Exercise List

Exercise 1: Spine Rolls
We began the lesson by doing a warm up exercise in which we were put in to pairs and took it in turns to "unlock" each other's vertebrae. We did this by rubbing our partner's vertebrae individually, starting at the top of the neck and travelling down to the coccyx. The partner being "unlocked" then had to act as if touching each vertebrae unlocks all the tension, creating the effect of the body slowly rolling down to the ground.
The reason for doing this exercise is threefold - first, it relaxes the body as we are actively releasing tension in our core and back muscles, which spreads to the peripherals - this is shown particularly by the fact that our head and hands hang as dead weight towards the end of the exercise if done successfully. Second, it allowed our bodies to enter a creative state as we had to imagine that we were being unlocked, which puts us into a created yet simple, lucid situation. Thirdly, it helped to created a bond with our partner, as we had to be in tune with their actions in order to keep up with their movement and not jump ahead of their hand actions.
This exercise was useful to me as an actor because it allowed me to discover a way of preparing my mind (by making me imagine I am being unlocked), my body (by relaxing my entire spine and core systems, in turn relaxing my whole body), and my emotion centre (by forcing my to connect with my partner and feel the intent behind their pace, vigour etc.). This is useful as these three centres are, as cited by Stanislavsky in 'An Actor Prepares', the key to a successful and honest naturalistic performance.

Exercise 2: Physical objectives
We each chose three physical objectives (goals that can be completed using the body) completely disregarding any storyline or character; e.g to run, to tie, to sit. We then attempted to carry out these physical objectives while also ergonomically interacting with our partners. It soon became clear that this was fruitless, as it is near impossible to push from one physical objective to another while also seamlessly integrating these actions together. Instead, the exercise transformed into one in which we updated our physical objective based on our interactions with each other, instead of the other way round. Immediately, this became far easier and more accomplishable, as the next physical objective soon became clear from the developing situation. I found this useful as it enlightened me as to how physical actions are not always fixed, even if previously determined, and the importance of keeping the scene "true" in a naturalistic play outweighs the need to stick to rigid physical objectives. I used this in when we began to develop our scene, firstly as I made sure to make a note that the first analysis of our script was a draft, that can be changed and rediscovered throughout rehearsal. I also used it after analysis, during our initial run through, when I allowed myself to disregard what we had just discovered in analysis in favour of letting the scene flow.

Exercise 3: Headstands
At the start of lesson 2, we were asked to get into a prayer position (a yoga position in which you lie face down on your shins with your head down and your hands laid on the floor in front, as if in prayer). From here, we were instructed to roll on to the top of our heads, and move our hands backwards until a triangle was formed between the three points of contact; two palms and the crown. After this, we slowly lifted up one foot then the other until we were balanced on just the three points of contacts. We then inhaled and exhaled 5 times - this was to test that we were being held up using our sense of balance, not our strength. Our tutor explained that we were not exercising our muscles, simply "rearranging our skeleton". By being able to breath freely, we showed our core and neck muscles were completely relaxed, and once we realised this the rest of the body began to relax as well. I found this exercise very useful, as it allowed me to work out the importance of balance over strength, as it allows the body to stay in a relaxed or neutral state while exploring creative medium such as body position. This is very useful as an actor as it allows us to be in a creative state in a much mode varied environment, and under more pressures. I will use this when exploring the different positions my character will take in our scene, e.g. Leaning on a tree/wall, sitting, standing, walking etc.

Exercise 4: Sun Salutation
F
1. Arms raised above the head, inhale

2. Spine roll down, exhale

3. Jump back and push head up into cobra, inhale

4. Press down and up into downwards dog, exhale

5. 5 breath cycles in downwards dog, letting the head hang, the weight spread between the arms and pushing the chest towards the thighs as well as the ankles towards the floor.

6. Roll up the spine, leaving the head until last. This reduces the chance of head-rush.

Sun salutation is one of the simplest yoga cycles. It focuses on breathing and improves relaxation and flexibility. I found it useful when warming up at the beginning of the workshop as it allowed me to relieve any tensions I was bringing into the room, both mentally and physically. I will use this as part of my daily warm up routine, in order to put me in the correct state to continue my day.

Exercise 5: Breath hiatus
At the beginning of lesson 3 we were told to get into semi supine and instructed to breathe 'properly' - in through the nose, out through the mouth, filling our belly then out chest, then emptying out belly first, then chest. After a few minutes of this, we were then told to hold our breath for as long as possible on the exhale. Eventually, our instinctual breathing was forced into occurrence and we inhaled, but what was obvious was that this inhale had perfect technique, as any learnt imperfections were cut out by instinct. From this it was easier to understand how to think about proper breathing, and make it happen. This is essential for our scenes and to improve as an actor, because the breath is what drives the dialogue, as it allows time to think and gives fuel for the dialogue. I will use this in the seagull in order to find a calm onstage before particularly large thoughts, allowing me to convey the thought without running out of breath and therefore losing my grounding and panicking.

Exercise 6: Circles of Attention
This is a rendition of one of Stanislavsky's techniques and helps the actor hone their focus onstage. We began by finding neutral and closing our eyes. We were then instructed to throw out our first "circle of attention". This was the widest circle, and it required us to take in sounds for as far as we could hear, out of our own space, out of the room, right out to the edges of our surrounding area. I discovered the sounds of cars on the distant highway and planes flying overhead, as well as voices from the playground outside. It expanded my consciousness and I soon found myself forgetting about where I was and my relationships with the people in the room, instead focussing on the world around me. Interestingly, I felt the most pastorally connected with this circle, as the world I imagined from the sounds around me was crisp, bright, fresh and cold. This was almost definitely influenced by our early start.
The second circle was reigned in to the room around us, listening only to the sounds inside the walls. I heard all the shuffling and fidgeting of those around me, and it was as if I could feel everyone else listening for the same as me, because it became noticeably quieter. Everyone became in time as we were all devoted to focussing on each other.
The final circle was restricted to myself - both external and internal sounds. I could hear the movement of my bones, my weight on the floor and the shifting of my internal organs and fluids. This was useful as I became more aware of my own body, meaning I subconsciously adjusted myself to a more correct posture and stance.
This exercise is useful as it allows us to decide how honed in our characters are with the world around us depending on their given circumstances and characteristics, e.g. If they are less concerned with human interaction and more with their connection with the world around them, they'd use circle 1, but if they are vain and not interested in others, they would use circle 3. Applying this to my Seagull character, I would say he is most likely to settle in circle 2, as he is overly concerned with Masha's life, although he often slips into circle 1 as he is selfish and likes to compare his life to hers.

Exercise 7: "Gently Warming Up Your Potential"

We got into semi-supine and found our instinctual breath, meaning the breath fills the bottom of the lungs first then the chest, pushing the diaphragm out and in before the breath is moved through the chest. This instinctual breath is the basis of finding a truthful character, as it allows time to be calm and real, meaning you are grounded and your movement and thoughts are instinctual rather than forced and unsupported - instinctual breath leads to an instinctual body and and instinctual mind

We then moved on to The Unvoiced Fricative, making a 'fff' noise which we then added vibration to, creating a 'vvv' or  voiced fricative noise. This begins to warm up the folds of your vocal chords softly and slowly, meaning they are ready to be used fully without being strained whether that means audibly whispering or shouting

We then began to hum, working from our most comfortable register in order to keep the vocal chords safe, engaging and using tension only in the correct areas e.g. the coretjis opens up the neck and back allowing us to utilise every last bit of breath. A hum is the safest vocalisation, as the closed lips prevent glottal attack.
We then began to siren the voice, working from our lowest to our highest register and working back over any gaps or cracks in the sound until there was a fluid motion from low to high, this means we have a larger comfortable register to play with when rehearsing.
We then worked on testing the palette, vocalising 'a' and 'ah' sounds to make sure that our voice was warmed up in all positions.

We started using the text next, using the line "I am the seagull" looking at the ends of words and keeping the them soft, especially focusing on the "dark L" - engaging the alveolar ridge to make the sound (at the end of the hard palette). We then said the line "my dear I know what keeps you here" in staccato in order to shock the vocal muscles. Then we repeated it in legato in a single breath. This tested our vocal muscles to see if they could still function when engaged in extreme ways, pushing them the same as lifting weights to build up the biceps.

We breathed in prayer pose next, ridding our intercostal muscles of turgidity and improving our flexibility and openness, both in body and in breath.
Next, we did 10 spine rolls using our stomach muscles to lift us up, forcing us to focus on a specific area and continue to keep this concentration and goal, much like playing a prolonged physical objective. This is teaching us how to sustain a reaction to given circumstances as it does not let our focus drift away from the objective despite fatigue etc.

Exercise 8: Upper Body Massage
We got into partners and one lay in semi supine with the other kneeling at their head. We knitted the fingers below the head, taking their full weight, and moved their neck gently from side to side. The aim was to release tension from the neck, so it was vital that we had full control over the movement and they were not attempting to assist it. We then moved to the Scapular, raking our fingers out from under it while applying firm pressure, looking to catch and release any knots while also releasing and tension towards the spine. After this we continued to apply this pressure up the arm, releasing any tension in the tendons, bicep, tricep, forearm, metacarpals and fingers. We then expelled the tension from the end of each finger, pulling it up the finger and throwing it from the top. This was then repeated on the other arm. If a knot is discovered, it is okay to apply a lot of pressure to it as long as you are not injuring your partner, as these must be removed; any form of tension prevents access to a relaxed, playful, truthful state.
Then the body is lifted by holding the wrists, making sure the tension is in the legs and core not the arm. The neck must be relaxed and the core is what is being engaged, in order to relax the upper body and assist instinctual correct breathing. Then lower them back down slow enough so that they are unsure of when they are about to reconnect with the ground. This must be controlled otherwise it is dangerous.
This exercise is an extensive flexibility and relaxation warm up, beneficial for putting the body in a state where it is free to move and play as it likes, making it easier to explore and be impish in your approach to rehearsal. This amount of relaxation is particularly useful in late rehearsal as it encourages you to experiment and be playful with the scene which is what final rehearsals are intended to provide.

Exercise 9: Say What You See
This warm up saw us carrying on from our discussion last week on the importance of physical objectives. In this warmup we got into threes, two of us working on improvising a purely physical scene and the other working to call out the physical objectives on show. It is useful for both the actors and he observer as it forces the actors to focus on portraying clear, truthful and engaging physical objectives, while it teaches the observer to identify more nuanced physical actions which they can then use when they come to perform later on.