Week 13 --- Peter Pan show week

 Peter Pan Production 2023 

Preparation before the show 

For me show week began with a lot of nerves and anticipation. Moving into the Arc Theatre fully made me realise just how close we really were to the first opening performance of Peter Pan, which was also going to be the first show I was playing Peter. I think this is something that I let really put me in a state of anxiousness pre show, because I understood that if I messed up playing Peter it could potentially impact how well the show would go and be easily noticeable to the audience as Peter is a character audience members will have a focus on. I've realised that moving on into the next show I'm going to have to work on managing show anxiety as its something I don't want stopping me going for certain roles that I feel are challenging, just because I'm worried about making mistakes that I know I can cover up. Despite the nerves we went straight into a tech run of cast 1s show, stopping and starting to figure out the lighting and sound effects throughout, whilst re running certain numbers/scenes to check things over. I found the tech run to be an eye opener to what more professional tech runs are like and just how fast pace they can be when working against the clock. I really enjoyed watching elements of the show become highted through the lighting and sound effects, as it made the show feel more itself- whilst making performing it even more of a joy. The tech run also gave me better insight into how I as a performer can be most useful to the people sorting out lights and sound, set etc on these days leading up a show- which gives me another element of experience that I can put to good use in other other professional settings moving forward.

The day after that was filled entirely with the dress rehearsal for cast 1s show the next day. This was a good opportunity for us all to make sure everyone's costume was were it was supposed to be- making sure the prop table was organised and that everything was ready. I feel like the dress rehearsal always makes you feel more like the character having all there props and pockets etc that you let yourself fully flow into the character, which was something that helped me feel less apprehensive for the show the next day as I knew I was confident in the way I had characterised Peter. There was one small complication with Peters costume which was his sash, and after doing the first half of the dress rehearsal I realised that all the acorns attached to it kept falling off and cracking all over the stage. Because of this we decided to not use it in the actual performances- which is a shame but proves the importance of dress rehearsals as going into the show the next day with the sash on could have coursed a lot of issues. 

What I've learned from playing an ensemble character and a lead character:

Peter Pan the British musical is the second production I have done since joining the acting for stage and screen course- being one of the best opportunities, and providing me with skills that I can take  on with me to the next collage project we work on. In the overall production itself I played Peter Pan in cast 1, and a lost boy in both cast 2 and 3. This was a useful challenge to be faced with, as I had to learn the show from multiple perspectives- having to break the show down in different ways depending on the cast that was performing and the character that I was playing. For example when playing Peter Pan, I made a word document separating out sections of the play, purely because some of them  were so large and complex- leading straight into other scenes or involving audience entrances. Whereas on the other hand when playing a lost boy I didn't feel the need to create a word document, and instead used the two main sections of the play itself (before and after the interval) to organise when I was on and what numbers I had to learn. Personally the most challenging part about playing two different characters in different casts was building a clear separation between a lost boy and Peter Pan. This is because they both have very similar tendencies and life experiences that make them similar to perform physically, yet mentally and personality wise there's a lot of differences that aren't as obvious. 

But the main and most beneficial skill/lesson I learned from this, is just how different it is to be responsible for leading in a show- than playing an ensemble character, both being just as beneficial but in completely different ways to one another. I found that when playing a leading character you have more control over the dynamic of the scene- and therefor need to be consistent- maintaining a strong dynamic and sense of emotion throughout. It's important to make sure you are easily bounced of by other actors, which is something I strived for when playing Peter on  stage, because he is meant to be such a visually energetic character that emits his presence on the stage, so the audience are naturally drawn/relying on that character to steer and change emotions/outcomes. Whereas when playing an ensemble character your there to react and build on the emotions that has already been created by main and side characters, your responsible for filling in the space and maintaining the energy/adding to it. Although energy is key when playing an ensemble character I've learned that you don't want to detract from what the audience are fully paying attention too, your just supporting it- so making sure your not accidently deviating from your set positions or doing anything that takes the main focus away from the storyline and the characters that are responsible for guiding it.