WARM UP
In the warm up, we played a focus game called Samurai. There are two groups of people with one leader from both and the leader has to do a specific action to which the other team will do the corresponding movement. If the leader claps, the other team has to spin around. If the leader puts both arms up, the other team has to do a squat. If the leader kicks, the other team has to jump. If the leader puts their arm in a direction, the other team has to follow that direction. I found this game very fun and interesting and I did quite well in it but I struggled to keep a straight face throughout.
REHEARSALS
Today, rehearsals went a lot smoother. My character didn't look like as big of a role as the rest of them so we did an improvisation game where my main objective was to get a burger that my class mates had. I struggled with this exercise in the beginning but after a while it really helped me form my through-line objective the day before the show. With this new objective, I made some drastic differences to my choreography which is a lot better than what I have been rehearsing for months. I'm glad I've now changed it and I'm prepared for the performance. The rehearsals with the orchestra went a lot better as now all of the musicians were there and we were a bit more used to the instruments and timing.
WARM UP
For the warm up we did the same Sally song as yesterday and two other songs. For the Sally song, we did lunges for the first part of the song and squats for the second half. My legs were already aching from all of the squats we did the day before so I really struggled. Mr Lemon told the cast that your mind quits before your body, so I really wanted to keep going to prove to myself that I could do it even when my mind quit. By the end of the song, I ended up crying because I was in so much pain, but I felt stronger and happier afterwards.
We did Love The Way You Lie by Rihanna and Eminem:
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Every time Rihanna sang, we held a crunch position and every time Eminem rapped, we did sit ups. This was a lot easier than the Sally song we did in my opinion as I have stronger ab muscles than leg muscles.
We also did Thunderstruck by ACDC:
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In this song, every time the word "thunder" was said even in the word "thunderstruck", we had to do a burpee. By this time we were all absolutely worn out so we struggled to carry on.
REHEARSAL
For the rehearsal, we had a bit of a tough time, especially Tristan, the narrator, to adapt to the orchestra as this was our first rehearsal with them. One of the musicians wasn't able to make the rehearsal which was even more difficult and stressful. Some of the music was faster and some was slower than the recording that we had previously been rehearsing to. For example, my music when Tristan says, "In a twinkling, the cat climbed up the tree" was significantly faster than the recording. Despite all of this, we still managed to make things work. Our first run through was even worse than the day before, so all of us got down hearted for a bit but then we pulled ourselves together and did a much better second rehearsal.
For our warmup, we started with a game of Splat to get our blood pumping and bodies moving. This helped with our energy later on when rehearsing as we were all ready and warmed up
REHEARSAL
In this rehearsal, we solidified our movement for after Peter lets the rope down for me to put over the Wolf. This time we had the actual tree we intend to use, however, it was quite difficult as the tree was taller than we expected so throwing the rope over was hard. We came up with a solution to throw the rope out of one of the holes in the tree. This seemed to end up working, but then we faced another problem. When I have to jump out of the tree, I have to make sure I jump more forwards than up like I was doing before as I would hit the tree. We then carried on to do the procession and just went over our movements.
WARM UP
Last week we completed our blocking, so in this rehearsal we did a game at the beginning to see if we remembered each segment of sound and run to where our characters should be. The only problem with this was that there are many times when the same piece of music repeats so it was difficult to immediately get into position. This game was, however, very fun and got everyone moving.
REHEARSAL
We kept going over our movements and blocking to improve some details or just to engrave everything in our minds. We went over the bird and Peter interaction at the beginning of the piece. This has come a long way from where we started. I think we need to focus on the wolf a bit more and help him with his choreography. The cast did get a little tired at points leading to us being quite unmotivated which is something I think we all really struggle with. I think we need to work on our stamina a lot as this play is 30 mins of movements so we need to have that nailed.
REHEARSAL
In this rehearsal, we re-blocked the procession so that it makes more sense with the music and the storyline.
Before, our procession was boring and lifeless but we changed it because that wouldn't be appropriate for our target audience as they want it to be interactive and exciting.
We now have Peter, the wolf and the huntsmen interacting with the audience and walking around whilst the cat and grandfather perform their segment.
Then the cat and grandad come off stage and meet Peter, the wolf and the huntsmen and interact with the children whilst the bird performs.
Then we all go off stage and come back on for the curtain call.
This has been improved greatly and now the cast is more confident in the piece.
REHEARSAL
In this rehearsal, we tried to block the rest of the piece that we haven't been through to establish where everything will be. We also figured out a way to catch Hugo, the wolf, with the rope. We've decided that Louis will hold the rope on either side and then throw it around Hugo's waist. We've also figured out how to make the stone wall. We will get some staging blocks and then stick a stone wall wallpaper on top of it.
REHEARSAL
In this rehearsal we managed to finish the blocking for our piece from before the procession. I think that it will be a lot easier to progress with our movements and choreography now we know where we need to be and at what point in the music. I believe I need to work on my choreography for in the tree when I'm next to the bird. I think I need to have a more cat like movement and possibly have some interactions with the bird. Our energy was a lot better than the last rehearsals however, I think that some people weren't in the best mood.
In this rehearsal, we figured out that having a thrust stage would be too difficult to perform in. I believe if there wasn't a tree we had to "climb", a thrust stage would be possible. We are now going to perform on the stage of the auditorium rather than the floor with the chairs pushed back. We carried on choreographing this piece but it was quite difficult to think about the rearrangement of the stage and where the pond, tree and fence will be. I changed my movements to make it more exaggerated which I think a younger audience will enjoy. I also payed more attention to my music and now have choreography which works better with it.
UNICORN THEATRE
Specialises in children's theatre
Shows for ages 4-7:
Anansi the spider - 55 mins This is an immersive and highly engaging experience. Instead of conventional seating, children and adults will sit together on the floor in the world of Anansi. We will have some seating for people who need it and will be able to accommodate you on the day. ...
One day Mouse is gobbled up by a wolf. ‘Oh woe’ says Mouse, who fears this must be the end. But then we discover Duck, who was, until Mouse arrived, taking a nap. As it turns out, it’s pretty nice living inside the belly of the beast with a new friend. There’s delicious food, dancing and – better still – no more fear of being eaten! Meanwhile, outside in the forest, things aren’t quite as rosy for Wolf who is being stalked by a hunter. Realising their fates are intertwined, Duck and Mouse hatch a winning plan… Join us this Christmas for the stage adaptation of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s brilliantly subversive picture book which finds joy and friendship in the darkest and most unusual of places.
Wild - 50 mins Wild’s home is the forest. Bears teach her how to eat, birds help her to speak, and foxes show her how to play. She is irrepressibly wild. Then one day, some new animals arrive. They look oddly like her – and they want to take Wild away. But what if she was happy where she was? Adapted from the glorious picture book by artist Emily Hughes, Wild is brought to life by inventive young company How It Ended (The Little Gardener, UK tour). This energetic story, told with atmospheric sound, movement and puppetry, celebrates the free spirit in all of us.
When their beautiful golden ring is stolen, the Owl and the Pussy-cat must travel far from the safety of the Bong-tree glade as their search for the thief leads them across the sea, to the Chankly Bore and beyond.
Find out what these two beloved characters did next and join them on a journey through a nonsensical land full of adventure.
Julia Donaldson and Charlotte Voake’s sequel to Edward Lear’s classic poem is brought to life on stage for the first time with stunning puppetry, enchanting rhyme and original music.
It’s Christmas Eve on the farm, and the chickens, pigs and cows are fast asleep. Inside the farmhouse, the fire is roaring and a delicious, steaming pudding is left out on the windowsill…
When Charlie and her dad move to the farm from the city, everything seems to go wrong. Dolly the cow’s in a grump, there’s not an egg to be found, and even the cockerel has stopped crowing! If only they’d paid attention to the mysterious note left on their windowsill about a curious pixie and the pudding she likes to eat on Christmas Eve…
This brand new musical brings a tale from Scandinavian folklore to life with puppetry, original music and a sprinkling of pixie magic.
The world is a very big place, especially for a tiny baby penguin who is just finding her feet. The shimmering stars and glistening snow spin around our little hero, while the mountains tower high and the wind rushes to and fro. And although baby penguin may be small, her family know she’s the biggest thing of all.
This early years favourite is a lovely and touching story about a parent and their love for their child by much loved children’s author Emma Dodd.
When a little girl makes a string of paper dolls, she takes them by the hand on a fantastical adventure. Whirling through the home and garden they fly through the air, until they are confronted with some very sharp scissors…
Adapted from the acclaimed picture book created by former Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson and award-winning illustrator by Rebecca Cobb, The Paper Dolls comes to life with stunning puppetry and original music in Polka Theatre’s much-loved production.
In this rehearsal we were beginning to choreograph the show. We had a few difficulties such as finding ways to make it all visible to the audience as we are using a thrust stage. We each came up with a set movement for our characters. As the cat, mine was a stealthy walk in time with the music. I believe I can improve on this movement to make it more interesting and entertaining for a younger audience.
Pantomimeincludes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing. It employs gender-crossing actors and combines topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale. They often use direct audience address which children like as they feel involved.
Musicals are also a big hit among children. A lot of musicals are based off of films, some of which weren't originally musicals, like Mathilda the Musical. However many were already musical films, such as, School of Rock, The Lion King and Aladdin.
QUESTIONS TO ASK CHILDREN
What's your favourite film and why?
Have you ever seen a show at a theatre?
If so, what was it and did you like it?
What is your favourite fairy tale and why?
If we were to perform a play for children your age, what do you think we should include and why?
Would you like it if the actors on stage would ask the audience questions to interact with them?
