Musical Theatre Course Day 2: The day began with a warm-up session and theatre games. Many organisations skip this process. To some these games appear to be a lot of silly exercises, but they’re actually of huge benefit to the actor. If the performers body, and mind are not on full power it hinders imagination, and fluidity. The purpose of these games is to enhance and improve all areas, voice, movement, awareness and spontaneity. These games and vocal warm-ups also act as cast bonding exercises. Once the young people completed this session they moved on to a two-hour dance master class. Choreographer Rebecca Wallace delivered this bespoke session teaching them the routine from the 1st Act “I Hope I Get It” from A Chorus Line. If you’re not family with the show it’s about young people with dreams of escaping their sometimes ordinary, sometimes painful lives and trading them for the unique world of the Broadway stage. Unlike traditional backstage dramas, with their focus on stars and understudies, A Chorus Line focuses on the “worker bees” of the business. These characters are not looking for stardom; they are looking to be part of the background. They are looking for work, a temporary home, and a place to fit in. This is a fast paced, complex, dance routine that stretched the children. They applied themselves well and any inhibitions soon vanished. It was important the young people experienced this level of dance and it gave them a better understating of the physicality of musical theatre and how dance/movement plays an important part. In the afternoon we rehearsed Oliver again and ran auditions for the number “As Long As He Need’s Me” (Nancy). An audition can be a daunting process but nerves were kept under control and five Nancy’s were selected to sing solo spots. The reason for holding auditions was to give the course participations an insight in to the life of a musical theatre actor. We finished the day with some more theatre exercises, which the children really enjoyed, in-particular the game Moose Moose. But we’ll let them tell you about that.!!!!!!!
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:31:19 +0000