I felt much more relaxed going into our performance in Brighton than I did going into the one at the new theatre. This was probably due to the fact that we had done 2 performances now, which we were able to learn a lot from. Our biggest challenge this time round would not be nerves, it would be our change in venue. We would be competing with a cafe and a park full of people, walkers by, other street performers, cars, the elements, everything would be battling to be heard- we just had the job of fighting the hardest.
When people try and tell you that you will need to project louder than you ever have before because of the noise you are competing with, your reaction is 'I'm sure it's not that bad,' Oh how wrong we were. We arrived to a park that was filling slowly but surely up for lunchtime, an opera singer on the road just beyond, a rock band and about every other noise you can think of that would appear in the soundscape for a park/high street/road/cafe. Needless to say, when I say I projected, it felt like shouting. Although I hope I wasn't shouting, it felt that way. All those times I've been told to speak from my stomach and use your diaphragm came flooding back as I battled with an opera singer already winning half the battle due to her luxury of a microphone. The new theatre seemed a fond memory of the times when the surrounding area in the theatre was silent. It felt like a power struggle to be heard. It was mad. This has taught me so much and is a valuable lesson before we go to Stratford. Without volume there is no words, without words there is no story, without a story there is no play and no play means no audience. To keep bums in seats we have to be heard, a lesson learnt quickly when in Brighton.
Apart from the looming problem of projection, Brighton was one my best performances. The response from the cast at Brighton was really mixed, with some hating, some loving, some falling in between. I didn't expect it to feel as it did. I think because we didn't feel the pressure of a traditional theatre space, we relaxed, meaning we delivered a more confident well rounded performance. I wasn't nervous to be bold and brave which is something I've struggled with before. Aside from the fact that I'm not sure if the audience could hear what was on stage, I felt at home on the stage, using the props, the set and playing off my fellow actors. It was like a comfortable pair of boots instead of a comfortable, yet shaky pair of stilettos (for want of a better simile.)
The one thing I would like to improve isn't something drastic, but a finishing touch that would polish the piece perfectly. At the very end when Benedick and Beatrice embrace, myself and Jack were unsure whether to spin, hug, do a dance or what and I think if we agree on a few things to do in that time frame it will put us in much better stead, completing the performance in a confident manner.
Overall I am very pleased with my performance at Brighton because I finally felt like I was having fun. I felt like the words and the actions on stage weren't being recited but lived, which freed up a whole new dimension in which I was free to play. And on top of all of that, a wonderful surprise that on the whole, we kept bums in seats.
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