Shakespeare initial responces

Monday the 3rd of December

                                                          Today, in groups, we wrote on a large piece of sugar paper with Shakespeare in the middle. And each of us in the group wrote what   Shakespeare means to us and what primarily comes to mind when we     hear his name. We then, with us and the separate groups all presented them to the class.

We also as groups, got given snippets of the scripts and then had to come up with acted scenes and perform them to the class. our groups were numbered by the 5 pieces of paper we all wrote on. My group was number four and our scene told the scene of when Macduff convinces Malcom to get an army together because Macbeth has completely lost the plot and is going to kill Lady Macduff and her kids. Then Macbeth kills them, which was our final semi - scene. I felt that our shortened version worked pretty well because it helped me understand the story, because most of use studied this for GCSE English so the story came flooding back. Also with our shortened presentation of the story, also helped convey and show off the key scenes which also helped me understand the major and important plot points. 

Tuesday the 4th December

when I first heard that we will be doing Shakespeare's play Macbeth ; I originally thought that it will be the Greek theatre stuff all over again. That its far beyond my time, and that the language would be too in-depth and far too hard to learn. I also thought if I land a role of one of the main characters, even though no small part is too small or insignificant, it would be a huge responsibility that I would feel pressure from, more so than other plays that we have done. Macbeth is a world wide known play so to muck up anywhere down the line would be embarrassing and because it is much loved I would feel I've let myself down as well as the audience and Mr Shakespeare himself. 

Thursday the 6th December 

Upon doing a class reading of the script we got given Monday, I feel a bit more ready for the hard work and the performance beginning week of March 11th. 

The script seems easy to learn, its also quite straight forward the language now that we read it, because before in English we had the full version which was a lot longer and we had to analyse the language, so now we read the shortened version and read it normally it seems a lot less complex than first impressions. 

Now that we read the whole play, I have realised that every character has their own significance whether small or big. I'm pretty fond of the play, it will be a challenge, a big responsibility but every piece of drama is a responsibility if you look at it like that because you're selling the play. 

But I do like the play, and we can make the play and characters our own because ever version is different.  

Evaluation for our performance on 29th November

https://youtu.be/usqD31cME6s

From performing our Chekov pieces, I feel it went really successfully. I feel that over the past few weeks of rehearsing this particular piece, I have improved immensely and thoroughly. Rob has taught us well and Sharon too, and I feel that their methods and support has helped a great deal to help me change and shape as a young actor.

I feel that the skills I already have adopted are;

- Confidence

-Voice projection

- Memory

- Practise

- Use of space

- Respect

- Thick skin

My own thoughts

Other Skills I feel I have developed are adlibbing. This is when you know your character too well that you can actually add little mannerisms or actions that define your character and help mould and bring it to life. It also brings your character down to earth and make them real and believable, otherwise it just shows you have learnt the script and that's it, you want to basically become that exact character. I feel that I show awareness, especially of the other characters. But when using the fourth wall, which blots out the audience, you are partially aware that the audience is there but it helps to pretend not so you are in one with your character. I am aware with the other characters around me because it makes the scene look real because you are interacting with them naturally and authentically. 

I am quite good at making a piece seem natural. Since we were using the naturalism that Stanislavsky had practised I felt that this is why I felt a lot more confident with performing this piece than I had done the previous time round. I feel that the style suits my ability really well and I felt more comfortable.

Others thoughts

Someone had thought that I did a fantastic job of portraying the, "older man",. They felt I portrayed it really well with good tonality, pitching, mannerisms and gait ( way of walking). They said I used a good range of facial expressions, and movement. I also kept in character throughout. 

Another had thought that I had great creativity and good use of my props. I had a cane so it was well rehearsed with and it didn't look over used or too much. The communication with me , my character and the audience was really good. They also said I have thick skin. This means that you take whatever the audience throw at you either abuse or people laughing constantly throughout; you take it with a pinch of salt and don't let it affect you. They said my character was very quirky but you didn't care what anyone had to say and I just got on with it. 

another commented that to work on, I should have made my walk a bit more elderly to appear fully old because it seemed that torso upwards I came across like an old man, but my legs appeared youthful. But they really enjoyed watching it and they loved every minute of it. 

Teacher's notes 

Rob said that I should keep my eyeline up. I spent a few times looking at the floor, which didn't seem that natural; to make it that little bit more natural look to the back of the room instead. I had my knees bent this time and didn't look awkward. He also said that the communication and listening with my fellow actor lucky worked really well. It appeared natural and like we genuinely were talking other than the fact that we had just learnt a script, and that was what Stanislavsky tried to put forward.  

Why improvisation is important and how can it be applied usefully

Today when working with Sharon, and most of our course we have been taught this, and that is the art of improvisation. It is a plot that devised from the very moment that it is created in. We were told as part of the lesson to ,  still playing our characters - in this instance from the seagull, create a piece improved on the spot. But because we know the story and our characters well then we will be able to tell the story back to the class in our own words.

The whole idea of improvisation is to show that you know your character like they are your best mate, like a silent companion. If you know your character well enough you can play them in spontaneous moments and play them like you are playing yourself. Improv also helps with making your character seem more natural, and more everyday like. It makes your character feel like someone you know. When you get to the point where you know your character inside out then, you will adopt the mannerisms or accent far more naturally than starting out at the beginning of the rehearsal journey. When you get to the stage of rehearsal that you know your character well, then you can come up with a scene that never was , with other cast members and that way the other actors playing the audience members will still know your character is as good as it is in the scripted scenes.

Another point of improvisation is that , some plays aren't well known and people will only know your character through what they are seeing on stage without any contextual knowledge of it. So if it be that you forget the lines, you can use improv to , using context of the scene and the knowledge of your character, come up with the gist of what is happening in the scene. Also, say another actor forgot their cue to be on stage, using your initiative you could improvise the scene to make it seem like it was meant to happen and the audience will know no better.
It is also useful to use to explore your character. improvisation can help you discover the dos and don'ts of your part. An example being that an actor whose played the role for quite a while will automatically know, that if something different is in the script that the characters never done before or, the actor may feel that it doesn't fit because they know their character inside out what's been added in the new script  is out of character or just something that don't fit the characters personality.

drawing back to our lesson, when we were told to devise a scene that weren't part of the script, but this will be used to convey the story in our own words playing the same characters though, it was quite easy because we all knew the script because we've been working on it for a few weeks now, so the actions displayed by the character and the personality seemed to come naturally .

A few examples of improvisation in movies we know are as follows;

- Silence of the lambs - Hiss

when discussing his cannibalistic venture, with one of the famous lines from the movie, " I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti", ending the line with a scary hiss. Hopkins had been doing this as a joke in rehearsal to scare fellow actress Jodie Foster but decided to add it into the scene for a terrifying effect because it delivered a skin-crawling moment.

- Good will hunting - late wife's flatulence.

Whiz kid played by Matt Damon , with help from therapist played by late Robin Williams told a story to try and get him to open up about his emotions. When he decides to share the memory, hunting starts laughing hysterically. The entire scene was improvised by Williams mid scene, and matt Damon's laugh was actually a genuine fit of laughter. If you watch the scene closely, the camera is quite jumpy most likely because the cameraman himself is laughing too.

- The dark knight- slow clapping

As the joker (Heath Ledger) is arrested and waits quietly alone in jail, the mayor of Gotham comes to find the latest capture. He promotes Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) to commissioner.
all the officers applaud the good news, an unscripted, ledger begins to slowly clap without changing the expression on his face, it was a darkly great improv from the late Heath ledger.

who what where why when ; Guide to stanislavsky

Sharon had taught us the seven main rules that Stanislavsky went by when analysing our characters.

1.)  who am I?

You have to think to yourself who your character actually is. Picture what they look like too and that can help mould how you play them. You need to get a good idea what social class they have, that can affect the status they have over other characters. But thinking of who your character actually is will make it easier for you to play the part of them because you will have a rough idea how they act. 

2.) Where am I?

close to the first one, but knowing where you are situated around the world will help a lot when playing your character. a person acts differently from where they come from. Family values may be different and how they act around family and friends depending where they are geographically. People from England live differently to those do in America or Russia, so knowing this information will help you play your character true to life. 

3.) What time is it?

knowing the decade when your character comes from will also be very useful when coming to playing them. people from the 1960s or 1980s appear to perform differently to those who live now in present day. They will have dressed differently with different materials and things that were popular to that period , than what may be the in thing now. They would have spoke differently, slang in the 1960s would be a lot different to the street slang used today. for example during London around the time of the 50s and 60s, cockney rhyming slang was used but it still exists today just not across some youth groups, but when adlibbing in a piece of drama if your playing a chap from the 60s you may sneak a little of that in to the play you're doing to make it seem that more authentic and true. But my main point is that knowing the decade is key because that alters how the character behaves and looks.

4.) What do I want?

In other words, your main objective. your characters back story may be that their an alcoholic. Their objective may be to get over their addiction or give in to it. A more subtle example could mean that that want to find love so across the whole play, their super objective, could be that the end up married at the end. My point is that you need to know what your character wants to know why they actually wants otherwise their point in the play is irrelevant, all characters want something , some wants may be explicit and some may be vague so you need to dig deep with in depth analysis of your part.

5.) Why do I want it?

When you've discovered their wants, you then need to know why your character wants what they want.  linking back to my previous example, that someone may want to find love; do they really want to be loved perhaps because their parents never showed them any form of love or is it just so they have nothing better to do? when you realise why they want it you can think of ways to play them differently than first imagined or how you should really play them true to word. 

6.) How will I get what I want?

This is built upon the characters actions. They may commit a murder to get want they want or even theft. Or they could be shown to be hardworking and determined to get what they want. You also as an actor must think how your character will get what they want because it must also suit the character. You don't want to do something out of character that would have probably been done by another that isn't yours. you want to keep in character throughout, and its little mannerisms including actions that make up your character, so you must show this through the strategies to their wants. 

7.) What must overcome  to get what I want?

Are there any obstacles in their way preventing the character you are playing to get what they want. For example if they love someone else but is already in a relationship and they're trying to get to that person they will have to come to terms with the affair and the obstacle may be emotion as well as the anger from the other person, because trust has been lost. Another example is if they want be big in life, but their social class and financial state may get in their way , even though they shouldn't give up and should aim high. 

Context/ Stanislavski and his practises

                     Constantin Stanislavski (1863 - 1938)

- He co-founded the Moscow art theatre in 1897. He studied acting as a teen and became a highly proclaimed director and thespian. He developed a process called method acting, an example of modern day method acting would be that if an actor got a role as a surgeon or a fireman, they would take it upon themselves in their own time to study the role and maybe take themselves to the workplace of the character's profession to take notes on mannerisms and how the profession actually works so the actor can play their role truthfully.

- During Stanislavsky's reign of theatre in Russia, the communist revelation was occurring at the time also knowns as the Great October socialist revolution. Its the overthrowing the interim provisional government and established the soviet union. it was a much more deliberate event orchestrated by a smaller group of people.

- He wanted people to really put themselves out there in their roles. He wanted people to really embody and sort of become their role. He believed that it should represent natural life but that the audience should take in what they have seen, accept that it is fiction but should see that there is truth in the element and that what ever has occurred to the characters that that can happen in reality. He practised the analogy that there is an imaginary 4th wall, dividing the audience and the actors. this method was used effectively because he wanted the actors to properly feel the role that they are playing and it will help them get into the zone within the story of the script and escape reality because at that given moment they are playing a character and not themselves.
He also practised the technique of given circumstances. These are the unchangeable facts that are given to the actor like gender name and period and social class. For example if an actor was playing a female from the 19th century, she wouldn't have as many rights as the modern day woman would do maybe because of social class or in this example gender. The actors must take this on board to play their parts as truefully as they can.

- After the revolution in 1917, his factories and businesses were seized by the socialist and spread out nationally but he was allowed to keep his mansion in Moscow. As communism was the way of life hereafter in Russia for a period of time he gave up all his possessions and took up writing and directing. He became the principle director of the Moscow theatre for the rest of his life. even before and after the Russian revolution and leading into the 20s and 30s, he witnessed rivalry between his ex students. Some even immigrated out of Russia and others fought for the share of the success. His Moscow art theatre eventually was divided into separate companies.