Tuesday 24th February 2015 - Blocking Act 2 Of Our Country's Good

Tuesday 24th February 2015
Blocking Act 2 Of Our Country's Good


Liz Morden's Monologue - Today we started with Act 2 Scene 1, this is when Liz Morden has her monologue, the rest of the class are using physical theatre to act out what she is saying. This is to set the scene for the audience and show them her life story, also because some of the language that is used in this monologue is hard to understand, acting it out will allow the audience to know what she is talking about. Firstly we have to spin onto the stage, I have to stay behind the birthing bit, because for the next part I am being pick pocketed. I have to walk from one end of the stage to the other as if I was just walking down the road, when George takes my purse I don't notice, this is to show that he is used to doing this and can always get away with it. Then I stand in the line with her other brothers, and we turn around in canon, this is so that we are being introduced one by one. Then we wonder off to be members of the general public, I am going to be a market stall owner that is selling something to Rosie, this creates a scene of a street that would be typical of 1700 England. Then when her dad is putting the blame on Liz for being a pick pocket, we all have to look at her, this is to emphasis that everyone is ashamed of her for committing a crime. After this me, Max and Rosie have to pick her up and beat her as she is explaining how she got beat up in the middle of the street. Next me and the other people who were previously the brothers have to be prostitutes, for this we each have to stand there and pose in a way that would suggest that we were available, Liz then has to look at us and as she says "I begin to sell my mother of saints" we move into a formation where we all have to point at her. After this we have to gradually move from this formation to form a wall that Liz is going to get caught stealing against, because of this we then change into a courtroom scene. Emily is going to be lifted up as the judge and me and Rosie have to be officers that are standing on either side of the judge. Because Liz is now going to be sent to Australia we form a ship, that is similar to the ship that is formed in the first scene of the play, we gradually move to represent Liz on the ship on the way to Australia and then we all crouch on the floor holding stomachs to show how hungry we all are. I then turn into the governor and welcome Liz to the new colony, just as she is saying. After this we spin back off stage as he monologue finishes.

Ralph And Phillip's Scene - We also blocked the scene between Arthur Phillip and Ralph Clark, I am talking to Ralph about the play and the state of the colony. The scene begins with me sitting on a stall concentrating on my work, this is as if I am in my office and looking at maps to see when the next ship is likely to come to save the colony. Ralph walks in and I ask him about the play, I sit down until I say "If you break conventions...", I walk around Ralph. This is because my character has a lot of power and therefore doesn't have to wait for anyone to tell him to sit down, or what he can do. I continue to walk around even when I tell Ralph to sit down, because of his rank he cannot just walk into my office and sit down as he doesn't have the authority or the power. When he is sitting down I walk around him and interrupt him when he brings up the matter of Liz Morden and he stays quite, this is also because he knows what his rank means. I turn to the back of the stage whilst I am telling him a story about previous soldiers, this is as if I am imagining something that I had previously witnessed, I only turn around when I am talking to him directly. At the end of the scene I say to Ralph "Good luck with the play" whilst walking away, this is to suggest that our conversation is over and he should leave now. As he is walking out he turns back around to talk to me, however I stay looking down at my work and interrupt him and then dismiss him from my office again.