Final Evaluation

Final Evaluation

I carried out research on Columbia and on Rocky Horror itself by watching the full 2015 Gala version of the theatre show online played by a British cast and led by David Badella, who played the role of Doctor Frank-N-Furter, and Sophie Linder-Lee who played Columbia. I also watched the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show, where the brilliant Tim Curry played transvestite Frank and Little Nell played Columbia. I did this to get a better understanding of the story and of who my character really was. I found the plot very confusing and strange so watching both the theatre show and the movie helped me understand what it was about. I then did further research into the underlying meanings of this play written by Richard O’Brien and found out why this is such a cult film and the eye-opening effect it had on the LGBT community.

One of my techniques to get into character was to create a backstory for Columbia. I thought about what she does in the play such as always being very excitable, having funny, unique lines such as “He’s O.K.” when giving her opinion on Rocky, and idolising Frank-N-Furter. However, she also has a moral compass and is able to stand up to Frank about his mistreating people. I then created her backstory: she escaped from a strict religious household because she wanted to experiment with different parts of her personality, including her sexuality, and was brought to Frank’s castle where she felt at home. Every time I wondered how to react or move, I would think about the back story I had created and it would help me figure out an appropriate reaction.

In terms of singing, we worked on vocal techniques such as projection, breath control (breathing from your diaphragm), memory (repertoire), diction, tone, pitch, vowel placement, interpretation, range, stage presence and confidence. We worked on all this for Rocky Horror and spent a lot of time specifically on the harmonies for the songs in the show. We rehearsed all these vocal techniques in lesson time to help us individually and collaboratively create a smooth tone and a pleasant sound. In my own time, I listened to the original songs that were in the movie and to the 2001 revival version and went through all of them both in my own time – singing over the songs and with the backing tracks once I had learnt it - and in rehearsals.

I worked hard to breath and pronounce my words when singing, especially for my solo parts. In terms of what went well in the matinee performance, I managed to sing in tune and in character with a squeaky voice and American accent. Sometimes, my singing was strong and loud (like in “Eddie’s Teddy”) but in other songs (like “Time Warp”) some words came out as more of a whisper. In the evening performance, my voice was stronger and had a smoother tone than in the matinee show. I think this is because I felt like I had learnt from all my mistakes in the first show and felt more confident going into our second show which was in front of a more supportive crowd – we all agree we felt more comfortable performing in front of an audience made up of our close friends and family. I plan to work on my breathing techniques and projection over the summer, building up my repertoire in preparation for auditions next year. I want to improve on sustaining long and/or high notes, work on staying in tune and projecting a stronger voice.

My role in the collaborative process was to learn the material (the choreography) and to communicate with others on stage, for example, when doing partner work, (we did a small Jive in “Hot Patootie” and I was partnered with Nehemie Babadi, who played the role of muscle-man Rocky). I had to show that Columbia found Rocky fascinating and attractive by pointing out his muscles and showing her excitement at his physique with my facial expressions and body language.

When I could see my peers unafraid to embrace their characters, it helped me confidently portray Columbia’s personality. When some people didn’t turn up for rehearsal, it disrupted the teacher’s plans and made going through Rocky Horror more difficult but it also taught me you can keep rehearsing with a few absences and that is the most efficient and productive thing to do in those situations. This was a helpful lesson and preparation for what can happen in professional musical theatre life where the process of putting a show on stage will not always go to plan and these experiences taught us how to proceed and to adapt to different unexpected situations where no matter what, the show must go on.

We performed twice on stage: a matinee performance in front of college students and an evening performance in front of our family and friends. In my opinion, both performances were successful because both audiences enjoyed the show. However, there were a few mistakes in the first performance – the main one being that I forgot about my tap break (because of nerves) in “Time Warp” and there was a part on stage where we all froze once we realised our mistake but we recovered immediately, acted professionally and continued as if no mistake had been made – I don’t think the audience noticed, which shows our great teamwork.

I watched the matinee performance and took notes on what I thought were our strengths and weaknesses. The first song “Science Fiction/ Double Feature” sung by Usherette (played by Alexandra Green) had only one person on stage yet I thought she was entertaining to watch because she used appropriate arm gestures and performed confidently in character. The background vocals were sung by the rest of the cast but it sounded very quiet on video which shows that we need to work on increasing volume when singing as an ensemble. I struggle with projecting my voice but there were times where I could be heard loud and clear. For example, some of my lines like “All except Eddie” was said with an appropriate tone, pitch and accent for Columbia. I need to work on my breathing techniques when singing because I sounded quiet and breathless at times, such as in “Floorshow/ Rose Tint My World”, although in songs “Eddie’s Teddy” and “I’m Going Home” I projected my voice well and it can be heard strongly on the tape. I thought my acting skills were very good and every move I made, my squeaky laugh and every facial expression, was in character at all times.

The song “Sweet Transvestite” which introduces main character Doctor Frank-N-Furter, played by Ella Botton, is an exciting, significant point in the show. Her voice was very strong and powerful which was inspiring to watch. It left the audience cheering and clapping because everybody had witnessed an amazing singing talent. The costume with the corset and high-heels, along with the attitude and sass that Frank exudes made this a thrilling moment in the performance. I also felt that Leah Bradshaw, in the role of Riff Raff, embraced her character, his hunchback and his creepy and “ill” looks which made her entertaining to watch. She even made her dance moves stiff, which was comical.

I thought the set was of a high quality and props such as the car, the silver machine and the laser guns helped bring the Rocky Horror story to life. However, sound effects like the rain and the car skidding to a halt could have been louder. I thought the lighting was at a high standard and the extra lights under the stage made this performance look like a professional production.

Overall, I think the strengths in our performance were that we remained professional by staying in character, the production side (like the extra lights under the stage) took it to a high standard and the costume, hair and makeup defined and expressed our characters clearly on stage. However, I believe that the main strength of the whole performance and proof that we were successful, was that both audiences found it entertaining and enjoyed the show.

I feel like there were little weaknesses in our performance in comparison to our strengths. I saw and was part of a few mishaps in the show, like skipping half my tap break in “Time Warp” which perhaps the audience did not notice. We received feedback from our teachers that as a group, our energy was lower in the matinee than in the rehearsal and also the volume was not loud enough. It is important to note going forward that it is harder to project our voices in the theatre space because there are no reflective surfaces, unlike in rehearsals in the dance studio where the acoustics are better, and the curtains surrounding the stage do not help with the sound either. It is a shame that using microphones did not pan out in the end but that just means we had to make up for it with the strength in our voices.

Moving forward, I intend to work on my singing skills – mainly strengthening and projecting my voice and working on breathing techniques so that I can sustain notes, stay in tune and create a pleasant sound. I was given helpful advice that no matter how loud I think I am, to aim to be even louder because my voice will always be less audible to the audience than I think.

My additional role was helping with designing and making the poster and programme. I have not painted in a long time or designed a poster so I had to think about what it should look like and also bring ideas and collaborate with Nehemie, who was also making it. We decided that there should be smoke covering bricks doted around the border to give the sense of mystery that Rocky Horror brings and to create funky, visually stimulating fonts for every word in the title on the poster – for example, the word “Horror” was designed as if it was dripping blood.

I have never made a programme so I learnt some new skills in this process about what information is included in it. I learnt why there is a necessity for a programme when it comes to a professional production: the people who worked very hard behind the scenes are acknowledged and thanked, the synopsis of the show helps audience members get a feel about what they are about to see and the amount of work put into the show is displayed from who choreographed the dances to the construction team who made the props.

I also choreographed my tap solo in “Time Warp”. I have never thought of choreographing as a strength of mine until I did this and was very proud of what I managed to come up with and now have a higher self-esteem when it comes to my choreographing skills. I realised that I had to do research on similar dances and take inspiration from it to create my own piece. I also had to think about how I wanted the dance to come across, how the audience would perceive it, what I wanted to communicate and express and of course what would be appropriate.

It was interesting to notice the difference in audience responses between the college students and our friends and family. The college students were loud and cheery, laughing along with the humour and responding to all the sexual innuendos, which was more thrilling and exciting for us. On the other hand, our family and friends would chuckle to themselves instead of out loud; making a rather quiet audience which made us question if they were finding the show entertaining. After hearing feedback from the teachers and the audience, we realised that they were a more reserved and mature crowd, who found it entertaining but were too shy to be vocally responsive.

To conclude, I have learnt a few valuable lessons in this whole process, from the point of being told that I got the part of Columbia all the way through to putting on a full musical theatre production of The Rocky Horror Show on stage, the main one being that we were capable of doing it all in six weeks!

 It is important for me to work on projecting my voice because that is my main weakness at the moment, especially when I am singing where I find it hard to pronounce and sing every word because I am breathless. I will continue to work on it and progress so that by the time of my next performance in the second year and auditions for higher education, my voice will be stronger.

I have learnt that when it comes to theatre, everything has to be as exaggerated and as dramatic as possible to be entertaining – in other words, you have to completely let go of any fears that are holding you back, such as poor judgement from the audience or feeling embarrassed because a lack of confidence, even if it is subtle, can be seen by the audience and can be the difference from an amateur performance and one that is at a professional standard.

In terms of moving forward into the second year where we will be putting on shows that are of a larger scale, I have learnt about the process of going through an audition, having responsibility to get on with individual work like having the opportunity to choreograph my tap solo and getting all costumes and props together in time. In the summer, I plan to add songs and monologues to my repertoire because on the audition day for Rocky Horror, I was feeling very nervous about how much I knew of my song and monologue so this way I can prepare in advance so I can be confident at auditions and perform my best.