Unit 12- Little woman assignment

Candidate declination: I confirm that the attached portfolio is all my own work* and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself. 

Task One:

Project proposal-

Task Two

2) Audition process: I think that this is the most unprepared I have been for an audition. It's the most I have done my research on, but just in general I feel like there was more that I could do. I'd say that I should have done more analysis on the script. I was struggling so hard to find a monologue for Amy. She doesn't have any big enough monologues throughout the whole script. All the people going for Amy were all panicking a little because neither of us could find a good piece to show for tomorrow. Luckily one of them asked Kelly, and she then sent some duologues from the book. I choose the one where Amy is arguing with Laurie because he is drunk. I do actually really hope that this gets added to the script because it's a good scene. I learnt it and was really confident in my lines. I had already written a monologue through the weekend and learnt it so that was good. I'll write it down here:

"I'm not like you Jo. I can't just leave everything behind. Apparently I have to take care of the family now. I'll marry rich. It's not like I can make my own money. Certainly not enough to help support my family. Were just woman. Aunt March has already lectured me about needing to marry well. I've always known that I'd marry but....I don't know...... Meg's found Mr Brooke, Beth is unwell and you, well, you and I both know nothing will ever make you marry. It's something that you never took interest in. You're a fantastic writer Jo, and you should go and pursue that, but don't tell me to go do what I want most, because you and I know that that's not possible. I'll marry Fred. He's rich, and he'll be able to support us."

Talking about how the audition went overall, I'd say quite terrible. My worst audition that I have ever done. I forgot my lines. I literally forgot the last sentence so I was quite annoyed with myself. I think that, that then messed me up because I forgot the whole thing again when I tried to restart. The third time I had to use the script which was annoying, because I felt like I couldn't fully show the character and her personality. One thing I do think went well was how I presented my lines. I said it in the right tone and showed the right emotions. I do think that I could have done A LOT better, but I'm not going to feel sorry for myself. Of course I'll be upset if I don't get the part, but whatever I get I'll work hard on that. We then as Amy's did a chemistry read with a Laurie. I partnered up with Aiden (Going for Laurie). I think that this had gone pretty well. Once again it could have gone better, but I think that there was chemistry there. Tomorrow there will be more chemistry reads so I'll put more work and effort in. 

2.1) Research

Amy March:

Amy is the March sister that most readers love to hate. She's the youngest of the family and she fits the stereotype of the spoiled youngest child. Amy's vanity begins with her appearance. Amy's great ambition is to be a gentlewoman. She tries to make the most of her clothes and accessories, cultivates grace and politeness, and makes social calls on the family's wealthy friends and neighbour’s. As a child, her ambitions seem ridiculous as she wants to go to Rome and be the best artist in the whole world, and in the 1860's creativeness was not taken lightly especially for woman. she's always misusing big words and affecting little snobby behaviours. Sometimes she even shows signs of a violent temper, such as when she burns one of Jo's manuscripts in revenge for being left at home while Jo and Laurie attend a play. But when she grows into a woman, Amy changes a lot. it's Amy's proper behaviour that convinces her Aunt March to take her to Europe and her Aunt March to pay for the trip. Amy hopes to use her trip to Europe to cultivate and refine her artistic skills.  Eventually, Amy has to admit to herself that, while she's talented, she doesn't have that special extra inspiration that would mark her as a true artist. Instead, she contents herself with fashioning her life artistically.It's easy for Amy to turn her focus from her art to her life when Laurie arrives in Europe and starts hanging out with her. Freed from the patterns of interaction that were set for them by the family dynamic back home, Amy and Laurie discover each other anew. Laurie realises that Amy is exactly the kind of graceful, principled woman who would make a good wife for him, and Amy realises that Laurie's strength and comfort mean more to her than anyone else's ever could. This changes Amy's plan to be a gold-digger and marry the wealthy, Fred Vaughn for his money. Of course, she still gets the money anyway, since Laurie himself is rich. Amy's character is based on Louisa May Alcott's own sister, May Alcott, who was also an artist. But I'll talk more about that later on. 

From playing Amy myself I have learnt why she thinks the way she does. At the beginning of play you can really see how stubborn and vain she is. She's constantly annoying and arguing with Jo because of there very different personality traits. At one point Amy complains about her nose. She's got a very flat petite nose whereas in those times a roman nose is what they idolised. This insecurity is definitely what impacts some of her stubbornness. She's a very girly girl at the same time. She wants to dress up and look good. She loves money and wants to marry rich. You can see this a lot in the second act of the show when she's grown up and matured. 

Little Woman the book by Louisa May Alcott:

The book was published in the year 1868 by Louisa May Alcott. She wrote this book of her real life and family members. Jo is based of herself. Meg is based on her older sister Anna, Beth is based on her younger sister Elizabeth and Amy is based on her youngest sister Abigail May. She put a lot of her own real life experiences in the book. The novel was written during the Civil War, and Alcott's family was actively involved in the abolitionist movement. This reflects in the books theme of social justice and equality. Little Women was written over the course of several months. Alcott drew heavily on her own life experiences and family members in creating the characters and events in the novel. She initially resisted writing the book, believing that it would be too "moralistic" and "didactic" to appeal to readers. However, she eventually agreed to write it after her publisher convinced her to do so. Alcott wrote the book in two parts: Little Women and its sequel, Good Wives. The novel was published in the United States in 1868, and was an immediate commercial and critical success. It has never been out of print since its initial publication, and has been translated into numerous languages. Alcott was actually initially unhappy with the book's ending, which she felt was too "sentimental." However, she eventually came to terms with it, and the book has remained a beloved classic of American literature for more than 150 years. While Little Women is largely based on Louisa May Alcott's own life and experiences, there are several key differences between the book and her real life. For example, in the book, the character of Jo March marries a German professor named Friedrich Bhaer, but in real life, Alcott never married. Additionally, the character of Amy March is sent to Europe to study art, while in real life, it was Louisa's younger sister May who studied art in Europe. In the book, the March family is relatively poor, while in real life, Alcott's family was quite well-off. While the book takes place during the Civil War, Alcott did not serve as a nurse during the war, as her character does in the book. Despite these differences, Little Women is still considered a largely autobiographical work that draws heavily on Alcott's own experiences and family members. Another difference between Little Women and Louisa May Alcott's real life is the character of Laurie. In the book, Laurie is a close friend of the March family who falls in love with both Jo and Amy at different times. However, in real life, Alcott did have a close friend named Ladislas "Laddie" Wisniewski, who was the inspiration for Laurie's character. While Wisniewski did propose to Alcott at one point, she turned him down and they remained friends for many years. Another difference between the book and real life is the character of Beth March. In the book, Beth is a quiet, gentle girl who dies young from scarlet fever. However, in real life, Alcott's younger sister May was the one who died young, from complications related to childbirth. Alcott was devastated by May's death, and it is believed that her grief played a role in the creation of Beth's character. Overall, while Little Women is largely based on Alcott's own life and experiences, there are many differences between the book and reality.

Little woman the play:

Little Women has been adapted into several theatrical productions over the years, including a Broadway musical that premiered in 2005. The play was inspired by Louisa May Alcott's novel of the same name, which was first published in 1868. The musical adaptation was written by Allan Knee, with music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. The play follows the same basic story as the novel, focusing on the lives of the four March sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy - as they grow up in Concord, Massachusetts during the Civil War era. The Broadway musical Little Women premiered in 2005 and ran for 137 performances. The play was directed by Susan H. Schulman, with orchestrations by Kim Scharnberg and musical direction by Andrew Wilder. The musical adaptation of Little Women features a score that combines elements of folk and classical music, with songs that range from ballads to upbeat ensemble numbers. The songs are designed to capture the emotional depth of the characters and their experiences, from Jo's struggle to find her place in the world to Beth's quiet determination in the face of illness. The play's script closely follows the plot of the novel. Like the novel, the play has resonated with audiences for generations, and it has been adapted into numerous stage productions around the world. The musical adaptation of Little Women is a testament to the enduring appeal of Alcott's classic story, and to the power of theatre to bring beloved characters and stories to life.

Little woman the films:

There have been several film adaptations of "Little Women" over the years, each with its own unique interpretation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel. Here are some facts about the most notable film versions: The first film adaptation of "Little Women" was released in 1917 and starred Dorothy Bernard as Jo March. This silent film version was directed by Harley Knoles and produced by William Randolph Hearst. Perhaps the most famous film adaptation of "Little Women" is the 1933 version, which starred Katharine Hepburn as Jo March, and was directed by George Cukor. The film was a critical and commercial success, and is considered by many to be the definitive screen version of the story. In 1949, a musical adaptation of "Little Women" was released, starring June Allyson as Jo March and featuring music by MGM composer Johnny Green. The film was a box office success, but it received mixed reviews from critics. Another notable film adaptation of "Little Women" was released in 1994, starring Winona Ryder as Jo March, and featuring an all-star cast that included Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and Christian Bale. The film was directed by Gillian Armstrong and received positive reviews from critics. In 2017, a modern retelling of "Little Women" was released, titled "Lady Bird," and directed by Greta Gerwig. The film starred Saoirse Ronan as a character named Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson, who is loosely based on Jo March. The film was a critical and commercial success, and received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Overall, the enduring popularity of "Little Women" has led to numerous film adaptations over the years, each with its own unique spin on Alcott's classic story of family, sisterhood, and personal growth.

The 1860's:

Life in the 1860's was quite different from life today. The United States was in the midst of the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. The war had a significant impact on society, with many men fighting in the war and leaving their families behind. Economically, the country was primarily agrarian, with most people living on farms or in small towns. The industrial revolution was just beginning to take hold, but the majority of goods were still produced by hand. Socially, there were a lot of changes happening as well. The abolition movement was gaining steam and the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, which declared all slaves in Confederate territory to be free. Women's suffrage was also a topic of debate and many suffragettes were fighting for the right to vote. The Civil War was a major conflict that occurred in the United States between 1861 and 1865. The war was fought between the Union (the northern states) and the Confederacy (the southern states that seceded from the Union) over issues of states' rights, slavery, and economic differences. The war resulted in the deaths of an estimated 620,000 soldiers and civilians, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in American history. The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, a Union stronghold in South Carolina. The Union responded by mobilising its army and navy, and the conflict quickly spread throughout the country. The war was fought on multiple fronts, with major battles taking place in Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and other states. In Little Women, the main female characters - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March are expected to conform to traditional gender roles and societal expectations. The March sisters are expected to be obedient, modest, and focused on domestic duties, such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for their family.

Meg, in particular, is depicted as the most traditional of the sisters, and she is often shown as the one who takes on the most domestic responsibilities. She is expected to marry well and become a good wife and mother. Jo, on the other hand, is depicted as a tomboy who struggles to fit in with traditional gender roles. She is often shown as stubborn and headstrong, and she is more interested in pursuing her writing career than conforming to societal expectations of femininity. Despite these limitations, the March sisters are shown as intelligent and capable, and they often challenge traditional gender roles and societal expectations. Jo, in particular, is shown as a strong and independent character who is unafraid to speak her mind and pursue her dreams, even in the face of social pressure. 

Overall, "Little Women" portrays the limitations and expectations placed on women in the 1860's, but it also shows the strength and resilience of women who were willing to challenge these restrictions and pursue their own paths.

Clothing in the 1860's/ Costume:

Clothing in the 1860's was quite different from clothing today. Women's fashion of the time was characterised by a focus on modesty and decorum, with long, full skirts and high-necked blouses that covered the arms and chest. The silhouette of women's clothing in the 1860's was characterised by a narrow waist and a full skirt that was supported by a hoop skirt or crinoline. The hoop skirt was a metal or whalebone frame that was worn underneath the skirt to give it shape and volume. Women's dresses were often made from lightweight fabrics such as cotton or silk, and they were often decorated with ruffles, lace, and other embellishments. The dresses were typically fitted at the bodice and waist, and then flared out into a full skirt. Men's fashion in the 1860's was characterised by a focus on formality and propriety. Men typically wore suits that consisted of a coat, vest, and trousers, often made from wool or other heavy fabrics. The coats were typically single-breasted and had a high collar, while the trousers were straight-legged and worn with a matching vest. Accessories were also important in the 1860's, with women often wearing gloves, hats, and parasols to protect themselves from the sun. Men typically wore top hats or bowler hats, and carried walking sticks or canes. Overall, clothing in the 1860's was characterised by a focus on formality, modesty, and decorum, with a silhouette that emphasised a narrow waist and a full skirt for women, and a tailored suit for men. Me and the Costume took a lot of this in when picking out the costumes for the show!

2.2) Production Role:

Costume: during my time in little woman I also worked on costume. There were a few of us working on it but me and Sienna focused the hardest on it and took it more seriously because we are very interested in fashion . Costume was probably the hardest production role that I've done. Also because of the time period. For other shows I'm sure it would have been easier as people would have the closing in their closet, whereas for little woman no one had any of the clothing so we had to do our research and find them online. It was really hard getting the measurements of people as no one would respond. We then had to see who can share as we can't afford to buy everyone an individual costume as it would be too expensive and we still needed money for set. I did research before hand as you can see above for the 1860's and brushed up briefly on costume. This way we knew what we were looking for. Also from watching the films we had a good idea already. But then once again we wouldn't be able to afford the same dresses as the movies so we had to come up with alternatives. We also don't have a designer. The things we had to take into consideration were: 

-Full skirts with multiple petticoats (Used for Jo and some other characters such as Annie)

-High-neck blouses or dresses with long sleeves (Also used for Jo)

-Shawls or capes to keep them warm.( all characters worn when were going outside in a scene or have just came indoors.)

Before we sent Kelly the links we made some mood boards for the characters after doing our research.

We came up with this plan:

All Jo's shared both costumes. For younger they all wore a light blue long skirt with a white blouse. For older they wore a green skirt with a corset like long sleeved top. And for another cast the same top but with a red skirt.  Here are pictures of it:

All Meg's shared the dresses. They had a burgundy red dress for act one, then they change into a green one for when Sallie changes her. Then a large light blue dress the same as Marmee's as she takes in her footsteps kind of thing:

The Beth's had two dresses. Two shared one and the other had their own. They wore a light blue dress:

There were two dresses for the Amy's. Overall we had two dresses for act one and two. two shared both and the other had their own. We wore a light purple dress for act one then a dark green dress for act two. The actress who had her own dress wore a light blue one like the Beth's, but added a different ribbon to make it different :

Sallie Gardner had a big blue dress that Kelly used for Cinderella for her princess parties. 

Annie Mofat used a white dress and one of the dresses that the Jo's used. She used the green one in show one as no one was using it, then the other two shows she used the white one as the red one Jo used in cast one was too big for her and the green one was being used by the Jo's:

Fred Vaughn had One costume. Black bottoms with smart shoes, a white blouse with a purple tie and a metallic/lilac waistcoat:

Professor Bhaer had two costumes. They wore very similar things but they needed different sizes. They wore smart shoes, black bottoms, a white off-ish top, a black waistcoat and then a black tailcoat:

Ned Mofat all shared the same outfit. They wore smart brown shoes, black trousers, a white shirt, a purple waist coat and a purple scarf:

Laurie's all shared the same outfit but had their own shoes. They wore smart shoes, black trousers, a frilly white-off-ish shirt, a black waist coat and a black tailcoat. 

Mr Brooke's also all shared. They had smart brown shoes, black trousers, a black blazer or tailcoat, white shirt and a purple tie that was worn as a scarf type of way:

Shoes wise everyone brought their own shoes in. The boys brought smart shoes with them and the girls brought character heels in. Heels + smart shoes

The people in the ballroom scene wore the spare dresses that the main characters would wear for act two:

Marmee wore one dress the whole way through. It's just like Meg's act two dress. A big black dress with a little bit of golden details on the bottom and on the sleeves:

After sorting out all the costumes into categories by putting them on the clothing rack and labelling it.  We sorted them in casts and then we gave the rest to the extras. At the end everyone had a costume. Overall costume took a while to fully get what we wanted as we were very unsure. We originally were going to get each sister those big dresses that Meg and Marmee wore, but they were too expensive. They also didn't come in enough sizes. We didn't want to order everyone one as well as it might not even end up fitting them. We ran with the safer option which was what you can see most of us wearing. But I do love that we did end up choosing them as I like them more. Sadly there weren't sizes small enough for me so I did have to alter mine a lot but it all worked out at the end. We pinned a lot of dresses by the end of it so that we didn't spend too much money on them. We adapted to what we could afford and it worked out great! That's something that I learnt whilst doing costume. You can't get exactly what you want, but if you put the effort in it works out just fine.

2.3) Perform and do production role: ✓ 

Task Three:

3.1) Take part in Rehearsal and final performance: ✓

Here are photos as proof:

3.2) carry out your production role: As you can see from task 2.2, I have carried out my production role of costume. I, with my group have successfully manage to pick out outfits for every single character, which also showed the characters personality by matching them with the right colours. We gave Jo red and blue/green. Meg pink, light green and light blue. Amy lilac and dark green and then Beth with light blue. If you look back on task 2.2 you can see photos of the costumes. 

Task Four:

4.1) Demonstrate your ability to plan and produce an independent project- This would be #YOLO. We performed this on the 30th of March. Throughout my daily blog I talk about it showing our schedule and how much we were improving on it.  

Evaluation: It was hard to say how it went overall as I'm only in three scenes but the ones I was in felt good! I think that everyone showed the group's friendship really well. Lines went smoothly and reactions were good. From what I saw I think that the extras could have brought a little more energy but it wasn't too bad!. I really like how scene one went from my part. In scene three, the sofa wasn't put on properly so there was a gap in the middle. I tried to sort it out but I couldn't fix it completely so I was hanging off haha, but no one noticed so it's fine! I still think projection could have been better and the scene between Jamie and Henry could have been brought up stage a little more. Coming off stage from scene three was bloody terrifying. We couldn't see a thing so we just walked into the curtains for ages, but we managed at the end. Scene 10 I LOVE!. It felt so real. and so sad :( I'm happy for everyone especially Mark because I know that this show was really bug for him. 

Another thing that we planned and produced ourselves would be scene 2 from little woman. This scene we have to act out one of Jo's stories as the sisters to Sallie, Ned, Annie, Marmee and Hannah. Each cast came up with their own interpretation. When I watched cast 1 and 3 perform I was always most looking forward to that scene to see how differently we did it. The most thing I liked was how that all the Amy's were the ones to change the way it came out to be. It was super fun as we just went along with it! 

Task six:

6.1)Evaluate your journey throughout this project- Starting from the audition of little woman I knew that I always would love to play Amy March. She was always my favourite whilst watching the movies. I also always thought that her character was fun and different to what I have played before. I considered going for Beth, but I have already played characters like her and she wouldn't have been a challenge for me at all. I'm not trying to be big but I know that I can do more. I want to challenge myself so that I can grow and become a better performer. So I ended up going just for Amy. I put all my work and effort into it by doing my research and ensuring I know the character. I was so stressed for auditions. I didn't feel prepared at all, even though I did the most preparation for it. I think it was because I didn't feel confident about having a chance of getting Amy. I had a lot of strong competition, and I also just didn't feel like I was doing a good job. I didn't really have much faith in myself. Which you do really need, as confidence can go a long way. Now going on into the audition itself. I have already written about it in task two, but as you know from that I felt like I did an absolutely terrible job. I obviously still portrayed the character Amy March as I got the role but I know that I could've done a lot better. After knowing that I got the role of Amy March I did feel more confident. But then we went onto rehearsal. I was so nervous. Amy was so out of my comfort zone that I got major anxiety when I had to  perform in front of my class mates and teachers. Of course the more I did it the better i felt as I knew my lines and I knew where I had to go and what emotions to portray. It was typically scene two where my anxiety got so bad. I had no clue what either! It was super frustrating, but by the end it ended up being my favourite scene. As you can see from my daily blog, every week I progressed and by the end of it I got to my highest point and nailed Amy March. Each week I'd learn more lines. I'd say that my confidence went up when I had a scene learnt as I'm not looking down at a script. Every time I do a scene for the first time I get super nervous as i know that I'm not doing amazing since I'm looking down at a script a lot. When it came to the show I was incredibly nervous and I didn't feel ready at all. It wasn't because of my lines or the way I [played Amy, but because I just felt like I didn't know what I was doing at all. I'll talk about it more for my evaluation which will be the task right down below! But we never rehearsed act 2 of the show until show day during tech run, after that I did have a lore more confidence but still super nerve wrecking. Another thing that I grew on would be from my production role. It's helped me build my knowledge of a back stage role but also helped with my communication. We worked in groups so we all had to work together and communicate. I actually found costume quite hard but I'm really glad that I gave it a shot, and now I know that I'm capable of it!

6.2)Evaluation of my performance- Now onto the actual show and how it went! I already talked about how nervous I was before the show, or shall we say the whole day and the day before and the day before that too! If we go back to the 6th of June which was the day before, cast one was performing. I felt sick watching their show as I knew that I was going to be doing that exact same thing tomorrow. I made a whole day out of it and rehearsed all day long or as much as we could before needing to stop to help cast one. I focused so hard watching their show as I wanted to see where they were since I hadn't gone through act 2 yet. I loved their show so much though! It was amazing and I'm so incredibly proud of them. It was scary but also really nice to see how Charley played Amy March. It was very different and that's what I noticed with all the Amy March's. We all play them differently, which is just what makes each performance even more special. Let's go on to my actual show day. We started off with doing a tech run from the very start. They already had it ready from the other cast but there needed a few more changes as we perform a little differently. We got into costume first which took a little while as we needed to do quite a few adjustments. After getting everyone into costume we ensured that we had all our props ready. I brought a little bag with me and put all my stuff in there so that as soon as I get off stage to get them they are there waiting for me, as if I left them in the prop room I wouldn't have had enough time to get back on stage for my scene. Now after my show I can strongly say that it was definitely the right decision! We all felt pretty confident whilst doing act 1 as we had been through it a couple of times before. It went really smoothly as we all knew what we were doing. Each scene flowed onto the next one. I was scared about transitions the most. It was my biggest concern and what I was trying to watch out for whilst watching cast one perform yesterday. I was more concerned about them in act two though. I also had no clue what order the scenes go in, in act two which concerned me as I was scared that I'd miss my que. Now act two actually went really well too! I was so happy that everyone knew what they were doing. We didn't stop and we just let it go the way it went and if things needed changing then we would change it. The transitions flowed well as we ensured to use the garden door and front door of the house correctly. We only got to do one run through today before the show which did freak me out a bit. But I was a lot more clam since I finally got to see how act two flowed. There was a little break before the show but in between we were just getting ready. We re-did our makeup, and then did our hair. We did research on these as well to ensure we look like we are from the 1860's! It took a while as the hair was a lot more complicated than usual. We then got changed, we had already done most of our alterations from this morning but we had to do a few more since we needed to take a few things out to get out of the costume. Finally lets get to the actual show. I felt so sick beforehand. Waiting behind that curtain is one of the scariest feelings ever. I can literally feel my heart beat out of my chest. I also started gagging which is soooo bad, and I really need to find a way to stop that. I'm gonna talk about each individual scene and say how I felt like it went and how I did.

Scene One- In this scene we walk on and say what our characters want to be-like a memory. We then start to decorate the Christmas tree. Jo and Amy have their little quarrel as usual, then Marmee comes, and eventually Aunt March comes too, by the end we all leave the stage to get Marmee a present. As soon as I got my first few lines out, I wasn't nervous anymore. It's like that for the most part when I get on the stage for a show. The chemistry felt so good and I got all my lines right too so I set it of well! After watching a few videos my dad took I saw a few little gaps where I felt like I could have talked faster as it felt a little awkward, but there's always something you can improve on.

Scene Two- This is the witches curse scene! As soon as we got of stage from scene one we walk right back on. I always struggled to learn my lines for this scene, I'd either know them on second and then the next I'd completely forget. There was one line in particular that I kept on forgetting and my friends who were playing my sisters knew that so we had a plan that if I forget I'd just act like I actually did and make it part of the scene so that's what I actually did. The whole thing is meant to be hectic and the show was meant to go all wrong anyway. So what we did was that we just made it go even worse. When I watched cast one do it, I knew how it was meant to go and they did it completely different to the script. The Amy was panicking before hand as she didn't know any of the lines, so she improvised and only said that words, "Rodrigo, save me!" over and over again jumping up and down, and I loved it so much! Even though she forgot all her lines it still looked amazing and it made me laugh loads, this made me worry a lot less which is why I think it went so smoothly. I knew that if I go a little wrong I can improvise my way out of it without it looking odd. And that's what happened. After the show I asked everyone what their favourite scene was and they all said the witches curse scene! I was so happy!  

Scene Three- In this scene we are still on from scene two, it's Christmas morning and Hannah is serving us a massive breakfast, but we end up giving it to the Hummles. Of course Amy isn't a fan of this. This was another one of my favourites. Amy is such a brat and doesn't want to give any of the breakfast to the Hummles. So I played of this a lot. She is also so happy with how much food there is on the table. Before the whole thing about giving the food away, I made Amy be completely hypnotised with the food. When the sisters aren't looking I'd add a popover to my plate, Especially when Meg says "There's people starving everywhere". When she says that I have a line saying "I try not to think about it" and when I say that I just add loads of them to my plate. It added some comedy to the scene. That's what I tried to do with Amy, kind of make her the comedic relief. And it worked! People found it funny and the audience were laughing. To end the scene Amy and Jo are meant to argue about me holding the popovers to the Hummles as Jo knows that I'll be eating them, we made it so that we kept on arguing from behind the curtains as well so we just added a few more lines. I loved hearing the audience laugh from back there as well. 

Scene Four- Right after scene three we come back on, me and Jo came back on arguing still. This scene is where Jo burns Meg's hair of by accident. It was a little awkward getting right into this scene so once again we added a little improvisation. Jo asked Beth to play some music and then I began humming the song I wanted her to play, she said she didn't know that one so I went into the mean Amy and said, "Just play something", whilst that was all happening Jo burns Meg's hair off making it seem a lot more natural to why it got burnt off. People were also laughing at that scene. I noticed that they laughed a lot at the parts where we added in, so we were all so happy that it worked out! 

Scene Five- I only danced in this scene, but I can say that I remembered the dance and that it went great, Listening to Jo and Meg I also know that it went great for them too!

Scene Six- I really like this scene as it's where we meet Laurie for the first time, it's a fun and energetic scene where you can see the sisters'reaction to Laurie. It's a short scene but it went great! I really like the ending as Meg walks off stumping her feet and going "Ugh" then walks off stage. I as Amy look at her then Laurie and Jo and copy, really showing that she's easily influenced being the youngest sibling. When cast one did it, they made it so that they shook hands with Laurie to accept him, so I like that we did it differently .

Scene Eight- This is the argument scene with Jo. I ensured that I'm angry with Jo by my facial expressions, movement and tone in voice. In my last line I say "Well, we'll just see about that then won't we". meaning she's just got the idea of burning Jo's book, I ensured to show this mischievousness in my face by giving a little smirk. 

Scene Nine- This is the fight scene with Jo. I really loved doing this scene. It really does show Amy's and Jo's relationship. They argue all the time, but at the end of the day they really do love each other, which is shown when Amy tries to apologise. The fight looked good too!

Scene 11- This is where we get the letter from father, and when Jo cuts her hair off. This scene was a cute one, as it really shows the concern all the sisters have for their father, and also when Jo cuts her hair they all try to comfort her. 

Scene 12- This is such a massive long scene and so much happens in it. For the bits that I'm in, Beth gets sick then she ends up getting better. I really like these scenes as it shows Amy's personality so much once again. Even though her sister is sick she only cares about herself saying that she doesn't want to go to Aunt March's and stuff just being super dramatic. I feel like I showed it well to the audience too. Even when Beth is better, Amy's a comedic relief with saying how she made a will, just in case she died too. 

Act Two- Now moving on to act two, I won't talk about each and every individual scene but i'll talk about the main ones. Starting off I'd like to say that I think I was better in act one. Amy is a lot more childish and immature during act one, and in act two she is now grown up. I feel like I can play a childish character a lot better. However I do think that the love scenes went well I just suppose that I could have done them a little better now that I know what I could improve on. My favourite scene was scene 10. This is where Laurie comes back to Amy and practically admits that he likes her. The chemistry was really good and I knew exactly what to do, it showed the characters relationship perfectly. There is scene 6 which was the ballroom scene with Laurie where I think the chemistry could have been a little better. I think that I could have played her a tiny bit more grown up, and maybe even a little more less 'friendly'. Overall I think that I could have done better with all the Fred Vaughn scenes. I personally think that it's my voice. All I can hear Is Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Amy is meant to be a grown up but my voice sounds so young it just throws me off, and makes the character appear young, even though she's meant to be having these intimate moments. 

Overall of the whole show I think that it went great and I couldn't have asked for a better cast. We have amazing chemistry as a whole which really bring the realness of the family to life, allowing the audience to share and feel that bond. I know in what parts I did well and in what parts I could improve on. Knowing this I now can get better and grow as an actor. I'm so grateful to have played Amy March. She has allowed me to step onto a higher level of acting and I couldn't have asked for a better send off. Amy March is the hardest character I have played and I can't wait to keep challenging myself. 

Task Seven: Feedback-

Geoffrey-The way la Toya played Amy was very over to the top moody which gave a nice effect towards the end of show for the love scenes and the upsetting scene’s because it showed she had more then 1 variation of character which showed she understood her character you could tell that she had put time and effort and hard work into this character just by what she portrayed on the stage. In the show she also showed some wonderful improv work that work extremely well with the scene they where doing . My one note is that I think in general there was to much improv going on from time to time but that is my only note 

Freya-La Toya played Amy exceptionally well she portrayed the childish and playful younger version in the beginning. Then she showed the growth of maturity going into the second half but still having that pettiness that she’ll always have. La Toya had a great connection with her siblings, family and Laurie, her connection with Kadie (who played Jo) was amazing as they fought as siblings do and showed it exceptionally. La Toya played Amy really well and I loved performing with her! 

Kadie-It was such a pleasure to work alongside La Toya on stage. Being in multiple scenes with her felt easy because we bounced off one another so well. Her comedy was on point and her Dramatic scenes also lived up to a high standard. I felt a real sisterly bond with her on stage And think she should be very proud of herself.

Emie-Latoya played amy just how I imagined her to be. She brought humour in Amy’s younger years and emotion in her older years. She portrayed her bratty spoilt perfectly and was a joy to watch perform. She projected all her lines clearly and with every movement had a purpose. Her connection with the other sisters was also fantastic. 

Kiera-The way that Latoya played Amy was very  innocent and comical and  I feel as if she achieved the intentions that Amy was meant to be played I really enjoyed that I could tell the difference between younger Amy and younger Amy and older Amy. La Toya was an incredible actor on that stage and was rightly given a loud applause and many laughs. She never failed to fall out of character and she was the character that made me smile the most. La Toya's connection between the siblings and family members felt real and you could see her thought process behind her feelings for each character. Impeccable performance.