Notes..

A couple of weeks ago I went into Middlesex Uni and met up with Alan and a group of other students from the BAPP course. I found I had a few revelations. 

From this I learnt that I could be at a disadvantage, this is because my profession is performing, not teaching. By this I mean that because I am not with a group of children or young adults, I do not have a vast selection of people that I can use to gather information from at my disposal. So I don't have a great source of observation. Working as a teacher and doing the BAPP course, there is more to talk about as they manage a group of children etc and can tailer the lessons to the appropriate subject for the BAPP course. When teaching, information can be picked up everyday. Where as when it is just myself, I need to have these revelations to progress. 

So the work I do delves deeper into myself rather than the information of other people. For the course this making what I am writing about harder, but for my critical reflection it helps a great deal, doing a degree is not just about getting the paper at the end but also the learning that comes from it and how you can use that for the rest of your professional and non professional life.

However I did find that I am not just in the dark doing this subject as what I am doing also linked up with other subjects where people also felt they were on a long road and did not know which direction to take next. I was speaking to one girl about her subject. She was taking this degree from an angle which I didn't know you could take on this course. Fashion. However I found that the topics that I am touching on also linked with hers. I am very interested in the subject of low or non payed jobs and she was also talking about people doing unpaid internships. So from different subjects we can help each other. I can also use this for my SIG groups. 

I found that being in an interactive environment also really helped me to spark new ideas. So I need to do my best to make sure that I can get myself into these situations to get the best out of my degree. 

5b. Working Abroad Continued..

From one of my comments on my previous blogs helped me to think more deeply into my earlier reflection. 

Often, with any problems we might have had, we just had to do our best to work our way around them. Because we would only be in the venue for a forty five minute set, the venue would not have necessarily moved mountains for us. This is because they are a business themselves and although we are there to bring in the customers as an attraction, they are inevitably the ones who make the money. So wasting their time on us will be stopping them from serving customers.
I am not overly fussy when it comes to job situations that I am faced with. This is because being able to perform overrides all other problems. I can change in a grotty area, glass on the floor is a difficulty but we can sweep this away. I have moved barrels around a changing area before, this wasn't my job to do and if I would have hurt myself there would have been some serious repercussions, but I didn't so it wasn't a problem. I think where I draw the line is at bugs. Were I have a genuine phobia of something. It's something that I would not tolerate in my own home and I'm not being payed enough to tolerate it anywhere else. But the problem is, I put up with everything else and others want the job so much that they can stand being put in a room with cockroaches running around. Which as a result allows employers to put performers in situations like that and to only think of them as little worker bees that bring in the money. This is a downward spiral for performers. This is why I have grown to believe performers should not do unpaid work. If performers lower the price of themselves then it allows employers to pay less and put performer in bad situations because they know that performers are very replaceable.  So by a small amount of people doing something for a low fee, why should the employer want to pay any more to have new performers when they know that someone will do it for a cheeper price?

I think this has brought me to think about how we as performers look after our wellbeing. Organisations like Equity have been put in place to stop this from going on. But we have to work with them so that they can help us. The more we allow ourselves to be walked over the more it will affect others within the industry too. We must do our best to bring the industry's view on performers to a higher level. 

5b. Ethics Within Working Abroad

I have been trying to look up different laws on the topics that I had brought up. Straight away I contacted Equity. Today, Equity is not as important as it was before, Long ago, performers were not able to work unless they had an Equity Card. However, You could also not get an Equity Card unless you were working. so people were just going in circles. Now though you can still employed without the necessary documents.
I looked though all Equity's contracts and discovered that there was a lot of information on health and safety. Explaining that it is always the fault of the employer or venue. However, the performer must also look after themselves by warming up and doing their best to avoid injury. There was also lots of information on the performers welfare. But the way it was written was very non-specific, to cover all angles. The best way to find out individual issues is to make a claim to one of the Equity representatives that will individually taylor the claim around you. I am very glad that I have joined spotlight because it keeps me reassured that in a dog eat dog industry, I have someone else looking after me.

All of Equity's information is found though this link:

www.equity.org.uk

Blake Curtis-Woodcock Dance Showreel

I have finally got my dance showreel up and running and now it's been uploaded to the web!

Blake Curtis-Woodcock Dance Showreel

Give it a click and let me know what you think!! :D xx

5a. Ethics Within Working Abroad

In my most recent job there were a lot of unresolved ethical issues. Most of these were brought under the health and safety category, but also our welfare, which was quite unsettling.

I'll give you a bit of background to my job. I was a dancer as part of the Diamond Dancers touring Paphos, Cyprus. We were part of an agency that sent us to hotels and bars. So we would arrive at the venue, set out costumes, give our music to the DJ and away we go! In the hotels, there where (mostly) a good back stage area for us to change. But when we were sent to bars, the bar is not equip for dancers needing a changing room, which is understandable. So we would be put in any space they had. Some venues we would have to change in an office and other times we were put in spaces that where very unstable.We were put in stock rooms, which were often full to the brim with barrels leaving not enough space for two girls to change let alone four. We have had to change in a kitchen where there has been broken glass on the floor. Other venues have been very good about looking after us. Even when they only have limited space. They have made sure that areas have been cordoned off so that no one can come round and watch us getting changed. Other venues, were not so courteous.

In the view of our health and safety, I will start with the changing space. Many times, hotels had a lovely back stage area, with lights round mirrors, the classic 'back stage' area as you can imagine. Other times when the venues where not so equip is when we had problems. Lack of space was one of the biggest problems for us. This was because we had very many fast changes into different costumes and having to rush to a space that was usually quite far away from the performance area, then having to squeeze into it was a hinderance for us.

More on changing spaces is that most spaces were not prepared for us. There was a time when our changing area was full with sixteen beer barrels stacked up high. With four girls changing in an area with heavy things that could easily fall, that is definitely not safe. Often we would be given an office room that was still covered in papers and had things all over the desks, leaving us to have to find a space to put our costumes. It was fine for us to deal with but it hadn't be prepared knowing that the dancers were coming. Another time we were given a kitchen to change in which had broken glass all over the floor. The bar at that point was under staffed and very busy for our performance, but it still wasn't very fair for us having to put our costumes onto the broken glass as we had large costumes with feathers, so they couldn't have all just sat one one chair.

One venue we were told to change in the stock room. It was covered in a white dusting of powder. We soon discovered that this was vermin poison as the number of dead cockroaches laying everywhere were found. THIS is where we drew the line and asked to be given another changing area. Which we were granted, but unfortunately..we were not asked back to this venue..

Another health and safety problem we had were the floors. Most of the bars have been designed for performers, with built in lights and an area for the performers to entertain. But they have not been designed for dancers. In the day time the bar's performance space is used as normal, with tables on it to provide for customers. And so the dance floor space is cleaned like the rest of the bar floor. Sometimes these floors get polished, leaving it very slippery for us to dance on. This for dancers is a huge health and safety risk. Because if we slip and hurt ourselves. That is the end of the show! With in the agency that we work for, we are the only dance group. The rest of the clientèle are live singers and tribute acts. So a polished floor is only a problem for the dancers, making us look like pre Madonna’s.

Now onto our ethical welfare. Like I've said sometimes we had really good changing areas, sometimes we had really bad changing areas. The worst was when the venue didn't care what was going on with us. So they allowed men just to be able to walk into our changing area to try and talk to us. This was very unfair as we were very unclothes with our costumes on, let alone changing into the next one. So this was often an issue for us where we would get angry at the man and tell the workers of the bar or hotel to stop them coming round. But this was always very difficult to do this mid performance as we had little time to take a sip of water let alone notify someone. We had one venue where it had a large open window that backed onto a car park. During a show we saw that there was a big group of lads outside with their telephones out filming us changing. This was very upsetting as we had no choice but to keep changing as we were not able to just stop in the middle of the show. Luckily we were able to tell the owner and he quickly blocked the window with a board and ran after the boys outside. So it's not always the fault of the venue. It just happened to occasionally be very unfortunate.

Each act was given a car to travel to the venues. One day driving along, suddenly the window fell down into the door, like the window had just open it's self and then refused to go back up. So we were stuck with no window in the front passenger side. We notified the agency, who did nothing about it as it didn't stop the car from working. The light that lights up the dials behind the steering wheel had also blown. This meant when we were driving at night we could not see how fast we were going. This is very dangerous! Because not only could you be breaking the speed limit and get points on your licence, you could be putting the lives of others in danger and not even realise! Again the agency was notified about this. Of course nothing was done about it because it didn't stop the car working and getting us from A to B. Months passes and we came in to October when the rain started to come. Only then was the front window fixed as the rain was poring into the car, as the little times it does rain in Cyprus, It's a lot more than a little light shower! The car was filled with little puddles. So that late afternoon the car was taken away and the window was 'fixed' however we were not aloud to open the window as it had only been stuck in place, rather than getting the window mechanism to work. Unfortunately the light in the car has still not been fixed, showing that the company was only interested in paying for things that they had to, rather than looking out for the welfare of their clients.

With all these issues, things are looked at differently in Cyprus. The health and safety rules are not looked at as seriously as they are in the UK. Cypriots also have a very relaxed outlook on life. If they say something will be done tomorrow you will be lucky if it has been done by the end of the week. The saddest thing of all is: if you don't like it, there are always one hundred other girls that the agency could give your job to.

4d. My Award Title

I have been thinking long and hard about what the name of my award title should be.
I looked at the things I was interested in; I love singing; I have such a passion for dancing and I feel I should start to angle my future career towards is acting. But what I love the most if performing. So I knew there should be an element of performance in the title name.
I am also very interested in human behaviour. And the fact that people say that performing is their life, then suddenly they choose to or not to go into the industry. I want to learn more about this and to figure out why people think the way they do, this delves deeper into my interest in method acting.
The name of my award title will be:

BA (Bachelor of Arts) in the Professional Practice of Professional Performance.

Waiting..

Unfortunately I am still waiting for my employer to give me an allotted time to interview him with my survey. I have also tried sending the link to him,to which he has said, 'He has not forgotten about me and will get it done.' But now it's just a waiting game..
I will just have to move on to the next steps and come back to it when I receive the information.

4b. SIG Group

I have decided the best way to keep my SIG group connected is to use a web page called LinkedIn. If you don't currently have a page, don't worry! It is very easy to set up, and is relatively clearly set out to understand.

I want to create space for a group of people to discuss topics in which we all have a similar interest.

I am very interested in the way that people think and to try and understand why people would not choose to go to an audition to do something that they are supposed to love.

Here is a link to my LinkedIn Page.

SIG - Why Performers Choose Not To Go To Auditions

Have a look and see what you think! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! 

4a. My Survey: Why Performers Choose NOT To Go To Auditions

I am soon to finish a six month contract, I have spent the summer dancing in Cyprus and will be coming home early November! Just in time for Christmas, or so you would think..!

With a contract ending as the start of November I have missed all the Christmas pantomime auditions, and I'm too early for auditions got things like the Edinburgh fringe festival. Most projects are looking to be started in January, so I'm stuck in limbo. However, with the performing websites that I am signed up to, I am still receiving emails every day about auditions coming up. So there must be work!

I have found that many people I know are deciding that they wouldn't audition for something because they don't want to do that type of job.
I want to know why? If performing is your passion, why do people not want to do it?
And so the title of my survey is: Why performers choose not to go to auditions.


Here is a link to my survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CQF5Z6H

It only takes a few minutes to complete and I would be very grateful if you could complete it for me. Any comments in the comments box would also be greatly appreciated!

I can't wait to hear your opinions on the subject! 

Reader 4

I have finally finished reading the Reader 4. Being dyslexic, I find reading the most difficult part of the degree so far. But it has given me some ideas towards the kind of questions that I would like to ask.' WHY PERFORMERS DON'T GO TO AUDITIONS?'

Thinking about why people wouldn't want to go to auditions is a greatly explore-able subject. This is because these are questions that each person has his or her own theories on. A subject like this is a very good way of opening ideas and to try to understand why people think the way that they do.

Because the answers to the questions can only be opinions, I expect people to have many thoughts on the subject, which in turn helps me to gather a vast amount of information enabling me to have more results to work with.

The questions cannot simply be answered with a yes or no answer, this means that there is a lot to learn from it, as people will have their own points of view on each given question, which could in turn could eventually change the way you think about things and could evolve your views of a job or type of contract.

TASK 3b - Theories Relating To Networking

It is a very small world and this industry. In one way or another, every one is linked. This could be though a friend of a friend, a colleague, a boss or even someone that goes to the same gym as you. In a professional networking ideal, it is very important that you have a good relationship with people. What you are striving for is to have the other contact want to do things for you. This could be a little a favour as name dropping. But this has to work in two ways, you have to give, to people to endeavour them to help you.

People need different amounts of interaction with others. This can differ from person to person, even within a family. For example, my younger sister is happy to get on with her life in her bedroom with the door closed. She could be in there all day, doing homework, being on the computer, making dresses, playing the guitar, anything that she wanted to get up to. But she is quite happy getting on with them on her own. Where as I get so lonely if I have to be on my own for an evening. I hardly spend any time in my bedroom. When I go to my family home, I only really go in my room to sleep unless I am staying round a friends house. I stick to my mum like glue just because I just need someone to talk to. I just get very sad when I am on my own. I think this is because I have hardly spent any time on my own growing up. After school I would go straight to dance classes, where there would be lots of people, then back to the boarding house, where I am surrounded by people. Or back home where my mum would help me with my homework or we would sit and have dinner together. Where my sister, would have to wait for my mum to come back from driving me all around the country. I then moved to London at sixteen, where again I had a huge influx of friends, that I spent all of my time with. After graduating, I have spent six months on tour having to spend about fifteen hours a day with people. I am now on another tour where again, I am always surrounded by people. I am completely in my comfort zone when I am with people. So that is probably why I like to be in those situations more than my sister, who has quite a quiet first impression. This also means that she is a lot more independent than I am.

Putting yourself in the limelight, in front of impressionable people is always a daunting task. You want to show yourself in the best light to get the most out of the position you or someone else have put you in. However discouraged you may feel, this is the most important time to empower yourself. You must have not fear when it comes to representing yourself. No one wants you to do as well as you do.

Hofstede said that people from more individualistic countries had a greater desire for affiliation. I can understand this. If you look at a country like Africa. The average individual might not know that many people, but their relationships with them are far greater because they make the most of what they have. Whereas in a highly developed country such as America, life is fast paced and everyone wants things now. Fast food; fast broadband; fast cars, etc. This obsession even includes our affiliation with people. Not only do we need things straight away, we can easily get bored with what we have and who we are with. This is why we don't have deeper relationships with all of our acquaintances. It seems to be that we take what we need from people and that is that. What we now need to utilise is the ability to do that in such a way that people enjoy doing it for you.

This is where who you know is important. Having a network of contacts that can help you is always great. But having this network of people and them either not liking you, or not knowing you well enough is as good as not knowing them at all. Here we find that it is not who you know, but what you make of it. It is always very important to make a natural give and take relationship with someone. Making them happy to do something for you because they know you would do the same had you been them. This is harder when it comes to someone that is a higher status than you are, whether it a boss, or a dance teacher, musical director. You must always look to make a good first impression. Even to the person taking your name in an audition, when you are waiting in a room with fifty other girls. They are often one of the most important people you have to impress. As they could have been put there to watch how you interact with others in a highly stressful situation.

Many people deal with people and situations differently. This I believe is partly innate as the way you are is partly in your genes, it could also be due to your star sign. As Leo, Like the lion is a natural leader, whereas a Cancer, Like the crab, needs it's shell for protection, and so they need reassurance and intimacy. These all really relate to how a person things and the actions that they take. But it is also a development of the mind. Someone who hasn't had worldly experiences will evaluate life differently than to someone who has gained knowledge through experience.

Decision-making is a skill we develop as we grow up, this could be through what our parents have told us, the school we went to, but mainly the experiences we have had. We can choose to learn thing and we can choose to ignore them. By doing this we can find out for ourselves, what we like and what we don't. But how are we to know about something, if we don't allow ourselves to be immersed in the learning process.

In the last reader we touched upon Schon's theories. I went into Google Scholar to se what more I could find on him. I read that Schon said that we build on our experiences, Like lego pieces building a ladder. I have used this metaphor – a ladder, rather than something like house or bridge because you can never stop learning. It is impossible to know everything about everything. This is also because things change and develop. So you could learn about A, move onto B and by the time you get to C, A has been improved or evolved into something else.


References
http://www.thecommonwealthpractice.com/reflectivepractitionerreview.pdf

TASK 3A - Current Networks

I am a huge fan of social and professional networking sites, I am part of a large amount of different sites, all of which many of my friends, relatives and colleagues are also on.

Facebook – I mainly use Facebook for domestic use. However, as it is such a huge site, I have also created a professional account. This has pictures of my headshots and information about me and the work I have done. I use this to add relevant people within the business and it's good because they often put up things that interest me about auditions or classes that are going on.

Twitter – Twitter is the new up and coming site. I use my professional Twitter way more than my professional Facebook. This is because it is so much quicker to read and understand. You can follow people with out having to get them to accept the request. And again people constantly put up information about jobs and classes or just their opinion on a show or television program. I love messaging people on Twitter as it is very casual and it then also becomes a topic of conversation, 'Yes! I Tweeted you!' I went to the Surviving Actors open day, to mingle and meet lots of people and someone that worked for Spolight recognised me from my headshot that they had seen on Twitter. That is what it is all about. People remembering you.

Casting call pro – Casting call pro allows you to put up a profile with the work you have done and all your vital statistics. You can also apply for jobs and they give you loads of information on relevant things. There are web chats where people can blog about something they are concerned about and anyone can reply, helping them with the subject. It also shows you who has viewed your profile too. Which is great because I then jump on Twitter and contact them personally. 'Thank you for viewing my profile. I'd love to chat about any of the work that you do etc.' However, nothing is ever free, one should try to utilise it as much as possible to get the most out of your money.

Equity – Equity can help you in any bad situation that arrises. They also now send you emails about jobs that you can apply for.

Spotlight – Spotlight is very similar to Casting Call Pro, however this site is the one most used within the industry. Your Spotlight page can easily be printed off, or linked on an emailed. It is very clear with your details, headshot and resume all set out nicely. Spotlight not only emails you jobs but also articles that they think you would be interested in reading. Again, this is another thing that you have to pay for just because it's the right thing to do.

Emails- At the bottom of my emails I have set up a personalised signature. This goes as follows:

My name: Blake Curtis-Woodcock;

My profession: Actress, Dancer, Singer;

I then have my agents details;

A link to my Spotlight page;

A link to my professional Facebook;

and my Twitter name.

This makes it very easy for me to put in all my information without shoving it in someones face. If only one in every fifteen people look at any of the links that I have attached. That is one more than it would have been, had it not been there.

Another great networking tool is actually going out and meeting people face to face, whether this is going into someones office and waiting around until they have a free five minutes to chat to you. Or there are many networking evenings going on all the time. The hardest part is getting invited to them. I have been lucky enough to have been invited to a couple of these on a whim. They basically needed a few more girls walking around the place, so I jumped at the opportunity. They are club evenings where people chat and drink and have a good time. But being in a club is the best time for me to be business minded. Because you are able to make a good impression on someone and with the drinks flowing, it's all very casual. You can have a laugh and a joke with someone that you wouldn't be able to have in a board room. Being able to weenie yourself in this way could be a huge advantage. Remember: It's not what you know, it's who you know.

The reason people use these networking tools is simple:

To contact people;

To show what they have done;

To show your face;

To be remembered.

Celebrities having their own websites, telling fans when they are going to be somewhere, such as a book signing or gig. Even sections for buying merchandise. This creates revenue, and is also a free advertising method. Seeing someone with a Steps T-shirt on will make you think of the pop group. That is the most important thing, because if people don't hear about something for a long time they forget about it. However, now that I have mentioned this band you will notice things to do with the band, which you wouldn't have batted an eyelid at before. This is the brain working subconsciously. This is the best form of advertisement.

Years ago, you could not work as a professional actor with out an Equity Card. Macleod, Joseph Todd Gordon Today, called it, the actors right to act. Equity is a union that looks after actors, almost like an insurance policy. Many employers would not even look at your resume until you had acquired an Equity Card. Today however, it is not vital to have an equity card to work as an actor. But people still continue to pay a minimum of about £100 a year to be part of the union. Why is this? People still want to be a part of equity, not only for all the good it does for actors but because it's a highly recognised symbol of being a serious actor.

Having an equity card is an extra thing you can tell people to impress them. 'Yes I am part of Equity,' is always better than, 'no I am not.'

My ideal network, would be set out like a Facebook account. With different tabs for showing, the work you have done. Then being able to click on the individual job and a list of pictures, video's, comments you have made on these would come up.

There would be a video section where you could upload a showreel, but also little home made videos of dances or just you singing to the camera at home. It would be a very casual site where there would be different friends you could add, and put them into sections, Casting Directors, Actors, Film makers. You would be able to follow them as you do on Twitter, rather than having to send a request.

There would be people blogging about what is going on where, sections for reviews, for advertising dance classes and even a jobs section. To send off to be put up for roles. And a privet message section to anyone that accepts you as a privet message contact.

All this would be done as a website, however mobile sites would also be created so that it is easily accessible on the move.

To create this network you would need a team of computer specialists to create the website, but once it has been created you need people there at all times to stop it from crashing. You need a huge amount of money as paying people to work twenty four hours a day costs a lot of money. To generate this money you would need advertisement. But before all this, you need customers, there is no way that any of this would work without a huge network of people. People are like sheep when it comes to new things. I recently joined a new site called Branched Out. I did this because everyone else did. However I spent five minutes looking at it, realised I didn't understand what was going on and left the page. I haven't returned since. It is all well and good people joining, but many of these sites are a one hit wander. Not only do you need to take the horse to water, you need to make sure it drinks.

Although I try to use my networking sites as much as I can to get value of money, They are constantly changing and being developed. So there are always new ways that I can contact people with better information on myself. I still don't know how to use Equity and Spotlight as well as I could. I have worked out how to get auditions with my casting type sent to my email address. But I know there are more things on the site that I need to delve into more deeply. I have been very lucky and not yet had a chance to be an out of work actor. But I know as soon as that time comes I will have to learn very quickly to make getting the next job as easy and efficient as the last.

References

Www.getcited.org – Via Google Scholar

Task 2d - Inquiry

Blake Curtis-Woodcock - Task 2d - Inquiry

TASK 2C - Reflective Theory

Here is a link to my essay on Reflective Theory.

Blake Curtis-Woodcock - Task 2c - Reflective Theory

Journal Writing Experience

This past week I have spent documenting my life in the form of a journal. I have used different techniques to help me do this. Some I found easier than others:

Description: I found this the easiest as I just said what I did in the day, this was also quite relaxing because it meant that I could reflect on my day. I think it could also be an idea to do two journals a day. One in the evening at the end of the day and one the morning after so that I had time to think about what has happened and make a better judgement based on a wide range of factors about what is going on rather than just reacting with my emotions.

List: I loved writing the list because people have so much going on in their lives that it was so easy to just list what I did. I found it quite hard to remember everything that went on in my day. It was like a memory exercise as it was a list of what I did rather than how I felt about it. I think it would be more difficult to write a list of my emotions in the day. That would be a very interesting diary to read. However I don't think that I would use this as a long term journal method as I don't feel you have chance to say enough.

Initial Reflection: My initial reflection was basically written with my emotions. Because I had reflected on my day strait away with out giving myself time to think things over and approach them in a conventional way.

Graphs Charts and Diagrams: At first I found it quite difficult to think of things to say and as I wanted to put it on the my blog. So I decided to do it in an 'out-of-five' star format. I found it quite difficult to think of things to say. But as soon as I had it was easy to draw up a graph because my two days were so different.

Evaluation:I enjoyed evaluating my day because it meant that I could think about the day with a clear head and not use my emotions and to clearly document the day.

What if: At first I had no idea what to say for this. I didn't know if it was something like writing a short story. I actually found it easier to think of things that I wouldn't like to happen rather than would like to happen. Maybe that shows a pessimistic side to my personality.

Another View: I left this till last as it was the one that I wanted to put off the most. I thought this would be a difficult task as I didn't know if the object had to have an emotion? Or how my 'bag' could have felt about something. I wrote about my day in the third person. Evaluating my actions, the good and the bad and I thought about how I should have done something. I wrote this a couple of days later as it allowed me to let go of my emotional attachment to the events within the day.

I really enjoyed the week's task, it was very good for me to make a diary as I found that I could think about my actions and and how I dealt with situations. This could also be good in the long run as I can look back on situations and it would give me a greater understanding of people management, thereby developing my interpersonal skills and my organisational abilities.

One Week Of Journals

Each day this past week I have documented each day in different ways as the program suggests.

Day One-Description

Today I had rehearsals for The Sound Of The Musicals. The main event of the day happened in the afternoon. The 'Boy-Girl' groups went off with Giaccolina, the choreographer. And the 'Girl-Girl' groups, which I am in, went with Simon. The company owner and Director. At first I was unhappy about this as you really have to be on your toes with him, as you never know what the reaction could be. But in the end I was so happy that I had been put in his group because he has an exact idea in this mind of what he wants. So being shown and told right from the houses mouth has really been a huge help. For each song he wants a character just like that of the original singer. But much larger and more exaggerated, I found this a little hard at first but as soon as you can understand what is expected of you, it gets easier to throw yourself into it. However, less is more when it comes to dancing and movement. With having dance as such a huge part of my life, I find it hard to not even walk like a dancer and I keep getting told off. But we need to mince around and 'milk the dress' when we arrive on stage. So I am just finding it hard to get a happy medium. Another thing I am finding hard is that he wants the female characters when talking to the audience to be like pantomime dames. But for the conversation to flow and sound unscripted. I am finding it very hard to act like a pantomime dame. Spending the last six months as Peter Pan has really helped me with the physicality needed for pantomime style work. I just need to understand how my character has to be and how I can turn myself into a Barbara Windsor style character and still be real.

Another side event that happened today is that an old friend of mine, that has nothing to do with the industry was at the rehearsals helping out the costume girl! It just proves what a small world this industry is!

Day Two-List

Get Up 5am

Shower

Leave house at 5:45 to avoid congestion charge

Drive to Beckenham

Go to the gym

Shower

Potter around doing my makeup

Drive to Tesco

Buy food for the day

Eat lunch by 10 am

Meet colleagues at rehearsals

Pack the car with speakers, wires, mics etc

Drive to new rehearsal venue

Unpack

Get allocated best room

Set up

Tea Break

Start our rehearsal

Lunch

Tried on all the costumes for the show with the director, looking at everything in detail

Continued this for two hours

Some of the costumes I loved, others I looked like a tea pot in

Back to rehearsing

Practised two of the larger numbers with props

Which I was really glad we did because everything started to fit into place

Practised singing with the mics

People kept coming in to show us their costumes

Tea Break

Pack Up

Wait around awkwardly not wanting to ask if we can leave

Drive back to London out of the congestion charge 

Stop off at Tesco to get bits and bobs for the show

They didn't have anything that I needed

Drove to friends house and parked the car

Walk to the bus stop

After missing a but on the other side realise I am waiting on the wrong side of the road

Wait at the correct bus stop

Get off at Canada Water and start a treck towards London bridge with my big heavy bag

The plan is keep walking until I find a Borris Bike

Continue to keep walking

Finally find a bike at London Bridge station

My bag is too big to fit into the bag holdall

Rearrange my bag on the street so that it will fit in the holdall

Squish and balance my huge bag on top of the holdall

Dangerously bike back to Old Street

Somehow not die

Search for my key for ages out side of the flat

Wait forever for the lift to come

Finally get into the house

Go into the kitchen

Put my phone on charge

Then it hits me

I have left the mini disk with all the music on it for the show in the car

Want to cry

Call the friend and tell her I will have to mission it back to hers in the morning

It is now 8:55 and my eyes are so dry

Get onto the computer 

Email agent and respond to various important emails

Call my mum

Fall into bed with out even taking my makeup off

set alarm for 6:15

Day Three- Initial Reflection

After today I have realised that I have a lot of work to do. This afternoon Simon our Director wanted to go for a run though with us and to do the show exactly how he wants it. For one I didn't know my lines very well so that didn't help anything.

I haven't got the specific character that he wants yet but that is my problem and something I need to sort out ASAP. By the end of the day I just felt fed up and unenthusiastic. I came home, locked myself in my room and just repeated my lines over and over until my brain was frazzled. Hopefully the lines with stick and be there in the morning!

Day Four-Graphs Charts and Diagrams

Yesterday

Knew Lines **

Tiered          ****

Positive        **

Enjoyment   *

Stress           *****

Confident    **

Happiness   *

Organisation**

Today

Knew Lines ****

Tiered          **

Positive        ****

Enjoyment   ***

Stress           **

Confident    ****

Happiness   ***

Organisation****

Day Five-Evaluation

Today each group had to set up our show and watch each other perform. We were lucky enough to go second, which meant that we could watch the first group, take our time to work on anything just in case and then we had the rest of the afternoon to relax and watch the other groups.

There were many jokes and ways they did things in the 'boy-girl' show that worked really well and would be lovely for the audience, but unfortunately as we are a 'girl-girl' show it would be odd for us to do the same things.

Just by watching others it really helps to show what works and what doesn't. Before we started the show I was quite nervous as I don't like performing in front of our director. I never know what he is going to say about something. He commented on how our makeup isn't drag queen enough, so I just piled it on, heavy white and silver eye shaddow all the way up to my eyebrows, bright pink blusher, red lips and of course eyelashes. He then used me as an example of how the make up should look! So at least I did something right!

This show would be our best show as we were performing to our friends, where as a real audience react to things that interest them and not just because they want us to do well, so this show was more like a dress run as it would not show us how an actual show would be, just to show us how the show now fits together and that we could have people to react to.

I learnt that I need to speak slower so that not only an older audience could understand me, but so that Jennifer has enough time do her quick change into the next outfit. I need to make sure that I can speak naturally to the audience while doing this and not just reeling off a list of information to them. If they ask me questions during my speech, I have to be able to answer them and not get lost and flustered with what I am saying.

I must avoid dancing around too much because it will be too much for an older audience to watch, I must still have movement but it's nicer for an older audience to just watch me sing.

Day Six-What If?

It would have been great today if we had been given the morning off. This would have meant I would have had time to go to the gym, do a sun bed and if I had the money get my hair cut. I'd love if my friend Missy could work for the company as me and come on my tour as we get on so well. Then when we were at rehearsals I wish we had had the funniest show and that Simon was so impressed that he couldn't stop laughing. I wish that the free hot chocolate that we were getting from behind the bar was fat free. It would have been nice to know in advance when our dress runs were so that we could have had more time to plan what we were doing. I also would have liked us to have only had one show that started at ten O'clock so that we had the rest of our weekend to ourselves.

I would have hated our show to have been absolutely rubbish, for me to have forgotten all my lines and for Simon to sit there and make rude remarks about me. I would hate for Jennifer and I not to get on and for me to go over on my knee. For me to crash the car on the way home and to have run out of bettery on the way home so not be able to get hold of my mum. To bash my face when I crashed knocking my front teeth out. To get home and have locked myself out of the flat, so have to sit outside until someone arrived to let me in. To eventually get in and my flat mates to be in a bad mood. To cry and eventually call my mum but then the phone rings though and so not be able to speak to her. To fall into bed and have so much going on in my mind that I am not able to fall asleep.

Day Seven-Another View

Today Blake woke up and got herself ready for the dress rehearsals. She had a shower and put on all her make up. She then packed her bag for the week and piked up any other bits and bobs that she might need. Made herself some drippy egg and soldiers and ate that before leaving to pick Jennifer up. When Blake arrived at Jennifer's house she had to wait for just under a minute before Jennifer got in. She turned around the car and drove to the Petrol station where she filled up the car. She then typed the destination into the Sat Nav and continued on their journey.

It took them a long time to find the destination. She drove up and down the road looking for it. When they eventually found it Blake parked the car and Jennifer went to the front door to go in. Blake joined her. As they went in they were shocked at what they saw. Elderly people slumped over in chairs and they were just staring into the distance. Both Jen and Blake went out side, they looked at each other with disheartened looks on their faces and started to unload the car. They set up in good time and had enough time to sort out their costumes. Simon was at the show which was good because he really got the audience going. The girls did the show and there were many good and bad points. Blake needs to learn how to interact with the audience more when she is speaking to them however when she performed the songs she performed to the individuals making her performance into a story. The girls then packed up and went to their next venue. Blake got a bit stressed out at Jennifer as Blake had done a tour before she understands the format of how things need to be done, where is Jennifer wanted to just take her time to do things. The residents here had dementia and so Blake was quite sad at some of the things that she was seeing and experiencing. But she did not let this infringe on her performance as she realised it was something she could concentrate on instead of thinking about where she was.

TASK1d: Images of my work on Flickr

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/blakecw92/

TASK1b: Web 2.0

After reading the Course Reader on Professional Communication Technologies my mind was spiralling. I had to start taking notes as I was reading, as idea after idea kept popping into my head so as not to forget everything.

The document suggests that Web 2.0 allows the social network user to become the creator whereas this is not entirely true. We can only become creators within our limits  with the resources we have. Like children in a playpen if we are given toy blocks we can build, which we could not do if we had been given balls.
An example of this, people have been petitioning for a dislike button on Facebook for years because we cannot just create one ourselves. We have no dislike button to press until the REAL creators create one.

I personally have a number of privacy settings on my Facebook page.
Mostly I would be quite happy for anyone to see what I am getting up to, but with most of my information I cut it down to only friends' friends being able to view me, rather than have it 100% open to the public. But this is still a huge number of people that I don't know being able to see things about me. More than I could even imagine.
With people who are my friends, I categorise into different folders of how I know them; college; family; work;  a play I have done etc.
With those I then have more privacy settings. There are many things that I would be happy for my college friends to see, but not necessarily my grand parents or teachers   By restricting their view I can become the manager of my Facebook page.

Web 2.0 does not make us the creator of our virtual world. It makes us the manager.

I live away from my parents, most of my friends and the rest of my family. Using sites like Facebook or Skype is mostly how I keep in contact. I still make phone calls but with Skype you are able to see people that are across the other side of the country or even world, for free! Where as phone calls or even sending letters would be far more expensive. Sharing photos allows me to show everyone how and what I am getting up to. It also allows me to see how my friends and family are and what they are getting up to.

Not only do I use these sites for social use, I also have professional accounts. This allows me to contact different people in a casual way while still upholding a professional persona.
Twitter is a new and up and coming social site, where people can follow whoever they want. Almost every company is starting to have a twitter page where it can let people know what's going on. Radio one, for example, everyday it 'tweets' about who is coming on the show, or what competitions they have on, or what to look out for.
I use it in the same way, I have followed many different film makers, and theatres, and play writes etc, I 'tweet' about what I am getting up to within the working industry, where I am performing or I message people asking about their work or if they have anything coming up. It is so quick and easy to send someone a tweet that they are more than likely
to reply to you. This then could become an ice breaking conversation topic. 'oh yes! I tweeted you!'

Another great trend is YouTube. Many people including friends of mine not only use this as a social site but also on a business basis. Many of my friends regularly put up clips of themselves singing in the hope that someone influential will see it and help them to branch into the industry. You can also tell people to look you up on YouTube. It's a huge free database of work that you have done, showing what you can do. So everyone is jumping onto the band wagon so that they can get a slice of that pie.

A perfect example of Web 2.0 is YahooAnswers. This is where anyone can post a question and others answer it. The motivation for answering questions is that you receive points for the more questions that you answer. If someone votes your answer as the most helpful you receive more points. The more points you receive bumps up your ratings. You also need to answer a certain amount of questions to then be able to ask a question.
However, some of the answers on the site can be unreliable (as anyone can answer them) but with  most of the information, you can learn quite a lot from it.
The way this site has been set up, yahoo answers have set up the frame and the people do the work for them for free!
I am constantly typing in questions into the search box as it is more than likely that someone has asked that question before. A huge stream of answers follows it and most of the time I find out what I wanted to know.

Web 2.0 has revolutionised the way we live our lives. It has even become part of our vocabulary, 'he Facebooked me,' I Tweeted her, ' 'We Youtubed it,' things that one hundred years ago could never be imagined and there can only me more changes to come. Being connected with thousands of people is just a click of a button away. And with all the touch screen technology the whole world is now at our fingertips.

TASK 1A: Blake Curtis-Woodcock - Curriculum Vitae

Height: 5'6"

Playing age: 16-25

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Brown/Long

Speaking Voice: Clear and Natural

Singing Voice: Mezzo-Soprano

Training: Three year Musical Theatre Diploma at The Italia Conti Accademy of Theatre Arts

Email: blake.curtis-woodcock@Live.com

Mobile: 07525864341

Spotlight: http://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/cv.asp?ref=F140464&pub=1


Credits

Pantomime
Peter Pan,Nanna the Dog, Butch the Pirate---Peter Pan---M&M Productions---Paul Crommie
Musical
Ancestor (Dancer) in The Adams Family---Special Gala Performance---Italia Conti---Hayley Newton, Sean Parkins
Musical
Ancestor (Dancer) in The Adams Family---Celebrating100Years---Italia Coni---Hayley Newton, Sean Parkins
Short Film
Lead Female Role, Kathine---My Light---University Of Westminster---Sam Whitehouse
Musical
Susan---An Evening of Company---Avondale Theatre---David Willoughby, MD Nathan Dawe
Cabaret
Company---Italia Conti Centenary Ball---Grosvenor House---Simon Carr-Minns, Karen Haliday, Richard Peakman
Stage
King Hamlet, The Ghost of Hamlets Father---Hamlet---Complete Works Theatre Company---David Willoughby
Musical
Company---The Wedding Singer---New Wimbledon Theatre---Richard Peakman, Nathan Dawe


Skills

Accents: New York, Southern American, General American, General English, Essex, London, Kent, RP

Dance: Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Pas De Deux, Contempory, Lyrical

Performance: Children's Theatre, Skin Work, Musical Theatre, Dance, Theatre In Education, Voice Over

Sports: Hockey, Gymnastics, Netball, Shooting, Skiing, Snowboarding, Stage Combat, Swimming, Sword Fighting

Vehicle License: Full Driving License, Experience Driving Large Vans