workbook thoughts

If you have the right speech or scene for an audition, "it can be the making of you." - learn to choose them carefully!

"Whatever we do, we have to tell the story as it is in the play." - NOT as we make it up with our own ideas and backstory!

What do you do if you don't get direction? If they don't help to facilitate your success?

• Rely on the text
• Be aware of others' choices - vary the energy
• SELF AWARENESS - balance the stage, balance the delivery, know who's moment it is, get out of the way, etc.
• Seek help from other resources, especially in an academic setting-- voice coach, etc.-- as long as it supports the direction you have been given (which involves AWARENESS)

voice breakthrough

HOORAY!

I'm starting to crack mouth/teeth resonance with Francoise!

It's been tricky because chest resonance comes very easily, but figuring out how to place the sound so it's more isolated in my mouth/teeth has had me stumped. But today I did it! My whole head was buzzing, without any tension!

Now, how to keep doing it....!

quotes

"Style is knowing what kind of play you are in." 

-John Gielgud



"One of the things I have found useful [in Restoration theatre] is to imagine myself slightly drunk before I go on stage-- no more than slightly; that lovely moment when the inner and outer selves merge, when self-consciousness disappears and everything you say sounds rather marvelous-- to you."
-Simon Callow

i want to be a star

Taken from my personal blog.

I was walking home from the bus stop tonight out here in Erdington and I looked up at the sky when I turned onto my little Grove, as I sometimes do, and stopped right in my tracks to appreciate the stars.

Stars!

I can see stars in the middle of my neighborhood!

This is a thing I never expected when I moved across the world to the UK's second-largest city-- to be able to see stars from my doorstep, and quite a lot of them really.

It reminded me of that part of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the only part that made me spontaneously weep and weep and weep with the ugliest cry face that a person ever had (especially in the audience of a theatre), just giant tears dropping hard off my cheeks without knowing exactly why, the part about stars that's so comforting and sad and wonderful, all at once--

"And when you look at the sky you know you are looking at stars which are hundreds and thousands of light-years away from you. And some of the stars don't even exist anymore because their light has taken so long to get to us that they are already dead, or they have exploded and collapsed into red dwarfs. And that makes you seem very small. And if you have difficult things in your life, it is nice to think that they are what is called negligible, which means they are so small you don't have to take them into account when you are calculating something." 

I feel small in the world these days, living here across the whole world in the UK's second-largest city. Not small in a defeated, lonely way-- just small in a way that makes me appreciate the wonderful, lovely complexity of my teeny tiny little life which is, in the scheme of things, so minuscule.

So minuscule, but filled with so much light and love and satisfaction and goodness.

And in a way, the stars and red dwarfs and the galaxy and all the galaxies give me so much assurance that I am meaningful-- my life is meaningful, and my work is meaningful, and my relationships are meaningful-- because some of these giant balls of fire have been dead or exploded for longer than my brain can comprehend, but they continue to live on in light-years so that I can marvel up at them and think really big thoughts. I am inspired by these big, dead, exploded stars that live on in light. They matter. They matter to me.

And my little (by comparison) life matters.

What doesn't matter are daily annoyances or hiccups. What doesn't matter are frustrating little details that feel so important-- but aren't.

What matters is how I treat people. What matters is the work I do. What matters is burning so brightly that my energy continues to burn for hundreds of thousands of lightyears after I'm dead or exploded, because someday, somewhere, someone will look up into the sky and need my light that's still visible, even though I'm gone.

I can't believe I can see stars here.

It makes everything so much better.

acting session thoughts

How do we marry 21st century understanding of a stage relationship with 17th century text/style/constraints?

Let physicality inform energy needed for the scene-- don't do more than required for the action

"What you're doing goes awry when you have vocal or physical problems." - technique impedes acting

Breathing is fundamental to acting experience-- breath directly influences an honest experience. You can't have organic acting if breath goes against what you're trying to convey!

How can you have an emotional experience as a character but keep it conversational? Restoration requires a lot of decorum, especially for upper-class characters.

WHAT IS MY CHARACTER'S RELATIONSHIP TO LANGUAGE??

Do not indicate anything or "act out" - just be. Behave "behaviorly"- theatrical movements have purpose.

Asides-- when we talk to the audience, why? Taking into confidence? Talking at them? To someone individual but including everyone? Do you make eye contact specifically or generally?

Asides must be quick- make specific contact, speak, then return to the scene.

The specificity of what you're thinking needs to be specifically linked to what you specifically do-- especially when there are not lines to reveal it.

acting session with Lise

Having awareness is the only way to improve and move forward-- it's not about breaking old habits, it's about creating new ones!

RP needs to focus on the tune as much as pronunciation-- listen to tune/cadence when learning new accents. Forget American stress by lifting.

Standing further from scene partner allows you to switch between them and audience-- give yourself space.

Simple is easier to play, especially in a scene study-- can get more complex in objectives when playing the entire play, but bite-sized intentions are easier

WHY am I listing and what am I trying to accomplish? The why indicates the HOW to list-- when to take time, when to rattle on, etc. What is the most important?

To what extent have I worked on the scene or memorized it? Lists reveal this!

Why all the details except that they're important? Where do they rank-- do thoughts lead to the next idea? Momentum?

Don't let style overshadow the acting-- "The plays weren't written about style, they're written about PEOPLE." So what are the people actually saying?

JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER - no need to up the style unless the text requires it!

It always comes back to the text. Let it serve me!

Learning the lines allows you to play and be exactly present-- mere memorizing makes it difficult to explore and take direction in the moment.

• Does our programme/cohort need more text analysis work? YES. Can it be integrated into contextual studies? Acting class? Would lead to better discussions and better self study. 

BE BRAVE-- do what makes you uncomfortable. "I don't know anyone in training who is brave enough." DO NOT BE AFRAID TO EMBARRASS YOURSELF. 

Don't wait for a director to tell you what to do-- always OFFER, but be open to change. Can't be precious about choices! 

WHY you're saying something is as important as knowing WHAT you're saying-- TAKE TIME TO STUDY. Keep track of your questions as you learn lines-- embody your lines, don't just wing it! 

"If you want an easy job, work in a call center."

reflecting on development and context in practice

Taken from a handout and discussion in Contextual Studies. 

What do you believe were your three best attributes before beginning the MFA? 

Personal:

1. A strong sense of who I am, what I do well, what I can work on, how I'm castable, and how I fit into this industry. 

2. A sense of adventure and being open to new things.

3. A pretty good understanding of what it means to be an "adult."

Theory or Research-Based:

1. Historical and literary analysis.

2. How to research and create solid research questions. 

3. Ongoing education, even though I haven't been "in class" since 2009.

Practical:

1. Taking direction and collaborating with a director.

2. Strong singer and very comfortable acting a song. 

3. A good ear and ability to learn accents.

Are they still the same nearly five months later? If not, what do you believe they are now?

Personal:

1. All have improved-- a stronger sense of self and ambition, and how to use that momentum to motivate myself forward. I am learning to be nicer to myself as I work through challenges. 

2. Continually improving-- seeking adventures that also reinforce what I'm learning in school. 

3. HUGE steps forward, as I live alone, have to commute, and take care of a real house, but learning how to prioritize and when it's OK to give myself a break (or not!).

Theory or Research-Based:

1. Better than ever at historical and literary analysis with a renewed passion in these areas. 

2. Ongoing improvement in researching and what's important to my specific questions. 

3. I'm thrilled with how I've been able to supplement my education-- seeing dozens of plays, visiting relevant locations, visiting museums and special exhibitions, etc.


Practical:
1. I have improved in direction and collaboration, but have also started to learn when to trust myself.
2. Much improved voice work in general, even though I feel like I'm "starting over" with new singing techniques-- applying improvements between classes (what I do with Francoise helps with singing, etc.)
3. I have been receiving quite good feedback, which excites me in moving forward with my thesis ideas.


Is there a specific experience or example that supports the self-perceptions?
I feel myself improving. I'm having many more frequent "penny dropping" moments, I receive feedback that supports the perceptions I have of myself from tutors and peers, and I'm not afraid to TRY.


Are there additional activities, research or otherwise, outside the MFA programme, that have helped with the work you are undertaking?
IN SPADES. My exposure to dozens of theatre spaces in the UK has been invaluable, as have the plays I have seen in them. Specifically this term, seeing plays at Shakespeare's Globe improved in every way my workshop in that space, being able to compare staging of Shakespeare there with the RSC, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and other stages in London spark questions about adaptability, physical and vocal requirements for the actors, design, and how all these elements leads to a successful production or not. I've also made an effort to see Restoration plays (or plays about this time period and the Georgian era), which have completely influenced my application of what how we're focused this term. I can directly see how actors utilize in their performances the exact same training I'm receiving, how I can improve and why I need to, how the actor I'm watching could improve and why, an appreciation for the places plays were originally performed and the circumstances under which they were originally produced. Nearly my entire focus in my time away from school is taking advantage of where I am to reinforce what I'm learning and take me even further.


On a scale 1-10, how are you managing your own learning development?
I think, 7. I can always do more, and feel I have improved in doing more even in the few weeks since Term 2 started, but I feel very confident in the direction my education is going. I take complete ownership over my education. I would like to continue doing more practical work on my own time, but I do feel like I take good advantage of applying new training in other classes, so I recognize that I am taking advantage of my time outside specific sessions-- which is also connecting the dots between different emphases. I'm proud of the work I'm doing and the efforts I make on tasks for which we "aren't being graded." I value the fact that every aspect of what we do in school is connected and improvement in area will lead to improvement in another. I look forward to becoming an even better scholar and actor.