Script

Here is my script annotated with stage directions, intention and general direction of lines and movements. Some have the original ideas still on them, although they were not used in the actual show.

Work On Song & Dance

Chorus members are equally important, if not more than the main characters as they keep the energy up between dialogue filled scenes. They are also important and younger audience members connect with the chorus members, singing and even dancing along.  The links below are some of the first rehearsals learning routines:

During long day rehearsals there was at which the energy would drop and our performance in all aspects (acting, dancing and singing) were poor. Chloe (our singing director) asked us to momentarily forget about the panto and focus all of our efforts into singing and performing 'Hit the Road Jack' by Ray Charles. It proved to work well as our concentration was peaking with the new lyrics, our bodies awake with new movement and our performance both engaging and expressive. 

We were given a rehearsal schedule that outlined the hours we would be in. They were incredibly daunting at first and then thoroughly worked through we realised that there was not much rehearsal time left at all.

Reassessing My Character

After finding out that our pantomime changed from Jack & the Beanstalk to Aladdin, roles were automatically to a transferred. An example of this would be the role of the Jack's mother to Widow Twankey (Aladdin's mother); pantomimes have many stock characters (these are characters who are so well known by trait e.g. A King's body language is defined by a confident, well postured form and is known to look down their nose at others.

Who am I?	Where am I?	What am I doing?
A young (estimated age of 21), spritely, attitude coated, not overly wealthy, vain, obsessive, lazy but confident spirit of the ring who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. I am rather sarcastic and like to show off. I wear very obvious and bright jewellery and my make-up encompasses my flirty yet respectful nature.	Similar to the Genie, I’m held captive with an object although mine is a ring. Within my living quarters I’m based in a living room which is rather cluttered and has a television as I’m always up to date with the latest shows.	I’m either watching TV, or doing something that benefit me e.g. painting my nails, doing my make-up or eating. I am a compulsive eater due to my increased boredom within the ring.

What do I see?	Why am I here?	How do I feel?
Bright colours, I’m surrounded by red, orange and green.  There is an organised mess within my space, photo frames on the wall containing pictures of my family. There is also a world map which covers 2/3 of the wall.	It is a rite of passage; once 18 I was placed inside a ring and given the responsible of guiding those in need in trying times.	Lonely as the only interaction I encounter is when the ring is rubbed which summons me. Content as I know that I have to do what I do, although I do feel an overwhelming sense of imprisonment

My Story: 

I am the Spirit of the Ring, a guardian if you will. Once living with my family whom I loved dearly, then once I reached 18 had to take the path paved for me. I am one of the more successful spirits, not to mention the most beautiful. Money is something I am not bound by; I live each day as it comes. A lover of food and television, I have a great amount of time to myself. Every few years I put my knowledge to use and train those before they are allocated to a ring. My greatest wish is to be able to roam the universe freely which is why I have a large world map on my living room wall.

More Developmental Activities

We also worked with balloons. The aim of the exercise was to keep the balloons in the air, however, we had to do so in character. At first, we were all distracted by the objective of the game we lost all composure with our characterisation; to help focus ourselves, we then carried on with the same task although in silence. This encouraged greater emphasis on our movements, exaggerated facial expressions, and a sense of teamwork and understanding between characters. Saskia (our villainous character) for example, would try to push balloons down, whereas, Michael (our Emperor) would send his guards to keep them up.

Here is footage for one of the first rehearsals off script that we had. It's incredibly bare as I was still coming to grips with my character as well as my lines. 

Synopsis

In order to equip myself with the new script and songs, I used http://www.its-behind-you.com/ to understand the history behind the orginal version of Aladdin as I was very familiar and fond of the Disney version. Information below is directly sourced from this website.
The story originated in the 'Tales of the Arabian Nights', and in the pantomime version it is set in China. The Pantomime tells the story of Aladdin, son of a poor widow in Peking. Originally she was called 'Widow Ching Mustapha'. During the 1850's, Victorian London was the destination for the first clipper ships that supplied tea to the London tea houses. There was a fascination for the Chinese style in architecture, fashion and entertainment. In the Pantomime version of 1861 the name of Aladdin's mother became 'Widow Twankey', in H.J. Byron's production. Twankey was a popular tea at this time, from the Tuon Ky region of China.
Since then the Widow Twankey has become a laundress, allowing scope for slap-stick scenes in the Laundry, along with her other son 'Wishee Washee'. The increase in Chinese laundries in London's East End, and in Liverpool led to these comedy scenes.
The magical part of Aladdin comes from the two Djinn or Genies, the Slave of the Ring, and the Genie of the Lamp. The original Genie gave three wishes but in the pantomime Aladdin is free to use his newly found powers for as long as he holds the lamp.
Other characters include the Principal Girl, traditionally called Princess Balroubadour but more recently, after the Disney Film, Princess Jasmine.
The Pantomime is one of the most spectacular, often with lavish scenery, a glittering 'Transformation' scene in the cave of jewels, and very often a flying carpet to add to the magic.

From this information, it was very clear that the written characters had to be played very closely to the script's direction as everything was very particular in this plot. For audience members it would be seem amateur if there were wild card like characters amongst an already complicated storyline.
I began thinking of my character and how I would play her.

A Turn of Events

Due to another company close to where out theatre was based also putting on a production of Jack & the Beankstalk our company were unable to proceed with our own.
The decision was then made to go forward with the production of Aladdin which I greatly welcomed as I've always liked the story of Aladdin. After receiving a new script we had a read through with the company; this panto had more characters in the plot, there was:

• Abanazar - the Villain
• Spirit of the Ring - the 'Fairy'
• Aladdin - the Protagonist
• Widow Twankey - the Dame
• Emperor - the King
• Princess
• So-Shy - the Princess's handmaiden
• Bamboo and Typhoo - the Comedy Duo
• Genie

Due to the timing of when we changed panto, we were given 3 hours to prepare our audition pieces. However, those who had their roles such as Jovan (the Dame), Saskia (the Villain), Corrina (the Protagonist) and myself we were given the identical role within the new production.

As part of a pantomime there are songs and dances which younger audiences especially are involved in. We were given our song list and a deadline to learn the words of songs, they were:

• Live While We're Young - One Direction
• Do It Like A Dude - Jessie J (However, we used our own lyrics to the song incorporating the laundry 'Soap, soap has arrived')
• Oompa Loompa Instrumental - Again with personalised lyrics 'Washing, washing to do'
• Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind and Fire
• Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
• Hey Baby - DJ Otzi
• Happy - Pharrell Williams

Blocking

Succeeding in my audition, I got the role of the Fairy which I very pleased about. Our cast list:

Jack Trott	Corrina Foley
Dame Trott	Jovan Sutovic
Alfie	Kurt Johnson
King Hubert	Michael Parry
Princess Rose	Daisy Spicer
Nausea	Saskia Chambers
Fairy Nuff	Khadija Richmond
Blunderbore (the giant)	Kelsey Lewis
Daisy the Cow	Georgia Owen / Barnaby Jordan
Chorus	Eden Stewart, Lily Jordan, Georgia Owen, Barnaby Owen
Villagers	Emma Foskett, Molly May Giddings, Nathan Grant-Brooker, Amber Hunt, Ricardo Metin, Luke Rota, Tom Roethenbaug, Jack Smith, Sonia Dayal

We then began to block through scenes by following the directions on the script and from our director herself. It proved challenging as we were all in the process of line learning and were trying to simulate some form of characterisation as well.
Here are some of the points of reference from our director:

• When going through lines remember that there are different ways of pausing for effect which may or may not be given in stage directions. If already placed in the script, these are the recommended timings: Beat = 1 second, Pause = 4 seconds, Silence = 5/6 seconds and a Long pause = 8 seconds.
• The importance of character improvisation – even at such an early stage, we had to do excess work outside of rehearsals to ensure our familiarity with the script and our character and the character’s relation to the plot.
• Diction – making sure that we were clear and able to be understood.
• Upstaging – as mentioned above, it was an early stage in the rehearsal process however, if corrected this early then in theory it shouldn’t occur again.
• Building layers – this was a note mainly for chorus members which would add to the atmosphere. Building a back story for each character (especially non-speaking roles) which gave each purpose on stage.
• Front on acting – this was an overall comment especially for the main characters when having a conversation with another on stage, to tilt their posture diagonally towards the audience.
• Tonic body – this is to do with physical intention of a character, whether what is interpreted by their body matches what they are saying.

We also had to understand that pantomimes are played on two different levels as the art form is mistaken only for children. There are aspects such as the princess and the fairy which are intended for a younger audience, however, with the humour and the intonation of certain jokes they are for older audience.
Personal feedback given by the director were assessing my voice and finding a comfortable median between an upbeat  and spritely tone and one that can be understood. I (although in the process of learning) was also told to go over lines so that I was completely comfortable, this would encourage grander gestures which was my final note.

Developmental Activities

In order to aid each individual with basic elements of acting alongside deepening our understanding of panto, we have a session once a week with Olga. These sessions provide information on various aspects of acting, for example: showreels, stagecraft, audition process work, characterisation and also delving into what each person wants to do.

We began our panto exploration with the 7 levels of tension and establishing what they were and why they are used. This is a method used by both actors and directors (in a directive sense) to establish a physical adaptation of characterisation as well as make a clear distinction between naturalism and abstract work. The levels are:
1) Catatonic - this is to be completed at a lethargic state, with lifeless limbs and no movements.
2) Relaxation - this is done in a slightly more awakened state, minimal movements may occur.
3) Neutral - this can be done by moving around the space in a nonchalant manner.
4) Alert - this is performed with more urgency and at a faster pace.
5) Suspense - this is fulfilled by incorporating level 6 with a hint of melodrama.
6) Passionate - this is executed with a greater pace, over-the-top movements and extended movements and vocal range.
7) Tragic - this the utmost, melodramatic level where every fibre of amplified, both physical and vocal.

Trying these levels ourselves we started on the floor in the first stage and progressed through each one. The transition from level 2 to 3 proved the hardest as my body was completely lethargic and weighted, moving my arms and legs felt as though I was stuck in treacle and moving in slow motion. Distinction between levels 6 and 7 also proved difficult as I was already close to my full extent of excitement, however, after doing this a few times it seemed easier to get to grips with.

We repeatedly worked through these levels to engage familiarity as well as incorporating our characters within the panto. Using the different levels, we were put in challenging situations and asked to improvise scenes. Being put in different circumstances demanded high concentration levels as all responses had to be in character e.g. I was put in a situation where my tension level was 7 and Jack's level was only at 2 and we were placed in a supermarket. Personally, I struggle with improvisation as I feel I'm unable to think of engaging material quick enough however, playing such an over exaggerated character helped greatly as it gave me enough time to process what was said and how to respond all whilst extended my movements. This involved loose arms, walking with an amplified bounce and keeping my facial expressions big and sharp; as the exercise continued I gained confidence and tried different things.