Nora: A Short Film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CY8s2MqPyM

I think this is very clever and it helped me understand the thoughts and emotions behind the play.

Review of the Play

I think the play went as best as it could have gone, I think it was a remarkable piece of work, with such a high level of acting and some outstanding direction. I found myself highly impressed with Ruby and Hannah for similar reasons, first of all I think they are both amazing actors and an absolute inspiration to me, I also think they did very well, because they had both had bad news just before going on, yet didn’t allow this to effect their performance at all. I think it went very well and was well-received by the audience. During the play I found myself really feeling it and as a result doing things differently, for example in Hannah’s final section I faced front on my first line then turned because I felt it was the right thing to do I also found myself genuinely feeling the emotion for the first time I think and I really tried to use emotional recall in all my scenes be it James Paice or a horrible break-up, I tried to use it and think I was rewarded for my efforts by a very good show. Finally I would like to thank Tim for his support and direction, and I hope I made him proud.

Review of the Dress Rehersal

This dress rehearsal I felt went very well and I felt no one could disagree with that. I think the experimentalist set was unparalled by the naturalistic ones. I thought I went very well from my point of view due to all of the direction and character work leading up to it. One person I thought did very well in that dress was Seth. I think he did very well not to corpse when the audience were in hysterics over his scene. I thought he really encapsulated Torvald in a naturalistic way and I think his character had evolved so well and that he had taken direction so well, therefore making his performance stand-out. I loved the way Jack directed his act especially with the transitions between actors. Mirroring is such an effective technique, one Tim also perfected, and Jack did it in such a clever and unique way.

A Review of our Intial Short Play Inspired by A Doll's House

This piece was very cleverly done, but unfortunately I was not there for the some of it. We demonstrated how Nora felt, which helped us in getting that trapped feeling for the play, we knew what Nora and Torvald felt like, because we had been the puppet or puppet master respectively, so this helped us with knowing how they felt. It was also a great chance to get to know the play really well and to know the other actors better. It was also a great chance to start thinking about and reflecting on the themes of the play. We also looked at the importance of the lines and language used a very clever technique to tell a story.

The Duke of York's 'A Doll's House' Reveiw

When I went to see A Dolls House in the west end, I was a little apprehensive, because I had found reading the play a little dry, though when I did go and see it I was thrilled, because seeing the play really brought it to life and allowed me to see what was being said through the text, I found the play a lot more engaging than reading it and I also found myself emotionally attached with all of the characters. I thought the acting especially from the lead actress was outstanding and the way she carried herself was entirely how I had imagined the characters. Personally I found that the costume choices especially for Torvald I did not necessarily agree with and some of the casting I found a little odd e.g. Dr Rank, although all in all I thought I was very well done. I was lucky enough to go on the press night for free, because my cousin was one of the producers on the show and I found it fascinating to the critics giving their opinions, one critic, a lady from a local paper very amusing, but somewhat profound comment to her friends, she said “The woman (Nora) is ridiculous, she doesn’t know what she has got, at least her husband isn’t an alcoholic that beats her all day’, now although she meant this flippantly I found myself agreeing somewhat with her, and to a degree, also agreeing with Torvald when he reminds her she has responsibilities to her husband and children.

The New Set

This second version of the set is immensely clever. The raised platforms have been replaced with flat squares and instead of the actors sitting in a straight line they are sitting in an L shape, a much more aesthetically appealing look. Tim has also added a bird cage which I adore and think is so clever to find that motion of claustrophobia and containment. This is a clever artistic piece of set design which I think is absolutely what is required in a studio performance. Removing these raised platforms also allowed us to be able to act, because we could be seen behind them.

The Set

When we were first told about the small space we would act in, I was again a little sceptical though that dissipated as soon as Tim explained why. He explained that it was for a claustrophobic feel, a theme which is pertinent throughout the play, he explained its a way of showing how Nora is trapped and can't escape, but he also explained that, logistically speaking it wold be better and would develop our skills, to limit us in such a way.