Reading responses from start of semester to now

Chapter 4- Body Energizers

I really enjoy using the body energies to help create and enhance characters on stage. I often find myself drawn to radiance and potency, as I enjoy playing more serious and intense characters. I have also found buoyancy to come I handy though. For example, I recently play Lady Larkin in Once Upon a Mattress and I felt like she was very boyant and light most of the time, or at least she tried to pretend she was. It was a fun energy to play with, especially being something I’m not usually drawn to.

Bringing the Past into the Present: Period Dance on the Stage and in the Curriculum - Movement for Actors

I have been dancing since I was very young and have done ballet for the majority of my life. I loved to read about all the different styles and periods, and I think it is important in theatre because many shows have period dances in them. The section on postural alignment is super helpful. The exercises included for better posture are really relevant to me, because I have horrible posture and so often I forget about it on stage.

Shakespeare Honors the Three Centers of the Body - Movement for Actors

The three centers are mind, heart, and body.  This chapter focuses on putting the actor into an Elizabethan or Middle Ages character.  I think its very important to keep these in mind when performing more classical text because so many classical works created characters using these centers specifically, and highlighting them within each character will help to develop something really nice on stage. Also using facial and body expressions to show emotion can be a huge help when the text doesn’t offer exact words that describe feelings.

Posture and Alignment - Energy and Relaxation in Movement

I’ve always been very interested in how the human body works and functions as a whole. I loved this chapter and being able to read about the different skeletal and muscular functions that help to create the movements we do. It also really helped to show how important stretching and warming up is before performances and highly physical activity. Being a dancer and an actor, I pay a lot of attention to my body and make sure to try to give it what it needs to be ready for performance.

 

Chapter 10 - Body’s Personal Space Spheres
This chapter talked a lot about imagining and creating a sphere for yourself and using that sphere to take up space. This is something that I’ve been practicing for awhile and is commonly brought up in my classes and rehearsals. It also was something we talked about a lot in voice class and working to use our voices to fill different types of spaces. I have a pretty big voice, so often times its more difficult for me to try and contain it to smaller spaces and I have to work harder in that instance.

Theatrical Stillness - Movement for Actors

So often I see actors feeling like they have to move too much. I struggled with this when I first started acting, and now I’ve come to really prefer using stillness. I also struggled with this in my directing class this semester, and I was concerned about using too much stillness in a scene, but came to be comfortable with it, and it ended up looking much more realistic. In real life we’re not moving constantly, and I think that it should be reflected in acting.

 Chapter 3 - Taihenjutsu - Stage Combat

I enjoyed how this chapter put emphasis on physical warm ups and stretches before getting into stage combat. I think a lot of people forget that this is a highly physical skill and you can really get hurt if you aren’t prepared before you start. I also liked how it made sure to say how important a slower tempo is when first learning and practicing. There is so much detail that you have to pay attention to and if you try and rush it too much, it can be very dangerous for everyone involved.

 

Be A Clown

I think this really just tells about how important it is to have fun and don't worry about being too much when it comes to clowning. There is importance in little details, but mainly its about enjoying the process and creating something fun. Comedy isn't always the main goal either.

 

Clown Video Response

I have always loved Mr. bean, and so getting to watch more of Atkinson's work was great. he paid such attention to little details, and that's what really makes his work so special. I also appreciated the racing video because something so simple was so funny and I think that is a big part of clowning. I was a gymnast for a long time and know how difficult the bars are, so watching that video was also very entertaining. That event is not designed for men and he really showed some skill doing it, as well as showed why it's difficult for men in a very comedic way.