I hope all of you have a happy, fun and safe Hallowe'en. My dog and I hate fireworks and firecrackers (especially) so we're hoping for a very quiet night! But I love to dress up in a costume, so watch for me and my cohorts in the Fine Arts/Performing Arts department! We are coming as the Village People! My oldest son is dressing up as a Doctor Who character (the kid in the gas mask, whoever that is) and my youngest son is going to be Jason Voorhees from "Friday the 13th", although he has never seen the movie. (Nor have I -- I don't like slasher movies.)
Journals today:
Grade 8: What lesson could you afford to learn? Write a story about how you know you need to learn this lesson and what might teach it to you.
Grade 9: What's the scariest movie you've ever seen? Why did it scare you? Do you like to be scared or not?
Senior Drama:
Actors: Who are you playing in the directors' plays? Name your character and describe it.
Directors: Give me a report on how things are going with your plays. Please provide details!
Theatre Production: Give me a sketch for your set for the directors' plays. Remember, the plays are being performed here, not on film or on Broadway, so create a set accordingly.
Friday 31 October 2014
Sunday 26 October 2014
The Fat Lady Has Sung!
I hope everyone had a great time at camp and now, things can get back to a semblance of normal at school. Mr. Allison wrote a report on our schoolwide email that said that the camp went very well and that the Camp Stillwood people were impressed by our students, both young and old.
Don't forget that it is spirit week at school this coming week. Monday is Colour Wars (teachers are supposed to wear black, but I'm not sure about the other grades). Tuesday is Twin Day, so find a friend or a group of friends and dress the same! Wednesday is "Fandom Day" which I think means you should wear a jersey from a team you like or a concert t-shirt or something that shows that you admire or enjoy a particular artist's work. Thursday is "Bright and Tight" -- anything bright and/or tight, I guess. Friday is Hallowe'en, so wear a costume. The teachers are having a contest among us so we will be trying to dress up ourselves.
Drama Club: Make sure you try to make every rehearsal! We have six weeks before we perform so we need to put our noses to the grindstone now that camp is over!
My show closed last night. Thanks to the students and teachers that made the long trip out to the Tri-Cities to see it. I really appreciate it enormously. People in the cast last night asked if some of my students were in the audience (their experience is that you guys are especially good audience members, which makes my heart fill with pride!) and I said I didn't think so, because I didn't know you were there. But at the curtain call, I spotted you and I was so happy to see you and hear your comments after the show. It was a lot of fun to do, but for those of you who have performed in comedies, you know it is a lot of hard work, too. There were some scenes that defeated me no matter how hard I tried to think of how to squeeze laughs out of the audience, some lines that I thought were sure fire that never got a laugh and then, of course, things that I didn't think were funny that consistently garnered a good response. It's a mystery to me, but one that I will continue to grapple with as long as I continue to perform. (Which, I hope to do for a long, long time!) And now, as they say, the fat lady has sung and the party is over! I am sad, because it's fun to go to the theatre and get dressed in your costume and have someone do your hair (I got more compliments on my hair than I ever have before thanks to Gail, the remarkable hair and makeup woman) and make your eyebrows look absolutely perfect, but it will also be nice to be able to relax on the couch in the evening and read a book. I have a couple of books I'm really looking forward to delving into -- an Aurelio Zen mystery called Dead Lagoon and Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine, quite different in content, but both promising to be very interesting.
Don't forget that it is spirit week at school this coming week. Monday is Colour Wars (teachers are supposed to wear black, but I'm not sure about the other grades). Tuesday is Twin Day, so find a friend or a group of friends and dress the same! Wednesday is "Fandom Day" which I think means you should wear a jersey from a team you like or a concert t-shirt or something that shows that you admire or enjoy a particular artist's work. Thursday is "Bright and Tight" -- anything bright and/or tight, I guess. Friday is Hallowe'en, so wear a costume. The teachers are having a contest among us so we will be trying to dress up ourselves.
Drama Club: Make sure you try to make every rehearsal! We have six weeks before we perform so we need to put our noses to the grindstone now that camp is over!
My show closed last night. Thanks to the students and teachers that made the long trip out to the Tri-Cities to see it. I really appreciate it enormously. People in the cast last night asked if some of my students were in the audience (their experience is that you guys are especially good audience members, which makes my heart fill with pride!) and I said I didn't think so, because I didn't know you were there. But at the curtain call, I spotted you and I was so happy to see you and hear your comments after the show. It was a lot of fun to do, but for those of you who have performed in comedies, you know it is a lot of hard work, too. There were some scenes that defeated me no matter how hard I tried to think of how to squeeze laughs out of the audience, some lines that I thought were sure fire that never got a laugh and then, of course, things that I didn't think were funny that consistently garnered a good response. It's a mystery to me, but one that I will continue to grapple with as long as I continue to perform. (Which, I hope to do for a long, long time!) And now, as they say, the fat lady has sung and the party is over! I am sad, because it's fun to go to the theatre and get dressed in your costume and have someone do your hair (I got more compliments on my hair than I ever have before thanks to Gail, the remarkable hair and makeup woman) and make your eyebrows look absolutely perfect, but it will also be nice to be able to relax on the couch in the evening and read a book. I have a couple of books I'm really looking forward to delving into -- an Aurelio Zen mystery called Dead Lagoon and Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine, quite different in content, but both promising to be very interesting.
Wednesday 22 October 2014
Off to Camp
The grade 8's and many of the grade 12's have gone off to camp. Hopefully, everyone will come back rejuvenated and "bonded" and ready to dive into their schoolwork. It is a great experience and I know lots of kids who remember their time at Grade 8 camp as one of the highlights of their time at high school.
Grade 8's -- if you are going to redo your "show and tell" speech, review the instructions that I gave earlier here. I don't want to see the same thing again -- your second attempt should show an improvement.
Grade 9's and 10's -- work on the "stock characters" scenes continues. You need to be ready to perform on Thursday. The show must go on no matter what state it's in!
Senior Drama: We will be reading the scriptwriters' scripts. Remember, they are works in progress and be positive about the drafts that you're reading -- the writers expect the actors and stagecraft people to help make their plays better with their expertise.
Grade 8's -- if you are going to redo your "show and tell" speech, review the instructions that I gave earlier here. I don't want to see the same thing again -- your second attempt should show an improvement.
Grade 9's and 10's -- work on the "stock characters" scenes continues. You need to be ready to perform on Thursday. The show must go on no matter what state it's in!
Senior Drama: We will be reading the scriptwriters' scripts. Remember, they are works in progress and be positive about the drafts that you're reading -- the writers expect the actors and stagecraft people to help make their plays better with their expertise.
Tuesday 21 October 2014
Find a passion?
We had an interesting discussion at the facilitators' meeting yesterday about "passion". I wonder if that's a bit of a buzz word these days. People say they have a "passion" for something and then, as Mr. Stewart said, it's as if you have to treat them with kid gloves. I think a lot of people think that when artists demonstrate a "passion" for their work, it means that it comes easily to them, but it's vital to realize that no matter how much you love something, it requires a lot of hard work to become skilled. Students often say they want to be actors, but then when they find out that there are countless hours spent in rehearsal, working out blocking, learning lines, trying out different ways of delivering the material, coming up with stage business and comic "bits" and working on them until you feel like you've arrived at something -- then they're not so "passionate" any more.
It's like this in the other performing arts -- music and dance -- the hard work and drudgery and pain that dancers and musicians endure makes the apparent effortlessness of the performance all that more remarkable. But if you're not willing to practice scales or steps over and over, you will never achieve the skill to make the music or the dance seem effortless.
My sister is reading a book about Charlie Chaplin right now. He was the great silent film actor and director who created the "little tramp" character that most of us know and love. His movies are timeless -- they are hilarious and moving and entertaining from beginning to end. He was endlessly inventive and brilliant at so many things (he wrote and directed and performed in his movies and wrote the music as well), but apparently as a director and performer, he was a tireless tyrant, expecting the same kind of dedication to detail and artistry from those who worked with him as he demonstrated himself. The results were wonderful, but the process was very difficult.
I read Ken Dryden's book about hockey, called The Game. (He was the great goaltender for the Montreal Canadians in their heyday.) He wrote about great players like Guy LaFleur who seemed to play an effortless game. But LaFleur would arrive at the rink hours before anyone else and skate and shoot the puck at different points on the boards to see what would happen and try different moves and just generally get down to business long before his teammates even thought of suiting up.
In school, we have so many opportunities to find things that interest us, things that might become "passions". But it's not enough to say you're interested or to dip your toe in and then wait for inspiration. In order to become skilled enough to bring your ideas to fruition, you need to be able to devote yourself to the drudgery that provides the solid foundation that makes a flight of fancy appear so easy.
It's like this in the other performing arts -- music and dance -- the hard work and drudgery and pain that dancers and musicians endure makes the apparent effortlessness of the performance all that more remarkable. But if you're not willing to practice scales or steps over and over, you will never achieve the skill to make the music or the dance seem effortless.
My sister is reading a book about Charlie Chaplin right now. He was the great silent film actor and director who created the "little tramp" character that most of us know and love. His movies are timeless -- they are hilarious and moving and entertaining from beginning to end. He was endlessly inventive and brilliant at so many things (he wrote and directed and performed in his movies and wrote the music as well), but apparently as a director and performer, he was a tireless tyrant, expecting the same kind of dedication to detail and artistry from those who worked with him as he demonstrated himself. The results were wonderful, but the process was very difficult.
I read Ken Dryden's book about hockey, called The Game. (He was the great goaltender for the Montreal Canadians in their heyday.) He wrote about great players like Guy LaFleur who seemed to play an effortless game. But LaFleur would arrive at the rink hours before anyone else and skate and shoot the puck at different points on the boards to see what would happen and try different moves and just generally get down to business long before his teammates even thought of suiting up.
In school, we have so many opportunities to find things that interest us, things that might become "passions". But it's not enough to say you're interested or to dip your toe in and then wait for inspiration. In order to become skilled enough to bring your ideas to fruition, you need to be able to devote yourself to the drudgery that provides the solid foundation that makes a flight of fancy appear so easy.
Friday 17 October 2014
Mama Flew!
Well, opening night went okay. We got Haylee (the bride to be) into the truck without much trouble (although I dropped my purse which contains all my props for the show when I was climbing out of the truck and then the lights went out and I had to get down on my hands and knees (in a nun costume, I might add) and scramble around to find it and then dash across the theatre backstage to get to my next entrance). Colleen (my daughter in the play) and Sarien (my daughter-in-law to be) and I are running throughout most of the show. I have four costume changes and entrances from everywhere in the theatre.
So now we know we can do it, so the rest will be more manageable. You never know on opening night if you can actually get through a performance. Not until you try it. It's been fun. We've worked well together for the most part and I like my character. She's got spunk and I like that -- she doesn't let anyone discourage her!
So now we know we can do it, so the rest will be more manageable. You never know on opening night if you can actually get through a performance. Not until you try it. It's been fun. We've worked well together for the most part and I like my character. She's got spunk and I like that -- she doesn't let anyone discourage her!
Thursday 16 October 2014
And oh, what heights we'll hit!
Tonight is opening night for "Mama Won't Fly". I'm a bit nervous because we've had a number of technical problems. Our director originally planned to do a "minimalist" set, but it is quite huge with an 18-wheeler and a lot of other big things that need to be rolled in and out. In one scene, my daughter and I have to carry my future daughter-in-law and put her in the truck and it is really tough. The daughter-in-law is a small woman but she is very hard to carry and stuff in the truck, especially since we don't want to hurt her. But I am still looking forward to performing! (After tonight, it will be easier. You just never know how it's going to go.)
Our journals for this week:
Grade 8's: How do you think the world was created? Could you make a play about it? What about the myth we're performing makes it easy to present? What makes it difficult?
Grade 9's: Which stock character are you playing? What are you going to do with the character? (Think of voice, body language, reactions, and costume, hair, props and anything else that will help create a character.)
Senior Drama: Actors: Which character did you play in the movie scenes? What does the character want? What obstacles does he/she face? Choose one line the character says. Write about the subtext for that line.
Directors: Who will you cast in the characters in your play? Choose one character. Why did you choose the actor that you did?
Theatre production: What effect does lighting have on a scene? What is most essential when lighting a scene? What are some problems you might face when lighting a scene like the one from "Rebecca"?
Our journals for this week:
Grade 8's: How do you think the world was created? Could you make a play about it? What about the myth we're performing makes it easy to present? What makes it difficult?
Grade 9's: Which stock character are you playing? What are you going to do with the character? (Think of voice, body language, reactions, and costume, hair, props and anything else that will help create a character.)
Senior Drama: Actors: Which character did you play in the movie scenes? What does the character want? What obstacles does he/she face? Choose one line the character says. Write about the subtext for that line.
Directors: Who will you cast in the characters in your play? Choose one character. Why did you choose the actor that you did?
Theatre production: What effect does lighting have on a scene? What is most essential when lighting a scene? What are some problems you might face when lighting a scene like the one from "Rebecca"?
Monday 13 October 2014
Thanks for the memories . . .
That's Bob Hope's theme song. He was a comedian and actor long ago and he was HUGE. It's funny (funny, strange) that someone so famous and popular and talented has been almost forgotten now. "Time's winged chariot" leaves all of us behind, I guess.
I have my turkey in and yesterday I spent the day at the theatre, loading in all the stuff for "Mama Won't Fly". As always all the little pieces look great. Dale Kelly, our director, said it was going to be a minimalist show, because Stage 43 has lost its rehearsal space (budget constraints) and had to get rid a lot of its cool stuff. But we have an 18 wheeler truck, and a mini-Cooper car and a Buick (thanks for the memories of my old Buick, which is in pieces, now -- I donated it to the Kidney Foundation for parts), and a set for a Las Vegas wedding and a roadhouse bar and all sorts of wacky stuff.
In addition to getting my turkey into the oven, I am trying to put a cast together for "Fawlty Towers". I confess I hate casting. I wish you could all play the part you want, but of course, it doesn't work that way. Some of you will be disappointed, but just remember that there are a lot of things for me to consider -- not just how well you auditioned, but also the idea that you need to suit the role and how busy you are and what grade you're in and all sorts of things. If you get a smaller part, make the most of it. Some of the people in the drama club have experienced this -- making the most of one line or even no lines! There really is no such thing as a small part, just small actors!
And remember, there are always people who decide for whatever reason that they can't continue in the play and if you happen to be there, you might just slide into their role. That's happened to lots of people.
I have my turkey in and yesterday I spent the day at the theatre, loading in all the stuff for "Mama Won't Fly". As always all the little pieces look great. Dale Kelly, our director, said it was going to be a minimalist show, because Stage 43 has lost its rehearsal space (budget constraints) and had to get rid a lot of its cool stuff. But we have an 18 wheeler truck, and a mini-Cooper car and a Buick (thanks for the memories of my old Buick, which is in pieces, now -- I donated it to the Kidney Foundation for parts), and a set for a Las Vegas wedding and a roadhouse bar and all sorts of wacky stuff.
In addition to getting my turkey into the oven, I am trying to put a cast together for "Fawlty Towers". I confess I hate casting. I wish you could all play the part you want, but of course, it doesn't work that way. Some of you will be disappointed, but just remember that there are a lot of things for me to consider -- not just how well you auditioned, but also the idea that you need to suit the role and how busy you are and what grade you're in and all sorts of things. If you get a smaller part, make the most of it. Some of the people in the drama club have experienced this -- making the most of one line or even no lines! There really is no such thing as a small part, just small actors!
And remember, there are always people who decide for whatever reason that they can't continue in the play and if you happen to be there, you might just slide into their role. That's happened to lots of people.
Friday 10 October 2014
Think, when we talk of horses . . .
Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hooves i' th' receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there, jumping o'er times,
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hourglass; for the which supply,
Admit me chorus to this history,
Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray
Gently to hear, kindly to judge our play.
Grade 9/10 class: Be prepared to recite this selection in a dramatic way on Tuesday when we come back to school Say it to your friends and family. Everyone is impressed when someone knows a little Shakespeare!
Senior Drama: Actors: You should be working on your movie scenes. Writers: Finish your first draft of your short (less than ten pages or so, if possible) script. Theatre Production: Finish your sketches of the "Fawlty Towers" script. Use colour and give as much detail as possible.
What a rainy night! I love an evening with nothing in it (no practices, no sports for my children, no social obligations for me) -- I am going to watch an episode of "The Nature of Things" about Stonehenge. Then I am going to reread the Fawlty Towers scripts and figure out how to cast it. We have so many talented actors, it will be hard to choose who gets to play what.
Printing their proud hooves i' th' receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there, jumping o'er times,
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hourglass; for the which supply,
Admit me chorus to this history,
Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray
Gently to hear, kindly to judge our play.
Grade 9/10 class: Be prepared to recite this selection in a dramatic way on Tuesday when we come back to school Say it to your friends and family. Everyone is impressed when someone knows a little Shakespeare!
Senior Drama: Actors: You should be working on your movie scenes. Writers: Finish your first draft of your short (less than ten pages or so, if possible) script. Theatre Production: Finish your sketches of the "Fawlty Towers" script. Use colour and give as much detail as possible.
What a rainy night! I love an evening with nothing in it (no practices, no sports for my children, no social obligations for me) -- I am going to watch an episode of "The Nature of Things" about Stonehenge. Then I am going to reread the Fawlty Towers scripts and figure out how to cast it. We have so many talented actors, it will be hard to choose who gets to play what.
Show and tell!
On October 20, the grade eights will be presenting their show and tell speeches. Your speech should be two minutes long (one minute is too short, and three minutes is too long!) You should bring something from home about which you can speak in an interesting way for two minutes. (It could be a souvenir you acquired on holiday, or something you won, or a piece of art you created, or a special gift you received, or a toy you like when you were little or anything! Whatever would make an interesting story.) Prepare your speech - it might help to write it down and then practice saying it. I expect that when you deliver it, you will speak clearly and project your voice. You will stand comfortably at center stage and not fidget or pace.
Your speech should take this form.
1. Tell us what the item is. You could describe it briefly. (For example, these are the Mickey Mouse ears I got at Disneyland. When my parents told me we were going to California, I dreamed that I would be able to come home with this hat!)
2. Tell how you acquired the item. (For example, you could describe the experience of training and preparing to play a certain sport, and then give us a description of the "big game" and how you played and the circumstances that resulted in you receiving the medal or the item you are showing.)
3. You can conclude with what you learned from the experience or what the rest of us could take away from your speech (perhaps that you should listen to your parents and then you won't get lost at Disneyland or that if you keep trying, you will succeed).
If you want to ask me any questions about this, please feel free to do so!
Your speech should take this form.
1. Tell us what the item is. You could describe it briefly. (For example, these are the Mickey Mouse ears I got at Disneyland. When my parents told me we were going to California, I dreamed that I would be able to come home with this hat!)
2. Tell how you acquired the item. (For example, you could describe the experience of training and preparing to play a certain sport, and then give us a description of the "big game" and how you played and the circumstances that resulted in you receiving the medal or the item you are showing.)
3. You can conclude with what you learned from the experience or what the rest of us could take away from your speech (perhaps that you should listen to your parents and then you won't get lost at Disneyland or that if you keep trying, you will succeed).
If you want to ask me any questions about this, please feel free to do so!
Thursday 9 October 2014
We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. (Thornton Wilder)
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?
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?
Thursday 2 October 2014
The new phonebook's here!
We're talking about comedy and that's one of my favourite lines from a really funny movie called "The Jerk" with Steve Martin. Since we were talking about comedy and how it can tackle difficult subjects, I looked up a list of people's choices for the 100 greatest comedies of all time. It is surprising how many are about subjects that you might not think were good sources for laughs. Here are some that stood out for me:
Bananas (about a revolution in a South American country)
Shaun of the Dead (zombies)
Dr. Strangelove (the atomic bomb)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (about King Arthur and his knights)
The Life of Brian (about a prophet in the time of Jesus)
Mean Girls (bullying)
The Great Dictator (Adolf Hitler)
Arthur (alcoholism)
Young Frankenstein (based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, sort of)
Start the Revolution without Me (about the French Revolution)
I haven't seen a few of these movies, but they were chosen by vote, so the list is a bit skewed for more modern films, but a lot of people find the violence in movies with "The Three Stooges" to be hilarious as well. It just goes to show that creative people can find comedy in all sorts of difficult and challenging places. I think that is a testament to human nature, that we try to survive in even the most impossible situations and that comedy can help us do just that.
Journals this week:
Senior Drama: Comment on your "Top of the Form" performance (your own group). Was it funny? Why or why not? What went well about your performance? What could have been improved? How could you improve it?
Drama 9/10: Write about the news story you chose to perform. What do you know about it? (If you know nothing, find out some details.) How can you make it funny? If your first performance was funny, why did it turn out that way? (It shouldn't have been.)
Drama 8: What fairy tale did you choose? Tell the plot in five sentences. Who are you playing? How will you create a character (think of facial expressions, body language, plot points, reactions to others)? What is the climax of the story?
Journals are due on Tuesday.
Don't forget it's "Meet the Teacher" night tonight. I'd love to meet you and your family.
Bananas (about a revolution in a South American country)
Shaun of the Dead (zombies)
Dr. Strangelove (the atomic bomb)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (about King Arthur and his knights)
The Life of Brian (about a prophet in the time of Jesus)
Mean Girls (bullying)
The Great Dictator (Adolf Hitler)
Arthur (alcoholism)
Young Frankenstein (based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, sort of)
Start the Revolution without Me (about the French Revolution)
I haven't seen a few of these movies, but they were chosen by vote, so the list is a bit skewed for more modern films, but a lot of people find the violence in movies with "The Three Stooges" to be hilarious as well. It just goes to show that creative people can find comedy in all sorts of difficult and challenging places. I think that is a testament to human nature, that we try to survive in even the most impossible situations and that comedy can help us do just that.
Journals this week:
Senior Drama: Comment on your "Top of the Form" performance (your own group). Was it funny? Why or why not? What went well about your performance? What could have been improved? How could you improve it?
Drama 9/10: Write about the news story you chose to perform. What do you know about it? (If you know nothing, find out some details.) How can you make it funny? If your first performance was funny, why did it turn out that way? (It shouldn't have been.)
Drama 8: What fairy tale did you choose? Tell the plot in five sentences. Who are you playing? How will you create a character (think of facial expressions, body language, plot points, reactions to others)? What is the climax of the story?
Journals are due on Tuesday.
Don't forget it's "Meet the Teacher" night tonight. I'd love to meet you and your family.
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