Reading Responses for this week

Reading Response for Movement for Actors

Teaching Charlie Chaplin How To Walk

In our reading this week I was struck by a few things.  I have never really been into Charlie Chaplin but after reading about his walk and movements on stage, I had the desire to watch him in action.  After watching several clips, I felt that Dan Kamin was right on when he said that Chaplin's movement were fluid.  I did not know that Chaplin was an alcoholic and maybe that added to his fluidity.  When I am drunk, my movements are definitely more fluid, or at least I feel that they are.
I really connected with the section about Robert Downey Jr.'s struggle to get Chaplin's movements.  When we are playing characters that are more relaxed then us we should start are warmup process with daily relaxation and work that is specific to that character.  In fact, we should cater each warm up like we do with vocal warmups and base them on the nature of our characters.

The Smallest Mask: The Red Nose

This reading reminded me that we need to make a connection with the audience.  It's so important in clowning to make eye contact, keeping the fourth wall open. Another area that struck me was to use our limitations as comedy.  I feel in clowning we must be more vulnerable.  This will make our characters stand out and make the audience feel a closer connection to us.  The three-second wait was a great exercise to get us out of our own personal movements.

Movement Training: Dell'Arte International

This chapter helped to remind me that truly the audience bases everything off of what they see and what they hear.  To just walk across a stage as yourself, when you are playing a character that is totally different than you, is a failure.   We as actors must make our characters believable.  We want the audience to feel something.  The other part that really spoke to me was about how as we grow up we have learned to mask our emotions.  This is so true and we need to remind ourselves that showing the audience is extremely important.

Viewing response: Inspirations and Aspirations

Hi! So here's a series of videos I was going to show to you in class and talk to you about, but since I'm ill I thought you all could have fun watching them on your own. These are only a few of the many amazing clowns out there, and I've posted annotations with each, so you can get my take on them, why I chose to show them, etc.
If you could please make a "reading" response post responding to these clips, then we can discuss further when we return on the 7th. Same parameters as your normal reading responses.

This is just pure genius re: isolation of his body parts, and especially that creating the world using focus and physicality, that we discussed before break.
Who knew plastic shopping bags could be sublime? And who's his chair?
Okay people: this is Bill Irwin, Super Clown Genius, and I am not kidding. I took a workshop from him, and...just. No words. I adore this piece because it's postmodern, or at least it makes scathing commentary on postmodernism in theatre. Also, the way this man MOVES...The entire show is up on YouTube as well, I believe.
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The Master himself. This is classical mime at its most incredible. Note how he is dressed very much like a Commedia character, or a classical ballet dancer. Also: HOW does he isolate his FACE like that?? 

CLOWNLYMPICS INSPIRATIONS: Here are some amazing sporting events that I hope you all feel inspired by and in awe of:

 
Short, sweet, simple. Beginning, middle, and end. Monty Python. Need I say more?
Paul Hunt is quite the gymnastics virtuoso. Search for his balance beam routine too: it's extraordinary. And talk about your taihenjutsu punchline ending!
A classic sports scene from the movie City Lights. Obvs some unsafe stuff here, but do admire and note the incredible choreography here. Yes, clowning takes lots and lots of rehearsal.

Clown Research Project

Hi all,

Here's the basic assignment guidelines for your Clown Research Project, due April 7th. We decided we'd make these blog posts instead of papers, as some of you wanted to include multimedia in your presentations. We will be doing an informal show and tell of these in class on the 7th.

CLOWN RESEARCH PROJECT GUIDELINES:

--1-2 pages long (blog post)
--1-2 sources, cited in MLA format and with a proper Works Cited page (no wikipedia allowed; otherwise scholarly or popular sources are okay)
--Topic: overview of the oeuvre of a famous clown from recent history (we discussed possibilities in class: ask if you are stumped)
--in your writing, not only describe and show why your subject is an excellent example of modern clowning, but also why you chose them. What about this professional's work struck you? What makes it unique? What in their performances do you want to emulate in your Clownlympics performance?

CLOWNLYMPICS:

--we will be pushing the Clownlympics performances forward to April 14th. More on that when we meet on the 7th.

In high school, the final exam for our Clowning unit was to perform for at least one hour on the Pearl Street mall in Boulder, a mall known (then in the late '80s/early '90s especially) for its excellent street performers. Talk about a high pressure test. Maybe I should send you all out onto the 16th street mall...
(oh, this is me and my friend Christy. Can you tell which one is me?)

Reading Responses - Start of Semester to March 10th

Reading Responses

Body Wisdom - Chapter 4 - Body Energizers: The four body energizers that are outlined in this reading are the same we explored in class. I enjoyed learning this tool and have begun to incorporate some of these aspects of energy control in to my performances. I have found the most use of radiant energy in my internship with Kaiser Permenente, My character is very energetic and expressive, he is quite crazy and sporadic as well. I also have found value in grounded energy for my portrayal of Arthur Robertson. It is very nice to have such a detailed description of the exercises we have been doing while I have been at MSU Denver. I am very eager to mess with the water experiments!

Movement for Actors - Bringing the Past into the Present: Period Dance on the Stage and in the Curriculum: This section was very interesting due to the fact that this is my first semester of movement education ever. I have experience acting, but none with learning period movement or dance. I am in this class, and also I am in tap dance. This combination has awakened my awareness of my body and brought me to appreciate this type of class.

Body Wisdom - Chapter 13 - Personal Space Spheres: It was interesting to explore interacting personal space spheres when wearing our period costumes. It made it very difficult to walk around while having a sword and being conscious not to hurt anyone. I thought it was interesting how the costumes changed my inner and outer focus. This definitely gave me an idea of how I need to view each part of my body in order to control each one. The circular sections where movement occurs was a wonderful visual for me. The section on posture and alignment was valuable to me because it helped me to get a better grasp of how to handle my center of gravity.

Movement for Actors - Shakespeare Honors the Three Centers of the Body: Shakespeare brought attention to the three centers of the body in his texts. He very much created the persons and characters to be dynamic in this way. In a way it seems that Shakespeare aimed to bring the dynamic potential of his fellow human to their attention through his poetic creations. The three were the heart or feeling center, the body, or sexual center, as well as the mind.

Be a Clown: What an awesome read! I have known about clowns through the common birthday clown deal. Also through underground (or formerly underground) rap artists such as Tech N9ne (Killer Clown), Hed PE (Sad Clowns), and even the ever so ridiculous Insane Clown Posse. These artists have taken clowning to a different level but with the same idea in mind, each clown has its own characteristics and roles in life, there is a diversity between the groups. The outfit is less important than the mannerisms of the clown. You can be a clown without paint which is somthing I have never heard about. On that note I am tying to figure out what my hat will be, I am thinking a combination of a hat and a bandana, or a bandana and a bandana will do.

Chapter 3 - Taihenjutsu: During our explorations I felt that my body is ready for this type of movement. I quickly realized that my mind was not quite ready. I have control over my movements but not in that way quite yet. This chapter gave me good warm ups and stretches, but also a very good way to read and get my mind prepared to move this way in a healthy and controlled manner. I agree with the text in that I am not down with the Captain Kirk, my knees suck.

Reading Responses as of March 16,2017

Chapter 4
 It is amazing that some exercises can actually help you play instruments much better and help when developing characters. There are different types of energies buoyancy radiancy. I do seem to have the radiancy of alertness which can help in my life and on the stage. It has helped me with portraying characters who are curious.

Price is right models

It is amazing how the gestures of the models are different when bob Barker was the host. Now it seems like they really focus on the product and smile more there are even male models today interesting.

Period of dance.
Dance has come a long way and is a way of expression that is very interesting. I feel it is very beneficial to stretch and warm up before doing any dance so the posture is nice and straight other wise an injury can and will occur!


Posture and alignment

This reading was really fascinating on how our spine functions when we do everyday tasks. Now when I do these tasks I will definitely think about what my body is doing. I noticed that a lot of people tend to slouch and it is harming the body.

Ch 13

Having a spatial sphere kind of reminded me of  playing tennis having to beware of where the ball could end up or will it be out of bounds.With the vocal sphere I just picture rappers yelling it the studio and going at it in a rap battle. It is king of hard to use the spherical space at times but it sure is possible.

 Theatrical stillness
This is a challenge with me I have to be really focused on the task at hand. It is tough for most but it is very important because it can help in many situations. Stillness can be a powerful thing and not just movement.

Ch 3 stage combat.
This read was amazing. The warm ups can really help coordinate the body better and this reminds me of a yoga class that I once took. Doing moves wrong can really take a toll on your body and I have seen it first hand it is not pretty. It is very important to get low before doing any fall or roll it is a golden rule that should never be forgotten.

Be a clown
I had no idea that there were different types of clowns. As a kid I loved clowns and at one time wanted to do this type of work. I have heard of the white face and it was a France thing. I agree that timing is a necessary ingredient for a good laugh. Also you can tell a story with no words just use your facial expression and body language.

Be A Clown Reading Response 

I had no idea that Whiteface was based on Pierrot. Don’t act… BE a clown, isn’t this the premise for acting in general!  

Finding a clown hat seemed to be difficult for me until I read this because technically it could be any hat that you feel fits your character.  Try different hats and determine the one that suits your character.

The piano story was hilarious because Clowning is absurd.  You need to think about the craziest idea and not what you would normally do.  Maybe even think about things that you wouldn’t do and do those. (Think like a clown!)  As with comedy, comedic timing is extremely important, including reactions.

Classic take - using audiences reactions to your behaviors.  

Double take - Looking at something twice, you’ve probably done this in reality, I know I have.  Where you look at something and then have to look again because you can’t believe what you're seeing.  Try a triple take, instead.

Spit take - Where you spit water all over because something happens.

Shudder take - Shaking your head rapidly and exaggerated to something that you hear or see. 

Delayed Reaction - Hurting yourself but then having a delayed reaction to it.

Comedy in threes - Use the joke, recall it, and top it.

This chapter gave me some good ideas for my clown character and our scene in general.  We can make it even bigger and raise the stakes even higher.

Reading Post Up to Present

Chapter 4 - The Body Energizers

Reading about the principles of buoyancy, radiancy, and potency was interesting after having done the exercises in class.  I definitely understood buoyancy as floating and radiancy like an electric charge.  I liked how the text explained radiancy as “Chaplinesque.”  That worked well for me.  Also, creating a “child-like” play in movement is what I got out of the text.

The one that I struggled with was potency.  In the exercises in class, I took it as a heavy feeling but the book describes it as a “muscle-yawn” and says it “feels chemically charged.”  I did not get the idea of potency being “heavy feeling.”  I went through the exercises and still struggled with this one.  However, if I think about it having a heaviness, it clicks in for me and works but the idea of “muscle-yawn” doesn't seem to resonate with me.

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

Being a dance minor, I loved this chapter especially the end of this section because it covered the timeline of period dances.  I think this is important in theatre because many shows have period dances in them and we should be able to reference this.  

Also, the section on postural alignment is great because it has several exercises to do for better posture before dancing.  So many American’s have terrible posture and actors need to be versatile with their bodies so we need to be able to have excellent posture for one show but terrible posture for another show.

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

The three centers are mind, heart, and body (sexual).  This chapter focuses on putting the actor into an Elizabethan or Middle Ages character.  It talks about “images, gestures, symbols and metaphors” to achieve this.  

I like how the text described “balancing extremes.”  It is true in Shakespeare and many other plays actors must balance between something and it’s opposite.  One thing I really enjoyed about this chapter was the section on Some Rehearsal Notes on Moliere and Restoration Comedy Style.  I really took this section to heart.  When we first started rehearsing The Rivals scenes, I kept the idea in the back of my mind that I did not want show my true feelings to Lucy.  This chapter talks a lot about restraint of our feelings and emotions, however, when playing a character such as Lydia, that balance is very tricky because she is so emotionally over the top.  One thing that stuck with me was using the eyebrows to show frustration or anger.  I tried to do this as Lydia.  

Posture and Alignment - Energy and Relaxation in Movement

It was interesting actually thinking about how the body bends itself.  I have never really thought about how the spine moves or works and to think that it is able to fold or bend, curve like in a back bend and stretch out is pretty fascinating, especially after seeing all of the vertebrae in the spine.  

Also I found it interesting thinking about tension as a general issue to many problems.  Getting our muscles in a relaxed state is not something we normally do.  We tense and keep those muscles tight causing more issues.  For years, I’ve suffered from a tense neck and tight jaw.  The past two semesters I have really focused on those areas and keeping them relaxed when they are not being used and it’s really helped me become aware of my body and how I am feeling not only in everyday life but even more so when I am performing.

Another area in this chapter that I found enlightening was the foot and leg posture section.  When I am on the ground I always let my feet fall out to the side.  Finding out this actually is damaging was eye opening.  I did ballet for a long time so it has taken many years to correct the turn-out posture that I have developed. 

Ch 10 - Body’s Personal Space Spheres

I really struggled initially with the idea of having a sphere around your body.  It was an interesting idea to think about this sphere being an extension of your body systems.  The one thing that really stuck with me was the idea of the athlete.  This idea of an athlete being inside his/her own personal space sphere, made sense.  Now when I watch sports I picture this and it is very interesting.

Another area that I liked was the part about the vocal space sphere and how visually that sphere could be as big as the room we are looking at.  I usually have a big voice and a lot of volume and projection so picturing the sphere is easy to do.

Theatrical Stillness - Movement for Actors 

I really loved this chapter.  It emphasizes the importance of stillness on stage.  So many actors, especially inexperienced ones, move too much and don’t realize the power of stillness.  I loved how the book said “Stillness gives clarity to relationships.”  In real life we are not moving constantly and sometimes we are just still.  This should be the same with acting.  

I am very familiar with John Cage and Merce Cunningham.  In fact, I wrote a paper on them for my Modern Dance class last semester.  Cage knew that stillness with sound could be powerful and Cunningham used stillness and sculptural movements in dance for the same reason.  

Ch 3 - Taihenjutsu - Stage Combat

I enjoyed this chapter.  The exercises reminded me of a dance warm-up but added a few things to stretch out the spine.  Several professional actors I’ve worked with do vocal warm-ups but don’t bother to do physical body warm-ups, which I believe are just as important.  I really like the swing and circle warm-up.   

I loved the suggestion to rehearse something at half-speed as a warm up before a performance.  This is important for several reasons.  It gets you in the mind set of doing it controlled and therefore can protect you.  It also sets it in your muscle memory and prevents injury. 

Reminding us to get low and that it should be quiet when doing rolls is important.  The wrist stretches are really great.  They really stretch out the muscles in your wrists and forearms.