To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Year Ten Text Interpretation Task One Report (20%)

QUESTION 1
Outline the process that you went through to complete the assessment. What skills were required to satisfy the performance component of the task?

When we were given the assessment Catie and I had already decided that we wanted to perform the Australian piece that we performed in class as a practice previously called Black Rock. However, during one rehearsal we decided that it might be better to try something different and extend our acting abilities. We then decided that “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams would be appropriate and enjoyable to do. Since we were partaking in this piece for speech and drama our roles were already decided as Catie as Blanche and myself as Stella. We then began rehearsals and blocked our piece and finalized the stage setting etc. We also did significant research to our characters and watched the movie to gain a better understanding of the scene as a whole. The main skill that was required to satisfy the performance component of the task was the accent that we had to put on to effectively play the parts (southern American.) Skills also included changing our body posture and language to not only suit the time period but the character. As well as this, we had to adopt a new skill of directing in order to properly block the scene and complete stage directions. We also had to change the way in which we spoke (pitch). For Catie this meant that her pitch must be higher as her character is often frantic and anxious, these emotions typically require a higher pitch. As for myself, my pitch remained mainly neutral and calm until Blanche becomes hysterical and I attempt to calm her down.

QUESTION 2
What aspects of the task did you find most challenging? How did you overcome any problems in the process and performance? Provide examples.

The aspect that I found most challenging was the directing aspect of it. This was the first time I had written stage directions for myself and had to explain what the themes were throughout the play. Usually, I would just learn the lines and perform the scene how I though best, however, writing the directions and analysing the character helped me to better understand how they should be played and the background behind my character. The rest of the design and production process was fairly familiar to me and I didn’t have too much trouble with them. We didn’t have too many problems during the process and performance not any that are significant. However, there was the problem of changing our script and starting afresh. We had not yet learnt our speech and drama lines so it became urgent for us to do so in order to perform the piece. As well as this, the original way in which we were going to do Catie’s hair was not working so we had to improvise before we went on the stage and put it into a bun of a similar style.

QUESTION 3
Reflect on your individual performance. Discuss one area of strength, and one area that you think you could improve on. Explain your reasons for choosing these areas and provide examples.
As an individual I feel as though my performance was well done. My area of strength I believe was the way in which I performer my character naturally. I did this by using the accent that my character possessed and the way in which she moved and acted. This was made easier by the fact that we watched the movie and this made it more realistic for me to act the character how they should be acted, however with my own interpretation of Stella. One area I think I could work on would be my facial expressions whilst my partner is saying her lines. This would also help my character to be played more naturally. I need to react more facially when Catie is saying subtle lines so that the scene continues to flow smoothly. I chose these areas because these are the two that applied most to my character and to this particular scene. An example of my strength is the way in which talked to

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Essay To Kill A Mockingbird