Unit 8

Project Proposal:

Candidate Name: Callum Gordon

Candidate Number: 02000561

Pathway: Acting for Stage and Screen

Project Title: Unit 8

My time at college has opened a new pathway for my future which i fully intend to walk. Each and every show i have learned something new and I will keep learning for the rest of my life if it means i can continue to perform. From starting the course with no acting experience to now, i have grown immensly. Charles Lewis to Theodore Laurence, i plan to expand that list tenfold!

My plan for this project is to take every part of the shows i have done this year and incoorporate each and every one of the previous shows i have performed in into Little Women. Not only will i use what i have learned on the stage, but also use what i have learned off stage in researching characters and the play itself. I have spent a large amount of time researching Theodore Laurence, but i shall continue until the show itself is upon us. I plan to keep using the experiences that i have learned and create new ones while performing. 

I was told when i started acting that i possessed natural talent, yet i have and will never let this leave me stagnant. I still have so much to learn, which i wil make sure i do so during the show and during my many future years of performing.

I believe my evaluations for the year are left best in my show evaluations! I have grown immensly through this year in many ways. I certainly have things to improve upon such as my time management, but i will take the time to improve. I plan to give my all for the show, yet happily welcome feedback from all around me.

Task 1:

Production Diary.

Task 2:

I have completed the necessary tasks below!

Audition - Theodore Laurence | LW (callumdactor.blogspot.com)

Character Analysis - Theodore Laurence | LW (callumdactor.blogspot.com)

Task 2.1:

To support my fellow classmates in the production and performance of Little Women, I plan to work on music as a production role in our rendition of the play. As a member of the music production team, I plan to select suitable music, oversee technical aspects, and ensure a seamless integration of music into the overall production. 

I first plan to familiarise myself with the play by immersing myself and reading the script thoroughly, paying close attention to the character dynamics, plot developments, and the play's overall tone and theme. Doing this, I hope to understand the emotional arcs of the characters and the pivotal moments where music can have a significant impact. This foundational understanding will help guide my music selections and ensure that they resonate with the audience and enhance their connection to the story.  In terms of selecting music, I wish to curate a list of potential musical pieces considering the time period of the story, the geographical setting, the characters' backgrounds, and the emotional requirements of each scene! 

To do this I will research music styles from the 1800s and Civil War era, including folk songs, hymns, ballads, and instrumental compositions and add those that fit the aspect I, and the team are looking for to a specific playlist, where they can be drawn from later.

During rehearsals, I wish work closely with my fellow peers to incorporate the music seamlessly into their performances. I hope to provide guidance on timing, dynamics, and emotional nuances, ensuring that the music enhances the dramatic impact of the scenes and collaborate with the director to refine the integration of music with the overall staging and blocking!

Task 2.2:

During my time working on the production of Little Women, I decided it would be most useful for me to focus on helping plan music for certain points to play throughout the show! For this, I was given direction to pick music that fits the time of the 1800s, which included mainly classical. To make sure I was working efficiently, I made myself a plan.

The goal was to scan through the script and pick different places that would fit music and add them effectively and strategically. Using inspiration from the series, Bridgerton, which we were already using a piece from during the dancing scene, I scanned through different music platforms, looking for music that would align with the theme but also feel modern. I found an abundance of songs that were modern but modified into classical music, this fit well with what i was looking for, however, it was difficult to find the specific songs that would help amplify the scenes they were put into.

For this specifically, I spent my time combing through Youtube, Spotify and Soundcloud to look for time correct music and in my surprise, was able to find music playlists which housed "Pop music as Classical", i used this to help me greatly, taking 2-3 songs and adding them to my own playlist as i found they worked well. 

The Songs I found were "Something Just Like This" - The Piano Guys ((8) Something Just Like This / Hungarian Rhapsody - YouTube) and "A Thousand Years" - The Piano Guys ((8) Christina Perri - A Thousand Years (Piano/Cello Cover) - YouTube), they both were classical slow versions of the popular songs and were just a few examples of the music I chose! I found the music artists "The Piano Guys" worked well with the vibe of music I wanted to go for. 

I managed to gather a list of 8-10 songs that I found would work within the script and it was just the matter of combing through and finding the right places for them to go. I had discussed with Kelly about few pieces of music that would work well and we both found that "Before You Go" - The Piano Guys ((8) Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi (Piano & Cello Cover) The Piano Guys - YouTube), fit well with the scene in which Laurie and Jo meet for the first time. After this, I spent my time placing music throughout the script, carefully choosing my points to amplify the emotion already eminating from the scene in question. 

I was sadly not able to do this for all the scenes I had hoped for as I found it increasingly difficult to identify points in which music was warranted, this being my first time looking at a play from a musically production perspective, I was not well versed in the best points to add music. However, i still carried on and added the points to where i thought would work well! Due to the play coming up, I sent over my music playlist to the Freya, who was our sound technician for the show! She helped incredibly with filling up the spots, finding an official Little Women soundtrack which added immensely to the vibe of the show. 

I believe the music of the show went perfectly, and thanks to Freya, we were able to capture the audiences emotions and boost them up to 100, adding parts where I hadn't even thought of! I certainly need to learn more about music tech before I commit myself to such a large task alone once more, but i will take what ive learned from this experience and use it whenever i can from now on!

Task 2.3:

In conclusion, my production role was a thrilling experience, it certainly went differently than what I planned but i appreciate the experience and will use it along my journey to improve! 

For starters, i followed the start of my plan quite well! Combing through various medias to find fitting music, and adding them to a set playlist. However, there was a bigger difficulty than i expected with the integration of music into the play. I added what i could, but in the end i realised i needed help and thankfully i was able to get some through our sound technician. 

I would like to redo the task with what i know now with what i have learned. I would spend more time looking through and memorising the script while checking through the pieces i selected. This in turn would add more of a feel to the music and it would be better integrated into the script and play! 

There was moments during my research that I felt as if i had hit the jackpot when finding music, however when then comparing it to the script and the scenes i was disdappinted in the flow that would be interrupted due to the music choices. I certianly have a better understanding of music integration because of this experience, as well as a better viewpoint on the production roles that are done behind the scenes. 

Task 4.1:

If i tried for weeks, i would not be able to evaluate my time here in just a few sentences. Enrolling into a college for the second time was scary, there are certain expectations one gives themselves when doing something for a second time. When that thing is going through education after doing it before for something you didn't really want to do, it almost feels like a second chance, and one you cannot waste. These fears presented and stayed with me for the first few months of the year, most of my peers had acting experience before this, some had extensive experience from childhood! There was definitely an intimidation at the start, but one of the biggest things i learned throughout this time at education was that experience only goes so far. It took me a while to realise, but everyone was just as scared as me, we were all doing something for the first time after all, no matter the experience.

It took me a while to get comfortable with the first years, i already felt more connected to the second years as i had met some of them before enrolling due to them being friends with my older brother Morgan. I also feel that the age difference made me feel closer to the second years. As this was my second time through college, i was older than most of the second years but only by a bit, however i was a few years older than my peers, and it was hard for me to relate and make friends with them at first. Nonetheless! Today we are like family, its as if there was no awkwardness to even begin with! 

Having done nothing professionally as an actor before joining college, the announcement of our first show was so exciting, but also terrifying. My main fear was that I would be terrible at remembering lines as I do not have the best memory outside of college. This fear continued itself all the way up to the day, and it wasn't until I was walking through the Globe during our "Ghost Light Tours" and during our first show on stage, "The Wizard of Oz", that I found the actor within myself. There's nothing I've ever felt like the free feeling I feel every time in on stage or in front of a character. 

During this year I've learned how to research a character as well as use what ive researched both off and on stage to become the character I'm cast as. Being the Wizard was like learning to ride a bike, it was a rocky road but im so proud of myself for what i accomplished. Being there with everyone and seeing them all experiencing what i was felt as if i wasn't alone. The same feelings were present for our next show, of Connections 2023 - "Old Times", i decided to audition for a more saddening character so i could learn how to play a more sombre role. This was the role of Zafer, a teenager with Cancer who is being exploited by his friends. 

Reading the script of Old Times felt surreal, it was our first non big named script! Coming up with the how the character was acted, how they talked, what their emotions were in certain scenes was all up to us! I pride myself on choosing roles I know will push me forward as an actor, and Zafer certainly proved to myself that I'm more than just an upbeat actor, and i can play more upsetting roles also! Performing Zafer holds a special place in my heart as it was the first time my father had come to see a role i had done! It was extremely nerve wracking, way more so than usual. I had never felt so nervous on stage, but nonetheless i still felt the joy and euphoria i usually do while performing.

Finally onto Little Women, our piece de resistance, I went for the role of Laurie due to the length, Laurie was my biggest challenge. I wanted to take the fear I had at the start of the year and smash it to pieces, showing everyone and proving to myself that I can not only remember lines, but i can memorise a play. There's no way to describe the feeling of eradicating a fear through purely fighting it over and over and I cannot wait for the challenges that next year present.

This, acting, its what i want to do, its something i feel i was made for. I cannot thank my tutors Kelly and Kane enough, nor my peers for helping me realise its what i want to do with my life, what ive always wanted. To evaluate this year, I can only say its prepared me for the next one. I have proven myself wrong so many times in the best ways possible. No matter the struggles I have had and will continue to have along the way, I will keep going. 

"Be Loyal to What Matters, and Don't Look Back"

Task 4.2:

Performing in the cast of little women was the best experience ive ever had at this college and one that i will never ever forget. Becoming an actor is something i have always dreamed of and never before have i felt so sure about my choices than with the preperation and performance of Little Women.

Laurie is a character which i have spent countless hours researching through other performances, productions, articles, stories and media. I tried to make sure i was enveloping who the character was, while also being my own version of Laurie. To this I believe I did wonderfully. Im so so very proud of my performance with Laurie. My rehearsals revealed a few of my insecurities when playing the character, but through constant repeats i was able to flatten them with my peers alongside me. 

One of these insecurities was remembering my lines, due to my integration into my new job alongside college, i feared i would have less time to work on the character and learn my lines, which scared me a little. However, i made sure to work around the clock to ensure my lines were learned and my character was stable. Not only did i want this play to be one i smashed, i wanted it to be the best one yet, i wanted to feel proud of what ive accomplished and feel as if i ended the year with a bang.

I certainly am not upset with any part of my performance, and though i was still shaky on what points i came on, we were able to go thoughout the play beforehand which increased my confidence about performing it for real immensly. After our dress run, nerves were still there byt lowered greatly! 

Once the show started, it was time. Everyone was ready and waiting behind the wings. We kept checking the script to make sure what points we were on and so that the play could flow smoothly. It was a hit, scene after scene was incredible. Im so so proud of each and every one of my peers as theyve grown immensly alongside myself, who at the start of the year, felt like i wouldnt be able to rememeber a single paragraph of lines.

As the performance progressed we made sure to keep focused, it felt as if there was this huge weight at the start of production, but strangely, as we were performing there was no fear, no nerves, just pure enjoyment and euphoria as i was able to play the character i had spent so much time with offstage, onstage. 

I believe Little Women was an incredibly fun show to do, although still a learning experience. I learned how to push myself and that i can remember bigger versions of performances, even under pressure from outside influences. It is a big shame that we were only able to perform the play once, i would do it another 10 times if i could. I will take what ive learned and use it in my next shows forever in the future.