The Play Winnie the Pooh

Phew! It's over and done with! I'm so proud of myself as well as I got wonderful reviews. But not just about me, but of course the rest of the cast members, which I would have never been able to do the show with. So I do not want to take all the credit, but just the credit that goes to me.
During the performance, I can tell you now that I was so scared and nervous for the entire day and the first second before coming onto stage for opening night. It was a new director, surrounding, new cast memebers, ect. Well right when I did get on that stage, it all went away, and I was Kanga. The show went wonderfully and afterwards, I got many great reviews from people coming up to me and telling me how much of a good job I did. That is one of the most wonderful feelings a person can feel. It was really great and heart warming. Since there were two weekends of having to do the show, some were better than others. But I would have to say that opening night was the best night, and then the second to the last show was I would have to say the worst performance because a scene where Piglet and I come on stage, she missed her cue so I had to go on without her. I was dreading that I would never have to do this. So I didn't want to look like a crazy person talking to myself; so I had to improv that entire scene(good thing it wasn't that long, but it sure did fell like it). I tired my best, but some people could tell there was something wrong, but I did fine(cast members said) and got through with it. I tired for it to not to get to me, and I didn't let it effect my performance. I used that emotion and acted on that emotion through Kanga. Piglet was very sorry and I told her to let it never happen again and to not let it get to her either. She did. And good thing too because it never did happen again.
As a performer, I never had a person miss a cue with me, to not comepletely come on, so that was a new experience for me. It was scary, but I did not let it show in my performance as well as the nervousness. To me, I think my nervouseness it good because it shows that I care what my audience thinks and feels about the performance, and that also shows that I care about the performance as an actress. If I ever lost the sense of feeling or caring for the play, then I would lose my interest, as well as my desire to want to do a performance; making the performance not as entuisiastic and fun because my heart would not be in it.
But I do intend to keep doing performances there. The next play I am going to audition for it Narnia, and the auditions are on March 9=10th, 6-10pm. Lets see what happens!

Winnie the Pooh Rehearsals

Well this has been a week. This is the "perfection" week where it's like a dress rehearsal and run it like the real thing, for a week. But every day it is different because this is also when we set up the set, and before our play, there was a different set a design, as well as the floor and background was painted. So this week, we had to transfer their set to ours. And for the set we have trees, and the floor and background is painted light brown. For the different acts we have different set pieces. For the first act we have the trees(which stay in place the entire play), and a stump in center stage. For the second act, the stump moves to lower stage right, and in center stage there is a slump with a hole in the middle to represent Rabbit's hole to her house. As well as there is two slabs of wood near one of the trees painted green. It's a basic set, but everyday some pieces got added or painted, and the set throughout the week changed some like the stump wasn't always in the center stage, and the floor wasn't painted till Thursday the 4th.
We have mics for the show, and this is my first time having mics and as well as being in a real theatre(because I was only in school productions) so I guess there is a first for everything. So I am truly excited, and it is a wonderful experience! My costume is way cute! It consists of a body suit that is brown, and has lighter brown for the chest and inside of the ears. I have a tail, a pouch, and a head piece with ears. On my head piece my ears stick up and I have a "mop hat" where it's like a bonnet and that has a purple bow on it. I also have an apron as well a hands and feet covers. It's very legite, and plus the credit goes to my mother and the costume department, they really did a wonderful job. As well as the other costumes are wonderful as well.
During the production, we run it like the real thing, and our director Mrs. Kelly, she sat in different seats everytime so she can see the show and observe and take notes. So after every time we ran through the play, she would sit us down and tell us her notes and give us advice or to change this and do that. It really does help. And as well as it helps to memorize and know the script in your long term memory so you wouldn't have to rely on the script and so you won't have to study as much. Yeah, a glance at the lines, and then you're set. It really does help. It also is different from Johnson Theatre beacuse the time they have to be off book and no longer can call for lines is about a week or 3 days before the show. As well they only have dress rehearsals 3 or two days before the actual play. So this could lead the cast to not know their lines front and back and to make more mistakes than having to learn your lines a month in advance and can't call lines 2 weeks before the show and then a week or dress rehearsals and tech week( like we do at the Children's Theatre). I find it more defective and helpful to the actors and the director.
Since we have mics on, we have to be extremely quite and when we are offstage, we have to wait for atleast a minute to talk or well whisper. Even though we're not supposed to talk, or else when we talk and our mics are hot, the audience can hear what we say, and that is a big NO. But we have come far, and this will be a good performance, we just have to put in the energy and have fun with it, and it will turn out to be a good play.

Winnie the Pooh Rehearsals

Okay, we are about 3 weeks at the most away from showtime, and I am so excited! Well we kind of got kicked out of our blackbox, but that didn't stop us from rehearsing. We went upstairs where they have all the costumes.(I have still yet to see my costume.) But to me, I think I did better in my performance and blocking, and lines all together. And that is so good to see an improvement. I have a "walk" that I have to do where I take three steps then jump, or hop. Hence me being a kangaroo(sp). But I did improve on my walk, and my lines, I had maybe one or two mishaps, but altogether, I think my vocie and stamina has improved, because as well I have to be "Mrs. Perfect" and my voice and body language says so, so I worked on that to improve. So I think I accomplished something.!

Winnie the Pooh Rehearsals

Well this rehearsal went quite well because this is the second time since we have been off book and the more we practice, the better we become. And that is exactly what this rehearsal was. We did the 1st Act completely once and we still had time left, and we only have hour long rehearsals, so I would say that is exceptionally well. When it was my turn to come on throughout the act, I would say it contrasts with last time because I improved on my lines, and voice, but the blocking still needs working on, and the movement and the preciseness of what my character does. Kanga is "miss perfect" and is in order and is very energetic, and flunctual. So the "miss perfect" is what I need to work on, and to fill in the empty spaces in between lines, like the reaction, and not just stand there, wait for my cue or line, and say it. There needs to be movement behind the actions and lines. And that is what Mrs. Kelly told us at the end of practice and what we need to work on.

Winnie the Pooh Rehersals

This rehersal, since we are off book, and we did part of act one and it was when I first came on, so I memorized my lines, but yes there were a few mishaps, but nothing a month won't fix, since we have to learn our lines in a month, and for the other month, just practice and perfect the characterization and the blocking. So I like this effective use of style. I didn't like how in Theatre Johnson, you block and learn your lines but only have to be off book by the about 3rd or 4th day before a showtime, and I don't like that style, because it is a more cause of mishaps, and people not knowing thier lines fully, so the play doesn't succeed as hoped for as much as when the director sets it out. So if they did that in Theatre Johnson, then I think people would get used to it, and to me, it would help in the future for actors with big roles and if they want to do this as a major. Next rehearsal on tuesday, we will be doing Act 1, and then on thursday, we will be doing Act 2, so it is more effecient.

Winnie the Pooh Rehearsals

Last night since Ms/Mrs Kelly was not there because of her auditions for The Hobbit so the other woman who is maybe the assistant director, she was there and so rehearsals didn't go all that great. For reasons being, the director not being there, and not enough energy coming from everyone, or not enough dedication as it would be at a "normal" rehearsal, but it did happen. We did rehearse, and got more blocking down, and we finished the entire play, and earlier than usual(15 minutes). But the tricky thing is, we have to learn our lines by the end of this week, or atleast 3/4 of them, so I really need to work on that, but that's on top of doing and catching up on homework, but we have plenty of time, they just want to get us off book so we have free hands, and it tends to make things easier...somewhat. Shall be interesting.

Winnie the Pooh Rehearsals

For this rehearsal, the director, Kelly(forget last name), told us we are going to work on our blocking for a few weeks, and then work on the character analysis, of becoming the character and the voice of the character for the weeks after that. So we did 3 run throughs for a few first pages, once everyone is introduced and then to make sure we had all the blocking correct, and to then get it perfected. I wrote down all the blocking, because of habit and so I know where I am at and when. She may change things, but not likely. There is a lot of blocking for the few first pages of what we did, so it is easy to forget unless you write it down. I like the script she gave us because it is in the actual state of a book, and it has the original picture of the Winnie the Pooh, before Disney, so this is the best Pooh. Tigger is not introduced yet, and neither is the badger, and a few other characters. So the only new characters that are introduced are Kanga and Roo. Which is me and my newly found offspring. =D But it shall be very interesting to experience how theatre shows run outside of school, so it is a whole new experience for me, and I always look forward to new experiences.!

Winnie the Pooh Rehearsals

For this rehearsal we finished the blocking for the entire play. It's a relatively short play, but with us not knowing our lines by heart, and with the blocking of course being new, it took about two hours and maybe 15 minutes to rehearse. So maybe the play will be 2 hours long, so that is decent. But there are two acts, and so, since I am the oldest, but am not the tallest(laughs to self) it shall be interesting, and quite fun. I do reccommend it to anyone. We are not on the mainstage and they call it "Kids on Stage" b/c it's not that big. But it's set up like a black box, almost like the one we did last year for "Tears of Rain", except the whole room and stage itself is a ''black box". So there is no curtain, nor doors, except the entrance and exit, and there is the North, South, East and West, not right, left, ect. And everyone comes in always from a different direction, some offstage from behind the wall, some from the exits and entrances. So it is very different from what we do at school, and it is more work because i have to learn my lines in the first month, and to me, I like it this way because it means less mishaps and so people won't forget their lines, and it would be easier to work with when we get costumes and all the correct blocking memorized and perfected. So I can't wait!