The fun of learning

It may just be me, but I found that Friday's class was not only the most enjoyable class so far this year, but also the most educational. While I know that the fundamentals of acting, which we have been working on the majority of the year so far, such as movement and breathing, are essential to building a strong actor, I felt much more comfortable when we actually got to stand up and act out some scenes. While the scenes I was in did not actually entail any spoken lines, simply body language, I felt very comfortable, as three of the four roles I've been cast in Theatre Fairfield have been mute characters. One of my favorite methods of learning about my own acting is watching someone else perform the same piece as me. Since I went first in the King whose name I can't remember scene, I was able to see how the other members of the class chose to act. For example, when Jayson was playing the King, he chose to be a little more physical, touching wise, than me, where I mostly tried to portray the emotions through my bodily movements and facial expressions.

During the scene where two people walked by each other, thought they recognized the other, then realized it was a mistake, had me contemplating my own actions if I had to try it myself. Each different pair gave me new ideas, in relation to speed of the action and the intensity of emotion. While I never did get to try that scene, the simple fact that I was able to put so much thought into how I would have acted is almost as helpful. The final scene, where there are two people who enter and are having an affair, when they suddenly are caught in the act was immensely enjoyable as well. It included a number of facets which many could interpret differently, such as the entrances, initial reactions, and the attempts to solve the problem. This scene fit the dramatic action figure which was shown at the beginning of class the best. And since there was a basic outline of action, the performances were quite similar, but the subtle variations, of how Tom had his humorous reaction to the situation at the end, or how Sarah grabbed Colleen and brought her back to the middle showed how many options there are in such a simple scene, changing the dynamics of the scene entirely.

The Not Fully Present, Performing Parrot.

Looking back on this week, I can see so many ways in which I could’ve done better. Having not felt well on and off all week, I haven’t quite been in a good place physically or mentally. Greatly lacking concentration, and therefore lacking in the creativity department as well, I don’t think I was able to put my best foot forward. I cannot think of one instance where I was fully present in any of the activities we did this week, and it makes me rather mad at myself. I’m mad that the way I’ve been feeling got in the way of my concentration and focus and left me only doing a mediocre job instead of my best. And then, when like this, all I can fixate on is doing what is asked and, in turn, not fully give myself over to what we are doing. Instead, I try to plan each movement ahead of time, making everything seem more robotic. Take the scene Stacey and I performed for instance. Each time we walked past each other, I was well aware of what needed to happen and I tried to make it happen instead of just letting it come naturally. However, by doing this, it ended up becoming very forced and awkward for me. I ended up taking cues from Stacey, more or less, instead of genuinely responding to the actions. I felt more like a mirror reflecting her exact actions instead of my own person and my own character. And I could tell I was doing it, too. Yet somehow, I couldn’t break out of it. It was as if my mind was off somewhere else and all I could manage to do was mimic what I had already seen – like some sort of performing parrot. So, the next time we work on similar activities, whether I feel well or not, my goal is to try and engage my scene partner, go with the flow and be fully present in my scene.

Ravenous, Breathing, and ravenous breathing

As per usual,I was nervous when i realized that members of the Ravenous company would be in class with us because i get easily flustered around new people in such situations (as was evident). However, it turned out to be a great experience. This is partially due to the fact that the members of Ravenous were very kind, helpful, patient, and clearly talented people.

I have always thought that i needed to work on my breathing, because i often forget to when i speak or read aloud. This is clearly no good. Also, i have a lot of trouble when i need to regulate my breathing and concentrate on it. For example, when i got an MRI or when i am getting dental work i start to overthink my breathing and i wind up breathing very irratically and getting anxious because of it.
This is similar to what happened during class. I tried very hard to breathe deeply and hold it in my diaphragm, but on the first day i could not regulate it enough to breathe at a natural rhythm. When i do get a good deep breath, i can generally let it out in a consistent stream that will last for a long time. The trouble is just learning how to do this all the time, naturally.
Having Vera with us in the second class helped immensely, and i think my breathing improved dramatically from the first day. For the ABC excersize , Vera was my partner. Just having her there for a few minutes to instruct and assist me personally was incredibly helpful. When i paid attention to staying in the Satz postion, as she told me to do, i found i had the most productive inhales and exhales.

I am usually a bit of a mumbler, but with this newfound breath i was surprised by the force i could achieve vocally with this method of breathing. I feel i learned alot from the two classes on breathing, and one of my overall goals for this acting class is to make sure i focus on breathing and learn how to better control it and my vocal abilities.

As for Ravenous, the only thing i ever want to do now is put on some poppin lip gloss and tell people that i want them to wear me like a watch. I still can't stop laughing when i think of certain lines. Though parts of the show were powerfully sad to me (the kleenex bit for example) i loved the humor in it. and of course it was about England which alone is enough to keep me interested. the only thing i ever want to do now is put on some poppin lip gloss and tell people that i want them to wear me like wwwatch.

Week in Review

I too will begin with a Ravenous reflection, as I enjoyed the show quite immensely. Unlike other shows I have seen this one had a great deal of symbolism, making the audience concentrate much harder on the action. The first scene of the play involved one of the actresses portraying the many failed births with Kleenex. While the symbols were quite simple, by the end, the Kleenex really represented children. I was lucky enough to be sitting in the front row, thus I got to interact with the actors. The show was very interactive, as the audience represented the King in the show. Some of the actors would come and ask audience members, not with words, but with motions, to performs varies tasks. Since I seemed more responsive than most, I was approached a few times. The actors had a tremendous deal of energy throughout the performance, mostly resulting in great humor, yet during some moments, such as the funeral, very powerful images rendered the audience spellbound and emotional.
The vocal workshop on Tuesday was a interesting and productive session. While everyone knows how to breath, the correct technique is never really taught. Last year breathing was covered in both Glee Club, as well as rehearsal for One Stoplight in Hollis. However, Vera proved to be even more helpful, as in my rehearsal for We Won't Pay yesterday, I found myself thinking about my breathing. Hopefully in the next few weeks and months, I can really find my center to help my delivery.

Feeling Ravenous?

While I’m not quite sure what it is I’m supposed to reflect on, I’ll go with the most logical topic – Ravenous! I loved it, I truly did. From the moment it started and everyone was standing in a line, breathing as deeply as they possibly could, I knew it was going to be everything I’d hoped for and more. I’ll admit right now, I’m not a big fan of history in general. So when I heard it was about Henry VIII’s six wives, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But when I thought about it, I knew that if Jon was involved, there would be more than just a boring, old history lesson attached. And by gosh! I was right! But the show was even MORE amazing because we actually got to meet, interact and work with the entire ensemble during class. Sitting in the audience and watching the people I had been breathing deeply with for the past week was almost like watching my best friends succeed at something fantastic and being proud of them as they performed. Plus, I think it would have been really awkward sticking lip gloss down Andy’s non-existent cleavage had I not met him prior. But that’s the beauty of this class and that’s the beauty of theatre – expect the unexpected. I just wish my eyes could be like cameras sometimes, though. I so badly want to relive the performance and watch it all over again, that I wish I could have recorded everything my eyes saw. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard and so much in a very long time.

Personal Acting Gift and Gauntlet

I suppose if i have an acting gift, it would be the ability to perform comedy to some degree of success. This is also done through the use of gesture, both behavioral and expressive. I have not really done scripted acting since i took a course in high school. I have done improv, which to me, is very comedy based, though i undestand it can be dramatic as well. I am generally able to come up with something random enough to be comedic and i certainly don't have a problem with looking silly. Although, i have always personally thought that i cheated a bit in improv, because in most of the scenes i participated in, i did not full develop any sort of character. Rather, i mainly did or said what i, as stacey molski, would do or say in a situation; not what the supposed character i was playing would.

I think this leads into the acting gauntlet that i have. I have trouble fully committing to a character- especially in nonscripted acting. Instead I often just fall back on using myself as a character ( if that makes sense?). I need to be more open to choosing developed characters, as well as be more of an initiator. In improv, i would very rarely step out in games where it was just a free- for - all if you will. I need to be pushed to step up, and i would like to get over that obstruction. I also have a bit of a problem with dramatic acting, so i think that can be a gauntlet as well. I have rarely done anything with dramatic acting, and i suppose if i tried, i might be able to. Though i am not particularly interested in doing so, partly because i feel if i do anything where i have to be sad or angry or upset, i will have to remember situations which make feel those emotions. For me this is a problem, because i am not the kind of person who can "leave my troubles at the door" and fully commit to what is going on. I think if i had to do anything dramatic like that, i would most likely be upset for the rest of the day. I have trouble just switching things like that on and off. This is probably one of the many reasons i mainly stick to comedic acting.

Personal Acting Gift and Gauntlet

I think that one of my key attributes in acting is my comedic timing. Last year, in two shows I had no lines, thus my actions had to convey to the audience the humor, as I was primarily comedic relief. My timing of when to deliver a particular line, or when to make a certain facial expression seems to get great reactions from the audience. I think since I usually fully commit to the comedy of the scene, the actions are common, yet believable, resulting in humor.
One of the main things I need to work on is my physical presence in a scene. How my body is positioned in regards to certain scenes while delivering lines is always something I forget about focusing on, as the lines distract me. However, in We Won't Pay rehearsals, the physical parts of acting has been a main focus, so hopefully I can master this aspect of my acting.

Personal Acting Gift and Gauntlet

I think my good quality as an actor is my focus during a scene. I believe I am able to become engulfed in a scene and not waiver my sight from what is at hand, but I also feel that it is my weakness in that my focus clouds my ability to relax my nerves and causes me to have difficulty expressing emotion through my face and bodily movements. I think one of my main goals is to go into a scene as I would to a normal conversation so that I do not arouse a sense of stiffness in my performance.

Personal Acting Gift and Gauntlet

So, I’m supposed to pick out an acting gift of mine, yes?

Well, I’ve never, ever acted before this class… unless you count my brilliant performance as Goldilocks in kindergarten. However, the first few classes have helped to realize that, if anything, my initial strength would lie in my gestures. Between slamming that door really hard (to the point where I even scared myself!) and Allison’s compliments on the way I used body language during the duet, I feel maybe that’s where I am gifted, acting-wise. During the few times I’ve acted in class, I feel like I can convey so much more with my actions and behavior than I can by simply memorizing lines, which is probably why I enjoyed the solo performances best, because it was generally left up to interpretation.

As for throwing something in the gauntlet, I’m at a loss. I’d like to say the possibility that I have a more comedic side that I just haven’t had a chance to show yet, but I’m not completely sure it really even exists. I’ve gotten laughs in the past, not so much for things I’ve said, but because of how I say them and the facial gestures I make when I say things. Of course, that is real –life, though. But maybe I can integrate this comedic side into my acting, if given the chance.

Most Effective Acting Moment from Week

Thinking back on the week, the one performance that still stands out vividly in my mind is Sarah’s solo performance on the first day of class. I can still see her coming through the door and taking her place on the stage, using mainly her facial expressions to convey the meaning of her piece. Turning, with her back to the audience, she would look over her shoulder in one direction with a flirty sort of enamored look, while over the other shoulder, she gave a look of anger and disgust. Not evening needing words in the slightest, she managed to use her eyes to say everything. It was as if, in one direction, she saw someone she admired and couldn’t get enough of, while in the other direction was someone she hated, someone who distracted her from her love. The way she could switch from one emotion to the other so quickly and convincingly was also amazing. But what still stands out to me the most is her impeccable eye contact with the audience. Being on the side of the room she looked at lovingly, I almost felt as if she was looking directly at me the whole time. It drew me in, as well as made things slightly awkward. It was one of those things where you don’t want to take your eyes away, but you also feel uneasy because you’re not sure if the intense eye contact was purposely directed at you. But I believe that is one true indication of her talent because she managed to engage the audience so well, I almost felt I was part of the performance.

hmm technology

I am unsure as to whether this post will work, but since one else has posted yet, i shall try.

When first given this assignment I honestly had no idea what to do with it. Despite doing improv the past two(-ish) years, I had never done anything like this, and quite frankly, I never thought I ever would. However my scene partner and I were able to work through the guidelines to come up with the scene we did. I found it interesting to see the different routes taken by each group, even when given the same guidelines and, sometimes the exact same words as inspiration. The variety of themes and moods was surprising. I feel like no two scenes had characters with the same relationship to one another.

The moment of acting that I found most effective was in Sarah Gatti, Jen, and Allison’s scene. The moment when Sarah first came out, shaking, with anger and resentment, struck me the most. First of all, I did not expect it; secondly, the way she shouted and the look in her eyes made me actually feel anxious. I was starting to get upset just watching her act, even though I know Sarah, and I know that she was not truly angry. Although I suppose she had to be in some way, in order to make that scene so believable. I also really enjoyed watching the way the actors switched moods when they crossed in front of Jen, who kept that pained look in her eye for the duration of the scene. To switch from one extreme emotion to another must have been difficult. The audience could see the physical transformation before either actor spoke.

I point out this particular moment because I found the emotions displayed to be very believable. I momentarily forgot that these actors were classmates that I knew; instead I became interested in the character they were portraying. For me, these qualities are important when I consider good acting. The actor, whether he be in a play, movie, tv show etc, must make me forget that he is a famous celebrity - or friend of mine, for that matter. Instead I will see him as the character he is portraying. Generally this character must also make me feel some sort of emotion, whether it be anxiety, sympathy, happiness, etc. My guidelines for acting fall under the larger umbrella of my qualifications for art as a whole. If it makes me feel something, and forget where I really am for a span of time, then I have seen great acting, and thus great art.

Acting 1

For this week of class, I think Stacy and Lauren's piece on Friday had some components of acting which worked quite well. They choose to use only the six lines from the script, yet they repeated them over and over. While I think the comedic effect which they were searching for was indeed found, their technique truly made the piece enjoyable to watch. Their use of physical expression of emotions helped the audience connect with their emotions. Since the same lines were repeated numerous times, they were able to show a evolution of emotion throughout the piece through the tone used to deliver the lines, also adding greatly to how the audience could connect to the actors. Just the image of Stacy staring out the window at a scene of New York we can only imagine was quite a powerful image.
They were able to build the scene at the end by gradually raising the excitement levels in their voices, as the skit started with very little enthusiasm. It really conveyed how the reassurance of a friend can make, "so I live in New York now," perfectly alright and acceptable. Their ability to accomplish a skit where entire attitudes changed in a few short minutes with the same lines showed how the tone and how actions are presented are truly effective
These techniques which Stacy and Lauren so nicely demonstrated are also my primary techniques, falling under the spacial and vocal viewpoints that I just read about. In my own performance, I found that I really needed to use my body, rather than spoken words to convey the action to the audience, as the lines in ours were quite sparse. It is infinitely more challenging to grab the audience's attention when there is minimal dialog, yet when the physical actions are done right, it can be far more effective and memorable. Its probably easier to focus on the physical aspects of a performance when there are no lines to perform at the same time though, as you are not focused on your delivery.