Second Monologue Performance Feedback

In my performance I projected louder and slowed the performance down a lot so that it didn't seem too rushed and so that my voice wasn't breathy. After the performance Sonya said that I could still make the character over the top and really exagerate how slow he is. I also need to work more on props and think about a costume. Sonya thinks dungerees and wellies would add to the comedic effect, and personally I agree. But I think that if all of the costume was mismatched (different coloured wellies for example) would add even more to the fact that Launce is slow. I also think that if I had a stuffed dog on wheels it would make the scene even more funnier.

Confidence is Preparation in Action!

After receiving feedback from Sonya and Aimee, I have been constantly working on my monologue. I have worked harder to project louder and also I have done a lot of character work.
My character is supposed to be dimwitted and quite slow so to do this I recreated a varied range of 'blonde moments'. These things are when some of my friends do or say something ridiculously silly and basically incorporate the moment into my performance. The voice I need is slower and less well spoken, however it still needs to be understandable. This led to another point that Aimee and Sonya said, I need to be careful of my articulation. My voice needs to be strong and confident but also show that my character is slower and less educated. The perfect voice type would be John Matuszak who played Lotney 'Sloth' Fratelli in The Goonies (1985).

Sloth - The Goonies 1985

Monologue Performance

I performed my monologue for Sonya and Aimee and I believe I have improved greatly since the first time I performed it to Aimee. I still have a lot I can improve but most importantly I need to project louder. I feel I gave a confident performance and I received some great feedback. I need to work on my articulation at the very beginning of the piece and also do some more work on my use of props. Sonya and Aimee agreed that I could be even bigger and make the performance over the top because that is how the character is portrayed. I have a lot to think about and when I perform it next, I should be able to give an excellent performance.

The Restoration

This era follows the execution of King Charles I by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans. This marked the beginning of a 7 year civil war between Parliamentarians (The Roundheads) and Royalists (The Cavaliers).

The following 11 years are now known as The Commonwealth and had no reigning monarch. Charles II was exiled and hiding in France so that he didn't get the chop from Cromwell.

When Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, his son Richard took over. However Richard was pretty useless and had no real power so he resigned within the year, dissolving the Commonwealth, or The Protectorate as it was then called.

Oliver Cromwell

George Monck, the English Governor of Scotland seized the opportunity and led his forces to London. On his way there he took over any opposing forces and eventually he brought about the necessary political reforms that allowed the return of Charles II as King of the Isles. This marks the beginning of a new monarchy system. From these statutes and laws, the monarchy has no real power and must ultimately follow Parliament. This is the beginning of Constitutional Monarchy, should a reigning monarch defy Parliament, they will be removed from their reign.





George Monck



During the Puritan and Cromwell's regime, all theatres were closed in 1642. Performances were thus illegal and punishable by fine, torture, or death. During this time, public performances were nonexistent but some performers rebelled. They moved away from large cities into the countryside where they put on secret shows which were usually comedies and were short in length. All of these shows carried a dire risk and were therefore very secret. Only those who were trusted were invited to see them for fear of punishment.

William Beeston was given the remains of Salisbury Court Theatre in 1652 and he eventually rebuilt it in 1660. He is known to be one of the eras first managers in public theatres to have used scenery.

William Davenant was another leading playwright and also a poet during this time. He became Poet Laureate in 1638, after the death of Ben Jonson. He was even rumoured to be Shakespeare's son! Davenant, during the strict laws against theatrical performances, converted a room in his home, Rutland House, into a private theatre. It was here where he performed The Siege of Rhodes, which is now considered to be England's very first Opera and also the first public performance with a female actress on stage - Mrs. Cole. The first credited professional actress is in fact Margaret Hughes, the lover and partner of Prince Rupert of the Rhine.



Margaret Hughes







Preparation for Showcase

I have been working hard on learning lines and blocking for both of my classical pieces.

For my monologue I have decided to ignore the use of props in a stereotypical way. For example, instead of taking my shoes off and talking to them normally, I leave them on and focus on them whilst they are on my feet. This makes it more unique and more comedic to watch. I have read and reread my lines continuously, the repetition is the best way for me to learn the lines and I have found it easier to do so whilst moving and thinking about staging etc.
I have also did some work on characterisation. Launce is a common man and isn't the brightest of men and therefore I show how easily he is confused and how forgetful he can be at times.

For my scene piece I have been walking through the scene and reading my lines. Hopefully the method will work as effectively for this piece as it did with my monologue. The main problem I have is that I don't have a lot of time to rehearse the scene with the first years and it is difficult because it is an ensemble piece. Today we worked on the blocking of the scene and I made some changes to the blocking already in place. Now, the scene begins as the fairies enter and run into the audience and cause mischief for the spectators. Then Titania and I enter and take a seat. As my character, Bottom, who is pompous and pretentious, calls on the fairies they appear in the audience and run down to the stage and dance around Titania and Bottom. Throughout this, the heads' of Puck and Oberon can be clearly seen behind them, there bodies hid behind curtains. We thought this would add more humour and make the scene more entertaining. The fairies all leave, leaving me still on stage as Bottom who is asleep. The end is when Bottom wakes as if from a dream and exits the stage. It still needs a lot of work before it is ready and I still need to learn my learns so that I can focus on the blocking without a script in hand.

Bottom with the Fairies

I think my monologue is ready for viewing but I could perhaps tweak it and add more comedic movements and vocal techniques. The scene piece still needs a lot of work before I would happily perform it to an audience.

How to Brew Love! - The Shakespearian Method

Okay, so the best part of the play is the flower that Puck uses to cause trouble with. The Love-in-Idleness. Shakespeare uses a lot of botanical (flowers) references in his works especially this play. Most people believe the flower to be a Viola, however in this scene it is a Pansy, a pun in a sense for the homoerotic nature of the movie.
Here's how to create Cupid's Love Juice (Love-in-Idleness Flower), so, enjoy, though don't try this at home!

This scene is from Were The World Mine (2008).

Another great thing about this piece is that is shows of physical the fairies are, which is important for the scene because it shows a way of making the characters much more dimensional and real.

My Scene Piece

The scene I was given to work on was Act IV Scene I from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. I will be acting the part of Nick Bottom.


A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most famous and well-known plays and is just as popular in modern times as it was when he first played it at The Theatre in London.

 It has inspired lots of modern remakes, including the 2008 short film - Were The World Mine.

Were The World Mine - Based on William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream



The play is centred on several themes such as Love, and Feminism.

One of the themes of the play, Feminism, was due to the political climate at the time.

The play brought up the issue of having different voices of authority such as patriarchal law with Egeus, and the monarchy (Theseus).



In the play, Theseus doesn't punish the lovers for their behaviour, and rule-breaking running around the forest. When he forgave the four young people, Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius, he made a separation between patriarchal law (Egeus) and the royal law (Theseus), and effectively created two different voices of authority as is what was happening in the political world concerning the next in line to the English throne after Henry VIII's death.

During Elizabeth I's reign, the monarchs were seen as having two bodies: The body natural, and the body mystical. On one hand, her father Willed her to be his successor and therefore it was patriarchal law. In addition, she was the daughter of the king and therefore she was a natural born heir to the throne. Both of these points were to ensure that the crown passed on to her, instead of the church approved Mary Stuart.