Some pictures of our rehearsal

Spacing

Spacing is key in this performance because loads of things are happening and we all need to remember that this theatre has 3 sides. I have also noticed that when your on stage you have to keep moving that standing still with a 3 side audience is bad as not everyone will be able to see whats going on you have to work all angles.

Dry run

Performing in the space was very helpful because I realised that I need to se the space more because where we have been rehearsing Is much smaller to the actual stage that is being used. 

My voice needs to be louder and clearer so that the audience can understand what I'm saying since I am doing an accent.

I need to remember that my character needs to be much bigger as there is a lot of space that needs to be filled. For my character movement is key as she doesn't have much to say but it all in her physicality and reaction to whats happening on stage. 

Cruelty? part of the Australian experience

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/28/cruelty-its-part-of-the-australian-experience?CMP=fb_gu

Pick an animal that relates to your character

I thought that a meerkat would relate to my character because with these type of animals they can be very friendly but also quite viscous. The way this animal noes reminds me alot about my character because they are both very quick on their feet always ducking and diving trying not to be seen. 

Meerkats are very family orientated which fits well with my characters obsession to make her ansestors proud. 

Act 2

Having the whole class sit round while I went over my lines was very helpful because I noticed that I need to open my mouth more as when speaking in an African accent most words are exaggerated. 

It made me think that when I'm performing my lines I need to open up my body more so that what I am saying can be heard from across the performance space. 

My lines have a lot of focus points in which my character will put a lot of entasis on to make sure everyone understands the importance of what is being said.

I think the one thing I need to remember is that I need to open up my body to be heard. 

Accents

http://www.wildmadagascar.org/overview/loc/27-minorities.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagasy_language

My costume

This is my costume for the play my character is very dirty wearing a baggy ripped top and ripped trousers The orange belt that I wear makes the costume seem slightly more girly as I am playing the role if a man. 

I really live my costume because I think it looks different and makes my character stand out more since she doesn't really have that much to say. With this costume I will be able to move around loads as nothing is tight on me.

Costume

This is the costume for the cast of Our Country is good each costume reflects each of the characters in the play the officers are all wearing blue and white which are peaceful colours very sharpe to the point and clean which reflects the life of an officer in London. This is then a big contrast to what the convicts are wearing tight clothes very colourful but quite dirty to reflect the life of a lower class citizen in London.

Stage

This is the stage for our show there is a small table with a chair for Ralph's scenes in the tent. There is a bed and loads of cargo for when we are on the boat traveling to Australia. We decided to have a compass on the stage to represent that Australia is a new world for the officers as well as the convicts I like the fact that the floor is the map of Australia it's very abstract and different physicalising the atmosphere that each character is in. I also like the colours used very light and reflects a hot temperature I think with this staging when it comes to bringing the play to life. 

Actioning a scene

Unscripted improvisation

Off script improv is when you think about something that happened in your character's life that would help you as an actor to understand the role that they are performing. 

During this exercise thinking about a situation that could of happened to affect my character was hard because compared to the other roles my character isn't from England mine is from Madagascar. 

Which then had me thinking 

Why is my character on the island?

 What type of crime would she be caught doing?

How would she react in the situation?

 So I came up with the idea of it being a police officer shouting at me about my crime. 

This is the type if situation I could see Caesar would get herself into and it would have to be something silly such as getting distracted because something caught her eye. 

Also I feel that Caesar has a good heart and would never hurt someone out of spite or in this case steal something she wanted to get a closer look at the necklace and everyone automatically assumed that she was trying to steal it.

This exercise has been usefully because its has deepen my understanding of this character. Her personality isn't just a fresh person from Madagascar but a confused young woman who uses her culture as a cushion to comfort her. I think she feels that when she speaks she has to be loud as people will be able to hear and understand her. Also that she has the habit to be stubborn when she is trying to get her point across. 

Madagascar

Madagascar escape to Africa(2009) is an American computer animated comedy film produced by Dreamworks animation.

I noticed that King Julien who is originally from Madagascar is a very proud loud happy go lucky guy that the animals from Madagascar are very family orientated always sticking together. Each animal has very loud personalities especially King Julien.

I have decided that when my character does speak I want her to be loud like she has a completely different personality as soon as she opens her mouth I can compare her to the traditional african aunties who sit back and make facial expressions during deep conversations but as soon as they are in private they bitch. I don't want this character to be a mean person but more of a happy go lucky a dreamer that gets excited very easily.

I noticed that gestures as used a lot by King Julien which I want my character to use so it would make her so much more bigger

Character development

I discovered that my character's is a DABBER in her physicality as she likes to always keep it moving very fasted paced always exploring her environment can be referred to child like moments as she is also very light on her feet. I was thinking that I could make her sneaky creating a type of aura that is mysterious so that people don't notice her presences until she speaks. I also want my character to be slightly annoying towards the other crew members I would like them all to have their own opinion towards her.


During the exercise I found it hard to find something that links towards my character as in my opinion because she is on a strange island and extremely home sick her emotions and physicality is all over the place.


I still haven’t discovered what type of Laban force her voice is like but I feel it is something that I will discover during rehearsals as I will be able to play with different approaches towards this character

Act 1 Scene 1

* The voyage Out*

The convicts are thrown on to the stage  made to huddle in a small space then we are pulled up to stand when we arrive at the island.

Have to remember that we have been on a boat for 8months so my body needs to be in pain also the people I am around are very alien to me so I feel very out of my comfort zone.

When I get thrown on to stage I need to have that moment when I show the audience the type of person my character is her physicality.

This improv lasted 30mins

 The smell of urine and poo was horrible each convict began to get on my nerves there constant movement was extremely irritating and I began to snap at them. During this period I felt very in control I could tell them to do anything and they would have to do it because I said so the guards and I began to play with them kicking them and telling them to put their heads up and down because we got bored. I enjoyed playing with them it was a good way to pass the time at moments I wanted the convicts to move so I could shout at them I tried to provoke them because being on the ship all day and having nothing better to do I began to find entertainment out of the most random things. I began to notice little traits of the convicts there positioning how they breathed the way they would do little moments to make the experience more comforting I would notice all these things and sometimes If I was in a happy mood I would allow them to get away with it but when I got bored I would go trouble them. At the start when there was hardly any convicts it was quite boring and I just enjoyed watching them but once more convicts came flooding in it all began to feel more real and I started to enjoy watching them suffer.

useful links about slave treatment

http://4thebest4e.tripod.com/id15.html

http://www3.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/hist106web/site15/test2.htm

Voyages in the 17th century more info

In the 17th century, a trip across the Atlantic involved weeks or months without sight of land.  To some extent, the rigors of an ocean voyage depended on who you were.  High or low status, all shared in the risks of an ocean voyage -- pirates and enemy warships, storms and shipwrecks, disease and accidents.   More common than these though, was the grinding boredom and monotony of day after day on the rolling sea with no change in the scenery, only the endless waves, the creaking of the hull, and the sound of the wind in the rigging. 

Passengers were normally kept in the 'tween deck of a ship.  Headroom of four to six feet was often the rule and a great deal of stooping and crouching was required of most people.  Not only was the space low, it was also probably quite crowded, not only with people, but supplies and cargo as well.  An indentured servant might be lucky to have enough space to lay a straw bed tick to sleep on.

Worst of all was the lack of ventilation.  Passengers of lesser rank were not normally allowed on deck except at certain times of the day so that they would not get in the way of the sailors working the ship.  Their only ventilation came from the main cargo hatch and the smaller hatches that were used for access.  In fair weather these were opened or covered with gratings that allowed air to circulate.  In foul weather they were sealed tight to prevent water from entering.  Diseases such as typhoid or dysentery often spread rapidly.  Even in fair weather the stench from seasick landsmen crowded together in tight quarters must have been appalling.  One of the names sailors called passengers in the era was pukestockings.

Food added to the misery.  Depending on the size of the vessel, passengers might bring their rations to the ship's hearth to be cooked or they might have small wood or iron, sand-filled, cook boxes on which to prepare their meals.  Cooking could only be done in fair weather.  When the seas became too rough, all fires were extinguished because of the obvious risk and food had to be eaten cold.   Either way, the food was the same day after day, salt beef or pork that was often half rotten or so long in the cask that it resembled rock more than meat.  Ship's biscuit, known in the 19th-century as hardtack, served as bread.  The ship's biscuit was nothing more than flour, salt and water mixed and baked until hard as a rock.  Ship's biscuit would last almost forever, unless it got wet, but the hardness of the biscuit did not deter weevils and the wise knocked their biscuits on the table to drive the weevils out.   Before they ate the biscuits, sailors would soak them to try and soften them up, so as not to lose a tooth.  Other fare on a ship might include flour, oatmeal, and dried peas, bean, or rice.  The most common drink was beer, since it keeps well.  Water goes stale quickly.  After a few weeks in the cask, water generally had to be strained through one's teeth to get rid of the algae and bugs that filled the cask.  Fresh water was generally used to freshen the meat, that is, to try and soak some of the salt out to make it softer and more edible.

Voyages in the 17th century

I found this while I was researching traveling in the 17^th century

Crossing the Atlantic

Today one can fly from London to Boston in about eight hours; in the 17th century, that same trip meant a hazardous and, at best, unpleasant voyage of at least six weeks on a small wooden ship.

The vessels used in the 17th century were small, particularly when compared to ships today. A few ships were from 300 to 500 tons, but the majority were between 150 and 200 tons. The Mayflower was an average size ship for that time. She was 180 tons, 90 feet long and about 20 feet wide. She carried 102 passengers and a crew of 47.

Compare that to today's cruise ships, which range in size from 12,000 to 95,000 tons, are 450 to 950 feet long, and carry up to 3,000 passengers. Today a ship, such as the QEII, can make the voyage from England to the United States in three and one-half days.

When a passenger left London he could not say within many weeks how long he was to be on board the ship taking him to America. The ships were slow sailers, although they could go as fast as eight miles an hour when there was a fair wind and a smooth sea. But never was this rate kept up for even twenty-four hours.

Often four or five miles was all there was to show for a whole day. There were even times when they were further from their destination at the end of twenty-four hours than at the beginning. The length of the voyage could vary from 47 to 138 days. Sometimes ships that left London at the same time might arrive in America as much as eight or nine weeks apart.

Conditions on board were far from ideal, even for those times. Most ships were over-crowded with passengers, and private cabins were available only to the ship's captain and a very few, if any, important passengers. All the others slept on the floor on the deck below the main deck.

There was very little light or air. Often water would pour in through cracks and joints, drenching the passengers and their belongings. There were no bathrooms on board. If you wanted to wash, you had to wash in salty water from the sea. Most likely you would wear the same clothes for the entire voyage.

Meals usually consisted of salt horse (salted beef, pork or fish) and hardtack (a hard, dry biscuit). There were dried peas and beans, cheese and butter. Weather permitting, food was cooked over charcoal fires in metal boxes called braziers. But it was often too dangerous to have a fire and so the food was eaten cold. Food became infested with bugs, the biscuits got too hard to eat, the cheese got moldy, butter turned bad and even the beer began to go sour by the end of the voyage.

A large amount of water was taken on board, but after standing in barrels for a while, it was neither pleasant or safe to drink. Everyone, even the children, drank beer instead.

Storms were a great danger, and the Atlantic had many, especially in the fall and winter. The tossing and rolling of these small ships in even a minor storm caused most of the passengers, many of whom had never been on a ship before, to become seasick. A major storm could easily capsize ships of this size or cause them to break apart.

Sickness, other than seasickness, was also a major problem. Even a minor illness could quickly spread among passengers and crew alike. Serious illnesses, often called ship's fever, killed many passengers. On some voyages as many as half the passengers died before they reached their final destination.

The prospect of this long, dangerous and unpleasant voyage was not made more tolerable by the conditions passengers faced upon arrival in America. There were no hotels in which to stay, no restaurants in which to eat, nor often even relatives or friends to greet them.

New England, although not an unknown territory even when the Pilgrims settled there in 1620, was not a particularly hospitable area. The winters were hard, disease often ran rampant, and the area was populated with sometimes hostile Indians. Those who survived the voyage were faced with the very difficult task of building a new life, literally from scratch.

The ship

This is the type of ship that we would have been on for 8 months when traveling. On the picture the bottom half is where the convicts would have been living even though on the picture it looks quite large I understand that it would have been very cramped and smelly.

Day in the Life

The day in a life exercise is not one of my preferred exercises to find out more about my characters as I feel that in some cases it isn't as helpful as you would think but having a day in the life for the play Our country is good worked extremely well because the whole play is set exploring the lives of these convicts in prison. During this exercise I found out that my character Black Caesar starts off as a very antisocial person but as the day goes on she enjoys communicating with others and telling them stories of her island , the animals that live there and her people. She is very proud of her country and I believe that gives her the strength to deal with the situation of being on an island which is far away from her home, also she begins to appreciate life on her island and how different it is. I feel that he sees things from a different prospective she seems a lot more mature and older from the other characters. My vocal choice was that this character has to use an African accent because it would make her stand out more this character reminds me of the annoying African auntys that think they know everything this is found in nearly every African family. For her physicality I want to have her always moving never standing still also during the exercise I noticed I looked around a lot therefore it seems my character is still not used to living in Australia and I don’t think he will ever be because this island is very alien to her.

Where am I

I am on the hot island of Australia the heat does not affect me as much because I am from a country which is known for its high temperatures. I have been sent here because I stole money back in London. Australia is a very dry country and not much is able to grow their farm work is hard because the sun dries out everything and makes movement very draining for the body. Wild animals live close to us and also this is the home land of the aborigines which are a set of tribal people that feel threatened by the British who have invaded their land.  

What do I want

I want to escape back to my country of Madagascar but also in the play I want to have the confidence and make my ancestors proud during the performance of the play as I suffer from stage fright. I also want to live a peaceful life but I feel that I won’t be happy until I am off the island therefore my main object is to escape. I want to make my ancestors feel that their descendant has given them a good name that I have made others think more highly of my people and also my beautiful island Madagascar. 

Who am I

I am a from the Malagasy Republic which is commonly known as the republic of Madagascar I am a very quiet man who keeps himself to himself but also enjoys the company of others. I enjoy their presence as it makes me feel completed as I miss my home country very much. I am a very spiritual person who doesn't want to be a disgrace to my ancestors I have great respect towards them I call upon them in my hours of need. I want to escape the Island so I can return back to my beautiful Island of Madagascar I have tried before and not succeeded but I believe if I pray to my ancestors they will protect me during my next escape. Also even though I enjoy my alone time when I do speak I am very confidence and want to tell all the convicts about my wonderful island I want them all to be able to imagine the colours and the atmosphere that I came from.

Presentation info

Loads of people moved into London therefore it became very cramped.

The life expectancy was really low
1830's - aged 29
18'20's - aged 35

London became over crowded therefore we created North, East, West and South

Difference between the higher and lower class

Higher
- More grand
- Pavements
- Water in each household

Lower
- Long term unemployment
- Loads of families
- The houses would cave into itself all the time
- Having a well that loads of people would use
- Muddy streets

Crime in London

First proper police force they were bounty hunters to catch thief ( thief takers)

what caused the crime was social change people began to have new values.

Outside town there is a woodland in which the thief would live.

After a while it became very corrupt because the thief takers would set up innocent people to get money from them.

Punishment

Small crimes was punished by death

Death became a deterrent to people

Hanging people brought around angry crowds

Sexual activities are illegal

Word against the government worth a £10 fine

Humiliation towards people as a way of teaching them a lesson

Women couldn't get flogged

Women were burnt on the stake

Large crime - HANGING

Men were hanged then cut up

Dark Cells prisoners sent  here to stay for 1-6 months would make the convicts scared

Theatre

Opera was the main theatre source

Shakespeare was really celebrated during this time

Used for political purposes and entertainment

Mostly rich people went

The birth of the theatre star

Australia

Good for sugar plantation

People didn't know about the place loads of people was terrified as it was at the bottom of the world loads of lies was told saying that it was hell

Stared the american prisons as there wasn't a lot of space

48 convicts died on the boat

The British messed things up for the aborigines

The British thought that they was helping but ended up messing things up

Would kill aborigines and not care

Treated them very badly

Presentation

Living conditions for convicts varied considerably, essentially according to the luck of the draw. A convict who was assigned to a good master might have a comfortable life and be well treated. There were some masters, however, who treated their convicts as no better than slaves.

Convict women in Australia  

·         The female segment of British prisoners transported during the 18th and 19th centuries to carry out their sentences in what is now Australia.

·         Transportation to the penal settlement in Australia was an alternative for other harsh punishments such as death by hanging.

·         The poverty stricken female convicts were viewed as prostitutes when compared with the upper class women in Britain.

·         Women were driven to prostitution during the hard convict life in Australia.

·         During the long voyage from Britain to Australia and upon arrival, many women took advantage of their sex as a way of improving their situation.

·         During the 18th and 19th centuries many prisoners were transported to Australia to carry out their sentence, a relatively small percentage of whom were women (between 1788 and 1852, male convicts outnumbered the female convicts six to one).

·         Convict women varied from small children to old women, but the majority were in their twenties or thirties.

·         The British Government called for more women of “marriageable” age to be sent to Australia in order to promote family development for emancipated convicts and free settlers.

·         Despite the belief that convict women during the transportation period were all prostitutes, no women were transported for that offence. The majority of women sent to Australia were convicted for what would now be considered minor offences (such as petty theft)

·         Many women were driven to prostitution upon their arrival in Australia as means of survival because they were often required to house themselves or buy clothing and bedding on their own

·         Female convicts often worked as household servants, cooking, cleaning and sometimes taking care of children

·         Each female convict received:

·         1 jacket, 2 petticoats, 2 shifts (plain dresses), 2 pairs shoes and stockings, 2 caps, 1 handkerchief and 1 hat

·         Marriage between male and female convicts and raising a family was encouraged because of the government’s intentions of developing a free colony.

·         British government to establish a colony in Australia rather than have it remain as a penal settlement.

·         This compelled the government to send more women to Australia as a way of establishing a native population.

Males

·         Officially, male convicts were entitled to a ration of meat (usually about 1 lb per day of salt pork, beef or mutton) and 1 to 2 lb per day of flour or cornmeal to make damper.

·         There were no rations of fresh vegetables or fruit to any convicts, male or female, and it was a matter of luck whether they were supplied with these commodities.

·         Male convicts generally did hard physical labour such as making bricks, constructing buildings, gardening, and building roads.

·         According to regulations, each year every male convict was issued with:

·         2 jackets, 1 waistcoat, 1 pair breeches, 2 shirts, 1 hat, 1 woollen cap and 2 pairs shoes and stockings

Attitudes towards the convicts in the scene in which they are rehearsing the play and n Ross and Campbell come on to the stage during the rehearsal the convicts become scared therefore it says the type of power and the treatment that the convicts had to deal with.

Looked down upon and treated like crap aka during the journey to Australia all cramped up in this small place not allowed to move or breathe or the guard would have them flogged for the lols.

No respect towards them no longer humans but toys for society to play with until their sentence is up.

Even hard for them to get jobs after they leave prison so they end up doing what they know best a vicious cycle.

A review of the play

Character research

The character Black Caesar is based on John Caesar (1764 – 15 February 1796), known as Black Caesar, was the first Australian Bushranger a bushranger is a thief who lived in the Australian bush. He was also the first black person with an African background to come to Australia. He was also the first bushranger to have a reward on his head I guess you could say he was a celebrity in his trade.Caesar was born in the island of Madagascar in 1763 he was a slave on a sugar plantation farm in the west Indies he then ran away to London. On the 17th March 1786 he was in court in deport Kent for stealing 240 shillings He was sent to Australia  as a convict for 7 years . 

 

Our Country's Good

Our country's good is written by British playwrite Timberlake Wentenbaker. In the class read through I  discovered that the play talks about topics that are relevant in today's society such as the whole idea of punishment vs rehabilitation in which each character in the play is either on the side of  punishment Captain Ross,Captain Campbell and Captain Tench or Rehabilitation Philip, Collin and Ralph Clark. I am personally on the side of rehabilitation because the convicts after a certain amount of time will be sent back into society and If they are taught a better way to live life it will stop them committing any crimes and make society a better place to live in. This play started to make me think about the prison system that we have in today and how it doesn't really help anyone as It seems to me people end up in prison get released then end up coming back because they don't know what else to do as society has already cast this black cloud over them stopping them from living a happy life as they would find it hard to get jobs. As the play develops I find it interesting that the convicts who began to hate each other through the play the Ralph plans to put on become a little family therefore theater has a power to bring people together as a united force. This play that Ralph is putting on also helps to educate the female convicts as they are playing rich women so they begin to learn their physicality and their traits which then can be used when they are released from prison it has also been teaching them to read this then links that theater can be used as a common education tool.