Following up on my last post, I wanted to talk a bit more about how different intentions could make such a huge difference in the story line. This last class period, we did a really interesting activity. First, she had two volunteers come up and she gave them a simple script. She didn't give them any instructions, just told them to act out the scene. Without discussion between the two, they just began reading the script how they felt it should be read. They each had their own intentions and although you could tell they were trying to play off of each other, it was unclear who was who, what their relationship was, why they were talking at all, or what each of them needed. Afterwards we discussed it a bit and then our instructor whispered in each of their ears individually, a scenario. All of the sudden we could see a relationship and a few intentions. It looked as if this was a conversation between people who knew each other and had a purpose of talking to each other. After that she added a little more story to each of them. With this increased specificity, it was amazing to see how all of the sudden it was between a parent and a child and the child was terrified of the parent. Life came to the story that wasn't there before.
We did this activity a few more times, changing up the actors and scripts. I had the opportunity to do one of the scripts as well. The first time I did it with my classmate, I quickly tried to make up a bit of a scenario in my mind. I didn't really have a chance to read through the script at first so my intentions were kind of made up on the spot. It made it difficult because my intentions in my head were not the same as my classmate's intentions and she played out the story a bit different than I had tried to. An interesting comment from a fellow classmate really made me stop and think. She said that even though we were trying to play off of each other, it was like we were reading two different scripts. It really got me thinking about how, even though we may be given the same script, it is so important to share those specific choices with the people you are playing with or else they might come up with a completely different story and you will be saying the right words in a completely different show.
This has been made manifest again and again as we did the Dr. Seuss activity, the dry script reading activity and now as we work on a scene with partners and prepare to perform them. It is so very important to have specific intentions, movements and back story and to make sure everyone is on the same page with them.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Acting 1-Making Nonsense Make Sense
After learning, memorizing, and working on improving monologues, a recent class activity we did really stood out to me. Since the beginning of the semester, it seems we have been focusing so much on the movement of the body, breathing, voice and diction, specificity with intentions, and stuff like that. We would then take everything we have learned and put it into our monologues. I quickly discovered that this type of specific work was much easier when I memorized my lines so well, I could then focus on the meaning of what I was saying and the specific choices I was trying to make. Our recent Dr. Seuss activity put all of this work on a whole new level.
First, we were divided into groups of three or four. I was in a group of four. We were then handed our script. This was unlike any other script I had ever seen before. There was no separation of parts, it was just a verse that we were to divide up and decide who would speak which lines. We were given the instructions that we had to say at least two of the lines in unison and we could split the rest in any way we wished. We were told we would be graded on memorization and specific choices. This wouldn't be a problem normally. There were only about 10 lines or so and there were four of us. The catch was, the lines were nonsense. Yeah. The first line was "Give me the gift of a grip top sock." That was probably the line that made the most sense too. The entire verse was full of rhymes, alterations, and tongue twisters.
So with our instructions given we decided to dig in. First we split the lines up within our group, giving us each 2 lines by ourselves and 2 lines to say together. The next challenge was applying everything we have learned in our workshops and with our monologues to this mess of nonsense. What specific choices could we make with it? What could we do to show clear intentions all the while, trying to memorize and not trip over the tongue twisters within. Our group decided to take it as literally as we could. We decided that a grip top sock was literally a sock that didn't have a top to help it stay up. Eventually, we decided that a regular sock was an ankle sock and a grip top sock was a knee-high sock. With our group, we figured the best scenario would be that we were all roommates and I would be the one who wants the gift of the grip top sock. Two of my roommates would think I was ridiculous and say their lines with a hint of mockery and light-hardheartedness. The third roommate was truly interested in what a grip top sock was.
It was such an interesting experience to see how the more specific we became with our intentions and back story, the easier it became to understand what we were saying. All of the sudden, I started to believe there was such a thing as a grip top sock! It was also extremely interesting to see the other groups perform the same dialogue with a different order of people saying it and completely different intentions. All of the sudden it became a whole different story!
First, we were divided into groups of three or four. I was in a group of four. We were then handed our script. This was unlike any other script I had ever seen before. There was no separation of parts, it was just a verse that we were to divide up and decide who would speak which lines. We were given the instructions that we had to say at least two of the lines in unison and we could split the rest in any way we wished. We were told we would be graded on memorization and specific choices. This wouldn't be a problem normally. There were only about 10 lines or so and there were four of us. The catch was, the lines were nonsense. Yeah. The first line was "Give me the gift of a grip top sock." That was probably the line that made the most sense too. The entire verse was full of rhymes, alterations, and tongue twisters.
So with our instructions given we decided to dig in. First we split the lines up within our group, giving us each 2 lines by ourselves and 2 lines to say together. The next challenge was applying everything we have learned in our workshops and with our monologues to this mess of nonsense. What specific choices could we make with it? What could we do to show clear intentions all the while, trying to memorize and not trip over the tongue twisters within. Our group decided to take it as literally as we could. We decided that a grip top sock was literally a sock that didn't have a top to help it stay up. Eventually, we decided that a regular sock was an ankle sock and a grip top sock was a knee-high sock. With our group, we figured the best scenario would be that we were all roommates and I would be the one who wants the gift of the grip top sock. Two of my roommates would think I was ridiculous and say their lines with a hint of mockery and light-hardheartedness. The third roommate was truly interested in what a grip top sock was.
It was such an interesting experience to see how the more specific we became with our intentions and back story, the easier it became to understand what we were saying. All of the sudden, I started to believe there was such a thing as a grip top sock! It was also extremely interesting to see the other groups perform the same dialogue with a different order of people saying it and completely different intentions. All of the sudden it became a whole different story!
Monday, March 6, 2017
Play review-Die Fledermaus
"If you love, you love a waltz." These words, sung by Prince Orlofsky in Johann Strauss's "Die Fledermaus," are the first words read in the program provided at the Southern Utah University production this last weekend. These words truly help set the mood of the production which kept me laughing and entranced throughout. This production was so entertaining and executed so effortlessly, one would almost miss the intricate coordination and integration that took place by the actors throughout the show.
To begin, this is an extremely difficult score to sing, memorize, and perform. There are melismas and many of the duets and trios are created by putting together different voices singing completely different things at the same time. On top of the music, the fast tempo of the words made it an incredible feat for these actors, who executed their parts with precision and fun interpretation. There were many moments that made me wonder when they possibly had time to breathe as there didn't seem to be much punctuation with each thought, but the clear message that came across through precise physical coordination, intense dynamics and specific movement skills that were applied by each actor (especially Jocelyn and the other main characters) really showed the impressive and specific work of the actors and made it that much more enjoyable to watch.
The fun and impressive dancing was another strong aspect of this show. Most of the dancing took place in act two at the ball of Prince Orlofsky. Because of this, much of it was done in a waltz-like way with curved, pulsing movements. Some dances were faster in tempo than others, but each dancer seemed to effortlessly glide across the floor in each movement. The strength and stamina of each dancer and actor alike was spectacular.
This production was done as most operas are, without the added benefit of microphones. There are pros and cons to this. There were moments when I wished the sound could have been louder and ring throughout the hall, but at the same time, I was grateful for the generic sounds that were produced without the added mics. It was apparent that as the pitch and precise diction increased, so did the audiences ability to hear and understand. It was interesting to see how important diction especially, was in this production. The actors, for the most part, did an excellent job in this area. There were times that I had wished the words were clearer and more recognizable, but the physicality of each actor helped to bridge that gap to help me understand what was happening.
Over all, this production was fun, entertaining, and one that I would highly recommend to anyone. The hard work of each performer on stage, in the pit, or behind the scenes, was very apparent and helped to create a masterpiece that will leave you singing the songs of Strauss all the way home.
To begin, this is an extremely difficult score to sing, memorize, and perform. There are melismas and many of the duets and trios are created by putting together different voices singing completely different things at the same time. On top of the music, the fast tempo of the words made it an incredible feat for these actors, who executed their parts with precision and fun interpretation. There were many moments that made me wonder when they possibly had time to breathe as there didn't seem to be much punctuation with each thought, but the clear message that came across through precise physical coordination, intense dynamics and specific movement skills that were applied by each actor (especially Jocelyn and the other main characters) really showed the impressive and specific work of the actors and made it that much more enjoyable to watch.
The fun and impressive dancing was another strong aspect of this show. Most of the dancing took place in act two at the ball of Prince Orlofsky. Because of this, much of it was done in a waltz-like way with curved, pulsing movements. Some dances were faster in tempo than others, but each dancer seemed to effortlessly glide across the floor in each movement. The strength and stamina of each dancer and actor alike was spectacular.
This production was done as most operas are, without the added benefit of microphones. There are pros and cons to this. There were moments when I wished the sound could have been louder and ring throughout the hall, but at the same time, I was grateful for the generic sounds that were produced without the added mics. It was apparent that as the pitch and precise diction increased, so did the audiences ability to hear and understand. It was interesting to see how important diction especially, was in this production. The actors, for the most part, did an excellent job in this area. There were times that I had wished the words were clearer and more recognizable, but the physicality of each actor helped to bridge that gap to help me understand what was happening.
Over all, this production was fun, entertaining, and one that I would highly recommend to anyone. The hard work of each performer on stage, in the pit, or behind the scenes, was very apparent and helped to create a masterpiece that will leave you singing the songs of Strauss all the way home.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Acting 1-Clear intentions
This semester is flying by so fast and acting class is going to be over way too soon! We have now finished our final performances for our second monologues. It has been so fun finding ways to improve and working on my craft. Something that I noticed this last time around was how important it is to have very specific and clear intentions with what you are acting. Just about anyone can memorize some lines and say recite them to a group of people. We all did that as kids when they had us memorize a poem and forced us to enter the poetry competition. Remember that? I always detested that by the way. I felt like everyone was judging me and waiting to catch me if I said a word wrong, which I always seemed to do. Interesting how this experience was so torturous and yet I absolutely LOVE acting now. Why is that, you ask? Well I think it's because the intention was not there and therefore, it was not acting at all. Not even close. Memorizing and reciting a bunch of lines is stressful, scary, and not fun at all. However, acting out those lines, becoming the one who says those lines as if they were your own with a CLEAR intention...now that is exhilarating!
For my monologue this time around, I chose a piece from a short one-act play written by David E. Rodriguez called I'm not Stupid. It was bit of a depressing play, but intellectually exciting and I was drawn in from the start. I had a difficult time figuring out what the intentions were at first. I decided to portray the role of the mother who had just killed her son and was then talking to her son's psych, who didn't know what she had just done, explaining that she loved her son as someone would love a dog. At first I could only look at her and say, "she is crazy, she has no intention!" However, as I really delved deeper into why she was telling him what she was, I realized that she was trying to justify what she had just done. Yes she was crazy, but her reality was that she was in the right and she needed the psychiatrist to see that. With this in mind I decided to play my intentions to that effect. I needed him to understand, I needed him to feel bad for me, to be on my side. Even with this prior work, the first time I performed I was still caught up trying to remember all the words and it felt a tiny bit like those elementary school poems I had to memorize. By the second time however, I was able to play around with intentions a bit more and really portray what she would be trying to accomplish with her speech. Things made a huge turnaround after that. All of the sudden it became acting and it was fun and exciting!
Intentions really are what should be driving us in anything, acting or life. Wouldn't life be so much simpler if everyone spoke and acted with clear intentions? Probably a lot more fun as well!
For my monologue this time around, I chose a piece from a short one-act play written by David E. Rodriguez called I'm not Stupid. It was bit of a depressing play, but intellectually exciting and I was drawn in from the start. I had a difficult time figuring out what the intentions were at first. I decided to portray the role of the mother who had just killed her son and was then talking to her son's psych, who didn't know what she had just done, explaining that she loved her son as someone would love a dog. At first I could only look at her and say, "she is crazy, she has no intention!" However, as I really delved deeper into why she was telling him what she was, I realized that she was trying to justify what she had just done. Yes she was crazy, but her reality was that she was in the right and she needed the psychiatrist to see that. With this in mind I decided to play my intentions to that effect. I needed him to understand, I needed him to feel bad for me, to be on my side. Even with this prior work, the first time I performed I was still caught up trying to remember all the words and it felt a tiny bit like those elementary school poems I had to memorize. By the second time however, I was able to play around with intentions a bit more and really portray what she would be trying to accomplish with her speech. Things made a huge turnaround after that. All of the sudden it became acting and it was fun and exciting!
Intentions really are what should be driving us in anything, acting or life. Wouldn't life be so much simpler if everyone spoke and acted with clear intentions? Probably a lot more fun as well!
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