A Journal of the Plague Year

 A Journal of the Plague Year is a novel by  Daniel Defoe. It is a fictionalised account of one man’s experiences of the year 1665, in which the Great Plague struck the city of London. The book is a roughly chronological account, purporting to have been written several years after the event.Defoe is a morbid male character that depicts his view on the devastating events of the Great Plague. He intrigues me yet I find it difficult to set myself in his position as nothing in my life amounts to anything close to his experience.This is a monologue I am considering I have some ideas on how to change and set the context of the playscript but nothing is set in concrete.

 A Doll’s House

A Doll’s House, written two years after The Pillars of Society was the first of Ibsen’s plays to create a sensation and is now perhaps his most famous play.A Dolls House centers around the lives of Nora and Torvald a couple who have a normal “Victorian Marriage” until Nora decides to leave her husband as he suffocates her individuality presenting her as a doll in which he can manipulate. After many hours of thinking over this playscript I finally decided to consider it for one of my monologues,although I was rather hesistant to try it at first,I come around and started developing many ideas that I am excited about.

Lastly

The Talented Mr.Ripley surrounds the tale of Tom Ripley a young man struggling to make a living in New York City, with no prospects he uses his many talents to survive by doing whatever is required.

The monologue is for Aunt Dottie… Im not really sure if Ill be considering this for my solo performance but it was interesting to read up on the storyline of the Talented Mr.Ripley

Im personally considering doing A Dolls House as it has alot of potentional..

This week has been busy especially with the musical just around the corner…I am doing .. makeup who would have thought, Im actually really excited about it and cant wait to make everyone look 80s.

I have come up with same ideas for the makeup… ofcourse where going to have the obvious bright pink blush and horribly blue eye shadow but for carmon we’re going to give her deep red lips and “cat”eye make up.. no not like a real cat its the name of the style of eyeliner.She gonna look very latinowhich is what we’re aiming for.

 Acting

For acting Ive just been spending time remembering lines and trying to create the different characters personalities.

I have the main ideas for what I want for each character.. for sophias mother I have gone with an english/upper class accent, she always holds her hands together and rubs them like she is constantly worrying about something.

Phil is a very casual guy,he thinks his funny so Im giving him a very laid back (clown)attitude.

Ketus wife is a very compassionate woman and has a soft,meek voice,eventhough she can be authoritive towards her children.

Lastly the elder speaks very slowly like he is thinking about everything that he going to say while he is saying…he is very wise and is cautious with his words

 Publicity

Publicity has slowed down every since rehearsing has become the main priority, this week Burak and I will be sending a lined ad detailing the cost,short synopsis and contat number to the age and the herald sun..hopefully this will reach a wider audience.I have also gone on the internet and advertised with free-gigs guides on the web,they reach to a broad spectrum of people which is really good and soon we will be posting posters up and down sydney rd and surrounding communities..

Also just a note…I went to see Fame rehearsals and things are looking really good… the set is fantastic and the choreogreaphys great… needs lil work though (lol) poor Jarod.

thanks erika

 Far out WEEK 1 has ended already,honestly this week has felt like an eternity but Im glad it is over.. generally the week has been very good and particularly entertaining.

Publicity

Well… not much has honestly been done with publicity,as the poster and the logo has been completed which I am very proud of. Burak and I have decided on who we are going to advertise with ..

The Age and the Herald Sun are both leading newspapers that will give us fantastic publicity so we have decided to advertise with them,even though it will only be a small article it will definitely draw attention.

We will also be sending letters out to local schools,which I hope will draw alot of interest from the local community.We will also place the poster around different local areas..i.e. Gladstone Park,Greenvale,Brunswick (sydney rd) etc.. hopefully we will be sending the information to the advertisers soon.. so we can get everything out of the way.

 Acting

I have been working on trying to learn the lines for my different characters lol and there are not 10……Cooper there are about 12 hehe. So I hope to have them learnt by heart at the end of next week.. Everyones doing a fantastic job with learning there lines and I can really see there characters developing…

I’ve also been working on body positioning for the different characters as it seems I have been posing my usual Erika stance… (hands on hips,girly thing)lol for all the characters and that just wont do especially for characters such as Phil.

With Phil Ive decided I will place my hands casually in my pockets,that seems to be a usual “bloke” thing to do.Im also trying not to come off as a female being peved when I’m upset with Sophia…because in one of her memories I have to say “Happy New Year” and I sound like a girly cow which is not good…I guess I need to lose the bI@Tchness and try to be cold.

Thats all Ive really thought about but Ill keep working on it..

Anyway this is just a general statement..

I had a really good week especially when we went to see MacBeth which was fantastic,the choreography(spelling) was fantastic it was amazing especially in scenes where Malcom(lil hottie) and all his followers created a pyramid of “authority”with him at the front.

The lighting was spectacular, in the scene where Lady MacBeth wass giving her femiminity to the spirits,the crimson red glow around her was so sinister it gave me the eeby geebiz…

Overall it was a spectacular production by The BellShakespeare company..GOOD ON THEM.

Most of this week we have been trying to go over the play…and build the set for Fame which is nearly done…Im doing make-up which is going to be fun and I need to come up with sketches soon.. Im thinking 80’s hehe

Great week and Love u too Tash..Ohh and I feel sick from that cake

Acting

The acting, I believe is a very challenging part for me as I have the job of creating individual characters personalities and histories..
Each history will lengthen every week when I can finely identify the different characters personalities.

First I will start with Phil
Phil is in his late-20’s early 30’s
He still lives with his parent so he can save money for future goals
His job is his life..and kissing ass doesnt bother him
He is social but would rather spend time on the internet at home..wonder why? jk
He hates co-workers that become authorial figures such as Sophie or more so people who challenge his SO CALLED authority.
I believe he may have low-selfesteem issue and thats why he believes he needs to be the “top dog” to get what he wants in life.

Ketus Wife
Her names is Adia pronounced(AH-dee-ah) meaning:a gift its originates from :Hausa Nigeria West Africa
Although Ketu is actually a Hindu name for a boy meaning :Lord Shiva a Hindu god,I decided I wanted an African name because I believed Ketu to be an african tribal man.
She is in her early 20’s, she was married to Ketu at a young age..most likely 17.Her father arranged the marriage but it was a blessing in disguise as Ketu and Adia fell in love.
They have too children..a boy.. Kirat (another name for Lord Shiva) and a girl..Kali (KAH-lee) meaning: energetic.
She is a hard working mother who strives to be apart of the village life..and to raise her children in the safest enviroment possible.
She loves Ketu but finds his obsession with wordly knowledge disturbing because it goes against traditional ways..
She loves her children above all and wants them too be normal..even if it means going against Ketu.

Sophies Mother
Her name is an old english name: Abigial.
In her early years she was renowned for her beauty. Many men adored..but she fell in love with a hard-working man who had a future for her.
She needed security so that is why she married him..sadly he died when Sophie was young due to a cancer.
She is in her early 60’s and loves social events especially when a young bachelor is involved.
Her daughter is her main priority but in her early years she sadly neglected her needs and that is why Sophie is so driven to prove herself to her mother.

Lastly the Elder
The elder is in his late 60’s, he is wise in all his ways and governs his people in the way tradition allows.
He is stern and has a unyielding passion for his village.
I havent really created much of a background for The Elder but I am working on it..

There are also same minor characters I am playing…I hope to work on them soon..
All in all my characters have lives and I hopefully wish to portray them right..

PUBLICITY
publicity is a challenge for me as I have trouble being organised which I am working on..
but I am glad because this helps me to motivate myself… Burak and I do need to discuss the budget which I believe could be around $400 I know that is alot but if you think about posters,advertising, programs etc etc…the cost seems to rise..
Here are just a few examples of cost I have formulated

Kwik Kopy Australia
The price to print your job as specified is $198.00 incl. GST.
This includes,
100 A3 posters
glossy
full colour..this dear is very reasonable for the price.

Here are some logos and designs I have come up with for 100

<img src=”http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/6943/posterwj8.jpg” alt=”Image Hosted by ImageShack.us”/>

<img src=”http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/2341/barn9hw7.jpg” alt=”Image Hosted by ImageShack.us”/>

<img src=”http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/24/barn8oe4.jpg” alt=”Image Hosted by ImageShack.us”/>

these are just a few I hope the links work

anyways this week all we really achieved was blocking not that,thats a bad thing but it would be really fantastic to get on to some other stuff like theory SURPRISINGLY I am actually looking forward to it.

But as I was saying we have blocked heaps  of sequences such as Ketu and Sophies two memory sequences. In both I play many roles - Phil,Voice and Mother in Sophies and Wife and Elder in Ketus.

I really enjoy playing Phil…he is a funny lil  character I also love playing the voice because I have always deep down wanted to be a train ladies voice or a voice on a radio.

Burak and I have made progress we just need to get together to work out the schedule for when the publicity has to be done and when certain things need to be supplied to the newspapers.

Lastly I would just like to address how the use of bamboos really create a non realistic feel to many of Sophies dream sequences especially when we created the London Tube out of the bamboo sticks…very creative.

Anywho I have to go.Its been a great and productive week…

We also heard alot of brilliant ideas about costume and Make-up from Teigan and Bethany..they have many fantastic ideas I cant wait to see the results.
Also we saw the ideas for the set Tash and Jarod came up with…let me just say THEY ARE FANTASTIC… especially the long hallways and the set TASHA chose with the rounded set…
I personally pictured the set design like that… so it was really great to see it through the way Tasha and Jarod preceived it..lol.

Burak and I are doing the publicity which I believe is moving along very well, we have decided on a concept for our poster design which is based around the design of lost

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/3897/lost21280×1024oo8.jpg

I have also began to design the logo for farm house productions which I will be running by Burak and Mr.Cooper..
Cant wait for next week….

To sum it up we blocked the scene for Alex and Sophies dream.. Burak and I also went over different ideas for publicity.  I cant wait to design the logo for “Farm House ” productions ..ITS GONNA BE AWESOME YEAH…

We also played whats in the box? , sadly we went a little too far and made Teigz cry…. OHH GIRL LOVE U.. then it was BETHY’S BIRTHDAY.

Here is my whole paragraph dedicated to her….. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETHANY, TANTI AGURI A TE… HEHE in joke.So we celebrated bethys bday and let me just say what an event to remember…with flowing streamers adna birthday cake to die over.. it was definitely something to acredit.

ANYWHO theres not really much else to say, so everyone have a good week and we’ll see you all again soon OHHH wait there was also the scene where me and tasha played Sophies mum that totally rocked yeah…

BYE

                                                                                  

So first week has come and gone and we are none the wiser..lol joking (OMGOSH i sounded smart)      

What an exciting and conflicting week it has been,over the past week we have discussed 100,what a fantastic play? not only that but we have undertaking the grueling task of blocking the script. And let me just say what an excellent job Gemma,Burak,Josh and Lisa are doing..you all have the patience of a saint,other then that we have discussed the set design and have expressed ideas that we all (hopefully)believe will be good for the play. For example using the set design of Idiots Guide to Pornography as a template for 100.

We have also been re-evaluating the character premises of Sophia,Ketu,The Guide and Alex.All the characters are played fabulously by the chosen actors.This is clearly seen is both Gemma and Buraks performances,not only did they grasp the characteristics of there characters but they also expressed there personal beliefs on how they think there characters would act in certain situations.GOOD ON YOU GUYS LOL.

Its been a productive week and I really enjoyed it and I AM VERY GLAD that Tasha got the role of Nia… I really believe shes going to do a fantastic job because she is a fantastic girl…LOVE YA TASH MWAHHH

                                                                                        

Anyway here is my blog on the first week of Theatre Studies.Well honestly what a great start to hopefully a great year. I really enjoyed the atmosphere presented in the first class of Theatre Studies,with the departure of many ex-Theatre Studies students it was fantastic to get new ones in..lol LOVE YOU guys  A.K.a Jordy,Teigz and Gemma.

We, as a group discussed the next semester and what outcomes we will be facing and let me just say, what an exciting semester we have ahead of us…With the senior play,100 (can’t wait for that) the musical Fame and many excursions :),its gonna be a choca-block time in TS.

Furthur on in the week we discussed 100 and chose character roles and went through the script.My first opinions on the script were very positive,I really enjoyed the play because it made me laugh and any play that makes me laugh is obviously a good one.Bethy lol ” a good shag” I loved that line….

After that we deliberated on the budget,that was an interesting process as we had no clue on how much certain things would cost such as marketting,costume etc,but in the end we estimated and came up with an exceptable budget.

Overall the whole week was positive and I cant wait for all the fun we’re gonna have in the next weeks to come…. LOVE ERIKA A.K.A the loud one