Blocking Notes

- At the start of the play, Father of bride (owner of the mansion) is sitting on the chair having tea (2) with a butler serving him, when suddenly the Mother of the groom strides in to the room guided by another butler through the entrance (1) -startling the father, making him stand up off his seat- and walks over to the couch (3) while saying "You know what I am here for". Father replies "yes", still standing up.
- Then she sits down as she says "And?"
- Father dismisses butlers (who then walks and stands at point 1), sits on his chair and continues the dialogue.
- NOTE: most of the act in the script occurs on the chair and couch. The mood comes from the voices and subtle movements of the characters that hints on what they are feeling during their discussion. 
- Mother stands up as she says "God bless her house".
- Father joins standing up as he says "May God bless it".  

Rehearsal Plan

Rehearsals will take place within 14 days.
Rehearsals will be 4 times a week.
A total of 8 rehearsals.
On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday. 
 
Length of Rehearsals: 2 hours
Total length of rehearsals: 16 hours

Basic Process of each day 

- The first rehearsal would be dedicated to running through the script, answering queries people have on it, explaining the schedule over the next two weeks regarding the play, what is due when (for the designers), what needs to be done, aims/goals, etc. 

The rest of the rehearsal times would be as shown below: 
15 minutes Warm up: voice exercises, movement exercises, games, anything that would loosen up the actors, start up their energies (blood pumping) and prepare them for the upcoming drama practice.

15 minutes of getting into character. The actors should go off and get into character. They can either sit then move around, thinking about then being their characters. They take the time to step into the character's shoes. Think about how they are feeling in the situation of the script, what they are like, generating thoughts the characters might have on random subjects, commencing movements specific to the characters (e.g. their walk, how they sit) etc. This is important because the predominant element is Character, therefore time should be take particularly to focus on this element, because the exercises and the time to "step into the character" will be beneficial for the actors as they learn about their characters more closely and embodies them. This way, when they are on stage, they won't hesitate in acting out their characters, thus with the advance in expression, the mood will be elevated as the power and tension emanating from the characters' eyes, physicality and voice intensify. Meanwhile, director meets up with all the designers (of costume, sounds and lights, set), discuss what has been done, what still needs to be done, and sets due dates, making sure it is all due on the appropriate date.

60 minutes blocking the play. 

15 minutes actors memorizing lines, individually for the first ten minutes than as an ensemble for the last 5. 

15 minutes discussion time for actors who might have questions about their characters, designers who have queries on whatever issue, overall discussing issues/topics concerning the play; a time where everyone can freely speak their mind about the play (evaluation & reflection) and issues can be discussed to be resolved.

Basic Ideas

Scenic Design

A 1890s lavish living area of a rich man’s house, normally including:

-          Fireplace,

-          Chandelier,

-          Portrait of an honorable family member (above fireplace),

-          Giant Mirror,

-          1 Couch,

-          1 Chair,

-          Coffee table,

-          Etc.

Everything should be gold encrusted. Do not hold back with the grandeur of the setting. Although, try to limit the small ornaments and the big furniture/objects, as I do not want them to distract from the actor’s performances since it is a character predominant play, not a spectacle to dazzle the eyes of the audience. Instead, fake grandeur with thick, folded curtains with gold fringes placed at the background.

 

Costume Design & list of Properties
For this play, I would like to go all out with the typical attire of the 1890s, so audience can truly be mentally taken back to that era. 
For ladies, the style of the late 1800s include a gown with long puffed sleeves, high collar, and full length A-lined skirt, corset that decreases the size of the waist (the puffed sleeves as well as the corset gives an illusion of an extremely small waist which was found attractive back in the day), and a fancy hat with accessories such as large bows on them (the bigger the hat, the better).  

As for the gentlemen, their attire include a camel, brown or black suit with a bow tie, leather shoes, a bowler hat, and they normally carry a cane, not to mention they fancy having moustaches.  

 The butlers' attire is similar to that of their master, suits & bow tie, however, without the bowler hat nor cain.

Lighting plot & Sound cues
I want the simplest possible lighting for this play. The essential lighting that I am concerned about is only the spotlight that I want to be projected on center stage, where the both characters will mainly be. I'd want to start this play with natural lighting, nothing special, all lights up. However, as the guest enters and sits down on the couch whilst starting her "my son..." dialogue, I want all lights to be down except for the spotlight centered on the protagonists. Then in the end I want the lights to go back to natural lighting as the guest stands up and says "May god bless her house".
As for sound, I do not want any of it. I want the audience to sense the tension in the air simply from the intensity of the characters' presence on stage.


Casting
I would like to cast a western (Caucasian) female and male, both around the ages of 50-60. The female should be good looking, petite, voluptuous with a tiny waist (typical of a lady back in the 1890s), extremely fair skinned, preferably a natural blond, red haired or brunette (no one with black hair).  
The male should be tall, broad shouldered, slightly plump (around the stomach area), brunette (with several white hair), have beautiful eyes.   
The butler accompanying the lady in the beginning should be young (about 20 years old). Preferably dirty blond, blue eyed, in shape, has a warm smile. 
The butler accompanying the father of the bride should be older (around 50 years old). Preferably has a moustache, kind looking, like his master, slightly plump in the stomach area.  

Ground Plan

The very basic elements to the ground plan is the fireplace placed center upstage, then parallel to it at center downstage is the coffee table the provides a divide between the long couch at stage right and the chair at stage left. The couch is meant to be for the Mother of the groom whereas the chair is for the father of the bride, mainly because the mother will be wearing a gown and so will need more space to sit on.
The entrance will be on upstage stage left.

Space

What type of Theatre?
The ideal theater space for this play will be the living area of an old castle/mansion, preferably one of the late 1800s of the early 1900s. The fact that it is set in a real mansion of the late 1800s gives the play a stronger sense of reality thus the themes touched upon in the play will be more influential towards the audience as it seems more real. 
 However, if it is not possible to set the space in a real mansion, the second choice is to build a mock living area of a 1890s mansion on a theater stage.  

Prediminant Element

Character
I believe that one of the predominant element is character because the fact that there are only two main characters in the play, intensifies the interaction and overall mood between them thus driving the play. A lot of tension is also held in their voices and actions, and so the interpretation of the script acted out by the characters is a crucial element to the play; the complexity of the characters adds depth to the current plot.

Theme
I find that theme is also another predominant element as the plot is centralized by the topic of arranged marriages hence relating to themes surrounding love such as false love, forced love, parental love (or lack of), etc.  

Script Analysis

Where?
Due to the flamboyance in which the characters speak, I can imagine them being rich and somehow British (since they are renowned to have a slight air of arrogance), and also because of the fact that the Mother said "you know what I am here for" in the beginning of the play, I imagine her being the guest in the Father's house; therefore, the play is set in the Father's mansion in the countryside of Great Britain, specifically in his living room where he receives his guests.  

When?
By reading the tone and flow of the language, which determines the characteristic of the protagonists that is specific to a certain year, as well as the diction, especially the use of the phrases "God Bless her house", "May god bless it" which sounds like old language, and "she never talks", "soft as a wool", and "she embroiders" used to describe the ladies which sounds stereotypical to ladies in the past who are valued by their shyness, fairness and softness of the skin and her productivity in housework, I deduce that this play is set back in the 1890s. 


What?
In the script, it seems as if they are discussing the marriage arrangement between their daughter and son as they specifically mention their son and daughter multiple times, promoting whilst boasting about them as being children with wonderful qualities to being the perfect in-laws. 

"My son has money and knows how to handle it".

"My son is handsome".

"No need to tell you about my daughter. She never talks; soft as a wool, she embroiders all kinds of fancy work and she can cut a strong cord with her teeth".

None of the parents wanted to back down and stop bragging about their child, however, the Mother finally ended the conversation with a polite "May god bless her house". 

Who?
There are only two protagonists in this scene -the mother of the groom soon to be married off to the bride whose father is also in this scene- and two small characters, the rich man's butlers.   

The mother of the groom: Natasha Bourneville
- Widow, left with all the riches of her honorable dead husband.
- Originally came from another rich family (even before marrying husband). 
- Never had to work in her life.
- Elegant, poised, snobbish, thinks highly of herself. 
- Has a bad temper.  


The father of the bride: Leonard Jones
- Has a humble background. 
- Born into a middle class family, but then earned his riches from hard work  and good business.
- Calm, has a lot of pride.
 
Why?
This story is a story of two rich families merging. The parent of the groom and the bride both have too much pride in themselves and their family, thus attempts to dominate conversations with subjects on their children -their accomplishments as well as admiring qualities.