1. FINAL EVALUATION
In this unit, as a company, we have been working to develop our performing arts skills which
contribute to musical theatre, in order to perform well on the 23rd of June in our Final
Showcase. In the showcase we incorporated all elements of musical theatre, including
dance, drama and singing. We had to include a wide range of skills in order to showcase all
of these disciplines to an audience well and effectively. Some of the skills included
characterisation, movement and projection. We included all of these in all of our varying
types of musical theatre pieces which had a wide range of themes. These are all necessary
in order to engage an audience in our final showcase.
At the beginning of the unit we had to discuss the pieces we wanted to do and how we
wanted to incorporate them. We discussed what our different styles were, as our company is
very diverse in the fact that there are several different people who want to do several
different styles of musical theatre, like dance or singing or drama. We also talked about
watching different musicals to draw from their expertise and analyse the actors’ techniques
and skills that we could possibly apply into our own final showcase. After we set a ground
basis, we discussed what different musicals we could incorporate into the showcase. We
discussed having different numbers that showcased different styles. This is how we came up
with having a singing number and a dance number, but we wanted to have a big number that
could include every discipline of musical theatre. We came up with Hamilton’s ‘Non-Stop’ to
be our big piece that we wanted to show to an audience because it included all three
disciplines that are imperative to musical theatre. We talked about who would take different
roles and I ended up taking Aaron Burr as it’s a bigger acting role, and I feel as if I have
good characterisation. We discussed having different groups that grouped the different
styles. This would help us to work off of each other and allow us to thrive in our own
environments in performing arts. I worked with the group who were mostly focused on drama
and acting. We chose to do Dear Evan Hansens ‘Sincerely Me’, because the entire piece is
focused on the characterisation displayed by the actors to make the performance seem
amusing. Another piece that we chose to do which involved a lot of characterisation was
Matilda the Musicals’ ‘Revolting Children’. This displayed a lot of characterisation as we had
to act younger than we were. Other skills we would have to use in this piece was pace in our
movement as it was an extremely fast dance sequence, and stamina to try and not wear
ourselves out.
Throughout the process we had different workshops that helped build our overall skill and
knowledge about the disciplines which would help us improve for the final performance. For
example, there was a workshop where we worked with different singing rehearsals. Some
examples include holding a piece of tissue paper in front of our faces and using a straw to
blow through to try and move it. I found this to be hard as it made me lose breath quickly,
showing that I should work on breath control for the rest of the course. Blowing through a
straw can strengthen your voice and make it more difficult to lose by training the posture of
the vocal folds. Also, to help build our skills vocally, we were involved in a workshop where
we had to move around the space whilst singing. This is important because it makes sure
that we all mix our vocals, without staying with our groups (sopranos and altos), and it also
builds stamina as you’re having to exert yourself physically by moving whilst also focusing
on singing. I found this challenging as I like to focus and perfect one thing at a time, but I
was able to achieve it by the end of the workshop. For dance, we did workshops that
2. involved looking at different types of dances from different musicals, as well as having a
choreographed warm up which helped build skills such as stamina, memory recall and
timing.
In the actual rehearsals we focused on applying skills from the workshops into our routines.
For example, in Hamilton’s ‘Non-Stop’ there is a lot of moving around involved whilst singing
which is involved in one of the workshops we participated in. For the ‘Non-Stop’ rehearsals,
we first focused on our vocals, and skills like projection and timing. This was to ensure that
when we started to add movement, we were flawlessly pronouncing our words and properly
annunciating. I was able to pick this up quickly as I have good memory recall and fairly good
timing vocally. Next in rehearsals, we focused on the choreography and movement around
the space. I had to focus on both characterisation and timing in terms of movement for this,
which I found more difficult than remembering the lyrics. However, I think I picked it up fairly
quickly and was able to manoeuvre around the space cleanly around the ensemble. We
worked on adding to these and polishing the routine over the coming weeks. We added chair
routines, body movement and language in acting scenes and use of props. I did well with my
body language and movement to enhance my characterisation as I feel like I’m able to
properly connect with the character. In the routine for the musical piece ‘Seasons of Love’
from Rent, we focused on harmonies and placement of the sopranos and altos first, after we
warmed up. Once we were split we had to focus on the harmonies, which I found challenging
at first as I had a lower pitched voice than the rest of the group, but I was able to find a
proper range and was able to perfect it in a matter of rehearsals. We thought it would be
better to form a line for the routine and add small movements here and there, so that an
audience would be able to properly see our facial expressions and characterisation. Small
movements included rocking side to side and clapping. I also made sure to lift my head up
whilst singing in rehearsals to properly focus on the projection of my voice. In our rehearsals
for ‘Revolting Children’ from Matilda the Musical, we mainly focused on the opening for the
timing and choreography. I found this challenging at first, and wasn’t able to get the timing
right, however once I started to properly count in my head the steps I soon got the hang of it.
The choreography included floor routines, partnering up and a lot of characterisation in order
to convince the audience that we were playing the roles of children. I found the movement
and choreography challenging, but after practising it a few times I was able to recall the
different movements and choreography better. I found the characterisation more suitable and
was able to get into character smoothly, however. Outside of all of these sessions, I made
sure to constantly warm up my voice, and stretch a little bit, in order to build vocal stamina
and flexibility for the different routines. I practised some of the harmonies on my own by
placing myself in a quiet space and listening to the ‘Seasons of Love’ song and continually
going over it. What I found challenging to do on my own outside of sessions however, was
trying to go up an octave when singing in ‘Non-Stop’. This was difficult for me as I have a
lower pitched voice, but moving up an octave allowed me to project even more efficiently,
making it easier for the audience to hear me and my characterisation. I kept practising it and
eventually found it much easier in rehearsals to smoothly transition up an octave whilst
keeping in time with the movements and choreography.
I have developed many skills throughout the course. For example, my timing within
choreography for dance routines was a little off before I started the course, but the warm up
workshops as well as the many rehearsals I participated in for ‘Revolting Children’ helped
build this skill and my confidence, allowing me to perform well in the final showcase. I was
3. also lacking in pace and energy skills, which the rehearsals helped me develop swiftly, as
pace was essential in the full-out rehearsals. I think I have developed my spatial awareness
and coordination much better throughout the whole process, with minute details such as
where my character is standing in ‘Non-Stop’ and where the ensemble is standing around
me, to bigger details like following the choreography and making sure that I take up the
entire space in bigger gestures and making sure that I don’t bump into one of my peers. I’d
say that I still struggle in articulation and breath control vocally; even though I was able to
articulate properly in ‘Seasons of Love’ and ‘Non-Stop’, it took a lot of practise and time to
make sure that my words were coming across correctly and in a way that the audience could
understand. Also, breath control is something I struggled with, as sometimes when I’m
singing it takes a lot of effort not to stop and take a breath, but this process allowed me to
push through it, especially in the final showcase, when I had lost my breath after dancing to
‘Revolting Children’.
Overall, the process has allowed me to build and develop lots of skills. The workshops
assisted in building a basis to the rehearsal process that we could trust and follow, and the
rehearsals were essential in developing different skills that I didn’t know that I could properly
develop, such as timing, projection and coordination. I will make sure to take these skills
forward, and make sure to keep working on them to polish them into an effective skill that I
can use in the future.
