Happy Hallowe'en!

The halls of Steveston-London are full of crazy characters and scary ghouls today!  Kudos to all of you who put together the imagination and the effort to create a costume.  I really had no idea what to wear myself this year.  My creativity seemed to have reached a stop sign.  My son decided to go as the "headless horseman" and that took all my ingenuity!  It turned out really well in the end.  He is all in black, with his old Dracula cape from last year and used his hockey shoulder pads to build up his body and hide part of his head.  We made a neck stump out of an old Easter basket and covered it with bandages and fake blood -- the neck stump fits over his head.  He was pretty happy with it in the end, although he doubted me as we put it together.

I decided to be Elsa Lanchester's "Bride of Frankenstein".  I looked at her online and it seemed like something I could do.  Of course, I have an advantage, because I have the whole prop room at my disposal.  I picked out a nasty old dress and some white fabric for her outfit.  The hair and makeup is always the part that impresses people, but it is very easy to do.  I sprayed my hair with that temporary hair colour and backcombed it within an inch of its life.  Then I applied the two white streaks at my temple.  I used clown white for my face, and gave myself the shocking eyebrows and the stitches at my neck and there you have it!

The English department came up with a great theme -- dumb ways to die.  Mr. Price is a guy who did his own electrical installation in his house (always hire a skilled tradesperson!), Ms. Matsuzaki sold both her kidneys on Craig's List, and Ms. Mah dressed up as a moose in hunting season!  It's fun to walk around the school today and see what people thought of for costumes.  Some are really amazing!

If you go out trick-or-treating tonight, be extra careful.  Don't get involved in any crazy fireworks play.  They are super dangerous.  And watch for cars!  Some people are in such a hurry, they don't really look to see if there are people trying to cross the street -- you have to watch out for them.

Grade 10's and 8's - sorry I missed your classes.  I had to go to the doctor.  Be ready to perform tomorrow.

Grade 9's -- have your lighting instructions ready and write out the order of the scenes and what everyone has to do to change your sets.

I hope you all went to the dance and had a terrific time!  And I hope to see you all in costume tomorrow!  Let your imaginations run wild!

Dearly Departed Redux

Well, our revels have ended at Evergreen Cultural Centre and the play has closed.  It has been great fun and a lot of hard work.  It was a very funny play and the best thing about it was that there were lots of interesting characters to play and everyone did his or her best with what they had.  A couple of people only had a couple of scenes, but they made the best of it and created memorable moments on stage.  When I first read the play, I thought it was a very silly piece of fluff, but having worked on it over the last month or so, I realize it did have some really lovely moments in it.  The relationship between the two brothers was very real -- they hated each other in a way, but still wanted to help each other and offer support to each other.   The widow initially wanted to put "Mean and Surly" on her dead husband's gravestone, but realized that their life together had its ups as well as its downs.  Junior's speech about feeling like a man, his pride at being a "businessman", just like his daddy, is quite poignant in these days of economic downturns and high unemployment.  Well, it's over now and like all theatre, is just gone.  Nothing left except the memories.  They will be fond ones.

A Word or Two Before You Go

You are all coming to the end of your most recent projects:  Grade 10's -- comedia del'arte, perform on Wednesday of next week;  Grade 9's -- Heritage Drama, perform on Wednesday of next week; Grade 8's, perform "The Creation of the World" on Monday of next week.

Make sure you use your practice time wisely.  Don't waste time arguing endlessly.  If you have a personality conflict with someone in your group, try to figure out a way to work around it.  The theatre is full of difficult people, some of whom are very talented.  You need to find a way to get the work done.  Perhaps if you ask them what they want to do and really listen to them, that can be a step in finding a way to cooperate.  Don't just stand in the way of someone else's ideas.  Before you discount someone's idea, try it to see if it works.  If you allow yourself to argue over every little thing, you will be like a dog chasing its own tail.  You'll get nowhere.

Play your character.  Make sure you match your facial expression with your mood.

Think of what the stage looks like to the audience.  Clear all the chairs and props, etc. off the stage and keep only what you need in your scene.  Use the curtains if you like.  Play your scene as far downstage as possible and ALWAYS cheat to the audience.  Project your voices.  If you cannot be heard or understood, your performance is lost.

Remember, music is a very helpful tool in theatre.  It can help the audience respond in the way that you want.

Dearly Departed

Thanks to everyone who's made the trek to see the show I'm in called "Dearly Departed".  It is still on at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam for another week with shows in the evening at 8 and one on Sunday at 2.  It's quite a laugh riot, I think, about a family in the southern United States planning their uncle's funeral.  I'm really enjoying playing Marguerite, who is a nasty old woman who drives everyone crazy by quoting the Bible at them.

It's great fun to be in a play (and also a little nerve wracking).  You really feel close to the other actors and work together really hard to create the best performance you possibly can.  Our director, Dale Kelly, is very inventive and I have learned so much about staging and set design and lighting and sound ideas from him.  As I said before, he has made the set changes just as interesting as the play with a great sequence called "the parade of the coffins" (you have to see it to appreciate it) and a slow motion chase scene and a set piece that really looks like a car, using flashlights and people dressed in choir gowns.  The theatre is such a magical place!

Midterm self-assessment

Since we're approaching the midway part of the semester (in November) and interim report cards will soon be issued, it's important to think about how well you are doing in drama.  What are my expectations of you in drama (for example, I want you to stay in character on stage, I want you to stay with your group during rehearsal times)?  Try to come up with at least four things that are expected of you in class.  Now, decide how you are doing in class.  Are you living up to my expectations?  Explain.  What can you do to improve?

This is the journal for all grades.

I have nothing to declare but my genius!

It is Oscar Wilde's birthday today!  He was a great playwright and a great wit.  He said the above (when he was going through Customs to enter the United States) and he also said,  "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about!"  These are called epigrams -- pithy sayings.

He also wrote "The Importance of Being Earnest" which is, earnestly, one of the funniest plays ever written.  I would go on but no one can compete with Oscar Wilde for wit or a well-turned phrase.

Creation of the World

Grade 10's:  You are working on the comedia del'arte scenes.  I want to see you creating clear distinct characters.  You need to think about physical and vocal ways to express your character's identity.  Don't play yourself!  Costumes, make-up and hair can really help your character here.  Think of what sort of clothing your character would wear.  That helps the audience see you as someone else immediately.

Grade 8's:  You are working on "The Creation of the World".  A myth can be seen as a metaphorical way of describing a natural event.  Think of how you can use costumes, music, mime, tableau, dance and choral speaking to give your audience a memorable experience.

Grade 9's:  While working on your heritage drama presentations, be sure to plan an organized series of transitions from story to story and from story to framework.  When professional theatres present their plays, they practice the scene changes as well as the scenes themselves.  I am in a play right now ("Dearly Departed" running at the Evergreen Theatre in Coquitlam) and the director has spent a lot of time and effort in making the scene changes almost as entertaining as the scenes!

Staying in character and concentrating is so important on stage.  You are trying to create a sense that what happens on stage is actually happening.  The audience "suspends its disbelief" (the people in the audience know that your play isn't actually happening, but they set that knowledge aside in order to fully participate in the performance) while you perform, but if you are giggling at your own jokes and smiling when you are angry or frightened, the audience sees you and not your character.

How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides defend you from seasons such as these

Don't forget to bring "soap for hope" on Wednesday of next week.  Think of the young people (who are much like you) who find themselves trying to survive on the street or "couch-surfing" (depending on the "kindness of strangers"), especially on the Thanksgiving weekend when we are all enjoying the bounty of groaning tables, and the warmth and support of friends and family.

Notice the sign at the Gilbert entrance of the school?  "Be grateful."  It's good advice.  People who appreciate their own good fortune are happier and live longer!  We all have lots to be grateful for -- our health, the chance to attend a good school, the safety and security we enjoy in Richmond and in Canada, the beauty of the natural world.  Appreciate what you have!

Your Play Needs No Excuse

Journals:

Grade 10:  Describe a comic scene (from a movie, TV show or play) that you've seen.  What made it funny?  Provide details.  What can you learn from this scene that you could incorporate into your comedia del'arte scene?

Grade 9:  Which second heritage scene (another group's, not your own) did you like the best?  Explain why.  If they asked you for constructive criticism, what would you say?

Grade 8:  Who is a good public speaker?  Explain why you chose the person you did.  It can be someone famous or someone you know personally.

Theatre Sports tomorrow!  The most important thing in theatre sports and the thing you need to take away from improvisation is that you must advance the scene.  Don't ever say "no" to another actor's offer on stage.  Try to build on the ideas of the other actors.  Tina Fey (who was on "Saturday Night Live" and then produced, wrote and performed in "30 Rock") says if the other actor points his finger at you and says ominously, "I have a gun", you mustn't say, "that's not a gun. That's your finger.  You're pointing your finger at me."  Instead, you should say, "of course, you have.  That's the gun I gave you for Christmas."  Not only have you accepted that the other actor has a gun, but you've added to the idea with the Christmas present of a gun.  You can look up Tina Fey's other rules of improv online.  She's a very funny writer.

Show and Tell

Grade 8's:  Remember that your "show and tell" speeches will be performed on Wednesday.  Practice your speech at home.  The speech should take this form -- introduce the item you're showing -- you can describe it, and tell how you acquired it or why it is important to you.  Then share an anecdote (a little story) about the item.  It should be something that engages the audience.  It can be dramatic or funny or surprising or sad -- eliciting an emotion can really help an audience stay focused on your talk.  You must speak clearly and project your voice, just like you did when you recited "All the world's a stage".  Try to avoid colloquial speech (like "you know", "like", "so") -- this is an informal speech, but using these words incorrectly can make your speech seem unprepared.  When you present your speech, plant your feet and don't move around too much because it can be distracting for the audience.  Make eye contact with the audience, and try not to giggle if your friends are looking back at you.  You need to appear to be well prepared and confident about what you are saying, so that your audience can relax.

Grade 10's:  Think about how your named character could appear in scenes other than the one you are presenting.  How can you exaggerate the character's qualities without hitting the audience over the head with the name or what the character says?

Grade 9's:  Choose the second heritage story to act out.  Remember, it's always good to use a variety of modes of presentation -- like tableaus, mimes, music, choral speaking, poetry, monologue and dialogue.

Love, Fair Looks and True Obedience

Shakespeare tells us that these are the things a woman owes to her husband.  Shakespeare lived a long time ago and I think he really believed this.  His wife, Anne Hathaway, was eight years older than he was and she probably had trouble following this edict, as most women would today.  That might be why Shakespeare ran away from Stratford and Anne and headed for London to be an actor -- a dicey choice in any time.  Anyway, Shakespeare was a man of his time and even though I disagree with what Katarina says in "The Taming of the Shrew", it is still a beautifully written speech.

I had trouble obeying my director this week.  He suggested that I was "making a meal" of a speech in "Dearly Departed".  He said it wouldn't be funny if I made it as dramatic as I was doing.  I felt grumpy about his direction and at first I thought, "there's no other way to do that speech!  I CAN'T DO IT THE WAY HE SAYS!"  I try to get clues from the way the speech is written and it seemed to me that the words the author chose and the way he repeated some phrases meant that it should be really dramatic.  I made notes in the script about what the director had said, but I wasn't happy.

I saw one of the actors from the drama club at school (Paige) and I asked her to read the speech.  She did and then I asked her how she thought it should be delivered.  Paige said, "with calm acceptance".  I was dumbfounded.  That was just what the director was saying.  Well, two heads are better than one and I decided that I was wrong and worked on delivering the speech with "calm acceptance" and it seems to be working.  So a big thanks to Paige for her insight.  I guess if you disagree with someone's direction, you should always give it a fair try before you decide you can't do it.  And if you come to that decision, you should talk about it to the director and maybe the two of you can figure out some middle ground.

Please let Rachel know if you can't make rehearsal and if she schedules a rehearsal, please make an effort to come.  Bring a pencil, so you can write down your blocking so we can build on it for next time!

Journal Day - World Teachers Day Tomorrow

Grade 10:  Which character are you playing?  What does the character's name mean to you?  What other characters appear in your scene?  What is your scenario?  How will you play your character (voice, physicality, costume, makeup, etc.)?

Grade 8:  Comment on another group's fairy tale mime.  Which performance stood out?  Which moment was most memorable?  How could the mime be improved?

Grade 9:  Why did you choose the story you did as your first scene?  What aspects of the story make it most accessible to you?  What ideas does your group have for a framework?  How will it help present your stories?

It's World Teacher Day tomorrow.  Think of a teacher who made a difference in your life.  I've had lots of good teachers (my mother was a teacher and although I never was her student in a classroom, she continues to inspire me ten years after her death -- she taught me to really appreciate the world around me and how glorious it is to be alive -- what a wonderful gift!) but one teacher who really helped me was my English teacher in Grade 7.  His name was Mr. Tunbridge and he loved reading and passed his enthusiasm on to his students and he also had a great sense of humour and laughed at the performances I did as part of English and made me think I might be able to actually be an actor myself.  Thanks, Mr. Tunbridge, wherever you are!

"There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face"

Grade 10's:  Creating a character is one of the most important aspects of acting.  You need to think about how you can turn yourself into someone else.  Some actors depend on costumes or makeup -- they can't be someone else until they dress up or put on a fake nose (the great Laurence Olivier was like this).  Some actors have to internalize the emotional state of the character they're playing.  If the character murders someone in a dark rage, the actor tries to remember a time when he felt that he might hurt another person because of his anger.  This technique is called "emotional memory".  Other actors create characters by observing real people in real life (lots of great improvisers do this).  Sometimes, an accent or a physical state can help create a character (if you're playing an old person you could walk with a cane or someone who is very sophisticated could have a French accent).  The character names you've been assigned could be a good starting point for a character you can use in more than one scene.  If you create a character that people look forward to seeing more than once, that's a good basis for a career!  (Think of Bobby Lee playing Kim Jong Il, or the characters of Logan and Wilf, played by Alana Johnston and Kayla Lorette on "That's So Weird".)

I'm in a play right now called "Dearly Departed" in which I play an old lady in a place like Alabama.  She has a Southern US accent and is very disappointed and impatient with her son.  The accent really helped me find a place to start turning her into a real person, but something else that has helped me is to carry a purse full of junk.  Whenever anything happens in the play, I reach into the purse and find something to use on stage.  I've added things to the purse through rehearsal as things have occurred to me.  At this point, I have a handkerchief, a fan, a Bible, a pencil, a bookmark, and my smart phone!  The show opens on October 17 at Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam.