Full-run throughs of the show

This week is our final rehearsal week before the show so we have been timetabled for musical theatre everyday for at least three hours to ensure that we have enough time to pull together a show that will be amazing. Throughout the week, we have run the show fully everyday and gone through scenes which needed to be worked on in order for it to be the best quality it can be. I believe that I have had self discipline throughout as I tried my best to put as much effort into the show as I possibly could; I think that because of how nervous I have been, it made me try even harder so that I gain more confidence for the performance. This week we also sorted all of our costumes and made sure that we had everything we needed for the show and if we needed to get anything ourselves. 

My responsibilities within the musical are:
To make sure that I concentrate fully on giving the best performance possible and portraying my character clearly to the audience. I need to make sure I try to contain my nerves and try to sing and act with confidence throughout and also during the dances I take part in.

Before undertaking this unit, I never knew:
I would have the confidence to sing and act on stage in front of an audience; when I am dancing it feels different, I am still nervous but I know I'll enjoy it once I get on the stage. I did not think that I would be able to do it when it came to the performance.

A moment I won't forget about this process is:
The first time I had the confidence to actually sing properly in front of all my peers instead of being so quiet and nervous; I just thought the only way I am going to be able to perform this in front of an audience is if I started singing with confidence now and I did.

Through watching others in the group, I have learned:
That I should have been more confident to begin with as everyone is so supportive within the group and nobody is ever put down. I was worried what my peers would think of me when I was performing, however there was no need to be at all as everyone is in the same situation and everyone supports each other so much.

If I could change anything about my musical theatre experience it would be:
To have made the most out of it and enjoyed it more from the beginning; by the end of musical theatre I loved my role and I realised how much I was going to miss it once we've done our final performance. I didn't start to enjoy it until near half way through the process as that was when my confidence started to build and I really comfortable and into my role as 'lillian'.
 
I feel I have gained: 
A lot more confidence in myself.

Lesson Six

During today's lesson, we started off by singing through all the songs we have done so far to see what we need to work on and what is worthy of being performed to an audience. We also ran through different scenes which needed working on however, these scenes were not the ones which I act in so I was not needed for this. After the break, we started from the beginning of the script and we just ran through it as much as we could and even if we have not set a scene, we just did what we could reading through our lines and acting as best we could. This worked really well as it flowed much more than I expected and even in the scenes which hadn't been set yet, we tried our best to just push through them and get on with what we had to do so that we knew what to expect when we get round to setting the scene properly. As we were doing this, we got to the song 'A whole new world' which is a duet between me and Walt, however we have never sang this song together before so we just had to make the best out of the situation and just sing it to see what happened and what we need to work on. I found this difficult as I have only just become confident with singing 'Circle of Life' after I've been singing that since the beginning of rehearsals so singing a new song in front of everyone which I have never sang before made me nervous; I have to try to overcome this so that I gain more confidence for the next song I have to sing 'We are one'.

Lesson Five

During today's lesson, I learnt the song 'Zero to Hero', the dance to 'Savages', and 'You got a friend in me'. 

Song - Zero to Hero

JIMINY

Bless my soul
Walt was on a roll!
Person of the week in U.S.A opinion polls...

PINOCCHIO
What a pro!

JIMINY
Walt put on a show!
Point him at a desk and you're talking CEO!

PINOCCHIO

He was a no one

ENSEMBLE GROUP 1
A zero, zero

PINOCCHIO
Now he's a genius,

PINOCCHIO and ENSEMBLE GROUP 2
He's a hero!

JIMINY
Here was a kid with his act down pat

ALL
From zero to hero in no time flat
Zero to hero...

JIMINY and PINOCCHIO

just like that!

Walt re-enters with Lillian and walks around the crowd shaking people’s hands, a group of young girls faint with excitement when he gets to them.

WALT

When I smile
The girls go wild with

GIRLS
oohs and aahs!

DOPEY
They slapped his face
on every vase-

Scolds Dopey for pronouncing vase incorrectly.

GRUMPY
-on every 'Vase'!

HAPPY

From appearance fees and royalties
Our Walt had cash to burn

BASHFUL
Now nouveau rich and famous

SLEEPY

He could tell you

What your hard work earns!

ALL
Say amen,
There he goes again!

HAPPY
Sweet-

GRUMPY

I don't believe it!

DOC
And he'll always lend a hand!

ALL

Folks lined up
Just to see his work

LILLIAN

And this perfect package
knows the way to make me smirk...

WORKERS

Disney, he comes he,
Sees, he conquers
Really, the crowds are
Going bonkers!
He showed his family brains, and love

ad. JIMINY and PINOCCHIO

From zero to hero, heavens above!

ad. FAMILY

Zero to hero and who'da thunk?

The Vicar, now standing on the rostra becomes a conductor for the frenzied crowd below, gospel style, people clapping their hands enthusiastically.

VICAR
Who put the 'mate' in animator?

ALL
Walt Disney!

VICAR
Who is the world’s best dream creator?

ALL
Walt Disney!

JIMINY

Is he bold?

ALL
Nobody braver!

PINOCCHIO
Is he sweet?

ALL
Our favourite flavour!

LILLIAN and STOKOWSKI
Walt Disney! Walt Disney! Walt Disney! Walt Disney! Walt Disney! Walt Disney!

ALL

Bless my soul
Walt was on a roll-

WALT
Undefeated!

ALL
Riding high...

STOKOWSKI
And the nicest guy!

ALL
...not conceited

JIMINY and PINOCCHIO
He was a nothing'

ALL
A zero, zero...

WORKERS
Now he's a genius

ALL

He's a hero!

He hit the heights at breakneck, speed;
From zero to hero...
Walt is a hero...
Now he's a hero... oohhhh!

WALT
Yes indeed! 

Song - Savages

GERMANY
What can you expect

From all the Jewish brethren?

Their whole disgusting race is like a curse!

They are all over fed,

They're only good when dead,

They're vermin as I said;

And worse!

 UK

They're savages! Savages!

Barely even human

Savages! Savages!

With a fatal flaw!

They’re tearing up the land, which means they must be evil

We now bring the sounds of war!

GERMANY

They're savages! Savages!

Now they've come to test us!

We welcome the sounds of war!

UK

This is what we feared

A second worldwide warzone

The only thing they feel at all is greed

Beneath that blackened hide

There's emptiness inside

I wonder if they even bleed?

They're savages! Savages!

Barely even human

GERMANY

Savages! Savages!

Killers at the core

They're different from us,

which means they can’t be trusted.

We will match the sounds of war!

UK

They're savages! Savages!

Try to lead a good life

But we bring the sounds of war!

GERMANY

Savages! Savages!
Let's get a few men!

UK

Savages! Savages

Now it's up to you men!

BOTH

Savages! Savages!

Barely even human

Now we (bring/welcome) the sounds of war!

Song-'You got a friend in me'

We found a friend in Walt,
We found a friend in Walt,
When the road looks rough ahead
and you're scared by the doubts inside your head,
We just remember what our old pal said;
‘Boy, you've got a friend in me’,
Yeah we found a friend in Walt!

ELIAS and FLORA
If you’re loved by your family,
I’m sure you too will see,
You got troubles and I got 'em too
There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for you,
We stuck together and we saw it through!
'Cause you've got a friend in me

ALL
You've got a friend in me!

Walt appears USC and begins to walk DSC.

WALT
Some other folks might be afraid of dreaming,
I once was too,
You see,
That none of them
Will ever learn, as much as I did,
It's me and you, kid.
And as the years go by

WALT and WORKERS
Our friendship will never die

WALT, WORKERS and ELIAS
You're gonna see it's our destiny...

WALT
You've got a friend in me

WALT, WORKER, ELIAS, FLORA’s and STOKOWSKI
You've got a friend in me,

ALL
You've got a friend in me.

 

Lesson Four

We are now getting closer and closer to the show and over the past few weeks I have become much more confident in my singing and acting. I am very worried about the show as we only have a short amount of time left and I still have not done two out of the three songs I have to sing in it, however, I am now confident with the song 'Circle of Life' and feel I will perform this really well in the show. Although my confidence has grown within acting, I still do not think that I am charactering my character enough and need to put more effort into performing this just as well as my songs. I know my lines now, so I just need to be confident enough to stop using my script on stage; I will give my script to one of my peers the next time we rehearse so that they can be my prompt whilst I'm performing, if I forget my line they can just prompt me with the first word of the line so that it jogs my memory and if I get used to doing this it will make me think more and memorise my lines better.

Lillian Disney

While Lillian Disney, wife of Company founder Walt Disney, worked behind the scenes in many ways to support the Company's growth, her most celebrated contribution is the naming of a certain animated character.

In 1928, as he rode a train from New York bound for Los Angeles, Walt devised a new character to turn around a serious business setback, "Mortimer Mouse."

"Not Mortimer," Lillian replied when he told her his idea. "It's too formal. How about Mickey." The rest, as they say, is history.

Born in Spalding, Idaho, Lillian grew up in Lapwai, Idaho, on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, where her father worked as a blacksmith and federal marshal.

She moved to Los Angeles in 1923, and won a job at the fledgling Walt Disney Studio as a secretary and "inker" of animated cels. Lillian met the boss, who sometimes asked her not to cash her $15-a-week paycheck. Soon, the boss met her family and on July 13, 1925, they married in Lewiston, Idaho.

"I think my dad fell in love with her almost immediately ... she was an independent little lady," says daughter Diane Disney Miller.

Lillian traveled with her husband on many of his business trips, including the government-sponsored Good Will tour of South America in 1941, which resulted in the production of such animated features as "Saludos Amigos" and "The Three Caballeros".

While raising their two daughters, Lillian served as a sounding board for her husband as he created films and the theme park that made him and his company known internationally. Lillian was a conservative balance to Walt's daring, and yet was indulgent, too, allowing him to dig a tunnel under her prized flower garden for his backyard railroad at their Holmby Hills estate.

As her nephew Roy E. Disney recalls, Lillian was "always prepared to speak the truth, tough and warm and loving at the same time. She was a very special person. You couldn't help loving her and you'd never forget her ... or her hearty laugh."

The publicity-shy Lillian ventured into the public arena after Walt's death in 1966 to lend support to the fulfillment of his dreams. In October 1971, she attended the dedication of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, along with Company co-founder and Walt's loyal brother Roy O. Disney.

"I think Walt would have approved," she said to Roy and those who helped realize her husband's dream. Eleven years later, she returned to Florida to attend the 1982 dedication of EPCOT Center.

Lillian also lent support to Walt's venture into education, the multi-disciplinary California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), which opened in 1971 in Valencia. Among her gifts to the school were funds to remodel a campus theater and rename it the Walt Disney Modular Theater in 1993.

On May 12, 1987, Lillian announced a gift of $50 million to build a new symphony hall designed by architect Frank Gehry in Los Angeles. A long-time patron of the arts, this was her ultimate gift to the community and to the love of her life. The Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, debuted in October 2003.

Lillian Disney suffered a stroke on December 15, 1997, 31 years to the day after the death of her husband, and died the following day.

http://www.disneydreamer.com/Lillian.htm 
Accessed-Tuesday 19th March 2013

Lillian Disney (February 15, 1899 – December 16, 1997) was the wife of Walt Disney. She was married to him from 1925 until his death in 1966.

Early years

Lillian was born Lillian Marie Bounds in Spalding, Idaho. She grew up in Lapwai, Idaho, on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation where her father worked as a blacksmith and federal marshal.^[1] Lillian was working at the Disney Studio in "ink and paint" as a secretary when she met Walt. She had short brown hair, was slim, and was thought to be very stylish. She took deep pride that he (Walt Disney), would drive the other girls home before her, even though her stop was the closest.

Marriage

Lillian and Walt Disney married in 1925 in Idaho at Lewiston's Episcopal Church of the Nativity,^[2] however, Walt's parents could not attend. Since Lillian's father was deceased, her uncle who was chief of the Lewiston Fire Department gave the bride away. She wore a dress which she had made herself. Her cousin recalled that she giggled nervously throughout the service. She and Walt had two daughters, Diane Marie Disney, born December 18, 1933, and Sharon Mae Disney, born December 31, 1936, the latter of whom was adopted. Lillian had seven grandchildren—Chris Miller, Joanna Miller, Tamara Scheer, Jennifer Miller-Goff, Walter Elias Disney Miller, Ronald Miller and Patrick Miller—from her daughter Diane and son-in-law Ronald Miller, and three grandchildren—Victoria Brown, Brad Lund and Michelle Lund—from her daughter Sharon. Lillian is the aunt of Roy Edward Disney.

Recognition

Her filmography includes work as an ink artist on the film Plane Crazy. Lillian is credited with having named her husband's most famous character, Mickey Mouse, during a train trip from New York to California in 1928. Walt showed a drawing of the cartoon mouse to his wife and told her that he was going to name it "Mortimer Mouse." Lillian replied that the name sounded "too pompous" and she was very proud to have suggested the name "Mickey Mouse" instead of Mortimer.^[3]
Walt named one of the Disneyland Railroad cars the "Lilly Belle" in her honor, and the Walt Disney World Railroad has a locomotive named "Lilly Belle", where each locomotive is named for someone who greatly contributed to the Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Imagineering created "The Empress Lilly", a paddle steamer replica, at Walt Disney World in Downtown Disney (Florida) and Lillian christened it on May 1, 1977. Lillian was inducted into the Disney Legends in 2003.^[4]

Life after Walt

Lillian Disney was married to John L. Truyens (May 1969 - February 1981)^[5] from 1969 until his death.
In 1987, Lillian Disney pledged a $50 million gift towards the construction of a new concert hall.^[6] After many delays, the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in 2003, six years after her death.
In the 1990s, reflecting on her 41-year marriage to Walt Disney, she said, "We shared a wonderful, exciting life, and we loved every minute of it. He was a wonderful husband to me, and wonderful and joyful father and grandfather."
Lillian Disney suffered a stroke on December 15, 1997, exactly 31 years after the death of her first husband, Walt. She died the following morning at her home, aged 98.

Last Updated-7th March 2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Disney 
Accessed- Tuesday 19th March 2013