Our teacher launched our project with us altogether. She sent us all an audition pack, this is where I got my first bit of research from to understand the musical. This pack gave us a description of what each character is and what they are like. For example, Jeremy, he is the main character in the musical and he is like a geek, and unpopular.

Relevance:

Researching the musical is crucial before choosing characters as you need to know what their characterisation and personality is like before you audition for a role. Understanding the story line and themes are another major point as you will need this for an effective and successful audition.

Action plan:

Watching the musical will help as this will give me an excellent understanding of what is happening in the play. It also helps me listen to how they talk as I would have to talk in an American accent for my character.

I will also read over the audition pack as that has some crucial information that I would not have known when I watched the musical. This pack would also help you choose a role that suits you.

A lot of research went into getting our scripts as there are many ways to get information from. For example, the broadway version of be more chill, original script, the book and much more. Having more than one form of research is essential as this will make you have a better understanding of the musical. This will help you out by finding out which characters to audition for and what role suits you the best. For example, from doing my research, I auditioned for the role of Chloe as she was very sarcastic and sassy.

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After we got our script, I firstly began by researching what the musical is about to get a better understandingof what I am auditioning for. It is crucial to research about what you are auditioning for as you will be able to perform amazingly when you know what the musical is about as well as the character you are auditioning for.

Action plan:

• watching the musical

• Researching about the character

• Looking at the audition pack

To help with the research of the musical, I watched the musical and wrote down notes of the variety of different themes in the musical such as, bullying, popularity, drugs, social pressure and many more. This helped me follow and understand the script in a lot more detail and to interpret a more deeper meaning amongst the play. I also did a mind map, of learning the themes in the play, but also understanding what they mean in more detail. This will help us when we go into our musical rehearsals, as everyone will feel more confident knowing the musical. For example I found this quote, 'Be More Chill is a hilarious sci-fi tale of high school and one boy’s quest to fit in'.

Be More Chill (Musical) Plot & Characters | StageAgent

Relevance:

Knowing about the musical before you start rehearsals, is paramount as this will make you feel more confident and secure when you are rehearsing. This will get you more ahead when rehearsing as you know about the themes, people's character profiles and importantly the character you are auditioning for. I have done this so I can develop my American accent by listening to how Character's are

Action plan:

• I will complete this by looking online for a video of The Broadway version of 'Be More Chill'.

• I will be thoroughly reading through the script so I can get an understanding of what our version of the musical is going to look like.

For my research, I will be re-watching the Broadway version of 'Be More Chill'. This is because I am auditioning for the role of Chloe; this will help me because listening to her accent and how she pronounces certain words, will help me develop my accent. Chloe is a popular, insecure and a gossiper character. Trying to portray all of these characteristics will be hard but she does tend to cover up her jealousy quite well until the end where she tells Brooke that she was jealous of her. For example, a quote from the script, 'Oh my god, why was I so jealous of you?'. This is a line that both Chloe and Brooke say. This then portrays to the audience all of their jealousy and insecure traits they have during the musical.

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preparing for my audition, will mean learning my lines from the script, learning the song ('do you wanna hang') and practising my American accent. Chloe's Character is very extra which means that I have to make my audition very cheeky, sassy and mean girl type of vibes. Watching the musical did help me a lot because I would replay the scenes that Chloe was in, this helped me work on my American accent as I would listen to how she would talk and then repeat it. This also gave me an understanding to how her character is portrayed throughout the musical and I will use some of this in my audition.

Action plan:

• Listen to how the character, Chloe, says certain lines.

• Look at how her character is portrayed in the musical.

• Research her character online as this will go into more specific details.

For my auditions, I auditioned for the role of Chloe. For this role, I learnt the song, 'Do you wanna hang'. This was definitely quite challenging for me as I have never sang a solo before. To support me with this, I did vocal warm ups using YouTube to support me, this is to warm up my voice ready to sing. Then I would listen to her song on YouTube to see how she sings it and I would practice my singing vocals as often as I could. Then, for my lines, I used a page in the script that Chloe talked quite a bit in. I learnt these lines by using repetition as this was easier for me to memorise. I then referred back to my research by watching the musical to see what she was acting like in this particular scene.

Relevance:

Using the musical and my research I have done, to see how the character of Chloe is portrayed. In my audition, I would use correct facial expressions and how she portrays sarcasm when she is talking to people. She acts very confident when really she is insecure so it was important to show those emotions correctly in my audition.

Action plan:

• Learning a part of the script

• Learning the song

• Putting my research about the character Chloe, and portraying her personality in my auditions.

Learning a script for a musical involves more than just learning lines. I have to understand the script and make a connection to the script and my character. For me, I feel like linking lines to specific movements can make it easier for me to memorise especially in the Halloween party scenes where a lot goes on. I will need to connect with my character deeply as this will make the performance more easier for the audience to watch and will make it a lot more effective.

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It is not just about learning lines, it is about understanding my characters role, their emotions and how they are portrayed when performing and rehearsals. I again, need to rehearse when certain lines will go into a song I need to get that smooth shift so it flows better. My main goal, is to make the performance feel real and natural so the audience can understand the story.

Action plan:

• I want to be off book by the beginning of March.

We will be learning our songs and harmonies mostly with our musical director and singing teacher. This will definitely need a lot practice, listening and patience. Listening to the song on the piano will make it more easier for us as we will be more in time with the song as we will be in tune with the piano. Especially in ensemble pieces, we need to make sure our singing blends well with each other when needed as this will create a smoother and an easier listen. Muscle memory is important when learning songs and harmonies as we will have to remember them for next time.

Relevance:

In musicals, the songs and harmonies are the main part of the story and emotion, so getting in tune with each other and remembering these harmonies are key to move on to the next song to learn. When the cast are successful with their harmonies it makes the musical as a whole more alive and better at understanding the story.

Action plan:

• record the harmonies to remember

• Listen and learn the songs ahead of rehearsals.

• Practice!

Learning choreography involves remembering the choreography given, movement, and focus. It is so best to record every bit of choreography given as this will make it easier for you to practice. Learning choreography takes so much time, effort and practice, so if you can’t do it straight away that is fine. As long as you practice and try your best in rehearsals then that is what matters. However, some dancers learn in different ways, so if you don’t understand what the steps are, or the timing, it is okay to ask. Choreography also involves everyone to have musicality as this is what makes a dance piece look neat and entertaining to watch.

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Learning choreography isn’t just for dancers, it can help with improving memory, by remembering the dances, coordination by certain moves and focus when learning. Dancing isn’t just learning the choreography and doing it on stage. It is about performing a story whilst on stage. For example, using facial expressions, body language, this tells a story whilst dancing and will show the audience how creative dance can be.

Action plan:

• recording bits of choreography.

• Focus

• Learning quickly.

Blocking, is knowing your positions on the staging as this will be different when rehearsing in a studio. This is where all the singing, acting, harmonies and dancing come together to tell the story to the audience. Since musicals have a lot going at once, such as, singing, dancing and acting. So, this is why blocking is impotent especially in musicals as you don’t want the audience to get confused by something happening all at once to the point where it looks messy. When it rehearsals, it is important to support each other to create a positive environment as you will be working as a team on this project.

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This is the time where the director can play around with people’s positioning on stage, and get an idea of what the audience would prefer to see. For example, your positioning will probably be different to what it was in rehearsals when on stage as the director will be able to see formations and positions better.

Action plan:

• focusing

• Listening

• Adaptable

• Remembering

As part of my job role, I have been chosen to be on the dance team. This is where I can help with anyone that asks about choreography, timing, spacing.

Relevance:

To help me with this, I will be recording all bits of choreography we learn, as this will help me learn all the timings at home, as well as everyone else. However, everyone learns differently, so they might need help in person rather than at home, this might be because they are struggling with timings, or a step that they find hard.

Action plan:

• be patient

• Be understanding

• Be willing to help

This is the final version that brings the whole musical comes together. This is the first time the lighting, sound and set changes are shared with the performers. This is where the tech crew can test to see if everything is working, and to make sure all their cues are ready and set for the performance. A dress run, is where all the performers will be in costume to see what it looks like under lighting and on stage. This is also to see if anyone costume needs adjusting and feels right when on stage. These rehearsals are essential for catching any last minute problems before the real performance.

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Without these runs, there will be errors and mistakes made on stage. Doing these runs and checks, will make sure that mistakes are prevented as much as they can. As well as costumes, the individual needs to feel comfortable to sing, dance and act in these, so if they are too tight or loose, then they need to say.

Action plan:

• be patient

• Be adjustable

• Be supportive

This is where all the rehearsals and practice finally comes together ready to be performed. By the time of the final performance, the cast are expected to be in sync and know all their songs and lines. This will help will constant practicing, good team work, and being supportive and willing to help each other. Everyone will feed off each other and the audience response when on stage as this is a normal reaction. This will bring the crew together on stage to go full out and be the best version of themselves. In the end, it’s a combination of everything coming together such as, talent, timing, technology, and energy that makes a memorable final show.

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This is where all their hard work comes together to create an amazing performance. For the cast, this is the moment that all their talent, skills and practice needs to be performed the best. Under all the adrenaline, they should have much more energy and awareness when it comes to performing.

Action plan:

• Facial expressions

• Correct body language

• Enjoyment

• Performance

As a result of my audition, I got the role of Chloe. This is the character I auditioned for. Watching the musical was a massive help for me to understand her personality and character to portray that in my audition. For example, in the musical most comments where sarcastic and the way she went around by portraying that was amazing to add to my audition. I will continue to memorise my lines, harmonies and songs that are needed when getting a role.

Relevance:

I will continuously and repeatedly learn my lines and who I'm in a scene with as this well help me memorise them quickly and efficiently. I will continue to work hard as I do not want to let anyone down and so I can get off book quicker to focus on my acting more than learning the lines.

Action plan:

• Learning lines

• Learning songs

• Learning harmonies

• Learning choreography