Independent Project & Research Investigation

Here are some research links for you:
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has produced an excellent reading list which might help you make a start on researching your chosen area.
Woza Albert, Aisha - (bear in mind this is a film review but it has a reading list which might prove useful. And here is an interview with Ama Ata Aidoo.

Gulam might like to look at this blog on Elizabethan acting style.
Ahad and gulam - for Ahad's work on Godot and for both of you in your IP, have a look at some work by Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx Brothers. Can you find some Azerbaijani equivalents?


Olivia - have a look at this article on devised theatre. And this one on Greek staging.

Tahir, Maybe this theatre company who put on a version of The Servant of Two Masters can give you some advice?

IB1January exam PPP stimulus

Here is the link to the music stimulus, Banana Republic by The Boomtown Rats
And here are the images:And here is the link to your poem.

Good luck!

IB2 Mock exam PPP

IB2 mock exam music stimulus is Shostakovich's String Quartet number 8, Movement 1.


Here is the image which didn't print very well:

British humour and the First World War

You might find it interesting to look at this youtube clip from Blackadder, a UK TV series from some years ago. It shows very clearly the class differences within the British army, the politics behind some of the decisions made and the harsh realities of 'the push'.

Think about the way that humour is juxtaposed with horror. Silence with laughter. Darkness and light. What can you take from this that will help you in your work on Oh What a Lovely War?

Acting with accents

Are you struggling with accents in our rehearsals for Oh What a Lovely War? Remember that Joan Littlewood advised:

"No 'put on' accents. If you can't use somebody else's easily, use your own but take great care with the pronunciation..."

She also said: "play in the present tense. Avoid declaiming. Cut emotion. Find the action in a speech ... Don't slow down".

Have a look at this link to find some examples of different UK accents as well as actor's advice on working with accents
It's worth remembering that both the actor's on this website and Joan's actors in the original production all started with British accents of one kind or another. You are all starting with a wonderful range of accents from all around the world, with an audience many of whom speak English as a second or third anguage, so clarity on stage is more important than realism!

Food for thought

One of the many fantastic articles on the Guardian website:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/sep/29/phone-calls-hugh-jackman

Poses interesting questions and (I hope) will really make you IB TA actors think about how you would respond to things going wrong.

I remember someone knocking off the lights during our "Never Kiss and Tell" performance, I believe - and Beatrice kept on going with her lines. Do all plays (scripted or devised) allow for seamless continuation despite interruptions? Should devised work try to incorporate possible errors - have a back-up of sorts, a trump card actors can pull out in times of need?

Also - Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children" (translation by Tony Kushner) is on at the National (Olivier).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/sep/27/mother-courage-and-her-children-review

Jen - this is one of the reasons I *still* haven't finished my email to you - I do so want to have a good discussion with you about this play. Especially after I watch it properly this weekend. hehe.

I hope you don't mind me challenging your students with some random bits and bobs inspired by London's theatre scene =) xx

Some research ideas

The Guardian, a UK newspaper, has recently produced a great section on acting (and one on singing if you are interested). Follow the link on the right hand side to read interviews with actors, reviews of latest productions in the UK, and great advice from practitioners and teachers of acting. The more you know, ther better your own work will be. As you read try to record some of the ideas that spring to mind in your journal. What might you want to try out for yourself? What strikes you as odd? Surprising? Useful? Collect ideas and resources to try out in your own practice.