BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dannenfeldt, D. (2018) Casting Director. [ONLINE] Available at: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/casting-director1.htm [Accessed: 10th May. 2018] FANDOM. (2018) Candy Store. [ONLINE] Available at: http://heathers.wikia.com/wiki/Candy_Store [Accessed: 24th Jan. 2018] Gardner, L. (2009) Character Building. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/09/character-building-great-actor [Accessed: 6th March. 2018] Gioia, M. (2014) What's Your Damage? A Track-by-Track Breakdown of the Heathers: The Musical Cast Album. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.playbill.com/article/whats-your-damage-a-track-by-track-breakdown-of-the-heathers-the-musical-cast-album-com-324469 [Accessed: 24th Jan. 2018] Ideboen, A. (2018) Importance of Budgeting. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://pocketsense.com/importance-budgeting-special-event-1804.html [Accessed: 6th May. 2018] Longley. (2018). Gun Control Timeline. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/us-gun-control-timeline-3963620 [Accessed: 20th April. 2018] New York Times. (2018). Youth Suicide is Rising. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/22/us/youth-suicide-is-rising.html [Accessed: 6th march. 2018] Plandisc. (2018) Why A Planning Tool Is Important. [ONLINE] Available at: https://plandisc.com/why-a-planning-tool-is-important-and-how-you-can-plan/ [Accessed: 6th march. 2018] Prospect. (2018). Job Profile. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/theatre-stage-manager [Accessed: 25th April. 2018] Schmidt, K. (2017) How to Sing Harmony. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-sing-harmony-2994144 [Accessed: 3rd March. 2018] Shield Safety. (2016) Importance of Risk Assessments. [ONLINE] Available at: https://shieldsafety.co.uk/the-importance-of-risk-assessments/ [Accessed 5th May. 2018] Stacy. (2009). Heathers, whats your damage? Available at: http://www.neatorama.com/2009/04/07/movie-trivia-heathers-whats-your-damage/ [Accessed 17th April. 2018] Stage Agent. (2018) Heathers The Musical synopsis. [ONLINE] Available at: http://stageagent.com/shows/musical/6658/heathers-the-musical [Accessed: 19th Jan. 2018] Tongue, C. (2016). Heathers The Musical review. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jun/13/heathers-the-musical-review-a-wildly-enjoyable-and-daring-show-if-a-little-damaged [Accessed: 1st May. 2018] Vine, H. (2018). Looking back at Heathers. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.playbill.com/article/look-back-at-heathers-the-musical-off-broadway [Accessed: 1st May. 2018] Vocalist. (2018) Backing and Harmony Singers. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vocalist.org.uk/backing_vocalist.html [Accessed: 3rd March. 2018]

EVALUATION

Overall, I think our major production was a success. During our dress run, which was studio based for an audience, I feel it went really well. One of my strengths throughout Heathers would definitely be learning lines and also comedy timing. I feel without this, my part as Kurt Kelly wouldn't come across right to the audience.  My strengths within my dancing I believe is my stamina. I feel like I have really improved on singing and dancing at the same time, especially in my song 'Blue'. Stamina is important when doing a major production as it is a long show, usually around 1 hour 30 mins - 2 hours. My strengths in singing would be my technique. I feel like it has really come a long especially with singing low throughout the show. Stamina, again is something else that has helped me with my breathing and being able to hold on long notes, on key and not flat. Something I need to improve on in my acting would definitely be not coming out of character throughout each scene when I am in the back ground. I need to not surface and make sure I am fully in character, even when I am not speaking. Something I could improve on in my dancing is technique and also doing it full out every time we rehearse. This will allow me to be to the full of my dance potential when doing the show. Within singing, I need to work on not straining my voice and also being gentle when shouting throughout different scenes. This will make my voice healthier and will help if I ever do more than 1 show a day. Also, to help this I will make sure I steam my vocal chords the week leading up to show day so my voice isn't tired or croaky. If I was to do a major production again, I would make sure I was fully prepared to do a full 2 hour production.   I would also work on my fitness, even though it has improved a lot there is always room for more improvements. Also, I will make sure my attendance is at 100% as I had a couple of missed rehearsals throughout this semester, due to injury and sickness. Overall, I think our final show of our major production will be a success and I hope the audience enjoys what we have worked hard on.

THE RIGHT EMPLOYEES FOR YOUR MAJOR PERFORMANCE

Finding the right employees for a major performance can be tricky. It takes a lot of hard work and decisions before you can pick the right cast. To start, you will have to organise auditions, contact agents and let them know when and were the audition is happening. Locating an audition in London would be your best bet as that is the home of theatre in England, with some of the biggest, well known drama schools, such as Gilford, Central and Italia Conti. Also, holding auditions in Manchester will help as it is in the middle of London and Liverpool.

Another thing could be hiring a casting director. They usually play a starring role within the audition process. ‘A casting director is a middleman (or more likely a middlewoman) who finds the actors needed to fill roles in movies, TV shows, and theatre productions’ (Dannenfeldt, 2018).

Another way of getting your auditions out there is advertising them on social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and also on performing job sites such as Star Now, The Stage and Spotlight. This will allow different people from different places to audition, especially if you are holding an open audition.

‘Advertising plays a very important role in today’s age of competition. Advertising is one thing which has become a necessity for everybody in today’s day to day life’ (managementsstudyguide, 2018).

RESOURCES

One of the most important things to having a successful major performance is attendance of the cast. Having any main cast member off nocks the show down, as it is difficult, especially if the main part is off. To make this easier, in a professional environment there will be covers/swings to step in, but because we are in a learning environment and have such a small cast it was hard.

Budgeting for our show is something else we have had to think about. ‘ Budgeting for a special event is essential for its success’ (Ideboen, 2018). Renting our a theatre for your final performance can sometimes be expensive, especially if you are giving your audience free tickets.

One of the main things I personally think will help with the show is the venue. We will be performing in the Epstein Theatre, which we found was better for our audience as it gives them a ‘night at the theatre’ feel. The seating arrangement’s were better also as the Epstein Theatre holds more people than St Georges Hall.

Another thing that is important for a show is advertising it. LMA Liverpool have been kind enough to post on social media about our show for anyone to come and see. Also, me and my class mates have posted on our own personal social media for any friends and family who would like to attend. This is important because if you don’t advertise your show, no one is going to know about it. There is no show without an audience.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Carrying out a risk assessment is important within any production. ‘In July, it was reported that 144 workers in Great Britain were killed whilst at work in 2015-2016‘ (shieldsafety, 2016) so it is important to keep yourself and people around you safe.

The general steps to take are:

• Identify any hazards • Decide who could be harmed and how • Evaluate the risks and consider controls • Record the findings and implement them • Are reasonably practicable control measures in place? (shieldsafety, 2016).

It is important for us to risk asses, as in our performance we use a rostrum, which is only 2ft high but could cause a lot of damage if not checked out properly. We use the rostrum to do a lift, which could be dangerous if not practised. Therefore in our tech run we will see if the lift is safe, and if not it will be changed.

On stage at the Epstein there are no wires, which would have been a problem due to all our dancing and moving around. Backstage however, we will make sure all wires are covered/stuck down with duct tape, which will prevent anyone from tripping over and hurting themselves.

THE SHOWS SUCCESS

Heathers The Musical has never been an on broadway/west end show. However, it seems to be becoming a popular musical nowadays.

Heathers started off as a off-Broadway show back in 2014, starring Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica and Ryan McCartan as JD (Vine, 2018).

Heathers The Musical is in fact coming to the west end because of popular demands, however the show is going to have some differences, such as Carrie Hope Fletcher starring as Veronica Sawyer.

Most audiences responses for Heathers The Musical where mostly positive, and a lot of them commented on how amazing Barrett Wilbert Weed was at playing the role of Veronica. The show was rated 3 stars by Cassie Tongue from The Guardian back in 2016. She says “it doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. In moments, it’s happy being a black comedy; in others, it’s a well-meaning attempt to connect with teenage isolation“ (Tongue, 2016). Not every review is going to be positive, however I think this is a good thing as positive criticism can only help to make a production stronger.

PRODUCTION ROLES

It is important for a show to have different people for different roles. Even though all you see is a show on opening night, a lot of people as well as the performers would have worked so hard to make the show happen. There are a few in particular that I think are the most important, such as:

Stage manager

Musical Director

Choreographer

Costume.

A stage manager has many different jobs to think about when doing a show. There roles and responsibilities include:

- ‘set up and run rehearsal schedules

- manage the props and possibly the design budgets and liaise with the production manager regarding costs

- ensure the company's welfare and maintain a good working knowledge of all relevant health and safety legislation and good working practice

- supervise the 'get in' to the theatre, when the set, lighting and sound are installed, and the 'get out', when all the equipment is removed

- distribute information to other theatre departments’ (prospects, 2018)

and many more responsibilities.

Musical Director is another important role in a show as they are in charge of all the musical numbers, and making sure everyone’s harmonies are right and making sure the orchestra is playing the right song/backing music at the right time. Without an MD (musical director) there would be no show.

Costume is one of the most important roles in a show. They work really hard to keep the costumes at a high standard and repair any wear and tear in each and every costume. They also help performers with there quick changes throughout each show as they know the costumes inside and out and are probably quicker than anyone.

Finally, the choreographer. Each show always has spectacular dance numbers in to keep the audience entertained, and this is all thanks to the choreographer. They are in charge of making up the routines for each song, and putting ideas from the director into practise.

POLITICAL VIEWS.

Suicide is one the main story line of Heathers The Musical. JD makes each murder he makes look like it was suicide which then triggers off one of the Heathers to try and kill herself.

 ‘Overall suicide rates for young Americans fell from 12.3 per 100,000 in 1980 to 11.9 in 1983, then increased to 12.5 in 1984’ (nytimes, 2018). It is clear that as time has gone on, suicide in America 1980′s has increased.

Another thing that stands out in Heathers is gun crime. JD shoots Ram and Kurt and carries a gun round in a few scenes. In America 1980′s, ‘The Armed Career Criminal Act increases penalties for possession of firearms by persons not qualified to own them under the Gun Control Act of 1986′ (Longley, 2018). JD mentions in a scene with him and Veronica that the gun was his grandfathers, not actually his gun. This could be because he is not qualified to own it himself. ‘ Ich Luge means "I'm Lying" in German, so when J.D. says that he's using "Ich Luge" bullets on Kurt and Ram, he's actually telling you what's going to happen’ (Stacy, 2009).

STRATEGIC PLAN

One of the most important things to do is make a plan of what needs doing and how long you have to do it, for our major performance. We have 14 weeks to complete a 2 hour show of Heathers The Musical, which is why it is important to plan ahead, as the majority of this is tricky ensemble numbers such as Beautiful (8.19 mins long); Big Fun (4.13 mins long) and Me Inside of Me (5.18 mins long). By planning each university day and working out how much rehearsal time we have each week. This puts into perspective how quickly we need to work through scenes and songs. ‘Planning is the first step of pursuing goals.’ No matter which type of plan it is, whether its educational or a business plan, ‘one thing that is common is devising a plan that is efficient enough to help achieve these goals’ (plandisc, 2018).

REFERENCE: https://plandisc.com/why-a-planning-tool-is-important-and-how-you-can-plan/ (7th march) 

PROBLEM SOLVING

As we have decided to focus on the ensemble songs first, I have took it upon myself to learn my lines for the whole show. This will allow me to be given stage direction without me having to worry about what my line is.

 ‘The actor's job is to bring a scripted character to life’ (Gardner, 2009).

Learning my lines before staging scenes is something that doesn’t come easy to me, as I have a good memory of remembering were I am which then helps me with which line I say in each scene. Due to not staging anything yet, I took it upon myself to work out a different way of learning. I found that writing out my lines on a piece of paper multiple times helped me remember, and also building up my character. Something else I found help me, was learning other peoples lines before mine, so I know my queue line.

REFERENCE: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/09/character-building-great-actor (6th march)

PROBLEM SOLVING

There are a lot of tricky harmonies in the songs of Heathers The Musical.

I found recording them in class as we were learning them and then going over them in my own time helped me a lot more to remember them. Another thing that also helped me was recording the final song with all the harmonies correct, as I could hear the harmonies in each group when I sing it myself at home to make sure they are correct.

When singing a harmony, it will complement the melody line of a song sung by the lead (vocalist, 2018). The harmony has entirely different notes and often creates a chord with the melody. They are usually either 3 or 4 half notes above or below the original melody, this is called a interval of a third (Schmidt, 2017).

REFERENCE: Vocalist. (2018) Backing and Harmony Singers. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vocalist.org.uk/backing_vocalist.html [Accessed: 3rd March. 2018]

Schmidt, K. (2017) How to Sing Harmony. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-sing-harmony-2994144 [Accessed: 3rd March. 2018]

Audition Prep

For auditions, each girl was asked to learn Dead Girl Walking and to prepare a monologue in the style of Heathers The Musical.

On top of this, I decided to prepare myself for other parts also as I was open to play any part. I decided to learn Candy Store and also a verse and chorus of Kindergarten Boyfriend. Candy Store is a song sung by The Heathers and Kindergarten Boyfriend is a song performed by Martha Dunnstock. Candy Store is a song about if Veronica wants to be one of them she needs to start acting like them otherwise they will treat her like everyone else (FANDOM, 2018)

Kindergarten Boyfriend is about Marthas Kindergarten crush Ran Sweeney, singing about how little trouble she faced at a young age (Gioia, 2014).

Dead Girl Walking is a song sung by Veronica whilst drunk. She gains a range of confidence and instead of moping around about falling out with Heather, she decides to go to JD's house to have wild sex (Gioia, 2014).

REFERENCE: Gioia, M. (2014) What's Your Damage? A Track-by-Track Breakdown of the Heathers: The Musical Cast Album. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.playbill.com/article/whats-your-damage-a-track-by-track-breakdown-of-the-heathers-the-musical-cast-album-com-324469 [Accessed: 24th Jan. 2018]

FANDOM. (2018) Candy Store. [ONLINE] Available at: http://heathers.wikia.com/wiki/Candy_Store [Accessed: 24th Jan. 2018]

Our Major Performance is Heathers The Musical.

Heathers is a story about a girl called Veronica Sawyer, a senior at Westerberg High who longs to be cool like the it-girls (The Heathers). The Heathers are known as popular but also cruel and give Veronica a make over so she fits in with them, however Veronica realises its not all lip gloss and being cool. She finds herself attached to a mysterious boy called Jason Dean (JD) who accidentally poisons Heather Chandler. After getting away with staging her suicide, JD and Veronica decide to exhilarated there newfound power and try to kill the cruelly popular people in Westerberg (Stage Agent, 2018).

REFERENCE: Stage Agent. (2018) Heathers The Musical synopsis. [ONLINE] Available at: http://stageagent.com/shows/musical/6658/heathers-the-musical [Accessed: 19th Jan. 2018]