A truthful performance will be important to our performance
of DNA because we want to fully connect with the audience and make an impact.
We can only do this if our performance is truthful and naturalistic. If it is
not truthful it is very hard for the audience to be completely immersed in the
pay resulting in them not enjoying it as much or getting enough out of it.
Friday, 30 November 2012
Sub-text
Sub-text is thoughts not expressed directly in the text such as underlying emotions or thoughts. It is what is unspoken but still felt.
We worked out the sub-text of the monologue so we could gain a deeper understanding of what Leah is actually saying. Instead of just reading what is on the page it allows you to go deeper and understand not just what she is saying but what she is feeling as well. It also helps you know how to deliver a line because you have a better understanding of what she is trying to say and what she is really thinking.
Stanislavski
- Constantin Stanislavski was born on January 17, 1863
- He was a Russian actor and theater director
- He is best known for developing what is called the "Stanislavski method" of acting, in which an actor attempts to identify emotionally with their character
- Stanislavski died on August 7, 1938.
Non-verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication is communicating in a form other than spoken words,
such as gestures, facial expressions or body language.
I worked with Mia to create a non-verbal scene portraying someone being told that a member of their family had passed away. I was waiting nervously for any news, biting my nails to show anxiousness and to create a tense atmosphere. Mia walked in and broke the news to me just by making eye contact and resting her hand on my shoulder. We stared at eatch other for a few seconds and then Mia stepped towards me to try and give me a hug. I did not move and my hands stayed by my side as if I couldn’t move because I felt so shocked.
We made sure that the scene was truthful by making sure there was no chance of it looking over-acted or forced. This resulted in us just using eye contact and a hug at the end instead of me breaking down or getting angry. We made sure our facial expressions were not exaggerated by mostly using our eyes to convey emotion. We made sure that our body language was naturalistic by not using big gestures.
I thought Ursula's and Tyler's piece was very effective because they made their scenario different to everyone else's (a break up instead of a death). They made their body language very subtle e.g. touching each other’s hands and when they made eye-contact you could really connect with what they were feeling just from looking at their facial expressions.
I worked with Mia to create a non-verbal scene portraying someone being told that a member of their family had passed away. I was waiting nervously for any news, biting my nails to show anxiousness and to create a tense atmosphere. Mia walked in and broke the news to me just by making eye contact and resting her hand on my shoulder. We stared at eatch other for a few seconds and then Mia stepped towards me to try and give me a hug. I did not move and my hands stayed by my side as if I couldn’t move because I felt so shocked.
We made sure that the scene was truthful by making sure there was no chance of it looking over-acted or forced. This resulted in us just using eye contact and a hug at the end instead of me breaking down or getting angry. We made sure our facial expressions were not exaggerated by mostly using our eyes to convey emotion. We made sure that our body language was naturalistic by not using big gestures.
I thought Ursula's and Tyler's piece was very effective because they made their scenario different to everyone else's (a break up instead of a death). They made their body language very subtle e.g. touching each other’s hands and when they made eye-contact you could really connect with what they were feeling just from looking at their facial expressions.
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
I Don't Believe You
After discussing creating truth on stage we played a game called "I
don't believe you!". We did this to focus on naturalistic acting and how
to not over-act when you are on stage. I learnt that even tiny movements such
as facial expressions determined whether the piece looked natural or over-acted.
It also became clear that less is definitely more, making it dramatic and over
the top just made the scene unbelievable and less interesting. To make it look
natural it was apparent that you had to completely forget about the audience
because this could distract you from the scene very easily.
I also found that if you added little characteristics such as nail biting or hair fiddling it also made the character more believable and naturalistic.
One of the people that took part in the game was Skye. His performance stood out to me because he didn't need to try again because his performance was so strong and authentic the first time. His scenario was that he just got back from the hospital where he was diagnosed with cancer. Again, Skye really showed that less is more which resulted in everyone being incredibly engaged. Instead of overacting e.g. breaking down, shouting, screaming, Skye almost acted numb. It was as if you were watching the news sink in slowly and painfully through is body language and facial expressions. He came into the room slowly and locked the door behind him, staring blankly at the wall. He then walked over to a chair and just sat there in silence with his head in his hands, not crying, just looking blank and in shock. It was so affective because you could see that Skye had completely forgotten about the audience and it was as if he was not performing the character he had become the character.
I also found that if you added little characteristics such as nail biting or hair fiddling it also made the character more believable and naturalistic.
One of the people that took part in the game was Skye. His performance stood out to me because he didn't need to try again because his performance was so strong and authentic the first time. His scenario was that he just got back from the hospital where he was diagnosed with cancer. Again, Skye really showed that less is more which resulted in everyone being incredibly engaged. Instead of overacting e.g. breaking down, shouting, screaming, Skye almost acted numb. It was as if you were watching the news sink in slowly and painfully through is body language and facial expressions. He came into the room slowly and locked the door behind him, staring blankly at the wall. He then walked over to a chair and just sat there in silence with his head in his hands, not crying, just looking blank and in shock. It was so affective because you could see that Skye had completely forgotten about the audience and it was as if he was not performing the character he had become the character.
Truth On Stage
The
beginning of our lesson was focused on being 'truthful' on stage. It is very
important to create truth on stage because it enables the audience to connect
fully with the script. This can provoke emotion and feeling as well as
providing entertainment which all plays aim to do. It is very obvious when an
actor is not creating truth on stage because it seems unnatural which results
in the audience feeling disconnected and unengaged. Theatre is all about truth
and sending a message, if the piece is not truthful, it is very hard to make an
impact.
'It is
not enough for an actor just to perform, they must become'
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