Business: First Course Option

RADA

Chosen course: BA Hons Drama 

What Courses does RADA offer?

BA Hons Drama

Foundation course in Acting

MA in text and performance

MA theatre Lab

What modules do RADA offer? 

 Stanislavsky-based rehearsal exercises and project work

 Improvisation

 Contemporary and classical text

 Performance projects on Greek Tragedy, Shakespeare and the Jacobeans, Restoration Comedy and contemporary writing

 Acting for camera and microphone technique

 Voice training, including dialect training, individual and choral singing

  Movement training, including mask, dance and stage combat                                                                

  Comedy

   Mask work and stage combat

   Voice training

   Choral singing

Entry requirements

Candidates must have a complete fluency in English Language

The minimum age for admission is 18

You need to demonstrate an intellectual creative and practical ability to undertake degree level training

Finance 

Self-financing

£9,000 per student

Students can apply for Student Finance England (SFE)

Opinons on location

Positive- In the environment where actors are well known to build a career there. It is popular to get a performing arts job. 

Negative- A long  journey away from home

Business: Second Course Option

Guildford School of Drama

What courses are there?

BA (Hons) Acting

Ba (Hons) Musical Theatre

BA (Hons) Professional and Production Skills

BA (Hons) Theatre conversion
What course do I want to do?
BA (Hons) Musical Theatre 

What are the modules?

Storytelling
Naturalism (in the musical)
Ensemble (Acting and performance)

What skills will they help me to develop – do these support my career choice(s)?
This course will help me to work within in a group such as the ensemble pieces. It will help me develop acting, singing and dancing. 

Finance options – DADAs, Grants, Student Finance England (SFE), and Halls of residence.

Self funded

Student Loan – Students will live with others who are on the same course

GSA do offer DADAs

They also offer student loans

Location – positive or negative?

Positive- Offer students loans and finance support.

Close to home

WHAT SKILLS/REQUIREMENTS DO I NEED TO GET IN?

GCSE English Language and Mathematics at Grade C or above (or equivalent)

Other suitable qualifications:
International Baccalaureate-35-34 points
BTEC (QCF Level 3) Extended Diploma- DDD

Grades – what are you predicted? What are the entry requirements?

Audition preparation – what is the audition process? Is there a cost?

Personal statement/application – is there a cost?

Applications for BA(Hons) Musical Theatre should be made through UCAS

International Baccalaureate – 35-34 points

BTEC (QCF Level 3) Extended Diploma – DDD

English language requirements

6.5 IELTS minimum overall

6.0 IELTS minimum in each sub-skill

Dance and Drama Award-funded students

Good statistics i.e. alumni careers, teachers with good profiles etc. Does this support your career path?

Many alumni careers have recieved loads of roles.

Posture

Posture

As an actor it is very important to be relaxed on stage. Having good posture is key to an actor. Good posture allows you optimum use of your voice and increases your stage presence. The alignment of the spine affects your voice production because the spin is connected to the diaphragm therefore it is important your body free of tension and to practice exercises which keep the spine supple and active to enable improved posture and to free the natural voice.

 

There are exercises that help with posture such as the Alexander technique and yoga. Both of these allow you to have a great voice as an actor. The exercise is to lie on your back with your knees up and close your eyes. By closing your eyes it helps you relax your body. You should put a pillow under your head to help with the alignment of the spine. Then listen to yourself breathing and try not to change the pattern of your breathing. This will help you relax. If it helps to put relaxing music feel free to do this is it will put you in the mind set of a relaxed atmosphere. Then imagine the breath travel through every part of your body. The arms, the legs, the head etc. Feel warm inside your body. After this you should tense every part of your body for 10 seconds and relax and repeat this process three times. After this process you should start to feel that your voice is clear and posture is improved. When I did the Alexander technique I felt that my hips were going through the floor.

James Kinney says “in order to arrive at good posture, you should set up positive thought patterns about it. Avoid the temptation to move on to more interesting areas of vocal instruction, leaving alignment and tensional faults to fend for themselves”.

The Alexander technique is a method that works to change (movement) everyday habits in everyday activities. It is a simple but practical method for improves the ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination. The technique teaches you the right amount of effect that you should put on an everyday activity. This gives more energy for your other activities. The technique is not a treatment or exercise it is a re-education of the mind and body. The Alexander technique is a method that helps a person discover a new balance in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be applied to sitting down, standing lying down, walking, lifting and other daily activities.

As an actor the alexander technique is a way of improving the alignment in the spine which therefore helps the voice to be better and improved.

Respiration and getting to know your voice

Respiration and getting to know your voice

As an actor respiration is very important because it helps your voice with projection. Voice delivery is one of the many tools that is used for an actor. The voice is the main tool for an actor because it is a way to communicate with the audience. There are many others ways of communicating to the audience to but the voice is a common way to perform as an actor.

Respiration is a process of breathing. The process of breathing is, inhaling through the nose and out through the mouth. When you breathe you inhale oxygen. When you exhale you breathe out carbon dioxide. As an actor having good respiration is a good skill to have because it helps your projection on stage. Especially in an open air theatre where there is more sounds in the surroundings. There are many organs that are involved in respiration such as the larynx. The larynx is where speech sounds are produced. The oxygen goes through the larynx after the nose. The oxygen then travels to the trachea. The trachea is a tube which is kept in the chest cavity. After that the tubes are split to form smaller tubes to go to the bronchi. The bronchial tubes lead directly to the lungs. The bronchial tubes are divided even more to travel to the alveoli. The bronchial tubes have tiny air sacs which connect to the alveoli. On average the number of tiny air sacs for an adult is 600.The tiny air sacs are surrounded by capillaries. After the alveoli the oxygen diffuses into the arterial blood. Meanwhile, the waste-rich blood from the veins releases its carbon dioxide into the alveoli. The carbon dioxide follows the same path out of the lungs out of the lungs when you exhale.

The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that is located beneath the lungs. The diaphragms job is to help pump the carbon dioxide out of the lungs and pull the oxygen into the lungs. When the diaphragm contracts oxygen is pulled out into the lungs and carbon dioxide is pumped out. When you inhale the diaphragm goes down and flattens. This is because the diaphragm is tensing. When the diaphragm tenses the lungs expand and fill with air. Normally the diaphragm is in a raised position. When the diaphragm is lowered, because it is connected to the lungs, it pulls the lungs downward much like opening up an accordion. When you open an accordion it fills up with air. To notice how the diaphragm works you can do your breathing exercises. One of them is half pant and feels how the diaphragm is working. How to half pant is you need to stop yourself half way through the pant and you can feel your diaphragm flatten.

As an actor knowing how to control your voice is key to the performing arts because then you can try out new things and knowing how long you can do things. For example knowing how loud your voice goes, how high or low your voice goes and your articulation etc.  You should also understand where your voice is being produced and what improvements you can make.

Physical theatre

Monday 8th September 2014

This was our first lesson on physical theatre. We started to discuss what the definition of physical theatre. We came up with physical theatre is using your body to make something else such as a fridge etc. Physical theatre can not just be still it can be moving as well. For some people physical theatre is stepping out side your comfort zone. Physical theatre is reshape or reform yourself to something else. Physical theatre came from the Greek theatre in 400 BC. We then watch the documentary on the theatre company called Frantic Assembly. One of the exercises in the documentary was to run across. This is our stimulus to come up with someone that includes dynamics that are powerful. My group came up with war with tree soldiers and the others were a gun. Lewis was the first soldier. As the soldiers went the gun shot was fired. The gunshot was the three people shouting 321. Once the gunshot was fired the gun was moved in unison upwards. The soldiers would then react. Lewis reacted slowly to the gunshot. Joe was next. The feedback was that Joe's death was more naturalistic.He was naturalistic in the way that he was trying to help the other soldier which look like they were friends. Then Brandon came in to thew scene and died over the top a little bit. The piece was repeated 3 times. The first time was with no music. This gave us a story behind the scene that was being watched. The second time was a calm piece of music which led to a different perspective of the piece. The music added more emotion to the piece because it led to a story. The third time was a upbeat piece of music which gave another story to the piece. Overall the feedback was mixed with good bits and bits for improvement. The improvement was to work more on the gun and maybe reload it by changing positions to make it more interesting.

Monday 15th September 2014

For our homework we found out more information our Frantic Assembly such as the writing method, policy and origin and background etc. Adding to that we watched two of Frantic's work called "Stockholm" and "Lovesong". Stockholm was more violent and tense but sometimes the dialogue was comedic. However in "Lovesong" was a lot more gentle and happy and was flowing was the story whereas "Stockholm" wasn't as clear in the story line.