FINAL BLOG POST// Unit 8- Show week

Monday 10th May: Tech Rehearsal

This morning the production team and i set up early for the tech run for Grease. I set up a station where i could sit and watch the rehearsal whilst writing everything down into the script. This consisted of lighting cues, sound cues, set changes and any other changes in the play. I was slightly over whelmed with all of the information i had to take in, however i kept calm and did the best i could. Watching the tech rehearsals was exciting because i could finally see the show coming together with the lighting. I think crew did a really good job of being patient and working hard to get set and props on and off of stage smoothly.

Tuesday 11th May: Dress rehearsal

Today was another early start which the production team and i set up the set for Grease again to do a dress run. This was the first run though in full costume and to try out the quick costume changes.Today was a challenge because the production team was very busy with set and props and getting everything finally organised for the show tomorrow. There were still last minute props missing which i made a list of. We solved this issue by giving people props to collect. For example, one of the props were McDonald’s cups, which Amy and Tyler offered to collect from McDonald's after College for tomorrow. The production team were really good at working together and getting jobs done which made problems easy to solve.

Wednesday 12th May: Show Day

Today i went into college with a really good mindset and i was excited but also slightly anxious. I felt prepared and i made sure the rest of the production team was happy and confident ready for the show. In the morning we managed to complete a smooth run through of the show. I stood at the lighting desk ready to look over and watch the show. I set up a radio and comms to speak to the team. I was slightly anxious about getting the cues right however when i got started i was perfectly fine.

During the run through I made one lighting cue mistake however this was the only cue i was unsure on so i am happy i got to go through it before the show. The main issue we faced during this run through was the slow set changes and getting the actors onto stage quickly. This was a challenge because the actors had really quick costume changes.This run through really helped me get an idea of what to expect for the real show and i felt very confident and excited for the final piece.

After the first run through, we didn’t have long until the show which was at 12:00, we took time to discuss and solve any problems we had such as set changes. I was really happy with our teamwork and communication skills because we were able to ask each other questions which could’ve caused problems otherwise. If anyone had any problems during the show, we made sure our radios were working and we could all hear each other clearly.

The show ran really smoothly from start to finish, there was no issues that stood out to me, this was because of the run through we had in the morning, I think this really adavantaged the team so we could prepare as much as possible. At the end of the show i was happy it was over and i felt a sense of relief. Overall I’m really happy i got the experience of a being DSM and i thought i did a good job and I did the best I could.

WEEK 23 (Final project)

Tuesday 4th May

Today was the last week of rehearsals in preparation for the Grease show next Wednesday. In the morning I sat and watched the Level 2’s perform and took notes of any key information I needed to. I was told the show dates and times which I wrote down and later let the production team know. I reflected on the lists I had made to ensure I was prepared for next week.I also made a final list for set, props and costume as there were a few more items needed for the show. In the afternoon we had a costume run, however we struggled as parts of the team weren’t able to make it in. We made use of who we had to help and did the best we could. We came across problems such as missing costume items and a lack of props. To solve this, it took note of everything and made a further list of items that were missing and its that needed to be prepared. The run through could of gone smoother if we had more of the tea to help, however it was only a rough costume run so me and Jo could get a feel of what to expect. This costume run really prepared everyone to put in their maximum effort to ensure a smooth show next Wednesday. Wednesday 5th May Today was the day to prepare any final costume and props for the show. I helped Molly finish the Grease lightning car and gather any final props. Today the production team worked really hard to get together as much they could for the show. An issue we faced was props we couldn’t find at college, however me and Molly came together to make some props such as the Mac n Cheese pasta bowl. Thursday 6th May

Today the production team and i checked our lists and got together anything we didn’t have. Again, we worked quickly and hard to get jobs done such as finishing the wall, making signs for set, and much more. Today was a very busy day but we had to get everything finished before the show next week.

WEEK 22 (Final project)

Tuesday 27th April

This morning i had the job of helping Ava with organising the costumes. The Level 2’s came and sat down whilst Ava went through all of the actors costumes. I wrote down everything, including what clothing items suited the actors and what they still need, i wrote down what we still needed to provide and to buy.

This was a long process however it needed to be done and I’m glad I was there to get a feel of what I’d expect each actor to look like and learn their names/ character.

Wednesday 28th April & Thursday 29th April

Over these two days I helped Molly finish the car for the Grease show. This included painting the car, making a bumper, sticking down various items and much more. We came across lots of issues we had to solve. One example of many is for the bumper, we used foam as the base and paint wouldn't stick to the foam. So we thought of many ways to paint it black however we came up with the solution of using mod roc. Not only would the mod roc make it look less neat (which we wanted) but it also allowed us to be bale to paint it black.

The process of making and decorating the car was fun and I learnt a lot, it allowed me to learn new techniques and how to use certain tools and materials I had never worked with before such as power tools. I also learnt about health and safety and hazards whilst working in the workshop. I really loved working on the car, it is starting to come along nicely.