Wednesday, January 13

VOICE
In the beginning of class, we were working with focusing our voices, and Voice Professor had us use our hands like "goggles" to help us focus on where to send the sound. We started our sent phrases with the words "Hey you!". It eventually got pretty silly. ("Hey you, get off of my cloud!"; "Hey you, these 3D glasses don't work!"; "Hey you, get away from my car!"; "Hey you, this is MY car!")

I did my screaming/shouting individual practice in the theatre. So basically, I stood on stage with Voice Professor and screamed and shouted while my classmates were in the last few rows of the audience.

I asked Voice Professor if I could work on a modified scream: I wanted to do a good spring break "WOOOOOOOOO!" I'm a pretty good shouter, and I don't often have to scream on stage, but I do a lot of "WOOOO!"-ing in my real life, and I want to make sure that I'm keeping my voice healthy when I'm off stage, too. She thought it was funny, I think. She said that technically it's somewhere between a scream and a shout, as it isn't on text but does have a specific sound.

Our homework is to write up all the steps we go through to prepare our voices, as well as what each step does.


MOVEMENT
After lifting weights and doing barre work, Killer and I got to start blocking our partnering exercise today. And it was exhausting. It's not really ballet, and it's not really modern... I felt like a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance. One who was about to be voted off the show.

It was fun, though. It involves some lifts, and falling, and dragging, and is generally ridiculous. I think I'm going to propose to Killer (are you reading this?) that we come up with a story to tell through the choreography, to make things more specific. But honestly, I have no idea what this story could possibly be.


ACTING
More people did their monologues. Things I wrote down today included:

- Trust yourself
- Live in Reality #2
- Make specific notes on doings
- A good reason to change the way you're looking at a prop on stage is needing to see it in better lighting
- "share a secret" is a useful doing

Tuesday, January 12

MOVEMENT
Due to some scheduling rearrangement to help the Rep season, we had Movement first today, which we really haven't done since 1st-year. It was ROUGH. Ballet is not a good "first thing in the morning" activity for us.

We lifted weights. I've been using 3-pound weights. Last year, I got up to 8-pound weights at one point, so I kind of feel pathetic about it. And every day that we lift, I start off thinking, "This is way too easy. I need heavier weights." But by the end of lifting, they feel like fifty pound weights, and my arms are about to fall off. So I guess I'll be sticking to my pathetic 3-pounders for the time being.




VOICE
We met in the small theatre to work on our vocal extremes. Just basic screaming and shouting stuff. We have a pratical exam later in the week.

Voice Professor asked us to review our text from last year from Cowboy Mouth. I don't remember much of it, except wanting an electric dishwasher and a black baby lamb with a bell in its tail... I hope I can find it.



ACTING
We've been working on our Shakespeare monologues, and it was my day to work.

I'm doing a spliced-together Constance monologue from King John , of which I'm very fond. The first time through, it felt off. I think I was nervous, which I hate. I get nervous sometimes the first time I do something. Not even just in theatre, but in life. My 1st-year Acting Professor said that if you're nervous, it's usually a sign that your tools aren't sharp enough, and you're not doing enough work on your own. He's a genius, so I'm going to go ahead and trust that he's right... I know he is. But honestly, even when my tools are at their sharpest, I still get nervous sometimes. Dirty little secret.

We worked on it, and it got better each go through, as it always does. Acting Professoressa says that my biggest thing to overcome as an actor is a tendency to play my emotions instead of my need. I don't know when I'm doing it and when I'm not, as I feel very connected to the character and the situation throughout... Hopefully I'll get a feel for it soon.

A great note from the day was in regards to playing "evil" characters. You don't play evil; you try to get away with it. I liked that.

Quotations: Volume 45

Here are some of the educational, inspirational, and humorous quotations from my classes this week:

(Disclaimer: quotations are often taken out of context and may not accurately reflect the way they were originally intended)


"Um, Stage Combat... I may be the only faculty person in the building during Stage Combat, so I might be in charge of it. Not sure how that's gonna work."
- Voice Professor

"We're going to be busy. We're going to be in Machinal. And the right after we'll be in The Game of Love and Chance. Is that the name of the play? (group collectively says 'yes') Oh, good. That would've been embarrassing for me."
- Voice Professor

"Don't send any play suggestions to me. I'm watching Say Yes to the Dress. I'm not reading that."
- Voice Professor, after people had asked if they could submit suggestions of plays for the theatre to produce next year

"This shouldn't hurt. Ballet shouldn't hurt. At least, not now. It should hurt tomorrow."
- Movement Professor

"...And of course Marivaux is an outgrowth of them. I meant a descendent, not an outgrowth. He's not a fungus."
- Movement Professor, after talking about Moliere and other French playwrights of the time period

"I took speed once. I was awake for four days. [...] I liked it so much that I knew I could never do drugs again."
- [name withheld to protect the guilty]

(while discussing Killer's need in his Romeo monologue, a possibility was that Romeo was trying to get the Friar to give him a miracle)
Acting Professoressa: So this means you are endowing the Friar with the ability to carry out miracles.
O.D.: Would you like me to stand in for that then?

"I don't have a syllabus for you. I'll have one on Tuesday. But, briefly, the syllabus says... the same old crap."
- Acting Professoressa

"Think about what will happen when your granddaughter finds this in the future. She'll read your notes, see all your work... It's inspiring."
- Acting Professoressa, trying to motivate us to do our labor-intensive Shakespeare Workbook homework

"The man is dying, but must the play die?"
- Acting Professoressa, after Iceman's first attempt at his monologue where he plays a dying man

Friday, January 8

VOICE
Okay, so today was exciting because we learned a new tremoring position! It's one that the 1st-year class had already learned, but we skipped for some reason. So Wifey requested that we learn it, and today we did! It's called the Cross-Body Tremor, and it's similar to a cross-body stretch that we do in Movement Class. I think it's going to be good for our hip flexors.

After destructuring, we went over our vocal extreme work with shouting and yelling. Everyone seems to be remembering it very well.


MOVEMENT
We started off with lifting weights to music. My weights are 3 pounds. When we started today, I began to think that I should move up to 5-pound weights, because things were a little too easy. But then in a couple of other things we did, 3-pound weights were PLENTY... although that might've been the lifts, or it might've been fatigue (I'm not known for my endurance).

We did some barre work, which is always fun. It turns out I've been doing my "sous-sus" wrong this whole time, so Movement Professor helped me get into a better position today.

Oh! And giant step forward: I'm allowed to look in the mirror now! Last semester, Movement Professor would intentionally put me behind people who were taller than I am so that I couldn't see my body in the mirror. She said that it was important for me to feel the positions, instead of relying on what I was seeing. But in my assessment, she said I was mirror-ready, so today, I finally got to see myself! I was seriously excited about it. Probably more than anyone else in my class would be.

Today was the first of the "short classes". Most of us were excused at 11:15, and then Movement Professor worked with Newbie and O.D. on their duet.


ACTING
We discussed our process with our monologue notebooks a bit, and then a few people jumped up and started working. Today it was Iceman and Two-Shots-Up, and we started on Killer's.

Thursday, January 7

The first day of a new semester, and already I'm up later than I should be, writing a blog post.

This is my final semester of normal classes (even though I have a year and a half of grad school left). And this semester is short! Due to the Roy Hart workshop, Film workshop, Stage Combat workshop, and Cold Readings workshop... as well as Spring Break Week and Production Week (which we're required to be here for because we have performances of Machinal, but don't have classes during), it's not the usual length. I think that, as a result, everything is going to feel fast and intense, as we have to squeeze a ton in to the classes that we do have.

Today, we just had Voice class and Movement class.


VOICE
Voice Professor gave us a syllabus. This semester, the big things we're working on are:
- One Voice; Volume
- New York Dialect
- Irish Dialect

Everything seems pretty straightforward. Irish is a really hard dialect, so it's a larger portion of our grade than New York. Originally, we were going to do three dialects this semester, but Voice Professor thinks that doing two dialects and really delving into them might be better training for "how to learn a dialect" than learning an additional one but having less time for each.

Voice Professor said to look over our notes for "Screaming Without Suffering" before class tomorrow.


MOVEMENT
We only have 10 Movement classes before our Roy Hart workshop. We're going to meet 9 of those days and start by doing a Ballet Barre as a class. Then, most of the class will be excused so that Movement Professor can meet with us to work on duets, which will be a combination of contact improv and ballet. Our duet pairings are:

- O.D. & Newbie
- Iceman & Wifey
- Killer & Angela
- Thrill & Two-Shots-Up
- D-Train & All-The-Way
- Big Show & Newbie

(Five of the pairings are ones that we did Contact Improv with for our Showing, and then Newbie is going twice because we have one more male than female.)

Movement Professor wants us to put aside at least half an hour every day to work with our partners outside of class. She says that rehearsing in small chunks is going to be the best way to get a lot done. We'll be showing the class our work on January 20.

For our Stage Combat workshop, we will most likely be put into M/M and F/F scenes. We're up for certification this year! CRAZY! 3rd-Year AG will be probably going through testing with us, as she was injured last year and couldn't test with her class.

After that, we move into Elizabethan, Restoration, and Baroque styles. We'll be starting off with short research projects, where groups will just share 30 interesting facts on their topic, as it relates to theatre. The groups are:

O.D., Newbie, & Angela - Spanish Baroque & Golden Age
All-The-Way, Killer, & Iceman - France & Italy
Big Show, Two-Shots-Up, Thrill - Elizabethan
D-Train, Wifey - Restoration

From there, we'll learn three dances, all of which Movement Professor had to spell for me:
- Pavan (a Spanish walking-style dance)
- French Menuet (which is different than an English Minuet)
- Gigue (which sounds like "Jig", but with a "zh" sound...) or another quick-stepping dance

For Restoration, we'll be doing "Stuffed Turkeys" (aka monologues from Restoration plays which are jam packed full of movement metaphors, and which looked AWESOME when we saw the current 3rd-years do them at their showing last year). And we're going to have to get Restoration costumes. For ladies, that involves corsets, fans, handkerchiefs, skirts, soft blouses with open necks, and petticoats (or something that Movement Professor said that sounded like "pan-gay", but I have no idea what that means). For gentlemen, it means tights, breeches, shirt with draping off the cuffs, handkerchief, high heels (which she recommended they buy at a specialty store for drag queens in order to find shoes that will fit), and short pants (because calves were eroticized).

And in the final weeks, we'll be doing Commedia! Movement Professor has been telling me since the first month I was here that she thinks I'm built for Commedia, so I'm filled with anticipation. She wants us all to find the "type" that we want to play (she has already suggested that I should be a Colombina). Then, we will bring in 10 interesting facts about our type (including the animal they were identified with, and the common predicaments they find themselves in). We're going to learn something called "Grammalot", which is a type of gibberish created by using the common sounds of a language. I'm geeked!



THEATRE
Last night, I attended the opening of Blue/Orange, which stars my classmates D-Train, Thrill, and Big Show. They did a stellar job, and I'm super proud of them. As All-The-Way said to me after the performance, it shows all three of them off really well. It's funny, but also intense. And they pulled it off. (I love you, fellas!) If you're in town, don't miss it!

Catch up Post!

This is my Semester Wrap-Up post, which is much needed.

First of all, the traditional end-of-semester photographs:


Back Row: Iceman, Wifey, Big Show, Two-Shots-Up, Thrill, Killer
Front Row: Newbie, D-Train, O.D., Angela, All-The-Way


Back Row: Iceman, Wifey, Big Show, Two-Shots-Up, Thrill, Killer
Front Row: Newbie, D-Train, O.D., Angela, All-The-Way


MUSICAL THEATRE WORKSHOP
When we started our workshop Sunday, David started by talking about what his goals were for us. He talked about watching Maria Callas on YouTube, and then watching Joan Sutherland. Or Ella Fitzgerald versus Billie Holliday. He wanted us to be able to act the song, like Frank Sinatra (whom David considers to be the greatest pop singer of the 20th century, because he's so human in his music).

A sampling of the notes I took during the workshop:
- Mike Nichols says he directs a scene by summing it up in one sentence beforehand.
- We don't really want to see a character, as much as we want to see a person being real and being themselves.
- You have to find the character before anything happens. During the musical introduction, don't just sit there waiting to sing. Be alive.
- Try to never need the director.
- Use every part of the song. Don't waste any moments. Just like the Inuits use the whale.
- Don't be afraid of going too far. Most people are so afraid that they don't go far enough.
- If you go to NYC to be an actor, look into Actor's Connection, One-On-One, and The Network. They do actually get people work.
- Just look for the conflicts, and your work is done for you.
- Before an audition, do your pieces before a few people, and tell them you don't want any feedback except for, "You're great!"

It was an incredible experience, just like last year was. Thanks, David!


Back Row: 1st-Year BB, D-Train, Iceman, 1st-Year JaS, Wifey, 1st-Year JoS, 1st-Year MD, 1st-Year GK, 1st-Year JMM, Newbie, Angela
Middle Row: Killer, Thrill, 1st-Year LB, Two-Shots-Up
Front Row: All-The-Way, David, O.D., Music Director


Back Row: Angela, Big Show, Wifey, 1st-Year TS, 1st-Year KC, 1st-Year BB, 1st-Year JoS
Middle Row: 1st-Year JMM, David, 1st-Year AS, Music Director, 1st-Year GP, 1st-Year SDW, 1st-Year GK
Front Row: O.D., Iceman, D-Train, Two-Shots-Up, Killer, 1st-Year MD, Newbie, All-The-Way


I'm not even going to try to explain who is who in this one. :)


ASSESSMENTS
My assessments went very well. At one point, Head of Program said, "Angela, you are the perfect student." ;)

Things I need to work on in my *gasp* last semester of classes will include:
- develop a greater sense of feminine refinement
- work with subtler choices and nuance
- work on "characters who aren't so sure of themselves, who don't have all the answers, or who are out of balance"
- increase overall strength and awareness of what my body is doing, specifically with my limbs
- continue to focus on not locking my knees


ACTING
I have an assignment due next Tuesday that I've barely started on... Whoops. It's called "The Monologue Workbook". It has several steps, including...

Gettings Started: Put the monologue in context (i.e. read the entire play from which your monologue comes)

1. Clarify Meanings (look up definitions of all words in monologue)

2. Paraphrasing (maintaining the structure/syntax/punctuation of the original monologue -- including same parts of speech --
paraphrase entire monologue... we must account for every word)

3. Scansion & Breathing (on 1st copy of the monologue and scan the entire thing, as well as intended breathing points)

4. First Acting Concerns (on the 2nd copy)
a. Explain the inciting incident (in the form of dialogue, if possible)
b. Note your need in one simple statement
c. Divide the monologue into actor beats
d. Identify specific, non-intellectual doings for each beat
e. Explain the consequences of failing to get your need met
f. Describe your dream ending

5. Finding Antithesis (on 3rd copy, circle each thesis and antithesis and connect with a line, using a different color for each pair)

6. Finding Alliteration (on 4th copy)

7. Finding Assonance (on 5th copy)

8. Other Verbal Devices (on 6th copy, point out historic rhymes, end rhymes, puns, bawdy, oxymoron, paradox, repetition, personification, apostrophe, and asides)

9. Analyzing Imagery (on 7th copy, note imagery and show how it relates to the theme of the speech)

10. Point of View (on 8th copy, describe point of view on the world, and points of view on the persons to whom you are speaking, as well as point of view on yourself)

11. Literary Research (look at notes for several editions of the text. Write down top three discoveries)

12. Performance History (Check into the history of performances of your role. Write down top three discoveries)


As you can see, I have a lot of work ahead of me. But I think it's going to be fascinating. :)


LATE NIGHT: TUNES FOR TWO
The first Late Night (aka student produced theatre piece) of 2010 was "Tunes for Two", which was an evening of duets. It was so much fun! I sat front row center (as I like to do at Late Nights). I loved it. I hope I can be in the next one!

Link Love 2

I figured it was time for another round of Link Love. Here are some more theatrical links from around the web that I've bookmarked since the last Link Love post.



99 Seats

The Abundant Artist

The Actor's Voice

atélier toira

Bethany D. Hart: Support the Arts. Kiss an Actress

The Blog of Photographer and Make-Up Artist Bradford Rogne

The Casting Corner

Casting Scoop

Commercial Success

Dear Old Hollywood

First Person (by Back Stage)

JB in Hollywood

Lifeisbutastage

Los Angeles Acting blog by David August

Michael Davidson's MFA Blog (He started it in September, and he's the only blogger I know of that blogs regularly about the process of getting an MFA in Acting aside from myself)

Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily

Passing Understanding

Secret Agent

Shenita Moore's Life As An Actor

The Show Biz

Sparkling Starlet: Actress in the Making