Killer Queen Costume Ideas

KILLER QUEEN

KHASHOGGI

We Will Rock You Research

Act 1 -

The show is set 300 years in the future and Earth has been renamed iPlanet (or Planet Mall in some productions) and is controlled by Globalsoft productions. Mausical instruments are forbidden and there is no such thing as rock music, mainstream commercial conformity makes the GaGa kids watch the same movies and only listen to computer generated music, they all have the same thughts and opinions and wear the same clothes.

In the newest graduating class there is a young boy named Galileo who has dreams and hears words in his head, he doesn't understand the significance of this as they are lyrics to songs that no longer exist on the planet. He refuses to conform and he is later captured by Khashoggi who is the comandor of Gobalsoft's police, Scaramouche is also captured, she is bullied by the GaGa girls for not being the same as them and dressing and acting different. The leader of Globalsoft is Killer Queen, she has heard of a prophecy that musical instruments have been hidden somewhere in the place of living rock on iPlanet. She orders Khashoggi to kill the rebel bohemians who believe in this prophecy. Scaramouche and Galileo wake up in hospital and realised they are feared by the rest of society, they eventually flee from the hospital together. Meanwhile killer queen blows up all of the rocks on the planet in an effort to find the musical instruments but cannot.

Two bohemians Brit and Meat climb out of the sewers where they had been gathering materials to make new musical instruments, Britt believes in the dreamer who will be able to fulfil the prophecy and being back real music. Thye hide as they hear footsteps, who are Galileo and Scaramouche, they come out and accuse the two of being spies, Britt test them by singing the first few lines of the Bohemian Rhapsody, he realises that he is the dreamer of the prophecy as he responds with the correct lines. Britt and Meat bring the two to the heartbreak hotel based in Tottenham court road, where the bohemians had made their home (the original London production was staged at the Dominion theatre, which is located above Tottenham Court Road tube station). The Bohemians explain that thir names come from singers who have passed away and then they celebrate the reason rock bands started playing which was for the love of the music. Then Khashoggi and police arrive at the hotel, where they round up the bohemians, Britt breaks free but in her attempts to escape she is killed.

Act 2 -

Galileo and Scaramouche escape the hotel, however they then realise that at the hospital tracking devises were installed in their heads, they confess their love for each other after removing the tracking devices and realising they are the only bohemians left, as the others have been taken by Khashoggi to be tortured. When he cannot get any information from them about the prophecy he has them brain-drained. Galileo had a dream that the Bohemians were sent to the seven seas of rye, and Scaramouche agrees that they have to go there, however she takes offence as he suggests that she should stay as it would be too dangerous for her to go as she is a girl. After arguing they both decide to go, however back at Globalsoft headquarters, Khashoggi reports that the Bohemians are no longer a problem, killer queen starts to celebrate before finding out that Galileo and Scaramouche had escaped, she then has Khashogi brain-dead like the other bohemians.

Meanwhile the two make their way to the seven seas of rhye, arguing all the way, when there they meet Pop the librarian and she explains the full nature to the prophecy as she was ordered to do by the three remaining members of Queen before they were sentenced to death. Scaramouche figures that the shinning star of the prophecy is Freddie Mercury's statue that points to Wembley stadium which is the place of living rock. Wembley is in ruins, no instruments can be found and their love is rekindled, they start to perform together and an electric guitar is revealed. Galileo cannot play but Scaramouche can, Pop hacks into Globalsoft's network so that their music can be heard by everyone and killer queen is defeated. After the curtains falls the entire cast sings Bohemian Rhapsody as an encore.

Spice Girls Sketch

What and What Not To Include In Your Website

1. Contact details
2. Headshots
3. Show reel
4. Professional presentation (font, layout, links)
5. Personal summary of what you do
6. CV
7. Gallery
8. History of educational and training

American Freelance Actors

Chelsea Kane -
http://www.chelseakane.com/

This website has clear headings to get into contact with her agent, a gallery of different photographs of her as well as a page about her and what projects she has been in/currently doing. Her main page is very simple and has a slideshow of photographs that are all black and white, however non of these are plain headshots, this is not professional as a casting agent cannot see what she looks like naturally, which most casting directors look at. She has a link to different show reels on her page, this is good as casting directors can see in what different ways she can act and how she is in different circumstances. As well as this she has her own blog on this page, this is good for any fans she has as she is able to share her different experiences with filming or awards etc with them. This website is clearly laid out and easily navigated with means that casting people don't have to waste time trying to find what they are looking for as it is clearly labelled, I think that this is a good website that is aimed at casting directors as well as fans.

Lea Michelle -
http://leamichele.com/

In my opinion I don't think this is a good professional website, this is because it has no links to any headshots or contact information, this means that casting directors are not given anything to inquire at and she could lose out on different professional opportunities. I think that just because she has had a lot of success and people know who she is and what she has been in, she should still be open to other forms of work. Her website is more of a promotion for what projects she is currently in and links to where her fans can purchase her auto biography and music. However she has links to all her social media accounts and music, there is also multiple pictures of herself. As well as this she also has a newsletter signup that keeps fans updated on what she is doing professionally and socially, which keeps them interested in her as a person and actor/singer.

Starting A New Project

We started this lesson by learning a short phrase, we then got into pairs and used choreographic devices to manipulate the movement to make it our own. For example me and Emily used fragmentation to change the order of the movement and repetition to bring back movements that we had liked again. This is because we felt as though we could use each other to make some of the movements look more aestetic, one example of this is we used a combination of mirroring and synchronisation to have more variety in our piece. I think that our performance of this, considering we only had a short time to choreograph and rehearse this went very well, i think that i just need to work on my timing to make sure that i don't rush some of my movements and allow myself to listen to the music and finish each movement. As well as this i need to watch that my limbs to not hyper-extend and make sure that they do not move too far during movements.

Jaydee and Emily Duet (1st Lesson)

We discussed the themes of our new class project which is going to be based around the idea of media control, we discussed about how the media exaggerates some things that can hide others. We spoke about how we could use these ideas to create a dance piece, we thought about how we could show control though each other and different movements. Another idea of this is using costume or the amount of dancers to show how one group can have power over another.

Jaydee, Emily, Talia and Megan (1st Rehearsal)

We also looked at the idea of secrets and how something can start off very small but through "Chinese whispers" it can grow and get bigger until it has been completely changed. In small groups we looked at how we could show this through movement, for example we used hand and arm gestures that could represent holding a secret object and passing it to the next person. But each time it gets passed along the object gets bugger just like the secret.

Singing

We started our lesson with a vocal warm up, this is important to make sure that when singing you do not strain your voice that may cause temporary or permeant damage. We did a diction exercise singing numbers on a scale, where each time the articulation changed, for example the first time we sing staccato notes that were short and sharp, compared to singing legato where each note is smooth and flows into the next. Today we sung through Crazy little thing called love, Don't stop me now and Radio GaGa for the first time as an ensemble. This was helpful as it was an introduction to the project of We will rock you and allowed us to start coming up with ideas for our performance. As a first sing through i thought that this went well as everyone was open to trying new harmonies that could be experimented with to make it more developed, as well as this everyone was being enthusiastic and positive and therefore our rehearsal was fun and we were all willing to work hard.

Ensemble Skills

All of these things are essential to make a good ensemble performance, all of these skills are part of team work and allow an ensemble to work together well to create a successful performance. For example everyone needs to have respect for each other and each others ideas, this is important so that everyone can focus on their performance. Each person needs to be able to share their ideas so that  things have a chance to be developed to create a more interesting performance, Everyone has different ideas which is important to make sure that performances don't become too similar and things are more diverse. Each person in the ensemble needs to be as committed as each other so that rehearsals can be focused and things are created and practiced smoothly, as well as each member needs to be open minded to be able to explore new things and not be afraid to fail.

Last year I think that my determination was good, I felt that even though I was faced with different challenges in different projects I was able to move past them and work hard on my performance. I think this is a key skill to have because as a performer there are many challeneges that are both mental and physical that you need to be able to move past to succeed. As well as this, last year I explored my creativity especially when choreographing movement, i believe that this is another key skill to have as it is important that everyone in an ensemble gives ideas so that the performance can be diverse and well developed. I want to continue to work on this, this year and try to expand it more to come up with more ideas that can be used in rehearsals. However this year I need to make sure that i am enthusiastic during all rehearsals, this is because i think that it is important that each member of the company is positive so that all ideas can be explored and therefore interesting material can be made to create a successful performance. I do not feel as though last year i was as positive and entusiatic as i should have been along with others and therefore some rehearsals were harder as not everyone was giving their all and been open to new things. As well as this, reflecting on last year i need to work on my communication skills during the rehearsal process. I think that it is important that when someone is unhappy with something that is happening during a process they need to be able to communicate this in a way that can be solved easily. This allows the rehearsal process to be able to move forward successfully, as well as this communication is vital to share new ideas that can develop a project.

Spice Girls Research and how they worked togther as a musical ensemble

Spice Girls

Band Members

Ginger Spice - My character is Ginger Spice, Geri Halliwell was born in 1972, August 6th. She can speak fluent English and Spanish and studdied english litterature and finance, after she had left college she worked as a cage dancer in a cub in Majorca, a topless model and a presenter in a Turkish TV show. She became a member of the group in 1994 after replacing Suzanne Tinker who was unable to make the final auditions. In 1996 Top of the Pops named her Ginger spice after becoming known for outragous outfits and her red hair. With the band she had 7 no.1 singles including 2 become 1 and wannabe. May 30th 1998 she announced that she was going to leave the group due to differences within, after this the band had to complete their tour of North America without her. She became a solo artist after leaving and had 4 no.1 singles including Look at me and Its raining men. Because of this combined with the bands success she has the most no.1 songs in British Female singer history. She has written two autobiographies as well as series of childrens books.

Why did Geri really leave the Spice Girls?

Geri Haliwell Piers Morgan's Life Stories [HD ITV 1 03 04 2010]
Gerri Haliwell Looks back

Baby Spice - Emma Bunton, born 21 January 1976, is known as a singer/songwriter, presenter and actor. She got her nickname of 'baby', as she is the youngest member of the group. These nicknames massively helped their popularity as this was a new way of presenting themselves, and girls all over the country could relate to at least one of the girls. In 1994 'The Stage Magazine sent out an advertisement for an upcoming girlband, to contrast with the boy bands circulating at the time. Melanie C, Mel B, Geri Halliwell, and Victoria Beckham responded as well as over 400 other girls. However Emma Bunton joined the group due to a former member, Michelle Stephenson having a lack of commitment, and was replaced by Abigail Kis, until they finally found Bunton and felt she fit the part best.

Scary SpiceMelanie Brown (Mel B), was born in Harehills in Leeds on May 29th 1975. Raised by her Nevisian father and English mother, she had quite a pleasant childhood growing up in Burley. She studied performing arts at high school and went on to become a songwriter, dancer, actress and author. Since The Spice Girls she has released many solo singles and presented TV shows such as The X-Factor in Australia, and a judge on America's Got Talent. She has three children, Madison Brown Belafonte, Angel Iris Murphy Brown and Phoenix Chi Gulzar, all daughters with different fathers, which she reportedly isn't proud of. However she supports herself with statements like 'We're just a modern family'.

Posh Spice
Victoria Adams as born 17 April 1974. She is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, fashion designer, author, businesswoman, actress and model. She came from a wealthy background and was considered an outsider at school. She was a victim of bullying stating that "I didn't have any friends" and "Kids would pick things up from puddles and through them at me". She would ask her dad not to drop her outside of school in the Rolls Royce they owned as she'd be bullied. Victoria was inspired by the musical Fame and decided that she wanted to be famous. She enrolled at the Jason Theatre School. From there she heard about the auditions for a new girl band and was successful when auditioning. Victoria met David Beckham when the spice girls were asked to attend a match as the football team wanted to meet them.

Sporty Spice
Melanie Jayne Chisholm (Mel C) is an English singer, actress, songwriter and TV personality. She was born on 12th January 1947 in Whiston and moved to Widnes, Cheshire at a young age. After attending Fairfield High School, she studied for a diploma course in musical theatre, drama, singing and dance at Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts in Sidcup. During this time at college was when she replied to the advert in the Stage for The Spice Girls auditions. She left college just before completing her third year there, gaining a teaching qualifications in tap and modern theatre dance with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. After The Spice Girls, her solo career began in late 1998 when she worked with Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams on the song 'When You're Gone', following this, her solo debut album 'Northern Star' reached No.4 on the UK charts in 1999. In 2004 she started up her own record company, entitled 'Red Girl Records'.

History

Auditions -
Gerri Haliwell kept a newspaper advert from the Stage newspaper about the spice girls auditions and because she had missed the auditions she thought she had missed her chance. The advert read “RU 18-23, WITH THE ABILITY TO SING AND DANCE. R U STREETWISE, OUTGOING, AMBITIOUS AND DEDICATED”.However she phoned the Herbert management team and asked them for an audition.

How they started? -

The spice girls were an English pop group, their main purpose was because all of the successful groups at the time were boy bands. Geri Halliwell, Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Melanie Bron and Melanie Chrisholm signed to Virgin records as "The Spice Girls". They were signed on July 13th 1995. Virgin deputy managing director Ashley Newton commented on first meeting the Spice Girls: "I'll never forget the day they burst in here. They caused such a commotion, doing a mad routine in the office, all talking at once and being really funny. I called [managing director Paul] Conroy and [deputy managing director Ray] Cooper and said, 'You just have to see this'." In 1995 they released the single "Wannabe" which was a no.1 hit in over 30 countries and was the biggest selling single by an all female group, in the following year they released their debut album "Spice in Europe", which sold more than 31 million copies worldwide this was the best selling album by a female group in history. Their global grosses estimated between $500 and $800 million.

Virgin Records

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. It was later sold to Thorn EMI in 1992. Its American operations were merged with Capitol Records in 2007 to create the Capitol Music Group. The main reason that they wanted girl band was because at the time boy bands were dominating the charts and no girl bands had broke through to the pop charts.

Why were they successful?

Before the spice girls there were only really successful boybands, this meant that the public wanted something different, they wanted pop stars that they could relate to, the spice girls were a symbol of girl power which was something that was becoming more and more popular. The symbolised feminism and gave young girls someone to look up to in the media, this was something new. Because each member of the band were so different every girl had someone that they could relate to, this helped create a brand for them and attract a wide audience instead of just targeting one group, they were able to reach a large crowd.

What do the audience want?

The audience wanted something that was a new age of music, the group was found and produced at the right time for this, audiences were looking for music that was catchy and easy to dance to. In addition to this, they wanted a group that had a whole image as well as good music, they wanted to like the whole idea of a music act including their fashion, style and personality. This evidence was clear from their sell out world tours, no. 1 albums and the varse amount of merchandise that was available all over the world, including dolls, bags, toys, tshirts and lunchboxes.

Target audience and fan reaction

The spice girls aimed their music at the children and young adults. Their first hit "wannabe" music video was directed by a Swedish commercial director called Johan Camitz. This was the single that made virgin records really interested in working with them. And after releasing 2 become 1, the band had topped the charts in more than 53 countries, making them the biggest pop group worldwide.

What do they have in common?

Although all of the spice girls had different personalities, and one of their selling points was that each of them were different so that everyone had one spice girl to look up to. During the reunion all of the spice girls had children, therefore they could all bond on the fact that they were all mothers and had children to go home to. This allowed them to build up a positive energy during rehearsals and therefore be able to work together as a successful ensemble.

Rehearsals and communication

I watched videos of the spice girls in rehearsals, in early rehearsals when the band was still young and fresh, they had very good communication, each person took turns in sharing ideas and having an equal amount of work to do. They were able to successfully communicate when things were not going to plan or one member was not happy with the way something was going. In another video I say they were talking and giving each other advice on what costumes to wear, they were happy to help each other out and work together on things that would help and create their overall image.

However after the band has been together for a few years they started to fall apart, their communication had slipped and Geri had decided to leave the band. She hasn't commutated this with any of the band members, perhaps if she did then the issues could have been resolved and worked out. The spice girls began to change when the band members opinions of each other came out, they were honest about their dislike for each other and made it clear that they have different opinions on music tastes. What they think of the music they are singing and how they should sing it, was all different and band members began to fall out.