The document provides details about a musical theatre showcase performed by students. It summarizes their workshops covering acting, dance, and singing skills. It describes their performances of ensemble pieces from shows like Chicago and Rent. Individual performances included the Dream Ballet from Oklahoma. Extensive rehearsals helped students improve vocals, choreography, and characterizations. Collaboration with teachers helped strengthen performances. The showcase demonstrated students' growth in musical theatre skills.

1. Evaluation of Musical Theatre Showcase-
Throughoutthe firstyearof our performance studiescourse we completedworkshopsonkeyskills
to becomingamusical theatre performerineachart form.We also recordedall of our workshopsto
show the improvementswe have made alongthe course of the key workshops. These workshops
were veryuseful forthe whole groupaswe were all talentedindifferentareassothose whohadn’t
necessarilyhadexperience inactinglikeme benefitedhugelyfromthese whereassome of the other
girlshadn’tdone muchdance sothey foundthe dance workshopsreallyhelpful. These workshops
alsowidenourhorizonas we all learntnew techniqueswithinall three artforms. These workshops
helpedustoprepare forthe showcase because some of the skillswere transferredforexample the
Jazz technique classwe tookpartincludedsome Fosse style choreographysowe transferredthese
skillswhenlearningthe Fosse repertoire.We performedourshowcase calledA Nightof the Musicals
on the 23rd
of February2017. In the run up to the performance we tookonsome extrarehearsalsas
well asour settimetabledrehearsals,thiswastoensure we were preparedforthe show.Notonly
didwe work onthe showbutat the same time we researchedwhatittookto be a musical theatre
performersowhatskillsyouneededwhatcompanieslookforandhow toget intothe industryand
we made a bookletforaguide to becomingamusical theatre performerandwe alsocreateda
presentation.
Our mainensemblepiece withinthe showcase wasamixture of bothAll ThatJazz and Cell Block
Tango; we renamed thispiece asAll ThatTango thiswas because we joinedthemtogether. Our
choreographywasinspiredbyvideoedrepertoire. WhenlearningAll ThatTangowe had toadapt
the repertoire tosuitus, as not onlywere we dancingbutwe were alsosingingthe whole song
whichmade us needtothinkcarefullyaboutthe choreography. MrsTurnerour Dance Director
helpedusmake these adaptationsneededforthe choreographywe completedthistoensure we
couldsingand dance at the same time withoutone artformlookingorsoundingunprofessional and
sloppy. Inthe repertoire we saw there were some highkicks,splitsandjumpinghoweverwe hadto
take all of these factorsintoconsiderationasnomatterhow hard we trainedbefore the show we
wouldhave neverhadthe staminatoperformthisso we decidedtomake a few adaptations. There
are manydifferentwayswhichCell BlockTangocanbe performedsuchaswithchairs, a balletbar or
cell bars.We decidedtouse a balletbaras we thoughtthat the repertoire usingchairslookedquite
staticand we didn’twantthe piece to looklike that.Once all the sethad beencompleted,we then
had to adaptsome elementsof the performanceasthere wasa reductioninthe amountof space we
had to performwithin.There were afewmainelementswe hadtoconsidersuchas rearrangingour
formationsasa group,we alsohad tointeractwiththe set suchas the balletbarinCell BlockTango.
Extra rehearsalswere conductedtoensure everyone wasaware of the new space we had to perform
in.Everyone wasspatiallyaware andusedthe space well,everyone stayedinformation.
Mr Slumanwasour actingco-ordinatorwhohelpedusthe characterisationof ourmonologues
withinAll ThatTangoas we all neededtohave slightlydifferentcharacters.IpersonallyfoundCell
BlockTango difficultasIhad to create a character differenttoanythingI’deverplayedbeforeand
someone whohasthe complete opposite attributes.The characterIhad to portraywas a flirtatious
woman.By successfullybeingable toplaymycharacter Annie Ibelieve thismakesme adiverse
performerasit showsIcan performinmore thanone way. I workedonmycharacterisation of my
character by watchingvideosonhowothersportrayedthissortof character and I alsovideoedeach

2. rehearsal andlookedbackonwhat I still neededtoworkon.To improve myfacial expressionsIused
a mirror to helpme.
For All That Tangowe alsorequiredamanto act as the five women’shusband,kindlyJackfromthe
year11 GCSE Drama group offeredtobe partof thisfor us.The resultof thisleadtoextrarehearsals
beingmade aseach of usneededtoworkwithJack individuallysothatwe couldworkon the
partnerdance sectionand alsoto figure outwhatmovementwe wouldperformaroundJackwhile
performingourmonologue.Ialsohadto understandthe Fosse style of dance todo thisI researched
intosome of Fosse’sbackgroundandalsotook part ina few Fosse workshopsbeforeworkingonthe
Cell BlockTangorepertoire.Ihave trainedinmanydance stylessuchas tap,ballet,jazzandmany
more howeverIhad neverlookedintoFossebeforeandIenjoyedwideningmyrange of knowledge
and performingthisstyle.BobFosse andCharlesGlasscreatedaduetcalledthe Riff Brothersand
theirstyle wastap dancing,he alsohada backgroundof dancingwithinnightclubssince anearlyage
whichreflectswithinhisstyle of dance asthere are a lot of hipthrusts showingthe sexual dance
backgroundthat he had.
We alsocollaboratedwithotherteachersandstudentstohelpus withinthe show,tohelpourvocals
we workedwithMrs Guy whois ourvocal coach. Mrs Guy taught us the correct techniquestouse
whensingingtohelpourprojection;she alsospoke toeachof us individuallyaboutourharmonies
neededforothersongswithinthe showsuchasSeasonsOf Love and Little Shopof Horrors. Each of
us recordedourharmoniessothat we couldworkon themat home to ensure we hadprogressed
before ournextrehearsal.
Whenworkingasan ensemble we neededtosupporteachotherto make sure each of us were at
the rehearsalsandputfull commitmentandenthusiasmintothem.Some peoplestruggledwith
harmoniessowe all hadto work together,Istruggledtokeepthe tune andPaige helpedme with
progressingthisforthe show. Duringthisprojecteveryonewasverysupportiveof one anotherand
persuadedotherstocome to rehearsalsandhelpedotherswithinthe groupif theywere struggling
withanything. Eachrehearsal we didwe eitherfilmedortookphotosthisisso thatwe couldwatch
themback and see whatneededworkon.We alsohave teachersgivinguse feedbackconstantlyso
that we couldgo away andwork onthe criticismwe’dbeengiven.
DuringSeasonsOf Love we all workedtogetherasan ensembleandhelpedsupporteachotherwith
harmonies.Togetthe song upto scratch we addedinextrarehearsalswithMrs Guy duringbreaks,
lunch,free periodsandafterschool.The reasonswhywe workedtogetherwastomake our
performance the bestitcouldbe,overall we all gotalongwell howeveralongthe waywe hadto
persuade some more thanothersbutin the endthe resultof our hard workpaidoff. WhenI was
strugglingwithmyharmonyPaige helpedme withthistoensure the performance of the songwas
good.
We alsoworked onLittle ShopOf Horrors withMrs Guy forboth Little ShopOf Horrors andSkid
Row. We workedonLittle ShopOf Horrors first,we startedby learningthe wordsandthenfinding
each individualsharmonies. We thenworkedonwhichpartswe wouldsingastwopeople sangthe
harmoniesonthe rrr’s while otherswithinthe groupsungthe nextverse.We thenwentontolearn
SkidRowwithMrs Guy,we wentawayand learntthe wordsafterthat we learntourharmoniesand
once we had leantthe wordswe lookedatsoloparts withinthe songforexample mylineswere
“Where the foodis slop”, “Where the guysare drips”,“Where theyripsyourslips”. We alsoworked

3. withMr Slumantohelpus improve onourcharacterisationandprojectionwhenperforming the
short extractof dialogue where AudreymissedSeymour’sfirstradiobroadcast.Tohelpus improve
on our characterisationwe hadtowork onbeingsassy,as quotedfromSeymour’sdialogue he refers
to the three girlsas “streeturchins”.
Skillsrequiredforsingingwerememorisinglyrics,melodylinesandharmonies.We alsohadto
ensure ourtimingwascorrect we completedthisbyrepetitionduring the rehearsal processesand
alsoevaluatingeachrehearsal toensure we knew exactlywhat we needed toworkon.Asa
companywe alsohad to characterise the songswe performed,thesewere:SkidRow,LittleShopof
Horrors, Hairspray,All ThatJazz,Cell BlockTango (Chicago) andSeasonsof Love (Rent).We also
workedonbreath control by standingtall, tryingoutdifferentbreathingtechniques andsupporting
the diaphragm.We alsoworkedon ourpitch; we completedthisbyworkingwithMrsGuyour vocal
coach around the piano,thiswasto ensure all vocalsremainedstrongsothatyoucouldhear the top
harmony,the lowerharmonyandalsothe tune. For acting some of the skillsare the same such as
memorisinglinesandourprojectionwhenperforming ourlines,thiswastoensure we couldbe
heardon stage and alsoby the audience andalsoto make sure we lookedprofessional byknowing
all lines.We alsoneededtocharacterise the songs,dialogue andmonologueswe were performing
withinthe showcase,the reasonbehindthisisbecause the audience have tobelieve the characterto
engage withthe piece.Foractingwe alsohad to puton an Americanaccentas both Little Shopof
Horrors and Chicagoare setin America. Thisresultedinusneedingtoputon an accentto give a
professionalelement tothe show. We alsoneededtobe able to dance inthe Fosse style sothatthe
repertoire we were learningwasaccurate tothe specimen.
For my soloI performedthe DreamBalletfromOklahomawithasmall monologue before the dance,
I usedthe original LondonCastversionhoweverIhadto adapt some elementsof thisdance forthe
spacingthat we had available. The reasonwhyIchose toperformthe DreamBalletas mysolois
because mystrengthisdance withinthe three artforms andalso because mynatural style isballet.
Thisis because Ihave a floatysofterdynamicwhendancing. Iusedthe stepswithinmysoloasmy
entrance ontothe stage so that it wasa more subtle wayof transitioningfromthe actbefore me to
my dance.I alsousedthe stepsto siton while Iperformedmymonologue asitwaslike I’dfallen
asleepandthe dance was withinmydream.
This photoshowsme usingthe stepstoenterthe stage.

4. These twophotosare fromwhenI performed
the Dream Balletrepertoire.
Thisphotois fromwhenI performedmy
monologue.Whenperformingmy
monologue Ihadto have a dream like
qualitytomy voice.

5. This photographisthe last
positionatthe endof mydance where Ipickedthe perfume bottlebackupsmeltitand ran off.
Duringthe showcase processmystrengthswere characterisationasImanagedto stayin my
character throughoutAll ThatTango and managednotto breakit. I completedthisbyusingamirror
to helpwithmyfacial expressions;Ialsoworkedonmy characterisationthroughtrial anderrorto
see whatworkedandwhat didn’t.
I alsofeel asthoughthiswas a strengthof mine as I hadn’tpreviouslydone anyacting,Icreateda
goodcharacter for All That Tango as naturallyIam totallyopposite tothe personIhadto portray. I
alsofeel the dancingelementwasone of mystrengthshoweversometimesIwasa little infrontor
behindthe otherdancers withinensemble pieces.
My areasof weaknessduringthisprocesswere my singingskillsasI struggledtokeeponmy
harmonyas I startedto match pitchrather thankeepingtomypart. To helpme stickto the tune we
were involvedinextrarehearsalsandIalsorecordedmy part so thatI couldkeeplisteningtoitto
keepitinmy head.I alsohad helpfromPaige one of the othermemberswithinthe groupasshe had
manyexperienceswithinsingingasshe hadbeenpartof choirand otherensemble and solosinging
pieces. Ialsoneedtoworkon my projectionwhensingingasIstruggledwiththishowever
throughoutthisprocessIlearntsome keyexercisestohelpme withmyprojection.
Little Shopof Horrors dialogue- Notonlydidwe performLittleShop of Horrorsand SkidRow we also
performedashortextract of dialogue fromthe scriptwhere there were three sassygirls called
Crystal,Ronette andChiffonandthe maincharacter Audrey. I playedthe characterof ChiffonI
portrayedthischaracter byacting as

6. These photoswere fromourperformance of All
That Tango.
Withinmy monologue IinteractedwithJackbyperformingmovementssuchaspullingonhistie,the
reasonwhyI pull himfromthe doorwayis because Isaid“I metEzikle young”soI met himat the
door. WhenI saidwe hitit off rightaway,we exchangedalooktoshow the connectionbetweenthe
twoof us.

7. These twophotosare from my partner dance withJack,this showsthat I
am incharge of himbypushinghim.
Rent

8. For my soloI had to workon mytimingand
projectionasitwas hard to heardme whenI wassingingandalsoI had to workon my timingas
sometimesIwasslightlyoff.

9. Rent, Seasonsof Love. ForSeasonsof Love we hadto work as an ensembleandworkoutour
Harmonies.We sortedoutour harmoniesbyworkingwith MrsGuy, our vocal coach. We alsoputin
extrarehearsalswithMrsGuy and alone towork on Seasonsof Love to make itthe bestit couldbe.
For seasonsof love we hadto workon our dictionandpronunciationof wordsforexample love as
sometimesyoumissheardthe Lso all youheard wasove.
We alsolearntsome extrachoreography forthe ending
whichwasHairspray forthiswe stood onthe stairs.ForHairspray we tookpart in extrarehearsals
afterschool to ensure we were confidentwiththe choreography.We alsowere involvedinextra
rehearsalsatlunchtime to originallylearnthe choreographysothatafterschool Hairspray
rehearsalswere usedtoperfectandmake elementsbetterwiththe wholecast.
From my researchfrom ‘Life of a Performer’ andthe showcase Ihave learntmanykeyskillstohelp
me withinthe industrysuchas characterisation asI neededtoensure Iportrayed mycharacter well
and putin extraworkto succeedas I’ve neverbeeninvolvedinanactingpiece before.From‘Lifeof
a Performer’Ihave learntaboutall the routesintothe industryandwhat companieslookforfroma

10. performer.Ihave foundthisvery useful asInow know what I needtoimprove onto helpme
succeedwithinthe industry.
I have learnedthatinorderto be a successful castmember,Ihadto be flexibleasextrarehearsals
were oftencalled.Inall myresearchof beingamusical theatre performer,flexibilitywasan
importantaspect.IensuredIwas as professionalaspossiblethroughoutandIattendedevery
rehearsal,Iwasalwayson time andI was alwayscommittedtoeveryrehearsal.Ifeel Ihave
dramaticallyimprovedsince the startof the year,and I have strengthenedmyvoice through
continual practice andadvice fromour vocal coach.
The audience memberswere verycomplimentaryandwere impressedwith'AllThatTango'.I am
veryproudof myself andIam please myhard workhas paidoff.Forthe nextproject,Iwantto
continue workingonstrengtheningmyvoice andworkon myprojectionasI feel thiswill helpme
whenonstage at the nextbigshow.