Unit 8 - Little Women Collaborative Performance Project Task 1 + 2

Candidate Declaration - I confirm that the attached portfolio is all my own work and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself

 Task 1 - Production Diary 

From the beginning when we first heard of Little Women to the week of performances, I have kept an accurate diary of every day, talking about my backstage role, my rehearsal time and how I've helped and supported my fellow classmates. Every day, as a class we have collaborated together through warm-up games, helping one another with lines and providing our assistance with jobs like set and marketing. My blog entries are titled with the first and last day of the week I am at college. They also include the rehearsal process for The Last Resort and my time doing the film I was apart of 'Ode to Joy'. 

Task 2 - Audition Process

My audition process for Little Women is titled under blog entry 'Little Women Audition! 25/04/23' It contains a detailed write up of before, after and during my audition as Meg March. 

Task 2.1 - Review a range of research sources to support the production of a performance project

 Little Women

In our production of Little Women, I played the role of Marmee, who is mother to all of the March girls. Before I performed as her, I made sure to research the character fully as she has been performed and played multiple times, on screen and stage. I also conducted written research of the time period to give myself a clearer idea of what was going on in the world during the play, the difference between how the women and men behaved and were treat and so much more. I've compiled all my findings to support my performance and understanding of Little Women and my character of 'Marmee'. 

Marmee - Book, Script and 1994 Film

In the 1868 book by Louisa May Alcott, Margaret 'Marmee' March is a loving mother, who during the first half of the book, is the head of the house due to her husbands presence at war being a preacher. She looks after her daughters, with the help of their maid Hannah who tends to help and support the March women around the house and when leaving to collect food. Throughout the book, Marmee is always encouraging her daughters to take interest in current events because during when the book was set, it was important for women to know their limitations. I believe Marmee pushed her daughters to learn about current events to then challenge society and its ideas of how a woman should live their own lives, which explains why Jo is so head strong and focused on being who she is truely. In all adaptations whether that is the book, the script we will be performing or the multiple movie versions, Marmee has always been supportive and caring, and her main goal as a mother is to keep safe their dreams so that when the time is right, they can be shared with the world. For example, Jo's book which she writes throughout the story has always been her ambition, and she has finally been able to achieve it despite those that disagree and look down on her.

In our script, written by Scott Davidson, the storyline is exactly same for Marmee but she does have more conversations with Jo, where we see the opinionated Marmee who gives some well needed advice to Jo. Moments like this are so nice to act, as it gives me a chance to really show a deeper side to Marmee that the audience don't see when she's sat in her chair asking questions, not being the one answering them. 

Personally, my favourite adaptation of Marmee, comes from the 1994 movie starring Winona Ryder. I have always been a fan of the movie, and rewatching as part of my research has allowed me to really focus on the lines she says and the way she says them. Susan Sarandon plays Marmee beautifully and the way she interacts with her daughters is exactly what I'd like to achieve, because she adds time to time a warm touch of the hand to her daughters shoulders to showcase comfort and safety, and doing so highlights the subtly of Marmee's true goals for her daughters; to be happy. There are multiple scenes where they are all around a chair in the living room, and the first scene of the script is the same one to the one in the film. Watching it, allowed me to pick up the small glances she does to her daughters, to check their reactions from reading the letter,  which I feel again highlights how she is always looking out for her daughters. Upon my research, I found out that Susan Sarandon found the hardest part of playing Marmee was not making her sappy. I understand her concern over this, since Marmee is a strong independent woman after raising her own children for the past few years, and looking out for the Hummels too, and it's easy to turn her into a overly sentimental woman who isn't fine on her own, as we all know she can perfectly do anything on her own. I made sure to not be sappy in my own version of Marmee too, as I agree with Susan's statement and my main aim is to show her always supportive for her daughters but also the wise woman she is through her interactions with Aunt March and her own daughters.  

Marmee and Abigail May Alcott

Margaret 'Marmee' March is a character from Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel 'Little Women', she is a charitable and loving mother to four aspirational daughters and even shares a few similarities to that of Louisa's own mother. Louisa Alcott in her many letters would address her mother as Marmee, which tells us how she reached the name when it came to creating characters. I drew together many comparisons to both Louisa's life and the March family's own one, with the main one being how similar Marmee and Abigail May Alcott really are. Abigail was a longtime supporter of women's right and suffrage, which at the time was frowned upon, a woman standing up for themselves and their own rights, and it reminds me of the many lessons she taught her daughters. In the book, Marmee tells Jo "I've been trying to cure it for forty years and have only succeeded in controlling it. I am angry nearly every day of my life, Jo, but I have learned not to show it; and I still hope to learn not to feel, though it may take me another forty years to do so." For me, this is the biggest insight into Marmee's life and how she goes on through life despite it's many challenges, and she shares how she too has a strong temper, similar to Jo's. The only difference is that she controls it and she has used her anger to improve herself and her actions, whereas Jo expresses it to those that challenge her opinion, which deep down I believe Marmee wishes she could act like too. 

To many people, Marmee is just another character, who makes sure the March girls have a roof over their head and are sent to bed without an empty stomach, however to me Marmee is a bigger meaning to the entire story, she is complicated yet powerful. She is essentially the moral center, guiding her daughters through their own personal growth despite the ups and downs, raising them as a single mother on her own all while encouraging their adventurous dreams and protecting them from the dangers of the real world and its truth. In addition to this, I believe that Marmee holds back all of her emotions and real feelings so that she can care for her daughters and make sure that they are fine and well. She's selfless, and deep down upset at the world for not being kind to her in spite of all her kindness, and instead making her a grieving mother, poverty-stricken woman who just wants her family to be secure and happy, and most importantly together.

Abigail May Alcott truly was the inspiration for Marmee, going through the same devastating events she did but worse; having to raise a family of four daughters all on her own whilst her husband left them all without money and a permanent home for months on end is only one of them. However, she had wit and strength just like Marmee, and even said once how "In this world of folly and fashion, a man's hat is the most essential part of his head." To summarize, Marmee holds a proundly caring nature, like Abigail, yet like most mothers she has her moments of thought and should be able to share these outbursts but due to her own morals and beliefs, focuses on her daughters and decides to share her own advice with them only if they ask her. She will never lose the love she has for them, putting them before herself even when they are all grown up and have left home on their new adventures. Upon Abigail May Alcott's death, Louisa wrote this about her mother; "I never wish her back, but a great warmth seems gone out of life...she was so loyal, tender, and true, and life was hard for her and no one knew all she to bear but her children." 

Themes Throughout Little Women

Throughout Little Women, there are multiple themes that surrounds both the characters and their purpose for their actions. Some are very obvious whereas some are more subtle, however all are incredibly important to the foundation of the timeless story that we know and love. The most obvious one is family. Each character is defined by how they act with their own family, whether that's a loving sister bond, a protective motherly bond or even a stubborn bond with an auntie. Every March sister's motivation in life is family, for example when they all get their money off Aunt March, they immediately think of benefitting Marmee who the heart of their family is. Marmee encourages her own daughters to marry loving husbands and raise their own children, just like she has done herself, which adds to the family theme that the story is built on. The theme of family is meaningful and worthwhile, as you see throughout the story the difficulties that every relationship encounters. For example, Amy angrily burns Jo's manuscript - the only one she has - which leaves their relationship up in the air for a while, as Amy is apologetic afterwards, but Jo is frustrated and disappointed. Moments like this highlight how imperfect the March family is, and that their challenges only increase the love they share for each other. I really love their family dynamic because it's not sappy and always over the top with their admiration for each other, and you see the moments of respect and love when it's most needed and neccesary, like when Marmee cares and gives advice to Jo whilst she's struggling with Amy and Laurie's marriage. The marriages that are seen in Little Women only strengthens the family theme, as it increases the amount of people in their own circle and show how open they are to include them because they are now family. 

Another important theme seen throughout Little Women is poverty. The March family lost a lot of their own money, due to their father trying to help an unfortunate friend. In result of this, Marmee raised her daughters which a small amount of money, enough to keep them alive and well, only buying necessities and half of the time everything they would have, would be given straight away to the Hummels instead. Both acts seen by Marmee and Mr March are done through kindness, which highlights how even though they are struggling in poverty, knowing someone is happy and finally together as a family unit is worth more than anything money could buy. This further supports the family theme and how much they care for each other and those around them. Poverty is continuously brought up by many supporting characters like Sallie Gardiner and the Moffats, as they use the fact they are poorer as a reason to look down on the March family, and even though they are all rich and very wealthy, they lack the amount of kindness that the March family are loaded with. It's visible that the poverty they face only strengthens their own characters and teaches them how to go on through life without it all the time. 

One theme that is less obvious yet lingers in every scene is society and morality. All the woman in Little Women are faced with society and its expectations in this world, and I believe we see the journey of society through the eldest March daughter, Meg. Meg March begins in the story as a proper lady and all the way to the end she never looses her etiquette rules and ladylike manners, since she doesn't want to mess up the routine she has always followed. However, after an eventful week at Sallie Gardiners, a handful of bustling parties and all the opinionated interactions with Aunt March where she tends to stay quiet and be gracious, she suddenly has an awakening to the real meaning in society for woman. Personally, I believe that Meg realises how a woman's role in society is to be in the background and listen to those that hold a higher level of respect in the world. This explains why she snaps back at Aunt March for being so carelessly rude about Mr Brooke, who she loves very much yet won't admit as that is a man's job to do and removes herself from the showy life she only just started with the Moffats and the Gardiners. Meg found her morals which strongly contrasts to the ways of society. This highlights the theme of morality, which links straight to Mr March's job in the war as a preacher, which further explains why the March family make many moral decisions instead of immoral ones. For example, all the daughters decide to gift their Christmas feast to the Hummels, which is a moral decision helping out those lesser off, and in return, they were given a host of foods by Mr Lawrence. I strongly believe women were pressured the most in society, as they were held back and limited in life, not being able to be independent and creative with their own lives. In addition, a lot of Meg's remarks are all about acting proper and mature which signifies the pressure that Meg faces due to her being the eldest and the role model in society to her younger sisters. Thankfully, Meg finds herself and marries a man that loves and cares for her despite her struggles with poverty, because she has what all those girls at the balls don't have: kindness. 

Time Period and Society

Little Women was set in the time period when the Civil War was happening and after it had finished (1860s), which saw the March girls live and see in the Gilded Age. This period in history brought to women to the forefront, not for groundbreaking and influential reasons, but to judge them and make sure they follow the guidelines, and never step outside of them. Upon my research, I found a card called 'Women's Rights' that highlighted the traditional ideas of a woman, and the theme in the entire piece is that they should always be there for their husband, son or any man in their life. Below is the card:

I also found a poem that was written in 1858 called 'The Angel In The House' by Coventry Patmore. The theme of the poem is exactly the same, as it promotes how a woman is an object to a man, and the wife should do anything her husband asks of her without a question or objection. Below is the poem:

When it came to women and their limits in life, education was very minimal where their main point of learning was the poem above. Furthermore, to attract a husband would all come down to their manners and the way they showed themselves off to people. For example, they couldn't express their talents, their knowledge of things a man wouldn't know, even though it was crucial for them to know how to sing, dance, act, speak multiple languages and so much more. They weren't able to speak about any of these things or else they would be nicknamed a blue-stocking. This name was used for females that devoted themselves to very intellectual futures, which once again was something looked down on. It was considered unfeminine and unlady-like, for a man is far more superior and shouldn't be the least smart person in the room. To me, the fact this part of history actually existed is unfathomable and I am so glad we have progressed thanks to individuals, science and common sense. I also found out that some doctors combined together reports on a study they did, and found that women that studied for hours on end damaged their own ovaries, which worried many mothers for they didn't allow their daughters to go to prestigious universities (when they finally allowed women to attend) because they believed it would leave their daughters unmarriageable. 

When it came to a woman and her own love life, once again she was limited hugely. Whilst they were expected to prepare themselves for marriage, to hopefully a wealthy man, they were expected not to focus on finding a marriage so soon in their life incase they appeared too forward and may scare men away with their 'sexual appetite'. Women longed to marry, for it had been drilled into them from the first time they heard the word marriage, yet they all had to desire it and not act on it because it highlighted to men how they wanted to be mothers, not have someone in love with them. In contrast to women and not being able to express their sexual needs, a respectable man was allowed and encouraged to seek out prostitutes, even though these relations created a widespread infection of syphillis and other sexual diseases, that men would then pass onto their wives where unfortunately the woman would pass away leaving behind a male-driven life. I found many pieces of evidence that supported the encouragement of men to find those that would satisfy them. Below is a poster that guided men to greet actresses and prostitutes.

Society and looking wealthy to those that wished they could live the life of luxury was very important to middle-class families. The role of a lower-class women was to only to do the domestic jobs keeping the house clean, but for a middle-class women, it was vital to display their husbands financial success in their houses and covering it in material objects. For example, women would greet guests near the piano, that the husband bought because he can, and would lead them into the dining room, where the expensive silk curtains draped behind them next to the cabinet of rare drinking glasses. This encouraged the idea of a women simply being an object for men to display their own personal success on, like a women would never wear just one outfit in a day, since thanks to her husband, she had many items of clothing, and she needed to show how she had not lifted a finger in their household, so her outfits would be clean and not creased to further show this. However, as time slowly progressed, female advice writers would start writing how a women's touch in a home is the reason for why when the men came home, they were relaxed and serene, which for the first time publicly gave women a little bit of praise. Writer and Journalist Isabella Beeton wrote in 1861 a book called 'Book Of Household Management' where her opening line was that the mistress of the house should consider herself, a commander of an army.

Social manners and etiquette were obviously very important if as a woman, you wanted to draw attention to yourself, and higher your rank in society. I found a list written by Thomas E. Hill who in 1875, published a book named 'Manual of Social and Business Forms'. Below is some of his etiquettes rules that he encouraged women to follow:

• "When crossing a pavement, a lady should raise her dress with her right hand, a little about the ankle. To raise the dress with both hands is vulgar and can be excused when mud is very deep" 
• "Beware of exterior applications of cosmetics. Instead, once every two and three months, take a spoonful of powdered charcoal mixed with sweetened water or milk, This will prove efficacious in making the complexion clear and transparent."
• "Do not tattle, Do not speak ill of your neighbours, Do not carry gossip from one family to another."

The manual focuses on everything and anything, from how to behave at a ball to how to shake hands politely with a gentleman. 

As Little Women was written in the Gilded Age, this meant extravagant outfits and beautiful makeup and hairstyles. Ladies would wear their hair up as they grew older to highlight maturity, and their makeup would be light but noticeable. When it came to how we perform our show, it was important we got our outfits and set correct to show the audience what time period the play is set in, and further show the level of wealth in those days, and the ever needing ambition to be accepted in society by people. When it came to clothing and accessories, extravagance was clear. Women wore fitted bodices and skirts, that were mainly made from rich materials like cotton or silk. Women made sure that their colours were muted and dulled, to not stand out and colours like blue and grey were in fashion at the time.They carried gloves, fans and parasols to not have their arms flailing and bare by their side. Men wore trousers and jackets and kept their style simple yet classy, wearing fewer accessories and normally wearing ties or bow ties. 

For a woman like Marmee, it was important in society to make sure her daughters were well-educated and behaved correctly. What she did teach them was something she kept a secret unless you were a reader of the book, and that was for her daughters to be ambitious and follow their dreams. Throughout the entire book, the influence Marmee has on all four of her daughters impacts their actions and strives them forward in making decisions, that move forward the story's entire plot. This highlights why Marmee's character is more than meets the eye. She is the key reason for a lot of her daughter's actions because she herself is closed off to society, and she only shows her real self to her daughters, because she trusts and loves them. Polite and respectful is how she seems to the Hummel's, to Aunt March, even to the teachers at Amy's school. It's clear now why her daughters each have dreams and why they aren't afraid to go forward and make them happen. 

For example, the greatest proof of Marmee's adoration and ambition for her daughters subsides in the last line of book, said by Marmee herself.

"Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this!" - Marmee

Little Women - the book

Louisa May Alcott wrote the novel 'Little Women' in the years 1868-1869, which she reportedly said that she wrote it "in record time, for the money." It is common knowledge now that she wrote it, taking inspiration from her own family and their challenges, like their issues with money and dealing with poverty much like the March family. More unknowingly to the most people, Louisa Alcott didn't enjoy writing the book and instead finds her worst piece of work. Her publisher Thomas Niles in 1868 convinced her to write a novel about girls that would make ner name well known and have worldwide appeal. Louisa didn't agree originally as she desired to write lots of short stories, not one large book. Before accepting and writing the novel, she was even pushed by her own father to write a book based on girls, and wrote in her diary "I plod away, although I don't enjoy this sort of things." Surprisingly, once her publisher had read the final draft, he believed it to be dull and boring, similar to Louisa's belief, but Niles had given his niece a copy and she thought it was "splendid." After spreading the first draft to several young girls, their reactions were all the same and they expressed such love for the book which prompted both Louisa and Thomas to send it off to be printed. As we know now, the book did gain worldwide recognition for Louisa May Alcott as well as the book itself, which surprised Louisa and Thomas once again. 

To add to the similarities between the March family and the Alcott family, Louisa had a Beth in her life called Lizzie, who at the age of 23, sadly passed away due to lingering effects of scarlet fever. The book really acts as a memory in Lizzie's name and shows the world her sweet and loving nature. Her sister Anna took inspiration in Meg as she was known as the family beauty being married and in love. The character Amy came from Louisa's sister May, who was so alike to Amy, since she was known for being pretentious and in love with the idea of wealth and being married. I found a picture of Louisa's Alcott attic in the Alcott's family home which I feel is so sweet, that she kept the memories of her and sisters in the novel, almost as a reminder of the times they cherished together before they moved on and lead separate lives. Beside is the attic based in Fruitlands, America. When we perform our show, the image of the attic is a great inspiration as it's not a crazy crafted place, it's homemade and easy to bring to life on a stage. We are started to bring our set together and the attic is important to get right when it does come down to set, as it's the place where the March sisters come together to be silly and youthful. 

Marmee Continued....

To summarise, after researching I realise the deeper meaning to the character of Marmee. She isn't just a character that happens to raise four iconic daughters and enters a scene asking how her daughters are now and then, instead of telling them about herself. Instead, she is a strong complicated character, inspired from an independent woman, that took on many challenges in her life and powered through all while lifting herself and her daughters up every day. To me, I am not a mother, I can only take inspiration from the women in my life, like my own mum. My own mother is a smart, beautiful and strong woman, who I've seen go through many experiences in life and I've seen how she takes them on. She has always put myself and my brother first so selflessly and encouraged us to say yes to every opportunity gifted our way. Personally, I can see similarities in Marmee and my own mum so knowing someone in my own life helps me even more, and I am so grateful to have a woman in my life that supports my dreams and ambitions. In addition to this, I admire the adaptation from the 1994 Little Women Marmee played by Susan Sarandon, and will continue to take inspiration from her own imagining of the character that is Mrs. March. I do also want to make the character my own, by subtly portraying the difference in communication when she's speaking to Aunt March to when she's speaking to Jo or Meg. Knowing what I know now, I am so fortunate to be playing Marmee and it's now my main goal to showcase the amazing woman she is. 

Task 2.2 - Your Production Role. Demonstrate the ability to contribute to the planning, organisation and development of a collaborative performance.

My production role started as soon as we began talking about different jobs everyone would want to be the most committed to. I've always, in the past year, wanted to help out with marketing so made sure I put myself forward and made that my main production role in my last show of the year. When it comes to marketing, so much goes into it. You have to draw attention to a passer-by, a reader or someone scrolling through their phone, and we also have to make the promotion for both Little Women and The Last Resort accessible to everyone and anyone. As a group, we focused on making the content we would post creative, different and entertaining. We know what we would stick around and watch so understood the criteria that came with marketing and promotion. Online promotion was a big part of marketing for Little Women. The marketing team and I would take snap shots of rehearsals to send to be posted online, to showcase what we have been working on and also what an audience member can expect from coming to see our show. However, we also knew as a group that rehearsal pictures can only get you so far and it soon becomes repetitive. Due to this, myself and a few people on marketing made 'A Guide to Etiquette' video, which ticked everything off in our criteria list. It would be entertaining, creative and definitely different. Our idea was to have a main actor, who was 1st Year Alan, that would provide the watcher of the video with rules and lessons in becoming a proper lady or gentlemen. It was a collaborative project, and everyone wanted to be involved which we were so grateful with, and it meant that our videos didn't lack actors. Furthermore, to keep it funny and entertaining, we included what not to do, so one actor would be very unladylike and improper which would be corrected by Alan and very obviously frowned upon. The video was not only educational, but fitting with Little Women as we know in the 1860's, which is when the play is set, keeping to societies rules and acting presentable and proper was so important to many people if they wanted to be liked and respected. In the video, I even include in it acting, which I was so grateful happened, as it allowed me to be both on camera and behind it. It was a process making the video, as people forgot lines and cues and we had to think of rules as well, so it took planning and myself and marketing are so happy with the end result. 

Working on the online side of promotion didn't end there, as myself and Millie Trodden involved ourselves and had gotten the picture for the poster taken. Due to our many pictures of the set coming to life that gets eventually posted online, a picture had been taken by Millie that Kelly really liked and thought would be perfect for our poster for Little Women. The picture includes beautiful flowers, and in the background, you see the floral doorway as it all begins to frame the picture perfectly on its own. To make the poster even more appealing and highlight that it's for our show 'Little Women', we included the hardcover book in the bottom, where it would be angled and placed upwards so that you can see the title visibly without having to lay it down. In addition to this, actors Millie and Henry went into the costume cupboard and picked out items of clothing that fitted the Victorian time period and, in the background, would appear vintage and on theme. Both actors were underneath the archway, as Millie held a white parasol as though she was outside accompanied by Henry. After more set adjustments, we added more flowers and tea-stained letters to give the poster a more authentic feel which I believe we achieved, the picture was ready to be taken. I took the poster picture on my phone, and I made sure to take lots and lots so that we could see how we could improve it and make it better. For example, me and Kelly thought it would be better if the background is blurry and the attention is fully on the Little Women book. We also felt that the actors should move closer together and slightly tilt themselves towards the camera so that we can get a better view of their faces and see the love that they are trying to portray. I'm glad we got multiple pictures, as it meant in the end, we had lots to choose from and out of nearly 100 takes, we had our chosen one. I was really happy I could help out with the poster, as it's the most important way to promote our show and it was needed to be done, plus we needed to get the theme, and we had slowly reached a floral theme for the marketing on Little Women so knowing we had fit the flowery theme made us all a lot happier. 

Another really important part in the marketing process is the programmes. The programmes give even more insight into the show, the actors and what the audience should expect before watching. It highlights all the immense hard work that goes into the shows, and how everyone feels the show's process has felt like. I really wanted to have a part in the programme as I love being creative and artsy when designing pieces of work like a programme. Gracie and I worked together on the Little Women programme for a while, until I moved to work on the Last Resort programme to make better use of our time if two things are being completed in the same amount of time. Whilst I was helping with it however, we both made sure to be in keeping with the floral theme as with both the set and the poster it has been the statement concept for our show. We combined our free template of just a black background and added pink and purple flowers around the edges, to border the poster almost. Gracie added a small summary of the book and followed with the actors and who they are playing. I moved on to the Last Resort programme which I was looking forward to, as I knew I could have lots of fun with it. It needed to be fun and very much the opposite to Little Women since the theme of the play is silly and funny. For the poster, Gracie helped me out with it as I wanted to combine both of our ideas in order to make a collaboration that both of us took part in. We reached our front cover together, and the rest of the way I checked in now and then to see what she thought and what she would change to improve it if it needed to be. My main aim was to really highlight the fun and lightness of the entire play, and with it being a one night only show, and being directed by two of our very own classmates, I wanted to do them justice so that they can remember it in so many years. The rest of the programme highlights the actors and the cast in a fun light way, and includes the director's message about the show. It took me a while, but I am really happy with the end result and made sure to check with both directors, Kelly and Gracie, as she really helped me out with it throughout the entire process and obviously, I hoped both of my classmates liked it with it being their show. 

I wanted to do more Last Resort promotion since I felt like it was quite unknown in contrast to Little Women. Due to this, myself, Adam and Millie asked Elliot - one of the directors - if he wouldn't mind being involved in an interview, where we would ask him questions and his thoughts about the entire process. He was very much up to it, and before we all broke up for the holidays, we met up in the black box room and started the interview. I filmed the majority of it, and Adam interviewed Elliot the majority of the time. We worked together on what questions Adam should be asking him, and which questions would trigger a great answer. I put forward that the last question should be "Where can we come and see The Last Resort?" since it sets it up nicely for Elliot to give lots of information, like the date, time and venue. Adam asked if I wanted to ask that question, which I accepted which meant that I got to feature in the video as well as film it. It was a lot of fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire filming process. We had a few bumps where we didn't know what to ask next and we kept stumbling over our own words, but despite all of that, it gave Elliot some deserved screen time and he was able to promote the Last Resort and let those online see all the immense hard work that had really gone into this play, the same amount as Little Women. Everyone was so passionate about both projects, and I was so happy that the entire process has been a lot of teamwork coming from everyone.

 

Part 1 

 Part 2 

 

Part 3

Part 4

Despite my main production role being in marketing, I was eager to help out wherever I could. I helped out with set multiple times, whether that was gluing cardboard swords together, tea-staining pieces of paper or gluing pieces of paper to a cabinet draw, I made sure to check if anyone needed help and how I could support them. Helping out and working alongside everyone was amazing, and I got to put forward my own ideas, which might not have been used but were taken on board and turned into conversations into how to make our set even better. I made sure to help out with fundraising, which really showed the level of collaboration we have as a team, since we all wanted the show to be amazing which meant fundraising and in return doing a sponsored walk. This was so much fun, and all we had to do was walk 3 miles over a week, which is super easy, and if everyone got involved and did the walk, we would have all walked 100 miles. I managed to raise £45 so I was determined to get my walk done, and even put myself forward for an extra mile in case someone couldn't. The money went towards our clothes for Little Women, so that we could really achieve the authentic feel of the time period, and allow the audience a better glimpse into the world of The March Girls. There was one morning where everyone went on a one mile walk together as part of a group warm-up, and it definitely cemented our teamwork and how much we support one another. Alongside this, on show week, myself and many others decorated the entrance to the theatre, helping set out by theming it around the period of Little Women. For example, myself, Millie, Adam and the Set Team attached pieces of brown paper from the ceiling hung dangling, which created a regent feeling. I really enjoyed helping out with set as it allowed me to contribute myself more, and further allow me to be a part of production for all of our shows. 

 

Next time, I would try and help out more in the front of house since I haven't done that job yet and would love to interact with the audience before they go in and get them excited for the show. However, I am really proud of my part in marketing as at times, I felt like I didn't know what to do, but I wrote down ideas and went with them and slowly I was getting on with things easily. I'm also really grateful for the help I have been given by the rest of the marketing team and the rest of the course. Everything that went on with promotion for both shows was a team effort from marketing, and I am so glad that in the time we had, the majority of our ideas had been filmed and sent off. 

Task 2.3 - Interpret research to develop ideas and effectively communicate creative proposals

All of the research I did on both my character of Marmee and Little Women, I took on board and really tried to channel it into my portrayal of my character and being in the world of Louisa May Alcott's. For example, my research on Marmee allowed me to take inspiration from those that have portrayed her before, and further allowed me to delve deeper into the true inspiration of Marmee, who was Louisa's own mother Abigail May Alcott. I wanted to highlight the strength that both the character and inspiration of Marmee carried with them, to be a single mother, aware of your husband's departure off in war, unsure of how safety and location, whilst also tried to navigate your growing daughters through the crazy world they slowly grow to embark on. The more and more I researched, the more I found myself admiring Marmee, and I couldn't understand how she wasn't as iconic and well-known as that of the presence of Jo or Meg, or even Aunt March. She truly is the reason for the plot's movement, as the March sisters try to follow in her footsteps in their own families, carrying on her own legacy. When it came down to performing as Marmee, I had all of my motivations in my head, what I wanted to portray when I went out on stage, whether that was in rehearsals or even during the actual performance. Highlighting the importance of Marmee, and not making her the same background character she has been seen as in the book for so many years. 

In light of research of the time period and the world of Little Women, it really helped me with my production role of marketing. A lot of the marketing we did fitted around the time period, like our etiquette video and all of our photos of set and rehearsals, because it was important to highlight that we as a collective have learnt about the time period, and what both a woman and man felt like in that era. It also allowed us to have fun with it and whilst also trying to promote our show, also educate the audience member and give them a glimpse into what to expect. Research I found so important in my marketing role, as when working on our etiquette video, myself and others were easily naming rules that ladies and gentlemen would have to follow to act proper and sensible, which showed how much information we had tuck in and remembered.