This week we are exploring the given circumstances of our practice and how we approach the play for the first time. In "First Contact with the Play",( in our case scenes from a play) Hagen asks us to think about the possible themes for the play. When you read your scenes, what general themes come to mind? What is the scene about? What human relationships does the playwright explore? What if you just read the scene for the given circumstances alone without making decisions about your part and what you will "play"? Ask yourself, how can I plan a score for a play/scene I do not completely understand?
When you blog this week think about the given circumstances of your scene and how they work together or in opposition. What skills have you developed thus far in your technique that enable you to answer the question "Who am I in this play?" Can you work without the knowledge you as the actor possess through interpreting the entire scene? Before you play particular ACTIONS, do you think you have to know why?
In my scene it says 'disillusioned as a poetry professor' so my first thought was to play it comedic and become an over the top typical poetry professor that no one can quite understand. However, I looked at the top of the script to see it was stated 'Dramatic.' To be quite honest I can't say that I know exactly where she is coming from in the sence, I think I rely on my intuition VERY much in acting to gage what sort of mood, rhythm and attitude is needed for a character or line etc. However, I think I realize now that sometimes it may be a good thing, but I'm not giving myself a full chance as an actor to delve deep inside of a character to really figure out why she/he does the actions they do. Instead, I rely on my intuition to tell me that it feels right in the moment, I should take sit down, or take a step back, or turn my back away etc.
ReplyDeleteI think sometmes you don't have to know why you're doing a particular action per say if what you're doing feels right, perhaps you should instead ask yourself "why does this feel right to the character, in this moment?" which may be bridging the gap betwen both worlds of our actor intuition and the character his or herself.
So I have a scene from a script that I have never read, and am unfamiliar. I basically have a small snap shot from a larger story, and I must take the small bits of information that is presented with in this scene and make my decisions from that. I feel the scene although the given circumstances may be limited, but yet I can still gain some insight into my character. For one I am married. Secondly I am on a train talking to a stranger returning to New York after a day in Washington DC. I also know that the time is shortly after JFK was assassinated. Finally my brother has been shot. Now where to go with this information? When I first read the script I have to admit that I was a little unnerved by the lack of information. My first reaction was to shut down. But, no I will not do that. I am now thinking I may find freedom in this lack of information. I have starting to think through the beats. How I will “play” the part in class during the cold read I can’t say. I am trying to make a conscious effort to wait and see what happens when we do the cold reading. The connection that is created between myself and my partner may be very different than how it read in my head.
ReplyDeleteI have found in my limited experiences as an actor that the given circumstances of the play are usually pretty straight forward. Jon Jory says that the given circumstances are the "rules" to the play and that they must be followed. It very important for me when I first start to look at a part to understand those rules. With that said I find that finding the "actions" to be the hardest and most crucial part of book work. Meisner says that "Character is what you do and how you do it" and Hagan says pretty much the same thing when she talks about "who am I, what do I want, and what do I do." These questions seem like easy enough questions to answer but I find that I struggle to find the right action verb or to pick the "want" that will give most dramatic choice. I know personally that this is a weak spot in my technique and would enjoy some exercises and examples on how to find and make the most dramatic choices. I feel that this lack of training in this fundamental component of acting is a weak spot for many of the actors in the department and that is why we see so many mediocre monologues, scenes, and plays at the school.
ReplyDeleteAfter acquiring and reviewing my scene with Anna, I started to discover a very satirical undertone to the scene. It seems evident that the scene is not necessarily about these particular characters, but more about the archetypes that they represent. Perhaps one could argue they are an image of realistic scenarios in our everyday society, though possibly blown SLIGHTLY out of proportion. This only makes me wonder: How much can I, as an actor, truly delve into the given circumstances and the character itself, when the message is in the satiricism of the piece? On the one hand, maybe the focus should be more on the overarching comedy and relatability of these characters to marriage in our society, on the other, maybe as an actor, delving a wee bit more into the character and using the given circumstances actually gets that message across all the better.
ReplyDeleteThe given circumstances in any scene are important in my eyes to help me understand the character I am portraying better. The scene I was given I had the given circumstances of being in my 20's and "scared to death." I know it is important to not stereotype being scared and to not exaggerate that emotion too strongly. I have found that the line between overacting and showing true emotion can be hard at times to find. The script also states that the two characters are on a train ride which instantly restricts movement and blocking. That restriction makes it even more important for simple, distinct movements in order for the scene to not turn static. It is hard to take a scene without knowing the content of the rest of the play but I try and understand as much of the character as I can based off of the given circumstances of the scene and the content of the lines. I still need to learn more about developing a character and creating range with my voice and body.
ReplyDelete“I” am Wesley in Theatre District by Richard Kramer. First I went for the specific given circumstances. It says right below the headline and the name of the author “Comic/ Wesley and George, twenties to forties/ George and Wesley are friends. Wesley wants to be more like George.”
ReplyDeleteThis already sums up the plot and emotion emotion of my character, tells me about "my" amicable and admiring relation to George, indicates that it is nothing specific for a certain age-group because of the broad rage of age of the characters, and indicates that what I'm just about to read is supposed to be funny.
Once I read the short scene I have an overview of more details of the play. There are no stage directions but still italic hints of the situation the two characters are in. We learn furthermore that the two of them are at night on a rooftop and it is freezing cold outside.
Then I look for what the characters are saying about each other and possible subtext. I learn, that Wesley says that he is not gay, even though he is not entirely sure about whether he is or not. I not only recognize that “I” am uncertain, “I” also announce that “I” don't know anything. Then I learn that George certainly is homosexual and confident of himself. “I” also have troubles with my dad because “I” am not sure if he loves me or not. The advice of George is that I should live my life more that thinking about how to live it, otherwise it won't be enjoyable. It is important to have your own opinion and don't let you live be ruined by others.
The next step is for me, since I haven't seen or read the play to make assumptions and try to put this brief scene into a logical context. I speculated that “I” probably just came out with being gay and my dad doesn't accept it. “I” am not sure anyways if I am gay or not and I 'm quiet unsatisfied with my life. The fact that we are on a rooftop leaves two possible theories. Ether the two of us just wanted to have a little privacy or I wanted to jump off and commit suicide.
These four steps are absolutely necessary for the overall understanding of the play and usually provide lots of information to work with.
My scene says that it is a dramatic piece, but I find the situation more comedic. I find it funny because my character decided out of the blue that she was unhappy with their relationship, even though she told him how happy she was just four days ago. Also, the reasons my character gives for wanting to break up, are so ridiculous to me that I find it humorous, which is why initially I felt like I should play the character less dramatic, but more this is how I feel and their is nothing you can say, or yell at me that will change my mind. That was until we did the improve exercise in class. That exercise help me realize how dramatic the scene is and how sad it is for the other character, Tim. I finally realized how dramatic the scene was, and that it wasn’t a comedic breakup for the characters.
ReplyDeleteFor my scene, I was assigned Fugitive Pieces by Caridad Svitch. Like all of the scenes culled from this nameless volume, my given circumstances are listed below the author’s name. Mine are “Dramatic” and “Troubled John…Teen.”
ReplyDeleteThis of course only supplied the broadest swath of ideas, but it’s enough to build a base. After reading the play the first time, I was confronted with an odd feeling about the relationship between my character and my foil “Downcast Mary.”
Though the immediate implication is one of a romantic relationship, the feeling of the dialog and the dynamic is far more similar to a brother-sister relationship. This is furthered by the idea of a kiss occurring on the forehead, as opposed to on the lips.
So, this is how I am approaching both my character and the scene in general. I would like to read the play from which this is taken, but as I have not, I am left only with these assumptions.
Who Am I ?? Jan. 28. 09
ReplyDeleteI have figured out that when I started to read my cold reading I started to search for the events in the script that effected my character, so that I could find match an emotion to the events. And when doing this I THOUGHT it made it easier to fall into the character when really after dissecting the script and really analyzing the character on what they truly want, it makes it easier to see my character come off the page and greet me with a voice that I can project for them. After really attempting to connect to my character from Either/Or I have found that she has many wants that are clearly laid out the only thing I have to do is find them and deliver them. Just like Hagen said when she first pictured the character and performed it, there was not a real connection. Theres only a connection after you dig down in the “roots” and truly find the character’s wants, needs, and objectives. Because after finding all of what makes the character who they are it a lot easier to “act” like them.
I think it is entirely possible for someone to play a scene or play that they do not completely understand. It’s very possible and very common when you’re learning to act. When we get our scenes you read through it and immediately judge based upon our emotional reaction to the character or gravity of the scene. We’ve all been working on the ability to quickly analyze and understand a scene so that we can play characters and scenes more true to life. That I think is the point of given circumstances and analyzing. Playwrights wouldn’t give us the setting or background information at the beginning of a scene if they didn’t want to guide us in one direction or another. As actors we’re trying to play or “be” a character in a certain time period that thinks a certain way. These given circumstances only work to help us bring a more believable and real character to life.
ReplyDeleteIt’s completely possible to work and interpret without the knowledge of the given circumstances. But I think this is a dangerous road to go down; yes, you may be able to act out a scene in a respectable manner, but the point of the scene by the playwright may be lost. It’s like a playing a piece on the piano and not looking at the dynamics and other marking by the composer. You may play the notes right and may be thought of as musical because of your own interpretation. But you will also be thought of as amateur because of what you were too lazy to do. As an actor it works this way too. The scene may be very touching and emotional, but those more experienced than you, with a better handle on the scene and playwright, will be curious and judgmental of your conscious decision to ignore directions. I think play particular actions may vary in understanding. When I do actions in a scene, whether they are scripted or my own, I like to at least understand why. Whether I KNOW why he or she did this in the play can change from time to time. But even if I don’t have the information to know the exact reason, I like to understand the character so the action fits into who they are. I feel like I kind of rambled in this blog, but hopefully I came across understandably. It was a lot to put into words.
Collin Stephens
ReplyDeleteIt was difficult for me to try and understand much of my scene because, for me, the setting off the scene and the objective of the scene were not clearly stated. That is why it was a challenge to find out what I am supposed to do in the scene. From my past acting classes, mainly Nicole’s acting one class, when the objective of a scene is not clearly stated then it is up to the actor to surmise his own objective in the realm of the scene. In my scene, the script does not clearly state what the two characters are actually talking about, but it is my scene partner and I to come up with reasonable answers to all these questions. My scene consists of two people in a relationship discussing things of the intimate nature and their desires with and for each other. Each of their indecisiveness is trying to be comforted and convinced by one another that everything is fine even though some changes need to occur. When my scene partner and I performed the scene without using our scripts it made it easier to recognize all these questions we had and which in turn made us more comfortable with the scene.
My scene is actually supposed to be a man but instead of getting hung up on that fact I really enjoyed taking that as a compliment, and running with it. I felt like it said I was strong headed enough and fit well doing something that was expected from a man. This scene is about someone that acts strong but is truly just too close-minded to see what is real or what is greater then his or her life. He is working in a job many people do and doing it about as well as everyone else because he wouldn’t have to tear down Ann Marie if he was actually better then she is. The relationship here was me being overpowering over someone else and enjoying it. Me as an actor has such a hard time getting out of my head when is comes to movement. That is something I need to work on, when we just get up and act out given circumstances I do better because I have to do what is natural but with senses the words get into my head and I loose focus on acting also. I want my delivery to be perfect and actions come second so I hope with this class that I can work on that. There aren’t really any words to explain how I came across “who am I in the play?” it just kind of hit while we did a run through without the script. I hope that I can learn to start taking a stronger stand on things and just going full speed ahead with what I WANT verses doing what I think I should do but only doing it half way out of worry its wrong.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read my scene, I was totally confused. I just went with reading the script without knowing what was going on. We did several exercises in class that helped me figure out what my scene was about. Knowing what the scene is about and the given circumstances is the key to make any scene work. Yes, I have realized you might need to do a little research to really play the part to its full potential. My scene challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and explore my other characters. I am proud of the progress I made and I hope to keep moving forward through this course.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first got my scene for Fugitive Pieces, after reading the introduction of Troubled John and Downcast Mary, I imagined an odd couple set out in western times and looking for trouble with wanted ads of their faces around town. The scene was starting out as a bickering couple and with my first contact, I thought it would be easy until the strange dialogue came across where my character had many lines and talks about eating breast milk. (metaphor I hope) that scared me a little because I was nervous of how the audience would take it. The cold read turned out just fine, and the scene actually brought out some emotions personally on her strong beliefes for finding God, and the large differences she shares with her partner. It was a difficult play to understand, but with the scene work we did in class, with just communicating with our scene partners as an excercise without lines, I felt that helped really build my character.
ReplyDeleteThe scene Adrian and I did was from Theatre District. The only information given was, “Comic. Wesley and George, twenties to forties, are friends. Wesley wants to be more like George.” Just from that, the scene sounded very simple. However, as I read on I realized how much deeper the scene and the characters were. I even started to challenge whether it was truly a comic scene. Wesley was struggling with his sexuality and his relationship with his father. He wanted to be more like George because he was confused and desperate for clarity in his life, whereas George was confident in his sexuality and had a well-developed philosophy on life. I thought it would be very important to play on the blatant differences between the two characters, and to not overplay the comedy. Wesley and George were friends, and the writing fits exactly how two friends would speak to each other. Yes, it is a serious situation, but close friends almost always use comedy to help each other deal with difficult problems.
ReplyDeleteI could not imagine being able to perform a scene like this without the skills I acquired through Acting I last semester. They have definitely made me a very careful observer of given circumstances. The question, “Who am I in this play?” should be asked immediately. It is not only vital to a successful performance, but it really makes the entire process easier. If you take the time study a scene and understand not only your character, but the others as well, it helps to build the right relationships and to deliver what the playwright intended.