We had to run workshops in acting technique where we got into groups of people who were in our scenes in the play and we made a masterclass which we presented to the class. We did ours on Meisner. We decided to explain a little bit about Meisner, by giving them some facts to listen to and then we ran our scene. We then told them to look for the differences as we applied Meisner's repetition exercise to the scene.
This was a fairly simple workshop, but it allowed them to effectively understand his teachings, why he thought these things and how they would help a scene come to life. I think we showed this really effectively, as we got some great feedback.
People said there was a good balance of information and acting for them to stay interested and to understand what we meant. They also said that we made it really clear the differences and the development in the scene and you could clearly see the difference in relationships start to come through.
They also said that watching it, helps you to understand it more and really see the point of it. It helps you to visually see it, as well as understanding the difference in just the text. It was a lot more interesting to watch and clearly showed how it works.
I think we did an effective masterclass, as everyone seemed to understand what we have done and why it does help to show the ways in which it can improve a text and generally speed a text along and give the whole play a good pace to keep the audience interested.
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Imagination Exercise
We started today's lesson by doing an imagination exercise and picturing our character. We had to picture their build, looks, hair colour, eye colour, clothes, weight, height etc. This was quite hard to do as I found it very difficult to picture Shannon with a face. I kept choosing people that I know and it made it very difficult to try to connect or become her.
We then had to picture our character in a certain situation performing an action of some kind of task or activity. I pictured Shannon cleaning No.10 Downing Street. She was dusting all the pictures of the previous prime ministers. We then had to ask her questions about what they like doing, how they live, what they're doing, who they hang out with, what they like to do outside of work etc.
This helped me to get a better idea of my character and helped me to understand a lot more about her background and although I did find it really difficult to picture her face, once I had, her image came really easily to me and her looks became obvious, which has really helped me to understand some changes I should make to my physicality, for example, walking slower, being a bit more flustered etc.
We then discussed how important our character is to the play and what the play would be like without our scenes.
My character is quite important because I am one of the 12 people that receive the bad dreams and although some of my scenes are not essential to the story-line, I feel like the comedy that comes through my lines in the play breaks up the political language, which could be too much for the audience to take in at once. I feel like I work as a comedic buffer to allow the audience to rest in-between the intense scenes.
Throughout my scenes, I manage to keep a continuous story-line. The hoover works as a lead-on to other scenes and makes the scene changes flow onto one another quite smoothly. This allows for scenes to be connected to characters and the story-line continues, without a break.
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Character Differences To Me
We focused on how important it is to separate the differences between you and your character, to fully allow you to go with what the text describes and become another character.
Shannon:
Mid-20's
Cleaner
Lives on her own
Single
Lesbian
Academically Challenged
Cleaned No.10 Downing Street
Smokes
Working Class
Recurring Bad Dreams
From London
Met the Prime Minister
Pip:
18
Student
Live with my family
In a relationship
Straight
Academic
Never cleaned No.10 Downing Street
Never smoked
Middle class
No recurring bad dreams
From Suburbs
Never Met the Prime Minister
This really helps to see your character as an individual and by seeing your character and really focusing on your differences, it makes you more aware of your differences and heightens the change you should make on stage to become this character.
We did an exercise which involved using our imaginations and allowed us to visualise our character and to ask them questions like what they were doing, what they were wearing etc. This really helped me and allowed me to see deeper into my character and make a connection, so that I will be able to become Shannon on stage and leave myself in the wings.
About Michael Chekhov
Michael Chekhov was an Academy Award Nominated Russian/American Actor, who was born in Russia. He was also a director, author and theatre practitioner. His acting techniques have been used by Clint Eastwood and Marilyn Monroe. He was nephew to the playwright - Anton Chekhov, whose work includes, "The Three Sisters" and "The Cherry Orchard".
Chekhov worked with Stanislavsky in the Moscow Art Theatre as an actor from 1912, however in 1928, he was forced to leave Russia, as his teachings of theatre were seen as radical and threatening, in their experimental way, by Stalin. He was exiled to Berlin and Europe, where he continued to study Theatre.
His book, "To The Actor" was published in 1953. It was a landmark in actor training, as no one had ever made a handbook for the actor, whereas "An Actor Prepares" by Stanislavsky is more like a fictional story, with a narrative. At the beginning of the book, Chekhov makes it clear that he wants the reader to get up and try the exercises and not just to read the book. He believes that to understand something fully, you must experience it.
Some of the themes of his work include, atmosphere, the actor's creativity and physicalisation of inner experience. He believed that acting was not a system it was a free-er. He believed that actors are creative artists, creating characters distinct from themselves. He believed actors should understand the whole composition of the play, just like the director, rather than immersing themselves in just their role. He believed, creating a character should be Objective, not subjective. So it should not be bias and from your own memories, it should be you seeing things from a bigger picture.
He thought that the actor should use their imagination to create a character by utilizing their "Higher Ego", which is a different self, to the everyday self. It's about finding a different ego/identity.
Simon Callow's foreword in the 2008 re-published edition of "To The Actor" states that, "We must overcome our fear of the theatre theatrical when it comes to acting." - which means that acting takes you to this flamboyant, magical world where there is no truth behind your, there is a fear of being too theatrical. Callow said, "Profound importance of Chekhov's work is that it's aim is to breed such a race of just actor poets, who know the theatrical ways.
Actors should, seek characters in the realm of their imagination and they shouldn't try to intellectualize it, or research it, but they should engage their imaginations. They shouldn't use concrete life stories - actor's dreams and fantasies are much more useful than biographies, images or books.
An actor lets the body and imagination reveal a character in the play. You have to grasp the initial ideas of how different you are on stage to your character. Ask what the difference is, no matter how small or subtle that may be. Go with purely what the text describes.
Chekhov worked with Stanislavsky in the Moscow Art Theatre as an actor from 1912, however in 1928, he was forced to leave Russia, as his teachings of theatre were seen as radical and threatening, in their experimental way, by Stalin. He was exiled to Berlin and Europe, where he continued to study Theatre.
His book, "To The Actor" was published in 1953. It was a landmark in actor training, as no one had ever made a handbook for the actor, whereas "An Actor Prepares" by Stanislavsky is more like a fictional story, with a narrative. At the beginning of the book, Chekhov makes it clear that he wants the reader to get up and try the exercises and not just to read the book. He believes that to understand something fully, you must experience it.
Some of the themes of his work include, atmosphere, the actor's creativity and physicalisation of inner experience. He believed that acting was not a system it was a free-er. He believed that actors are creative artists, creating characters distinct from themselves. He believed actors should understand the whole composition of the play, just like the director, rather than immersing themselves in just their role. He believed, creating a character should be Objective, not subjective. So it should not be bias and from your own memories, it should be you seeing things from a bigger picture.
He thought that the actor should use their imagination to create a character by utilizing their "Higher Ego", which is a different self, to the everyday self. It's about finding a different ego/identity.
Simon Callow's foreword in the 2008 re-published edition of "To The Actor" states that, "We must overcome our fear of the theatre theatrical when it comes to acting." - which means that acting takes you to this flamboyant, magical world where there is no truth behind your, there is a fear of being too theatrical. Callow said, "Profound importance of Chekhov's work is that it's aim is to breed such a race of just actor poets, who know the theatrical ways.
Actors should, seek characters in the realm of their imagination and they shouldn't try to intellectualize it, or research it, but they should engage their imaginations. They shouldn't use concrete life stories - actor's dreams and fantasies are much more useful than biographies, images or books.
An actor lets the body and imagination reveal a character in the play. You have to grasp the initial ideas of how different you are on stage to your character. Ask what the difference is, no matter how small or subtle that may be. Go with purely what the text describes.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Targeting My Lines
This lesson we focused on targeting lines. We went through the text and went through each of our lines and placed a clear target to the words that we are saying. For example:
Shannon looks up, leaving the hoover on. - I look up at Ruth.
"Oh hi! You alright?" - I notice Ruth. I greet Ruth. I question Ruth.
We did this for all of our lines in the text, which really helped me to understand my given circumstances and realise my objectives for the scene. I feel like it has put a lot more meaning behind my lines and will allow me to develop my character further.
A Target for the actor is what you are doing and seeing. It should be:
- specific
- moving
- external
- changing
- active
- waiting to be discovered
- needing to be changed
Declan Donnellan said, "The stakes open to offer the best escape from the block. The actor muse see the target, and before it vanishes, the target must be split in two."
This means that you must acknowledge the outcome of the stakes. At every moment, there is something to be won and something to be lost. - positives and negatives in life. What you can gain and lose in a scene are always just as important as each other.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Double Takes
We also did a little work on double-takes and how they work and what it makes you do. We had to get into pairs and create a scene that involved a double take. Some of these were incredibly funny and contained a lot of humour. Such as, Nora bending down to pick up a folder, whilst I lent on a wall and did a double take when I saw her. This was very comedic, but allowed us to analyse them to realise that they can be broken down into:
Looking
Comprehending
Looking again
Confirming
We saw some other very funny examples, such as Jordan meeting Katie, the talking rabbit and doing a double take and Liyah meeting her long-lost neighbour in a shop down her road. This allowed us to really see how double takes have become instinctual to us and have allowed us to create comedy in (some) everyday situations.
Looking
Comprehending
Looking again
Confirming
We saw some other very funny examples, such as Jordan meeting Katie, the talking rabbit and doing a double take and Liyah meeting her long-lost neighbour in a shop down her road. This allowed us to really see how double takes have become instinctual to us and have allowed us to create comedy in (some) everyday situations.
Targets
Donnellan said, "An Actor can't do anything without a target."
We also looked into Targets. A "Target" is something that allows an actor to focus on something to recall and action or event or happening. For example, when you talk about what you did yesterday, you look to the side and for a moment, you see yourself getting out of bed, getting dressed, having breakfast. You are able to see the breakfast in front of you and it is that kind of image popping into your head, which makes your eyes flick to the side when you're talking to someone.
Once you have seen that exact image, it helps you to describe it more fluently and in detail. You need to be able to find your targets whilst acting to allow you to be believable on stage. Your eyes are looking for a memory to be able to describe. For example, in Romeo and Juliet there is always a target that your character or your lines relate to, such as:
"I deceive Lady Capulet."
"I tease the Nurse."
"I warn Romeo."
Visualising these events allows the audience to see what you see. For example, "I search for the moon." if you see the moon and you look up whilst on stage and remember what a moon looks like, the image will come into your head, allowing you to see and describe it as accurately as you remember, allowing the audience to see the same moon. It doesn't have to be a real image that you remember, it can be from a TV program or from a film or magazine. It is this kind of connection to yourself, your character and to the audience that allows you to have the deep emotional connection that the theatre brings to people.
With blocks, you have to take them one step at a time. You must simplify and internally see and figure out what your block is. However, with targets, you must externalise what you're doing and allow the audience to connect to it.
We also looked into Targets. A "Target" is something that allows an actor to focus on something to recall and action or event or happening. For example, when you talk about what you did yesterday, you look to the side and for a moment, you see yourself getting out of bed, getting dressed, having breakfast. You are able to see the breakfast in front of you and it is that kind of image popping into your head, which makes your eyes flick to the side when you're talking to someone.
Once you have seen that exact image, it helps you to describe it more fluently and in detail. You need to be able to find your targets whilst acting to allow you to be believable on stage. Your eyes are looking for a memory to be able to describe. For example, in Romeo and Juliet there is always a target that your character or your lines relate to, such as:
"I deceive Lady Capulet."
"I tease the Nurse."
"I warn Romeo."
Visualising these events allows the audience to see what you see. For example, "I search for the moon." if you see the moon and you look up whilst on stage and remember what a moon looks like, the image will come into your head, allowing you to see and describe it as accurately as you remember, allowing the audience to see the same moon. It doesn't have to be a real image that you remember, it can be from a TV program or from a film or magazine. It is this kind of connection to yourself, your character and to the audience that allows you to have the deep emotional connection that the theatre brings to people.
With blocks, you have to take them one step at a time. You must simplify and internally see and figure out what your block is. However, with targets, you must externalise what you're doing and allow the audience to connect to it.
Blocks
In this book, Donnellan talks about how actors come up with blocks in rehearsals, which prevent them from continuing with their work, such as a runner in a marathon - hitting the wall - they have to push through it to find the finish line or answers that they are looking for. For example: If an actor is not sure how to interpret a scene or monologue.
Some ideas that we came up with are:
- Not understanding or relating to your character.
- Learning your lines
- Objectives
- Not understanding the language (e.g. Shakespeare)
Donnellan liked to have these "blocks" written in a very simplistic form, so that it is very clear and simple what the actor is struggling with. For example, not being able to understand or relate to your character, simply becomes, "I don't know who I am."
So:
- Not understanding or relating to your character: I don't know who I am.
- Learning your lines: I don't know what I am saying.
- Objectives: I don't know what I want.
- Understanding the language: I don't know what I am saying.
The main "blocks" that Declan Donnellan talks about in his book, which he thinks are the most important for an actor to overcome are:
1. I don't know what I am doing.
2. I don't know what I want.
3. I don't know who I am.
4. I don't know where I am.
5. I don't know how I should move.
6. I don't know what I should feel.
7. I don't know what I'm saying.
8. I don't know what I'm playing.
He wanted to make it clear that a director will not change. They will not alter their ways of working for you, but phrasing it in this simplistic way, may allow the director to alter things to help you. For example. If you are confused about the space, you say to the director, "I don't know where I am" and they could use tape to mark out which rooms or objects are where on stage, to allow you to visualise it.
These blocks are internal. They allow the actor to close down and to focus on what is inside them.
Some ideas that we came up with are:
- Not understanding or relating to your character.
- Learning your lines
- Objectives
- Not understanding the language (e.g. Shakespeare)
Donnellan liked to have these "blocks" written in a very simplistic form, so that it is very clear and simple what the actor is struggling with. For example, not being able to understand or relate to your character, simply becomes, "I don't know who I am."
So:
- Not understanding or relating to your character: I don't know who I am.
- Learning your lines: I don't know what I am saying.
- Objectives: I don't know what I want.
- Understanding the language: I don't know what I am saying.
The main "blocks" that Declan Donnellan talks about in his book, which he thinks are the most important for an actor to overcome are:
1. I don't know what I am doing.
2. I don't know what I want.
3. I don't know who I am.
4. I don't know where I am.
5. I don't know how I should move.
6. I don't know what I should feel.
7. I don't know what I'm saying.
8. I don't know what I'm playing.
He wanted to make it clear that a director will not change. They will not alter their ways of working for you, but phrasing it in this simplistic way, may allow the director to alter things to help you. For example. If you are confused about the space, you say to the director, "I don't know where I am" and they could use tape to mark out which rooms or objects are where on stage, to allow you to visualise it.
These blocks are internal. They allow the actor to close down and to focus on what is inside them.
Declan Donnellan
This week, we looked at a contemporary practitioner, Declan Donnellan. Donnellan echos more traditional practitioners, but in a contemporary style. He works with his partner, Nick Omerod, on a company called "Cheek by Jowl" where they often perform in the Barbican. Some of their shows include, Othello, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Out Cry, The Changeling and Three Sisters.
In 1989 he was associate director of the Royal National Theatre. He directed plays such as, Sweeney Todd and Angels in America. He has also directed for the ENO (English National Opera) and the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company).
He has worked on ballets, musicals, theatre, operas and a lot of Shakespeare work. He works in both Russian and English and wrote the book, "The Actor and The Target"
In 1989 he was associate director of the Royal National Theatre. He directed plays such as, Sweeney Todd and Angels in America. He has also directed for the ENO (English National Opera) and the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company).
He has worked on ballets, musicals, theatre, operas and a lot of Shakespeare work. He works in both Russian and English and wrote the book, "The Actor and The Target"
Monday, 7 October 2013
The Efforts
We looked at Laban's efforts and how they can help to add depth, meaning and understanding to every line a character has on stage. If you imply these meanings through your words, you will be able to interpret your lines with a lot more truth and honesty.
We pretended that we were standing in a glass box and we were able to move our body to explore the tiny space we were in. We used our arms, legs, heads, elbows, hands, any part of our body that we could move. Tim called out the different efforts and we practiced them. This was a hard exercise because it was such hard work to do the strong emotions. But, it was very helpful and allowed us to see how important the meaning behind your words is on-stage and how important it is to really work out what you're saying.
The Efforts
Light/Flexible/Sustained = Floating
Light/Flexible/Broken = Flicking
Light/Direct/Sustained = Gliding
Light/Direct/Broken = Dabbing
Strong/Flexible/Sustained = Wringing
Strong/Flexible/Broken = Slashing
Strong/Direct/Sustained = Pressing
Strong/Direct/Broken = Thrusting/Punching
These efforts supposedly come together to make up the complete human emotions and the messages behind each line we speak.
Defining the Elements
Light:
Light implies functioning with ease. There is no weight to your movements. Your arms and legs are free and able to move softly and without effort. This was an easy movement as it required little effort.
Strong:
Strong implies that you are functioning with hard, powerful movements. As if you are trying to move through sand or mud. It makes your arms and legs move with effort, as though walking through sand up to your knees. This was particularly tiring and required a lot of effort.
Direct:
Direct implies that you are functioning in a harsh and rather forceful way. You know what you want and you are going to get it. You can look at where your hands and feet are moving to, as you move them, to give a sense of purpose. This move was tiring as it involved a lot of effort and a large physicality.
Flexible:
Flexible implies that you have no focus and are able to move or go anywhere. You are able to bend and form lots of different shapes and in different directions. You bend your hands, feet and face and you allow yourself not to have a focus point, so that you are flexible to move or go anywhere. This movement was quite gentle and easy, you have to move gently for it to be flexible.
Sustained:
Sustained implies that you are moving in one motion, you're not breaking the motion or stopping, you have energy flowing from one physical state to another. This movement was quite hard to keep up, especially if the other two elements are strong and direct. It tends to be slower and takes on a gentle physicality, such as moving through water or gliding.
Broken:
Broken implies that your movements are abrupt. You are jabbing through the air, creating a harsh atmosphere. This movement was tiring, as it was hard work to keep up. It tends to be fast, such a swatting away a fly.
Technically:
Light and Strong are to do with Weight and the intensity of a movement.
Direct and Flexible are to do with Space and how you move in it.
Sustained and Broken are to do with Time or speed of a movement.
We applied these movements which helped us to learn how the subtext of your actions or the actions behind the lines in a play, can help to move the action along and carry the story.
We applied this to our own lines in the play. I volunteered to share my line, which was,
"Sorry , to interrupt -oops- I'm Shannon, I've been watching the other speeches - thought I'd come down and see for myself."
This line I thought was Light, Direct and Broken, so has a Dabbing feel to it. This helped me to really see deeper into my character and see how she would react and speak to people and what kind of thing she might be thinking as she speaks etc.
We then did this to the rest of our lines in the play and heard other people's examples. In one scene, the only word I have is, "Yeah" so this exercise it a perfect way for me to put some meaning behind the lines and figure out what she is really saying. It was a very helpful exercise, but very tiring at the same time!
Thursday, 26 September 2013
What Makes A Good Improvisation?
These are some things that will make a good improvisation:
- Always say "yes" - this will allow you and your partner to keep an entertaining scene to keep going and not become circular or become boring for the audience.
- Go with whatever you're given - feed off the other person and anything they say can be taken as a suggestion of their character or might give you something to work off, so make sure you respond to anything.
- Respond appropriately to things - do not break character and start laughing. Stay in the scene and control your emotions, so you are able to keep the scene going and the energy right, which will work for the audience.
- LISTEN - listening is the most important part of a good improvisation. Listening to what your partner is saying and taking all of the details or ideas that they give you.
Save some information - remember what they tell you and use it back to them. Repeating facts will make your scene become more believable.
Mike Alfreds
We looked at Mike Alfreds as our first practitioner in Acting Technique. Mike Alfreds specialises in improvisation as a directing technique. We did many different exercises to explore this idea further.
For example: The first exercise we did was an improvisation exercise. We sat in pairs and Tim gave us a situation, e.g. we are step-siblings on a train station and our train is delayed. We had to make our character's emotions and opinions and really listen to the other person's actions to be able to react and respond appropriately because anything could happen in the scene.
After this, we then did a clap change improvisation exercise, every time Tim clapped, we had to change our physicality to something different. e.g. standing, squatting, lying down etc. When Tim said "Go" we had to start a scene. It was hard because one of you had to just launch into it, which was difficult, as the other person had to be open to going with whatever ideas were thrown at them.
We did this a few times, there were difficulties with this task, such as having to listen really carefully to each other and making sure that the scene just loops and nothing happens. It can become boring and repetitive, so throw something new in the scene. Give your partner something to bounce off and bring the energy to the scene.
We then did an exercise where one of us left the room and the other person had to think of a situation and when the other person entered the room, they had to find out who they were, where they were and what their relationship to the other character was. This was hard, because when you first enter the room, you don't know what to expect. It was tricky for me because Tim said to let them make the first move, however Nora didn't look at me, so I had to go over to her and because she was playing a socially awkward character at a party, I had to really dig to find out where we were, who's party it was, how I knew her and the host. It was very difficult, but I feel like I still managed to figure it out.
We then had to do an exercise that involved one person miming doing something for someone. Some people acted out nice things, such as wrapping presents etc. Nora acted out getting a paint gun and filling it with paint pellets. We had to guess what our partner was doing and really watch them. We then swapped and we had to act out any action that has a routine to it. Something you can do the same repeatedly, so I did putting on make-up in the morning. We did this to develop our miming skills and allow us to be able to interpret actions in a different way and be able to make it really clear to the audience, exactly what it is we're doing.
It was a helpful lesson, where I learnt many new improvisation techniques and what it takes to perform a good piece of improvisation and make it very clear to the audience what you're doing, but being able to control your emotions, such as - not laughing or not being sure of what to say and panicking on stage, because it will not make your scene believable.
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