On 8th September, our lesson consisted of a variety of things (e.g. exercises, looking at key terms, etc). Here is an outline of how the lesson panned out:
Melodrama
When I first looking at the word 'Melodrama', I decided to begin exploring the term by looking at the dictionary definition:
A sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events intended to appeal to the emotions.
We began a group discussion on the word and what we believed it meant; we all had the same first thought that it meant over-the-top.
We then went on to thinking about 'Melodrama in Theatre'. This is a theatre of gestures where there are set moves (e.g. Hand over the forehead, loud bombastic voices, etc), which are not realistic. This type of theatre doesn't clearly reflect life. It uses clearly constructed, stereotypical characters (hero, villain, etc) in which the audience recognise the types of characters and can assume what will happen to the characters and what type of actions they would perform.
As similar characters were often used, actors usually learnt how to act by watching and copying other actors. Instead of embodying the characters, which was an alien idea back then, actors demonstrates their roles.
Actors/Celebrities
At this time, the personality of the actor was more important than the actor being portrayed; I mean this in the sense that people often went to the theatre to watch famous figures act in a show. They did not care as much about whether the acting was good or whether the lines were performed to a good enough standard as much as they wanted to watch their successful idols performing. In naturalistic theatre, the celebrities were more of the reason people went to the theatre (seeing them perform certain actions, etc.) was more interesting to observe than the actual characters. This was one of the main reasons why the theatre was so popular and appealing (as well as other reasons such as the shows were palatable so they were easy to take in, shows were often quite two-dimensional as the performances were what the audience wanted to hear, as well as the general atmosphere of the theatre). The shows were also unchallenging and mediocre. Other than this, it was a sort of social standard for rich people to go to the theatre as it was kind of expected of them to go (rather than them going due to whether they enjoyed it or not).
Exercise - Walking around the room as stereotypes
We began our first exercise by standing in a space in the room, standing in neutral. By beginning by standing in neutral, our bodies were ready to mould into the characters shouted out in this exercise.
We started by walking in around the room until Jack began calling out stereotypes such as hero, villain, damsel in distress, etc. We then transformed our bodies to portray these stereotypes.
The first stereotype called out was hero. The majority of people then began to walk with a straighter posture, a broader chest, and lifted their chins. We then walked around the room in character and then paused to call out phrases such as "The Hero", in a voice that would commonly be linked with this type of character.
By doing this exercise, it showed me that we all have a similar understanding of typical characters as we all altered our bodies in rather similar ways to show the characters; this then led me link this to the fact that theatre was very popular back then due to the story being easy to take in therefore by using stereotypes, it would add to this as the audience would immediately recognise the types of characters being played in the shows.
The exercise was also effective as it helped me to cement my understanding of which characters were typically used in theatre at the time.
Exercise 1 - Hero and Damsel
This exercise involved getting into partners and labelling each other A and B. A's would act out the stereotype of the hero, while B's would act as the Damsel in Distress.
The hero was then given the line: "My love burns with a passion that fills me with fear".
The key words for emphasis were, "burns", "passion", "fear".
The Damsel in Distress was given the line: "Your treachery kills my heart you villain"
Again, the key words for emphasis were: "kills", "heart", "villain".
In this exercise, I observed that the over-the-top stereotypes tended to come through as comedic and funny to the audience. Through this exercise, I understood that bold decisions made by the actors ensured that the stereotypes were very entertaining and kept the show interesting and enjoyable!
Making Tea
In this, we began by watching Sybil make the tea. She performed actions slowly such as opening the cupboards and the fridge, boiling the kettle, waiting for it to boil, etc. Although this was not necessarily interesting to watch, it was fascinating to experience as it felt as if I was watching real life in front of me; this led me to thinking about Naturalism and how detailed the actions in Naturalistic theatre usually were.
Making Tea
In this, we began by watching Sybil make the tea. She performed actions slowly such as opening the cupboards and the fridge, boiling the kettle, waiting for it to boil, etc. Although this was not necessarily interesting to watch, it was fascinating to experience as it felt as if I was watching real life in front of me; this led me to thinking about Naturalism and how detailed the actions in Naturalistic theatre usually were.
Stanislavsky
Later in the lesson, we went on to talking about Stanislavsky. I learnt that there were no Drama Schools back when he was alive. I find this fascinating as Stanislavsky dedicated his life to creating his 'system' when as a matter of fact there were no formal places of learning for him to teach it to - he just taught it to actors who were already in the business.
He believed that 'Life is the most important director in life'. As well as this, he believed in 'Action > Reaction > Decision'. This was a cycle as after the 'Decision' was made, the 'Action' would then start so it would be repeated.
He also believed that actors should be physically fit and vocally ready in order to improve their art form. He also believed that actors should train in other art forms (e.g. doing Martial Arts) to become a more trained actor.
Naturalism
Naturalism is about truth. It took Stanislavsky 30 years to being to even grasp the truth in acting. He believed that actors should surround themselves in other arts (e.g. yoga, dance).
It is easier to play a character distant to yourself than to be a character close to yourself as it could feel as if you would be judged by being yourself however when playing a character unlike yourself, you can completely immerse yourself in this new personality.
In characterisation, it was important to know the history and psychological depth of the character (childhood, siblings, etc).
Emotion memory involves using past experiences and memories to remember the emotions that were felt at the time to then apply it to the scene and make it more believable.
Naturalism is simply people doing real things and looking at it's own society and social structures at the time and holding a mirror up to life.
It reached a peak at the late 1800's when there were many playwrights who used naturalism so it became too thorough and overused that it was no longer as special as it was before.
Naturalism believed actors should be artists, should be able to embody all the complexity of the human experience, wanted them to be playful but able to be relaxed
Naturalism began as a literary movement meaning in literature and movement and was concerned in real life,
At the end of the nineteenth century, a lot of writers were writing in this style. This soon dissolved when slowly the writers began to be interested in different things
We lay down focusing on the sounds in the room. We then began to listen to the sounds outside of the room (corridors, etc). After this, we decided to lost to listen to the soubnds of Croydon as a whole. Following this we listened to the whole of London (giving a sort of outer body experience). We ended in our house and looked at objects as if we were along before returning back to the room.
Circles Of Attention = Solitude in public = Using different circles of attention on stage to focus the attention on stage.
Bus stop - Circles of attention
In this exercise, we were split into two groups. One group went outside and were handed slips of paper. On these papers were thoughts like 'Watching a weird dog across the road'. One by one, they all entered and pretended they were at a bus stop. By showing these thoughts at a bus stop was very effective as it showed that the majority of people have separate circles of attention in every day life.
Circles Of Attention = Solitude in public = Using different circles of attention on stage to focus the attention on stage.
Bus stop - Circles of attention
In this exercise, we were split into two groups. One group went outside and were handed slips of paper. On these papers were thoughts like 'Watching a weird dog across the road'. One by one, they all entered and pretended they were at a bus stop. By showing these thoughts at a bus stop was very effective as it showed that the majority of people have separate circles of attention in every day life.
That was then repeated however it quite dull as it was the anniversary of their partners' death. This added another layer to the characters' circles of attention as you could clearly see that there was something at the back of the characters' minds.
Manny was seen waiting at the bus stop; it is obvious that he a small circle of attention as he is just waiting for the bus. However we were then introduced to Jack with a very large circle of attention as he is not just thinking about the bus but he is thinking about his next actions therefore he is not living in the moment but he is living in the next moment. Tahlia was seen wondering if he knew Manny's character.
As all the characters are seen a different circle of attention, it shows variety therefore making the scene more enjoyable to watch.
Relaxation opens up the imagination and allows you to listen and react to what is happening
Lay thinking about the world of the play, imagining what one of the characters looked like - We imagined their shoes, ankles, clothes, weight, build, height, etc. Then psychological aspects about what their eyes may have seen, where their shoes may have walked, in order to unfold and understand the characters further.We then shared some appearances and guessed who was being described - As the majority of guesses were accurate, it showed that if we believe in what we see, the audience (listeners) will then follow and believe it too.
Yoga - Mind, breath and body working together Sitting on table activity
Yoga - Mind, breath and body working together Sitting on table activity
I sat on the table with Olivia and Tatenda. The atmosphere was as if we were waiting for an audition with a lot of tension in the room.
We did not speak or interact with each other however I found this exercise to be very effective as, although we did not speak, the audience could tell what was going on in our head due to our faces and our body language. This also taught me about the power of silence and how effective it is.
Born in 1863 into one of Russia's wealthiest families
1877 - Father converted room in house into theatre
Regularly went to the theatre from a young age - Immersed in the Arts
By the age of 22, notebooks were filled with intellectual notes about acting - Getting into the mindset of characters
He continued to star in his families theatre companies - After this fell through, he continued to do amateur theatre work
Plays were typically French and German
He was a very spiritual person who believed theatre had a very spiritual purpose
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