The Odyssey
Splendid Productions brought us The Odyssey http://www.splendidproductions.co.uk/productions/ last year and it is a great production to write about for questions such as -
- Explain how one or more performer(s) used their performance skills to alter the mood or atmosphere for the audience during one live production that you have seen and assess how effective they were at doing this at particular moments.
- Explain how one or more performer(s) used their performance skills in order to convey emotions in one live production that you have seen and assess their success in doing so at particular moments.
- Explain how two or more performers used performance skills to bring their characters to life on stage at particular moments in one live production that you have seen and assess the effectiveness of their performances.
- Explain how one performer used their performance skills to create two or more different characters in one live production that you have seen and evaluate their success at particular moments.
- Explain how the performers used vocal and physical skills to entertain or to thrill theaudience in one live production that you have seen and assess the effectiveness of their performances at particular moments.
Task - Choose one of the questions above and write about one moment from The Odyssey.
Put your answer in the comments box below
Emma Clarke AS Drama - I would choose question 5 as all performers used vocal and physical skills to create entertainment in the audience and they did this to create differences in the multi-role characters.
ReplyDeleteI have chosen the moment when they are in slow motion with their vocals shouting 'run' and with their physicality when they turn away from the audience/'army'. They say 'Where did that massive army come from?' in sync, without making eye contact to each performer, only to the audience. This is effective as they are looking out to the audience and engaging them into the play. They shout 'Run' in sync too, however, slowly to show the vocal skills which they are using, and the physical skills used, is when they turn around, running in slow motion via the seven levels of tensions. This is effective, as the audience laughs at this, as at how slowly they are running, when there is an army waiting to kill them.
Shay Jenkins AS Drama - I would choose question five, as there was only three actors I think it's very straightforward on being able to talk about all three as there's less actors to remember. I think this would be successful as I know there were a lot of laughs from certain points of the play, so I would probably talk about when we met the giants and the difference in those characters to make them funny. For example Kerry playing the 'tarty' wife, with a very high pitched, fast paced use of vocal skills and Cordelia crouching over with an angry facial expression to show her as a scary, ruthless giant child. The emphasis on multi-role allows different characters to have different physical and vocal qualities, so I think this would be a strong choice of question.
ReplyDeleteAshleigh Vasey - Q3
ReplyDeleteI chose this Q as I feel there are many moments where they create new characters as there was lots of multirole and all characters were held well.
The Entrance of the Audience.
At the very start of the play we are instantly greeted by 'The Old Man of the Sea'. To convey this the actors had a posture of a curved back, stuck out necks (like turtles), with their heads up straight looking directly at the audience and making eye contact. They made sure we noticed their large beards by constantly stroking them and also lean forward heavily on large sticks and wobble with them suggesting a lack of balance which is a stereotype of elder men. They also have an unsterdy gait as the walk, swaying from side to side. They had a Barnsley accent and had a loud volume, possibly suggesting a lack of hearing.
Jenna Golding - Q2, Odysseus' Wife, Penelope.
ReplyDeleteThis would be a good question to use as there are many moments where they use performance skills to convey emotions.
I would use the moment where Kerry played Penelope, Odysseus' wife, she had a monologue and was talking to and interacting with the audience. When doing the mime, she was pulling the thread through the bottom lid of her eye, suggesting tears. She went up to the audience and took their hands gently into hers and pulled the thread through their hands, joining them. Her tone of voice was soft and the pace was slow, she had a slow gait. She conveyed feelings of sadness and lost, shown through her slouched posture, and the way she looked into the distance, past the audience.
I would choose Question 5 because all three performers use their vocal and physical skills throughout the whole performance, which made the audience feel involved and laugh at particular moments. For example when the performer, Kerry changed her voice to make it very high pitched in order to represent the 'Chavy' wife role it entertained the audience by making them laugh.
ReplyDeleteJoe Pollard - I would choose question 3 as all of the actors played multiple characters throughout the play, so there would be a lot of options to choose from. One particular moment where an actor played more than two characters was when Cordelia played the Cyclops.To do this she hunched her back and shoulders slightly and made the pitch of her voice lower and tone rougher. She also had a heavy footed gait as she moved about the stage. To contrast this she played the storyteller character with straighter, more upright posture than the Cyclops and moved across the stage with more speed.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4 – A great deal of multi-role was used in ‘The Odyssey’, a very effective moment was the contrast between Kerry Frampton’s characters of the old man where she remained slightly hunched, often scrunching her eyebrows as she spoke. Her voice was deeper and a rather fast pace, this was to give the sense that she was an ‘old man’. Whereas when she played Penelope, Odyssey’s wife, her posture was more rigid as she held herself high, shoulders back. Her voice was a lot softer and slower, as she showed sadness upon her face.
ReplyDeleteLottie Wilson AS Drama- I would choose question three as all three actors multi-rolled throughout the piece and so had to consistently present strong and convincing characters perfect to write about for this question.
ReplyDeleteOne moment when the actors use their performance skills to bring their characters to life on stage effectively was at the opening of the play. Upon entering the space the audience are greeted by ‘The Old Men of the Sea’, the actors bringing the characters to life and making the audience immediately engaged. They did this by moving with a wide gait, bent kneed and hobbling clinging onto sticks. This physicality paired with the actors holding their arms up and out and gesturing as they spoke, effectively created the stereotype of the batty old men as they introduced the play. All of the actors spoke with very working class regional accents, often speaking in unison; this enforced the idea that they were talking in one voice making what they were saying seem more impressive and engaging. By creating these daft yet charmingly wise characters the actors entertained the audience making them laugh openly at their ridiculousness.
Tegan Harding AS Drama (question 4) - A moment where they used multi-roll was when Kerry Frampton alternated between her character as the old man and Odysseys wife. She did the successfully by changing her physicality from being hunched and walking with a slower and more staggered walk to Penelope who walked slower and more composed. She also used a deeper tone of voice for the men of the sea where as for Penolope she changed her voice to a higher and softer tone of voice as well as using more intellectual speech in order to show her status. This was done effectively as there was a clear differentiation between characters. By successfully showing this strong change in characters it made the audience feel engaged because the play did not just follow the same comical characters throughout and we could feel sympathy as well as humor.
ReplyDeleteSophie Kirkham AS Drama-
ReplyDeleteI would choose question 4 as all three actors on the stage were using multi-role throughout the performance. The performer Kerry Frampton showed a clear difference between each of her characters which successfully showed her ability to create different characters. One clear difference was between her characters of one of the old men of the sea and Odysseus’ wife. As one of the old men, she spoke with a deeper tone of voice. She extended her arms, held her shoulders back and kept her knees slightly bent making her character visually interesting for the audience. As Odysseus’ wife, Kerry’s posture became straighter and her movements became slower. Her voice was soft and the pace of the scene was slower. This slower pace allowed the audience to understand the sadness of her character.
Jack Reynolds AS Drama-
ReplyDeleteI would choose question 4 as this play relies strongly on the use of multi-role in order to create a large cast out of just 3 female characters to tell a story. One moment when performance skills such as a change in physicality, vocals and facial expressions were used to create two different characters was when actress Kerry Frampton firstly created the character of one of the 'Old Men of the Sea' using a relaxed posture such as bent knees and heavy swinging arms as well as a loud, deep vocals and a large smile in order to show the light-hearted attitude of the men. She then contrasted this drastically to become the character of Odysseus' wife 'Penelope' by using a slow gait and a quiet, trembling voice. Kerry also looked up to the audience with sad, raised eyebrows in order to show her timid character, desperate for her husbands return. This was done effectively, as the audience were able to see the clear difference in characters- meaning they felt comical moments as well as sadness at different points in the play- thanks to the mutli-role of one actress.
Victoria Harvey - AS Drama Question 4 -
ReplyDeleteI would chose question 4 as this play features a lot of multi-role to create many different characters with only for actors. Kerry Frampton, one of the actors, created one of the 'Old Men of the Sea' by hunching over and bringing her arms down low. Furthermore she moved slower and with more exaggeration than she had previously She also put on a very deep toned loud voice which aided her physical appearance. this then drastically contrasted with Odysseus' wife. When she changed character she became taller and walked with a more delicate gait which instantly showed the difference between her old and new character. As she looked at the audience she had sad eyes and a trembling voice which instantly showed the shyness of her character. This successfully showed the distinction between the two characters which helped the audience connect more with the different characters.
Question 4-Throughout the entire performance all three performers were able to change their physicality and vocals to create contrasting and visually interesting characters. A successful example of this is Kerry Framptons transition between an 'old man of the sea' and Odysseus' wife 'Penelope'. For the 'old man of the sea' she kept her knees bent with her feet pointing out and a rounded back to show his age through posture. Frampton also lent backwards and extended her arms forward to portray a larger figure and moved very freely and openly while making direct eye contact with the audience and showing an excited happy facial expression by keeping her mouth open and eyes wide. Her vocals were a low tone and pitch with a strong northern accent to draw a clearer picture of the character. In contrast to this for her character 'Penelope' she stood with her feet together her a straight back and her head and chin up to portray a more feminine, higher class character, however showed her nervousness through holding her shoulders forward. She kept her hands and arms close to her body even when she mimes her sewing to show her lack of confidence. The voice Frampton chose for this character was one of a higher pitch and a quicker pace.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Miller-Sauchella
ReplyDeleteQ1:
There were several moments within the piece where all three actors, Frampton, Stevenson and Say, all altered the mood of the performance through their versatility in performance. This was seen when the actors created a contrasted mood with their 'silly', comedic 'sailor' and 'Odysseus' men' characters in contrast to the monologues they delivered as 'Odysseus' women'. As the sailor storytellers, the actors had accents (Northern), their physicality was more relaxed and their stance was wide and somewhat low, to show that they were old and weather beaten, which was particularly effective in creating comedy for the audience and a jolly mood for the piece. As 'Odysseus' men', the actors came out from their elderly, 'sailor' characters and presented 'macho', alpha-males who were warriors -- they created these characters by walking with confident gaits, pushing their chests out, clenching their fists and lowering their voices to sound more deeper, resonating and manly. At various points within the performance, the actors used song as a story telling device and to further immerse the audience within the piece -- this was particularly effective as it changed the mood of the piece, to a somewhat musical performance and gave more humour to the piece. In contrast to these characters, the actors also became 'Odysseus' mistresses', having a monologue each in different parts within the play. Frampton became 'Penelope' and her physicality was stylised, as she mimed sewing thread. Her change from the 'silly' character to the more sombre 'Penelope' altered the mood of the play, as it became less comedic and more serious. Frampton walked within the audience, miming sewing onto audience members, whilst delivering her monologue. Involving the audience, made the monologue more intimate and everyone fell silent for awhile, almost confused yet in awe by the action of Frampton miming the repetitive sewing. Frampton showed her change of character through changing to a feminine, higher pitched voice, which was deliberately 'weaker' sounding and delicate, to show the sadness and fragility of 'Penelope'. Frampton's voice was also rather hesitant and trembling on some lines, to emphasise 'Penelope's' woe and helplessness of her situation. This change of character, from 'sailor'/'Odysseus' men' to 'Penelope' was particularly effective at changing the mood, as Frampton was able to show her versatility and changeability as an actor, through her portrayal of extremely contrasting characters.
Callum Medcalf Q1 - Atmosphere/mood
ReplyDeleteMidway through the play, there was a significant change of Atmosphere when Kerry Frampton played the disheartened wife of Odysseus. She stood with a upright posture and had her head hung low focusing on her stitching. As Kerry threaded the needle, she walked with a slow gait, Breaking the 4th wall and used the audience in her mime. Furthermore she delivered her lines quietly, slowly and in a mournful tone of voice. It was effective in altering the mood of the piece especially as the previous scene was fast paced and entertaining, the audience went silent and focused on her emotion which had a noticeable effect on the audience.
Emma Bowd Q.4
ReplyDeleteThroughout the performance of 'The Odyssey' all the three actors successfully changed their physicality and vocal skills to create a range of characters. One particular moment when this was successful was when Kerry Frampton used her skills to show a difference between Odysseus' wife 'Penelope' and the 'Old man of the sea'. When playing 'Penelope' she stood still with an upright posture, which made the character appear taller. Frampton kept her hands and arms close to her body, even when she was interacting with the audience, walked slowly taking small strides and talked with a fast pace quietly, taking pauses between each line, with a high pitch which clearly showed the audience that her character was timid and nervous. When playing the 'Old man of the sea' Frampton, instead, portrayed an excitable loud older man who talked loudly in a low tone of voice with the use of a nor than accent. Frampton bent her knees, bent her body backwards and dangled her arms I font of her loosely. Her physicality helped her to appear smaller. She walked quickly across the space taking large strides constantly keeping her back pushed back leading with her hips. When Frampton spoke, her expression was excitable as she kept her eyes wide making direct eye contact with the audience with her mouth open.
Chris Offley- question 1
ReplyDeleteThe audience experienced a change in mood and atmosphere during the scene where Kerry Frampton played the worried character of Odysseus’s wife as she presented a monologue about her life to the audience. She stood centre stage with a closed posture and worried facial expression and looked out into the audience as she spoke using a concerned and panicked tone of voice. She then walked into the audience, breaking the fourth wall, and interacted with the audience members, using them as a part of her sowing as she mimed threading a needle on certain audience’s member’s hands. She walked with an anxious gait and continued using a wobbling tone of voice, which highlighted the emotional tension created by the words she spoke. Previous to this scene, the audience were in a happy, jolly mood as her characters had all had a humorous edge, up to this point. Kerry had previously made the audience laugh and watch with excitement with comedic one liners and hilarious characterisation, such as when she played the character of an ‘Old Man’. She lent her upper body back pushing her pelvis forward and with her hands out stretched to convey a large belly. She also had a screwed up facial expression and used a deep husky tone of voice to add to the impression of old age. This was an example of when Kerry had created a happy, jolly mood within the audience. Then they were plunged into a state of silence as Kerry performed this monologue. The atmosphere turned cold and still as every word spoken by Kerry was intently taken in by the audience. This was very effective as it took the audience on a rollercoaster of moods throughout the show, as the audience had become settled in a state of comedy, to then be thrown into silence as the emotional monologue was presented.
Charly Hunt Question 4
ReplyDeleteThroughout the performance of 'The Odyssey', Kerry Frampton, Genevieve Say and Cordelia Stevenson use different physical and vocal skills to portray different characters. Kerry Frampton used different skills to create 2 different characters; The ogre wife and Odysseus' wife 'Penelope. To create the ogre wife she spoke with a quick paced 'chav-like' voice with a high pitch, she stood slightly slouched and had a squeezed up face, constantly looking around everyone in the audience. This was successful as it made the scene more comedic and made the audience feel involved in the story being told. As well as this, she used different skills to convey the character of Odysseus' grieving wife who was unsure as to whether she was going to see her husband again. She walked around central downstage with a slow paced walk and uneasy, slightly scared gait, she always had her hands together in front of her stomach fidgeting with them. In this portrayal she spoke with a posh voice, slow pace of voice always adding pauses in her speech. This was done effectively as it showed she was at a loss for breath and didn't know what to say. Whilst the character 'Penelope' was being acted by Kerry Frampton the audience was always silent, captivated and upset.
Evan Searle Q2 - Performance Skills In Order To Convey Emotion
ReplyDeleteKerry Frampton showcased her skills to convey emotion during the scene in which the wife of Odysseus recalls her early childhood and marriage with her husband. She stood downstage centre, close to the audience in an upright posture with her head facing down towards her hands that were raised to her chest as she mimed herself stitching. Kerry's legs were closed together, walking in small footsteps to connote insecurity within her character. Her facial expression was one of sadness, her eyebrows frowned with her eyes staring for long periods of time at the audience and at her stitching, without blinking, during Kerry's monologue. Her mouth would also quiver during the moments of increasing emotion. She spoke in a delicate and shy tone, yet audible enough for the audience to clearly hear what she was saying. Kerry's voice was also in a high pitch with no clear distinct accent being used. This was successful in conveying emotion as once Frampton stood closer towards the audience downstage centre, the show took a whole new turn that was refreshing from the humourous manner before. Framptons closed up posture while stichting connoted instability as her hand shook while pulling the thread which emphasised her characters frail livelihood. As she began to speak, her weak and feeble tone would carry on this earnest approach to the character, showing how emotionally unstable her Odysseus’s wife has become. The facial expressions of Frampton developed this as her sorrowful looks towards the audience while speaking and breaking the fourth wall would involve them more with the story she is telling. Overall this moment created an emotionally gripping piece of theatre as Framptons constant addressing to the audience along with her skills to convey emotion forced the audience to sympathise with her character.
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ReplyDeleteExplain how one performer used their performance skills to create two or more different characters in one live production that you have seen and evaluate their success at particular moments.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4
A prime example of performance skills, and their use in 'The Odyssey', would be the 'Laestrygonians.' The three giants feature in the middle of the play, as antagonists.
The three main actresses, stood atop blocks (to increase height). Notably, in terms of performance Kerry Frampton (as the male Laestrygonian), increased the volume and decreased pitch of her voices, implicating masculinity. The deepened pitch also gave the characters a sense of size, which created the giant element of the character. Frampton augmented this with her gait, holding her arms away from her body, tensed, to imply strength and size. She also regularly made eye contact with the audience, often addressing them directly, drawing in them in and investing them in the character. This use of performance skills created the idea of a violent male giant believably. It also added to the comedic element of the play, indeed, both I, and many other members of the audience were laughing at the over the top nature of the character.
A character that intriguingly contrasts this would be 'Penelope', also portrayed and created by Kerry Frampton. In terms of props and costume, she wore a white shawl, but it's her performance that made the character so effective. She spoke with a soft, feminine voice, and held her limbs close to her body, implying the characters stress and worry. Frampton enhanced this element of stress and worry by adding a waver to the characters voice. The most effective element of performance that she used to create this character was her miming of knitting. It was methodical and slow, and she often used audience members to "hold" her thread, handling their hands while doing so. I myself experienced this, and it was mildly uncomfortable, in a way that invested me in the character and conveyed the sense of fear that 'Penelope' was feeling. A very effective way of creating character.
Jordan Marston - Question 4
ReplyDeleteThroughout the piece of The Odyssey the actors Kerry Frampton, Cordelia Stevenson and Genevieve say all use performance and vocals skills in order to portray multiple characters in the story, for example a key moment when this was done was when the three actor go from there main characters, being sailors, to the characters of fighters and cyclops. This is clearly done when Cordelia puts on a giant eye and changes her pitch and tone of voice and also her gait to show her new character. she changed her voice to a more higher pitch with a quick pace and had her body high to show the power of the cyclops. Whereas, the other two actors became warriors changing their voices deeper and a regular pace to portray their characters as being brave. This was very effective as it clearly shows the different in the two characters and you can clearly tell when they change in and it of character, helping the audience to get a full idea of what is going on in the story and a clearer picture of what is happening.