So, with so few weeks, days, hours to go, good luck to all. Follow the process, support each other, continue to collaborate and evaluate and, most of all, don’t forget to enjoy the experience of being a theatre company!

Scotty

This is an important week as we are practically mid-way through the “Production Planning” stage and it is time for another important FOLIO AUDIT! However, in light of the need to use our class time well, we will do it differently this time. I would like you all to make appointments with me in your own time to have your audit meeting. It would be a good idea to use the scheduled tutorial times as a starting point.

I have deliberately left you alone over the holidays (which was not easy!), partly due to my need to take a break after the musical, but also, to let you guys run the show without me looking over your shoulder for a little while. However, that time is now over. My intention this week is to see all that you have done, and I promise you - I will make changes if I think they are necessary. While I am sure our energetic director Scott has done an outstanding job, you all are reminded that, as your teacher and producer, I hold the right to have the final say on any and all issues regarding this production. I’m sure this will not present any problems - as you know, I am here to help and to enable you all to do your very best work.

So, prepare yourselves, prepare your folio materials (which should, by now, be quite substantial) and I will see you soon. Oh… thanks to the TWO students who managed to send me a trial play analysis - well done!

Scotty

This has been a busy week in many ways and I am pleased with the way you are applying yourselves to the development phase of the production. We now have a rough budget figure (which I will not be releasing to the public) and it will be a challenge - but I’m sure you are up to it. I am particularly happy with the work done by Jonno who continues to be the rock around which the rest of the team swim whether they know it or not, and Kim who is doing great work as your set designer and promotions gal.

Things are about to get a little more complicated as we must soon attend our set play for this unit so we will have to put aside some time to prepare for that. Be ready.

Scott is working like a trojan at the directing of the play and ther acting - well, we hjave a long way to go yet, but already there are lots of “laugh until you cry” moments! Special mention to Mel as the gorgoeusly bitchy Dympie!

Keep those folios under control - do a little often, and you will be fine - next audit is next week - and didn’t that come around quickly?!

See you soon.

Scoty

Congratulations on the excellent preparatory work most of you have done so far. I know it can feel, at times, as if you are juggling elephants, but don’t worry - that’s showbiz folks! It will all come together. I have been impressed with the level of committment you are showing to the overall concept and to supporting each other and I am confident that if this continues, you will create an outstanding piece of theatre!

So, now we move from “Planning” into “Development”. This is where you should start to see the fruits of your planning labour pay off. Our director will begin rehearsals, sets will start to be constructed, costumes will be fitted and altered, the lighting and sound designs will be created and all of the pieces of this jigsaw will start to come together. Most of you will already be aware that I have appointed Jono as Stage Manager as his acting role was too small to justify its inclusion in his folio. I will assist him, but key production team members must make sure you communicate with Jono at every stage as he will be calling the show in performance and will need your support and input. I have no doubt that he will do an outstanding job for the company.

So, good luck for the week ahead. Please take advantage of your tutorial sessions, and if you haven’t had your first audit completed yet, please make time to see me at a lunchtime asap.

On with the show!

Scotty

Production Roles:

Scott: Direction & Dramaturgy

Yaniv: Acting and Dramaturgy

Kim: Set design and Publicity/Promotion

Naomi: Acting and Costumes

Jonathan: Lighting design and Acting

Daniel: Acting and Sound Design

Elise: Acting and Make-up

Melinda: Acting and Properties

Scotty (me): Stage Manager

Acting Roles :

Paula - Elise

Dympie - Melinda

Monika - Naomi

Gordon - Yaniv

Stephen - Daniel

Waiter - Jonathan

Maitre’d - Kim

For the actors, it is important even now to begin developing your understanding of these characters by researching the era the play is set in, and the circumstances. Give your character a “backstory” (history) that will inform your performance. Make detailed notes about the interesting positive and negative character traits you observe and discover in these characters. Remember, it is easy to play these characters as caricature (over-exaggerated send-up) but in actuality, they are based on real people, in a real place at a real time! There will be a special reward for the first person who finds out which Melbourne pub (still existing) was the inspiration for the basis of the story of “After Dinner”.

Scotty

 Here they are folks, ready for action (and acting!)  

Who and where are we at? We are a happy gang of eight students with even numbers of both sexes, all in Year 12. I am Scotty, the partially-stressed teacher who is new to this school but already feel like I have been here for ages.

At this moment - the start of week three - we have already achieved a lot. Over the holidays, the team did a lot of research into a range of different plays - all Australian - and upon returning to school, each member made a “pitch” to the group about which play they thought would be most ideal for the group to present. There were many focus aspects including the style and setting of the play, casting issues, production issues and appropriateness issues.

From the inital range of over 20 plays, the team shortlisted 3: “Gary’s House” by Debra Oswald, “Secret Bridesmaid’s Business” by Elizabeth Coleman and “After Dinner” by Andrew Bovell.  After some lively and informed discussion, this list was shortened even further to two plays - “Gary’s House” and “After Dinner”.

 

In the end, the team decided that we would present as our Unit 3 production, “After Dinner” by Andrew Bovell. I’m sure some of the students will comment about the process of selection from their perspective once they crank up their own blog sites related to this one.

 

As this play takes place in a bistro/restaurant, the team decided to choose a company name that reflected this theme. So, borrowing from the current television series involving competing cooks, our production company is titled: “Ready, Steady, Act! Productions.”

 

We have assigned production and acting roles and are ready to go. Our tireless set designer has already drafted a number of designs and our costume and make-up team are also well on the way to discovering the joys of 1980’s style (?!) Our company dramaturg has created a “compost”, which is not as unattractive as it sounds, but I will let him explain that, and our student director is well on the way to developing a nervous condition.

 

So, all is well and truly set in place. We hope you enjoy sharing the journey with us and look forward to reading and interacting with other Vineblog groups as well.

 

Paul Scott-Williams

Theatre Studies teacher 2007.