The Actors

Ben Hi, I am Ben and I am one of the Actors in the cast of My Uncle Arly.

The job of the cast is to perform the play to an audience but before we can do that; we have to get the play ready for a performance. This process is called a Rehearsal. During rehearsals we work with Shon the director.

When we first meet Shon he tells us his idea for the play. We then begin the devising process where through improvisation we create scenes and characters. We come up with lots of ideas and then it is up to Shon to decide which bits are good enough to make it into the script.

The next stage of rehearsal is Blocking. Blocking is the word used for a director putting the play on its feet and deciding where we should move and stand during a scene.

Once the blocking is out of the way we all concentrate on developing our Characters, so that when you see us on stage, the characters are believable and exciting to watch.

All this work means that when an audience comes to watch our play, we can be confident of giving a good performance.

Audio Version

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Acting Top Tip

From Andrew one of the Actors in the cast of My Uncle Arly.

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Ben's Challenge

Ben Hi everyone, Ben here again with a challenge.

Every play needs to have characters. So I'd like you to choose the characters you want in your WebPlay. Think about what you've learned this week about the people in your partner area. Who are they? Where are they from? What language do they speak? Consider your research carefully before making your decision.

Good Luck

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Comprehension Questions

1) What is the role of an actor in a theatre company?

2) What is the word used for the time spent getting the play ready for a performance?

3) What exercise does Andrew recommend you use to warm up your voice?

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Acting Glossary

Run Through
A practice performance so that the director can see what the actors are doing right and wrong.

Rehearsal
Time spent by the actors and director working on the script.

Warm Up
Time spent at the beginning of rehearsals getting your voice and body ready for rehearsal.

Characters
The people in the play.

Auditon
Where the director gets to see lots of actors and chooses the one most right for the part.

Blocking
Is what happens in rehearsal when we decide where the Actor should stand in a particular scene and how they should move.

Director
The boss. The director is in charge of getting everything ready for performance. The actors, the set, the costumes, everything!

Improvisation
Is where actors are given an idea by the director and then make up a scene based on that idea.

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