Jade ward mcfarlane: FMP - The Governers Inspector

Jade Ward McFarlane
FMP - The Governers Inspector
Rehearsal progress.

Plot- The Governers inspector is a classic Russian play from 1836 It is a contemporary play written by Nikolai Gogol The play is about a small village run by the mayor, with many secret problems and hidden damages done to the town; the 'inspector' makes a sudden visit to the village making everyone turn upside down to try and impress this visitor all to find out the 'inspector' who secretly frauds the town with his stay and takes their money as a 'loan' wasn't a inspector at all and the real inspector has just arrived; leaving the town in complete distress and misery.

First lesson - The first lesson on the Governers inspector was given by rob, we sat down and firstly done a read through of the script, line by line to have a better understanding of what the plays about and also to see the potential characters come to life! I personally dislike this step, I find it takes extremely long and can be quite boring if people are not lifting of the page, however this process has to be done in any play given and as a actor I have accepted this. When I first started getting a understanding of the play i wasn't too 'keen' I felt that for a comedic play it didn't sound very funny, i think this is because of the time era difference. Back then humour was very different it had to be less blunt and more hidden in a sense. I've grown to like the character Anna her role seems a lot funnier than the others and I believe I could play the role flirtatious and 'bitchy' quite well, it will be a challenge if I get given the role but I love nothing more than pushing myself to the limit to gain more knowledge of the acting world I'm entering into.

After doing the line throughs we discussed as a class what we thought, and expressed our understanding of the play. I could already see a spark in some of my class on which characters I thought fitted their characters; Tutu & Hangela would make the perfect 'Bobchinksy and Dobchinsky' two land farmers living in the village. Tutu and Hangela are practically twins as it is and are very humorous in just their daily activities in class I personally feel they'd make PERFECT Bobchinksy and Dobchinsky.

Staging-
After receiving roles, after a bit of persuasion I was given the role ANNA! And I am ready to blast this character with energy. We had come into lesson with chairs placed in a strange persisuon "this is our stage layout" exclaimed rob. I was slightly confused on how this would work, Rob continued to explain that this is a traverse stage layout played to the audience at all angles. I began to wonder how this layout would fit with this play, I'm not used to stage layout to be anything different but your average theatre layout Proscenium stage, and with such a classic old play i would personally think that the Proscenium stage would fit better. I started to think about each scene and how the traverse staging would fit, and i think it will be a struggle to work the scene with anna, mayra and dobchinksy when he delivers the news as myself and fru ( Anna and Mayra) have to run up to the window and see dobchinsky run with a letter from the mayor; how will this work? how will the audience see dobchinksy? as there is four entrances/exits on the stage which one will make sense for him to enter without breaking the 'realistic' feel of theatre.
However im quite excited on having the stage layout like this as i think it will be a challenege for myself and class to be able to adjust to a different staging as we more or less always do Proscenium staging.

Coming to Grips with character-
I have started to realise exactly what I've let myself in for.. a POSH (well spoken) character. Something that has to be a extremely big challenege for me, my dilect is very 'street' as I have been told with a unusual 'eye widening' accent, some people would say its very 'east londoner' with a mix of something you cant put your finger on. I have struggled since the first year with my articulation in some areas; one being the biggest, the dreaded 'th's. Consistently pulled up by Rob on these pronounciations this has to be perfected for the show! I decided to do some research into other sketch shows with well spoken women such as Honor Blackman who originates from Plaistow, not to far from my hojme town Westham, The show I studided her in was called 'The Upper Hand' a sitcom.
This gave me some inspiration as i thought a woman with much similarity in dilect to me and comes from the same area can pull of a 'buckingham palace' accent.. then i can do the same; with practice. Everyday to prepare myself for the show I would practice my th's making sure my tounce tip touches my teeth. I would practice on the train reading overhead posters to even text messages on my phone. I also had a look into the flirtaciousness of my character and realised shes a very 'saucy' character who i believe is just craving for attention that is not being given by her husband.. this instantly rang bells to me. 'Of mice & men' a classic novel worldwide and now made into a film; curlys wife is just the character I need to inspire off to create my own Anna Andrevna.

Day in the life of Anna Andrevna-
Dear Diary,
Today has been like any other day in this horrid village that is not St Petersburg.
Im forever telling Anton we need to ditch this town and its provinctial people, im bored of fresh bread and soup! I need caviar and salmon sticks like 'good old' Vershina does in her kingdom palace in the wonderful, maginifivent and classy St Petersburg. Ohhh St Petersburg how I would love to step into your precsence, how I would love for my diamond pointed heeled shoes to step on to your perfect layed brick flooring. Diary I'm So excited today! a new comer has enetered the horrid village, believe it or not a inspector.. a handsome Aubern tonned sophistacated young gentlemen; how i would love to get my claws into his milatary jacket oh my! but I've been watching our Mayra with her twinkly eyes running up and down his perfected body, oh yes im watching you Mayra you may be my daughter but this one is mine, mine all mine. And Diary the servant isnt to bad looking for an old man either bit of a crooked back but he can make do whilst anton is off sorting buisness, I think he was slightly intimidated by my proposal for him to come to my room tonight, I dont think he is used to such a fiesty woman but I know for sure that handsome inspector is.
That is all for now Diary until tomorrow I must get some beauty sleep not that I need It.
Goodnight Anna.

Tech Rehearsal Week-

27th April/4&5 is a 'bummer'- The start of tech week and I don't think anyone is ready for this show, i feel as if everyone is just tired and not feeling the play as much as we have with others; the class has not clicked with the governers inspector. everyones under severe pressure to get this final play to the up most it can be and lines are not even one hundered percent learnt. I'm fearing for both Khelstakovs at this present moment along with the rest of the class as both don't know any of their lines at all, this is a big fear as its just a week away but knowing both of them through previous experience they are very skilled actors; I know they will pull themselves together.
Act 4&5 seem to be the biggest downfull in the play at the moment, it can easily be a boring scene if its not quick in speed it needs to be sharp and snappy!

28thApril/The class has completely lost It'- We started the second lesson of tech rehearsals with a short warm up as myself and the class agree that this is the perfect way to get us focused as a group. Our favourite warm up vocal game has to be 'fe fi fo' a warm up we learnt from Naomi during movement workshop from the donmar theatre. after this warm up we are full of energy as we have been running around the space with high voices, loud voices, quiet voices and even down to tiny whispers we then had one run through of the show and then it was time for independent learning rehearsals for Act 4&5; the scene we are not getting. It all kicked off. A big argument accured between the class due to lack of team work, people consistantly in and out of the class and not supporting eachother, i think this is very important as an actor to be able to work with your group at a 'family like' level we are all one in this show. Once everyone had cooled down after lunch we had one last run through inside the theatre changing lighting and seeing how music fit with louis. As we are all directors in the class i advise3d the group that i think their should be orange lighting throughout the play rather than bright white lights as most scenes are set inside the mayors house it needs a cosier feel inside the theatre with dimmer lighting to repersent a home. I also made another directorial note of Myself Anna and Mayra (Fru) to surround Osip (Sam) with chairs in Act3 as a sign of interrogation, persistance and obsessiveness of the pair; Rather than surrounding him standing up and leaning on him as this may distract the audience when Osip is talking through too much movement on stage or as we call it (Dancing).

29thApril/COSSSTUMESSS' - We was told to pick costumes; it all started to feel so sorrel now. Having a brief conversation to Rob before about costume I remembered him saying how he would like the play to have a bit more of a modern costume as the play is very back dated. I chose a green emerald dress with a gold shall to cover my shoulders with small black heels, i think this costume instantly tells the audience that I am a high classed character compared to other costumes being worn on stage, this dress is a royal colour and was only worn by people with moeny. It was quite a struggle to pick the costume due to my own body shape as a curvy actress i find this is always a diffuclty as most costumes are bought in the department for smaller built people and i think this needs to be changed and renewed. I first picked a black tasseled dress however this was slightly short for a mayors wife with high elegance i then asked Sarah who's playing Anna also but in the second show what sort of costume she was going for her character. A bright red 'poofy' dress, i did not agree. everyone was going for a very modern look in the play to bring vibrance to the stage in this old tale and this was a back dated dress, i began to wonder how this would fit in with the Annas and the major contrasts between the same character. I guess this shows the contrast in the Actors and how each actor has their own perception on a character and how they make the character their own, this is a very important skill to have as an actor as it makes you your own and unusual. This makes you stand out.

30thApril/'dragging'- Act 4&5 STILL hasn't picked up, and It had become very, very, very Annoying! The lack of energy in the scene is what was killing it you could see the uninfusiasm in the class for this play even more.. we was tired. Act4&5 doesnt have a lot of Anna in the scene and this became fustrating as I was spending near enough the whole day watching a act that I was hardly even in and effortless people who weren't bothered if the scene was even going anywhere. You could see the fustration on even Rob & Sharons face and I don't blame them the show was in a few days time and this was the attitude we was getting monotous dragging. Finally it picked up by the end of the day but we still wasn't there, i could really see a great imput from Emma who plays the postmaster and enters midway in the final scene you can see a burst of energy in her precsence on stage uplifting the other characters.

1stMay&5th/Last touch ups- Each tech rehearsal starts off with a warm up and then full run through. I think the run throughs are beginning to become better apart from a few slight line hiccups and unfortunatley the khelstakovs this is now a BIG worry, Francis has started to pick up some lines and has a better understanding on the play from what I can sense but there is still loads of para phrasing however Conor has brought a big stress on not only himself but the show as he doesn't know a single line yet and all he has is this weekend to learn them! i don't know how this is going to work and the class is even thinking about using francis as khelestakov on both days if the lines aren't learn this would be such a shame as Conor is such a fantastic Student with so much potential, he is a very unusual in his acting style and has a spark to make it big. I really hope this doesn't ruin it. After Run throughs after Run throughs we got given our final notes,

Learn Script
Play the moment
Eye Contact uplifted to the audience
Act 5 & 3 still needs work
DONT TOUCH THE CURTAIN
Avoid 'ohh' In the play on improvisation lines
Not enough discpline - Leave scwabbling

I think its extremely neccssercary to get notes from the director after every Rehearsal this dictates whether youy are a flexiable and adapative Actor as you can acknowledge your notes and take on board what you have to do to improve your character in scenes during the next run through to make yourself comfortable and to perfection for show time. My own personal notes was having a 'Nice Energy On stage' which i was very happy with as I have been trying my hardest to be vibrant and outgoing on stage dispite lack of energy overall in the performance. Another note given by Rob was to play a bit more 'Kat Slater' in certain lines Anna gives to Mayra to show the audience the real side of the mother; she is not the sophistcated classy woman she makes out to be, but a common woman with an east end cheap dilect.