Hamilton rehearsal log

1. Hamilton rehearsal log
In this session we focused on staging the scene the Hamilton,
Non-Stop scene. Our target was to start working on the
movements and choreography of the piece while also attempting to
add our characters dialogue. We wanted to start staging this early as we believed this seen is very
focused on the staging and movement therefore we felt it wads essential to begin with this and
then to build on from there.
The SMART targets that I focused on in this rehearsal was assisting with directions/choreography
and identifying characteristics. In order to do this I gave my input when staging the beginning
parts of the scene and also attempted the di
ff
erent characteristics of my character, such as things
like Hamilton’s American accent, his con
fi
dence and proxemics with Burr.
In order to provide our class with a challenge we chose to produce a musical theatre showcase
which will include di
ff
erent scenes from a variety of di
ff
erent musicals, in order to showcase all of
our individual talents in all three aspects of musicals theatre- dancing, singing and acting. We
knew this would be a challenge as it would mean we would have to research and analyse multiple
di
ff
erent musicals and all of of us would have to broaden our skills into the di
ff
erent aspects of
musical theatre. This therefore would bene
fi
t all of us individually as by doing this we will all
develop and broaden our strengths and skills as a performer. The
fi
rst scene we looked at for our
showcase was Non-Stop from Hamilton. As a class we knew this meant we would have to
fi
nd
ways to theatrically portray people in the late 1700s/ early 1800s. After choosing a scene from
Hamilton I knew this would challenge me as it meant I would have to take part in singing and
rapping and various di
ff
erent movements and choreography, which are more out of my comfort
zone as an actor. To help us we took part in various di
ff
erent workshops including one where we
solely focused on the dialogue and singing within this scene and not the acting. This supported
me with this challenge as it helped me focus in on my rapping and singing, including things like
my accent, my timing and my projection, without having to focus on my characterisation and
movement at the same time.
After researching the piece we gathered a much better understanding of the play as whole.
Hamilton, being set in 1700s, tells the story of an American founding father, Alexander Hamilton,
and his journey from poverty into power against the backdrop of the American war of
independence, while showing the di
ffi
culties, challenges, opponents and relationships he faces
through this journey. I was assigned the role of Hamilton. In order to e
ff
ectively play the character
of Hamilton you have to perform all of the elements of musical theatre, however, although I will still
have to develop my skills in all elements as they are all still used, I will mainly be focusing on
rapping, singing, characterisations and my proxemics, as these are the main skills shown by
Hamilton in our chosen scene, Non-Stop. After I had been assigned this role I took it upon myself
to research my character and the context of the play as a whole in order to be able to embody
Hamilton that much more. Some key characteristics of Hamilton I picked up was his intelligence,
con
fi
dence and extreme motivation. However when watching some di
ff
erent parts of the musical
one thing I also picked up on was how it came across like he believed that he was better than
most people, especially Burr as he is seen to look down on him. This was a common theme
throughout the entirety of the play, as well as his intelligence, con
fi
dence and motivation, therefore
I know it is important that I get all of these characteristics and attitudes across when performing,
in order to portray Hamilton e
ff
ectively. One way I will show these characteristics is through a
good use of posture throughout, I will constantly have my shoulders and head held high and will
not slouch as this will contradict my character. I will also focus a lot on my projection as this will
also help me portray these characteristics. I must also make sure that my portrayal of Hamilton is
contextually correct in order to embody my character that much more. In addition, Hamilton is the
main character, therefore his status is a very important aspect, therefore this must be shown
e
ff
ectively through my performance.
Another part of this scene I focused on was mine and Al
fi
e’s part where Hamilton is asking Burr
for his help/support. Al
fi
e and I went into our own practice room to learn our lines together and to
discuss how we could stage this, with various proxemics and movements. This links in with my

2. SMART targets as this helped me develop my ability to portray the relationships between
Hamilton and burr.
After we had decided on doing the scene, Non-Stop, I looked into detail at the professional
performance of this scene, focusing on both the main characters and the ensembles staging and
movements. This was important as I felt by studying the professional version of this scene it made
it much easier for me to give my input and help the class stage our own version. For example
when we discussed how we would stage the part when Hamilton stands higher than the
ensemble and raps to them (“corruptions such an old song...”), I was involved in the discussion
when we decided to have the ensemble sitting around Hamilton in a semi circle and listening to
him as in he was giving a speech. Many of our staging ideas were originated from the professional
production of this scene therefore, by studying the professional version I was able to give a much
better input into my classes interpretation of this. Not only did I help with the staging of the live
but I also, during rehearsals sung certain parts when the ensemble had to sing in order to help
support the ensemble in learning and projecting the correct parts.
The main SMART target I set myself for the next rehearsal was learning and perfecting the timing
of my lines. I felt as if this was the most important thing for me to do as in order to progress on
with my movements, proxemics and staging I needed to have the lines learnt and the timing of
them correct. Another SMART target I set myself for the next rehearsal was to practice my singing
parts as I felt this was a weak part in my performance, which led to me having less con
fi
dence in
this part of the scene. Therefore practicing this was important for me as it allowed me to do this in
the next rehearsal without making mistakes.
One strength I believed I had was my knowledge on the scene. This enabled me to input largely
into the staging of the piece along with being able to deliver majority of my lines e
ff
ectively as
Hamilton. This was important as because I am the main character it was crucial for me to know a
lot about the scene and learn my like quickly in order for us to be able to progress with staging,
choreography and the rapping/singing. This showed my enthusiasm and strong work ethic to
complete this part of our performance.
An area for development in this rehearsal would be my empathy and sensitivity towards the other
class members. As i had spent a lot of my own time studying this scene and I took a huge liking
to the professional production of it, I found myself in some parts giving a bit too much input and
being very eager to get my views across. This meant that in some cases others in the class were
prevented from giving their input and views. Therefore next lesson I will aim to listen to others and
give them many more chances to present their ideas so we can create the piece collectively as a
class.
Here I am showing my focus on
timing as this was the moment
where i face o
ff
stage but have to
turn and face the audience at the
moment of the beat drop as I
come in with my rap.
Here you can see my focus on
projection as although this part is
supposed to represent me talking
to the other sitting around me,
rather than looking down i look up
and out in order to e
ff
ectively
project my voice to the audience.