Unit 1 - Principles of Performance Task 5

 Task 5: Evaluation of Stockton Globe tour performance

Performing an immersive piece of theatre is one thing, but performing it at Stockton's Globe is another. I’m so fortunate to be able to have new experiences and do things that I could only dream about doing. Some of my favourite comedians and singers have performed at the Globe for maybe one show or two, but to think I’ve performed an immersive piece of theatre 4 times which sold out in a week at the Globe is unbelievable to comprehend. For me, it went amazingly and by the last show I could feel mine and everyone else’s nerves completely shatter, and we were full of excitement and confidence yet sadness that it was our last time performing the show. When I performed as the Stage Door Keeper on the 30th, I remember the first show felt like a practise run to get rid of my nerves and immersive my self fully into the role of Polly. The second show I was aware that my parents and brother were coming to watch. Normally, I’m performing and I can’t see them due to the blinding lights on me and the dark shadow over the audience, but this time I could see them as bright as day and they could see me the same way. That felt so strange as I was acting and performing looking directly at them, and I wasn’t Milly anymore which is who I am all the time around them. I had to become a whole new person and create a new personality that would be unrecognisable from who I normally am. They all said that they thought it was absolutely amazing and couldn’t believe that my first college show was that unbelievable. My mum and dad both thought that it felt like a horror movie at certain times, they felt that immersed into the story line which is exactly how we wanted the audience to feel. When I was Polly, I did feel it was my strongest character out of the two since I had more time to truly get into the role and become someone who I haven't really played before. I would notice however, as Polly, that when others forgot lines, I straight away jumped onto improvisation so that they would remember them; this happened with Laura's line at the start in which she was meant to say her line, and I kept prompting it through improv. Everyone in those scenes was just amazing, and to work with such high-level actors already felt special. The staging and relationship me and Laura kept helped the scene as it showed a dynamic that hadn't been seen on the tour yet, which caught a few spectators by surprise. I recognized that the end scene, where the House of Wax characters came to life, scared and frightened a few people, allowing them to leave a little bit on edge. I remember the last night, a woman turned away from the scene and was just shouting "Nope, no not today!" which tells us that she did not enjoy it, and she is scared by the movement and people slowly getting closer to her, who shouldn't really be moving. Everyone communicated well, and showed how working as a team proves to be successful. We all were confident on timing and when to enter into our scene, which allowed it to run smoothly without any major bumps in between. I couldn’t believe that it was the 1st years, first real performance, as it felt like something you do later on in your life as your career progresses. If we were to do it next time, I feel that we should do more shows since we sold all of our tickets, and should have the usherettes be in more unexpected scenes. For example, when the audience are walking somewhere, an usherette could appear out of nowhere to arouse suspicion and make the audience confused as to what they were doing. My personal goal for the next time we do a performance similar to this, is to believe more in myself, and when I’m unsure of something, to use my initiative and be confident in what I do. Overall, this experience is one I certainly won’t forget since I’m proud of the tour we all created and brought to life. 

My dad’s thoughts after seeing it:

“I was blown away by the level of professionalism of the actors and amount of talent. Not only did I feel part of the performance, but I got to see the inner workings of the theatre. I have to admit to being a little creeped out when some of the characters were staring into my soul and telling me to run away, whilst I can. Brilliant.”

My mam's thoughts after seeing it:

"Halloween 🎃 at the globe was a real treat of an experience, the interaction with the actors and being able to visit all areas of the theatre was such an immersive event, very clever, informative, quite scary and will recommend to family and friends to attend next year,  well done everyone involved 👍”