Evaluation of our Cherry Orchard Performance
Basics:
In our performance I felt that our pace was the most improved aspect as we went from a boring and depressive play to a comedic play all because we sped up our pace. It is frequent in Chekhov plays for the pace to be slow as it focuses on quite depressive subjects and it tries to heighten the naturalistic style of the piece. Therefore actors often perform the plays in a dull pace. However this can make the plays boring to watch as they miss the natural humour to the piece and there is not much of an impact when something bad does happen.
When we performed the Cherry Orchard we tried to have a fast pace throughout the performance. This was effective as it meant the natural comical moments were highlighted. For example when Firs said 'She came home. Can you believe it? The Mistress came home. We waited so long.' he became over excited and he started wailing his arms around. His sweet reaction made the audience laugh. Also when a depressive subject came into the scene, we were able to draw the atmosphere down.
However we weren't able to keep this consistent through out the performance as we had a memorial bell go off during our final act. When the character Boris said 'Some more water Please' the bell went off during his speech so we all had to be silent for 2 minuets. up to that point the play was running at a very smooth pace but this silence did break up the play a little bit and it broke the atmosphere from the final moments of the play. Luckily the actor who played Boris immediately went back into his speech as soon as the silence was over. It meant that the play was able to carry on as if nothing had happened. I felt this didn't overly effect our performance as it was recovered well but it would have been better if the scene could have flowed straight to the end.
Stylistically:
For this performance we were focusing on portraying Chekhov's play 'The Cherry Orchard' in a naturalistic style. I felt that we did accomplish this aim as we used some of Stanislavsky's system and skills like emotions. For example, in part 2 of our performance the actor playing Lyuba had to cry as she loses her house to someone she considered as a friend and the orchard is going to be cut down. when she started crying she collapsed to the floor and she made a sort of distorted breathless cry and when I heard the cry in the performance I thought she was actually crying as it sounded so painful. I felt this made her performance natural as she made me worry for her when she was on stage and she didn't over do it.
Actor's Skills:
I think the best aspect of our play was the use of gestures and small movements as it made the characters come to life even when they weren't talking. For example in the final act when the family are about to leave the home for good, we had the servants in the background of the dialogue taking down the bookcase, antiques and was packing them away into boxes. It meant that the stage was empty when they finally left but it also showed a living working household even though they were on a stage. Also every character had 3 specific gestures that were repeated throughout the play. My gestures were holding my hands together, hugging my self by rapping my arms around my elbows and rubbing the back of my neck. because these 3 gestures were repeated in the performance it showed how we were creatures of habit and therefore made it more natural as it related to human instincts.
Team Work and Support in Performance:
I felt that we did have great teamwork in the performance as we all reacted to the other actor's on stage and we all learnt our lines in order for the scene to be performed. For example, when Boris said 'To be honest she says all kinds of things' he is meant to fall asleep, snore and then wake himself up again. this moment worked well as all the other actors on stage all reacted to him falling asleep and then when he woke up again. Because everyone reacted it added to the comedic actions of Boris and therefore made it a very amusing moment in the scene. Subsequently this shows that having that type of teamwork between the cast means that they can produce stand out moments to the audience.
Personal Review:
In my own performance I think that I was good at keeping constant movements that were natural and suited my character. For example, I was given a cup of coffee from Firs which I kept sipping from throughout the performance until I said the line 'my coffee in finished. Now to bed.' I felt that this was a very naturalistic movement as it showed how she could have finished her coffee and it showed a normal human trait and therefore I felt this helped me achieve my aim.
However I don't feel that I used much projection. For example when I enter onto the stage for the first time I spoke up stage towards the nursery and so some of my lines were lost a little. Also I was speaking in a lower tone to characterise Lyuba but this did mean that some of my lines were lost in the lower tone. considering that this was a workshop performance, I would next like to look into projecting my voice in order to improve the clarity of my lines and mainly focus on the tonality so that I don't lose my words.
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
6 'Cherry Orchard' - Answers to Original Questions
My Original Questions that I found whilst I was studying the script were:
- What happened to Lyuba in Paris?
- How long has she been away?
- How long has she been hurting?
- I found out that Lyuba had a secret lover whilst she was in Paris who manipulated, stole from her and made her try to commit suicide because of the betrayal. this can be considered as part of her main trauma of her adult life as she realises that her love and friendship are fragile and precious. I was able to find this answer from the second scene that was performed.
- I found out she has been in Paris for around 6 years as in the script Varya says "I have no idea, Anya. It's been 6 years". It shows that there has been a separation between the family since the death of the husband and son so this could lead to the beginning of Lyuba's trauma. This is all learnt in the first scene that I was performing in.
- The final question was a lot harder to answer as there is no clear date but I think that she must have been hurting ever since the Russian Revolution in 1861 as it was the first point of change in her life that led to her chronic debt, the lose of her friends, family, the estate and the cutting down of the cherry orchard.
Monday, 16 November 2015
5 "Cherry Orchard " - Research and Developments
Historical Context
I also had played Lyuba as a reserved woman as she was a lot older then most of the characters so she didn't have much physical contact with other people. However Karen also suggested that she could be more touchy with people as she is close with all the characters in the house. I think she decided to do this as Lyuba is stuck in her happy childhood memories so she maybe more childish and playful to keep her memories alive. In order to show this I decided to touch Peter and Leonid's face when I say how old they have become and I gave grand double kisses to my daughters to show the loving joyous experience of coming home.
- After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the tsar (Alexander I) tried to discuss constitutional reforms, and though a few were introduced, no thoroughgoing changes were attempted at this time.
- Serfdom was the dominant form of relation between peasants and nobility in the 17th century. It only existed in central and southern areas of the Russian Empire.
- The Russian empire was politically, economically and socially backwards. There was little industry and most of the population was peasant farmers working in an agricultural system that had changed little since the middle ages.
- Serfs were allowed to buy their freedom. Chekhov's Granddad brought his freedom in 1841
- A large government bureaucracy was created
- They brought European styles, fashion and art
- They adopted the French language and western cannon.
Beginning of the Play
Before the play has begun, Lyuba has spent the last 6 years in Paris with her secret lover who stole from her. She left for Paris because her husband and her son Grisha both died within one months difference and she was traumatised by her adult life that made her flee. We know this as Varya says "I have no idea, Anya. It's been 6 years" it shows that there has been a separation between the family since the death of the husband and son so this could lead to the beginning of Lyuba's trauma.
As an actor, I decided to approach this trauma as if the husband and son were apart of the house rather then them being completely dead. I felt this was an effective decision as it gives reasons for her being slightly uncomfortable in her house and being so haunted by the people in her house. I tried to make Lyuba look awkward in the scene by a series of movements. I kept fiddling with my hands on my lap as I sat in the chair to show a sort of anxiety because of the horror of having to losing the cherry orchard. I also rapped my arms around my self like a self hug to show a sign of comfort and loneliness. I think hugging my self linked to the fact that she hasn't got anyone to call her own as both her daughters are going off to other men (Peter and Alexander) and she has already lost her husband and son.
Developments
Originally I decided to make Lyuba's character very motherly and caring to show her weak and frail nature toward her friends and family. However, as the rehearsals progressed, Karen asked me to experiment by playing Lyuba's character 'like a man'. I was very sceptical about this decision as I had always imaged her to be a very feminine character but I now understand that Karen wanted Lyuba to be a withered soul as she has lived through traumatic events like death and robbery. I decided to make her more 'like a man' by lowering the voice to show the older nature to Lyuba and I tried to make her slightly less caring and motherly. I did this as mothers notoriously over protect their children were as the father tries to teach the children life lessons. I felt this was more suitable for her to take on both roles in parenthood as she has lost her husband and the children don't need as much protection now that they are older.
4 "Cherry Orchard" - Rehearsal Process
Original Ideas:
When I first took to the character Lyuba, I decided to look at a version of the play with Judi Dench playing the role of Lyuba. I felt that this was an effective way to introducing myself to the play as I could see how other people interpreted my character. It was not the same version as our play but the translation was very similar which meant that it was easy to follow. I also then decided to base my character of Lyuba to judi Dench. I felt she was a loving woman to her children but she had a soft weakness to her. Altogether I made my Lyuba to be a soft mother character. In order to show this in my character I decided to use high tones in my voice to show the sweater feminine nature of Lyuba and I had a slower pace to show the older and fragile side to Lyuba. I felt this was an accurate interpretation of Judi Dench's Lyuba. However I felt that perhaps something was missing as it didn't feel like I took charge of the character fully.
Questions:
Even after I had watched and read the play I still felt like there was some questions that were raised whilst we were going through the play. For example:
I didn't think that I could wander these questions yet as I hadn't done enough research. So I then went to look at the historical events of this time period and the whole play to see if I could find any answers.
When I first took to the character Lyuba, I decided to look at a version of the play with Judi Dench playing the role of Lyuba. I felt that this was an effective way to introducing myself to the play as I could see how other people interpreted my character. It was not the same version as our play but the translation was very similar which meant that it was easy to follow. I also then decided to base my character of Lyuba to judi Dench. I felt she was a loving woman to her children but she had a soft weakness to her. Altogether I made my Lyuba to be a soft mother character. In order to show this in my character I decided to use high tones in my voice to show the sweater feminine nature of Lyuba and I had a slower pace to show the older and fragile side to Lyuba. I felt this was an accurate interpretation of Judi Dench's Lyuba. However I felt that perhaps something was missing as it didn't feel like I took charge of the character fully.
Questions:
Even after I had watched and read the play I still felt like there was some questions that were raised whilst we were going through the play. For example:
- What happened to Lyuba in Paris?
- How long has she been away?
- How long has she been hurting?
I didn't think that I could wander these questions yet as I hadn't done enough research. So I then went to look at the historical events of this time period and the whole play to see if I could find any answers.
Friday, 30 October 2015
3 "The Cherry Orchard" - Platonov
Review of Platonov
When we went to watch Platonov there was a few features that stood out for me that I think relates to our performance of The Cherry Orchard. One of them was the background noises. Throughout Platonov they had recorded sounds of birds chirping which helped set the atmosphere of them living in the countryside and there was singing and music coming from the house that could be heard when the scene was set outside in the garden. I felt that these constant noises helped create the atmosphere but it also made the play more natural as in life there is always some noises that can be heard. I felt this related to our play because we also use some backstage noises in order to build the atmosphere. In the opening two characters are waiting for the return of the family and as they arrive there are noises off stage of the family getting their bags and preparing to enter the house for the first time in 5 years. I now feel that our backstage noises will make our performance seem more realistic to the audience as it will bring a general hubbub to the scene and it will break up the silence.
Another similarity is through the characters. In Platonov there is a character called Anne who is the owner of a large house that is having to be sold because she is in huge debt. She hides behind a happy demeanour and she is only holding on to false hope but she will not accept her failure. This is also very similar to my character, Lyuba. She is also a landowner who is having to sell her land and orchard due to debt from the huge change in Russia. She starts of by putting on a brave face but she is more court up in her memories that she doesn't want to except her present. She does hold on to false hope but unlike Anne, Lyuba excepts her defeat and ends up maturing because of it. I find it interesting that Chekhov would write 2 strong female characters with such similar stories as it makes me think that he based these characters on some one he might have known and it therefore makes me see my character as more truthful than before.
Probably the most effective part of The performance of Platonov was the supporting characters. At the end of the play Platonov is shot in front of everyone and everyone reacted in there own way. Fro example the one who shot him collapsed to the floor and was crying and the other main characters were reacting with cries or looking away. However what drew my attention was the 3 servant ( who didn't have mainly line throughout the play) who all stood on stage right and were preying for Platonov but we're all frozen. I felt this was really effective as the death was very fast paced and the sudden freeze from the servant broken the structure of the play. It created this cold atmosphere as it was such a change to the rest of the play. There was also a scene where a merchant was cruel to an old man servant in which he push him to the floor. The scene then persisted to carry on but the old man slowly got up and steadied himself on a log. This actor took all the time in the world to finally leave the scene that it made it seem more realistic as he wasn't rushing and he stayed in character the whole time he tried to get up. I therefore feel that responding to the events that happen to the scene (even if they didn't happen to their character) brings an element of truth to the performance as it means people are aware of the surroundings and they are committed to being their character.
When we went to watch Platonov there was a few features that stood out for me that I think relates to our performance of The Cherry Orchard. One of them was the background noises. Throughout Platonov they had recorded sounds of birds chirping which helped set the atmosphere of them living in the countryside and there was singing and music coming from the house that could be heard when the scene was set outside in the garden. I felt that these constant noises helped create the atmosphere but it also made the play more natural as in life there is always some noises that can be heard. I felt this related to our play because we also use some backstage noises in order to build the atmosphere. In the opening two characters are waiting for the return of the family and as they arrive there are noises off stage of the family getting their bags and preparing to enter the house for the first time in 5 years. I now feel that our backstage noises will make our performance seem more realistic to the audience as it will bring a general hubbub to the scene and it will break up the silence.
Another similarity is through the characters. In Platonov there is a character called Anne who is the owner of a large house that is having to be sold because she is in huge debt. She hides behind a happy demeanour and she is only holding on to false hope but she will not accept her failure. This is also very similar to my character, Lyuba. She is also a landowner who is having to sell her land and orchard due to debt from the huge change in Russia. She starts of by putting on a brave face but she is more court up in her memories that she doesn't want to except her present. She does hold on to false hope but unlike Anne, Lyuba excepts her defeat and ends up maturing because of it. I find it interesting that Chekhov would write 2 strong female characters with such similar stories as it makes me think that he based these characters on some one he might have known and it therefore makes me see my character as more truthful than before.
Probably the most effective part of The performance of Platonov was the supporting characters. At the end of the play Platonov is shot in front of everyone and everyone reacted in there own way. Fro example the one who shot him collapsed to the floor and was crying and the other main characters were reacting with cries or looking away. However what drew my attention was the 3 servant ( who didn't have mainly line throughout the play) who all stood on stage right and were preying for Platonov but we're all frozen. I felt this was really effective as the death was very fast paced and the sudden freeze from the servant broken the structure of the play. It created this cold atmosphere as it was such a change to the rest of the play. There was also a scene where a merchant was cruel to an old man servant in which he push him to the floor. The scene then persisted to carry on but the old man slowly got up and steadied himself on a log. This actor took all the time in the world to finally leave the scene that it made it seem more realistic as he wasn't rushing and he stayed in character the whole time he tried to get up. I therefore feel that responding to the events that happen to the scene (even if they didn't happen to their character) brings an element of truth to the performance as it means people are aware of the surroundings and they are committed to being their character.
2 "The Cherry Orchard" - Naturalism Workshops
Naturalism Workshops
The main style we are looking at in our Chekhov play is naturalism. Chekhov was a Russian play write in the 1800's who focused on the style of naturalism. He based this style on the practitioner Stanislavsky who created the idea of acting realistically on stage. Chekhov is consider as one of the major literary geniuses of his time due to the fact he helped change the style of plays which are still being played in this time period. In order to learn about and use naturalism we did a series of naturalism workshops which allowed us to explore different story areas in naturalism. These included the "system", emotions and the fourth wall.
One of the workshops that I think relates very well to my character was the emotions.
In the workshop we focused on the emotions anger, sadness and happiness. We had to stand out side the room and enter the room trying to portray a different emotion. I was given anger and my story was that I was angry that my younger adopted sister was given a car and I never was given one. I think what made my performance believable was because of the actions. When I talked I had to improvise the text therefore it seemed staged but when I just stood there staring at my sister or when I paced a bit it built an awkward tension that meant the audience anticipated the next line. I think the most effect task was having too wait outside as it allowed me to get into the right mind set so when I walked into the room I was hit by the emotions and I forgot who I was. I felt that this was relevant to my character as Lyuba has been away from her home for 5 years so entering her house for the first time she would feel a rush of emotions. I have therefore decided to use the technique of emotions as soon as I enter the stage to show the whole impact of being away for so long.
Another naturalism technique which we used was taken from Stanislavsky's system. It is when you use objects to help show the back story and character through the interaction between the object. In our workshop we were given a chair and we had to relate the chairs to a memory of our own. I chose my great grandpa's chair that I used to sit behind and try to read his Welsh poetry books. We then had to show our connection by interacting with the chair so I decided to sit behind it and then my head on the back of the chair. I think this was effective as it got me to think about the importance of memories of our characters and also the effect of certain objects as they can inflict different emotions on us. I felt this related to my character as Lyuba has a deep connection to the cherry orchard and I feel that her emotions are based on the destruction of the orchard as it resembles the destruction of her life and memories.
The main style we are looking at in our Chekhov play is naturalism. Chekhov was a Russian play write in the 1800's who focused on the style of naturalism. He based this style on the practitioner Stanislavsky who created the idea of acting realistically on stage. Chekhov is consider as one of the major literary geniuses of his time due to the fact he helped change the style of plays which are still being played in this time period. In order to learn about and use naturalism we did a series of naturalism workshops which allowed us to explore different story areas in naturalism. These included the "system", emotions and the fourth wall.
One of the workshops that I think relates very well to my character was the emotions.
In the workshop we focused on the emotions anger, sadness and happiness. We had to stand out side the room and enter the room trying to portray a different emotion. I was given anger and my story was that I was angry that my younger adopted sister was given a car and I never was given one. I think what made my performance believable was because of the actions. When I talked I had to improvise the text therefore it seemed staged but when I just stood there staring at my sister or when I paced a bit it built an awkward tension that meant the audience anticipated the next line. I think the most effect task was having too wait outside as it allowed me to get into the right mind set so when I walked into the room I was hit by the emotions and I forgot who I was. I felt that this was relevant to my character as Lyuba has been away from her home for 5 years so entering her house for the first time she would feel a rush of emotions. I have therefore decided to use the technique of emotions as soon as I enter the stage to show the whole impact of being away for so long.
Another naturalism technique which we used was taken from Stanislavsky's system. It is when you use objects to help show the back story and character through the interaction between the object. In our workshop we were given a chair and we had to relate the chairs to a memory of our own. I chose my great grandpa's chair that I used to sit behind and try to read his Welsh poetry books. We then had to show our connection by interacting with the chair so I decided to sit behind it and then my head on the back of the chair. I think this was effective as it got me to think about the importance of memories of our characters and also the effect of certain objects as they can inflict different emotions on us. I felt this related to my character as Lyuba has a deep connection to the cherry orchard and I feel that her emotions are based on the destruction of the orchard as it resembles the destruction of her life and memories.
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
1 "The Cherry Orchard" - Character Profile
Who am I?
Name - Lyubov Ranevsky (also named Lyuba)
Age - a middle aged woman
Statues - a Russian landowner who is also a widow
Children - Anya Ranevsky and Varya Ranevsky
Siblings - Leonid Gaev
Lyuba is a kind and generous character, and we get the feeling that she has suffered from her ideals of 'love' and she doesn't believe 'love' to just be empty words. She is loved by her family as well as her friends which makes her generosity stretch to everyone no matter how cruel they are. Her sympathetic nature gives her loss of the orchard a poignancy as she identifies herself with the tree. She says that she would rather be sold with the tree instead of seeing being lost forever. Her character's circumstances has therefore made some people call the play a tragedy even though Chekhov wrote it as a comedy.
Themes for the character:
Lyuba's character is mainly defined by flight, both physical and emotional. Physically, she is continuously fleeing from location throughout the play. It starts with her flight from Paris, home to Russia, after her suicide attempt which is provoked by her French lover stealing from her. The play also later reveals that she left Russia 5 years ago after the death of her son and her husband. It is clear that she is a very submissive person as she runs away from all of her problems instead of facing them head on
She is a woman besieged by the memories of her tragic adult life and therefore is seeking refuge in her memories of her idyllic childhood. Her visions of her mother walking through the cherry orchard reinforces the picture of a woman suffering from illusions, the illusion that she can recapture the idyll of her childhood and block out the tragic events of the past 5 years from her mind. However she finally realises that she can't hide in her past forever when she sees Peter as he reminds her of the death of her son and tragedy of her adult life. So from this point in the story she starts to stop pretending to be happy.
The cherry orchard symbolises all of Lyuba's past memories and the joy she felt as a child so the destruction of the orchard makes her forget that happiness that she had and it gives her a chance to move beyond those memories. Hopefully she will take the opportunity and she will be able to forget her old life and star a new.
What are my obstacles?
Probably Lyuba's main obstacle is the orchard it self as she has such a deep attachment that she can't let it go. She is already fixated on her childhood memories and the orchard only heightens their existence so she might also see her memories as an obstacle as she is haunted by them in her adult life.
What do I do to overcome the obstacle?
I don't think that she makes herself come over the obstacle but more that she is forced to overcome it. When the orchard is cut down she is released from her childhood memories and the structure of her old life. It therefore sets her free to start a new life. But as there is no indication that she wanted the orchard to be cut down, she may find this experience traumatic as she is losing everything she has ever known that links her to her old life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)