Thornton Wilder was an American playwright who wrote the great play, "Our Town", with which you might be familiar. It will be important for all of us to try to become "conscious of our treasure" over this weekend, which is dedicated to being thankful for the bounty of autumn and all the silver linings in our clouds. My mother has instilled in me the idea that no matter how dark things look, you can always think about what wonders are around you and how lucky you are to be alive in such a beautiful and remarkable world.
I have been SO BUSY these last few weeks, that I have neglected my blog. Next week the play I'm acting in will open and so we are in a mad rush to get things ready. If you haven't read about it here before, it is called "Momma Won't Fly" and it is coming together, although the theatre company lost its rehearsal space and we have all been hauling our props and costumes around in our cars (very cumbersome). This Sunday, we get to move into the theatre which will be a great relief. I am looking forward to opening night (next Thursday) and I hope the show will be a great success. Our director is endlessly inventive and all of the backstage people are very well organized and we actors are doing our best to keep plugging away at our characters. I like "Norleen Sprunt". She's got lots of spunk and energy and she never gives up, no matter how terrible things look. (We could all learn from her.)
We have been auditioning for "Fawlty Towers" here at school with today and tomorrow as the last chance for anyone who wants to perform. It will be hard to choose who gets to play what. We have so many talented people and there have been some very impressive auditions from a couple of grade 8's (always a hopeful sign!)
Here are your journals for the week (some of you are saying "at last" -- Ms. Kosar sure likes to write! {I do}).
Grade 8's: Write about the process in which you engaged to produce your fairy tale mime. Who emerged as a leader? What difficulties did your group encounter as you worked? How did you solve the difficulties? Did anyone present particular problems for the group? Please be specific and provide details.
Grade 9/10: Write about a comic performance you've enjoyed. (My example could be Jim Parsons as "Sheldon Cooper" in "The Big Bang Theory".) What about the performance do you think makes it funny? Describe the character portrayed. Is it inherently funny? What can you learn from the actor?
(I believe the character of Sheldon is written really well, although if you described the character, you might not think it was inherently funny -- a socially awkward theoretical physicist who is highly intelligent. I think Jim Parsons does bring a lot to the role, although I have wondered what it would be like if Johnny Galecki (who plays Leonard) and he switched roles. Could they do it? I think the voice Jim Parsons uses helps a lot -- it has a robotic quality that makes the material funnier. He is quite precise physically -- he stands very straight and uses his hands and his face and his whole body in a small rather detailed way that brings to mind someone who is "too much in his head". Apparently, the producers of the show thought that he was too similar to Sheldon to cast, but ultimately they realized he would be the best actor in the part. He has done a lot of Shakespeare (that would be fun to see) and I think one thing I can learn from him is to invest myself fully in the character -- body and soul, so to speak.
Senior Drama:
Actors: What emotion did you portray in the "emotional memory" scenes? What memory of your own did you invoke? What emotion do you find difficult to play? Why do you find it difficult? What memory could you use to make that emotion easier to find?
Directors/Scriptwriters: Whose emotional memory scene was most memorable? Which performance did you like the best? Explain why.
Theatre production: Read through "A Touch of Class" again. Make a list of props (things the actors use or carry) you need for the scene. How might you acquire these props? (Think of at least three ways, and keep in mind that, in the theatre, we are always searching for the cheapest way!) Think about Lord Melbury -- what prop might he bring with him that would help him create a character?
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