HIC Day 11 - Script

Today we thought about creating a script to get a scene with really good dialogue in and we all liked the scene in Future Conditional with the school bored talking about how to get better grades from the schools. So with that in mind we wanted to create a scene with teachers discussing how they can get the students to behave but we wanted everyone to have a specific character. So we done some research and found nine stereotypical people in a meeting:

someone who is late,
person paying no attention,
person using too many cuss-words,
The know it all,
over caffeinated person ,
person texting all the time,
someone who doesn't understand technology/anything,
eating lunch/snacks,
passive aggressive one.

From that we then created a basic character for each of us and started to write a script. We thought a good start would be the debate on caning as it easily opens up the possibility of going to the past in the next scene which we wnted to do at some point of the performance.

HIC Day 10 - Opening Soundscape

We spent today adjusting our opening because people in the group felt the opening wasn't of a good standard, we also needed to change it because the way we were going to seat the audience has changed. We created it to have more of a structure s it is more like a soundscape rather than a lot of noise we also made it a lot simpler, we started the piece with noises like a phone going off, someone chewing gum or someone filing their nails. and we want that to build in volume so we decided to prerecord the noises then play it and just raise the volume. This happens and builds until Dan enters as the teacher then it goes silent which is when we build the verbal noise, Our teacher (Dan) asks "Do we all have our English books?", in which Ashley replies "Yes sir", Meg then will say "No Sir he left it at home with his balls" to which Kyle will defend "oi leave Ashley alone" to which I say "Bender crawl out his ass" and finally Toby is going to say "shut up Meg, you little skank". We then repeat this until Dan slams a ruler on the desk silencing us all and we are back in Victorian times.

I like how we staged it and developed it to be more structured, however I think it could go further. I don't like the way were just sitting, I wanna add some movement to it. I think that we should start the piece in our chairs in a tableau of all five of use doing our noise (Meg filing her nails, Toby on his phone, me chewing) and as each noise starts the person making the noise moves. So the nail file noise starts, Meg starts filing her nails, the phone goes of, Toby starts answering his phone and texting but meg stops and freezes again. This happens until all five noises have started and the last person just freezes after a short period of time. The noise then builds until Dan enters, we then all stand up and we start walking in a circle and I want us to throw a ball around while Dan tries to gain control. This is during the vocal soundscape and eventually we pass the ball to Dan still with the vocals happening and we get back to our places for Dan to slap th e ruler on the desk and us to sit immediately and in silence.

Rent Day 5 - Staging the Opening (Tune up #1, Mom calls, Tune up #2, Rent)

Today we staged the whole opening to Rent on the stage, we started by improvising the opening up until "how we gonna pay?" in Rent. After seeing how everyone looks and play's their part we worked together to alter how we are blocking them. So we moved Meg (Mark's Mom) into the gap in the wall behind the apron of the stage and we can just spotlight her so we just see her upper half as she rattles on to the answering machine. We moved Collins from the stage entirely, he walks up the isle in the audience where he is mugged and left on the steps of the stage. I (Benny) was moved from the back of the stage, where I put myself, to the front, left apron for my phone call with Mark and Rodger. We then choreographed the rest of the number we have Meg, Dan and Dom as more of backup dancers than their specific characters, Freya is Joanne when she needs to be but when she isn't she is another backup dancer. Collins does his part from the steps in which he was left after his mugging and Benny walks down the right side of the audience to do my bit off the stage but to the right of the audience. When we were creating the dance break Tom remembered seeing the dance break in American Idiot and wanted to incorporate the run, hop turn thing that they do because the music has that similar feel to it.


Look closely at the dance break (when the girls come on)

Also during the dance break we had the idea of Rodger rocking out on his guitar while Mark films it. However we wanted a live feed of Marks filming to be played on a screen on the left side of the stage. We thought it would look cool to have Rodger in a kind of concert with lights and stuff as he stands on his table with the back up dancers behind him. After we got the whole song choreographed, I felt the piece looks really good we just need to remember it for next lesson and learn our parts.

Rent Day 4 - Opening to Rent and La Vie Boheme Lyrics

Today we sang through "La Vie Boheme" so we all know the lyrics then we started to create the opening of Rent, we started the lesson running "La Vie Boheme" just to be sure we remember it. Then we sat down with our scripts and practiced just singing it, we also gave the parts of the song that don't have specific characters sing them to people. So we ended up with the dance known and the lyrics understood, the only issue we were having was the timing of all the words, especially the "bisexual, trisexual" part, so that is something we all need to work on individually. We then ran La Vie Boheme one last time and put the dancing and vocals together, I feel that unless anything drastic happens to the show "La Vie Boheme" is basically there.

After we were happy with how La Vie Boheme looked we started to set Rent. Tom had the idea of an empty stage (except a table and maybe a few chairs) but the second the music starts everyone bursts on stage each with props and set (like chairs, tables, a bin, a ladder) and we hold this busy stage until "How we gonna pay?" we then stop face the audience and sing out to them. That is as far as we've got but I really like the sudden burst of action at the start of the song however the effectiveness of the hustle and bustle on stage will wear off pretty much after the first "how we gonna pay" so we need to choreograph the rest of the song and make it as wild and energetic as the start.

HIC Day 9 - New staging

Today we looked at how we are going to stage our piece. We watched a performance of Black Watch in which they performed in traverse and it got the audience close to the action and really created an intimate setting which we felt would be good for our piece. There was also a moment in Black Watch where one guy was doing a monologue about the history of the Scottish army. However he was pacing up and down the stage discussing the history of different points in time and everyone else was changing him into different costumes that matched the period of time in which he was talking about.

I really liked how this moment covers a lot of history in a short time, while being entertaining to watch. I would like to use something like this in our piece going through the history of discipline in school however we could go from the past up to present day then if the piece is really short we could go into the future and make predictions of what could happen.

After we watched the performance we then discussed how we will do to opening we created for a traverse audience. We still like the idea of the audience behind desks but we didn't know how it would work in traverse. I had the idea of moving the desks like this:

have the audience facing forward and have an isle in between for us to perform in but then the audience will find it difficult to see the performance int the isle. So we developed the idea to look more like this:

with the desks at an angle so the audience can see the isle better. however there was still the issue of things happening at the back that the audience at the front wont see so we changed the staging once more.

This staging has the audience each behind their own desk (black box) looking in towards the stage (blue arrow) We each sit behind our own desk (red box) and face in for the soundscape. This way the audience will always see half of our casts faces while having access to viewing the whole stage.

Rent Day 3 - La Vie Boheme

Today was our first official rehearsal with all everyone knowing their parts. We spent today going through "La Vie Boheme" and finishing it. We sat me, as Benny, on a small table to the side of the long table we had center stage. We have in order of stage left to stage right Me (Benny), Dan (Waiter), Meg (Mimi), Tom (Roger), Dan (Angel) Freya (Joanne), Lorna (Maureen), Dom (Paul), Toby (Collins) and finally Ashley (Mark). This is simply the order in which we happened to sit during the audition process so I think we should have a look at where everyone is sitting and better organize it based of everyone's character. That being said I haven't come up with an order that works better in my head yet. So we finished the song and I really live the dance, I love the way it is simple movement at the start but builds throughout the song. I also love the way it holds the characters crazy personalities and fun-loving spirit. The way I think to make the movements better is everyone knowing them firstly and the poses at the start I feel should be more characterized.

Rent Day 1 - Audition (opening scene) Day 2 - Audition (La Vie Boheme)

We start our audition process with the opening scene consisting of Mark and Roger in their loft doing their thing and constant disruption due to the phone. I went for the character Mark and felt I did it well. For the next audition we need to prepare something to show to the class I prepared Marks opening to La Vie Boheme, I rehearsed the vocals and I thought they we ok and I watched how other people have performed it to get an idea of what I want to do with it. The next day I got everyone to sit in a circle and said just go along with the song and have fun. So I performed the opening and had fun with it and everyone in the room and I thought it was a fun time that everyone could enjoy because it is that kind of song, friends having fun and showing their exciting lifestyle. After everyone performed what they prepared we started to set La Vie Boheme, we all sat behind a desk and faced the audience and we started with 8 simple poses to show after each "La Vie Boheme" we then created this basic idea of movement to go with the music. Once we all know our parts, I feel we can better create the piece. I didn't get the part of Mark I got Benny, although he wasn't the character I was going for, I like him. I understand where he is coming from in the situation of the musical and I feel I could play him well. Next rehearsal we will update La vie boheme incorporating our characters in the piece and finishing the song.

HIC Research - Wikipedia extract - Tri-partite system

The Eleven Plus examination was employed to stream children into Grammar Schools, Technical Schools (which only existed in some regions) and Secondary Modern Schools. Claims that the Eleven Plus was biased in favour of middle class children remain controversial. However, strong evidence exists that the outcome of streaming was that, overwhelmingly, grammar schools were attended by middle class children while secondary modern schools were attended by working class children.
The most academically able of students within secondary modern schools found that their potential progression to university and advanced post-secondary studies was constrained by limitations within their schools, the wider educational system and access to higher external examinations.
The 'baby boomer' generation was particularly affected during the period 1957 to 1970 because grammar school places had not been sufficiently increased to accommodate the large bulge in student numbers which entered secondary schools during this period. As a result, cut-off standards on the Eleven Plus Examination for entry into grammar schools rose and many students who would, in earlier years, have been streamed into grammar schools were instead sent to secondary modern schools.
Although the Butler Act planned a parity of esteem between this and the other sections of the tripartite system, in practice the secondary modern came to be seen as the school for failures. Those who had "failed" their eleven plus were sent there to learn rudimentary skills before advancing to factory or menial jobs. Secondary moderns prepared students for the CSE examination, rather than the more prestigious O level, and although training for the latter was established in later years, fewer than one in ten students took advantage of it. Secondary moderns did not offer schooling for the A level, and in 1963, for instance, only 318 former secondary modern pupils sat A levels. None went on to university.
Grammar Schools were generally funded at a higher per-student level than Secondary Modern Schools. Secondary moderns were generally deprived of both resources and good teachers. The Newsom Report of 1963 reported on education for these children, and found that in some schools in slum areas of London 15-year-old pupils were sitting on furniture intended for primary schools. Staff turnover was high and continuity in teaching minimal. Not all secondary moderns were as bad, but they did generally suffer from neglect by authorities.
The interaction of the outcome of Eleven plus streaming (middle class into grammar schools and working class into secondary modern schools) and better funding of grammar schools produced the result that middle class children experienced better resourced schools offering superior future educational and vocational options while working class children experienced comparatively inferior schools offering more limited prospects for educational and vocational progress. This reinforced class divisions in subsequent vocational achievement and earning potential.



I feel that a good movement piece could be created from the unfairness of the classist system that the Tri-Partite system created. We could show three people going through the three different secondary schools and show that their opptions for work, pay and life are decided from birth and on the basis of their class. I was thinking of putting this piece to the song 'The Scientist'.

HIC Research - Caning

Caned for Deceit Towards the end of my third year at grammar school I went through a more rebellious phase than was usual. I had a couple of dental appointments and on the last noticed that the receptionist had written the appointment on the card in pencil.

My ever devious mind saw this as an excellent opportunity to rub out the one written and invent a new one which gave me what I thought was a sure fire excuse to bunk off school with my absence covered.

It worked well for the first two goes. Change the details, show the card to my deputy housemaster and I was covered, I thought

Quit whilst you are ahead would have been a good maxim to follow but no, I kept it going. On the third occasion I wanted to spend the day with my new girlfriend Jane who was at home recovering from the last stages of the flue. Her parents were at work and she was as keen as I for us to get together alone.

On handing the card in the next day the dep. housemaster asked to hold onto it for a while; I could pick it up later he said. This didn't bode well and at break I got the summons to attend the office.

Both housemaster and deputy were there and I had been sprung. A phone call had been made to check and the game was up.

I could offer no explanation other than to confess. This was followed by much dressing down about deceit and lying not to mention the time lost at a crucial stage of my schooling, blah, blah ending with wait outside.

I was under no illusions that I would be caned. The door was ajar and straining my ears I heard them discussing who was to give me the thrashing. Both were experienced caners but the deputy Mr Cooper was new to the position and was making a mark [excuse the pun] for himself as being strict. I had seen the backsides of four boys in the showers who had been given 6 by him the day before for smoking and they looked bad.

I was called in and told the worst news. I would be given 6 strokes by Mr Cooper then and there.

The office was undergoing some alterations and there was no room to swing a cane so, armed with the junior cane and punishment book he told me to follow him.

We found a nearby classroom and entered to find, to my embarrassment, three first year girls who were waiting for one of the mistresses to arrive for something or other. He asked them to wait outside and they filed past a red faced me with smirks and knowing grins. Well, it was pretty obvious what was about to take place with him holding the cane and book.

He then went on a bit more about the severity of my actions and then got down to it by placing the teacher chair in position and telling me, much to my terror, to take trousers down and bend over the back 'in the usual way'.

I pulled my Y-fronts up and did as I was told. My bum was tight and after a couple of the practice swishes that all teachers love to do I felt him rest the cane across my backside and measure his distance. Although this was not my first caning it was my first with trousers down across the pants. The girls were caned across their knickers so I guess this was no different.

There was a savage swish and pistol shot and I felt a terrible pain across my backside. I simultaneously yelled out and started up only to be pushed back down by him. Nothing was said. Just as he lined up for the second the door opened and the maths mistress Miss Burton burst in with apologies, looking for the girls. This was awful. She left promptly and Mr Cooper quickly addressed the job in hand by giving me five more excruciating stingers.

I remember, thinking back as it was taking place that he really seemed to relish his task being not too hurried and putting fair force behind each stroke. I quickly thought of the boys in the shower and now realised why. I was also mindful of the humiliation of having Miss Burton and the first year girls outside the door witnessing my punishment and yells after each stroke.

After the sixth I instinctively stared to raise myself off the chair but Mr Cooper placed his hand on my back as he pulled back my underpants to glimpse his handiwork. I was then allowed up and pulled my grey school trousers up and did the schoolboy cane dance around the room clutching my backside, the tears streaming down my face. He entered the details in the punishment book .We both left passing a silent mistress and girls on their way back to the room .As soon as we were a few paces past them the girls exploded into excited chatter and giggles.

I went straight to the toilets and looked at my bum in the mirror the way all schoolboys seem to. I stared at six well placed scarlet tramlines with raised edges.

After school I went to see Jane who was not quite as sympathetic as I thought she might have been. She was good girl and would not have bunked off herself but was happy for me to do it and spend time with her. But she still inspected the results of the thrashing.

This was one of four canings I received at grammar school. I got many summary execution slipperings, mainly in class but they can be for later.




From this story I think we could create a piece about this boys experience. We could have a monologue of the boy setting the scene and explaining what happened, explaining how his parents are proud of him, his teachers expect great things, his girlfriend trusts him, the other girls fall for him, other boys respect him, and as each character is mentioned we have said person stand up. Once we have all the family and friends standing we move the monologue on to where he gets canned and then everyone is disappointed in him. Everyone could then circle the boy telling him how betrayed they all were and try to make the boy feel really bad. This could be used to show how the cane doesn't work in bettering grades and all it does is harm the child physically and emotionally.

HIC Day 8 Discussion about Education

Today we discussed a new topic idea of education and the lack of power that teachers have nowadays. We talked about how students feel like it is acceptable to talk back to a teacher when in Miss' day she wouldn't of dreamed of talking back. We also discussed the change in teaching methods from back when there was the cane and everyone had to learn at the same pace, in the same way and using the same writing hand to accommodating to every individual way of learning. We also discussed the different education systems in different countries, like here in England we have national exams whereas in America they have internal exams and how in America if a student isn't ready to move on to the next year of education they will be held back. We also discussed future possibilities where the students get out of hand and run the school or where it goes to the other extreme where teachers regain power but abuse it so they have like taser guns or regular guns and electric chairs and stuff for discipline.

We then started to create an opening to our performance, we thought about sitting our audience behind desks for the creative effect. and have a front row where we are sitting. We then had Dan come in as a teacher and he does the register and then we kick of with everything we could think of that a student nowadays would do that back in the day they wouldn't dream of doing, like having a chat, talking back, being on phones, showing off to the class, the annoying cough the people do in exams. So we are building noise and drowning out out teacher who turns around and starts to get changed into an old-fashioned teacher robe at the same time we alter our uniform and neaten it up but still making noise and acting modern. Then Dan turns around with a meter stick in his hand and slaps it against his other hand and we go silent and we are neat and back in time to when students were well behaved. I like our opening and I really like our topic, I feel it is very mature and perfect choice for an A level performance. With the opening I feel that we should use the individual exam desks to sit behind but have them right next to each other to make two big tables, so while we a altering our costumes we move the desks and separate them so they are then individual desks and more apropriate for the time period we are traveling to.

HIC Day 7 Drug pt2

Today we finished our drug piece, however during the weekend Dan had an idea of this movement/dance moment where we are in recovery and we have this cool beat thing going, we liked it so we incorporated it into our piece. We cut out the moment of people yelling at the drugged body and we replaced it with him in recovery with the movement piece the Dan came up with. We then ended it with the guy trying to shake himself awake bet it was too late for he had died. We performed our piece to the class and I think the idea is good but we would need to run it a few times so that our actions are in time with the music that we chose to go with it. I like how the performance turned out but I do still thing the idea is too GCSE for our A level performance, but I liked what we created so we talked about how we could change our topic so we could still incorporate what we created. We talked about how we could broaden our topic of drugs to things like smoking, alcohol or caffeine, we also thought about doing something with prescription drugs and that led to topics of medical marijuana and the NHS and the fact that America doesn't have a universal healthcare system. We also talked about how we could use our piece for a topic that has nothing to do with drugs like mental health issues or shell shock in war or something.

HIC Day 6 Drug idea

Today our group had a change of heart about the drugs idea and we decided to give it a go. We wanted to use some techniques that we haven't used in a while so we came up with this idea of someone pressured at a party to take a form of drug who then gets split into two worlds. I thought we could add some cross cutting to separate the two worlds. The first world is the drug world it is what he is seeing and experiencing while under the influence. I was thinking we could do a movement piece to show this happy world. The second is the real world where we see him crashed on the floor and the people around him are angry because "he can't afford the drugs", "he's been missing for days" the drugs have basically taken him away from his life. I think a good vocal piece would work nicely to show the anger everyone has for him. The version of him in the drug world then notices that he isn't really in a good condition and tries to return to his body but everyone else stands in his way and stop him reaching his body. This was our idea but we only got round to staging the struggle of him trying to get back to his body, the party/drug taking moment and a bit of the happy drug world.

HIC Day 5 Discussion

Today we had a discussion about what we actually want to put in our performance. We spent some time going through what we thought of each idea that we previously done and started narrowing down our topics. We then decided on out audience and the effect we want to have on them also the style of performance we want. As a group we decided that we want our audience to feel like they have experienced something and maybe learnt something. We also wanted our audience to be thinking about something as they leave and maybe inspired to learn more about whichever topic we chose to do. With that in mind we decided we didn't want to do a realistic or naturalistic piece, however we also didn't want to do a Brecht piece because as a group we felt we have done a lot of Brecht recently and want to get away from it. This led us to our actual topic, we talked about doing drugs but the majority felt that was to GCSE for us, we felt the same way about war but I really like the idea of war. I feel if we look at a specific war that no one really thinks about or knows much about or look at war from a different point of view then it could have great potential. However we have done a lot on war recently and my group are adamant that they don't want to do it. We also discussed adding more to our slavery piece or our Hillsborough piece but decided against it, we felt we had done the topics and wanted to move on to other ideas. Toby had researched the Armenian Genocide and wanted to try and do a piece about it because it was a devastating moment in history for some people yet not many people know much about it. Kyle also wanted to look at kinder transport so we decided that as a group we will research into both topics.