Reflecting...

ON BUGSY MALONE!!!!

No, this ain't no emotional stuff because it's getting closer to the end of the year. I'm answering questions about how the production of Bugsy Malone so far.

What have I learnt so far?

From this production, I have learnt about how important it is to have every actor there and available. Often people won't respond to their characters name or just not respond when they are called as a general group, this means that not everyone is one stage, or knows their lines or their cues. This can be very frustrating for those who are more dedicated and into the activity, as they can be blamed for their partners or entire group not being on cue or even on stage. Even so, this has been an important lesson for myself and others, as some did expect this project to be short, sweet and fun, and while it is fun, some people don't understand how fun it can be to pretend to be another person. Because, for some time, you aren't you, you don't have your problems, you have someone else's, the problems of someone who doesn't even exist, the problems of someone who will never be real and actually feel the guilt or anger or sadness from these problems you are pretending to have. With acting, you can pretend to be someone constantly angry or sad, and through this, you can take out the anger or sadness that you have and take it out how they would.

How have I been challenged?

I don't think I have been too challenged with my role as Knuckles, in a way it is very much similar to my role as Ed, the character I played in the play last year, basically, say what you have and nothing more. I think what I have been challenged with is the dancing and trying to bond with these people I don't know, I have never been that great of a dancer and I can be very awkward at times with strangers or people I haven't talked to in a long time.

What have been some of my favourites moments so far?

Some of my favourite moments have been watching Nadia getting really mad as Fat Sam and watching others being terrified of her and her yelling, that's kind of mean, isn't it? But, it isn't the only thing I've enjoyed, even though I'm a horrible dancer, I enjoy our short dances at the beginning of lessons, they're fast-paced, keep me moving, and even though it is very cramped, I enjoy the dancing component, but if you ever find a video of me dancing either crop me out or delete the video, I will most definitely look stupid. Even still I am going to put videos of me dancing on here and I know I will severely regret this later in life.

What am I looking forward to?

I am looking forward to doing both of the shows twice in a row. This sounds crazy, doesn't it? Well, I want to know what's like to have that sort of pressure to have two shows in a row, it will be a form of a taster for what a real full-length musical would be like, except very diluted, seeing as the shows are each forty minutes long.

How do all of these blog posts show my working?

They show that I have taken time to study what it would have been really like to be a gang member in the 1920s, how it would have been to really have been Knuckles all that time ago. What I would have seen on my way to Becker's Book Emporium, what I would have worn while passing everyone else on the streets, what kind of words I would have heard people using. Because of the blog's I have done I understand all of this and it's importance.



What am I wondering?

Should Knuckles death have more of a comedic aspect to improve upon the humour like in the video? Or should it still be an emotional, heartbreaking moment for Sam Stacetto, a mobster, who's never known more than nothing and his gang? (I could smell the cheese from a mile away)

Does anyone have a fedora I could use?

How many people can Nadia terrify before this is over?

Don't actually answer that last one, she'll hit me and then she'll find you, if you're a student, and likely hit you as well. Love you Nadia :)

You complete and utter noodle!!!

You heard me right! You're a complete and utter noodle!!! This time we're looking at the 1920's slang and noodle is slang for 'head', so I was practically saying 'You complete and utter head!!!'.
It's not that good of an insult, is it? Well, nevermind, there are other really confusing words I can tell you about!

Alderman: A man's pot belly
Ameche: A telephone
Ankle: To walk or a woman 
Applesauce: A way to show a lack of appreciation
Babe: Woman
Baby: A person
Bearcat: a lively, spirited woman
Beef: Problem
Bee's Knees: An extraordinary person, thing or idea.
Bent Cars: Stolen cars
Big Sleep: Death
Button man: Professional killer
Buttons: The Police
Canary: Woman singer
Clam: A dollar
Cooler: Jail
Cop: Detective
Copper: Policeman
Cut down: Killed
Dope fiend: Drug addict
Dope peddler: Drug dealer
Dough: Money
Egg: Man
Fella: a man
Gal: Woman
Giggle juice: Liquor
Giggle Water: Liquor
Gowed-up: On dope or high
Gumshoe: Detective
Gumshoeing: Detective work
Guns: Pickpockets or hoodlums
Guy: A man
Heebie-Jeebies: The jitters
Hooch: Liquor
Hood: Criminal
Hoofer: Dancer
Kale: Money
Kick off: To die
Mitt: Hand
Mob: Gang
Mugs: Men
Nailed: Caught by the police
Newshawk: Reporter
Nippers: Handcuffs
Noodle: Head :)
Packing heat: carrying a gun
Sap: A dumb guy
Stiff: A corpse
Swell: Wonderful
Tail: Shadow or follow
Wop: derogatory term for an Italian

I tried to only include words that would appropriate and suiting to Bugsy Malone. But, if you would like to know more words to completely and utterly confuse the ever living heck out of everyone, look at these websites! (My sources!)

https://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/59-quick-slang-phrases-from-the-1920s-we-should-start-using-again/
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/10/how-sound-bees-knees-dictionary-1920s-slang/322320/
https://alcapones.com/slang_dictionary.php

Crackin' Down On Knuckles!!

Brutus "Knuckles" Adras, the full name I created for the character I am playing in Bugsy Malone, Knuckles. I created this name because, in both the film and Broadway show, their real name is never shown or told, they are referred to only as Knuckles. As I have previously mentioned in my last blog post, Knuckles is named so because of their habit of cracking their knuckles so often.

Here is their character profile!!

Name: Brutus "Knuckles" Adras, the names Brutus and Adras each have different meanings, Brutus meaning 'stupid', I chose the meaning for obvious reasons, Knuckles being one of Fat Sam's dumb gang members. Adras means 'horseman', I was originally looking for a name that plainly meant man, so that the two names would come together to mean 'stupid man', but for some reason, 'stupid horseman' sounds a bit funnier, more original and unique, doesn't it?

Age: In the film and Broadway shows Knuckles is played by a tween, which is one of the things that makes 'Bugsy Malone' so different, the entire cast are children and tweens. Even so, if this had been a production with older, more suitable, cast, I believe that Knuckles would have been portrayed as someone either in their late teens or early twenties.

Most Common Emotion: Fear, I believe that Knuckles would be in either constant fear of the gang leader, Fat Sam, or in admiration.

Physical Characteristics: The cracking of the Knuckles, as discussed.

Fears: Fat Sam, can you blame him? The guys always yelling about how stupid they are and often threatening to kill them. Even still, Knuckles could never leave him, Fat Sam would hunt him down.

Strengths: Knuckles strength is his strength, it is often mentioned how dumb the gang members are and Fat Sam even says 'You've got muscle where you ought to have brains,'. It is stated quite a bit how Fat Sam's gang member s are slow and dumb, having no other better characteristics.

Early Life: Brutus grew up as a down and out until he walked into Becker's Book Emporium while trying to get away with stealing some food from a shopkeeper. He was allowed in and Fat Sam offered him a job for some good cash. Since learning that Fat Sam was also a down and out when he was young, Knuckles has been in constant admiration of the gang leader who built an entire empire out of nothing.

Makeup Ideas: With Knuckles, I think it would be best that, if there was any makeup, it could be depictions of scarred skin and dirt covering their face.

Costume Ideas: A suit of some kind would be best for a character like Knuckles, but seeing as I don't have something like that. I imagine it would be something along the lines of a plain white shirt, dress black jacket, and black jeans or tights.

https://www.google.co.nz/searchq=bugsy+malone+fat+sam&rlz=1CAACAJ_enNZ690NZ691&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwid067gk-HeAhVTOSsKHZlRD1kQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=618&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=CG3teRjSlI1oSM:
https://www.google.co.nz/searchq=makeup+dirty+face&rlz=1CAACAJ_enNZ690NZ691&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwid_5ajlOHeAhVHdCsKHXTlAoEQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=618&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=6hOVN7BZm4VV-M:

The Very Beginning Of Bugsy Malone!

This year, instead of the Festival of The Arts, we have Passion Projects, although there is really not much of a difference to me, seeing as I've been doing the same type of project for the last two years as well, those plays being Annie and The Lion King. But, this year, we're doing the play production of the movie, Bugsy Malone, a play about two gangs going to war in the 1920's, the gang led by Sam 'Fat Sam' Stacetto and the other led by Dandy Dan, yes, that is his name, yes, it does sound really stupid when we rehearse the script, but we can't exactly change it. This year, I am playing a character nicknamed 'Knuckles', known to be named that because they crack their knuckles, this character is in Fat Sam's gang and the leader of this gang actually played Scar in The Lion King last year, so I'm their lackey once again, except we're kind of the good guys.

What were the buildings like?

The buildings, in the 1920's, were commonly skyscrapers and other forms of tall buildings, they were commonly duller and grey colours with straight and flat walls for architecture. 

What was fashion like?

The fashion in 1920 was clean and outrageous, with shiny, and frilly skirts for the women, and tight, and bold suits for the men. The hairstyles were really short cut, ending as bobs for the women and cut even shorter for all of the men. Most people wore hats, headbands and all other forms of different head accessories. The shoes were often high heels/stilettos for all of the women and leather dress shoes, coming mostly in either black or brown. 

What was home life like?

The home life is a broad subject so I'll start off with gender roles. Even with women being viewed as more individualistic and rebellious in this age, many of them were still housewives, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of children. All of this while their husbands worked for long hours of the day.  Moving on, The Roaring Twenties is often a nickname for this set of years, named so because in this time, in America, women earned the right to vote, great technological advancements were made, more children than ever started to get an education, more women than ever got a job outside of their household and attended school's and universities, and men and women began to marry for love.

What was entertainment like?

The entertainment of the 1920's included the first commercial radio stations, where they broadcasted across America. By 1929, ten million houses had radios, there were 800 different stations and sales of the radio's reached $426 million US dollars. Radios weren't the only form of entertainment though, as 'movie palaces' began to appear in all of America's major cities, costing a quarter (25 cents) for a double feature and a live show. Movie Palaces were able to seat thousands at a time and by the end of the decade, the weekly average of people became 90 million, some even going more than twice a week! Even so, the movies were just in development, and during this time, they were still colourless, and silent!

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/1920s-america/a/movies-cinema-sports-1920s

https://sites.google.com/site/unitedstatestakesontheworld/entertainment-of-the-1920-s

https://1920sentertainmentbybrianna.weebly.com/entertainment-in-the-1920s.html

https://family.lovetoknow.com/about-family-values/family-life-1920s

https://glamourdaze.com/history-of-womens-fashion/1920-to-1929

https://classroom.synonym.com/home-life-1920s-18988.html

https://geeks.media/bugsy-malone-cast-then-and-now

https://vintagedancer.com/1920s/1920s-fashion-men/

http://owwmedia.com/2016/09/the-roaring-twenties/
https://www.widewalls.ch/1920s-architecture/

Final Blog post for Drama 2018

What I have learned about performance skills is that to play a character you need to know their story and their emotions. If you don't know who the character is and how they react to different situations you could portray the character completely wrong and the storyline could go into disarray and confusion.

The evidence that I have of how I have improved my performance skills is that I do Drama activities outside of school times and seen how actors have portrayed themselves. I think that seeing and experiencing acting for yourself is the best way to learn and I believe that there is no better way to learn about acting and performing. When I act I think about who the character is and how the character would really react to the situation, then I would apply the necessary acting techniques to myself.

What I know about performing arts jobs is that there aren't just actors, for a production you need so many different jobs. You need someone to control the lighting. You need stage crew to move props. You need directors to control how the production goes. Sometimes you even need acting, dance or even singing coaches to help enhance the quality of the performance.

What I am wondering about performing arts is how many people did it take to perform big productions, like Hamilton and Les Miserables?

NZ Performing Arts

In Christchurch, we have several performing arts companies and venues

Court Theatre

- The types of shows we have here are mainly smaller productions, especially kids acts and comedy shows. The people who are more permanently stationed there are 'The Court Jesters', they do improvisations that are often about comedy. There are no recorded lists of what skills are needed for joining the Court Theatre on their site, you would most likely have to contact them.

Imagine Youth Theatre

- The Imagine Youth Theatre do productions that include younger children and adults as main roles, that are most well known for productions such as Alice through the Looking Glass and Pinnochio where they include children. There are no permanently noted actors on the Imagine Youth Theatre site although there are two main people who make up the company and hire the actors and children for the productions. As a child there you do not need too much experience in acting as this is mainly to give children a chance to act and have fun.

DEVISIN' STUF ABOUT WAR AND BLOOD

On Friday we played games like Sneak Up Granny, Tequila and somehow Duck Duck Goose to practice our skills.

Okay, so for drama we are devising ideas for a play of some sort about ANZAC day and Gallipoli. We were thinking we could show a New Zealander and Turk fighting then they kill each other and maybe the mans wife receiving the news of his death. Personally, I think that instead of war we maybe settle our differences like civilized humans instead of being like animals fighting over our territory.

WE DID IT!!!!

WE DID IT

WE DID IT

WE DID IT





WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!

From this experience I have learnt that choreography is a lot harder than it looks, Revolting Children was my favourite of out it and the Time Warp, Time Warp was our class production and on the day when we went on stage, Nadia and I went to the front as we knew the moves by heart, but when we went onto the stage, about six of the class didn't actually go onto the stage. That is not counting the people that were away on the day so quite a few people didn't get to actually perform. One of the only things I enjoyed was dancing with Nadia as she is energetic.

Revolting Children,  however, went much better than the Time Warp, with a lot more people going onto the stage and participated. That and we got a lot more time to work on it. It was a lot more fun because we all did the choreography almost perfectly and the singing was quite clear. If did this again I think we would try to get a lot more time to practice and maybe get some costumes or make sure we're all in perfect school uniform.

Almost There!

It's almost there, on Thursday we will be both doing a full blown dress rehearsal and performance. Everything is coming along nicely and we have most of the costumes done and dusted. Within the next few days before the performance we'll be doing rehearsals in the auditorium every chance we have. Today we got to have a practice in the actual auditorium where we 

will be performing. I feel 

like something I have to work 

on is knowing my ques and 

getting them perfect.

Practice, Practice And More Practice

Today we started off the by having to change into our PE gear, because we would be doing some dancing and it would be easier to move around. We started with our warm ups, including an 8 count warm up, some vocal warm ups and more. On Thursday we were given our roles, I am Simba's understudy and I am also Ed (The Dumb Hyena) I share this role with another person so we both say those lines, we also got to sing the first three songs from Lion King Circle Of Life, I Just Can't Wait To Be King and Hakuna Matata,
we also got to read through the script as our roles. We have been looking at make up looks for our certain characters, I haven't been able to find a make up look I like, but, I'm sure I will find one eventually.

Hakuna Matata, What Wonderful Phrase!!

Today we learnt a small portion of dance from Hakuna Matata and we had a read of the script, some people took the part of certain characters, although, the teachers said that this didn't mean we immediately got that role and we were just taking this role temporarily. Learning the dance was really fun, for the dance we went in a pair with another person, my partner and I were asked to perform for a video with another pair, so people could learn the dance at home.

French Arts

The French have many wonderful inclusions with their music and dance, it being so romanticised with all sorts of folk-like song and dances too. There are many types of songs with revolutionary tunes and rhythms including songs like Dernière Danse and Le Sens de la Vie yet there are so many traditional songs that are just as lovable like Musette and Bransle.
  

Le Sens de la Vie

Dernière Danse

Festival Of Fun

Today I learnt a little of the Afrikaans 
pronunciation from Circle Of Life myself and we also learnt some new vocal warm ups. We also got to spend some short time with a tutor with two others to audition to have a solo in the musical. In the end I would like to either be Simba or Ed, but, i'd really be happy with any role I get.

Today in art we made a colour wheel and had to mix paints, I'm now going move onto my drawings to continue them.

In art we are learning to draw superheroes, I have drawn Cat Woman and Storm. I want to add colour and I have even done Cat Woman's outfit myself.

Week Three of Festival Of The Arts

Next Tuesday being the last 

My Art Logo About Me

This is my logo that I made to represent myself. I love drama and singing so the micro phone fits perfectly. The burning fire represents my burning passion for drama and singing.

This is what my art class has been working on for the past few weeks and we had to put things on the logo that represent us and who we are.

We made our logo with Photoshop, and a video that guided us through doing it. 

We created our base with google drawings and then changed it in Photoshop.

Week Two of Festival Of The Arts

After a week we are all heading towards being an awesome group of performers performing a highly edited production of  Annie

Festival Of The Arts

LO: to be confident with the story line.

I decided to try and remember the script so no matter role I get I can remember my lines. Today we've worked the choreography for It's A Hard Knock Life.