Reading Response (late) :(

So sorry this is getting posted so late- my week has literally been non-stop until this evening. When I was reading the Movement for Actors book, and the section about the Dell'Arte School, it hit me as to how much movement on the stage is really not a spur of the moment deal. There is a ton of thought and character that goes into each step and next move the character/person is going to take that you have to train your body to show that, especially when you have an audience that gains the most from seeing and hearing. I was also surprised to hear that physical theatre wasnt as high up in the list or totem pole in theatre to obtain a degree for. When reading the Smallest Mask section, i liked the quote "the clowns role is to keep the people in touch with everyday reality while fulfilling the need for a connectionto the sacred." I liked it because when i read that, it made sense to me. clowning is funny and it does mock the smallest problems they are presented with, but at the same time, people are always presented with a problem in life that they need to wrok out throuh. Clowns just do it the funny way. I also like that they said that "at the heart of clown work is the acceptance and celebration of human imperfection", that it views or limitations and the fact that we can see them as humorous. Clowns are very simple yet in a way smart characters- as they come onto the scene with no past, but they know how to grab and hold the audiences attention and keep them watching and laughing and having a good time as well. There truely is a lot that goes into being a great clown, and i'm starting to have a new found respect for it as well. :) I have heard of Chaplin and Keaton before, but i didnt know that they were considered to be commedians in their time. I knew that they were some of the bigger stars in the silent film industry as well. When they were talking about body shape on a person, i realized that it made sense- that the eyes are more drawn towards the hands or feet and that the movement is different than other people. Im interested in looking up some of their movies as well, so that i may have a better understanding of their movie careers.