Tips for Learning Lines

Sorry for the wait for this but life has rather over taken last few weeks with everything happening at once, school performances, ballet exams and festivals and also I am going back into the job market looking for both directing and acting work. Have had an audition interview at Burnley Youth Theatre as they are looking for freelance actors to run workshops in schools, have had a meet and greet at ALRA drama school that are opening a second college in Wigan and have an exciting youth orientated meeting to go to at the Young Vic theatre in August. What ever I learn and am involved with on a theatre professional level nationally I will input into Whirlwind youth theatre at The Storey.

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe is now going very well and has to be completed quickly after the summer holidays as there is less than one term before the performance. I am doing my bit and more, and it is time for you to put in loads of practice or else we will not have a performance. Whirlwind Theatre has a reputation of very high standards and no compromise. I can not stress enough the importance of learning lines, songs and stage fighting moves and coming ‘off book’ over the holidays.

I have given you tips to help with learning, for example, repeating the lines over and over whilst doing a repetitive movement i.e. Juggling, running up and down. Jumping, tidying up or rearranging books. This way of learning was encouraged by a very famous voice coach called Cicely Berry (Cicely Berry 1991 ‘Voice and the actor’ lst Collier Books. ISBN 0-02-041555-9 1,) who trained actors at The RSC in the Mid. to late C20th. We lived by her teaching and the above mentioned book when I was at drama school.

Acting is not about intellectual learning as we do at school, college or university and is more like being a visual artist engaged in painting than an academic exercise. We move on a natural impulse finding the physical reaction to words spoken and things happening around us. We have to engage our physical and muscle memory coupled with imagination and observation, then step into someone else’s shoes and take on their reactions to situations around them.

If you sit in your room trying to cram lines into you head, all that will happen when you try to move on stage, is blankness and an ‘um - ‘I knew them in my room’ response. Yes read the script through several times and imagine and picture your character, moves and entrances and their scenes, then work out why they say each sentence. Remember a full stop is a thought change and clauses (the bits between commas) are add-ons to thoughts. Move during the full stops and don’t forget to breath. We all breath and move when thinking but we don’t realise we doing this. Have a go at finding how your character breaths in the scene – we all breath differently and at different rates at different times (make your characters breath). Also look at what is a forward response coming closer to some one ‘i.e. –‘That interesting!’, or a backward response i.e. ‘That’s Horrid!’.

I think I have given you enough instructions to get on with for now with overwhelming you with techniques.

I will be bring the model box that is now finished with me on Saturday and also the masks that I have started. Please make sure I have all your measurements for costumes before the end of term

One exciting bit of news is that a Whirlwind member of the children company, who has been in many of our summer productions, including ‘Brilliant the Dinosaur’, has just landed a lead role in a CBBC programme in the autumn. We give her all our best for this big step.

I will be writing up about the fight workshop shortly…..  

Myette.

A Trip to London

The Young Vic’s Directors Programme

As Artistic Director of Whirlwind Theatre for Children I am always trying to improve my own skills and knowledge to pass onto the young people and Children that attend Whirlwind Theatre. As part of that development I have been working towards an MA in Inclusive Theatre with Chickenshed in London. Chickenshed was the first and is the largest inclusive theatre in the UK with many branches up and down the country. It has led the way campaigning for changes in legislation allowing those with disabilities to be able to join fully within mainstream schools, jobs and activities.

Theatre is a family affair

Most recently I have had the privileged to travel down to London to become a member of the Young Vic’s Director Programme which is extremely exciting and full of opportunities for developing my style of visual theatre performance. I travelled for six hours on a hot and cramped coach, then having met up with my mother, also a theatre producer and writer;  I arranged to meet my sister who is stage-manager of the Mousetrap, by the stage door that evening. After this I made my way across London in the steaming heat and jam packed tubes. The Young Vic is a vibrant place with a packed bar and theatre restaurant, where the public spilled out across the pavement and queued to buy tickets to experimental works. The Young Vic does some of the most exciting innovative theatre in the country and is open to all styles including visual arts based theatre, dance theatre, encouraging new writing and experimentation with old works.  They also have an extensive young people’s out reach programmes into schools and the surrounding community and the young director’s programme. Their funding comes from a mix of traditional funding bodies and foundations but also corporate sponsorship and regularly filled seats. Although situated with in the West End they are non commercial and independent.

Myette Directing

Every director of the Young Vic has gone through the programme which was launched in 2000 by David Lan the Artistic Director and is the only kind in the country. It is there to support young directors (young not so much in age but of those starting out- which is good for me) and hone their skills and craft through networking, workshops, forums, placements and assistant directing etc. Much is done on-line, mainly because of the vast distances where directors live and work. Places are also advertised for the Jerwood Assistant Directors, enabling eight people a year to work alongside the Young Vic. When I arrived I was ushered up-stairs to sit in a small hot room with about 20 other directors, whose work ranged from the more traditional to opera and contemporary writing. Some were actors looking to direct, others had trained with specific directing courses at drama school and some had come up through community projects. We met the director of the programme who also is part of the artistic director’s team and fully involved with programming. She talked about how the programme could work for us as individuals and our mix was typical of those already on the scheme. I am very thrilled to be a part of this and have always admired the work of The Young Vic. I also hoping it will raise the profile of the work of Whirlwind Theatre on the National scale.

I  meet up with my sister after waiting sandwiched between two stage doors, Stomp and The Mousetrap. The ground rumbled in time to the drumming and floor bashing from one side and fully tweeded, overly hot actors fanning  themselves, on the other, as they rushed down the steps of the tiny traditional theatre that houses The Mousetrap ( unchanged since its start in the 1950’s). An evening bird sang out of time with the beat from Stomp. I sat by a skip full of used broom handles and contemplated how to get some of them back for the fights workshop on the 2nd & 3rd on the coach! We went to a posh club in evening, (my sister has free membership to all, as do all those working within the West End theatres). I stayed the night at The Military and Naval Club off Charlotte street before the return trip back, another six hour cramped in a smelly hot coach with a rude driver. I sat reading, contemplating the script and working out the next rehearsal schedule for The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe’.

Discovering Narnia: Director's Notes.

For many people the C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia books can be as divisive as Marmite – you either love them or hate them. They seem to cause as much debate as the election and the formation of the coalition Government have in recent days. But as much as parents discuss these stories, bringing out either the Christian parable like qualities, or the mix of classical Greek and Roman Mythology; children love them and see the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy having an adventure by discovering a magical world, the door of which is through a Wardrobe.

Many children’s books use this type of structure, adults detached and disenfranchised from family life, children left to their own devices and an opening to another world, either real or fantastic. They grow up through their adventures but parents or adults remain the same, often failing through their inability to change.

I came to work on ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ (the 2nd book in the series) with vague memories of childhood and the knowledge that many use the story as a tool to illustrate the Gospels (a sacrifice in place of many and death defeated because of innocence). However, as a company, with considerable input from the young actors, we have discovered that Narnia is a frightening nightmarish world that reflects the chaos of the war torn reality. In Narnia the children are forced to battle the enemy whereas in reality they have been sent to safety whilst their parents are at war. By defeating the White Witch they are able to cope with the uncertainties of being evacuees and the real prospect and horror of being left as orphans.

In Narnia the Witch's spies are everywhere; no-one, not even within a family, can be trusted and trees have ears. The land has been devastated for one hundred years, harvests have failed and food is scarce. The inhabitants are at their limit ready to turn to the other side if it means they can feed their family and have some kind of normality. In Britain, during the 2nd World War, there were propaganda posters saying that ‘walls have ears’,  people were interned because of nationality not because of political allegiances, language became stilted so as to not give away too much, some were even ready to surrender because of the perpetual bombing and food was eventually rationed
                              ‘Always winter never Christmas’.

In Narnia the children experience victory; winter and famine turn to summer and plenty. They grow up with regal responsibilities as wise Kings and Queens and for a time forget the realities of our world, but however, inevitably returning back through the wardrobe. In returning they have changed, having experienced victory in their own lives and with the knowledge that
    ‘Once a king in Narnia, always a king in Narnia. Once a queen in Narnia always a queen in Narnia.’

Through games and improvisation we have explored some of these chilling themes and looked at recurring situations throughout British history where there has been a culture of fear and propaganda.
  
As a director I chose the Elizabethan period as a style influence for the costumes and music within Narnia, rather than the usual medieval look. This is because not only was it a time of political and religious suppression with fears of contenders to the throne and with Catholic and Spanish spies abounding; but also because we are now within a second Elizabethan era (those from Scotland would say we were in the first). The young people spoke within a Saturday session of surveillance cameras and ID cards, a real fear of terrorism and a mistrust of the young. I am not speaking of Gordon Brown as our equivalent of The White Witch, crying when pushed from his throne; but of a world that is built on mistrust and fear. We discussed how perhaps as humans we need to be a little bit scared as from decade to decade we invent something new, spurning peace and stability. After the “Great War to end all Wars”, we had “World War II” then there was the ‘Cold War’, when this ended we invented the ‘War against Terrorism’. What’s next I wonder?
  
To bring out some of the nightmarish themes in our production the inhabitants of Narnia are masked. We are mixing mask work and puppetry some of which have been made by the cast. The production is complicated and the biggest we have done to date.  It is because of this that it is taking sometime to produce. Parents of the company are getting together to make hairy, scary wigs for the puppets. I’m making a multitude of wire based scrim and papier-mâché animal masks. There are other parents involved in making costumes and Mike is busy putting together the music and turning my set design ideas into a working scale model box. We have Sam Khan fights director up this half term to choreograph the fight scenes and a rod puppet making workshop. There is a huge amount of work still to do and any volunteers are really welcome to help in sewing shirts and skirts and other items. It is an exciting production and stretches everyone however young or old. Everyone is in most of the scenes. We are learning to support each other as a team. The text is written in an old fashioned rhythm but we are all getting the hang of the style slowly. Stage direction are bizarre stating things like ‘Father Christmas swoops in’ and the ‘Turkish delights magically appears’. The production is fantastical, scary, exciting and in some cases topical – I hope you will all enjoy the outcome and the rest of the workshop rehearsals.  

Myette Godwyn - Director

Press Release


Audition for the part of Peter in The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe
Whirlwind Theatre for Children is searching for someone to play Peter alongside another company member in their youth theatre musical production of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Without this vital role the Queen will reign supreme within Narnia for evermore! They need a young actor aged 16 – 18 years, who will join their weekly youth theatre team at The Storey Cic each Saturday and to take on this role. Auditions will be held on Saturday 15th May from 11.30am. This is an open audition but please contact the office first to register your interest.

Half- Term Stage Fighting Workshop with Sam Khan June 2nd & 3rd 
Whirlwind are excited to have working with them for the first time, Sam Kahn, choreographer and renowned fights director during the May/June half-term break (June 2nd – 3rd). He is a certified teacher with the British Academy of stage and screen combat works in some of the major drama schools in and around London including Italia Conti and RADA as well as in films and television. Sam will be concentrating his efforts on the fight/battle scenes in The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe for children and young people (open to all not just youth theatre). However, there will also be extra workshops for adults interested in learning about stage fighting on Tuesday 2nd June in the evening.
Workshop for 6 years – 15 years – June 2nd – 3rd 10am – 4pm (Bring a packed Lunch) Price £30 for two days. (25 places)
Adults Workshop – 2nd June - 6pm – 9pm Price £25   (15 places)

Half Term – Bring a friend - puppet making day 4th June.  (10pm – 4pm) (£15 price includes making materials)
After the success of the Easter Bring a friend day Whirlwind  are again opening the youth theatre up for those who want to come and see what we do. This is a buy one get one free taster session where if you bring a friend they come in for free. The session will consist of fun drama games and ice breakers, improvisation and rod puppet making.  


The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
This current production is developing into an exciting, visually and musically stunning spectacle with giant animal masks, puppets and Whirlwind’s unique style of physical performance. As part of the performance the children have been invited to play instruments and will be working with one of Britain’s foremost Jazz musicians Tony Carter, formally of the Chris Barber band.  Aslan is being played by Whirlwind Theatre regular and gospel singer Ife Akintunde and The Queen by Director /producer Myette Godwyn, co-founder of Whirlwind.
   The production is set to happen this Christmas 2010 with more shows planned for 2011. For information about the audition, the production, and workshops please telephone Whirlwind Theatre on 01524 812480 or e-mail enquiries@whirlwindtheatre.org.uk

New Term

We're back.
After a well deserved (at least we think so) break the Children's and Youth theatre is starting up. The younger group started on Saturday and we were very pleased with the number that turned up and with the excellent work they all did on their first day back. The older group starts this Monday and we are all looking forward to the year ahead, working towards a production of The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe. More details as the year progresses.
More updates later this week.

Whirlwind Theatre is now taking its annual break and will be back in action on the 10th August. Anyone wanting booking information please e-mail your details to enquiries@whirlwindtheatre.org.uk. Leaflets and newsletter about our forthcoming weekly youth theatre working towards The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will be sent out on the first week of September. You will find most of the booking information on the Website and you need to reserve your place by telephone or by e-mail.
Whirlwind Theatre is always looking for volunteers to support the children during workshops and help with front of house duties including meeting and greeting at the start of each session. If you would like to help in this way send us a message.
Just to remind people that the Whirlwind Theatre facebook site is an open forum and I have added a discussion point this week if you would like to add your comments. Will be updating this with news and reviews after the short break.

Website Update

Hi all.
Just been spending a bit of time updating the website. Taking a little longer than expected as the online editter keeps timing out on me!
Also, keep losing information about links and things so have to keep going back to find them. Maybe I should write them down somewhere sensible?
Will try and keep this updated a bit more regularly as well.
Bye for now - back to the website.