My approach leading up to the performance was to try and embody the character. At the start, looking at my first video, my character seemed very flat– I merely read the lines with anger. However, trying to embody the character, through the class exercise of writing the questions down, I began to understand the character. Not only did I understand the character more, allowing me to understand the purpose/ motive behind the monologue, but the relationship of the character to who they were talking to, the place they could be in, the physical and mental characteristics of the person, doing this question also made me go into the shoes of the character. I could imagine what it was like to be the person and read this monologue. This helped me a lot as using this knowledge I had a better understanding of how to tackle the monologue. For example, making marks on my monologue on where to sigh, chuckle, use motion, increase in dynamics, change speed, etc. I would say I was successful. Looking from the perspective of an audience who I saw performing was a completely different character than who I am walking down the hallway. I felt as though I wasn’t watching myself perform but my character and myself. This was through one of the techniques of Stanislavsky –relaxation. I felt relaxed on stage and I tried to let go of who I was in person, no hair touching, no ‘bad-Sophie’ posture I felt as though I was looking at the character I had performed rather than myself and a key contributor was relaxation. I use to think monologues had to be revolved around the characters experiences based on what they told us in the monologue. If there was no setting description, I didn’t try to think of one; if there was no obvious ‘ i crave love’ sentence, I wouldn’t think of presenting that desire. Now, I understand that to create a character with more depth, embodying the character using your imagination to dive into what’s happening is key, rather than performing based on what is wrote on the paper.
∙Sophie∙
"kept your face towards the sunlight and the shadow will always fall behind you."-Walt Whitman
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I have finished the Handmaid’s Tale and feel that it is indeed a brilliant piece of literature with a unique writing style. It’s definitely a book I could consider for my end of year essay project. I’ve begun to read a chapter or two of other books such as The Martian and The Enterprise of Death, however, I haven’t really gotten into them. Still, I acknowledge that the authors in both of these books have used effective literary techniques in their stories. As for my progress, it’s slightly slow. I haven’t done much outside-of-school reading as I would like. I’ll have to read more in my spare time to do this.
5 ELements of Actor Preparation:
Relaxation- Learning to relax the muscles and eliminate physical tension while performing.
Concentration – learning to think like an actor and to respond to one’s own imagination.
Observation- Discovering the sensory base of the work: learning to memorize and recall sensations, often called “sense memory” and/or “affective memory”; learning to work from a small sensation and expand it, a technique called “spheres of attention.”
Communication- Developing the ability to interact with other performances spontaneously, and with an audience, without violating the world of play.
Imagination: The more fertile the actor’s imagination, the more interesting would be the choices made in terms of objectives, physical., action and creating the given circumstances around the character. There is no such thing as ‘actually’ on stage. Art is a product of the imagination, as the world of a dramatist should be. The aim of the actor should be to use his/her technique to turn the play into a theatrical reality. In this process, imagination plays the greatest part.
Constantine Stanislavski:
•Born in Moscow, Russia in 1863 (died:1938)
• An actor and moved on to become a director and teacher
• He developed a way of actor training and development– a new approach to acting
•It took years of experimenting to get to what is now known as the Stanislavski system
The work that Stan “the man” did help to create what we recognize as ‘good acting’ today. We even give awards to actors who can create the best characters
Additional information
•Most modern-day acting has roots in the Stanislavski system
•Prior to the Stanislavski system, there was something called Melodrama, it was more about looking like a character, unlike developing a character.
• Stanislavski looked at this system and realized from new inventions that people have different levels to them and adapted that to their character.
•It took years of experience to get to what is now known as the Stanislavski
•Though it was created in the 1900s, adaptations of the Stanislavski systems are still used today.
As an actor, Stanislacsk saw a lot of bad acting – what e termed as “artificial”
- As an actor, Stanislavski saw a lot of ‘bad acting’ – what he termed as “artificial”.
- Melodrama was the prevalent style of acting onstage. It used stock characters and stock movements, gestures and voice.
- Melodrama asks actors to practice the movements, gestures and voices to create the characters = Outside to the inside.
- Stan “the man” wanted actors to work on characters from the inside and thus create more of a “true” or “real” (i.e. not artificial) performance
The Stanislavsky System is a character development process that strives to make a performance “real” and not artificial by:
1) Bringing an actor’s experiences into the role
2) Expanding an actor’s imagination
3) Developing the actor’s tools of character portrayal
Stanislavski believed that in order to make a character true, the character must be approached from the inside. That means drawing on the real inside life of the actor, most specifically drawing on memories. The actor also has to create the inside life of the character: the character has to have inner thoughts, backstories, beliefs, and so on, just as a real person does. When the actor answers questions about the character, they should speak in the first person. “I am…” “I want…”
1.
I used to think improvisation was about being clever– thinking quickly on the spot and having a perfect execution on those ideas. Now I understand that improvisation is about going with the flow. Instead of being clever, it is about adding to the already done plot to enhance the scene. I’ve noticed that improvisation in a set starts with one person doing anything. Instead of the actor being super clever and taking the stage in a whole new direction, you can go with the flow: respond positively to what has already been happening in the scene and extend the plot (by merely saying “yes and…”).
2.
Through improvisation, I have noticed that failure is often present. When the scene doesn’t flow well, an unfitted relationship is established, or one person contributes more than the other. However, when we are scared of doing such things, it often makes failure occur. It’s what makes us stutter, sound unconfident, and pass down opportunities to make the scene incredibly interesting. This concept will stick with me beyond theatre class, as I am often scared of failure. If I’m ever anxious or stressed out, the fear of failure is what usually plays on my mind. I will often pass up opportunities because the ever-present fear of failing and making a fool out of myself is there. However, by realizing that the worst that could happen if I failed is to get up and try again, I could improve my mindset and avoid actual ‘failure’.
3.
I did well in extending the plot after my partner added on to something, the ‘yes and…’ part. I could respond quickly and makeup something that would provide a scene where the other actor could interact and establish relationships rapidly regarding the context. However, something that I could work on is creating lines to promote an open-ended question. After my improvisation, my partner often responds with only one sentence or a question instead of extending the plot. I think this may be because my line prompts are not open-ended enough. I think the only way to tackle this situation effectively is with more practice in interaction improvisation, specifically, or watching models of other scenes to practice and understand how a balanced peer improvisation scene looks like.
•Risk Taker– willing to be open-minded to the unfamiliar.
• Positive and Energetic– have a good attitude towards everything
•Aware and in Control– observe how your actions impact others
•Focused– concentrate on what you’re doing
•Active Listener– find out how you can cooperate with other people’s. ideas into yours
•Coooperative and Collaborative– work alongside your peers
•Efficient– use your time wisely
•Leaders and Followers– know when it is your turn to step up or step back
•Positively Critical and able to act on that criticism– constructive feedback
One thing to work on: awareness
Sometimes I may be too extroverted and eager to the point where I could be pushing others out of their bubbles too much. I feel as though I could improve on understanding why others may not be comfortable sharing their ideas, presenting, etc., to make others feel like theatre class is a safer environment.
One thing I take pride in: Leaders and Followers. I feel that I understand when it’s my turn to speak up. When I see that nobody else is willing to, I never hesitate to take leadership in the group. With that being said, I understand (knowing my personality) that I will have many chances to speak and, therefore, usually steps down. If I see someone else, who doesn’t take leadership as often, begin to step up, I will back down.
One of my earliest theatre memory was of the six-grade ISB play– Honk. I was timid back then, so participating in a drama production was overwhelming at first, but I was committed. I would practice my audition monologue to the point where all my friends and family knew it by heart, and I was truly nervous about the casting and performing in front of everyone. However, we were expected to stay after school nearly every day; I gave up many invitations, events, clubs for the play that I truly felt a sense of commitment to theatre. Also, as a sixth-grader, I felt really supported having all these older kids in the production help me through the process. I made friends with the actors (some with me in this very drama class or in IB theatre). Though I was only a part of the ensemble, I had so much fun and felt like part of the theatre community. I was once this shy kid, afraid to raise my hands in class. After that drama experience, I have not only become a better public speaker and got rid of my stage fright, I also grew up to be a more confident person. And ever since then, I have participated in every theatre opportunity given to me, bringing me to why I’m writing this blog post.
I read the Handmaid’s Tale. My reading this weekend was quite inconsistent– I read a lot on one day, and non the other. The book I am reading is quite interesting, and I really like Margaret Atwood’s writing style.
I have always understood the importance of reading; yet, sports, clubs, and entertainment on other media have made me neglect its significance. I wish to develop a regular reading habit of 30+ minutes to expose myself to broader vocabulary, writing style, and information while improving basic writing techniques as grammar (things I need to improve on in English). I take pride in my presentation skills, participation in discussions, descriptive writing, and the writing style of my work. Still, I would learn new techniques to enhance these skills. To do so, some of my goals include: developing a regular reading habit and analyzing the works of brilliant literature.
Testing
Holding his old journal, Luis Roberto smiled as the dust of the leather cover shimmered in the light, and the prickly earth-smell of the pages filled his nostrils. It’s funny how while writing the journal, Luis thought he would never have the chance to reread it. Yet, here he was, flipping through the decked edges of each page, reliving the wonders of 1952. Here’s how the journal goes…
Many have changed as a result of the Cuban Revolution. The most noticeable difference being the socio-political structure of Cuba. The Revolution supposedly ends Dictatorship– heavily influenced by the United States, replacing the government with socialism. With socialism, numerous policies of Cuba developed. To name a few, Cuba installed universal healthcare, literacy programmes, and (similar to the soviets) land reforms. Yet despite these socialist reforms, the “end of dictatorship” is a mere deception. Castro continued the dictator ways of governing. He continued to execute those who opposed him or challenge his power; inevitably, leading him to be the one with absolute power. Furthermore, the Revolution greatly influenced Cuba’s international relations. Due to the change in government, Cuba holds tensions with the United States, disapproving of Cuba’s government. In return, Cuba then turned to the Soviets– an adversary to the United States. This change in parties drastically affected the allies and adversaries of Cuba, compared to before the Revolution. However, one intent of the Revolution was to end Cuba’s dependency on the United States. Though Cuba succeeded in cutting off its dependence on the United States, ultimately, Cuba continues to rely on another nation– the Soviets.
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