Stanislavski exercises 4

Today we looked at and explored three new Stanislvaski techniques.

• Tempo Rhythm- When doing anything in life, you have an internal and external tempo rhythm. This is the tempo rhythm of how you are feeling and the rhythm of how you are acting and looking to other people. For example, if you are waiting a queue to buy tickets for your favourite band's concert and you know you may only just get one you will have quite a slow tempo rhythm on the outside as you are waiting and wanting the queue to move along so are walking slowly. On the other hand, on the inside, you have will have a very quick tempo rhythm as you are nervous and anxious about getting a ticket but also excited that you are nearly there and could be going to see your favourite bad in concert. We also looked at how tempo rhythm can differ foe people in the same circumstances. For instance, if you are an aunt or uncle and have to tell you niece and nephew there parents have died it can differ how you feel. For me, I would have quite a slow tempo rhythm as I would be carefully thinking what to say and moving to tell them however on the inside I would be feeling very panicky and also very scared for their reaction so I would have a much quicker tempo rhythm on the outside. Despite this, other people may have a quick tempo rhythm on the outside as they quickly want to tell them but a slower one on the inside as they are shocked an upset still by the news.
• Communion- This is to do with the relationships between actors and allows you to make character relationships seem more believable. The idea of communion is how well you know people, for instance if you can finish their sentences, know their feelings and almost guess what they're thinking. Although you may know some people well enough to know if they're in a good mood or not, like a teacher, you would not have communion with them as you don't know them personally enough to know what might be wrong with them or how you can help them, for example.
• Magic If- This is a very common technique and is talked about in the song from Fame the musical 'I want to make magic.' It involves you having your own interpretations and judgements to allow you to create characters and scenes. The 'if' basically means that you can create things however you interpret them and, within reason, there isn't always a right or wrong answer as everyone can play the same character differently. This is similar to how,in everyday life, people have different reaction to things. For example, if you had been having an affair with someone and were planning to meet them but suddenly received a text saying 'This isn't going to work out,' you could react angrily, confused, upset, hurt, destroyed or a mixture of these. Magic If basically means the possibility to create 'magic' on stage however you one to as you can always say 'if.'

Overview of Stanislavski techniques learnt so far

• Communion
• Magic if
• Tempo rhythm
• Super objective and objectives
• Real and dramatic I
• Before and after time
• Internal and external monitor
• Using your own emotions and experiences
• Using the given circumstances
• Centre of gravity/ balance
• Unnecessary and necessary tension
• Exercising your imagination
• Focusing your hearing
• Character observation

Exploring the character of Gregor

Today we looked at the exploring the character of Gregor and normal family life for the Samsa family.

• Our improvisation involved two scenes, one showing the family when Gregor and great were younger and one showing a normal day when they are older. We chose to do the first scene in a very naturalistic way however the second one more stylised. We used a door frame as a prop which helped with the transition between the two scenes as it was only Mrs Samsa who stayed in the acting space the whole time. To begin with, we all started at the back, turned away from the audience in a line with Greta in between Mr and Mrs Samsa. The parents then both turned round and sat down normally whilst Greta and Gregor started having a fight with Gregor pulling on my hair. This is because we were both meant to be very young and getting ready for school in the morning. We were both moaning whilst fighting and, as Greta, i tried to adapt a childish wimpy voice but also one of a 'tell-tale.' After Gregor had finally stopped tugging my hair, I looked at him and that was the cue for all of us to say 'Gregoooor.' They then told Gregor to stop it and I said in a very wimpy voice 'Mummy, he keeps annoying me!' Mrs Samsa then said 'Don't worry, I'll do you hair for you,' and I said 'He messed it all up for school Mummy.' Gregor was also being bossed around my Mr Samsa at this point and then Mrs Samsa said 'Don't forget to put Greta's lunch in her bag. You forgot yesterday,' and I added, 'Yes I was hungry!' I'm not sure if I went a little over the top with the wimpy voice although I do believe it fitted the character. Next, Gregor wen to polish the shoes and brought our breakfasts. Whilst we were eating in a slightly robotic fashion, Gregor could be seen looking very sad on his own. I also said 'Thank you Mummy' when Mrs Samsa finished combing my hair and Mr Samsa also said many other comments to Gregor like 'Pick me up a newspaper after school.' Mrs Samsa then went 'hadn't you better be getting to school dear,' and I said, 'Yes mummy - Bye,' and then skipped out of the room. Mr Samsa then said he was going of to work and dragged gregor out to go to school so then all three of us were throught the door. This was when we went into the next scene. Me and Mr Samsa then walked back into the room in a robotic fashion that fitted our character. As Greta, I tried to walk quite girly and was fidling with my hair. Mr Samsa then sat on the chair and me and Mrs Samsa stood either side. Mr Samsa then talked about Gregor and his cigars whilst me and Mrs Samsa leaned in a repeated 'beer, money, cigars, clothes.' gregor then entered and stood at the front and Mr Samsa got up and we all said the words together but in a more questioning way. gregor then said 'Oh I;m so tired and fell back onto me and Mrs Samsa and Yvonne pushed the chair underneath him. We then all leaned on him to show physically the pressure we put on him mentally and Mr Samsa asked 'So, make much money today Gregor?' She said this whilst controlling his head and whilst we were looking at him closely and he said 'Not really I wasn't feeling well' and then we all said 'Oh, how disappointing,' to end the scene. We chose to do two contrasting scenes like this to demonstrate how Gregor has always been an outcast and unappreciated by his family. Our scenes also simply showed how Gregor was not the favourite child for no reason so that is why so much pressure is put on him when he is older.
• Another effective scene was done by another group although it differed from our greatly. They did a scene involving a family trip to the beach and the many stops they make on the way. They showed Gregor carrying all the bags, being forced to obey his father and go and get things including ice cream and shoes. The thing i liked the most about the scene was when Mr Samsa was reading the newspaper and was talking about an article to so with slave children. This was very ironic as they were going on about treating your own like slaves showing they don't realise how badly they treat Gregor. Similar to ours, I think they demonstrated how Gregor is always an outcast as they showed all the other family members close and together like a family should be.

Staging a scene from Metamorphosis

Today we staged a scene from Metamorphosis using Artodian techniques.

• First, we looked at what we needed to think about when staging a scene in Artodian style. These included how to make the audience on the edge of their seats, where the audience are sitting, using sound scapes and showing things through physical actions rather than verbal.
• We then got into two groups to stage a scene near the start of Metamorphosis where Gregor realises he is ill. Despite this, we had to do it mainly off text however could add in a few lines if we wanted. Our scene started by creating Gregor's heart. We all leaned on top of each other with three of us on chairs. We then created a beating sound, an effective soundscape, and moved up and down as if Gregor was breathing in and out. Me and Lloyd kept this going and gradually made it faster and faster whilst the others starting shouting the things the family need Gregor's money to buy. Eventually, we all came out and shot our hands up, fell backwards and then all said 'Gregor' in the funny voice. The three of us then remained on the chairs and said 'Money' 'Cigars' 'Beer' 'Clothes' whilst moving our bodies forward and to the side. The others went 'tick tock' whilst Gregor tried to say hello to everyone. i thought this was effectively staged as it demonstrated how Gregor is an outcast but also how is under pressure from time. Gregor then got so angry and said 'I feel really ill,' we all dropped to the floor and then us on the chairs created the heartbeat again. Everyone else then got up around Gregor and starting to lean over him again. We did this too and all laughed histerically. Once we were all around Gregor, we created the bug shape using legs sticking u at the back and arms for antennae and his arms. We tried to make it symmetrical and, once we were all in position we dropped our heads. Gregor then screamed and we all joined in, lifted our heads, then dropped once more. We also had the audience stand around us so they could look at the scene from which ever view they wanted. I believe our scene used a few effective sound scapes and lots of actions with little words to demonstrate Gregor's feelings. Despite this, I think our scene really displayed the emotions of anger but also helplessness so communicated the right message to the audience although we didn't use the script.
• The other group's scene was also extremely effective. In contrast to ours, we were actually sitting in the scene as they had the chairs in a u shape on which they sat as well as us. They started by creating a train in the middle to show Chief Clerk calling Gregor. They then repeated actions and used lines from the script to speak to Gregor. They also got into the bug at the end using people standing on chairs. The most effective thing about their piece was the use of sounds as they really created the atmosphere of urgency and panic for Gregor. This really kept us on the edge of our seats and, due also to our effective seating, showed a great used of Artodian techniques.

Arto workshop

Today we looked at more Arto exercises by using sounds. This is because Arto believed in influencing the audience's feelings when acting and have them 'on the edge of their seats' and not to just have them sitting there thinking 'this is good acting.' Therefore, Arto believed actions are more powerful than words. This was tested as, when people asked what was the most memorable moment of 'Rent,' they could remember the lines at first but only the movements of when Charlotte died.

• First, we turned the lights off and created sounds for different emotions, going round the circle. These included boredom, anger, despair and loneliness. We could use words as well as sounds which made it very interesting and I think it was effective how not many people chose the same sound.
• We then did a similar activity but creating settings. These included the countryside, a mental asylum, a torture chamber and a street at night. I found it easier to do this as with a whole setting there are endless noises you can make that fit. For instance, for the countryside, you can use cow noises, wind noises, people noises etc.
• After that, we got into two groups to add a visual impact to the sounds. Our group had to create the countryside and the torture chamber so we all started with our backs facing away from the audience and in staggered positions. We all turned round one by one and made noises like 'trator (in farmer accent),' 'baaaaa' and the noise of a tractor which was the main drive of the scene as this noise changed into a chain saw to create the torture chamber. We then all turned round slowly again after turning back in the same order. We then made screaming noises, bone cracking noises and Jess shouted 'HELP.' We then all screamed together to end the scene. To make our scene more visual, I was on all fours as a sheep, Mauve and Jess moved around whilst making their noises and, when it changed to the torture chamber, I was Kneeling and, as Ryan made a clapping noise, I gradually cocked my head more and more to the side. Although we did have quite a few visual aspects in our scene, I believe more movement was needed.
• I found the other group's scene was very unusual but extremely effective. They each sat on a chair in a circle and we, as the audience, stood in the middle. They first created the mental asylum so all sang 'baa baa black sheep' to begin with in very interesting voices with disturbing looks on their faces. They all then started to do crazy things like self inflicting, bashing the floor and screaming. Probably the most effective thing of the whole piece I thought was the transition line 'visiting time's over.' They all then completely transformed into very busy people and acting asking for directions or calling a taxi, for example. This involved a lot more movement which created an effective contrast and was also a lot more busy and noisy. They gradually went back to the chairs and all quickly said their lines one more time to end the scene. They also went through us a lot and asked us so we could really understand their emotions, showing Arto's techniques.
• Finally, we looked at smoking. First, Rachel acted making smoking look realistic to show the general actions. We then had to add the 'Arto' touch to it and show the feelings inside her body. We did this by showing her brain on one side and lungs on the other. As the brain, they all were extremely happy and hyper and jumped around a lot when she inhaled the smoke. On the other hand, as the lungs, we breathed in and out with her and gradually coughed more, were in pain and screamed a little. We also raised one hand, pleading for her to stop. I found this a very effective exercise as it showed just how much actions can be louder than words.

Stanislavski Exercises 3

On Friday, we tested our imaginations to develop ourselves as actors. The exercises and things we discussed were:

• We discussed how when you are younger and at primary school you always use your imagination in the playground. For instance, you might play mummy's and daddy's, might use your coat as a cape or pretend you are pop stars. As you get older, we use our imaginations less and less so may find it harder when it comes to improvisations and acting in general as we are not used to being so creative. Some of the only times we think we may use our imaginations nowadays are when we write stories for English or are on our own and thinking to ourselves.
• The first exercise we did was creating a story as a group. We passed the 'story ball' across the circle and everyone had to come up with a few ideas to add to the story whilst being prompted with questions. I found this way a lot more creative as, when I have previously done this exercise, we only had to come up with one or two words each so it was more a test of grammar rather than creativity. Our story was very random as included a donkey with one human hand, a giant rabbit with a carrot onside him, a seal with breath that the donkey is a allergic to and a princess living inside the rabbit. The idea of this exercise was to let our imaginations run wild and, by using the same creativity when acting, we can make characters believable but also very amusing.
• The other exercise we did was that we all had to go through a museum type place and pass the 'baton' onto each person so that they became the leader. We had to thing of crazy ideas for what we were seeing as a group so this exercise tested being creative in a team. This makes it harder as, although at times you can create your own little ideas, you still have to make them appropriate for the 'exhibition' you are seeing. I found this exercise quite hard as everyone else had come up with such good ideas that I found it hard for mine to live up to it. We were also put on the spot which was quite difficult as I found you didn't have time to think what to do beforehand as you were too busy imagining the 'exhibition' you were 'viewing.'

Lesson

• We discussed our ideas from last lesson about 'East is East' including audience reaction, set, lighting, sound and the acting.
• A significant argument created was to do with the bridge that appears in act two. This was due to if it really had an impact on the audience and is it was really necessary to create a scene outside the house.
• Overall, most people liked the play however some people disliked the fight scenes, the characters of Meena and Sagit and the story in general.

To see how 'A View from the bridge' is set in the format of a Greek Tragedy

There are many features of Greek tragedies that compare to the play 'A View from the Bridge.'
Firstly, a Greek tragedy called 'The Clouds' has many similarities to 'A View from the Bridge.' This is because it is to do with legal skills and how people have to climb the social and financial ladder. Although there are many differences between these two plays, as the story line is a lot more traditional and Greek in 'The Clouds,' they are similar as the theme of family is also presented in this play.
The overall structure of Greek tragedies could also link to 'A View from the Bridge.' The structure of a Greek tragedy is:
Prologue
Parodos
First Episode
First Stasimon
Second Episode
Second Stasimon
Third Episode
Third Stasimon
Fourth Episode
Fourth Stasimon
Exodos
In many ways, the structure of 'A View from the Bridge' could also be shown like this. To begin with, this because the narration by Alfieri they are significant lengths of dialogue that summarise the start and end of the play.Especially at the start of the play, a lot of information is given to the audience. Due to this, it significantly links to the ideas of a prologue and parados of Greek tragedies, making it different from just ordinary narration. Although these are normally sung in Greek tragedies, I still think they can be linked together.
Another example is the idea of episodes throughout the tragedies. In 'A View from the Bridge' lots of scenes are linked together with just a few characters so they are never really all of the characters on stage at once. This is what an episode is in a Greek tragedy, suggesting another similarity. Despite this, I don't think there are really stasimons in 'A View from the Bridge' as these summarise the dialogue in the reflecting scene as there is no clear summary of the scenes. On the other hand, the narration by Alfieri really summarises one or more scenes so this could be interpreted as a stasimon.
Finally, the ending is also very similar to those of Greek tragedies as it is very tragic but also very shocking. The fact that that the narration similar to an exodus at the end of the play is quite thought-provoking also shows how the endings are similar as Greek tragedies focused on conveying a message through sudden sadness however. It also shows how 'A View from the Bridge' could not be classed as a Greek comedy as they had an exodus of celebration and often ended with joyous marriage. Therefore, although 'A View from the Bridge' does end with marriage, it links significantly to a Greek tragedy as it is not necessarily joyous.
In conclusion, there are many features of 'A View from the Bridge' that could be interpreted as having similarities with the style and structure of Greek tragedies including the start, the beginning, scene format and the overall message.

East is East brief

• We looked on the REP website to find out some background information on East is East
• We then were split into two groups and had to devise a scene to show how Tariq was an outcast. We also had to show his thoughts and use a section of the actual script. Ours involve and almost corridor effect with people on either sides. We had the main speaking characters at the back whilst the background characters had their own little conversations at the back. The other group used a more casual setting of in a pub with everyone laughing and drinking. They had Tariq further away from the group and had the other characters making fun of him. Both of the scenes were performed very well and got the point across, despite being contrasting.

Analysing A View From The Bridge

Today we analysed A View From The Bridge in many ways.

• Rehearsal Technique- Ways to help you get more in to character mentally and before hand
  Performance Technique- Ways to better your actual performance so physical things you do on stage
• Before Time- How the character would feel before the scene bearing in mind the events from the last scene and anything they may have done in between the scenes
  After Time- How the character feels after the scene and what they might have done after this scene before the next scene
• We did the before and after time for a character in the play and picked a particular scene. I chose Catherine and when she has just got back from town.
• We also chose a scene from the play and thought of an objective for each line. This can also be referred to as a wish or a want. I found it quite easy to do this however found it harder for shorter sentences. This is a rehearsal technique as it helps you get into character mentally but is not always demonstrated on stages unless by using actions or stage directions.

Stanislavski Exercises 2

The exercises we did today were:

• We had to sit on the floor and listen to the noises we heard around us. At first we tried to only hear the sounds in the room, then out to the corridor, out to the road and then back to the room. This is useful when acting as can help get you concentrated, teaches you to only focus on what you're doing so not to be distracted by the other sounds around you and also could be a way of staying in character so not being distracted.
• We also got into pairs and had to study each other and then had to close our eyes and give a description of the person and answer a question.
• The one person then also had to copy the other whilst just sitting normally and then when walking around. This showed us that when you are doing this compared to the other exercise you are not analysing as much detail as you have to think about what you're doing too and its hard to get things in exactly the same time.
• We were also given numbers and maths signs and had to create an answer to the sum using people whilst hopping and waving. This showed how concentration is hard when doing two things at once.
• We also all sat in a circle and had to imagine something we owned in our hands. We then had to describe it when asked and really look at the object to pretend that it really was sitting in our hands. Like me, most people chose an object from their bedrooms however I found this quite difficult as I kept imagining it in my bedroom rather than in my hands. Despite this, I found it quite easy to imagine other people's objects so this exercises was a good test of our imaginations and our describing skills.
• Finally, we had to close our eyes and think of a really sad moment then Sally and Rachel said how they feel and acted it.They acted it really well as you could see they really felt it and they also made me feel sympathetic. We then thought of happy emotions and i had to act it this time. I felt happy was actually a lot harder than sad as I think some of the sad feelings are still there but unless its recent i don't think the happy ones are. This technique is good to use when acting however can be a little too depressing so you need to snap out of the character quickly after.

Two contrasting conformatism scenes

Today we had to devise and perform two contrasting scenes to show if we can still relate to the message of Metamorphosis today.

• The First scene involved Ellie playing Gregor and started off with us all rising her using our hands and saying 'Gregor' in a slightly patronising and creepy voice. We then kept the voices and handed and put on her different things to force her to go to work and at the end said 'Now you can make...money!' We did this to show how Gregor needed to conform even in his bug state and was forced to work by his family. We then put our hands on 'Gregor' and pushed him to the ground to symbolise the pressure whilst saying 'beer, clothes, money, cigars' in succession. We then said them a further time together whilst on the floor and formed the bug with Gregor. The most effective thing about this scene was our use of levels as as it showed how Gregor had to conform to our standards as we were more powerful than him. The fact that we used puppetry could also show how the weak can be controlled easily and how they conform to society. This suggests how Metamorphosis can relate to the reader today so is still relevant as shows hows we should be wary of the weak.
• The second scene was a very typical school corridor scene. At the end of the first scene, we were all on the floor do moved into the next scene Ellie finding her lip gloss on the floor. We then all stood on chairs in a diagonal line and all together we reached for the lip gloss, put it on from left to right and then rubbed it in. Lloyd then walked across wearing a scarf and we all turned with our hands on our hips to look at him in disgust. We then made various comments about how she was a fashion reject as he was acting as if he was a tomboy but we were all very stereotypical girls. We then showed a complete contrast as when Yvonne had the scarf, we all had how lovely it was and wanted one of our own. We then all looked at Lloyd at the end to show that, even though one of us now had the same scarf, he still wasn't allowed to be part of our group. This shows that fashions change and how trying to conform in one society may be different to another. I think it links to Metamorphosis as it demonstrates how easily people are outcast. In these cases, it was only a scarf that Lloyd was discriminated for and, although it is quite a big thing to be transformed into a bug, he was still part of the family so I understand they outcast him too easily.

First dualogue performance

I have a mixed opinion of my first duologue performance. Firstly, I found I did quite well remembering my lines. Although I may have missed a couple of little line out, I remembered all of the important ones and felt I did not show I'd forgotten a few. I also felt I remained in character and did not really laugh which I felt was an achievement!
I also felt my accent was not too bad but I did not feel I was loud or overpowering enough. This is something I definitely need to work on as I don't normally play those kind of characters. I also felt that I maybe didn't make my character so believable as I played the character very differently to other people. This is because I focused more on being angry rather than fantasising over 'big men' which I think I should have focused on more as I think this would have made it a more effective and believable piece. I also think I needed to attack, emphasise and slow down the words a little more.
Finally, I feel that although I was not too nervous when performing the duologue, I still need to improve my confidence and audience and awareness when acting. Overall, I believe my first duologue performance was a good start but now I know what I have to improve on.

More Stanislavski Exercises

• Today we looked at ways to relieve unnecessary tension when acting.
• Internal Monitor- the way you are tensing and how your muscles are feeling
• External monitor- how you look from the outside
• Eg you could be reaching up to try and get something so that would come from your external monitor but if you are tensing it will come from your internal monitor so will make it more realistic

Exercises:

• We tensed our heads and subtracted 1 from 100, then 2 from that number, 3 from that number etc and found it was a lot more difficult that it normally would be. We concluded this was because we were concentrating on doing two things at once and you do things better when you are in a relaxed frame of mind as your brain functions more easily
• We also had an imaginary fence across the room and had to crawl under it however it was very low and got lower each time. It links to how you should be when acting as because we really wanted to not touch the fence and really pretended it was there, you should have the same motivation when acting even though you are pretending
• We had to lie on the floor and stretch certain parts of our bodies to get rid of the unnecessary tension
• We also had to watch someone stack 4 chairs and put them on a table and shout out which parts of the body they were tensing. They then had to do the exact same thing and we had to decide where the unnecessary tension was eg because we were watching him. He then tried to relieve his tension which should be done when performing to make it more believable to show you are not unnecessarily aware of the audience
• We also had to walk round the room and shout which parts of the body we were tensing when walking normally to relieve it and have a greater awareness of our internal monitor.
• We also had to pretend we were cats and pretend to be defensive and then going to sleep to learn how tension can make a performance more realistic
• We also learnt about our centre of gravity and had to rock back on a chair, stand on a chair and stand on the ground and lean to see how far we could go to show how centre of gravity changes
• We also became rag dolls and had to tense one part of our body and relax the rest to discover more about what tensing one part of the body only can do to the other parts
• Finally, we mimed lifting and moving different objects eg a small table, a table with a glass of water in the middle, a bucket full of water, a cupboard, to use what we had learnt about tension to make our mimes the best mimes we had ever done

Stanislavski exercises

• 'Given Circumstances' - This is what Stanislavski works around to build a character eg the setting, the date, the relationships between people, where people have come from
• Stanislavski's ideas were adapted into 'The System' or 'The Method' that are still used widely by many actors today for example famous film actors like Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman use his techniques
• Real I- us
• Dramatic I- the character
• We did the walking exercise although, when I have done this exercise previously, we have been put in pairs and one person had to copy the other and then we switched, this time we just started by all walking around. We then had to pick someone across the room and when told to do so, walk behind and copy them. For me, this caused a problem as the person I had picked to copy was already copying me!
• We also did an exercise where the whole class had to watch one person in the class's actions and follow them exactly and this included whilst speaking, whilst walking and also whilst normally standing still.
• Another exercise was where we were tricked into looking for a pen so, for the first time round, had real motivation to find the pen. We then had to re-act the scene exactly as it was. It showed that when acting, you know exactly what's going to happen so, to be a very good actor, you need to have the same motivation the character would however not over act it.
• Similarly, someone sat in the middle and pretended to read a book without actually reading the words on the page. I learnt that, to make it as natural as possible, you need to not stay too still as normal people tend to fidget and also to be careful of the expression on your face even though you are reading. How your eyes move is also very important when acting this particular action.
• I also learnt that it is useful to observe people often to build up a personal bank of characteristics for example different walking styles. This helps when getting into a character as it makes it more believable as if for instance you were playing someone who was quite bossy you probably wouldn't walk very slowly or slightly hunched.
• After the lesson, I observed the characteristics of one of my friends. I noticed how how she always sat with one leg over the other and was always moving her one foot. I also noticed she was often twiddling with her hair or fiddling with her nails. I also noticed that when she walked she led from her feet and also moved her arms slowly if they were not in her pockets. She also looked down quite a lot. From this, I learnt that I could adopt these similar characteristics when playing someone who is not overly loud but not overly quiet as that is the personality of my friend.