Voice (Final VDP)

Throughout these past few weeks, we have been each in small groups been leading warm ups, these warm ups have changed each week as we are given one area to focus on, i.e breathing or stretches. In this blog I will be talking you through some of the exercises I chose for my group and why. However the difference to our normal warm ups is this was to prepare us for restoration.

Intercostal Muscles

First week we were given intercostal muscles, the exercises I used were. Picking apples and pears, this helps to stretch out the intercostals as you are reaching up down and side to side opening out these areas that are necessary for breath intake. I also did arm over head leaning stretches which help to stretch you sides, if you do this and you cant feel the stretch you can always release the arm you aren't using dropping it down, which causes you to pull on your side more. 

Face

Stretching the face was important for restoration, the words used within it had do be pronounced with excellent diction and so the exercises I chose helped us to use our mouths appropriately to pronounce these words. I first started with Raisin Face Pumpkin face which aloud use to tighten areas of our face, so that once released they would be fully relaxed. This was followed by massaging areas of the face for full relaxation. Now the face was warmed up the jaw needed to be relaxed and so we did an exercise called gorm face where you let your jaw drop, you can also hold both you hands and shake whilst doing this for more effect.

Neck and Tongue

First we began with the neck, yawing and swallowing allowed us to warm up the very back of the neck inside, which can be hard to reach when exercising the neck. We then went to the tongue where we circled it clockwise for 60 seconds then anti clockwise. After this we pretended to lick a lolly that was far away from us stretching the very back of the tongue. Finally we finished up with some tongue twisters so we could see the effect of the exercises as well as training our tongues to move quickly whilst pronouncing words. All of the exercises allow you to have good diction if practised often.

Full Body

With the full body I worked from the very bottom to the top, this was very important in my opinion to the guys, as the stances we had to hold during Restoration can cause the guys a lot of pain if they don't stretch fully. I started with the feet massaging them because I found myself getting cramp there a lot when standing in position, then I moved to the carves and thighs kneeing them like dough and then wobbling them to realise tension. Then I moved onto the hips pretending my hips were a knife and we were trying to scrape jam out of the very corners of the jar, this gave us more control over our hips, which for most guys can be a struggle. Then to the torso stretching the back and sides with arm lunges and over the head arm stretches. Finally I finished with a full body roll down to release all tension.

Breathing

For breathing began with inhaling for a count holding for a count then realising over a count, then repeating this, but for longer counts, which allows us to extend our breath control. I then moved onto blowing up a rubber ring with a straw focusing on the diaphragm and controlling it. My final exercise was laying down on the floor putting on hand on my stomach and concentration on only breathing from my stomach once that had been achieved id try to do it standing up, this allows us to focus on breathing from the diaphragm.

Vocal Warm up

We first started with waking up the articulators, tapping the areas such as the chest, the nasal area and the head. After this we began to hum and do it in the style of a waterfall ie high pitch hum to low tone hum hitting each area of resonation on the way, once this was achieved we took the hum to a ahhh sound.

Contextual Studies 4 (The Double Dealer)

Within this entry I shall be looking at both the staging of the play how we have done it, and also how it may have been done during the time period it was written, looking at set, lighting, music ect.

Our Set

Our set

 
During the 17th century theatre had separate audiences, and what I mean by this is that more lavish productions were not open to the public, these were called "Masques", which featured music, dancing, extravagant set designs, beautiful costumes and also special effects. These were only open to the nobility. Our performances in this era however, are open to all who wish to attend. For instance our play that we are performing is open to anyone. Back then the parts of Gods and Heroes were given to nobility also, where as now we all audition for parts that we would like and we are all given an equal chance. A man names Inigo Jones introduced the proscenium arch to theatre as well as moveable set. Our show may not be performed and a stage such as this, but we have incorporated the idea of movable set, for instance we have to places that the play is set in and the back slats rotate and switch between scenes. Restoration era was about being flamboyant, sets were carefully designed to fit this but were also simplistic, they would have one back drop that would have been painted to fit the play, as well as extra props and furniture of course. And we have tried to follow this idea, our set is very simplistic it is three slats that are on wheels so that it is easier to change the scenes around, the slats were painted with bright yellows and pinks, to fit with the flamboyancy of the era, and we have various bits of furniture such as a 17th century looking chair, a Chaise Lounge, a smoking table, with classes a small smoking tin, which changes to be a table in which a candle sits on, but these just fill the stage so it doesn't feel bare, whilst giving it the look of the period.
 



Script Annotations (The Double Dealer)

 

 

Here are a couple of pages of annotations that were taken from my script, they are a few notes I had written myself. They have been taken from my first scene within the play.