Sunday, December 16, 2007
Acting
I was talking with Brittney and Beth the other day about life revelations and what we want to do with ourselves when we graduate and enter the "real world". While Brittney and I are both passionate about theater, neither of us see it as very plausible for a job or lifestyle after school. Beth, on the other hand, knows that acting is what she wants to do and is determined to act or be in theater as her job. I really hope that she does go into theater and I hope that she is happy with it. It just seems like a lifestyle full of disappointment and always living on the edge as well as a ton of work, and yet since it is something that you really love isn't it worth it? Anyways, Brittney was saying that she could never act as a job because it is too selfish and doesn't make any difference in the world. But I totally disagree - I feel like acting is very selfless, it is putting yourself out there in a vulnerable state for an entire audience of people to watch and comment on and judge. It takes intense work and so much energy to keep shows fresh and new for the audience as well as making it seem real and believable. I do somewhat understand what Brittney meant by saying that you don't really make a difference as an actress. I know in the future I want to accomplish good for the world and not just have a job to make money. Acting is one of those things where you really can reach out and touch people. A great actor can make people ponder the show and want to make a difference. The limitation to acting is that you have to use the words in the show and not words of your own (unless you are a playwright as well). Thus, it is dependent on the show itself to make a difference, the actor can only either make the show come to life and work, or else make the show flop, but it is ultimately dependent on the show itself to be the words that affect the audience.
Acting classes
Next semester I am signing up to take a Beginning Acting class. I am starting to have some second thoughts about this class. I have never (before this class, Intro to Theater) taken any kind of structured theater classes or had any acting training. I have simply tried out for shows and acted in them. So, I was really excited about taking an acting class and learning about acting as an art and an educational process rather than just an extracurricular hobby that I do when I have the time. But now I am starting to have some second guesses about it. Why do I need training? Will I just start taking some same certain approach to shows because that is what I will be taught? Will the methods that I learn hinder me from really getting into the character or will they help me? Isn't it enough to just act from however you feel the character should act and using your own personal experiences to back up the character choices - or is this not the way to approach acting? I feel like I can pretty successfully find the nuances in a character just from imaging myself in that position and as that person, but maybe this is wrong? Is it wrong to put yourself into the characters? Maybe as a great actor you somewhat turn off yourself and turn on the character you are acting as? I am just worried that taking acting classes will turn me into a single-type actor who can really only play roles in one certain way because I have learned how to act in a certain way. Then again, this is probably not true at all, because the best actors go through a lot of training. Maybe I am just getting cold feet. Acting is one of those really intimidating things where you have to open yourself up to a room full of people and let yourself be vulnerable. I hope that it is a good idea to take an acting class!
More Antigone
So one of the major director choices that was made in our school's production of Antigone was the choice to make the entire show in the time period of Nazi Germany when Jean Anouilh actually wrote the play. I thought that this was great and really added a lot to the show. When the audience walked into the theater, they were first approached by actors in Nazi uniforms who would randomly search audience members or ask them questions. It was a little offsetting (which was the purpose) and really made one think about how we take for granted our ability to waltz into a theater and see whatever we would like. One thing that I wish was that the Nazi setting had been a bit more prominent. Since the director made the choice to put the play in the setting of the time, I wish that it had been taken even further. Even though I saw people getting searched, I, myself (nor any of the people that I was with) were searched or harassed, and the Nazis standing around were a little confusing. My roommate had also told me before I went to the show that there were people planted in the audience that were going to be searched and then kicked out. If I hadn't known this and been on the lookout for it, I would not have noticed it. But, since I knew that it was going to happen I watched for it and thought that this added a lot. It really transports the audience into a different world and different reality. The end of the show is what really worked, I thought. The actors all come out and take their bows and the audience is clapping, etc. for them, when an actress runs to the stage with flowers and the guards roughly stop her, and there is a great moment of tension between actors, Nazis, and the colonel/whoever the man was who was the Nazi watching the show (I forget his title). The way that the actors all left the stage glaring at the Nazis and completely unhappy and disgusted put an entire new level on top of the show itself. I thought this was a great choice and really let the audience see the hidden meanings behind Anouilh's version of the play and his commentary on the tyrannical government.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Antigone
I went to see Antigone on opening night because my roommate, Beth, played Antigone. It was really a phenomenal show, it put Superman to shame. The acting was solid, and the director's choice to create the atmosphere of Nazi Germany to show what it had truly been like when this version of the play was first being put on gave the show an entirely different feeling. (More about this aspect of the show later)
There were a few things that I did not agree with about actor choices in the show. After having read this version of Antigone in class, I had an entirely different outlook on the show. In highschool we read the original Antigone, and the dialogue between Antigone and Creon clearly made Creon the "bad" character, the unfeeling and unsympathetic tyrant, while Antigone was clearly the heroine, the brave young girl who stood up against authority and the tyranny of her uncle in order to uphold her morals. But, when we read Jean Anouilh's version in class, I understood the story in an entirely new way. Antigone seems a foolish and thoughtless child who sees only her own problem and doesn't look beyond what she sees right and wrong. Creon, on the other hand, is rational and is thinking about the entire kingdom under his rule. He is unable to think emotionally about all of his choices and has to make sacrifices in order to better the entirety of the state. Reading the play I envisioned him rational and somewhat pitying Antigone for not being able to understand the situation on his level. Antigone is adament about her beliefs despite Creon just wanting to save her and help her understand why he is unable to bury her brother. (Tangent - at the same time I recognize that Anouilh is actually saying that Creon is a tyrant - with choices such as his statement that he is going to kill all three guards in order to save Antigone. He is really just trying to save his status and position, keep his son's future wife alive and keep his power in its absoluteness.) Anyways, I felt that the actor playing Creon in the show did not really portray this side of Creon. He was truly a tyrant, scary and insensitive to anyone but himself. Especially at the end, when Creon's family has fallen apart, both his son and his wife have killed themselves - I felt that here Creon should show some emotion, some regret, or pain, and yet the actor chose to play it off as just business and seemed mechanical and inhuman. Also, in the long interaction with Antigone, Creon continually tries to save her, tries to convince her to listen to him and take his help, and tries to make her understand why he had to make the decree that he did. The actor playing Creon seemed to have two emotions: a passive, normal tone and an over-the-top angry. He would switch between one and the other without really building up anger which made it seem unrealistic. I wish that he had played a more rational Creon who had thought all of his decisions about the body, etc. through many times rather than a Creon with a temper who just yelled a lot.
There were a few things that I did not agree with about actor choices in the show. After having read this version of Antigone in class, I had an entirely different outlook on the show. In highschool we read the original Antigone, and the dialogue between Antigone and Creon clearly made Creon the "bad" character, the unfeeling and unsympathetic tyrant, while Antigone was clearly the heroine, the brave young girl who stood up against authority and the tyranny of her uncle in order to uphold her morals. But, when we read Jean Anouilh's version in class, I understood the story in an entirely new way. Antigone seems a foolish and thoughtless child who sees only her own problem and doesn't look beyond what she sees right and wrong. Creon, on the other hand, is rational and is thinking about the entire kingdom under his rule. He is unable to think emotionally about all of his choices and has to make sacrifices in order to better the entirety of the state. Reading the play I envisioned him rational and somewhat pitying Antigone for not being able to understand the situation on his level. Antigone is adament about her beliefs despite Creon just wanting to save her and help her understand why he is unable to bury her brother. (Tangent - at the same time I recognize that Anouilh is actually saying that Creon is a tyrant - with choices such as his statement that he is going to kill all three guards in order to save Antigone. He is really just trying to save his status and position, keep his son's future wife alive and keep his power in its absoluteness.) Anyways, I felt that the actor playing Creon in the show did not really portray this side of Creon. He was truly a tyrant, scary and insensitive to anyone but himself. Especially at the end, when Creon's family has fallen apart, both his son and his wife have killed themselves - I felt that here Creon should show some emotion, some regret, or pain, and yet the actor chose to play it off as just business and seemed mechanical and inhuman. Also, in the long interaction with Antigone, Creon continually tries to save her, tries to convince her to listen to him and take his help, and tries to make her understand why he had to make the decree that he did. The actor playing Creon seemed to have two emotions: a passive, normal tone and an over-the-top angry. He would switch between one and the other without really building up anger which made it seem unrealistic. I wish that he had played a more rational Creon who had thought all of his decisions about the body, etc. through many times rather than a Creon with a temper who just yelled a lot.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Final!!!
Tonight is our final show! Very exciting. Thought that I would do a blog before we perform. Our last rehearsal was a little rough...there was a lot of forgetting lines, I told Troy that he cheated on me with a man (accidentally), then the rest of the rehearsal was a lot of laughing throughout practice...so we decided we are meeting early tonight to get everything down pact for the performance. We are all working well togehter though, I think our group has really gelled and now we need to just step it up for the performance. I really have not had energy recently and hope that I can really get into the role for tonight like I did last time...I have definitely not been feeling it the way I was before, I think it is a combination of it being the end of the semester so my heart isn't into it as much any more, as well as my getting over mono. Anyways, I hope that tonight turns out ok.
On another note, I went to see the director's shows the other night and it was a lot of fun. They were all one acts and all of them ended up being comedies. They were well performed and the staging was great as well. It really made me start thinking more about all the choices a director has to make and how it can completely change an act and bring things more to life or make things more comical, etc. For example, in Breast Men, every time one of the two main actors would say "Two Muskateers" they would both simultaneously do a little fencing move which was hilarious. I am starting to try to find little things like this as an actor that can be added to scenes and make them more engaging.
On another note, I went to see the director's shows the other night and it was a lot of fun. They were all one acts and all of them ended up being comedies. They were well performed and the staging was great as well. It really made me start thinking more about all the choices a director has to make and how it can completely change an act and bring things more to life or make things more comical, etc. For example, in Breast Men, every time one of the two main actors would say "Two Muskateers" they would both simultaneously do a little fencing move which was hilarious. I am starting to try to find little things like this as an actor that can be added to scenes and make them more engaging.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Last week of classes!!!
How exciting is it to be in the last week of classes?? EEK! Well, our group is doing well working on our scene for the final. It is a little intimidating because at this point no one in our group really has their lines memorized at all...but we have had some good rehearsals during class as well as having met outside of class to rehearse. So I think we will be in good shape. We decided to do the same scene from our midterm and just add onto it and include our entire group in the acting. This time around we are all more comfortable with each other and I think we are all contributing more to the group. When one person isn't currently in the scene, they are sitting and watching and giving comments. Pretty much we are all stepping up into the role of the director (although Brittney is still technically our director and calls all the final shots). I am really enjoying working with the people in my group and hope that the show will really come together. Our biggest challenge right now is maintaining focus with the threat of finals looming ahead and all the assignments we have in our other classes. I still think we will pull it together though.
Monday, November 26, 2007
End of Theater Labs
Although I really enjoyed the labs and thought they were fun and let us get in touch with another part of our creative sides, I don't think I really benefitted from them. I didn't ultimately learn anything new or anything that I used in my midterm production. I don't know if this is maybe because I have taken previous art classes ?? (the classes really weren't Bad, I just didn't really learn anything...). But overall I enjoyed the classes and think that they touched on the basic skills that are necessary for the artistic design behind theater productions, but I knew most everything without the labs...they were kind of a waste...but a great idea - I think it is hard to create a design lab for the most basic level there is, and in this sense the labs were great.
On another note, I saw the school's production of "Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love" and thought it was amazing. I don't know if it's the first Brechtian play I've seen performed, I don't really think it was, but it is the first time that I have been able to identify what type of play it is because we are reading Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" in my American Lit class and talking about Brechtian theater. The play simply blew me away. The actors were all extremely passionate about their roles and their characters (despite it being an over half-empty theater in the middle of the day with a second performance later in the evening...). They had to keep up intense energy and remain always completely in character because there was no backstage. The theater in the round set up forced them to be always onstage, even for costume changes, and the director had to use a lot of staging and lighting techniques to make sure that the audience's attention was always directed at the area of important action. I think that this worked successfully - I always found myself watching the show and then suddenly another side would be illuminated and the set or costumes of a character would have changed without my noticing. With such a simple set and a few props, the story was still truly brought to life by the intensity of the actors and the small blackbox theater really drew the audience in. We were close to the actors not only literally, but close to the action of the play as well.
On another note, I saw the school's production of "Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love" and thought it was amazing. I don't know if it's the first Brechtian play I've seen performed, I don't really think it was, but it is the first time that I have been able to identify what type of play it is because we are reading Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" in my American Lit class and talking about Brechtian theater. The play simply blew me away. The actors were all extremely passionate about their roles and their characters (despite it being an over half-empty theater in the middle of the day with a second performance later in the evening...). They had to keep up intense energy and remain always completely in character because there was no backstage. The theater in the round set up forced them to be always onstage, even for costume changes, and the director had to use a lot of staging and lighting techniques to make sure that the audience's attention was always directed at the area of important action. I think that this worked successfully - I always found myself watching the show and then suddenly another side would be illuminated and the set or costumes of a character would have changed without my noticing. With such a simple set and a few props, the story was still truly brought to life by the intensity of the actors and the small blackbox theater really drew the audience in. We were close to the actors not only literally, but close to the action of the play as well.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Play...
Writing a play is a lot more difficult than I expected...developing a character through simply writing a quick description and then completely through dialogue is quite a challenge. Actually one of the hardest things for me is making each character's dialogue distinct from the others. Since I am the person writing for all of these people they all tend to start talking the way that I talk. So I keep going back through my play and just reading a single character's lines all the way through to script to make sure that their speech patterns are consistent. I've decided that I'm not going to do my initial plan, because it just turned out too difficult. So I have all of these hilarious and awesome quotes from people that I've overheard/talked to on campus now and not really anything to do with them. I think maybe some day I will try to put them together and see what I can create with them.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
PLAY
Ok I need need to post these quotes as well. I overheard them at lunch. WOW.
o “I just…feel like you are one of the only guys I’ve ever felt this way about”
“I know baby”
“And you just hurt me so bad”
“Well I didn’t…”
“I mean you tell me you like me more than those other girls, WHY are you still hooking up with them??”
“With who?”
“With those two other girls!!”
“Oh…I mean…they’re nothing. I mean…”
“Then why are you with them? You really hurt me and I feel like you are a nice guy, one of the nicest guys I’ve met…”
“I just don’t know”
“Don’t know what??”
“I just don’t know how I feel about you…I mean, I don’t feel that way about you”
“So does that mean you are gonna keep hooking up with them??”
“Well…yea…”
“So we aren’t going to be together??”
“Baby, it’s just…”
o “They don’t believe what we believe, so they’ve gotta die.”
o “Buck up cheetoh”
I'm thinking maybe I will have that first conversation opening up the play, and then just develop the characters from there. Because, wow, what a conversation to hear. It is a little unbelievable...anyways, I am definitely having problems trying to figure out this whole play thing...the quotes are cool but they really limit me in so many ways.
o “I just…feel like you are one of the only guys I’ve ever felt this way about”
“I know baby”
“And you just hurt me so bad”
“Well I didn’t…”
“I mean you tell me you like me more than those other girls, WHY are you still hooking up with them??”
“With who?”
“With those two other girls!!”
“Oh…I mean…they’re nothing. I mean…”
“Then why are you with them? You really hurt me and I feel like you are a nice guy, one of the nicest guys I’ve met…”
“I just don’t know”
“Don’t know what??”
“I just don’t know how I feel about you…I mean, I don’t feel that way about you”
“So does that mean you are gonna keep hooking up with them??”
“Well…yea…”
“So we aren’t going to be together??”
“Baby, it’s just…”
o “They don’t believe what we believe, so they’ve gotta die.”
o “Buck up cheetoh”
I'm thinking maybe I will have that first conversation opening up the play, and then just develop the characters from there. Because, wow, what a conversation to hear. It is a little unbelievable...anyways, I am definitely having problems trying to figure out this whole play thing...the quotes are cool but they really limit me in so many ways.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
PLAY QUOTES
Thought I'd post some of the play quotes that I collected because they are pretty amusing and I just don't quite know what to do with them yet...
· That’s like Cinderella wanting to be a lawyer after she got raped
· Be proud that your hand was shaking because it means that it is important to you.
· She killed herself to show she really had control of her life
· “he wore those flowered pants like a straight man”
· “Stalin was no kitten”
· “dude fuck that shit I just underline random words that are prevalent”
[long pause]
“wait…don’t you mean relevant…?”
Etc.
· [girls guessing if guys are wearing boxers or boxer-briefs]
· Balkanize yo ass
· Art is excited by pain and longing and anguish
· Do you dream in color?
· “How are you doing?”
“I’m breathing. In and out.”
· “ You’ve just got to say….Look here is my life. My life is from now until noon tomorrow. I die at noon tomorrow. Therefore let’s not sleep. Lets study art history. Bc learning about human civilization is the greatest gift one can be given in ones short life.”
· “ And I talked to my sister…and it’s just the same old. She was crying. I mean, yesterday she was good, and today she was just so bad.”
· “I want to be unique but not so unique as to be alone…so I also want to be a part of a group”
· That’s because sunchips are the Best chips.
· Your thermostat is fucked up. You can’t just go from balls to balls.
· “what are those tallies on your arm?”
“I’m trying to drink a whole case so I’m keeping track”
“Damn! How you feeling?”
“I’ll feel good once I finish this case. 3 more!”
· “I haven’t felt this way since ____. Just sitting doing nothing then all of a sudden a lurch from the lower stomach down into the groin and my whole body shivers and I’m thinking of him. He’s all I think about.”
· “But now it’s true, right, we all like to see each other’s underwear, right?”
· “The thing is, you want someone that you want…that’s always the problem in life”
· We want pain. We desire trauma. It renews life within us.
· “It’s like the difference between a saltine and a wheat thin”
· “His parents are great…he’s kind of an ass”
· “I’m tired of being an exile. I’m ready to live where I can leave a mark.”
· “Whatchu eatin big guy?”
“Breakfast”
“Grow it out…just let it grow”
“I know, I know…gettin a fro. I mean, I’ve had long hair before.”
“That shit grows slow as hell. You need to put some shape to that”
· “I’ve been yearning for the class”
“Did she say she’s been urinating??”
· “Dude I had a dream about this class”
“You had a dream about this?? Come on Keith, you couldn’t dream about something good?”
“I don’t dream”
· “Let’s get drunk!”
“And fuck bitches!”
· “People are really wonderful, and the best part is there are 6 billion of them, so that means someone will love you and it will be the right time”
· “I won’t have money for college; I’ll spend it all on alcohol and cowgirls”
· “Didn’t really like her – she was a feminist and stuff. Had a nice butt though.”
· “I think some people just have a hard time saying ‘I love you’.”
· “Conflicting ideas make me happy.”
· “There’s a time to be a righteous bitch, and there’s a time not to be.”
· “My mouth still tastes like sleep.”
· 7 year old girl: “When I look into your eyes, I see something I didn’t see before. Something I only see in very few people’s eyes.”
· “I didn’t say you are a hippo, I said you look like a picture of a hippo. There’s a difference.”
· “He was the gayest man I’ve ever known. He literally shat glitter.”
· “A shiver that starts in your neck and then shoots right down your spine and into your arms and legs making all your hair stick up”
ok there are tons tons tons more but I'm not going to put more on here right now...
· That’s like Cinderella wanting to be a lawyer after she got raped
· Be proud that your hand was shaking because it means that it is important to you.
· She killed herself to show she really had control of her life
· “he wore those flowered pants like a straight man”
· “Stalin was no kitten”
· “dude fuck that shit I just underline random words that are prevalent”
[long pause]
“wait…don’t you mean relevant…?”
Etc.
· [girls guessing if guys are wearing boxers or boxer-briefs]
· Balkanize yo ass
· Art is excited by pain and longing and anguish
· Do you dream in color?
· “How are you doing?”
“I’m breathing. In and out.”
· “ You’ve just got to say….Look here is my life. My life is from now until noon tomorrow. I die at noon tomorrow. Therefore let’s not sleep. Lets study art history. Bc learning about human civilization is the greatest gift one can be given in ones short life.”
· “ And I talked to my sister…and it’s just the same old. She was crying. I mean, yesterday she was good, and today she was just so bad.”
· “I want to be unique but not so unique as to be alone…so I also want to be a part of a group”
· That’s because sunchips are the Best chips.
· Your thermostat is fucked up. You can’t just go from balls to balls.
· “what are those tallies on your arm?”
“I’m trying to drink a whole case so I’m keeping track”
“Damn! How you feeling?”
“I’ll feel good once I finish this case. 3 more!”
· “I haven’t felt this way since ____. Just sitting doing nothing then all of a sudden a lurch from the lower stomach down into the groin and my whole body shivers and I’m thinking of him. He’s all I think about.”
· “But now it’s true, right, we all like to see each other’s underwear, right?”
· “The thing is, you want someone that you want…that’s always the problem in life”
· We want pain. We desire trauma. It renews life within us.
· “It’s like the difference between a saltine and a wheat thin”
· “His parents are great…he’s kind of an ass”
· “I’m tired of being an exile. I’m ready to live where I can leave a mark.”
· “Whatchu eatin big guy?”
“Breakfast”
“Grow it out…just let it grow”
“I know, I know…gettin a fro. I mean, I’ve had long hair before.”
“That shit grows slow as hell. You need to put some shape to that”
· “I’ve been yearning for the class”
“Did she say she’s been urinating??”
· “Dude I had a dream about this class”
“You had a dream about this?? Come on Keith, you couldn’t dream about something good?”
“I don’t dream”
· “Let’s get drunk!”
“And fuck bitches!”
· “People are really wonderful, and the best part is there are 6 billion of them, so that means someone will love you and it will be the right time”
· “I won’t have money for college; I’ll spend it all on alcohol and cowgirls”
· “Didn’t really like her – she was a feminist and stuff. Had a nice butt though.”
· “I think some people just have a hard time saying ‘I love you’.”
· “Conflicting ideas make me happy.”
· “There’s a time to be a righteous bitch, and there’s a time not to be.”
· “My mouth still tastes like sleep.”
· 7 year old girl: “When I look into your eyes, I see something I didn’t see before. Something I only see in very few people’s eyes.”
· “I didn’t say you are a hippo, I said you look like a picture of a hippo. There’s a difference.”
· “He was the gayest man I’ve ever known. He literally shat glitter.”
· “A shiver that starts in your neck and then shoots right down your spine and into your arms and legs making all your hair stick up”
ok there are tons tons tons more but I'm not going to put more on here right now...
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
SUPERMAN!!!!!!
Going to see Superman was quite an experience; my first show that I saw on the main stage here at William and Mary after having seen/been in several small, student-run shows. The extravagance of the show was thus even grander after the small or zero budget shows I saw earlier in the year. It was a lot of fun getting to see some of the different things that our theater department is capable of doing.
My initial reaction to the show was similar to most of the other people that I talked to about the show. (I really only talked to other students about it because I kind of forgot that I was supposed to talk to other people in the audience, but I did get a range of all different WM students for different opinions) Most people that I talked to about the show said something to the extent of “Well the play they chose totally sucked”, and I definitely agree. The fact that the play is known for being a 1970’s Broadway flop raises question to why the school would have thought that it would turn out to be a good show. The plot, dialogue, and music were all pretty boring, predictable, and unsuccessfully written. All of the people that I talked to about the show except for one thought that the play itself was no good, thus making it harder to make judgments about the quality of acting, singing, etc.
But enough of my little venting about the play…there were many aspects of the show that I also enjoyed and found engaging (as did all of the people that I talked to). After the lectures from the different directors in class, there were things that I was definitely looking for in the show. I was looking at the colors in the costumes, the lighting techniques, and the choreography. When I talked to other students about the play, they commented a lot on the music. They noticed the character’s voices and the songs in the show. They noted that most of the songs ended in the same fashion, with a large booming ending, a ritard at the end for emphasis and a very MGM-feel-good feeling. This was not something I really noticed, but I understand this opinion. I looked a lot at the choreography during the songs. Many of the songs were solos without any other characters on stage. The actor really had to take control of the stage and use the space so that he/she would not be swallowed up being alone onstage. Thus, the choreography for these songs was very sweeping, less small gestures in a certain spot of the stage, and more movement across the stage back and forth, moving around to take up space. For the songs where the whole cast was onstage I noted that the choreographer tried to take up all the space, including the areas that had been additionally built for the show. The cast spread out across the stage and made good use of the space, using their formation with ‘windows’ so that everyone was seen and groupings to distinguish Superman vs. the townspeople vs. the school kids, etc.
Other people I talked to commented on the costumes and how much fun they were fitting the time period. The female business suits with matching hats and the male suits with plaid patterns and loud designs were great for the comic book look. While the people in the audience saw the costumes as “loud” and “fun” to match this cartoony feel of the original Superman, I was able to better understand the costume choices with regard to color after hearing the costume lecture. I was able to see how the cast was not usually dressed in bright blue or red because these were Superman’s colors and by having his character be the only one wearing these colors, he stuck out a lot more in the crowd. I also noted how the cast was often dressed in shades of the same color depending on the scene. I thought this was great, and gave the cast a sort of unity and made them all blend together into a mass of people, in the same way that the crowds of people in the comic strip would have looked.
Finally, people I talked to commented a lot on the set of the show, on how it was also very successful in being comic-booky with animated images and loud colors. Everyone liked the set and said that it added a lot to the show, making it really a comic book that came alive. Especially having the in-between scenes/set changes with the screen painted like a comic book page and the light focusing on a single square. This was a significant technical choice that I thought was very successful. The correspondence of the highlighted comic square with the story going on stage was a constant reminder that the play is an adaption from a popular comic book and that a purpose of the play was to keep it looking as much as a comic book as it could. The light really focused the audience’s eyes onto the square of choice, which made sure we were following the plot of the story.
One interesting thing I found out about this part of the set from one of the theater majors who had helped work on the show was that there was some miscommunication between the different designers which is why there was a tie painted on the set in the pictures of the evil doctor, and yet onstage he wore a bowtie. It is small things like this that even I did not notice after having been through lectures about the show, but that the people working on the show noticed. Ultimately the designers decided that it was a small enough difference between costume and set that it could be overlooked.
Overall, I feel that after having heard the different designers in the show speak that I was definitely able to more deeply understand some of the artistic choices made in the show. While many parts I saw on the same surface level as the rest of the audience (although, who knows, many of the audience may have understood parts of the show better than I did, but I may not have talked to them), I feel that having heard the designers speak gave me a better understanding of intentions and choices made with the show.
My initial reaction to the show was similar to most of the other people that I talked to about the show. (I really only talked to other students about it because I kind of forgot that I was supposed to talk to other people in the audience, but I did get a range of all different WM students for different opinions) Most people that I talked to about the show said something to the extent of “Well the play they chose totally sucked”, and I definitely agree. The fact that the play is known for being a 1970’s Broadway flop raises question to why the school would have thought that it would turn out to be a good show. The plot, dialogue, and music were all pretty boring, predictable, and unsuccessfully written. All of the people that I talked to about the show except for one thought that the play itself was no good, thus making it harder to make judgments about the quality of acting, singing, etc.
But enough of my little venting about the play…there were many aspects of the show that I also enjoyed and found engaging (as did all of the people that I talked to). After the lectures from the different directors in class, there were things that I was definitely looking for in the show. I was looking at the colors in the costumes, the lighting techniques, and the choreography. When I talked to other students about the play, they commented a lot on the music. They noticed the character’s voices and the songs in the show. They noted that most of the songs ended in the same fashion, with a large booming ending, a ritard at the end for emphasis and a very MGM-feel-good feeling. This was not something I really noticed, but I understand this opinion. I looked a lot at the choreography during the songs. Many of the songs were solos without any other characters on stage. The actor really had to take control of the stage and use the space so that he/she would not be swallowed up being alone onstage. Thus, the choreography for these songs was very sweeping, less small gestures in a certain spot of the stage, and more movement across the stage back and forth, moving around to take up space. For the songs where the whole cast was onstage I noted that the choreographer tried to take up all the space, including the areas that had been additionally built for the show. The cast spread out across the stage and made good use of the space, using their formation with ‘windows’ so that everyone was seen and groupings to distinguish Superman vs. the townspeople vs. the school kids, etc.
Other people I talked to commented on the costumes and how much fun they were fitting the time period. The female business suits with matching hats and the male suits with plaid patterns and loud designs were great for the comic book look. While the people in the audience saw the costumes as “loud” and “fun” to match this cartoony feel of the original Superman, I was able to better understand the costume choices with regard to color after hearing the costume lecture. I was able to see how the cast was not usually dressed in bright blue or red because these were Superman’s colors and by having his character be the only one wearing these colors, he stuck out a lot more in the crowd. I also noted how the cast was often dressed in shades of the same color depending on the scene. I thought this was great, and gave the cast a sort of unity and made them all blend together into a mass of people, in the same way that the crowds of people in the comic strip would have looked.
Finally, people I talked to commented a lot on the set of the show, on how it was also very successful in being comic-booky with animated images and loud colors. Everyone liked the set and said that it added a lot to the show, making it really a comic book that came alive. Especially having the in-between scenes/set changes with the screen painted like a comic book page and the light focusing on a single square. This was a significant technical choice that I thought was very successful. The correspondence of the highlighted comic square with the story going on stage was a constant reminder that the play is an adaption from a popular comic book and that a purpose of the play was to keep it looking as much as a comic book as it could. The light really focused the audience’s eyes onto the square of choice, which made sure we were following the plot of the story.
One interesting thing I found out about this part of the set from one of the theater majors who had helped work on the show was that there was some miscommunication between the different designers which is why there was a tie painted on the set in the pictures of the evil doctor, and yet onstage he wore a bowtie. It is small things like this that even I did not notice after having been through lectures about the show, but that the people working on the show noticed. Ultimately the designers decided that it was a small enough difference between costume and set that it could be overlooked.
Overall, I feel that after having heard the different designers in the show speak that I was definitely able to more deeply understand some of the artistic choices made in the show. While many parts I saw on the same surface level as the rest of the audience (although, who knows, many of the audience may have understood parts of the show better than I did, but I may not have talked to them), I feel that having heard the designers speak gave me a better understanding of intentions and choices made with the show.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Sunday Nov 4
Thursday lab we worked on costumes and representing a character through their costume. I really like doing art so these labs are really interesting for me. But, I am not very good at doing realistic art or portraying people, so it was really good that we had the croquises to trace. The word "croquis" was new for me, this was a good thing to learn. A "croquis" is a "rough sketch or draft of something". In this case, the croquises were of human figures that we could use to serve as a basis to create our costume sketches with.
Something that I hadn't really thought about before this lab was how much the type of material affects the costume. I had always known how colors and styles were used to create different costumes and characters, but I had never really thought that the type of material also makes a huge difference. For example, heavy or stiff material would create a much different costume and character than flowy chiffon. Every aspect of the costume helps create the end result of the character. The costume must not only fit in with the time period, the location of the setting, and the gender of the character...but every color, material, button placement, length, etc etc are all combined to create the end result and give the actor the looks that complete their transformation into the character.
I believe that a really great actor doesn't need any type of costume to protray their character to the audience and that it is the acting that creates the person that the actor is trying to be. But, the costume really adds to this. With a costume, the second an actor walks on stage the audience has an impression of what kind of character the person is. Costume tells about time period, social class, personality, weather, season, general location, and much more. All of these things are apparent to the audience before the actor even starts to talk. A costume also helps the character him/herself get into character. I know that personally, when I put on a costume, I feel like I become that character and it is much easier for me to forget my own life and become the character and think like that character would. It is a step towards becoming the character. Once you look the part, it is easier to act the part as well. (But this does not mean that looking the part is everything...I don't know how many people I've met who can look the part very well and not act it at all)
Ultimately, I really liked these labs a lot. I had never put much thought into costumes before...but from now on I will pay closer attention to costumes and their affect on the show.
Something that I hadn't really thought about before this lab was how much the type of material affects the costume. I had always known how colors and styles were used to create different costumes and characters, but I had never really thought that the type of material also makes a huge difference. For example, heavy or stiff material would create a much different costume and character than flowy chiffon. Every aspect of the costume helps create the end result of the character. The costume must not only fit in with the time period, the location of the setting, and the gender of the character...but every color, material, button placement, length, etc etc are all combined to create the end result and give the actor the looks that complete their transformation into the character.
I believe that a really great actor doesn't need any type of costume to protray their character to the audience and that it is the acting that creates the person that the actor is trying to be. But, the costume really adds to this. With a costume, the second an actor walks on stage the audience has an impression of what kind of character the person is. Costume tells about time period, social class, personality, weather, season, general location, and much more. All of these things are apparent to the audience before the actor even starts to talk. A costume also helps the character him/herself get into character. I know that personally, when I put on a costume, I feel like I become that character and it is much easier for me to forget my own life and become the character and think like that character would. It is a step towards becoming the character. Once you look the part, it is easier to act the part as well. (But this does not mean that looking the part is everything...I don't know how many people I've met who can look the part very well and not act it at all)
Ultimately, I really liked these labs a lot. I had never put much thought into costumes before...but from now on I will pay closer attention to costumes and their affect on the show.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Midterms
I was really really happy with how the midterm turned out! I have to admit that I was pretty scared that it wouldn't go that great, we would forget our lines, blocking, something...but it turned out really well. I give a lot of credit to Brittney - instead of just running the scene over and over again and giving us different directions (which is most likely what I would have done if I was the director) we did a lot of exercises to better understand our characters and the situation of the scene. For example, we went through each of the lines and discovered a verb that captured what the line was supposed to be in the script for...an action that could describe the emotion behind the line and its purpose. At first I did not think that this was going to amount to anything or actually help us...I felt that what we needed more was going over lines and more run throughs. But in actuality this was a great exercise for us. I think that Andrew and I really discovered how to approach our characters in a new light. At first it was a little difficult, Andrew kept talking about how he had to be a large black man and talk in "ebonics" and we had to completely put ourselves in a setting we didn't know about and into a lifestyle completely foreign to our own. But what I really felt from the scene was the emotion and the tension...for me it was less about that different location and time period and more about the universality of emotions when a wife finds out that her husband is cheating on her and got another woman pregnant. This is what I sought to really get across to the audience. And I think that we were very successful in that. I really did FEEL angry, and our peers and classmates felt the tension and said they were angry and sad and upset right along with me in the scene. I was very happy with how it turned out. I feel like I am reaching a spot in my acting where I can totally imagine myself as the character and thus, not read the lines and act it out as Ellie, but become the person and feel and react in the ways that the character would.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
sunday!
Sundays generally suck as a day of the week because it is the day when you have to come to terms that the weekend is over and you have all your homework left to do that you haven't started! It's the day when you wake up, roll over, groan and just want to go back to bed...but instead you chug as much coffee as you are physically capable and then get to work...right now it's 2:00 and my procrastination is coming to an END - here goes...
Imagine that a play has been written about you, and you are designing a costume for the actor playing you. What sort of outfit would this actor wear and why? What clues would the costume give about your personality? Be sure to mention the fabric, color, and length of the garments. This prompt can also relate to the monodrama you've created. If you are reenacting an event from your past, what would you have worn at that time, and why?
I really love this prompt - I find great pleasure in clothing and love dressing and clothes combinations, etc. I feel like a lot can be told and understood about a person by the way they dress. I probably spend all my money on clothes and food...that's just how it happens! I am also very into thrifting and clearance racks...anything over $20 is unreasonable and I don't give it much of a chance...because of all this, the costuming in shows is one of the things I pay most attention to and notice. The clothing coinciding with the time period...the colors...sizes...materials...everything! I love costumes and feel like they really make the play come to life by really putting the actors into the character and making them look like the character.
So anyways, if a play was written about me, the costume would need to be bright, loud, with as many colors and neons as possible. Completely mismatched, a little bit tacky, but somehow it should all pull together into an ensemble. A little bit tattered and torn and nothing looking new - all somewhat used and secondhand but still bright and loud...not dull....definitely not dull...layers layers layers are important as well. Different layers for different parts of me. Lots of patterns that don't match, but the fact that none of the patterns match makes the entirety of the outfit match. Unreasonably dramatic and clearly wanting attention...asking for people to pay attention to me and my crazy outfit, telling people that no, I don't care if you think my clothes are a little strange but also confident that I can pull off the strangeness and no one will really think that I am strange...a little bit cracked out, maybe too many drugs, a little bit sloppy - yes lets hide any intellectuality beneath the idea of shallow fun fun happy times. Ok now I should explain why it would be all these things - colors, brightness...this is first of all because I really do wear many bright colors and patterns all at once (pretty much the costume I am describing is what I wear on a regular basis...just exaggerated). So I love wearing bright, loud, obnoxious clothing because I like sticking out, I like wearing combinations of things that people would notice in a crowd because I like attention. I am inwardly and outwardly a very happy person and I like to see the colors in life, the vivacity of everything around me and find the happiness, the joy, the interesting parts of life around me rather than seeing in black and white. Okay so completely mismatched with clashing patterns to show that I have all of these contradictory ideas and desires and feelings all the time and although they may individually clash and should not be worn together or work together, overall they all fit together and ultimately are successful. They end up all working together because of the fact that they don't fit together. That's how I feel a lot of the times. Nothing new, all used or a little tattered...yea I have been through trials and tribulations and pain and hurt and I've ultimately come out on top...everything may have worn me down a little bit but at the same time I'm still wearing the colors and seeing the happiness around me, but all of those traumatic things have affected me and are something that I will always carry with me. What better way to learn than through experience? I agree.
ON TO MORE HOMEWORK!!!
Imagine that a play has been written about you, and you are designing a costume for the actor playing you. What sort of outfit would this actor wear and why? What clues would the costume give about your personality? Be sure to mention the fabric, color, and length of the garments. This prompt can also relate to the monodrama you've created. If you are reenacting an event from your past, what would you have worn at that time, and why?
I really love this prompt - I find great pleasure in clothing and love dressing and clothes combinations, etc. I feel like a lot can be told and understood about a person by the way they dress. I probably spend all my money on clothes and food...that's just how it happens! I am also very into thrifting and clearance racks...anything over $20 is unreasonable and I don't give it much of a chance...because of all this, the costuming in shows is one of the things I pay most attention to and notice. The clothing coinciding with the time period...the colors...sizes...materials...everything! I love costumes and feel like they really make the play come to life by really putting the actors into the character and making them look like the character.
So anyways, if a play was written about me, the costume would need to be bright, loud, with as many colors and neons as possible. Completely mismatched, a little bit tacky, but somehow it should all pull together into an ensemble. A little bit tattered and torn and nothing looking new - all somewhat used and secondhand but still bright and loud...not dull....definitely not dull...layers layers layers are important as well. Different layers for different parts of me. Lots of patterns that don't match, but the fact that none of the patterns match makes the entirety of the outfit match. Unreasonably dramatic and clearly wanting attention...asking for people to pay attention to me and my crazy outfit, telling people that no, I don't care if you think my clothes are a little strange but also confident that I can pull off the strangeness and no one will really think that I am strange...a little bit cracked out, maybe too many drugs, a little bit sloppy - yes lets hide any intellectuality beneath the idea of shallow fun fun happy times. Ok now I should explain why it would be all these things - colors, brightness...this is first of all because I really do wear many bright colors and patterns all at once (pretty much the costume I am describing is what I wear on a regular basis...just exaggerated). So I love wearing bright, loud, obnoxious clothing because I like sticking out, I like wearing combinations of things that people would notice in a crowd because I like attention. I am inwardly and outwardly a very happy person and I like to see the colors in life, the vivacity of everything around me and find the happiness, the joy, the interesting parts of life around me rather than seeing in black and white. Okay so completely mismatched with clashing patterns to show that I have all of these contradictory ideas and desires and feelings all the time and although they may individually clash and should not be worn together or work together, overall they all fit together and ultimately are successful. They end up all working together because of the fact that they don't fit together. That's how I feel a lot of the times. Nothing new, all used or a little tattered...yea I have been through trials and tribulations and pain and hurt and I've ultimately come out on top...everything may have worn me down a little bit but at the same time I'm still wearing the colors and seeing the happiness around me, but all of those traumatic things have affected me and are something that I will always carry with me. What better way to learn than through experience? I agree.
ON TO MORE HOMEWORK!!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
october 17
"sometimes the least important measure of success is money" - so that has nothing really to do with today's blog but it is the message on my calendar today and I just thought it was a really good one and that the world should hear it...
So today in class we were able to just rehearse for our midterms which was really really great because our group definitely needs to get to work...haha...no offense guys we ALL know it. I'm having some difficulties with the scene that we are doing because it was the scene that I was in when I volunteered to do a cold reading in class. And when I did the scene then I had just come back from being home in Chicago for something really tragic and truly just traumatizing for me...Anyways so at that point I had not found any kind of outlet to let my emotions out, and I am the type of person who really internalizes problems and pain and I just try not to think about them at all and continue with life, so when I did the cold reading of this scene all of those intense emotions that I've been holding inside me were able to vent out through the scene. And I just felt great doing it! I felt impassioned, I felt alive and that I could put my anger and sadness and confusion into the life of a character and just let it all out. It felt great doing the scene and it felt great letting out everything I was feeling...I really felt for Rose and I really was Rose. Everything she said and felt, I truly felt. So anyways, now that time has passed and I have suppressed emotions and found other outlets I'm just finding it really difficult to do this scene. Because now I am acting it in the way that I normally would...now I am not truly feeling like I am the character herself but I feel like I am acting out the part of a character. So this is really frustrating at the moment...I really want to be able to get inside the character and forget that my name is Ellie and forget the life of Ellie and I want to completely feel the everything, the life, the emotions, the passion of Rose. And I had that at one time but now it is just so hard to get back...this is my dilemma at the moment...I'm just going to keep on working and see where it takes me and what happens.
PS - I will respond to the prompt in my next blog...I'm just not feeling it right now but I'll do it tomorrow or something
So today in class we were able to just rehearse for our midterms which was really really great because our group definitely needs to get to work...haha...no offense guys we ALL know it. I'm having some difficulties with the scene that we are doing because it was the scene that I was in when I volunteered to do a cold reading in class. And when I did the scene then I had just come back from being home in Chicago for something really tragic and truly just traumatizing for me...Anyways so at that point I had not found any kind of outlet to let my emotions out, and I am the type of person who really internalizes problems and pain and I just try not to think about them at all and continue with life, so when I did the cold reading of this scene all of those intense emotions that I've been holding inside me were able to vent out through the scene. And I just felt great doing it! I felt impassioned, I felt alive and that I could put my anger and sadness and confusion into the life of a character and just let it all out. It felt great doing the scene and it felt great letting out everything I was feeling...I really felt for Rose and I really was Rose. Everything she said and felt, I truly felt. So anyways, now that time has passed and I have suppressed emotions and found other outlets I'm just finding it really difficult to do this scene. Because now I am acting it in the way that I normally would...now I am not truly feeling like I am the character herself but I feel like I am acting out the part of a character. So this is really frustrating at the moment...I really want to be able to get inside the character and forget that my name is Ellie and forget the life of Ellie and I want to completely feel the everything, the life, the emotions, the passion of Rose. And I had that at one time but now it is just so hard to get back...this is my dilemma at the moment...I'm just going to keep on working and see where it takes me and what happens.
PS - I will respond to the prompt in my next blog...I'm just not feeling it right now but I'll do it tomorrow or something
Thursday, October 11, 2007
bloggggggg
AHHH why is it so difficult for me to stay on top of this??? I am going to get better...after I leave for fall break this weekend...ok so today in class we didn't do too too much, I feel like it would be more productive for us to be able to spend more of the class time working in our groups...but it is really nice being in a smaller class where you can interact with everyone else and the Professor. Fusi is pretty silly...my name is Tina in case you are reading this Professor Fusi!
So in our groups today we went over the section of Fences that we chose to do, and I feel like it will be pretty good. It is an intense scene and I hope we can accurately show all of the tension, anger, and sadness that are all important to the scene. Memorizing lines is going to be the challenge...On top of doing this little act I am currently doing one of the short shows with Mystic Theater called "The Corridors of the Soul" which was written during communist Russia. It is pretty sweet and I'm excited for both shows...I get to play very different characters in the two - in Fences I am playing Rose just finding out that her husband is cheating on her and got another woman pregnant (INTENSEEEE) and in Corridors I am playing Innamorata who is a pretty slutty woman trying to get a man to cheat on his wife and sleep with her. WHOA that is pretty funny how those roles connect! I get to play both sides! Anyways that is all for now I have a take-home test that I haven't started that is due tomorrow...goodnight everyone
So in our groups today we went over the section of Fences that we chose to do, and I feel like it will be pretty good. It is an intense scene and I hope we can accurately show all of the tension, anger, and sadness that are all important to the scene. Memorizing lines is going to be the challenge...On top of doing this little act I am currently doing one of the short shows with Mystic Theater called "The Corridors of the Soul" which was written during communist Russia. It is pretty sweet and I'm excited for both shows...I get to play very different characters in the two - in Fences I am playing Rose just finding out that her husband is cheating on her and got another woman pregnant (INTENSEEEE) and in Corridors I am playing Innamorata who is a pretty slutty woman trying to get a man to cheat on his wife and sleep with her. WHOA that is pretty funny how those roles connect! I get to play both sides! Anyways that is all for now I have a take-home test that I haven't started that is due tomorrow...goodnight everyone
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
collage blog
Using the theme you and your group chose to highlight in your collage, write a paragraph or two describing how you would transfer the images incorporated with that theme into a set design. You can describe the overall set design or focus on an important item that would be on stage. (For example, if your theme involved chaos vs. order, and you put a picture of a prison on your collage, how would you represent that prison on stage?) How do these set elements reflect your theme?
I don't really think that our group chose a single, central theme in our collage...but what we really focused on was Antigone as the center of the play and her conflicts with the other characters and her relationships with the other characters. We made Antigone the center of the collage - the first thing that someone would see when they looked at it, and then we put all the other characters in areas that would be in relation to where she was and what her relationship with them was.For example, we had Antigone standing on top of Creon to show her dominating over him and ultimately winning the power struggle (although now having reread the play I don't know how I feel about this...I believe that Antigone is childish and doesn't truly win the struggle because she does not truly understand it...she is simpleminded and sees only her side of what is going on...that Creon is truly the one that sees the greater meaning and reality of the situation...although in the end it is Antigone who gets her way over Creon despite her inability to see what the reality of the situation is, she does what she wants and I guess she thus is truly the victor in the power struggle...) Anyways, the set I would make would be pretty simple...I see the major themes in the play the conflicts between characters and the internal conflicts within characters...and thus to get these major themes across to the audience, a grandiose and extensive scenery would detract from the conflicts and they would lose their importance in the entirety of the show. I would have some sort of platform on one side of the stage which would be the place that Creon would most often be...this would be to show his power as King and his separation from the rest of his kingdom since he is forced to think about his actions as a whole and their effect on the people rather than his own personal beliefs. When he and Antigone argue he would come down off the platform to show that he gets to her level and tries to reason with her in a way that the two of them can relate...he no longer acts as a separate and distant king but acts as an uncle and a father. We put Ismene on a seesaw in our collage to show her internal struggle in deciding whether she wanted to assist with the burial of her brother and be killed or whether she did not. Maybe in the set I would have a part of the stage in a gloomier lighting, less bright, and the other part of the stage in a more cheerful and brighter lighting. Then, depending on what Ismene is thinking and feeling she could switch from side to side and weigh her decision, somewhat like the seesaw. The cave at the end of the play is a very significant part of the show, but I don't think that it needs to be literally a part of the scene...the dialogue and the sounds used can be enough to tell what happens with the cave and inside the cave...actually I change my mind. I would like in the back of the stage for there to be a very dark, ominous area. Maybe it can look like a literal cave, maybe it just looks like a black dark hole in the back...but I like the idea of this impending doom upon the story, the idea that the story is a tragedy and there is no way to escape from the darkness and the sadness that is imminently upon the characters. The darkness back there will be always present, always reminding the audience that the story is tragic and that something bad is bound to happen.
I don't really think that our group chose a single, central theme in our collage...but what we really focused on was Antigone as the center of the play and her conflicts with the other characters and her relationships with the other characters. We made Antigone the center of the collage - the first thing that someone would see when they looked at it, and then we put all the other characters in areas that would be in relation to where she was and what her relationship with them was.For example, we had Antigone standing on top of Creon to show her dominating over him and ultimately winning the power struggle (although now having reread the play I don't know how I feel about this...I believe that Antigone is childish and doesn't truly win the struggle because she does not truly understand it...she is simpleminded and sees only her side of what is going on...that Creon is truly the one that sees the greater meaning and reality of the situation...although in the end it is Antigone who gets her way over Creon despite her inability to see what the reality of the situation is, she does what she wants and I guess she thus is truly the victor in the power struggle...) Anyways, the set I would make would be pretty simple...I see the major themes in the play the conflicts between characters and the internal conflicts within characters...and thus to get these major themes across to the audience, a grandiose and extensive scenery would detract from the conflicts and they would lose their importance in the entirety of the show. I would have some sort of platform on one side of the stage which would be the place that Creon would most often be...this would be to show his power as King and his separation from the rest of his kingdom since he is forced to think about his actions as a whole and their effect on the people rather than his own personal beliefs. When he and Antigone argue he would come down off the platform to show that he gets to her level and tries to reason with her in a way that the two of them can relate...he no longer acts as a separate and distant king but acts as an uncle and a father. We put Ismene on a seesaw in our collage to show her internal struggle in deciding whether she wanted to assist with the burial of her brother and be killed or whether she did not. Maybe in the set I would have a part of the stage in a gloomier lighting, less bright, and the other part of the stage in a more cheerful and brighter lighting. Then, depending on what Ismene is thinking and feeling she could switch from side to side and weigh her decision, somewhat like the seesaw. The cave at the end of the play is a very significant part of the show, but I don't think that it needs to be literally a part of the scene...the dialogue and the sounds used can be enough to tell what happens with the cave and inside the cave...actually I change my mind. I would like in the back of the stage for there to be a very dark, ominous area. Maybe it can look like a literal cave, maybe it just looks like a black dark hole in the back...but I like the idea of this impending doom upon the story, the idea that the story is a tragedy and there is no way to escape from the darkness and the sadness that is imminently upon the characters. The darkness back there will be always present, always reminding the audience that the story is tragic and that something bad is bound to happen.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
blogblogblog
Describe a performance that you have seen in which you were moved by a vivid scenic image. What elements of the image make it memorable for you? How did they enhance the meaning of the play (or film) for you? Do you think the image fit the director's interpretation of the play (or film)? How did it help convey the mood? When describing the image, incorporate terminology from the text and ideas discussed in lab.
So the show that has a scene in it that really touched me was Ragtime. I didn't really know anything about this show when I went to see it - I had gotten the tickets from a family friend as a graduation present and I love theater (obviously...) and went obliviously (note to self...words like obviously and obliviously shouldn't be used so close together bc they confuse me). Anyway musical theater is definitely the kind of theater that affects me most...the music is what really gets inside me and sticks in me and is the part of theater I remember most. Music sets the tone of the scene and can change the audience's feelings towards a character depending on the voice, etc. The music in the show doesn't even have to be a song that is sung, but background music in a show also really sets the scene and the mood...of course this is along with lighting, staging, etc. that make the mood but for MYSELF the music is really the key to what I am feeling. I am a musically oriented person and music controls a lot of my emotions when I hear it.
Alright so I don't even really remember what was going on in the show at the point that really touched me. But I'm pretty sure that there were three clusters of the different groups in the show, the different clusters being separate and showing the conflict between them and the inability for them to interact amiably. There is the fatehr and daughter immigrants on upstage left with the father's arm around the little girl's shoudlers. In the center of the stage is the white upperclass family standing together but not actually touching. and over at stage right is the group of African Americans also close but not touching. And the stage is dark except for lights on these three groups making it even more distinct that they are separate. And they are all looking forward at the audience and not at each other. Hold on I am going to look up what song it is that they are singing..................................I'm pretty sure the song is "Till We Reach That Day"...anyways so there is this definite tension in the air onstage and it is silent...then an African American woman appears from a side door and walks up the aisle through the audience... she starts the song with a huge huge gospel churchy voice that just makes you hold your breath. Then eventually the song picks up and the whole cast is singing, screaming, angry, upset about their situation in life at the moment...and when the song reaches its peak THAT is my moment that I will never forget...on top of the whole cast singing out angry and passionate...the black woman starts her gospel belting again and it is just Heart Wrenching and her voice gave me chills and the mood was so angry and intense and her voice was a wailing, crying, asking, pleading, grasping...and everyone else is angry, mad, sad, upset...and the moment was so FULL and big and the music was overwhelming and the lights were soft and the staging was dramatically separate. I started bawling it was so intense I couldn't handle all the emotions it was amazingly beautiful and painful and bittersweet all at once. One of those moments you want to hold on to and sort out all of the opposing emotions you are feeling all at once but you can't because it's gone so suddenly.
So...out of the components of theater that really made the moment, I would say that the least important were the costumes and set design...although the costumes were truly necessary to help distinguish the differences between those three groups of actors. I guess they didn't seem important in the moment because the costumes hadn't changed since the beginning of the play, but to initially create the distinctions between characters the costumes were needed. The set in the background was not important for this moment because most of the stage was in darkness and so it couldn't be seen anyways...the three groups of people were also all supposed to be in different places, so the scenery would have detracted from that. It was ultimately the staging, together with the lighting that made the mood, and most importantly the music, the song, the type of voice and the instruments used that made the scene what it was.
So the show that has a scene in it that really touched me was Ragtime. I didn't really know anything about this show when I went to see it - I had gotten the tickets from a family friend as a graduation present and I love theater (obviously...) and went obliviously (note to self...words like obviously and obliviously shouldn't be used so close together bc they confuse me). Anyway musical theater is definitely the kind of theater that affects me most...the music is what really gets inside me and sticks in me and is the part of theater I remember most. Music sets the tone of the scene and can change the audience's feelings towards a character depending on the voice, etc. The music in the show doesn't even have to be a song that is sung, but background music in a show also really sets the scene and the mood...of course this is along with lighting, staging, etc. that make the mood but for MYSELF the music is really the key to what I am feeling. I am a musically oriented person and music controls a lot of my emotions when I hear it.
Alright so I don't even really remember what was going on in the show at the point that really touched me. But I'm pretty sure that there were three clusters of the different groups in the show, the different clusters being separate and showing the conflict between them and the inability for them to interact amiably. There is the fatehr and daughter immigrants on upstage left with the father's arm around the little girl's shoudlers. In the center of the stage is the white upperclass family standing together but not actually touching. and over at stage right is the group of African Americans also close but not touching. And the stage is dark except for lights on these three groups making it even more distinct that they are separate. And they are all looking forward at the audience and not at each other. Hold on I am going to look up what song it is that they are singing..................................I'm pretty sure the song is "Till We Reach That Day"...anyways so there is this definite tension in the air onstage and it is silent...then an African American woman appears from a side door and walks up the aisle through the audience... she starts the song with a huge huge gospel churchy voice that just makes you hold your breath. Then eventually the song picks up and the whole cast is singing, screaming, angry, upset about their situation in life at the moment...and when the song reaches its peak THAT is my moment that I will never forget...on top of the whole cast singing out angry and passionate...the black woman starts her gospel belting again and it is just Heart Wrenching and her voice gave me chills and the mood was so angry and intense and her voice was a wailing, crying, asking, pleading, grasping...and everyone else is angry, mad, sad, upset...and the moment was so FULL and big and the music was overwhelming and the lights were soft and the staging was dramatically separate. I started bawling it was so intense I couldn't handle all the emotions it was amazingly beautiful and painful and bittersweet all at once. One of those moments you want to hold on to and sort out all of the opposing emotions you are feeling all at once but you can't because it's gone so suddenly.
So...out of the components of theater that really made the moment, I would say that the least important were the costumes and set design...although the costumes were truly necessary to help distinguish the differences between those three groups of actors. I guess they didn't seem important in the moment because the costumes hadn't changed since the beginning of the play, but to initially create the distinctions between characters the costumes were needed. The set in the background was not important for this moment because most of the stage was in darkness and so it couldn't be seen anyways...the three groups of people were also all supposed to be in different places, so the scenery would have detracted from that. It was ultimately the staging, together with the lighting that made the mood, and most importantly the music, the song, the type of voice and the instruments used that made the scene what it was.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Sept 26
I haven't written in a while...just have a lot going on a lot on my mind...I've realized how unimportant the things are that I am constantly worrying about in life and that I need to spend more time appreciating things. Ok onwardssssss...tangent! Today in class I volunteered to do the cold reading type thing and ended up feeling absolutely great. I always forget why I really truly love theater until I'm actually performing and then it all becomes so clear to me and I remember...it's just that with acting you are able to completely forget your life and take on the life of someone else. And you have to feel their emotions and BE them and so you feel what that character feels but you can forget everything everything else. It is really nice to be able to channel the passion you are feeling in your life into something constructive when you dont know what to do with yourself...anyways I just got really passionate about the role which was kinda ridiculous but it was really nice to be ANGRY and SAD and UPSET about something that was unrelated to me but I could just get those emotions out into the world and yell....we all need that sometimes, right? I need it now! I got to be Rose in a really great scene - (note to self maybe our team awesome wants to do this scene?? remember it...) where Troy tells her that he has been cheating on her and is going to have another child. Anyways this scene is just so intense and so passionate and she gets to be like WHAT the HELL and its really intense...
Ok so in class today - we talked about directing...I've always found theater stuff comes to me pretty naturally but it's true that there are a lot of things I've overlooked. I've never directed anything before and every choice I've made has been onstage as an actor...Fusi today made me realize how important every decision the director makes is when he was talking about the scene that we acted out. He was saying how the director chooses if they want Troy in the center of the stage - his stuggle, his revelation to Rose, his confusion and the audience should notice him the most in this scene. Or Rose could be in the middle - her anger, her frustration, her shock that the man she has been married to for 18 years has cheated on her. Her reaction to the situation and the pain she is feeling could be what the director wants the audience to focus on. Or the director could want the focus on Gabe and how Rose and Troy are fighting and he is between them and Troy is taking his money and using him and Rose is giving him food and helping him and Gabe really just wants to impress Troy and make Troy love him and Rose is in his way right now...anyways that's when it really hit me how important the dircetor's small choices are because they completely shift the focus of the play and the meaningfulness. I liked how Fusi said the director "brings everyone together and tries to maintain some sanity". How true...I also liked how he said the director always has to know what he/she wants, and that once you don't know what you are looking for, then you have a problem. The director always has to have his/her vision and not let it go, not let it slip, not let insanity take over.
Ok so in class today - we talked about directing...I've always found theater stuff comes to me pretty naturally but it's true that there are a lot of things I've overlooked. I've never directed anything before and every choice I've made has been onstage as an actor...Fusi today made me realize how important every decision the director makes is when he was talking about the scene that we acted out. He was saying how the director chooses if they want Troy in the center of the stage - his stuggle, his revelation to Rose, his confusion and the audience should notice him the most in this scene. Or Rose could be in the middle - her anger, her frustration, her shock that the man she has been married to for 18 years has cheated on her. Her reaction to the situation and the pain she is feeling could be what the director wants the audience to focus on. Or the director could want the focus on Gabe and how Rose and Troy are fighting and he is between them and Troy is taking his money and using him and Rose is giving him food and helping him and Gabe really just wants to impress Troy and make Troy love him and Rose is in his way right now...anyways that's when it really hit me how important the dircetor's small choices are because they completely shift the focus of the play and the meaningfulness. I liked how Fusi said the director "brings everyone together and tries to maintain some sanity". How true...I also liked how he said the director always has to know what he/she wants, and that once you don't know what you are looking for, then you have a problem. The director always has to have his/her vision and not let it go, not let it slip, not let insanity take over.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
movement
I've decided to start sleeping more. It's just hard to convince myself to go to bed at a reasonable hour when there are always cool people around to talk to and homework that I haven't started. But the class on Monday made me realize that sleeping is a good thing...really...bc movement is important and it was probably the last thing I wanted to do that morning. I just wanted to sit in a chair and listen to a lecture. But, hey, it woke me up and it was pretty fun too - I just don't have the energy to do that every morning.
Movement in theater...yea it is a pretty important thing that I don't really think that much about. The best part of movement in theater is picking little quirks or movements that you can give your character to make them more realistic, more individual. I love watching a really good actor or actress and seeing how it is all of those small artistic choices in movement that really make the character come to life. Some people do the same type of movements no matter who or what character they are playing, but it's the people who can completely become a new character down to the smallest movements that are really impressive. So I thought the class brought about some good points - even though it's really hard to get much accomplished in a class of 80 (60?? how many people are there I have no idea...). So I thought the class was good to the extent that it made me more conscious of realizing that every decision in movement that I make affects my character and how developed she is, but I didn't really feel like I learned anything from the class. Ok that's all for now. I think I will go practice being an egg and evolving into a walking human.
Movement in theater...yea it is a pretty important thing that I don't really think that much about. The best part of movement in theater is picking little quirks or movements that you can give your character to make them more realistic, more individual. I love watching a really good actor or actress and seeing how it is all of those small artistic choices in movement that really make the character come to life. Some people do the same type of movements no matter who or what character they are playing, but it's the people who can completely become a new character down to the smallest movements that are really impressive. So I thought the class brought about some good points - even though it's really hard to get much accomplished in a class of 80 (60?? how many people are there I have no idea...). So I thought the class was good to the extent that it made me more conscious of realizing that every decision in movement that I make affects my character and how developed she is, but I didn't really feel like I learned anything from the class. Ok that's all for now. I think I will go practice being an egg and evolving into a walking human.
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