Tuesday, 13 October 2015
Anthromorphism
This is another exercise that i found extremely helpful. In this exercise we had to become an animal that best suited our character, for example, i found that a startled, jumpy gazelle was quite fitting for Thea, where as Judge Brack was a vulture, and Hedda a snake. As we became these animals, we were literally being animals, but convincingly trying to remember their physicality's and attributing gestures. When being a gazelle, i was told that they do, do this identifiable thing where they quickly jerk their head from centre to side and so on, when in fear. I found that, when we slowly became a animalised version of our character, i could put a toned down version of this gesture in. It worked very well with Thea and makes her look more nervous and helpless, but also, like a gazelle, can run when they aren't happy, like Thea did when she ran away from her husband.
Rehearsing
One technique i found extremely useful to put into practice was the "magic if". I used this in both scenes i was in. First, i used to ask myself, what if that was me, finding out that all my hard work, with the man i love, had been destroyed, by that man. Or, even using Ibsen's provided metaphor of a baby. I used this to ask myself what i would do if i received news that someone had killed my child. In the second scene i used it similarly. I asked my self what if i just found out the person i loved, and was seeing was dead. This easily draws up emotions and adds to the subtext and physicality that is not specified on text.
I found this easier to use than emotion memory, as i have never experienced someone telling me that they have killed my baby, or the person i loved dying, and although i can imagine what it is like, it isn't exactly memory, more imagination.
I found this easier to use than emotion memory, as i have never experienced someone telling me that they have killed my baby, or the person i loved dying, and although i can imagine what it is like, it isn't exactly memory, more imagination.
Adopting the space in character.
We placed the set and then all came to one side. As called, one lot of character would enter the stage, for example, all the Judge Bracks would enter the stage and adopt it as if they were just living in the world, in character. Slowly, different characters ended up being on stage with different characters and you could see the clear dynamic changing. One example of this was when all Thea's were on stage with all Heddas. The dynamic was then an intimidation environment where all Theas were suddenly less comfortable in the space. I found this helpful, as it made me realise my body language, when on stage with different characters. It also helped me to explore the set, in character, without being restricted to the blocking of my scene.
Character Corridor
In this exercise, we listed six words to describe our character. This is what i listed for Thea:
desperate, feble, intelligent, kind, ignorant
We then formed two lines facing each other with a walkway in-between. We first saw Will walk through the 'character corridor' as himself, and we called out different things we say in his normal walk. If he looked depressed, you would say "depressed" and so on. After analysing his normal walk, he then began to walk as character and using his six words he wrote to describe Louvborg, we shouted out what he needed more of. For example, one of his words was "alcoholic", if Will wasn't walking enough like an alcoholic, you could shout it out, and he would try to adapt his physicality to the voiced opinion on what he was lacking.
I think this exercise was so interesting and helpful, as it really made you strip back a physicality of a character and notice even small things they might do, that could change the whole image of them on stage. Noticing every aspect of what makes the character, the character helps. When becoming Thea, i need to remind myself of those words and adjust my physicality to match.
desperate, feble, intelligent, kind, ignorant
We then formed two lines facing each other with a walkway in-between. We first saw Will walk through the 'character corridor' as himself, and we called out different things we say in his normal walk. If he looked depressed, you would say "depressed" and so on. After analysing his normal walk, he then began to walk as character and using his six words he wrote to describe Louvborg, we shouted out what he needed more of. For example, one of his words was "alcoholic", if Will wasn't walking enough like an alcoholic, you could shout it out, and he would try to adapt his physicality to the voiced opinion on what he was lacking.
I think this exercise was so interesting and helpful, as it really made you strip back a physicality of a character and notice even small things they might do, that could change the whole image of them on stage. Noticing every aspect of what makes the character, the character helps. When becoming Thea, i need to remind myself of those words and adjust my physicality to match.
Physcological Realism
We did an exercise to practice physicological realism.
We were all given a list of actions to carry out, but with no subtext. We all had to interpret the actions differently and invent a story to go with.
LIST OF ACTIONS:
1. Walk in from the rain
2. See a glass of water
3. Sway and recover
4. Laugh and then recover
5. Touch your face and then recover
6. Sob and recover
7. Walk back into the rain
My subtext / storyline was:
Walk into my house, see a glass of water that i didn't leave there, stare at the unknown water, sway in fright and then recover, before slightly tapping my face in shock, and then stop and start sobbing and run into the rain.
This exercise was hard in my opinion, as i wouldn't usually do the actions i had to do, when responding to a glass of water, but finding the inside fear of the water helped. And running off impulse of fear worked, because you may sway if scared. Physcological realism places emphasis on interior characterisation, and i found this difficult, with little actions to express.
We were all given a list of actions to carry out, but with no subtext. We all had to interpret the actions differently and invent a story to go with.
LIST OF ACTIONS:
1. Walk in from the rain
2. See a glass of water
3. Sway and recover
4. Laugh and then recover
5. Touch your face and then recover
6. Sob and recover
7. Walk back into the rain
My subtext / storyline was:
Walk into my house, see a glass of water that i didn't leave there, stare at the unknown water, sway in fright and then recover, before slightly tapping my face in shock, and then stop and start sobbing and run into the rain.
This exercise was hard in my opinion, as i wouldn't usually do the actions i had to do, when responding to a glass of water, but finding the inside fear of the water helped. And running off impulse of fear worked, because you may sway if scared. Physcological realism places emphasis on interior characterisation, and i found this difficult, with little actions to express.
Norway in the 19th century
Norway in the 19th century was a very patriarchal society. Men dominated and this is clear with the character of Judge brack and Hedda, but also Thea and Louveborg.
Prostitution was legal in the Victorian era. The issue of adultery was also skewed to favour men. While a wife's adultery was sufficient cause to end a marriage, a woman could divorce her husband only if his adultery had been compounded by another matrimonial offence, such as cruelty or desertion.
Some could say that Hedda has "penis envy", simply meaning she is envious of what it is to be a man, for example, the power that men held in that patriarchal society.
Women in Norway in the 19th century couldn't vote, couldn't control their own finances, and were not entitled.
Norway was a rich society also, being 3rd in the world economically.
Prostitution was legal in the Victorian era. The issue of adultery was also skewed to favour men. While a wife's adultery was sufficient cause to end a marriage, a woman could divorce her husband only if his adultery had been compounded by another matrimonial offence, such as cruelty or desertion.
Some could say that Hedda has "penis envy", simply meaning she is envious of what it is to be a man, for example, the power that men held in that patriarchal society.
Women in Norway in the 19th century couldn't vote, couldn't control their own finances, and were not entitled.
Norway was a rich society also, being 3rd in the world economically.
Different runs of the show
On the performance day, we carried out 5 different runs of the play. I found this so so helpful, not only to really etch in my entrances and exits but also find so many different meanings and ways to play Thea.
1: blocking run; going through the play in your own speed and pace, blocking your actions, entrances and exits, where you interact, speak and sit. - This was a big help, to really make it crystal clear, where to move.
2: Funny run; this run, really revealed the subtext of the play. We ran the play, saying what the characters really wanted to say in the scene, for example "go away Thea", instead of the actual line being "what's happened Thea?". This was not only exceptional comical and amusing, but really did help let us all get a raw feeling of the text and characters.
3: One line run; In this run, we had to enter our scene, say one line and walk out. This was to see how one line could carry so much energy in a scene. If you're only focused on one line, then you will put all your energy, commitment and thought into it. Once you had done that line, we all realised we need all that energy, commitment and thought for every scene!
4: Objective scene; we walked into the scene and announced our objective for the scene whilst acting it physically. For example, my objective for one scene was to "love eilert" and i ran up to him and hugged him. Eilert's objective for that scene was to "resist Thea" and so Sheyi pushed me off. I found this exercise so helpful as it revealed all the character's true intentions.
5: Real run through; putting all the above into practice.
1: blocking run; going through the play in your own speed and pace, blocking your actions, entrances and exits, where you interact, speak and sit. - This was a big help, to really make it crystal clear, where to move.
2: Funny run; this run, really revealed the subtext of the play. We ran the play, saying what the characters really wanted to say in the scene, for example "go away Thea", instead of the actual line being "what's happened Thea?". This was not only exceptional comical and amusing, but really did help let us all get a raw feeling of the text and characters.
3: One line run; In this run, we had to enter our scene, say one line and walk out. This was to see how one line could carry so much energy in a scene. If you're only focused on one line, then you will put all your energy, commitment and thought into it. Once you had done that line, we all realised we need all that energy, commitment and thought for every scene!
4: Objective scene; we walked into the scene and announced our objective for the scene whilst acting it physically. For example, my objective for one scene was to "love eilert" and i ran up to him and hugged him. Eilert's objective for that scene was to "resist Thea" and so Sheyi pushed me off. I found this exercise so helpful as it revealed all the character's true intentions.
5: Real run through; putting all the above into practice.
Evaluation Of Performance
In my opinion, the show actually ran really well. I think this really does prove the theory of 'a bad dress rehearsal, means a good show'.
I was confident in what i was doing when performing and i think this was mainly down the preparation work we did together as a class; doing a very short run through, just saying your objective in the scene, and then one random line, and noting how much energy you needed. This all helped me realise the absolute power that was needed behind every single line, in order to carry the play.
The objective work, in my opinion, is really the most important part. It is so beneficial because, for example, if you lose a line; just knowing the meaning behind it, and what your character wants in the scene can either help you to remember the line / cue, or alternatively, improvise. I am sure that most scenes in our performance had some improvised lines in. This all draws back in to small, but important exercises, such as the last bit of the morning warm up; 'side stretch', where we work on reaction time, by responding to a shout given by the leader of the warm up. This makes you think on your feet, become aware and quick and active, meaning in the scene, if you or someone drops a line, you can think of a save.
The nerves were obviously building before the show, so we all became quite restless. The breathing exercises in semi supine, helped us to focus and relax, but also to get into character and the world of the play.
I think a really, really positive part of our performance was the set, lighting, music and costume choices. The fifties theme worked very well, and everyone looked smart and serious, which ended up contributing lovely to the dark vibe of the piece. The music at the end, when Hedda shoots herself, was so effective, as it contrasted the obvious vulgarity of Hedda about to pull the trigger of a gun pointed at her head, with quite a nice song, that had a nice melody and a lovely voice singing it. It made in dramatic but eery also. The lighting was really nice in my opinion, it set the mood and gave the feel of one room, as the play is set. It also became very fitting for the fifties theme as it was lit like a fifties dining room might have. The set also strongly contributed and brought together the feel of the one 'fifties' room. It was simple, but had close attention to detail, with books on the shelf that looked old, and old chairs placed with a simplistic wooden desk where the gun was kept.
Even though my one of my two scenes in rehearsal went quite badly, i believe that from an actors point of view, we did well in performance. I remembered to take bolder choices and also ground myself to the floor more, in order to cut out the unnecessary moving around stage. In the last scene, we did miss out a couple of lines but because we could all work off each other well, it wasn't noticeable and the scene seemed to flow. I think i brought energy to the play, but there could always be more. I could always learnt to project more and give larger gestures.
I very much enjoyed the whole rehearsal process of Hedda Gabler and the actual performing. I really liked the play and i think we performed it to a really good level. Things i have noted down, to learn from the show and rehearsal process is to learn lines a lot quicker and generally, take bigger risks on stage.
Music used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HldwKlB5WHI
I was confident in what i was doing when performing and i think this was mainly down the preparation work we did together as a class; doing a very short run through, just saying your objective in the scene, and then one random line, and noting how much energy you needed. This all helped me realise the absolute power that was needed behind every single line, in order to carry the play.
The objective work, in my opinion, is really the most important part. It is so beneficial because, for example, if you lose a line; just knowing the meaning behind it, and what your character wants in the scene can either help you to remember the line / cue, or alternatively, improvise. I am sure that most scenes in our performance had some improvised lines in. This all draws back in to small, but important exercises, such as the last bit of the morning warm up; 'side stretch', where we work on reaction time, by responding to a shout given by the leader of the warm up. This makes you think on your feet, become aware and quick and active, meaning in the scene, if you or someone drops a line, you can think of a save.
The nerves were obviously building before the show, so we all became quite restless. The breathing exercises in semi supine, helped us to focus and relax, but also to get into character and the world of the play.
I think a really, really positive part of our performance was the set, lighting, music and costume choices. The fifties theme worked very well, and everyone looked smart and serious, which ended up contributing lovely to the dark vibe of the piece. The music at the end, when Hedda shoots herself, was so effective, as it contrasted the obvious vulgarity of Hedda about to pull the trigger of a gun pointed at her head, with quite a nice song, that had a nice melody and a lovely voice singing it. It made in dramatic but eery also. The lighting was really nice in my opinion, it set the mood and gave the feel of one room, as the play is set. It also became very fitting for the fifties theme as it was lit like a fifties dining room might have. The set also strongly contributed and brought together the feel of the one 'fifties' room. It was simple, but had close attention to detail, with books on the shelf that looked old, and old chairs placed with a simplistic wooden desk where the gun was kept.
Even though my one of my two scenes in rehearsal went quite badly, i believe that from an actors point of view, we did well in performance. I remembered to take bolder choices and also ground myself to the floor more, in order to cut out the unnecessary moving around stage. In the last scene, we did miss out a couple of lines but because we could all work off each other well, it wasn't noticeable and the scene seemed to flow. I think i brought energy to the play, but there could always be more. I could always learnt to project more and give larger gestures.
I very much enjoyed the whole rehearsal process of Hedda Gabler and the actual performing. I really liked the play and i think we performed it to a really good level. Things i have noted down, to learn from the show and rehearsal process is to learn lines a lot quicker and generally, take bigger risks on stage.
Music used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HldwKlB5WHI
Monday, 5 October 2015
Stanislavski Background; Language of Theatre
Stanislavski: Russian man, actor, director, started Moscow Arts Theatre Company, born in 1863, wealthy family, second of nine siblings - who would all perform plays together. Alekseyer; theatre company that family owned.
While Stanislavski acted, he always questioning 'how you should act'.
He also questioned this: External Results: what the audience sees. Internal Process: choices you make, to add things to the scene.
Before Stanislavski, all characters were stock characters with recognisable features and little depth. In Stanislavski's time, theatre was censored, because it can go against social norms, but Stanislavski gave power back to the actors, to give actors a way into characters.
With his use of 'OBJECTIVES': he gave actors the power as the script can constrict the actor, and an objective allows an actor to relate it to them.
While Stanislavski acted, he always questioning 'how you should act'.
He also questioned this: External Results: what the audience sees. Internal Process: choices you make, to add things to the scene.
Before Stanislavski, all characters were stock characters with recognisable features and little depth. In Stanislavski's time, theatre was censored, because it can go against social norms, but Stanislavski gave power back to the actors, to give actors a way into characters.
With his use of 'OBJECTIVES': he gave actors the power as the script can constrict the actor, and an objective allows an actor to relate it to them.
Lesson One
We started the lesson with RELAXATION. This was in all essences, an exercise to relax the body, enough so that it could be used to the full potential and manipulated, and also, relaxation focuses the mind and releases it of thinking of something other than the character or task at hand. The relaxation technique was the Alexander Technique.
We then moved on to the WARM UP. This is what we have come to know and refer to as 'side stretch'. It begins in the samurai pose then you reach from side to side by the count of 8. I personally like the warm up as it is not too intense, but just easily wakes you up and compliments the previous relaxation, other wise, without the warm up, you may be left too sleepy. The work up worked on core muscles, balance and reaction time, which essentially helps with improvisation. The warm up involved live stillness, which requires focus and attention in order to react on cue.
MAGIF IF, i found personally effective, i liked asking myself "what if this was real?", but then i much preferred EMOTION MEMORY, as i found it easy to recall a memory. However, this can fall through, if you've never experienced the thought or incident that your character is.
We then moved on to the WARM UP. This is what we have come to know and refer to as 'side stretch'. It begins in the samurai pose then you reach from side to side by the count of 8. I personally like the warm up as it is not too intense, but just easily wakes you up and compliments the previous relaxation, other wise, without the warm up, you may be left too sleepy. The work up worked on core muscles, balance and reaction time, which essentially helps with improvisation. The warm up involved live stillness, which requires focus and attention in order to react on cue.
MAGIF IF, i found personally effective, i liked asking myself "what if this was real?", but then i much preferred EMOTION MEMORY, as i found it easy to recall a memory. However, this can fall through, if you've never experienced the thought or incident that your character is.
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