wonka announces a competition for a tour of his famous chocolate factory, with five kids, including Charlie, are lucky enough to win a golden ticket to enter and possibly win the competition. This story has always been a timeless classic for me to read and watch on TV, with the lessons it teaches like not to be too greedy, always be polite, always stay humble and never selfish, be happy with what you have, and never ceases to amaze me as how it has become a beloved musical on both West End and Broadway. By looking at this musical, it helps serve as an example for me to follow for the standard I need to work at, the kind of energy I need to bring onto the stage and how I present myself as Horton the Elephant, by using this musical, alongisde my other recourses of research, I'll be able to work on how I build my variation of Horton the Elephant, and how I can present him on stage through both rehearsals and on the show day.]]> 2023-03-26 14:34:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531832604 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531833255 2023-03-26 14:35:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531833255 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531833300 The document attacthed is an article about what Book Musicals are, how they are made, and primes examples of previous successes such as Andrew Lloyd-Webbers 'Jesus Christ Superstar' based on the Gospels of Christianity. What a Book musical is exactly, is what the name makes it out ot be, it is simply a musical that is derived, or based on, a well known book that is expanded into the format of musical theatre, this has been done a number of times with a number of famous books, tales such as 'West Side Story', 'Guys and Dolls', 'James and the Giant Peach', and many other famous books that we all know and love. Knowing what goes into a storybook musical and what it is, will help me progress as a performer for the show, being able to learn how to stick true to the original source, whilst adding my own flare to the character, will help in an effective and overall lovely performance, furthermore I find that in knowing how to develop a musical in this style, will give me the skills to learn what might and won't work for my character during rehearsals, whether it be in regards to movements, speech, or singing, I'll be able to deliberate with my director and find the best way to present myself on stage.]]> 2023-03-26 14:35:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531833300 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531833443 2023-03-26 14:35:52 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2531833443 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555310354 2023-04-15 13:50:52 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555310354 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555310575 Gertrude McFuzz is known as the one feathered bird, mainly noted from her one feathered tail, and serves as the anxious neighbour of Horton the Elephant, who also has a crush on the humble creature, she goes to Mayzie for help to get her tail bigger and attmepts throughout the entire show to get Horton to notice her just once, but unfortunatley he is to focussed on his clover to even hear Gertrude when she's talking to him. Throughout the show she is mainly the supportive neighbour and one of the only friends Horton has in the Jungle of Nool, thier relationship develops from friends/neighbours at the beginning of the show, to then possibly a couple by the end when the egg has hatched and they both agree to take care of it, this information helps in understanding what Horton's relationship with Gertrude is and how it has developed throughout the show, learning this will help me in how I see Gertrude as my character and how I react or act when aroudn them, whether its delight in seieng a friend, releif for her help when I sit on the egg, or even amazement when I hear of what she did just to get me to notice her such as following me "across the hills and deserts" just to talk to me, making me realise just how amazing she is.]]> 2023-04-15 13:51:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555310575 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555310935 2023-04-15 13:52:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555310935 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555310994 For Sour Kangaroo, I've not only looked into what kind of a person is, but also the kind of authority/power she has within the Jungle of Nool. The article describes her not as a villain per say, and more of an overprotective mother that wants to keep the children and citizens out of harm from crazy things like talk of a talking dust speck, fearing that it could corrupt the minds of their youth, however the measures she uses to keep that danger at bay are certainly questionable. She definitely seems like the self appointed leader within Nool's community due to her rallying up the jungle citizens and getting them to help her take Horton down, talking about how crazy Horton has become from talking to this dust speck, emphasising that he could end up corrupting the children of Nool, this makes all the citizens villainise the helpful elephant and is even taken to court by the people. Knowing this, it tells me what kind of society the Jungle of Nool has, a land that is scared of thinkers like Horton with his wild thoughts and imagination running wild, making it difficult for people like him to live in peace. This will help me get a better understanding of how the people of Nool view Horton when he starts talking about the clover, making it easier to explore some of the reasons why he be as alone as he is before finding the Who's.]]> 2023-04-15 13:52:19 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555310994 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555311527 2023-04-15 13:53:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555311527 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555311579 The character Jojo is the imaginative persona of the boy at the beginning of this story who's created this vast, magical world that inhabits all the wild and excentric characters we meet along this story, Jojo is the son of the Mayor of Who, he is someone who always likes to let his imagination run wild and free, thinking all sorts of strange and unusal things, however that kind of thinking is not seen as a good thing to the Who's, Mr and Mrs Mayor end up telling their son to stop thinking this way. He is very close to Horton when they first meet, becoming great friends with the elephant as they relate to one another with all the different "thinks" that they have together, enjoying each others company as they finally find someone to have around, they weren't alone anymore, towards the end of the story however, it's with these wonderful thinks that make the Who's heard before they're boiled alive on the clover, allowing everyone to recognise Jojo for the great thinker that he is. This information helps me invision what kind of friend Jojo is to Horton, finding out about what they both have in common with one another and think on the conversations they'd have about the many different thinks they both share, bringing in lots of new inspiration for how I portray the emotion in the song 'Alone in the Universe', specifically towards the end.]]> 2023-04-15 13:53:13 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555311579 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555316567 2023-04-15 14:02:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555316567 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555317354 2023-04-15 14:04:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555317354 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555317402  These documents elaborate on the magical paradise land known as Solla Sollew, and what exactly it is within the world of Seuss. It is described/thought of as a safe haven that all the people within the world wish to someday reach, a place filled with all that they desire and never have to worry about anything ever again, everyone has their own concept of Solla Sollew, whether it's a simple forest filled with beautiful trees, or a nice open field that has a lake for ducks and pond animals to enjoy, whatever it might be, everyone has their own interpretation of this wondrous place. Within the show, there are some mentions of Solla Sollew in numbers such as 'Thinks', 'Alone in the Universe', and of course the song revolved around this place 'Solla Sollew' which is something Horton dreams of going to someday, he is a big enough dreamer that he has been close many times to getting to this magical land, however whenever he does it seems to disappear, but that doesn't stop him from trying, he is determined to someday find this dream land and live out the rest of his days there. Using this information, it will help me create my own vision of how Solla Sollew would look for Horton, giving me not only inspiration for those happier thoughts within the show, but also something to imagine and dream about during the number 'Solla Sollew', furthermore it will help me connect with Horton better as creating this place will give way to some imaginative thinking of my own, creating an idea of what kind of "thinks" Horton has throughout the day.]]> 2023-04-15 14:04:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555317402 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555331001 2023-04-15 14:32:33 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555331001 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555332242 2023-04-15 14:34:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555332242 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555332327  For me to further understand the concept of Solla Sollew within the world of Seussical, I've decided to look at the concept of heaven, or the promised land, for different religions and cultures of the world, delving into what makes people dream of going to/finding a place like this one day. Whilst reading this, I've learnt that heaven, in most religions/beliefs, is a place where God, angels, and the people who have passed on in life reside for the rest of eternity, it is described to be "a reward for a virtuous life" where you can find peace and salvation in the lord's land of paradise, others believe that heaven is a place that you are able to seek out and find, a certain "promised land" that might be awaiting for you to one day find and enjoy without  care in the world, a place where you can rest easy for the rest of your life. Knowing all this helps in how I can view Solla Sollew, since it is a place of mystery I can view it as either a place for the living or dead, is it a hidden place that I'll someday find? Or will it be a reward for living a good life? All of these questions are what I can ask myself in order to create the perfect paradise place for Horton, and use that dream land to manifest the joyful thoughts within his mind.]]> 2023-04-15 14:34:26 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555332327 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555332537 Week 4]]> 2023-04-15 14:34:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555332537 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555333554 2023-04-15 14:37:01 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555333554 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555334078 This video is of how an elephant walks/moves across the land, describing the sway it has and how it leads with it's front legs and then continues through the back legs for support, travelling with it's feet stomping onto the floor in a moderate to slow pace, however it can be quick when frantic and has a much heavier stride when it runs from danger. Learning how elephants move across the space in this fashion will help create inspiration for my movement as Horton, utilising an elephants slow and heavy motions and incorperating a type of swing and weight to mine, similar to what Stephen Alias showed me I can incorperate the weight down the centre of my crotch, with a slight bend to my knee, and add in a swaying motion to simulate the trunk and keeping that balance ahead of me, most likely I would lead with both my chest for presentation, and my nose for the actual movements itself, I'll be using this video as inspiration to help experiment with Horton's movement for Seussical.]]> 2023-04-15 14:37:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2555334078 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574270589 2023-05-01 22:39:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574270589 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574270627 Even though the relationship with Horton and the Wickersham brothers is clear from the start, I decided to look at them to discover who they are and how Horton feels around them when they appear on stage. The Wickersham brothers are three wild, energetic, and all around mischievous monkey’s who like nothing more than to cause some trouble within the Jungle of Nool, playing around with one another and spending their days running wild like the carefree animals that they are, within the story, they worked as Sour Kangaroo’s lackeys to deal with Horton when he finds the speck/clover, terrorising him to no end by insulting or mocking the poor elephant, and even stealing his clover just to hand it off to Vlad Vladicoff to be thrown a cliff and into a “great patch of clovers 100 miles wide”, these examples go to show that they truly have no boundaries when it comes to making trouble, especially with it relating to terrorising Horton throughout the show. By learning of their antics and overall character, it will help me understand the anxiety and or fear that Horton has towards these three monkey's, learning how to try and avoid either them entirely or getting on their bad side, because whenever Horton sees them around he knows trouble is soon to follow in their wake, this will allow for me to experiment with these frightful/anxious emotions and how I can push them forward to the audience.]]> 2023-05-01 22:39:40 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574270627 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574272621 2023-05-01 22:42:56 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574272621 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574272710 For character inspiration, I wanted to look for a real life figure who has gone through a similar situation to Horton the Elephant, someone who was a big dreamer and was ridiculed or mistreated by others who thought he was crazy for the way he thought, after searching the internet I then thought of one of the greatest visionaries of human history, Martin Luther King Jr. This man was the head man and founder of the civil rights movement back in the 1960’s, being most famous for speaking up about rights for black people and his peaceful protests in the streets of the US, Martin L.King Jr was most famous for his “I have a dream” speech, preaching about his dream of a country that gives equal rights for all as he stood tall against the oppressors of back then, becoming an inspiration to over 200,000 people and making an example that even when you’re pushed around, you can always get back up and stand your ground for what you believe in. I chose him for inspiration because in certain ways he is similar to Horton, mainly in how they both fight for what they believe in, how Horton does whatever it takes to keep the Who’s safe being similar to how Martin Luther King Jr does whatever it takes to keep his people safe, both of them being great thinkers with dreams and hopes of a bright new land where worries and cares can practically fly away with the wind, looking at this man will help me understand the responsibility Horton has when he is tasked with saving Who, the weight he has on his shoulders as he traverses through perilous dangers caused by the other Jungle Citizens to stop him, never once giving up as he keeps pushing through, and keeps finding a way to keep the Who’s safe and sound on top of their dust speck.]]> 2023-05-01 22:43:08 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574272710 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574274189 2023-05-01 22:45:30 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574274189 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574274266 To understand the journey my character makes throughout the story, I have to dissect what he thinks and feels throughout certain numbers within the show, this is what’s called a song journey, going through a song line by line and marking down what you do/how you feel and why you do a certain action or feel a certain way. Song journey’s are what help the actor connect more with a character, as they “don’t journey through actual time and space; rather, they explore an inner landscape of memory, fantasy, and desire” as said within this article, elaborating on how it’s more about exploring the emotions your character feels throughout the song, the thoughts they have when singing each line. Knowing this information will help me explore Horton’s song journey’s through key numbers within Seussical, songs such as ‘Alone in the Universe’, ‘Solla Sollew’, ‘Horton Hears a Who’ and many others that allow for me to play around with the emotions Horton has, alongside the thoughts roaming around his imaginative mind in that particular moment. This will especially help with creating the emotional connection I have towards the clover and the happier emotions that come towards it, allowing me to push those emotions forward to the audience more effectively, creating the transition of thoughts and feelings when from when he is exhausted and alone, to then finding Jojo which fills the humble elephant with unmeasurable joy. This article will assist during the process of creating my song journey’s throughout aspects of the show.]]> 2023-05-01 22:45:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574274266 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574275283 2023-05-01 22:48:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574275283 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574275874 2023-05-01 22:48:54 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574275874 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574276986 2023-05-01 22:51:02 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574276986 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574277057 This source is of my song journey through the opening number ‘All The Thinks You Can Think’ , listing down all my thoughts, emotions, actions, and reactions to each line of the number. I’ve done this to help me understand what I do throughout this number and why I do it, this was difficult and more important since during this number I’m up in my tree stationary, because of this I decided to focus mostly on my reactions and feelings towards other people on stage, whether it’s the joy of seeing Gertrude and Mayzie, or the anxiety of watching Sour Kangaroo and the Wickershams, mixing up my emotions from curiosity by watching/meeting the boy, transitioning to fear and nerves on the line “Think of nobody here, and the feeling of fear, and and the darkness of night”, to finally wonder and excitement towards the end as I fantasise about the wonderful world of Dr Seuss.]]> 2023-05-01 22:51:13 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574277057 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574277138 2023-05-01 22:51:26 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574277138 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574278841 2023-05-01 22:54:27 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574278841 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574279717 2023-05-01 22:56:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574279717 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574279774 It’s come to my attention through this project, that there are other children’s story book elephant characters in the world, one of them being the heartwarming story of Babar the elephant. Babar the little Elephant, written by Jean de Burnhoff, is a story of bravery, adventure, and of perilous journey through new elements, when a small elephant Babar leaves home after the unfortunate death of his mother, he ends up in an unknown city where he is taken in by an Old Lady who finds him education and teaches him of how the world works, eventually Babar’s cousins find him and take him back home, only to find that their king has died due to eating a bad mushroom, after deliberation from a council of elephants they soon approach Babar saying he has “lived among men and learned much” and thus crowned him the new king of his home, he soon got married and then had two children of his own he taught valuable life lessons to. By looking into the life of Babar the little Elephant it gives me a chance to gain some inspiration for my characterisation of Horton, seeing both their journey’s and how they are similar and different from each other, seeing as how they are both elephants for one thing, but they are also two souls that have travelled great lengths to find a place they can call paradise/home, I can use that for Horton in moments where he thinks about/mentions Solla Sollew and have that thought to not only push those emotions of wonderment, but to also physicalise Horton more effectively, furthermore, Babar had found someone to take him in when no one else would, he had found someone who would talk to him, feed him, even teach him, filling Bagar’s heart with joy and delight knowing he wasn’t alone anymore, similar to how Horton finds Jojo, that feeling of joy and excitement that he wasn’t alone anymore is what I desire to push through with Horton, and that is what this character is going to help me accomplish.]]> 2023-05-01 22:56:43 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574279774 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574281074 2023-05-01 22:58:10 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574281074 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574281681 To have a deeper understanding of the story of Seussical, I’ve decided to look into the story of Plato’s Cave, a story of three prisoners who were born within a cave, chained to a wall by their arms and legs, who have never seen the outside world before. Everyday these three men would see shadows of people carrying items such as fruit, baskets, and various other items that cast a shadow over the wall these three men are chained to, so they each play a game to take a guess at what shadow would pass next and what they’d be carrying, the winner of this game would be praised by the other two men and deemed a master of nature, one day however, one of the men managed to break free from their chains and went off to see the outside world for what it is, once they did, they were amazed at how much different the world was compared to how they i visiones it before, so the man went back to free the other two men and show them this new world, however the other two men threatened him with death if he freed them whilst calling him crazy for even thinking about this outside world he describes. All of these aspects represent an aspect of belief, it states in the article that “the cave represents people who believe that knowledge comes from what we see and hear in the world – empirical evidence. The cave shows that believers of empirical knowledge are trapped in a ‘cave’ of misunderstanding“ to me this correlates to the Jungle citizens and how they don’t believe the Who’s are real only because they cannot see or hear them, and are therefor trapped in their own ‘cave’ where they don’t try to understand this knowledge, “The Shadows represent the perceptions of those who believe empirical evidence ensures knowledge. If you believe that what you see should be taken as truth, then you are merely seeing a shadow of the truth” what I think of when reading this is when they see the clover itself, merely seeing it as an aspect of the truth yet still only believing that Horton is nothing but a crazy elephant talking to dust specks, “The Game represents how people believe that one person can be a ‘master’ when they have knowledge of the empirical world. Plato is demonstrating that this master does not actually know any truth, and suggesting that it is ridiculous to admire someone like this” this reminds me of Sour Kangaroo’s authority over the Jungle Citizens, using her status to convince everyone that the dust speck is evil and that Horton is crazy, even though she knows little to nothing of the situation, “The escaped prisoner represents the Philosopher, who seeks knowledge outside of the cave and outside of the senses” here it helps describe how Horton is one of the few people in Nool who wish to seek out knowledge despite appearances or sounds alone, using his keen senses to hear the Who’s and dig deeper than most people would want to, not allowing himself to be limited by only his eyes and ears alone, he uses his vast imagination to explore the unknown/unexplored, and finally “The other prisoners reaction to the escapee returning represents that people are scared of knowing philosophical truths and do not trust philosophers.” This text represents how the Jungle Citizens don’t believe Horton’s words pf the Who’s, thinking he’s crazy from either believing Sour Kangaroo, or from being afraid of believing in the truth and that there are actually tiny people on top of the dust speck. All of this information helps me understand the story on a deeper level, taking what I know about the story already and creating a more realistic grasp of the society within their community, understanding how people view Horton from an outside standpoint and seeing how, or thinking of why, they might not believe his claims of there being someone on the dust speck/clover when he first makes these claims.]]> 2023-05-01 22:59:31 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574281681 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574283692 2023-05-01 23:03:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574283692 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574283776 During my work with Linzi, it's inspired me to look more in depth at how to act/express emotion through song, exploring with the words within the piece to see where I could possibly add emphasis into the most important, or most impactful, words, and how I can display the emotions clearly to audience alongside the song itself. This source gives me the basic variables of how to do this very task, listing down the three components of researching the character and the world they come from, studying the music for its "clues"/subtext in order to understand the tone of the song, and finally the actual textures of the piece itself, dissecting it line by line and layer by layer to see the kind of number it turns out to be, an example would be with 'Alone in the Universe', at first it seems like a sad song that turns happy towards the end, but in reality, it's a song of Horton's feeling and thoughts that even though he is alone in the universe, he still has the hope that he will find someone someday, and that this clover has given him the chance to have that someone, someone who he can talk to without being judged, someone he can share his "thinks" with, and when he meets Jojo for the first time, that burst of wonder and excitement seeps out and fills the air with that same feeling, expressing those emotions through chosen spoken bits of dialogue as those happier feelings and thoughts are expressed heavily through the eyes and face, telling the story to the audience, and giving a heart warming performance as I put myself in the shoes of the friendly elephant.]]> 2023-05-01 23:04:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574283776 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574284072 2023-05-01 23:04:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574284072 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574908561 2023-05-02 09:04:27 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574908561 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574910713 I have attatched here a google document of how I personally would see Solla Sollew, folliwng a certain concept that I believe my character Horton would think to be an absolute living paradise of relaxation and tranquility, somewhere where he can spread his "wings" and fly to this magical place, and remain there for the rest of his days to relax and have fun with all his thinks all day and night long.]]> 2023-05-02 09:06:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574910713 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574920977 2023-05-02 09:17:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2574920977 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2580799717 2023-05-07 12:26:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2580799717 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2580800465 2023-05-07 12:28:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2580800465 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2580800518 In a musical, there is sometimes a golden rule that can be quite difficult to pull off, but can be effectively, and positively, received by an audience if done right, that golden rule being "less is more" in a performance. To expand on this, what I mean is the ability to stay stationary on stage, and allow the face, voice, eyes, and slight/little body movements of either the arms or legs to portray the emotions and story of the character, a prime example of this is the sources I've attached here, those being Jonathan Groff's performance of King George III in the well known Broadway musical Hamilton. The reason I've chosen these as my inspiration, is because he displays such raw feelings of aggression and tyranny without having to move a muscle, allowing for the intensity in his eyes to show as he throws his voice through different levels throughout both of these performances, we as an audience can tell how he feels just by listening to how emphasises the most important words of both his numbers, for 'You'll Be Back' we can tell that he is confident that he will come out victorious in the war with America, whilst still retaining that sense of aggression from them falling out of line in the first place, pushing the slight madness that the real King George III had back in the 18th and 19th century, however in 'What Comes Next' those feelings become that of resentment and bitterness from losing to the Americans, staying regal, high and mighty as he speaks of how "it's much harder when its all your call" mocking them in the sense that he thinks the Americans can't survive without his leadership, but still plays the confident monarch with the ending line "when your people say they hate you, don't come crawling back to me', which overall solidifies just what he is getting across. All in all, I'll be able to use his performance as the beloved mad king as inspiration for how I can amplify my performance as Horton, by focusing more on how I display my emotions and words to the audience, along with which words are more impactful than others, I can enhance my portrayal of the lovable elephant and create a better display of the story I'm trying to tell.]]> 2023-05-07 12:28:28 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2580800518 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2581064683 2023-05-07 20:27:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2581064683 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588595107 2023-05-12 11:51:20 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588595107 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588595245 Another source I have that has inspired me is Dame Judi Dench's live performance of 'Send in the Clowns' for the 2010 BBC Proms, this performance like John Groff's focuses on the golden rule of "less is more", with this song it's a lot slower and sombre on the voice, allowing Judi Dench to take her time with the piece and how to express the words within it, unlike with John's piece Judi's has more clarity and opportunity to explore that transition between thoughts and feelings, keeping at the same pace whilst allowing for similar thoughts/ideas to run through and out of her head like a rushing waterfall of thoughts. I'm unfamiliar with where this song is from, however just from watching her performance I've already gained a better grasp of what it could mean, a song that reflects on the ironies or mistakes of a persons life, and using them to describe as if there are clowns sent in to add on to these misfortunes and make her look the fool, but there aren't any around, aside from her own self, with just the most subtle of movements she makes impacts the song more and more as she takes them, whether it's the turn of her head or a simple shifting of her eyebrows to fit the beats of the music, topping it all off with her emphasis on certain words, speaking some of them in a more soft yet saddening tone, fitting the mood of the song and allowing the audience to sympathise with the character on a deeper level. By using this example for mainly the number 'Solla Sollew' I can explore how I can truly take my time with the piece, expressing certain words that emphasise the story or how Horton is feeling in this current moment, using this number, and the music accompaniment, to make that shift of emotions with just the smallest of changes, whether it's a new thought or even a change in the music itself I can utilise all that I hear and see to help experiment with the delivery, thoughts, and transition of feelings throughout the song.]]> 2023-05-12 11:51:27 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588595245 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588595485 2023-05-12 11:51:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588595485 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588611059 2023-05-12 12:08:23 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588611059 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588611171 During one of our rehearsal sessions with Linzi we were rehearsing 'Egg, Nest, and Tree', however in the middle of rehearsals she thought we were lacking slightly in expression, precision, and energy, so to inspire us, she showed the class a clip of a song number from the musical 'Cabaret' from the Graham Norton Show. This clip was of the number called 'Willkommen/Don't Tell Mama' which I wasn't too sure of what it was about, since I was more focused on how these actors/performers managed to express themselves, and their characters, with their precise energetic movements and over the top melodrama style facial expressions. From what I understand about Cabaret it is a show set in Germany 1939, specifically set in an adult nightclub, which has lots of highly energetic dance numbers throughout the show itself, with a show like this the actors must make sure that they are in time with one another and make their movements big, expressive, and precise, like Seussical, Cabaret has lots of moments where the performers will need to push those big over the top expressions for even the audience all the way in the back can see, and after watching this clip of the show, it's no surprise as to why Linzi showed it to us, with this clip I can use it to work on keeping the energy of my performance to its max, making sure to not be afraid to dip my toes into the melodrama style of presentation, I'm more accustomed to it after all since last year's FMP performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in which I played Oberon and Theseus, furthermore, by taking inspiration from this particular musical, I can be more prepared to experiment with more exotic and over the top presentation styles that fit the theme of Seussical without being too crazy or messy.]]> 2023-05-12 12:08:30 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2588611171 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2590245329 2023-05-14 19:36:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2590245329 ws226497 https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2590245389 Recently I've been having some difficulty on how to push the happier emotions/reactions out to the audience during rehearsals, namely with the number 'Alone in the Universe' as I keep missing out on the joy and wonder of finally having someone to talk to, getting lost in the lullaby like melody that keeps my mood down throughout the song, which is why I've decided to look at a guide that will help me express these more positive emotions out to the audience. By utilising this step by step method, I'll be able to place myself in the shoes of my character more effectively, thinking more on how I would feel in a situation like this and applying that to my performance, not letting myself just focus on the more sombre beginning and instead thinking on the build up from it, seeing how my feelings within the song and at what point they rise to their peak and released out to the audience in a wave of life and wonder that I'm not alone anymore, and then ever so subtly, bringing the energy down as the music calms back down, yet maintaining that sense of wonder and glee from finding my first friend. Using this source will ultimately help in how I push the emotions of my character throughout the show, assisting in the final product of my character for the first morning show in two weeks time.]]> 2023-05-14 19:36:45 UTC https://padlet.com/ws226497/b8tuebtri0q0vete/wish/2590245389