Unit 1 part D: Art Event

NEW YOUTH THEATRE (GRANTHAM)

I have been a part of our local musical theater group for about seven years now and have participated in more than 16 productions so far. I started when I was about 8 years old and I have played roles such as: 

Frenchy in 'Grease', Grace Lamb in 'Fame' and Enid Hoopes in 'Legally Blonde'.

Here is a link to the photos of our most recent production 'Legally Blonde'.

LegallyBlonde - ShowPhotos

And here is a link to all the photos from every show since 2010 which you can still access.

GranthamNewYouthTheatre - ShowPhotos 

Me playing Enid Hoopes in 'Legally Blonde the Musical'

'Fame the Musical' as Grace Lamb

Me playing Frenchy in 'Grease'

Me in 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' playing one of the Priscilla girls (center)

LAMDA

LAMDA or the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, is a program which I'm enrolled in to take drama grades. I am currently in the middle of my grade 6 LAMDA exam and will have finished all my exams by next year when my grade 8 is completed.

LAMDA exams basically start at grade 1, where you pick one monologue to learn over a twelve week period. 

After grade 1, things get a little harder when you pick two monologues to memorize, and learn how to answer theory questions in preparation for the exam. 

I am currently in the middle of my grade 6, and have only completed one monologue for the moment. 

I have received Distinctions in all of my previous LAMDA exams and am hopefully working towards another!

When you reach grade 6 LAMDA, you need to find and choose your own monologue from 

plays or movies and decide yourself how you will plan the moment of the piece and understand the locations, emotions, and appearance of your character and your scene. 

For my first piece, I picked Catherine's monologue from the play 'A View from the Bridge' by Arthur Miller.

This is a very dramatic piece and involves a lot of emotion, anger and sorrow especially.

Here is the monologue I chose,

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE  – Arthur Miller 

CATHERINE is a young orphaned girl who has lived in the house of her Aunt Beatrice and Uncle Eddie for seventeen years. Her Aunt’s Italian cousins Marco and Rodolfo have arrived at their house as illegal immigrants and Catherine and Rodolfo have developed feelings for each other. Her Uncle Eddie, is possessive of her, and both she and his wife Beatrice have become aware that his feelings toward his niece have become more of a jealous lover rather than a protective Uncle. Despite Catherine’s attempts to defy Eddie’s wishes, she is still influenced by his doubts about Rodolfo’s intentions and these threaten their blossoming relationship. In this monologue, Catherine is defending her Uncle against Rodolpho, who is persuading her to resist Eddies possessive nature. I’ll be playing Catherine.

CATHERINE: It’s only that I – he was good to me Rodolpho. You don't know him. He was always the sweetest guy to me. Good. He razzes me all the time but he don’t mean it. I know. 

I would – just feel ashamed if I made him sad. ‘Cause I always dreamt that when I got married he would be happy at the wedding, and laughin’ – and know he’s – mad all the time and nasty – she is weeping.

Tell him you’ll live in Italy – just tell him, and maybe he would start to trust you a little, see? Because I want him to be happy; I mean – I like him, Rodolpho – and I can’t stand it!

No, don’t laugh at me! I’ve been here all my life. Every day I saw him when he left in the morning and when he came home at night. You think it’s so easy to turn around and say to a man he’s nothing to you no more?

No you don’t know – nobody knows! I’m not a baby, I know a lot more than people think I know. Beatrice says to be a woman but – then, why don’t she be a woman! If I was a wife I would make a man happy instead of going at him all the time!

I can tell from a block away when he’s blue in the mind and just needs to talk to somebody quiet and nice. I can tell when he’s hungry or wants a beer before he even says anything. I know when his feet hurt him – I mean, I know him, and now I’m supposed to turn around and make a stranger out of him? I don’t know why I have to do that, I mean.

- Arthur Miller -