May

3rd May

Sang through finale
Staged film sequences

Finale - Singing
Today we sang through the finale, adding to what we had already sung previously, which was the 'Singin' In The Rain' section of the ending. The ending has four sections to it, starting with 'Broadway Ballet', then moving into 'You Were Meant For Me', then 'Good Morning' before finishing with another 'Singin' In The Rain' section. The songs are familiar as we have sung through each of them already, and they are some of the most famous songs from the show, which allows for the cast members to project and give a strong performance.

Film Sequences - Staging
As we didn't have any of the costume or camera euqipment, we decided to stage roughly the film sequences, explaining what we wanted to Joel, who plays Roscoe Dexter, who will be filming the short films next week. We wanted wacky characters for the villains, as it is described as "pantomime on screen" and therefore the fight sequences need to be manic and comedic at the same time.

10th May

Polished Musical Numbers
Changed and Finished Good Morning
Ran Act One
Filmed first silent film

The start of this rehearsal consisted of polishing the musical numbers covered so far. This allowed us to reflect on our current performance standards, and ensure that by the next time we perform these musical numbers they will be of the standard required for show week. I felt that this was a valuable section of rehearsals, allowing myself to gain confidence in my own performance, and see how the cast as a whole have grown in terms of performing to a professional standard required for show week.

The main one that we rehearsed was You Stepped Out Of A Dream which I take the lead in. We staged it properly, and this helped me to achieve the character required for the song and scene. I was happy with how it went, and felt much more comfortable singing in front of the others when I was in character as Don Lockwood.

Whilst these rehearsals took place, Jamie Knights took myself, Chloe and Tom out to rehearse Good Morning, and also finalise it to flow into the next scene. We were given the final bits of choreography, to which Chloe and Tom adapted to it successfully and quickly.  After working on it with strong minds, I feel that we as a trio can perform Good Morning to a decent standard, with a few tweaks to character, it will be ready for show week.

After the break we ran act one. I was much more confident with lines but I still need to learn them properly.

17th May

Sang Broadway Ballet
Sang harmonies for Fit As A Fiddle
Learnt Broadway Ballet choreography

To make sure the cast were familiar with the song, we sang through Broadway Ballet in its entirety. This was a successful run of the song, with everyone projecting well and enjoying the song. This helped for later, when we went on to dance the song.

Whilst people rehearsed the opening to Broadway Ballet, Tom and I revised the harmonies for Fit As A Fiddle. I wasn't satisfied with my own performance here, as I keep forgetting my harmony alongside Tom. I have established that when I sing alongside someone else, I seem to attach myself to their pitch, a flaw to which I need to aim to correct for the next rehearsal.

31st May

Rehearsed 'Good Morning'
Learnt the start of 'Singin' In The Rain' dance
Ran act one to just before 'Good Morning'
Ran act two staging scenes as we went

Tom, Chloe and I decided to run over 'Good Morning' with Jamie to ensure the performance was up to the standard required for the show. Jamie was satisfied with our performance in terms of characterisation, however there were a few moves which required some attention, in order for them to be correct the next time we performed. Overall we were all rather happy with the rehearsal, and we were glad that we met up early in order to rehearse the song at the 44Two Sports Club. We them travelled to Rainham Girls School to join the rest of the cast for the scheduled rehearsal.

Upon arrival, Jamie and I began choreographing 'Singin' In The Rain'. We got through around 50 seconds of the dance break before the rehearsal with the rest of the cast began. I am happy with the choreography so far, as in discussion myself and Jamie agreed that we want this number to push me in terms of dance ability and I want to make it a rather memorable number.

Once the rehearsal began, we ran act one without scripts up to the 'Good Morning' scene. This was quite a successful run, but I'd like to focus on my lines even more to ensure that I know them without having to refer to my script when I'm not on stage.

We then had a break, and I rehearsed the musical numbers I was in, to ensure that they were drilled in my brain, much like 'Fit As A Fiddle' is now. We then ran act two, staging the scenes as we went. I noticed I'm in a lot less in Act 2 than in Act 1, which means I get some rest! Especially as the end of Act 1 is musical number after musical number, which means I rarely leave the stage. I am happy with this, but it can be tiring if I haven't warmed up properly or if I have had little sleep!

April

26th April

Good Morning - Dance
You Were Meant For Me - Dance
Moses Supposes - Dance

Good Morning - Choreography
Upon arriving today, Tom (Cosmo), Chloe (Kathy) and myself (Don) met with the choreographer (Jamie Knights) to work on one of the most famous songs from the show, 'Good Morning'. Chloe expressed great affection towards this song throughout the rehearsal process so far, and all three of us agreed that this will be the song that people will remember that trio for, so therefore it needs to be extra special. Chloe has attended dance lessons for a good part of her life, and Tom has been attending lessons for around 2-3 years now. I felt bad as I have not attended any before other than those run by the choreographer himself. However, this did not prevent Jamie from constructing a challenging yet totally engaging dance to the song.

The choreography (known as a 'soft shoe shuffle') clearly establishes the partnership the trio share, and the strong friendships they will uphold throughout the narrative. This allows for the audience to align with these characters for the later events of the narrative, giving them a sort of 'good guy' persona each. With each dance we have learnt so far, and with this one in particular, character is the key ingredient to the performance. Without the presentation of our personalities, the song would then just be performance as if it was in a dance show, with the technique there and some performance, but the characters of Don, Kathy and Cosmo would not be present.


Here are the choreographers notes for the dance routine in the song:

 

You Were Meant For Me - Choreography

Jamie later asked Rebecca and Alex, two ex members of STS to choreograph the dance break in the love song 'You Were Meant For Me'. This dance, as shown above, was a challenge for me as I had just learnt the fast-paced and active 'Good Morning' routine, and I then had to slow down and be a gentle, less manic dancer. As I haven't previously had dance training, I realised I am not strong in changing dance styles immediately, however this will not pose a problem by the time of the show, as the dances that differ are clearly spaced apart!

When learning this dance, I had to change the style and approach compared to Good Morning. It was a much sweeter, more flowing piece of movement, that only worked when both myself and Chloe worked together. Even when we aren't dancing together, we have to mirror each others movement to ensure the piece looks professional. Throughout, once again, we are to sustain and illustrate our characters to make sure that the audience realise the relationship between the two on stage.

Moses Supposes - Dance
We had already choreographed the start to Moses Supposes, however we only had half an hour before having to leave the venue last time. So at the end of today's rehearsal, Jamie choreographed the ending of Moses Supposes with Tom and myself, and Jacob had earlier been taught a tap piece that is then spliced into the dance.

The dance has been cut to last just over a minute, to make space for other rehearsals to learn the rest of the show. I feel that the fact that we have a lot of dances as it is, that is a good idea to shorten this number. However I feel bad on Jacob, who has a dance solo but that is about it for this song. I wanted him to have more in the song, but he is in the middle of the trio, and at the front and therefore is given time to show off his skills and subsequently show up the cocky personas of Don and Cosmo.

Over The Past Five Weeks - An Overview

Stage Theatre Society are back again with Singin' In The Rain, based on the smash hit film that ranks at 89 on the IMDB charts for the all time best films. At the time of writing this post, we are around five weeks into rehearsals, and we are safely ahead of the schedule for the show. Act One is more or less complete, with just the finale of Act 1 and the film sequences to complete. I play the part of Don Lockwood, Monumental Pictures' leading man. He has the struggle of performing alongside Lina Lamont (Rhiannon Truscott), who he clearly detests (mainly due to her voice!)

Don's best friend and life long partner in performance, Cosmo Brown (Tom Falconar), work well together and have a strong and witty chemistry. To achieve this, Tom and myself have been working with each other a lot, working constantly and consistently on songs and dances that we share as duos and as a trio with Chloe Hare, who plays Kathy.We have also worked heavily on the scenes we share, working on pacing in terms of dialogue, with Cosmo's jokes alongside my outbursts of dialogue, and how they constantly bounce off each others personalities.

Probably the most iconic scene that Don is in is the 'Singin' in the Rain' song, which is the one number we are yet to work on in Act One. The scene prior to this is where he finally achieves what he has been chasing for a while now, and that is the affection of Kathy Selden. Upon achieving a kiss, (whilst blanking his best friend's farewell) he walks her home, and then sings his heart out.

So far the biggest challenges I have found are; to successfully sustain the character in dialogue and in song, (as the characterisation and personality of Don is one that I have never had to deal with before), and the dances themselves, (in terms of perfecting the placement of legs and arms. I can remember the choreography quite well, but I know that my own actions can be improved greatly to give a more professional performance.