Stanislavski video
1. Focus on the whole face and lots of quiet moments to see the emotions and let them sink in
2. Birds chirping in the background to add a sense of place and time
3. Different tones of voice to show different emotions
Brecht video
1. Droning from the lights and self narration (she said) to remind you that this is staged
2. Less interested in the items for their sentemental value and more so for their potential use (watch too small, takes the money from the wallet) which is kinda how Bretch views characters (not as real people to get attached to but vehicles for a political/social message.
3. Only focuses on parts of the face (or keeps it in shadow) to avoid being able to fully connect to the character
Friday, October 20, 2017
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Stanislavski Wrap-Up (In-class writing)
Stanislavski was a Russian actor who was bored by the overdramatic way actors performed, embellishing made up emotions as in the days of the Romans and Greeks. He wanted to see performances with actors who made their characters seem real, with complex motivations and emotions. This led him to create the now famous Stanislavski method, a way to help actors create and become the characters they were portraying. This kind of acting is called truthful acting.
Part of Stanislavski’s Method is using discovering every character’s super objective (ultimate goal in the pay) and germ (the core of the character). Bulding from there, the actor decides what the character’s objective will be for each scene, and what actions they will take to achieve it. The useful thing about this method is that it allows the actor to picture their character separate from themself, as a real person, rather than just a stereotypical role to perform. Audience members are more likely to relate to, understand, and sympathize with a character who acts like a complete person than a stock or token character. The one major con I see with this method is if a person were to go overboard in developing the character, and then try to shove more unnecessary details into the play than are needed. It is important to remember that, while each character has their own story, they must all fulfill their role in the production, first and foremost.
There is also the practice of emotional memory, in which an actor draws on their own past experiences to bring out real emotion appropriate to the scene. While this technique can be very successful for displaying real emotion on stage, it can be stressful for the actor if they have to draw on a dark time in their past to do it. More problamatic for Stanislavski, it creates a disconnect between the actor and the character, since the way the actor responded to that pas experience is likely at least somewhat different from how the character would respond in their current situation. This is the reason why Stanislavski ended up abandoning this method, though some of his pupils continued to teach it.
Stanislavski’s method was the foundation for what are now the standard acting practices in the modern world. Some actors will go as far as to remain in character even when not performing, a technique called “method acting” after Stanislavski’s method (Stanislavski himself would sometimes go out in public and pretend to be a certain- character). Thus, it is essential to cover his practices when learning about theater.
As a writer, I have always been interested in taking characters from media and expanding on them. Stanislavski’s method is essentially a more guided version of that, with th specific goal of improving the believability of the actor’s performance as a separate character. I will be sure to consider my character’s germ and super objective when stepping into a new role from now on, as a way to decide what kind of performance would be the most truthful.
Part of Stanislavski’s Method is using discovering every character’s super objective (ultimate goal in the pay) and germ (the core of the character). Bulding from there, the actor decides what the character’s objective will be for each scene, and what actions they will take to achieve it. The useful thing about this method is that it allows the actor to picture their character separate from themself, as a real person, rather than just a stereotypical role to perform. Audience members are more likely to relate to, understand, and sympathize with a character who acts like a complete person than a stock or token character. The one major con I see with this method is if a person were to go overboard in developing the character, and then try to shove more unnecessary details into the play than are needed. It is important to remember that, while each character has their own story, they must all fulfill their role in the production, first and foremost.
There is also the practice of emotional memory, in which an actor draws on their own past experiences to bring out real emotion appropriate to the scene. While this technique can be very successful for displaying real emotion on stage, it can be stressful for the actor if they have to draw on a dark time in their past to do it. More problamatic for Stanislavski, it creates a disconnect between the actor and the character, since the way the actor responded to that pas experience is likely at least somewhat different from how the character would respond in their current situation. This is the reason why Stanislavski ended up abandoning this method, though some of his pupils continued to teach it.
Stanislavski’s method was the foundation for what are now the standard acting practices in the modern world. Some actors will go as far as to remain in character even when not performing, a technique called “method acting” after Stanislavski’s method (Stanislavski himself would sometimes go out in public and pretend to be a certain- character). Thus, it is essential to cover his practices when learning about theater.
As a writer, I have always been interested in taking characters from media and expanding on them. Stanislavski’s method is essentially a more guided version of that, with th specific goal of improving the believability of the actor’s performance as a separate character. I will be sure to consider my character’s germ and super objective when stepping into a new role from now on, as a way to decide what kind of performance would be the most truthful.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
TIP Notes: Chapter 2 (Bretch)
Bertolt Brecht (1889 - 1956)
Brecht grew up in Germany and lived through both world wars
Wrote “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” in 1955
Brecht’s ideal performance was one that inspired the audience to take action in the real world for just causes, by having the characters deliver a political and social message, with actors building off of the Stanislavski methods.
Vocabulary
• Political = concerning the government of public affairs and the running of the state
• Social = concerning the relationships between people and communities within a country
• Economic = relating to the buying and selling, production and manufacturing of goods, and how wealth is achieved
• Narrating = the telling of a story
• Class = the position a person holds in society based on their wealth, upbringing, and level of education
• Left wing = socialist views; right wing = communist views
• Gestus = a gesture that defines your character’s place in society
• Gestic props = props used by the actor or director to send a specific message to the audience
• Externalization = to outwardly show thoughts and feelings using gestures, movement, and facial expressions
• V-effect = when the actor and director attempt to distance the audience from losing themselves within the context of the play, instead allowing actors to narrate proceedings and communicate the message of the play to the audience
• Epic theater = theater that uses Brecht’s methods and techniques to create teacher with a political, social, and/or economic message
• Historicization = setting the events of the play in a different time period as a way to help distance the audience from the given circumstances
• De-familiarize = a technique for making the audience stop and think about the social implications of the events on stage
• Epization = a rehearsal technique for creating a narrative style for delivering text
• Ensemble = a group of actors performing together
• Choral work = a piece of theater rehearsed with the ensemble performing in time and to the same rhythm
Exercises
Exercise 20: Use body language and facial expressions to help sell the message rather than relying solely on words
Exercise 22: Political, social, and class issues are still relevant to present today; they may simply be less obvious
Exercise 23: Use characters as a way to discuss those issues without directly stating them
Exercise 24: Use gestures that match the character and externalize their emotions
Exercise 25: Don’t be afraid to get comedic
Exercise 26: Shift the focus of the audience from the emotions of the character to the societal factors that put them in this position
Exercise 27: A lot can be conveyed about a character with a simple gesture
Exercise 28: When doing a first read through of the play, it is more important that you focus on what happens, who the characters are, and how it makes you feel, rather than immediately attempting to inject characterization in as you go
Exercise 29: Keep in mind what surprised you about the play, so that you can maximize that surprise for the audience when performing
Exercise 31: Doubling parts prevents the audience from associating one actor with just one role; don’t be afraid to use cross-casting to further de-familiarize the audience
Exercise 32: Brecht plays tend to be organized in an episodic structure so that each moment can carry its own message
Exercise 33: Decide on the overall message of the play, as well as a specific gestus that can be interwoven to represent that message, as a group
Exercise 34: Decide on the emotion in which you will read each line
Exercise 36: Consider each character’s perspective on the events of the scene
Exercise 39: The lighting of a scene can add to both the atmosphere and what it’s trying to get across
Exercise 40: Consider the effect adding sound and music has on the scene
Exercise 41: Have actors try other people’s roles as a way to see different interpretations; consider the physical positioning of the actors
Brecht grew up in Germany and lived through both world wars
Wrote “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” in 1955
Brecht’s ideal performance was one that inspired the audience to take action in the real world for just causes, by having the characters deliver a political and social message, with actors building off of the Stanislavski methods.
Vocabulary
• Political = concerning the government of public affairs and the running of the state
• Social = concerning the relationships between people and communities within a country
• Economic = relating to the buying and selling, production and manufacturing of goods, and how wealth is achieved
• Narrating = the telling of a story
• Class = the position a person holds in society based on their wealth, upbringing, and level of education
• Left wing = socialist views; right wing = communist views
• Gestus = a gesture that defines your character’s place in society
• Gestic props = props used by the actor or director to send a specific message to the audience
• Externalization = to outwardly show thoughts and feelings using gestures, movement, and facial expressions
• V-effect = when the actor and director attempt to distance the audience from losing themselves within the context of the play, instead allowing actors to narrate proceedings and communicate the message of the play to the audience
• Epic theater = theater that uses Brecht’s methods and techniques to create teacher with a political, social, and/or economic message
• Historicization = setting the events of the play in a different time period as a way to help distance the audience from the given circumstances
• De-familiarize = a technique for making the audience stop and think about the social implications of the events on stage
• Epization = a rehearsal technique for creating a narrative style for delivering text
• Ensemble = a group of actors performing together
• Choral work = a piece of theater rehearsed with the ensemble performing in time and to the same rhythm
Exercises
Exercise 20: Use body language and facial expressions to help sell the message rather than relying solely on words
Exercise 22: Political, social, and class issues are still relevant to present today; they may simply be less obvious
Exercise 23: Use characters as a way to discuss those issues without directly stating them
Exercise 24: Use gestures that match the character and externalize their emotions
Exercise 25: Don’t be afraid to get comedic
Exercise 26: Shift the focus of the audience from the emotions of the character to the societal factors that put them in this position
Exercise 27: A lot can be conveyed about a character with a simple gesture
Exercise 28: When doing a first read through of the play, it is more important that you focus on what happens, who the characters are, and how it makes you feel, rather than immediately attempting to inject characterization in as you go
Exercise 29: Keep in mind what surprised you about the play, so that you can maximize that surprise for the audience when performing
Exercise 31: Doubling parts prevents the audience from associating one actor with just one role; don’t be afraid to use cross-casting to further de-familiarize the audience
Exercise 32: Brecht plays tend to be organized in an episodic structure so that each moment can carry its own message
Exercise 33: Decide on the overall message of the play, as well as a specific gestus that can be interwoven to represent that message, as a group
Exercise 34: Decide on the emotion in which you will read each line
Exercise 36: Consider each character’s perspective on the events of the scene
Exercise 39: The lighting of a scene can add to both the atmosphere and what it’s trying to get across
Exercise 40: Consider the effect adding sound and music has on the scene
Exercise 41: Have actors try other people’s roles as a way to see different interpretations; consider the physical positioning of the actors
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