On the 17th October 2018, we had a Q&A with a few people from the musical Hamilton: Tom, who is the associate producer, Rachel Ann Go who plays Eliza Hamilton, Curtis Angus who is part of the ensemble and Giles Terera who plays Aaron Burr.
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Rachel Ann Go Curtis Angus Giles Terera
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- What did you find out about the background of the production? There are 35 actors in the production including 14 swings and it takes about 120 people altogether to make the show happen. Tom said that they auditioned people quite early on and it therefore took about a year and a half to get back to those who were successful in their audition. He mentioned this after Rachel told us a story about when she first auditioned for something in Musical Theatre and they didn't get back to her until after a year. The moral of the story is don't take it personally or make any assumptions when it comes to auditioning and hearing back from a company.
- What did you learn about the skills required to be part of the production? The Hamilton cast all agreed that is very important to be yourself in auditions - even if you're don't know very much about this industry. Giles told us a funny story about when he was auditioning for something and had to perform a monologue. Usually for a monologue, a very old piece like an extract from one of Shakespeare's plays would be expected. However the oldest piece Giles knew was from the Peter Pan movie that had just come out. Also, Giles was given advice that it would make his performance that much better if he threw a chair. When it came to the actual audition, Giles gave his Peter Pan monologue much to the surprise of those on the panel, and when it came to his chair-throwing bit, he accidentally threw his chair directly towards them! Incredibly after all of this, he got the part! This shows that his little knowledge on Musical Theatre auditions was what made him stand out and be successful. Curtis also gave us some great advice: he told us that if we aren't great at one of the three disciplines - for example dancing, but were good at singing and acting, then we should spend time working on our weaknesses. He also said it's important to take care of yourself and do what you need to do to ensure you are always performing your best. When someone in the audience asked what you should do when you aren't very confident, Giles said that you just need to know you're doing this because you love it and that comes through in your performance. Curtis added that in auditions he blocks everyone out and focuses only on what he is doing which takes away the fear of competition and helps him do his best.
- What did you find out about the challenges of working as a performer in the industry? Curtis said that days can be hectic especially because he has two kids. He told us about a certain day where he had to go to an audition and threw up after a particularly difficult day. Nevertheless, he still had to sing for the audition which showed us there are no excuses when it comes to Musical Theatre - you always have to try your best. Rachel told us about a time when she had to do a show and wasn't feeling 100% - weak, tired and unfocused. In the show she blanked in the middle of a song and missed a line. She told us that she just picked herself up and carried on because there is nothing you can do to avoid such situations. They also told us to choose the right agents as some can be bullies, especially to graduates, pushing you to do things you don't want to. They told us to get an agent you trust, that believes in you and to remember that they're working for you, not the other way round.
- How can this inform your own approach to your training? I should be myself and really believe that I can achieve all my ambitions. I will be careful to get the right agent for me when that time comes. Personally, the best advice that I received from this talk was that when you face rejection or see your competition and you feel like giving up, just remember why you are doing this in the first place: you love it and it makes you happy.
Acting 30/10/18
Singing 05/11/18
We warmed up with my absolute favourite "Bella Mama". We then went through the song I Get A Kick Out Of You from the 1934 musical "Anything Goes". Studying musicals that are pre-1950s will help us get a better understanding of the evolution of Musical Theatre. Also, reading from sheet music helps us with our timing and professional practise.
Singing 08/11/18
After warming up, we were sent off to work on either Do Re Mi, Somewhere or I Get A Kick Out Of You. I don't really like the song Do Re Mi and as much as I love the song Somewhere, I sometimes struggle to sing the high notes, so I chose I Get A Kick Out Of You. We each had a chance to go through the song with Charlie and when it came to my turn, I tried to project my voice as much as I could whilst still singing in tune. I really feel like I've improved! I also mentioned why I didn't choose to sing Somewhere and that I wanted to know my voice range, so he told me sing a scale going up in octaves. He then stopped me and said 'you know you've just sung an octave higher than the highest note in Somewhere'. I was so surprised but I asked why I sometimes struggle and he said that I should warm up before singing with breathing and scale exercises.
Singing 12/11/18
Today we worked on our range after we warmed up. It is important to know your range because you may have to know for musical theatre auditions as certain songs will require you to be able to sing in a specific range or up to a certain note. My range is from low F to high D.
Acting 13/11/18
We were given an extract from a dramatised version of Anne Frank's diary to analyse and rehearse. We then had to rate our voice and write what exercises will help your voice.
Singing 15/11/18
I have lost my voice due to a sore throat so I couldn't participate in today's lesson. Everyone was practising Christmas songs which may be used in Westminster Kingsway College's yearly Christmas emails that they send to shareholders. We then practised the song for our Jazz performance: Cinema Italiano.
Jazz 15/11/18
Today, the students led the warm up! Bethany took over increasing the heart rate, Faith did strengthening, I was head and arm mobility and Leah was stretching. None of us were told in advance to prepare for this so I could only do my best - whatever came to the top of my head. I should make sure I have a warm up prepared so if ever am asked in the future, I will be prepared. We then did our usual tendus, pliés and a new exercise developpés with ronds de jambes. We did kicks from the corner and an exercise which included flick kicks, hitch kicks and body swings.
We continued learning the dance to From Now On which we started last week. We were then split into threes and after I performed, my classmates who were watching me were telling me that I was really good which made me feel very happy. Then Shannon said she wanted someone to perform a solo of it to the class because she was "blown away" by this person and has seen her growth from day one to now - it was me! I remember hearing this whilst I was getting some water to drink and feeling like I can't believe this was happening. Anyway, here is the video of me dancing on my own to the rest of the class:
Singing 19/11/18
After warming up, we sung Do Re Mi and the first verse of Silent Night. We then sung Get A Kick Out Of You.
Acting 20/11/18
We went through what we did last week and shared acting exercises to warm up with. Then we went through the Anne Frank script and had to choose a line that we felt we could connect to. Mine was "when I think of all the good things, I'm not afraid anymore". She told us to use our emotional memory which is something that has happened to you in your past that made you feel the way Anne was feeling. So when I said my line, Sharron didn't look very impressed so I asked for some advice to make it better. She asked what my emotional memory was. Sometimes before I go to college, I get anxious and afraid something bad will happen to me for whatever reason but when I think of all the reasons to go to college, i.e. loving Musical Theatre, it gets me really excited for the day and helps distract me from my anxiety. So Sharron told me to explain my emotional memory and add in my line. I felt really vulnerable and was fiddling with my feet and looking down. After I said my line, everybody clapped. This helped me realise you really have to feel the pain that Anne is going through to create a powerful performance and that doesn't feel so great. I felt really sad and I wondered how do I get out of this feeling now I've finished acting. Sharron mentioned that David Suchet, a famous English actor, says that you should leave all the feelings on stage otherwise you could drive yourself mad. Heath Ledger used a technique called method acting where you are your character even when you're not on stage. He was playing the Joker and decided to not go to sleep so he could truly be mad - he ended up committing suicide. Therefore, you must leave your character on stage, and in class, we played stuck in the mud which lifted all our spirits.
Singing 22/11/18
We sung Silent Night and half learnt the basic harmonies to it. I thought together, it sounded really lovely. We then practised Cinema Italiano for our Jazz piece.
Acting 27/11/18
Ella, Tilia and I went through the script taking random lines and trying to apply our emotional memory to them. To help each other, we would ask a follow up question. For example, for the line "Oh - I don't mean you have to be Orthodox . . ." we would ask the person rehearsing "are you saying I have to be Orthodox?" I'm also trying to refrain from using my acting voice so I don't sound fake and the words don't sound forced.
British Museum Risk assessment
Singing 29/11/18
After warming up, we focused on singing Silent Night and personally, making sure I got the harmonies sorted. There were some notes I kept forgetting but once I did get them, it was lovely to hear. We also sung Do Re Mi.
Singing 03/12/18
We rehearsed Silent Night, making sure we were in tune and also practised humming it.
National Theatre backstage tour 04/12/18
The National Theatre opened in 1963. It is made up of three theatres: the Olivier Theatre, the
Backstage jobs in the National Theatre:
Wardrobe assistant (War Horse UK Tour) -
- Responsible for providing assistance to the Wardrobe Supervisor in the performance of their duties and to maintain the costumes and accessories at a high standard
- Salary is £620 per week
- The ideal candidate will have experience in this area, in touring and would have a flexible and self-motivated approach
- Personally, I would rather be on stage rather than backstage so I am not interested in this job
- Information from https://uk.linkedin.com/jobs/view/wardrobe-assistant-war-horse-uk-tour-london-at-national-theatre-1010501545?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=organic
- Responsible for the organisation and maintenance of all stock
- Candidates should have knowledge on costume history, on fabrics and should have good communication skills
- Personally, I would rather be on stage rather than backstage so I am not interested in this job
- Information from https://uk.linkedin.com/jobs/view/costume-hire-stock-keeper-at-national-theatre-986058356
We made a poster about what we thought was important when performing our Anne Frank monologue. Some things include emotional memory, body language, eye contact, being real and not using an "acting voice".
We had to have the script rehearsed by today and after moving through the space, practising it individually, we had to perform it in front of everyone. Each person took one of the points from the poster to assess each other on. As I've been concentrating on breaking my habit of using my acting voice, I chose to assess everyone on 'how real are you?'
After I performed, I asked Sharon if I had used my acting voice and she said "no"! However, everybody gave me feedback to speak louder, to trust myself in my performance and to connect to my emotional memory so those are the next things to work on.
Here are everyone's feedback posters:
Singing 06/12/18
Today, we recorded Silent Night. We started without warming up and I didn't sound very good. We then did a small warm up, recorded it again and I sounded okay - some parts good, others not so much. Charlie said we had the notes but we sounded very cautious and hesitant. So I requested we sing Bella Mama - my favourite warm up which gets me belting out notes. After we did that, I focused on both making sure I sung confidently whilst sounding pleasant. That was the best recording we did and that will be used in the A Christmas Carol performance and perhaps in the WKC Christmas emails!
Jazz and Musical Theatre 06/12/18
We did our usual intense Jazz warm up with Shannon and then did some exercises including kicks and turns. She then told us that in auditions, they sometimes ask you to freestyle and it might be the only thing you do so it's very important. She then told us to pick six numbers between 1 - 15 and she then said she was gonna put a song on and whoever wrote down number one must go and freestyle in front of everyone. Whoever hadn't picked that number was sitting down in a large circle. I wrote down number one and looked to see who else did/ who would be dancing alongside me - no one else had picked number one! So I had to go freestyle on my own and I have to be honest, I don't really know how. I remember just finding any move to dance as I wanted to fill up the music and look confident. I was applauded afterwards so it couldn't have been too bad. Then she called number two and almost everyone else had got up - that's just my luck! After we finished I asked Shannon for feedback and she told me to feel the music rather than just think now I'm going to do a pirouette/ leap so I will work on it.
Singing 13/12/18
After warming up, we had a talk about what we were going to do next term. We were then given a sheet to fill in to review Musical Theatre plays - one from between 1920s - 1940s and one from the Golden Age (1940s - 1960s).
Jazz and Musical Theatre 13/12/18
We did a really quick warm up and then were put into groups to make a routine to a Christmas song of our choice. I was with Faith and Marshall and we choreographed a routine to All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey. We had only about 15 minutes and really struggled with what movements to do and what song to dance to so when it came to performing it in front of everyone, we improvised the first part of the song.
We then did a voguing routine and different waacking routines. Here's a video of us doing the "catwalk":
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