Be A Clown & Ch 3

Be A Clown

I did not realize there was that much information on clowns. It was interesting that clowns could basically be split into three types. I was also surprised about how much thought should be put into finding the right clown hat. I never thought I would be reading something about how to think like a clown. I have to say it is different. I see how a lot of it could be translated into normal acting, especially the part about comedic timing. There are a lot of different takes that can be done. Most of the time when I watch someone doing one of these takes I will laugh or at the very least chuckle a bit.

Ch. 3

I don't think I would normally do any of these stretches during a warm up, but it does make sense to do these ones for the particular tasks that follow in the chapter. It is weird reading about how each of the rolls and falls happen. It is usually easier for me to watch someone do the task and then copy what they did. Basically this chapter covered the movements we have already learnt in class so it wasn't interesting to me to read.

Ringling Bros Circus Clowns

http://media.arkansasonline.com/img/photos/2012/05/31/resized_99265-ringling-bros-circus-clowns_51-15879_t1000.JPG?cc6fa094ad523b984325c7879220d3883a443e7f

Bein a Clown

I found this reading incredibly interesting. I had no idea there were detailed categories of clowns, which is silly now that I think about it. It was also very interesting to find out that someone can be a clown without the makeup, I always just figured they were "clownish" in personality. Also, I'm wearing a Lucille Ball shirt right now. So that was fun for me.
I would love to find a way to tone down every take for all forms of acting, they all make me laugh just thinking about them. Too bad a triple take is too over the top... for regular theatre I mean.

http://www.ibtimes.com/we-still-love-lucy-after-100-years-839963

Clowning!!!

Hey all!
So I found the excerpts about clowning were really interesting.  Normally, I picture clowns as being all the same, but in this reading I found that there are different types of clowns and how they are portrayed.  It has the elements of Commedia in the way of having specific characters for specific clowns.  I feel that this idea is closely involved with mime and how they do things as well.




https://www.google.com/search?q=clown&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=encrU8PCJNSyygH3jYGQBw&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=667#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=uxWdx6pIjgcDnM%253A%3BYE-LUDVAlvtJpM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmedia.heavy.com%252Fmedia%252F2012%252F10%252FKryptKiddiesClowns.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.heavy.com%252Fcomedy%252F2012%252F10%252Fthe-20-creepiest-clowns%252F%3B600%3B450

Be a Clown and Stage Combat Chapter 3

Be a Clown

Be a Clown was a fun chapter to read and I really enjoyed the wacky pictures.  I had no idea clown hats were such a big part of the clown character -- I learned a lot.  I can see how a clown hat and costume would fill out the type of clown character you want to portray.  Indicating what you are doing and thinking while performing as a clown is important (which is quite different from acting when you definitely don't want to indicate). Something I'm looking forward to learning about is comic timing with just movement because it sounds like a challenge to find the exact right moment to hit a joke/gag.  After reading about the spit take I decided to try it and just ended up spitting out a mouth full of water onto the floor instead of spraying it (whoops).  The chapter inspired me to watch a Steve Martin movie and to go out and find my destined clown hat.

Stage Combat - Taihenjutsu

As I read through this chapter, I realized that some of what was making my backward rolls more difficult was that I forgot to use my core muscles which probably would have helped. :) Bridge tag sounds like a really excellent warm up and I suggest that we play that in class soon. My rolls all traveled pretty far last week and this week I would like to try rolling a much shorter distance.  The chapter was a good reminder for proper techniques when we do each of our rolls and falls and such because while I was reading, I realized that a couple of my rolls and falls had gotten a little sloppy already. I failed Ninja IQ test #1 and #2 the first time I tried them…not quite sure how that happened with the pictures demonstrating it. The main points were to fall, roll, jump, and move safely and quietly and to come down on your meat, not your bones. Also, that buddies can help you maintain proper technique and can spot you. 

I included the picture of the handstand because I aspire to someday be able to do one.

http://www.lottje.de/zeichnungen04.html 

Be a Clown & Chapter 3

Photo taken at the Mexico City Clown Convention.  http://clikhear.palmbeachpost.com/2012/world-nation/south-america/laughter-is-a-serious-matter-at-mexico-city-clown-convention/


I thought I was going to be hard pressed to find an image of a clown that I liked, but there it was, right on google.  If you have a second to follow the link and take a look you will find several other very well done, airbrushed looking clowns.  Personally I find this much more appealing than the classic grease paint look.

Be A Clown Response:
I would be lost if I were to try to "become a clown" on my own.  I believe that starting with some costume pieces that you identify with is a great way to start. Before the reading, I did not realize that clowns had types and categories. It makes sense once you think about it.  How could a happy clown be in the same category as a sad clown? I would have liked to read some more examples of comic timing, something I think a lot of actors struggle with. I know I need to have it, but how do I get it?

I think clowning could help any actor in their theatrical training.  I believe it is always good to study as many forms of performance as possible. Clowning could help with an actor's comedic style by the actor either using the knowledge or consciously choosing to not be like a clown.

Chapter 3:

In the warm-up section, I particularly liked the visual of holding caterpillars in your hand and trying not to crush them while you smack your thighs.  When it came to the roll section, "stop, drop and roll" struck me as a great way to remember to get low and to pay attention to what you are doing. The fall section was a great description of what were have been doing in class.

 There were some really good wrist stretches in there later on as well that I have not done before.  I'm always excited to learn a new stretch! Overall I really enjoyed how easy this chapter was to read and how I could easily picture "holding a pizza" box up by my ear and see exactly where my hand should be, not to mention the helpful pictures.

The Rivals

Melissa and Rachel:

Overall this scene was great, the only thing was Rachel became breathless while running around and I began to lose dialogue. They held their postures appropriately and didn't run into inaccuracies with potential costume pieces (It's easy to forget skirts, etc) due to their blocking, which I thought was smart. The way Melissa was sitting on that couch probably would have been hilarious on a more accurate set piece when she tried to get up. I totally loved the way  Rachel was reacting to Melissa's squeals, they weren't even words anymore haha.

JD and Kalond:

There were huge strides from the both of them character-wise since the preview, especially in JD's performance. They held themselves very well, and adjusted to the fact that their swords had been forgotten. They still carried on as if they were there. The build in tension was great at the end, from both Kalond's character and JD's. Though a part of me still wanted JD to be bigger from the beginning.

Darcy and I:

I was pleased with our scene, though for some reason the word 'prudence' completely disagreed with me in the moment. We tended to forget our skirts and stand close to each other in rehearsal, but I think we overcame that in the final performance. I just wish we could have rehearsed with fans more and added our 'fan language'!


http://www.stageandcinema.com/2012/10/29/the-rivals-actors-gang/

Rivals Scene Review

Kayla (Lydia) & Darcy (Julia)

Kayla forgot some words during the performance but when she stopped to remember them she stayed in character which was good. She also remembered to keep her arms up to account for her "dress" being to big. Darcy did a pretty good job of that as well. The blocking for the scene where Lydia was chasing Julia around to get her to listen to her was well done. I think more stage business could have been done so weren't just sitting or standing next to each other not moving. Overall it was really well done.

Kalond (Absolute) & JD (Sr. Anthony Absolute)

It was an interesting idea for Absolute not to move at all during his fathers rant/aside. JD had pretty good posture for a rich old man. He was fidgeting with his robe belt so I think if he had some stage business to keep his hands occupied that would have been good. When JD was describing Lydia he had great facial reactions to what he was doing. Kalond also responded to the description well. Kalond did a really good job of keeping a straight posture even though he didn't have a corset on.

Melissa (Lydia) & Me (Lucy)

I think our scene went pretty well. I should have delivered my lines in a steady way instead of high pitched and frantic. I think the props we used were really good. Melissa did a really good job of acting like a frantic spoiled rich girl. The status difference between our characters was established early on and maintained throughout our scene. I think our blocking was pretty good as well.

http://b.vimeocdn.com/ts/193/471/193471539_640.jpg

Rivals Review

Hey everyone!!
So everything that I am writing now was written down last week in my notebook, just as an FYI.
Darcy and Kayla: This scene is a lot different than the scene I did as Lydia.  I didn't think to have Lydia portrayed this way. I noticed the scene was suspenseful and comical.
Mine and Rachael's: I feel we did a pretty good job with timing, how we got the message across, and how we portrayed each character.
Kalond and JD's: I noticed their interaction worked very well.  I really liked JD's idea of the woman as well as how he was able to get so upset right after it.



http://www.old-lewesians.org.uk/barbicans/rivals33.jpg

The Rivals (Review)

Scene 1: Melissa and Rachel

Areas of Success: I saw that the blocking really demonstrated the relationship well.  I felt that the scene had a good amount of energy and pace.

Area to Improve: I had a hard time understanding what was being said.  At times the emotions over-powered the language.  The section when Rachel was reading out all of the books felt like it was dragging; it did not build up.

Scene 2: Kayla and Darcy

Areas of Success: I felt like both partners really filled out the costumes they were wearing and made them real (stayed true to the limitations of the period clothing).  It was clear to me where the scene had taken place.  Congrats to Kayla for staying into character even when the lines went away.

Area to Improve: The blocking was strong, but it looked a bit wandering.  Darcy had one eye for the whole performance.

Scene 3: JD and I

Areas of Success: We had a good understanding of the asides to the audience, and we allowed the scene to build to a climax.

Area to Improve: Some of our movements started to become less motivated and more "showy."

Such Lovely Tableaux

Good job on your Rivals scenes, everyone (well, almost everyone--can't wait to see Jess and Eli)!

Stage Movement Blog Posts.

Movement for Actors 119-152

Personal Response:

First of all I already feel myself agreeing with the reading.  I feel that it is very important for actors to be taking movement classes and dance classes.  Movement is just as much of an important tool for an actor to sharpen as everything else.  I do not think people realize that the actor is an athlete as well.  I think that it would be very useful to learn period dance techniques.  So many of the plays that are redone and will continue to be performed are those famous period plays; i.e. Shakespeare, Moliere, Lorca, etc.  One of the things I enjoyed the most was the fact that the Potter mentioned that if the actors are uncomfortable the audience will be as well.  I like this because most audience members feed off of what an actor gives and vice versa, and an actor should be able to make that connection with the audience in order for them to have a great experience.  I like the dance exercises, but I somewhat feel like I’m from a Jane Austin book.  I also found it interesting that Potter said to use Shakespeare.  I think that for beginning actors I do not see how they would be able to handle the language personally, but it does allow the body to feel the words and authenticate some gestures.

 

Professional Response:

Potter is an extremely knowledgeable theatre goer.  I would say that I agree with many of her points; particularly those establishing the importance of teaching actors how to move and let the words roll off their tongue.  I hope that more and more schools will put more attention in acting programs and expand to movement and period styles.

 

 

 

Movement for Actors 27-35

Personal Response:

Whenever I used to think of the word still I imagined just watching the most slowly paced, boring play in the world.  Now that I have been engaging in theatre and learning more about it I have realized that still does not mean boring, and that it was the actors who just were not living in the moment truthfully.  I cannot believe I didn’t know what a tableaux was…

 

Professional Response:

I can honestly say now that I enjoy silent moments.  There are moments that appear on stage where the characters are not moving or speaking can be even more fascinating than if they were.  There are numerous of possibilities in displaying human emotion and communication with just a stance or position.  It forces actors to realize there are more options out there just waiting for them to grasp at it.

 

The Rivals

Personal Response:

I feel like I have no idea what is going on.  I think I need to just make myself focus and reread the play.  There are so many relationships going on in this play.  I think that it is interesting that many period plays, such as this, have mainly to do with numerous love triangles between people.  I guess it just goes to show that people never really change, although time may.

 

Professional Response:

Plays such as The Rival would be more understood through acting it out rather than reading it.  The language of the play requires to be spoken out loud.  It helps tell the mood and status of each character very well.

 

 

 

The Price is Right

Personal Response:

The funny thing about the “The Price is Right” is that I would have never thought anything of the models being there to show off the new merchandise.  It was only until I became aware of how those women were being used where I noticed how ridiculous it was.  Well after watching an episode from the 1971, I believe, it was worse than I had remembered.  All of the girls were wearing the exact same outfit, and moved as if they were made out of plastic.

 

Professional Response:

I find it interesting that the models being used for this TV show were put in a position where they almost seemed to be included in the showcase.  It makes me feel better to know that women are free to not have to resort to just being someone to look at.  As a society we are continuing to grow.  In connection with the style of movement I can see how it would directly correlate with our period scenes.  The movement is very deliberate and yet elegant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Costume Ideas

Personal Response:

My costume ideas seem to be a little over the top.  The first thing that came to my mind was this ridiculous red navy-like jacket with a long tail.  Then I pictured myself wearing gray tights with raised black boots.  I carried a saber on my left hip and I had the biggest puffy sleeves hanging out of the arms of my jacket.  But then I also pictured a feather hat and a Shakespearean turtleneck.  I don’t know why, but anything remotely renaissance-y, period piece automatically moves me to Elizabethan.

 

Professional Response:

I think that due to what I actually have access to my costume will be limited to what I had thought of.  I have decided that I am going to wear tight black pants with them rolled to my knees, with the longest socks that I have to go over my knees.  This is not really a replacement for tights, but it will have to do.  I will wear a white-buttoned up shirt because it will keep my neck in place and I will throw on a robe and tie for the jacket.  I would just have to come up with shoes.

 

Rivals Scene Reviews

Rachel and Mel
Personally, I thought that this scene was fun to watch and Rachel and Mel did a super-duper job! Mel's "high-ho" was ridiculously over-the-top and perfect and established her character very early.  Rachel used her physicality to establish and clearly portray the status of her character which was also very well done. The frantic pace of the entire scene, and the quickening of that pace, brought out the humor in it.  I liked the way they used their voices to convey attitudes/character but I missed just a couple of words near the middle when they were both out of breath. Awesome job!

Ours
The lines in our scene tripped us up a little when we were rehearsing early on but we got it down by today - Kayla had some really tricky, wordy paragraphs in our scene and she memorized them like a boss! I definitely noticed my turtle head thing about 3/4 of the way through so that will be a good thing to work on for next time I do a period scene. I really enjoyed playing with that tension/Lydia trying to get Julia's attention through our blocking and, yep, if we had more time it would have been awesome to make it more pointed and specific. This was a fun scene to perform and Kayla rocked it, despite being sick and busy with Urinetown!

Kalond and JD
Two things I noticed right away in this scene were that both Kalond and JD had fun with their asides and had excellent diction! I loved the moment of JD's creepiness and watching Kalond's face slowly contort to this absolute-ly (haha, get it?) disgusted grimace. The posture was good for both actors and the energy stayed high and focused throughout the scene. Fabulous!

MA for Mel

Hey!
In this section, they discussed a lot about the stillness and thinking of the body as more of a curved line rather than a straight line.  This suggests that the way we are still in certain scenes, such as our period scenes in class, comes across even better than using a ton of gestures.  The moves end up being specific to the way people dress and are very isolated considering the fact that there is very little movement.




http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F1600%25E2%2580%259350_in_Western_European_fashion&h=0&w=0&tbnid=VHIX0ACHpYLnpM&tbnh=252&tbnw=200&zoom=1&docid=lnvDPegsVUTpLM&ei=PNwZU-7iMMi_qwG384HYBA&ved=0CAUQsCUoAQ

MA 27-35

Stillness is interesting. We spend so much time focused on everything that is moving so we something or someone goes still it is noticeable. I really liked the example the book gave of the street performers who would act like statues. I have personally seen this done before. It is fascinating to watch someone so still, to see how they can hold themselves so still for so long is amazing. While reading this I also thought about the Improv Everywhere video where a huge group of people suddenly freeze in a huge crowed. The plays the book talked about where the actor would only move one aspect of themselves sounds interesting. I think it would be cool to watch for a bit but after a while I think I would be really bored.

MA and BW

Movement for Actors

I think that stillness onstage is absolutely fascinating to watch and is also one of the hardest things to hold as an actor. When I am onstage, I typically struggle the most with moments of just 'being' without feeling a need to justify my reason for still being on stage with some type of action or response. I usually feel slightly uncomfortable in moments of utter silence and stillness because I feel like I should be doing something. However, I think that one of the major distinctions between good theatre and great theatre is the actors' ability to be present and still because it creates this beautiful, vulnerable situation and it's so wonderful to watch.  Stillness is also a great opportunity for a type of honesty because characters/actors can't hide behind habitual or nervous movement.

Posture and Alignment

I thought that Lessac made an interesting opening point about posture being related to self perception and the way we relate to the world - I forget sometimes about how posture can influence our own and others perceptions of us. I liked that he described being "upright" as seeing your body as being made up of curved lines, not straight ones and that this perspective would help you move your joints as parts of that curve and less like angular lines jutting out of the straight line of the body. I was shocked at how much the measurements could change (shoulders, chest, back, etc.) based on stance and what posture you chose - some of the measurements doubled based on the way the person was standing! The images of skeletons in the chapter creeped me out a little bit so I decided to find another one for fun. :)

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-skeleton-illustration-image2897824 

MA 27-35

I loved this reading on theatrical stillness. Stillness can be so powerful on stage whether it's a dance piece or a play or performance art. I particularly liked Bonnie Marranca phrase describing stillness on stage as "expanding time and framing scenes." It's amazing how still an audience will get when the stage becomes still. Sometimes you can actually see them squirming in their seats, waiting for the action to resume, as time stands still and the seconds feel like hours.
I have experienced this many times as a dancer, either on stage or as an audience member. In one particular production it was choreographed that I remain still at center stage, staring directly into  the eyes of the poor person sitting in front of me for a full 3 minuets while 6 dancers continued to on with the choreography around me. In almost every run of the performance, the person I was staring at began to cry. I think mostly because they were uncomfortable, not because I am some super star actor/dancer that brings people to tears :)
I also like the idea of Meyerhold's "...theatre of slow, profound, significant motions ..." It make me feel like I should be more aware of all of my motions, slow or otherwise, on stage or off.

Below, a still dance scene not made for motion. If you look closely you can see my tattooed arm sticking out near the middle.

Dulce Dance Theatre, 2008, Phoenix, AZ

Comedy of Manners & 13

Comedy of Manners:

Wow, I loved this reading.  Obviously, I haven't been in class so I'm not sure if I was supposed to read the whole thing, but I did.  I couldn't have stopped myself if I wanted to.  I found it fascinating! It seems to me like everything in their lives was like a dance performance.  You are performing very specific and difficult moves but must always make it look effortless. That takes a lot of practice. Then, we are talking comedy of manners, so the actors need to do this as well.

I particularly liked the exercise section.  How fun.  It could take a month just to perfect one of the many bows that were described. I could see myself really getting into this style.

This is me beginning to learn traditional North Indian dance. We spent about ten minuets on this one pose and twenty minuets on how to properly stomp. Even the eyes are choreographed. Reminds me of the manners we are reading about.

Chapter 13:

Wow, that one is out there. And this coming from a yoga instructor!  Is this something that a lot of people are working with? I do get the importance of understanding that your body takes up more space than it's physical mass, and that the your eyes, ears and voice have their own reach as well, but this chapter seemed so unscholarly. The poor quality of the drawing also helped to raise one of my eyebrows as I read.

Costume Ideas & MA Part 4

This is the type of dress that I imagine Lucy would wear.  It is not as fancy as a high-class woman of 1775 England, but also not the dress of someone who spends all day scrubbing the floor:

http://www.pinterest.com/juliroo/the-way-we-wore-late-georgian-1750-1790/

Part 4 of MA:

Maybe it’s because I’m a dancer, but it’s always been a pet peeve of mine that all period dances look exactly the same when presented on stage in a theatrical production.  I don’t know if this is a lack of education on the choreographer’s part or the fact that it needs to remain simple so that the actors can learn it in a short amount of time.  Either way, I feel like I have a little more understanding of the difficulties after reading this chapter. 

The first thing that struck me in the reading and that I truly respect is on page 120 when she says, “I break many rules of the era, but by choice, because it helps the to tell the dramatic story today.” Yes, I say, always feel free to break the rules, but you must first know what they are and why you are breaking them.

I think another answer to my question comes from Peggy who say, “Keep it simple. Don’t try to turn actors into dancers.” I could see how that would make a lot of choreography look similar. 

Later, it says to make sure the actors are comfortable with their costumes, sets and music.  I don’t see that happening very often.  More often than not, the costumes are barely done in time and rehearsals begin way before the set is complete. I do think that in a perfect world, having the actors comfortable would absolutely be the best way.

I don’t think I will be taking advantage of any of the exercises in this chapter.  While they are not appropriate for me personally, I can see how they may help an actor with less dance experience.  

Message for ELI!

Hey Eli,

It's you long lost scene partner.  I sent you an email but have not heard back from you yet.  I will be out of town and missing our next class as well so I need to talk to you about whats going on and our scene,  when you get a chance.  Please email me at jess.eggart@gmail.com

Thanks,
Jess