Final Reflection for IBTA Yr. 1 Performance

Ensemble

• I was really proud of what we did as an ensemble. It was really fun collaborating with everyone throughout the play. My favorite part of the play, as an ensemble member, was devising the sounds. I liked the sounds that we created in the very beginning of the play. I thought it was an effective way to get the audience's attention. As an ensemble member, I learned that we really need to work together to make sure that our cues are sharp. If one person comes in a little bit later than everyone else, it can break the illusion of the play. Another thing we can all work on as an ensemble is being quiet backstage. At one point, I was really upset because some people started laughing and the audience could hear. I think we all need to be more respectful to each other and remember that our performance doesn't only affect one person, but the whole ensemble.

Performer

• As a performer, I didn't have very much acting experience. I was really happy that I didn't cry before the performance. Sometimes before choir or solo performances, I get really nervous and cry backstage before I get on stage. I was also happy that I got all my lines memorized. Memorizing lines was something I was nervous about in the beginning of the production stage. I was afraid that we wouldn't have enough time and that I would forget some lines while on stage. I learned that it wasn't as bad as I originally anticipated. Something I could work on is slowing down my lines and more facial expression. During this whole process and experience, I learned that plays can be very time consuming. and require focus and hard work. I wasn't really sure at first how to act, but I'm starting to become more comfortable. There was one scene that I really had to get out of my comfort zone. In general, I struggle to try or do unfamiliar things sometimes - especially when they're it's in front of groups of people. Through this experience, I was able to grow as an actress and as a performer.

Designer

• I thought the set was fine. I honestly wouldn't say I was proud of our work because in my perspective, I thought it looked messy at times. Although it was meant to look "dirty," I felt like what I hoped the set would be like and the result didn't really match in the end. However, I also didn't really have a plan to begin with. Next time, I will draw an outline of everything on the computer so that my ideas are more clear. I realize that my mindset is that it could have been better, but for the sake of time, I suppose it was good enough. If I could have changed it now, I would have tried to incorporate the scenes more in the set. A big reason I didn't do this at first was because we had so many scene changes, and I didn't want the audience to always have the mindset that all the scenes looked the same. Instead, I tried to create flats that were more flexible than ones that looked just like a school or house. Some constructive criticism and feedback I got from other people was all the flats looked the same. I thought it was ironic since this was what I was trying to avoid. Overall, I thought this was a great learning experience.

Reflection

Recently, some changes we have made with the tech was abandoning our last outline and changing it to something that had more dimensions to represent the different worlds that is in our play. Adam and I finally finished painting the set. Some of the flats turned out more different that I anticipated. While we were ordering the paint, I forgot to get brighter colors and ended up having to use what we had in the warehouse. Luckily, since our set is in the trashy side of the city, it wasn't too much of a big deal. While I was working with Adam, I struggled trying to balance the work at first. I don't usually know what I'm doing when I draw or paint. This made it very difficult for me to collaborate or get help with other people. Whenever they asked, I normally told them they can do whatever they think looks best. Something I learned from this l should draw specific outlines and test the colors before I put it on the flats.

As a performer, I'm almost finished memorizing my lines. I'm starting to get more comfortable on stage, but still not sure how'll I'll feel when there's an audience. For the club scene, I have to take a step out of my comfort zone. I have to dance and act somewhat seductive - which are both things I have no experience in. Other than that, I'm excited to see how this turns out.

My favorite role in the play is the ensemble. I really like how far we've come and what we're planning to do. We have a few scenes we need to sort out, but other than that we should be fine. Something that we can all work on are our cues. It's vital that we know when, where, and what we need to do. Overall, I hope we can polish everything off this coming week.

Warehouse Workshop

During the workshop, I learned that setting up the platforms were going to be harder than I anticipated. I learned how to use the drills as well as the saws. However, we're not allowed to use the saws without an adult standing next to us. I hope to accomplish (during rehearsal today) to get started in all the platforms. Before we start doing this, we will have to draw the stage floors, discuss about the colors, and draw the final basic set. A lot of our set changes are going to be simple. We plan to use props as our set changes. Something that stood out to me that Mr. Roddick said was you have to assume that the audience will not know and they will only see what we show them. I think this goes beyond just theater. In most novels that we read, the narrator will only reveal what he or she wants the reader to know. I think this is vital to keep in mind when creating the set.

Mentor Discussion

Today Adam, Mr. Roddick, and I discussed the floor plan of the set. We have had to simply our original plan due to our time frame and unnecessary work. Since we haven't written down any of the dimensions yet, it's delayed the lighting group and what they need to do. Some of things that we discussed was lighting, and how it is vital to keep in mind what it would look like against the screen in front of the projector. Because the projector isn't powerful enough to outshine the lighting, we will have to tone down the lighting. We are planning to talk to Mr. Roddick again tomorrow and will hopefully have access to the warehouse as soon as possible.