Wow. I figured my outing last night merited its own special update today. In honour of my brief trip home from South Wales and the availability of all my siblings, a 'family evening' was organised to the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Having studied To Kill a Mockingbird for my GCSE's at school, I vividly remembered my teacher rabbiting on about the importance of the novel and author Harper Lee's imprint in history. Revisiting this story having just completed my English literature degree afforded me a better insight into the collaboration between text and performance, flawlessly composed by director Timothy Sheader. The most daunting aspect to overcome at the beginning was the prospect of freezing on a fresh British summer evening outdoors! This was soon forgotten however as I was drawn into the sultry heat of the American South by Calpurnia, Atticus and the children. The basic scenery, lighting and musical background (just a lone man with a guitar and ukelele), added to my imagination as I was transported back to a time of icy political conflict ironically forced through the sweltering communal haze. As the English evening got chillier, the actors' emotional investment into this production intensified. 10 year-old Eleanor Worthington-Cox gave an amazing performance as Scout, working seamlessly into the cast with a performance far surpassing her years. The use of narrators interspersed with their acting, and the bare involvement with the entire cast throughout the play, provided an awareness and metafiction of the action for the audience, engaging us to become part of this artistic creation as a member of Maycomb County both in and out of the courtroom. The ability of the actors and actresses to move between narrator and character was presented fantastically by Guildhall School graduate Rona Morison as Mayella Ewell. When her inconspicuous contemporary denim jacket and beany hat were removed, an amazing young actress appeared with emotional intensity to move even the most stoic English gent. I could go on forever about the chalk drawing on the stage, the poignancy of the silences, and the atmospheric rustling of the oak trees around the stage. But I will finish by simply saying that this performance was astounding and certainly not one to be missed, especially in the epic and green surroundings of Regent's Park.
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My blog has been somewhat bypassed in the last few months it seems. Before the Easter break my time was largely spent preparing for Kings and Commoners - The Musical which I performed in Neath, South Wales in mid-March, and writing up my final year psychology project. Although it was extremely hard work, I thoroughly enjoyed preparing and conducting my research at a local secondary school, and learning the correct format to write my results up in. Studying children's interactions with one another and their teachers is something that particularly interests me with a view to how this relationship could be improved upon, especially with regards to children and adolescents with special educational needs. Having just finished my last exams EVER at University, I am now back to rehearsing for the musical for our last two performances at the end of May in Swansea. All three of my exams were in the week and a half following the biggest event of the year for my committee. As vice-president of Swansea University's Dance Society, planning for the annual show begins 12 months in advance. The culmination is a result of over 30 teachers and hundreds of dancers work over the short academic year, watched over 2 days by nearly 600 audience members at the Taliesin Theatre on campus. The show is an opportunity for anyone and everyone to get involved in dance, be it for the first time ever, or following years of intense dance training already. It's such an amazing event and one that I will sorely miss as it really has shaped my experience at Uni. The exams were nerve-racking as ever, but over in a flash. I now begin my next life-worry, about future employment and keeping myself busy during the coming months and years. Applying for jobs feels like it could be a never-ending process, but hopefully I will have some luck in the near future! Now to entertain my unemployed-self, I'm off to start my quest for the perfect beach body. Ta ra! |
About meI enjoy writing and have had experience from my degree and through working on news posts. I hope to use this blog as a summary of extraordinary things I've discovered or witnessed in everyday life. Archives
March 2020
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