Movement Observation

Alison Karner
Stage Movement
Jenn Zuko
Movement Observation


For my movement observation I attended Metro's production of The American Clock. This show provided most of the actors with the challenge of creating multiple characters. This primarily had to be done with the use of physicality and the voice as the actors spent most of their time onstage and costume changes had to be kept simple and to a minimum. Overall, I was very impressed with how well all of the actors achieved this and didn't have much trouble at all deciphering when the actors were playing a different characters.

I liked Toby's physical development of the Grandpa character. I can only imagine how difficult it was for him to maintain the posture, but combined with his voice work, he was nearly unrecognizable. I also really liked Jacob Thorne's use of physicality in the character of Theodore Quinn. I thought that he had really great energy and truly embraced the vaudeville idea with this character as every movement was big and presentational. Lastly, I loved the physical transformation of Cassie's character as the play went on. Cassie used her physicality to indicate both age as time went on as well as status when the family lost more and more money. In the beginning, her posture was very strong and tall, and by the end her posture was a little more relaxed and weak than it was, indicating the fragile state her character ended up in.

Another challenge presented to the actors was navigating the ramps used in the set, as it made walking up and down them, especially the women in heels. I noticed that almost every woman had to move slower and with more calculated steps, but not once did it interfere with the flow of the scenes.

This play was so moving, and it was obvious how invested all of the actors were in making it successful. The attention to detail when it came to physicality was spectacular and nobody seemed out of place for the time period. I am always so impressed with the work my classmates do and this show was no exception.