Acting 1-That's a Wrap

I can't believe the semester is already over! This acting class is sure going to be one that I am going to miss. As much as I have learned, I know that there is still so much more I could learn. It is classes like this one that make me wish I wasn't graduating and that I could continue on to the next level. This class really did help me so much with, not only my acting, but my singing performances and surprisingly, my general communication skills as well. I find myself observing others and wondering if what tactics they are using and why. I find myself observing myself for that same reason as well. I also am pleased to say that my friend noted that the acting during my Senior voice recital was so well done as well.

I have loved the practice and feedback I have received through this year as well. My plan for after graduation is to get a job, yes, but also to audition for community theaters around the area. After the experience and knowledge I have gained from this class, as well as from my current dance class, I feel a great deal more prepared to do that. I will no longer have to wonder what it's going to be like and if I did my resume and headshot correctly (I don't think I would have even known to bring one in before). I will be able to walk in with confidence that I have prepared what is necessary. I will walk in and smile and say hi with politeness and enthusiasm and confidently hand them my prepared resume/head shot. I will then slate with confidence because I will have practiced it almost more that my actual monologue. I will have clear intentions with my prepared monologue and be able to bring fire and energy to the character. I will then thank the auditioners and pray that they see that I am the right one for the part!

I am so grateful for everything I learned in this class and I hope to be able to continue to receive more and more direction and improvement in my craft after graduation and over the rest of my career as an actor.

Acting 1-Lighting a fire

The elements are there now. Things are getting specific and intentions are clearing up. Emoting a certain emotion is no longer an option. We are getting better at actively playing intentions and knowing what that looks like as well. It is so fun to see how much everyone has improved and grown this past semester when it comes to everything we have talked about. Now the biggest problem I sometimes see, not only in others, but in myself as well, is a lowered energy level.

There was one day in particular. I remember it was a Monday and it had been an exhausting week for me. I was scheduled to perform and although I had worked on my piece and felt quite prepared, my mind and body were simply exhausted and I was barely functioning. Unfortunately, I was not the only one, it seemed. Every performance that day, although the intentions and choices were pretty clear, just lacked something. The energy level simply lagged. The main critique that seemed to be made that day was, "it needs a fire lit under it," or, "it needs to be goosed up." This really got me thinking, how do you keep the energy level up even when you feel so tired and you simply don't feel the strength or motivation? I have been paying attention to that question a lot lately and I believe the answer is to make sure every performance has the feeling that it is the day something happened.

This is something that is hard to get when you perform a piece over and over. It is important to remember though, that even if it is your 100th time performing something, to your audience, it may be the first and they deserve to see your best performance. If you don't have the feeling in the back of your mind that what you are saying or doing is really happening right now, then no matter how clear your intentions or choices may be, you are not really acting and the audience will not be convinced. So next time you get up to perform, light a fire under it!

Acting 1-The ins and outs of the industry

There are many different things to learn in an acting class. I have been amazed at the things that I have learned that I never would bave thought about before. I have loved discovering how to have specific intentions and clear choices in every movement, but the fact of the matter is, any given individual could have the best technique in the industry and still not even be considered in an audition if they don't know the industry standard of a proper resume and head shot.

This skill is something that I am so grateful that we were able to spend an entire class on. I also have recently discovered that I am a perfectionist when it comes to these types of projects. I just had my Senior Voice recital and literally spent hours and days creating the posters for it. I had to get the words perfectly centered, in the perfect font, and the perfect order and position. I had to make sure the picture was the perfect coloring and spent hours editing just that alone. It is no surprise then, that I was extremely grateful for the parameters given when it comes to a head shot and resume.

I was grateful to learn that although resumes can have what ever you would like to put on them, there are 5 things that are non-negotiable. The first is to have your name large and bold at the top of the page, right underneath should be your email address and phone number. The second is to have your hair color, eye color, height, and voice type (and vocal range if so desired). The third section would be all the shows you have been in with the part you played and the company (the director may also be listed with this if applicable). This would all be listed under a bolded title of "Theatre." The next section is "Education/Training." Under this would be any degrees obtained, along with any special vocal or acting training. The fifth and last section is titled "Special Skills." This is my favorite section. Here you list any skills that may or may not apply to acting. This section shows how divers you are and perhaps will give the auditioner a better perspective of your personality. Who knows, if you were to list that you are fluent in Pig Latin, there may be a need for that skill in the part and you would be a cut above the rest!

Acting 1-Countering and Scene Work

I have made an interesting discovery. Scenes are more difficult for me than monologues. This was a surprising discovery for me because I was sure that it would be easier to memorize when there was another actor to feed lines off of. I figured that it would be easy because it would be a conversation. I was so wrong. For example, in preparing a monologue, memorization is less challenging in a way because you can memorize straight through without having to remember what your cue lines are. I have been able to go to bed with my lines running through my head and I study and recite them over and over until they become my words. It doesn't take too long to be able to recite with clear intentions due to the fact that the words have become second nature and I don't have to think so much about what I am saying, but rather, how I am saying it and why. Scene work on the other hand has proven more difficult for me to memorize. I find myself leaving out or mixing up certain lines because is is difficult for me to memorize lines that are broken up in a dialogue. This also creates a difficulty in playing with clear intentions because I am trying to think of my lines and which ones I am to say next instead of thinking about the specificity of why I am saying them.

Unfortunately, memorization is just the beginning of the difficulty when it comes to scenes. My partner and I did a scene from 'Night Mother and decided on our intentions and movements, but we had no idea of the great need of specific movements as a duet. After performing our working scene, one of the problems that we found was the overall look of the scene with our positioning and the use of the space we had created. We had decided on movement choices that we felt were good for our personal characters, but we failed to realize how our personal movements might clash or look unnatural with the movements of the other character. For example, there were times when I would stand and move across the room with a specific intention while my scene partner stayed seated in behind my movements, this caused her to be hidden behind me while she recited her lines. This is something that would not be thought of if this were simply a real life situation in our home, but on stage, this creates an issue.

I am grateful that this issue was addressed though, because it provided an opportunity for me to learn a stage skill I had not even considered before, that of countering. This is the simple act of each actor finding a reason to move to the opposite side of the space as the an the other actor moves across the stage. For example, with our previous issue of my scene partner being hidden behind me when I moved to stand in front of the table in front of her, she found a reason to counter my movement and got up and moved to replace where I had been standing. It was so simple and yet made such a difference in the overall look of our scene. This skill of countering and all the other little things that need to be considered when working a scene as opposed to a monologue is something that I am so grateful to have acquired in this class. It is going to make my awareness of show direction so much more informed which will make a big difference in my stage presence.