27/11/23 - 30/11/23

 Week 43 of Milly's acting journey

On Monday 27th, instead of our normal setting of the college, we moved ourselves into Bobby Dazzlers to rehearse and practice Peter Pan. Due to musical theatre also having to use the college rehearsals rooms, Kelly understood that we would be fighting for space so by moving into a space of our own, we are able to fully get on with rehearsals without any interruptions. We quickly got to know the space and cracked straight on with Peter Pan. Cast 3 began by going over Wendy's song with the help of Gracie, who is the dance captain whenever we don't have Abi. Gracie came up with some amazing choreography that can be easily taught to the other casts, but because I was Wendy, I made sure to watch Erin and make notes to see what she does throughout the song.  We went through Wendy's song with Cast 3 for the majority of the morning and afternoon, as in the middle of it there is also a small scene, and adjusting to props such as the house, and forks that act as combs, trying to fit it in took some time but it was all worth it by the end of the day. I was able to go through my lines as well, and Charlie and I went over some of the scenes we have together, so there weren't any moments where I was sat doing nothing. Whilst the Lost Boys and Wendy's were preoccupied, the pirates were rehearsing Rich Damp Cake full out and everyone else was going through scenes or making notes so everyone was really making the most out of the last few weeks we have until the shows. Just before the end of the day, Kelly asked all principal cast to come into the main dance room and practice the flying. On Sunday, the day before Kelly sent a video of the National Theatre's version flying which includes actors holding one actor up to make it seem like they are flying. Due to us not having any harnesses and the equipment to pick people up and make them fly, this was our best version and I felt like it fitted better into our Peter Pan story for some reason. I was nervous about the flying at first because having people holding me up scares me but after doing it, it was not at all like I thought it was going to be so I'm glad I got it done so I didn't need to be nervous anymore.

On Tuesday, we were joined by Tom who began by leading a vocal and exercise warm-up. It got us all awake and prepared for the rest of the day. The morning was actually spent sitting down and reading through the entire cast as we hadn't done so yet. It also deeply benefitted Sophia, Jess and Elliott who were working on the tech side of the show, as they now knew when to play what and how it all fitted together. There was some parts we cut so that we could focus on the sound as it was a lot of acting lines. Those that spoke were a mixture of all three casts, but if it was a certain character's song like Wendy singing 'Peter', all the Wendys would sing so that they got a chance to sing for extra practice. I found it very helpful as since we hadn't done the end scene yet at all, I was able to picture what it would look and sound like. Once we had done that and had a lunch break, much like the day before, we went off and practiced certain scenes. Gracie wanted all the brave girls to stay with her to go over the chant and the dance so I was able to do it over and over so that it would stick in my head. There was a small part that has to be on time and perfect and every time we did it, something went wrong slightly so getting it absolutely perfect was what we spent the most time on. We showed Kelly as well and she loved it lots which was great to hear. 

Wednesday was such a productive day for myself and cast 1 as we had the chance to do Wendy's song. We went over it loads and loads, but because me and Charlie had been watching on Monday we fitted into it straight away. It was more for the lost boys who didn't watch because they either doing pirate work or doing scene elsewhere. I got to use the props a part of the song which allowed me to fully feel apart of the character of Wendy. The last time we did this was with Abi, and I was told to interact with Peter when he's sat next to me but when looking through the script, I ask once the house has been built where I am, so to acknowledge Peter doesn't make sense. I recognized this and so did Gracie so she said I now look sleepy and sort of like I'm having some dream. This then didn't make me leave the house awkward as the audience would be confused as I've just seen the house being built, but if I'm sleeping then I haven't. After a few more times, Abi joined us and Cast 1 Darlings joined her to do the first scene including the song 'We are the Darlings'. Every time we acted the scene out with the song, we were stood just smiling at one another and it needed some movement definitely. The choreography Abi gave us was very fun and cheery and fitted well with the song which allowed our relationship as a family to look loving and caring. It was easy to learn and we were able to easily teach the other casts so they knew it when it came round to them performing it. Going through the lines as well was beneficial as a cast as we have only done the scene 1 about 4 times as we've all been off doing another scene.

Thursday was a full run through for a randomly picked cast so I made sure the night before to go over scenes I was wobbly on lines with and also songs I felt I could quickly go over once or twice. I was a little bit nervous but I knew a full run through would show me and the cast what we need to do to make the full thing even better. The main characters from each cast came in earlier to do the first scene with the flying and also the end scene just to make sure they were solid. All of our cast had arrived on time so we did the first scene first. I was very strong with my lines and my song I knew what to do so it was more the movement when Tink and Peter join me. I felt me and Charlie added bits that we made up on the spot that was really good, which we made a mental note of to keep in the show, and I kept telling Layla that she doesn't need to be afraid to pull my hair which I felt like she was, but doing this scene we were able to go full out, which I loved. Because our flying took so long and figuring out who flew who, along with what movement we do during the Come Away final song as we leave the Darling house, we only got to do our cast doing the first scene, but because the other casts were watching, it didn't really matter. Just before we went for break, Noah who plays Peter Pan in cast 2 wanted to do the final scene so he and cast 2 did and it was helpful for me to see what Laura did as Wendy. After we all came back, Kelly had picked Cast 3 out of the hat, which allowed me to watch their full run through and make lots of notes on where Erin as Wendy stood and what prop she held, or even if she looked a certain emotion. It helped me make Wendy my own character as there were certain things Keiran and Erin did as Peter and Wendy that was so different to mine and Charlie's take on those characters. I also had a chance at being a brave girl which I enjoyed as I hadn't done the acting side of brave girl yet, but I picked up on it really quickly and remembered it for next time. Overall, the first week at Bobby Dazzlers felt very productive which I'm glad of, and I had lots to do over the weekend with my own Wendy research to further my knowledge on her.