Josie Lockwood

Sound

May 24, 2013May 24, 2013 Josie Mae Lockwood

Much like the lighting, the sound was to be simple and only played when necessary, for instance, the television show theme music was used to represent someone flicking through the channels of the television. The main sounds for 130,000 were two recorded verbatim extracts, added effects were made to the recordings, using the programme Audacity, to represent a televised and radio interview.

Below is the television theme music before the recording and effects were added:

Tv channel

Below is the final audio for the televsion theme music with added effects and recording:

Tv channel 2

Below is the recording for the radio verbatim with added effects:

Rob Radio Speech

Other sounds were used to determine where characters were, for instance, Ronnie’s witness to the stabbing outside was illustrated by a traffic sound effect, along with a Jay-Z song, as this is mentioned later on in the play.

Lighting

May 24, 2013May 24, 2013 Josie Mae Lockwood

The role of the lighting designer is a modern role within theatre, ‘in British theatre the term was largely unknown until the 1960s, when lighting was still controlled by the Stage Manager or Director’ (Palmer, S., 2010, p. 98). However, with the development of sophisticated lanterns and control systems it was realised that lighting had an important role within a performance, hence the need for a lighting designer. Much like the stage management team, the lighting team differs depending on the size of the company and venue. A typical theatre company would include: a chief electrician (Chief LX), a deputy electrician (Deputy LX), two assistant electricians (Assistant LX) and a six or more casual staff (Palmer, S., 2010 p. 98). The lighting designer must produce a lighting plan, specify the types of lantern required and their direction, focus, intensity and colour.

WAKEUP Theatre transforms the same space into different spaces therefore, lighting is integral to that process. In 130,000 it was decided that all lights were to be simple and effective therefore, no colour was to be used so as not to distract the audience from the dialogue. The only exception to this was the sofa scene. To represent the characters watching the television a blue and white chase was originally used however, during the technical run this was found to be ineffective. It was then decided to use four colour gels and for each colour coordinate to the different sound effects. All the verbatim extracts were to be in spotlights and snap off to the next lighting state, this is because they needed to be distinguished from the fictional text. All other lighting states were simple washes firstly, to illustrate where the characters were and secondly, our chosen stage area meant limited rigging space within the venue.

Works Cited

Palmer, S. (2010) Essential guide to Stage Management, Lighting and Sound, Oxon: Hoddereducation

Stage Management

May 23, 2013May 24, 2013 Josie Mae Lockwood

Every stage management team is different depending on the size of the company. A typical stage management team would include the following: Stage Manager (SM), Deputy Stage Manager (DSM), Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) and the stage crew. The stage manager is the main channel of communication between all the backstage departments and the director, actors and producer. In the case of a smaller company, like WAKEUP Theatre, it is possible that the stage manager may need to undertake a variety of jobs such as, sourcing props, costume, set and sound as well as operating the sound and lighting desks. However, ‘even in a larger organization with full resources it is important for every stage management team member to have a good working knowledge of everyone else’s job in order to co-ordinate all the departments successfully by appreciating and anticipating their needs and problems’ (Hawkins, T. and Menear, P., 1988, p. 7).

The stage manager is in charge of creating the prompt script which consists of: an accurate version of the script including cuts and rewrites, clear blocking, all cues including lighting, sound, scene changes and the details of each cue and cue sheets and casts lists. Below is an example from WAKEUP Theatre prompt book .

Due to the module assessment criteria and size of the company, some of my stage management roles were assigned to the producer, such as rehearsal schedules, room bookings and the cast lists.

Below is a typical breakdown of tasks the stage manager would undertake in the final weeks leading up to the performance. I tried to keep to this schedule as much as possible however due to the arrangement of the module some tasks such as, a full technical run on day three was not feasible.

(Image 1. Hawkins, T. and Menear, P., 1988, pp. 9-10).

The technical rehearsal is a chance for the backstage team to prepare their role in the production and is where the stage manager role comes in full swing. The stage manager should be in charge backstage and oversee and issues that may arise within the technical run. It is also a chance for the actors to become accustomed with the lights, sound and props in the stage space. Technical runs are always a stressful time for everyone involved therefore, ‘it is essential to take regular schedules breaks even if the rehearsal is falling behind’(Hawkins, T. and Menear, P., 1988, p. 63). During the performance the stage manager is situated in the prompt corner, an offstage area where they give cues to the technical staff through the use of cans. For 130,000 the stage manager was situated in the gallery next to the tech box. This was due to the fact that all actors where on stage throughout the performance therefore, no prompts for actors entrances was needed. If possible, the operators may have their own scripts with cues marked in however, this is only if the performance is straightforward with very few cues or few technical crew.

Works Cited

Hawkins, T. and Meanear, P. (1988) Stage Management and Theatre Administration, Manchester: Phaidon

Rehearsal Notes

April 15, 2013May 23, 2013 Josie Mae Lockwood

Date: 15/04/2013

Length: 9am-3pm

Notes

Re-arrangement of set to involve a more playable space

Full read through and rough blocking complete

Added extra scene at the end – Kwama verbatim

Timed run (only up to pg.57): 55min

Estimated full time: 60-70min

Lights

Lights for fast food joint section

Lighting change (p.1) for Ronnie S1 to represent change in mood/action after she runs on

Lighting change (p. 59) for Ronnie S25 to represent change in mood/action

Sound

Bell sound for entrances to fast food joint

Props

Throw for sofa

Court room podium box for certain verbatim scenes

3 extra chairs

Cutlery boxes, salt/pepper, napkin holders for table

Clear/Perspex board for CCTV scene (still in discussion)

2 chairs at prop box

Money notes/change for Shanice pg. 22

Papers for S20

Date: 17/4/2013

Length: 2pm-5.30pm

Notes

Changed/arranged set in LPAC

Timed run: (with other cast member filling in) just over 55 mins

Estimated total run: 60-65 mins

Checked for major set pieces under stage – found all that we needed so far

Props

A 3 Step platform placed left of prop box

1 long table set behind prop box to be used in interview scenes

Newspaper S7

Date: 18/4/2013

Length: 9am-12pm

Notes

Scene 4 to possibly be cut as it seems to be an odd scene and possibly stopping the flow of the performance

Run through in some costume with all cast members bar one.

Blocking and worked out details in scene 5, 12 and 24 as these have the majority of the cast on stage at one time.

Re-arranged the set again to accommodate audience members who may be sat at the end to make them feel more included, this involved moving the two fast food tables and chairs more CS as well as moving the podium from DR to DRC

Props

Scene 5 headphones and newspaper for Ronnie

Date: 24/4/2013

Length: 10am-4pm

Notes

Watched clips of Kidulthood to help characterisation

Decided to make an events page on Facebook and invite friends to the performance, to gain an idea of audience numbers as well as promotion

Try to get a spot in Lincs FM or Siren FM to promote the performance

Record Rob’s verbatim S7

CCTV Section in S3 changed to represent a briefing and share dialogue between Matt and Joe

Props

Julie’s verbatim S2 – tissue intead of mug

Radio for S6/7

Folder for S3 CCTV section

Date: 25/4/2013

Length: 11-3pm

Notes

Worked on scenes 5, 12 and 17 for entrances and exits

Run through

Props

Paper/pen for S9

Recorder for S20 instead of lamp

Date: 2/5/2013

Length: 10-12pm and 6-8pm

Notes

Discussed and finalised costume, all performers will have a black base and add tops etc. for certain characters

Box graffiti will include: Wakeup theatre, twitter account, title of piece and based upon Roy Williams Fallout.

Update on marketing: Possible teaser trailer, posters to be printed, promo pictures to be taken.

Full run through with Wes with discussion on his notes as well as directors.

Date: 3/5/2013

Length: 10-12pm

Notes

Worked on scenes from last night’s rehearsal notes

Possible music for fast food joint and stop music at certain points

Cast and crew went out into Lincoln to take promotional pictures for flyers, posters and trailer

Date: 5/5/2013

Length: 7-9pm

Notes

Able to rehearse on the LPAC stage

Warm up to help with voice projection in the space

Curtain issue to help with echo and condense the stage space

Moved the set onto the loud section of the floor to help reduce noise levels

Moved counter to DSL for better view and possibly assist with the noise level of the floor

Date: 8/5/2013

Length: 10-3pm

Notes

Matt and Joe scene moved from bench to office

Worked on Dwayne and Emile fight scene, verbatim extracts and interrogation scenes

Playback of recordings of Rob and Chelsey

Date: 9/5/2013

Length: 10-12pm and 7-9pm

Notes

Worked on sofa scene with sound

Worked on Dwayne and Emile fight scene, broke down scene into individual sections

Worked on interrogation Emile and Ronnie’s interrogation scene

Entire run through

Date: 12/5/2013

Length: 5-7

Notes

Run through on stage – Director and Stage Manager went through lighting changes and sound

Worked on individual scenes that were picked up in the run through

Rehearsal Notes

Date: 14/5/2013

Length: 10-4pm

Notes

Run through with worked on each scene if necessary

Music

City noise with Jay z ‘on to the next one’ over the top fade out when she starts to walk off

Took out bell noise for café entrance

Rehearsal Notes

Date: 15/5/2013

Length: 10-4pm

Notes

Printed off flyers

Worked on individual scenes

Discussed the schedule for 16^th dress run

Lighting

Finalised lighting plot and cue sheet

Sound

Finalised sound

Rehearsal Notes

Date: 16/5/2013

Length: 10-2pm and 4-8pm

Notes

Full run through ready for dress run

Final work on individual scenes

Dress run (with sound) 6.30pm with invited audience for feedback

Sound

City noise needs to be heard before Jay-Z audio fades in

Theatre Trailers

March 12, 2013May 24, 2013 Josie Mae Lockwood

What is a trailer?

Trailers are a great way of marketing a product to get an audience interested. Trailers for films, TV programmes and TV advertisements have been used for a while however, only recently trailers have been produced for the live medium. With such sites as YouTube, distribution of videos is much easier and can reach a wider audience. They also fit well into social networks for example, it is easy enough to find a trailer, post it onto a social networking site and either promote how well you enjoyed the performance or get people interested in going to watch it. It is also a great way of attracting audiences even if the production hasn’t started rehearsing, with so much software available to make animations and so on it is possible to set the tone and mood of the production without showing any bits of performance material.

What makes a good trailer?

A good trailer needs communicate a theatre company’s inspiration for the production not just the production itself. Theatre company’s also need to produce a trailer aimed at the audience they wish to attract. Of course it is possible different people will be interested but if it is a specific performance for a specific audience this must be communicated. Music is integral to a good trailer since it sets the mood for the piece. The music used should reflect the production and be used in the production so the audience have a connection. If possible, examples of the production should be included as this gives the audience an idea of what they can expect. A trailer should also be treated as an extension of the production, a piece of art in its own right, otherwise it could just look like a copy of a film trailer.

Examples of theatre company trailers

1927 Presents: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

The trailer didn’t give too much away which gained my interest as it made me want to see more. I could see that it would be a multimedia performance which also made me interested. However, the scenes were too quick and it was difficult to read everything that was on the screen. This made it difficult to really understand what the performance was going to involve.

1927 Presents: The Animals and the Children Took to the Streets

The company had learnt from their previous attempt and the scenes were slowed down. This made it easier to read and get an understanding of what the performance would involve. It still didn’t give too much away but enough to gain my interest.

Imitating the Dog: The Zero Hour

Although I was interested it seem quite long. There was too much information at the beginning to concentrate on for instance, I began listening to who was speaking but once examples of the performance were shown I started concentrated on that and blocking out what was being said. I got a sense of what the performance involved but not a lot was giving away nevertheless this made it more interesting and made me want to more.

Blast Theory: A Machine to See With

This trailer included information about who they are, what they do and why. This was good background information but was presented in a poor way and not all of it was necessary, for that reason after a while I began to lose concentration. I understood that it was a site specific performance however I did not quite understand what my role as an audience member would be. Would I be the one on the phone or watch the person on the phone? Even though this was confusing it also made me want to find out what this production would involve.

Using the previous examples, a good trailer must give a clear inclination about the type of work they are producing, for example multi-media, by possibly showing clips of the performance. However it must not give too much away and keep the audience wanting to see more. As well as this it must not be too overloaded on content so the audience are able to gain interest and have an idea of what is expected of them. Music is essential, since all of the examples included it in some form, as it is a way of giving an impression as to the mood of the performance. Most importantly it must interest the type of audience the company are aiming for.