Tuesday 29 November 2016

Dress rehearsal notes

Act 1:  No t shirts under your witch costume!  Make sure whatever you say means something.  You need to understand what you're saying, in order for the audience to understand.  Witches!  Bare feet.  If you don't absolutely need your glasses, don't wear them.

Adelaide, project over the marching in.  Don't give the audience your back.  Cheat to them.

Act 2:  If you dried up, check your script.  We can't save you any more.  If someone drops something, deal with it (as you would if someone in real life dropped it)!

Check your props before the show.  Make sure all the things you use are where they are supposed to be.

Be aware of the stage picture.  If you clump up on one side, it looks unbalanced.

Chris and Jessie, kneel on your entrance and use each other to react.

Act 3:  Make your emotional choices strong.  Don't be unsure.  If you make a mistake, embrace it!

Act 4:    Project!!  Mean what you say.  Smile and pause on the stairwell landing, Leeann.

Witches, you have to be still.  Isaac needs a small mirror!  Crew, make sure he has one!

Think of diction.  Don't speak too quickly.

Quiet backstage, in the stairwells, in the prop room.

If you don't need your glasses, leave them off.

Bertina, review your scene and wear boots.

Act 5:  If you are not in hot light, move.  Get in the light.  Be ready for your scene.  Keep going!

Veronica and Farah will do the women's cry in Act 5, scene 5.

Be BIG.

Witches need to be fast on turning stage.  Arianna, make sure they go!

Think of what you would actually do in any of the circumstances.  That will help you figure out your reaction.

BREAK A LEG!

Monday 28 November 2016

$5!!

A Block and D Block students!

Don't forget your $5 to pay for a ticket to "Macbeth".  It is going to be a great show with students from all grades participating.

Friday 25 November 2016

More journals for November 25

Senior Drama

Write about your reality plays.  What went well?  What needed improvement?  What did you do to help your group create a worthwhile effort?  What could you improve upon?  Which reality play did you like the best?  Whose performance impressed you?  Say why.

A Block:

Write about the process through which you developed your commedia del'arte presentation.  What went well?  What could have been improved?  Whose play was funniest?  Why do you think the way you do?

Journals for November 25

Grade 8:  On a scale of 1 - 5, rate your ability to work in a group and explain why you rate yourself the way you do.  Are you a good leader?  Explain what qualities you have that make you a good leader, or what you need to do to become one.  Tell a story about an experience you had in a group and what you learned from it.  It can be a positive or negative experience.  Make sure you answer all the questions.

Thursday 17 November 2016

Notes on Acts 4 and 5 - Macbeth

Act 4
Scene 1:  Keep the energy up!  All witches need to speak the unison part!  Learn the lines!!!  Speak rhythmically.  PROJECT!!  Nice, Farah -- gestures good!  Use the audience, Macbeth.  Interrupt!  Speak before she's finished.  Second apparition, nice.  Come in on time!!  Witches, be still!! Don't move!  Don't touch your clothes or fiddle with your hair!  Cover your eyes on "I'll see no more".

We need to do this scene at lunch next week.

Pull on her lingeringly, witches.

2:  Great entrance, all Macduffs and Ross.  Nice with the wren, Lady Macduff.  Very moving, Ross!  Lovely.  Nice pertness, young Macduff.  Great family scene.  Great shift to traitor.  Great scene, all.

3.  Good on "bleed".  Nice -- "it weeps, it bleeds".  We need bigger reactions.  "But I have more .. . " make this darker.  Macduff, it's like someone thinking of what Trump will do to the US.  We can't have the same attempted exit twice.  Second time, Macduff, don't exit -- kick over a chair.  Challenge Malcolm.  When Malc. described the ulcerous sores, etc., Macduff, picture it.  Great announcement, Ross.  PROJECT!!  Macduff, shake Malc off when you say "he has no children".  Macbeth is the hell-kite.  Big on "Woman with mine eyes"

Act 5
Sc. 1:  Great on "fie" -- you brought yourself up very tall -- it looked great.  "Give me your hand" -- then recoil.  Great scene!

2:  Keep looking out at the enemy.  We need to run this scene, too.

3:  push harder, Macbeth.  Demand that Seyton come, not ask.  "Obedience" not "discipline".  James, on Macbeth's right, not left.  Be ready for your cues, everyone!

STAY IN CHARACTER.  No laughing.  No acting out of character on stage.  Play your person's emotions.

5:  OUCH!  Very rough.

6.  James, be still.  Very moving, Macbeth!  Great on "moving grove".

7.  Young Siward needs a sword.  "Thou" is pronounced "Th-ow".

CONCENTRATE!  LEARN YOUR LINES.  We need to practice the sword fights.

Malcolm, you've learned that you need to be sympathetic to those who serve you -- you say, "he's worth more sorrow..." etc., not like you were with Macduff.

After school on Monday -- we will do Act 5!

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Notes from rehearsal on November 16

Firstly,  it is pretty disappointing that some people continue to miss rehearsals, especially when we only have two weeks left.  You might think, "oh, I know my lines," or something like that, but that is only the start of a performance.  If you are not at rehearsal, someone else is doing your blocking and the other actors are working with them, and you are not progressing and you are making it very difficult for the rest of us.  SHOW UP, or you will have to be replaced.

On Monday, bring in any clothes that you think might be suitable for your character.  If you don't know what a tunic is, ask me.  We have a few pairs of boots.  Value Village is a great place to find gear -- if the cost is an issue, bring your bill in and Ms. Kosar will reimburse you.

You need to be off book now.  You can't really act, if you are looking for your part in the script.

Think of how you would react in the situations in the play.  You need to think of REACTING to what is going on around you, not just waiting for your chance to speak.

We ran Acts 2 and 3.  If you have scenes in these acts and weren't there, you need to be sure you don't miss any more rehearsals.  In three weeks, the show will be over and then you can do whatever you like with your free time, but now you have a commitment to this show.

Scene 1:  Fleance, laugh at your Dad's joke -- he's always talking about the weather!

Everyone, if you bump into someone in your scene somewhere other than the theatre, act it out.  You can't practice enough!

DO NOT DROP YOUR VOICE.  Some of you are acting greatly, but if no one can hear you, it doesn't matter!

Remember, you're a soldier, Macbeth.  You need to try to pull yourself together.  Don't give in to fear, even though you're terrified.  Let us see both sides of it.

Great on "nature seems . . . "

"Horror" -- pronounce the end of words.

Scene 2:  Figure out where you should be to make the next entrance.  Plan ahead.

"surfeited" is pronounced "SERfitted"

Both listen at "hark"

When Macbeth yells, quash him.  You are afraid someone will hear!

Lady Mac -- a bit of panic in this scene.  What if Macbeth LOSES it completely?

Don't turn upstage!

"make us mad"  -- he is mad!

great hand rubbing.

Spin stage for porter scene -- available witches.

Great with audience, Porter.  That's going to work terrifically.
The joke about the English and French is that the English think the French are somewhat prone to STD's.  The line "what are YOU?" -- use one last person from the audience before you stop "portering".  "Requited" is pronounced reQUITE-ed.  When they leave you, Porter, give the revolve a turn and then exit upstage.

Find low notes, Macduff, when you discover the body.  Remember, you're a soldier, too.  Everyone should be shocked that Macbeth killed the servants.

PROJECT!  You must speak loudly enough to be heard.

Use words like "gore".  You all need to be concerned about Lady Mac when she faints (except Macbeth).

Use words like "manly" and phrases like "then you were a man" or "I could play the woman".  That's a theme of this production.

Think about DICTION.  Clarity is VITAL.

Lady Mac and Mac, there is a dance here (not literally).  When one is weak, the other tries to be strong.  Let's see you support each other.  I think they love each other a lot!  We should see that.  You should touch each other whenever you think about it.

At the banquet, lords, think about what it would be like to be at a dinner party when the host is acting like Macbeth.  He clearly sees something but you don't see it.  It's not funny -- he's in charge!!!!  It's concerning, scary, shocking, worrying.  Let's see that in your reactions.  Act like you're not listening when Lady and Mac talk -- you are listening, but ACT like you're not.

Pick up cues at banquet.  That will come when you KNOW YOUR LINES!!

Sit right down and lean on the platform for the table.

Listen to him after the banquet, Lady M., and try to comfort him.  "You lack sleep".  Macbeth, listen to your wife.  You need to sleep.  (But you can't.)  Think about trying.  It is stressful to think about lying there not sleeping, but you have to try.  You'll go mad if you don't sleep.  This is important for both of you.

Scene 5:  Witches that were there, you were great.  The scene looked really great.  I wonder where the rest of you were!!  Hecate -- that sounded and looked great.  With a big speech like that, actors divide it into "beats".  You move from intention to intention.  Ask yourself what you want and that will change over the course of the speech.  Each time your intention changes, think about what you want at that point.  This is true of any long speech, actors.

Scene 6:  This scene went well, but you could develop a more gossipy tone and really react.  Mactavish, you want to be right, but Lennox, she always interrupts you -- you're used to it and you don't like it -- really try to quash her.  How do you deal with people who interrupt you all the time?  Do you get mad?  Speak louder?  McT:  Make "holy King" and "warlike Siward" VERY DIFFERENT.

Everyone:  Don't look at me in the audience.  Make eye contact with the person to whom you're speaking.  The audience can tell when you're not looking at the person you're on stage with.

Tomorrow, we are doing Act 4 and 5.  We will start as soon as possible at the end of the school day.  You need to be there.

Next week, we will run a long dress rehearsal (bring costume ideas to wear on stage -- black, red, grey, silver, white) on Wednesday as soon as classes are over (I think that's at one.)  We will be incorporating light and sound.  It will be slow.  You need to be prepared to stay a long time.  We will do notes at the end.  You need to be there to hear the notes.  We might have to do another run on Friday.  Be prepared for that.  It might take till after six.  That is a long day.  I will ask if we can have pizza afterward.

Don't miss any more rehearsals.  If you know someone who has, tell them I am not pleased about it.




Saturday 12 November 2016

Lest We Forget

I hope some of you got to the Remembrance Day ceremony in your community.  We went here in Port Moody and it was well attended (the crowds seem to get bigger every year) and it is comforting to hear the same words and see the same veterans and listen to the magnificent Simon Fraser Pipe Band every year on the 11th of November.  There is always an old cannon that they shoot off twenty one times and although I think it has a powerful message about the horror of war (I always imagine young men, like my own father in World War 2,  having to climb out of their trenches and run into a noise and an earth-shaking impact like that), but of course, our poor girl, Daisy, is very frightened of loud noises and I worry about her.

My sister tells me that the ceremony in Toronto, where she lives, is very militaristic and so she doesn't go until after it's over.  She likes to have a bit of time to think about our father and what happened to him, and of course, about all the other fathers, and sons, and grandfathers, and people who served in all the wars over all of human history.  I know that some people wear a white poppy because they feel that the red poppy has become militarized.  The white poppy is primarily a symbol of peace and is worn to remember all people who died as a result of war, not just members of the military.  But I think the red poppy serves me in the exact same way.  I wear it as an acknowledgement of history, as a remembrance of what happened in war, not just the wars that Canada was a part of but all the wars that stained the earth over and over again with young people's blood.  I think the phrase "lest we forget" goes with the red poppy -- if we forget what happened, if we deny the past, we might not be able to move forward and learn from our mistakes and make progress as human beings and as a collective.

I guess I can't really write at the end of this week and not mention what happened in the United States earlier this week.  I confess, I find it very troubling that a person who appears to pander to the lowest fears and animosities in people has been chosen to lead a very powerful country, and I'm worried about what will happen in the next four years. I heard that one of Trump's first initiatives is to "end the war on coal" and to remove the regulations implemented by the Obama administration to limit the use of coal.  Coal is a very dirty fuel, and most people agree we need to seek out other forms of energy and leave coal behind.  But Donald Trump doesn't believe in climate change and that is scary (and apparently does not reflect what most Americans believe).  But there is very little we can do here in Canada to manage the direction the United States decides to go.  We need to have faith that people of good will are going to be able to win out in the end and then we need to be people of good will ourselves!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone.

Wednesday 9 November 2016

Grade 8's -- Welcome to Drama!

Practice this out loud to help you memorize it!

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts.

We are doing a journal tomorrow, because we are missing school on Friday for Remembrance Day.  The journal topic is:

What should Ms. Kosar know about you?  You can write about your experience in Drama (if any), your expectations for the class, whether you have stage fright or not, what your hobbies are, whether you have experience performing (music, sports, public speaking, etc.)  Share anything you would like with me!

Thursday 3 November 2016

Thanks for the memories!

Journals for this week:

Grade 8:  No journal, as I won't see you in Drama class after tomorrow!  I have really enjoyed meeting all of you and wish you all the best in Art.  I hope to see you back in the theatre next year -- Drama 9 is a full semester, so there will be twice the fun!  Thank you for working so hard on the Aesop plays -- you did splendidly and I really enjoyed watching them -- I am really impressed with how well you all spoke and how many of you incorporated tableaus, mime and choral speaking in your final project.

Drama 9/10; Theatre Production 11/12

What still needs to be done in your comedia del'arte play?  How do you plan to advance the work of your group?  Who is leading the group (if anyone is)?  Is anyone hindering the progress of the group?  Explain why.

Acting 11/12; Directing and Scriptwriting 12:

What have you accomplished in your reality show?  What needs to be accomplished?  Who is leading the group (explain)?  Is anyone hindering the progress of the group (explain)?

In addition, being involved in Drama means that sometimes you have to move beyond the limits of your comfort zone.  (Think of kids in other classes and how they might have to speak French in front of the class and they feel nervous, or answer a math question and they feel uncomfortable -- that they might be wrong.  Some people are terrified of public speaking.  Most of us in this class have no fears in this regard.)  Yesterday (Thursday), one of your classmates who was leading the warmup asked that each of us dance for eight counts.  Several people felt very uncomfortable doing this (I felt a BIT uncomfortable [remember my difficult tap dancing experience] but I think it's good for people to take creative risks and I wanted to try it).  The people who did do it said they felt good about what they had contributed and that everyone did surprisingly well.  I would like each of you to write your thoughts on what happened.  These are mine: When I don't do something creative because I'm afraid, I always have a sense of regret.  I ask myself what I was afraid of.  I see other people doing the thing that scares me and I think, "gee, they seem like they're having fun.  I could do what they're doing.  Why am I making a big deal about it?  I can do it."   But then sometimes, it's too late to jump in. The people in this class won't mock you.  We're all in the same boat!  If you can't dance, then maybe it's time to learn! I feel uncomfortable in lots of circumstances -- next week, I have to speak in front of the PAC and I feel nervous -- what if I say something silly or forget what I'm talking about or sound foolish?  But I am going to do it -- it will be good for me and good for the drama program at the school and the parents that attend will be interested and happy to hear from one of your teachers.  Whenever I have to do anything sportsy, I feel really uncomfortable and embarrassed.  I'm so BAD at every sport.  But is there shame in that?  No one is good at everything.  One of my big regrets in life is not learning to skate when my mom so wanted to teach me.  She was a terrific skater and she wanted to share her enthusiasm with me and I was embarrassed because I wasn't good at it (of course, I wasn't -- I didn't know how) and I refused.  And now, I see people skating and I long to be able to join them on the ice and I can't.  Just write whatever you think or feel about the issue.

The two parts of this journal will be worth ten marks instead of the usual five.