Great Expectations: Lesson 3

The rehearsal process is getting more and more exciting as we devise more. The beginning is all starting to come together and looks really good. I am also excited about working with people that I may not have particularly worked with before. Having people from both groups mixed up into one is really nice, and I feel like I am learning even more with them. Today, we started off doing some exercises, walking around and being our characters, taking on both their physicality and mentality to get us ready for rehearsals, so we can embody the character. After, we split up into our two groups and we all ran through the first scene again and again to make sure that we had remembered it, and we could sharpen it up. We incorporated new ideas into the first scene, but also managed to work through many other scenes as well today. After Magwitch and Pips scene, we see Pip and his Chorus running through the gravestones (us) trying to get home. Half of the room cross their arms and the other put their hands on their hips, whilst we are all tutting at Pip. I think it looks really effective and not only is a great visual but by all making sounds; it gives more of a tense atmosphere. Then, we all leave the stage except Chorus and Pip, who perform the scene in the Gargery Parlour with Mr & Mrs. Joe. The Chorus is really good and from an audience point of view, it is clear and successful. The aspect of physical theatre in the piece is strong, and I believe that physical theatre being incorporated into such a classic play, gives it an edge. After running through beginning to the end of scene four, where Pip encounters another convict, we sharpened what we had done so far and annotated our scripts, reminding us all of cues and directions.