Development Process

  • In the development process, I contributed to my group by giving multiple ideas. I put forward the thought using the drums to make the scene richer, the idea of knights walking down the stairs to use the space as much as possible… All of our groupmates contributed in costume and prop selections.
  • I collaborated with my ensemble member very well. I am responsible for my part; I memorized the lines (although I do not have much) very quickly. We respected each other’s ideas and try to do imply most of them in our performance. There were some difficulties such as memorizing lines and actions, but we all supported each other. Every ensemble member was very focused and stayed on task, this gave us opportunities to run through our performance multiple times.
  • Some of the successes in this process: we have limited time, but we all worked really hard to make it the best that we could. The props and costumes are limited, so we have to make them as similar to the story as they could be, and we succeeded. We were not able to rehearse in the actual space many times, but in the actual performance, we were in the right spot because we have collaborated in our practices; we reminded each other during rehearsals

Performance and Reflect

  • When I was performing, I was very nervous because I don’t know how the audience would react. Since the audience is little kids, I “expect” them to be very supportive, and will be very energetic to give responses. However, in the actual performance, they were mostly silent during the main part of our story. I felt really nervous; I reflected on my performance in the first part of the story, and I tried to be more energetic and act with more exaggeration during the second part of the performance. In the end, I was surprised that the kids actually responded very well and laughed at the scene where the king was chased by the dragon.
  • Through this experience, I learned that we should never “judge” or “expect” our audience to react in a way we want. My performance should always be engaging and filled with energy, no matter who I am performing it to. Also, something that I realized was most kids really enjoyed the performances even though they did not react very actively.
  • Some useful tips I gained for future theatre projects:
  1. Practice is the most important thing!! If there is a limited time, try to use rehearsal times efficiently. ACT, don’t think.
  2. Music! Music can really add another layer to the performance. Use all five senses. (If possible!)
  3. analyze your audience; think from their perspective. What do they like?
  4. use up the SPACE. It is always a good technique to stand in different positions, walk around during the performance, especially in special stages. They grab the audiences’ attention
  5. Energy! Engage and interact with the audience to make them more connected to the scene.