Scenes

  This week in class they got their first pieces for scene study. All of the scenes were from different plays that most of the kids admitted they had never read before. This struck me as odd because I've never studied a scene from a play that I've not been forced to read. 

   I've always been taught the best thing you can do is get all the facts. This includes previous action, time, and place. All of these things creates a very specific perspective and opinion that a character has on their world and situation. This opinion will have an impact on how they react to everything. 

   I know that for me this has been at once helpful and scary. Helpful, because you are better informed and it does create a richer performance. Scary, because you are constantly worrying " did I forget something?" Also if you know the play, you may feel the need to live up to productions you've seen before. One of the guys in class pulled out his smart phone and searched for his scene on youtube to get "perspective". Unfortunately, even if you don't have intentions of recreating another's performance, it can still, without you knowing, have an impact on the way you say your lines and reduce the level of sincerity and discovery of the scene.

    It'll be interesting to see how the scenes turn out because I've never seen it down this way. It might reduce hesitation and liberate them a little if they don't know the context of the scene.

  

How do they rock?

      The instruction for the class was to find a video of a performer and try to capture their physicality or "essence" on stage, and then perform it for the class. I'd never heard of anyone doing this in an acting class before, so I was a little skeptic. The class period that was given to them as rehearsal didn't ease my fear at all. All of them seemed to nervous to get out of their chairs and try moving with the music. Most of them just sat listening to the song or watching the video. I understand though. My first acting class I was paralyzed. It's a terrifying thing to do.
       It can be a daunting task to try and figure out how a character works. One of the things that the class was encouraged to do was to figure out the performer's center. A center, is the part of the body that a person leads with. Head, stomach, groin, and heart are only some of the options. Each one of these centers has different personality traits associated with it. A person that leads with their head could be anxious, ruminative, panicky, or shy. There are good and bad linked to all of them.
        Another thing they could consider was what was the performer's strongest relationship on stage? Was it with the music? audience? or even his/her fellow band mates?
       Did they seem to say with their movement " hey guys, here is some music for you, I thought you might like it" or "LOOK AT ME DANCE, aren't I great?"
       Dancing was one of the more confusing parts of the project. Some of the students on the day of performance seemed only to have memorized the choreography and reminded me of cheerleaders who can have immensely complicated cheers and yet retain a single forced smile. Not understanding why the performer is picking that certain movement, those people seemed disconnected
       On the other hand, some of the performance rocked! Everything made sense. They had picked out a relationship, a center, and also just connected with the music. It made sense. These people really made me appreciate this exercise. It also seems like a good way to start a class because they pick a song they know, which is way more accessible to them than a play they have never read.

My first day as a TA for an Acting class

               Where do you start? How much knowledge about theatre do you assume someone might have when they sign up for a “basic” acting class? Kelly was right when she said not to call it an elementary class because it does sound like you’re teaching children. To be fair though, those people who are taking it as an elective, how much do they really know? How do you start with basics of acting and not sound like a condescending ass.

                On the second day of class (the first I heard was solely syllabus discussion) the college kids ranging from 18-23 stood in a circle and we played a memory game. We were to say our name and then “what we would bring to the party”. After this we did another variation of this game, but instead of a party food following our name it had to be some kind of movement. Looking around the circle in the middle of these games, I almost messed up the game numerous times. The energy was so low and people seemed lethargic an unwilling to give the game everything they had. I wondered how they didn’t understand the importance of these games. Did we not explain it well enough?

                At its very core theatre is about playing and exploring the world around you. We were giving them the chance to do both. Find out who these people are that you’ll be working with all semester. Theatre is also about trust. To feel vulnerable, you’ve got to be comfortable with your scene partner. Not best friends, just comfortable.

                Following these games we tried some improvisation games for a little bit. Upon hearing the instruction I cringed a little “you set up a scene, say a party, and then one by one the guest enter bringing with them an emotion.” I knew how the class would take it. Without a good reason for being sad, angry, or sleepy, they all would enter the stage in turns cry-ey, yell-ey, or yawn-ey. None of it believable.          

                I have friends who look at improv as a serious art form, not just a chance to go on stage and get a joke in, but an actual medium for storytelling. Some of the students had lots of potential in the games we played. However, without us stopping ( due to the fact we only have fifty minutes) and explaining to them before and after games why it’s important we play them. It’ll be just that. A game.