Ideas For a Showcase: My role

I have been recently thinking- over the course of my half-term break- about how i as a musician will be able to fit in to this seemingly large showcase performance under the theme 'Everybody has a story'. During the course of these two years however, i have realised that i particularly enjoy working alongside the actors when preparing for a performance in the way that i can have some kind of input that will improve their performance further, for example by coming up with various ideas for different arrangements of certain scenes. Rather than being completely segregated from the other groups of actors, i can pitch in and get involved with their work to have some kind of positive influence on their preparation. Bearing this in mind, i thought it would be great if i could have this type of role again, as rather than taking a back-seat and sticking to the music, i will be able to help out the actors perhaps in some ways. However, i must be able to balance my work with the actors with my own personal preparation in the way that i must make sure that i have learnt my pieces correctly and that i am able to play the piece fluently, and only then will i be able to get involved a lot more. This requires a considerable amount of hard work, so i will need to be very focused during these preparation sessions if i am certain about this choice, so that i can balance these factors out equally and i can minimise the risk of error within my performance. If oush comes to shove, perhaps when the piece is significantly complex and in which i must practice a lot more, then i will have no choice but to take a back-seat, but if i can handle this certain piece and have prepared well, then i should be able to have the type of role i want in the showcase.

Idea for a Showcase: Musical involvement

I have now begun to think about how i will involve music in this idea and how i can interpret a suitable atmosphere to the audience so that they are more beneficial in the way that they will be able to understand the thoughts and feelings of the actors through a certain piece of music. I was thinking that having a soft backing track running behind the actors' monologues would be a great idea as it is able to set a suitable mood before the monologue and the scene starts and will play throughout the monologue. My initial idea for the showcase was mainly based around a more melancholy performance as the monologues will set a good atmosphere, so for this i was tending to think towards more finger-picking songs which are less full-on and can be played in a more softer, dramatic sense. However, along with this, i could still use chords and play them normally, but i would need to do that in a way that is kind of soft, yet will still hold the right mood for the certain scene. For example, using softer stroking of the strings gives a more soothing feel to the song, but i will need to alter this slightly in different ways if i would like to be able to interpret it in the right way. In terms of pieces and songs for the showcase, i was feeling quite drawn to a song called 'Plastic Man', as performed by the band Seether, which seems to tell a story of a lost and broken man, wanting to find his way in life. I feel this would be a perfect piece in terms of a monologue beholding a similar storyline. However, we have not yet had any concrete ideas, so for the moment i will note down possible pieces to play for the moment and maybe refer back to them when we are more organised with our showcase. Any updates on further ideas and pieces will either be updated below, or in a separate post!

Idea for a Showcase

My idea for a showcase comes under the title 'Everyone has a Story'. My idea consists of about 4/5 characters performing a series of monologues talking about their certain story, and then slowly leading into a sort of reenactment of their event, whether it be a more upbeat story, or a series of tragic and traumatic events. For example, the first character would step forward and continue into a monologue which effectively sets the right mood for the reenactment of the story. Once he has finished, he will freeze on the spot which allows his fellow actors to set up the scene behind him, giving a sort of memory effect in which he is reliving this event when the certain scene is coming together. Then the actor could switch out of the freeze-frame and enter the setting so everyone can experience his story. However, I am not certain how all stories can link together and how it could all build up to an ending, but I am sure that this type of acting will be very effective as the mood can be set before the scene is acted out which will build up a better atmosphere. One example for a way for every story to link in wiht each other is to have the stories overlap each other. What i mean by this is that the actors in the background (extras)could feature in someone elses scene, and later on in the performance the audience can find out why they are there. There are many various options that can be added to this idea, including thene being reenacted behind a character performing a monologue where there is a silent play being performed behind, which too would build atmosphere. However, it ultimately depends on how we want the play to be acted and what kind of atmosphere we want to build.