As the Dramatic Arts class ended I reflected on how I did this past semester. From the first project to the final performance I think that I have improved within this course. Although I wouldn't call myself a top notch actor (yet) I do think that I am better at performing then I was back at the start of the semester back in the fall. My first project was a monologue about a kid who was upset that his dad is working so much that he isn't spending enough time with the family. My first draft of that didn't go so well as it was hard to take it seriously and I ended up laughing about it (looking back the lines seemed kinda stupid being said out loud). However I was able to work on it and get it through the skit again without laughing. Afterwards i did a songologue to "Wake Me Up" by Avicii which I personally thought was much better than the original project because it was serious and I was able to take it seriously and apply emotion to it. After wards I had a group project with Jess, Jeff and Jordan which was about a kid and his friend fighting over whether or not they wanted to play video games or ride skateboards. I directed instead of acted. It was a little harder directing people as you have to take control and make sure everything gets done, but it worked in the end. My favorite project in this class was the parody of the office that we did when we replicated a clip famous scene from the show entitled "The Quiet Game" with Kylie, Jess (as the director), Jeff, Jordan, Lili and Brooklyn. I portrayed the character Dwight. There was little to no lines however in this skit so in order to carry the scene along we had to use facial expressions and body language for the scene to make sense. It was hard because we had to make sure to use our faces and our bodies correctly. But in the end it was very fun (and helped for the next project) and was funny to watch after it was done. After thanksgiving break we had a silent film project. My project was with Jeff, Mao and Lili. It was meant to be a mystery about a detective who killed three people in his way from getting a box of pearls. It was challenging because all sound was taken out so we had to use a lot of facial expressions and body language to make the story flow easily. The final project was anything we wanted to do. I partnered up with Brooklyn and Kylie to create a dance scene composed of three solos and one big dance all together. My solo or variation was the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy which is very light and happy. Each dance showed an emotion, Brooklyn was sadness and Kylie was anger. So we had to keep of facial expressions and the choreography matching the emotion of our dance.
Overall I think that I saw improvements in my self when it came to showing emotion and using body language and overall performance quality. I think that this class was very fun and helpful and I'm definitely going to miss it and the people of the class. It was a very interesting course and I think it helped me a lot.
Good Bye Theater Blog!
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Friday, December 7, 2018
Final Proposal
Final Proposal:
For my final project of this class I would like to do a dance performance with Brooklyn and Kylie. It will be set up as my dancing a more happy dance (the sugar plum variation) then Kylie comes out to do the dance of anger (the fire bird variation). Finally Brooklyn comes out doing the sad variation (swan lake variation) then we all come out. This is showcasing my strengths because I am a ballet dancer and the dance I'm dancing to dance I'm familiar with. This is challenging because I will be alone dancing not around people and we are not doing the traditional acting skits we are used to in this class. It will be set up as one little dance after another until we all come out together. We also can have lights spotlighting us as we dance.
For my final project of this class I would like to do a dance performance with Brooklyn and Kylie. It will be set up as my dancing a more happy dance (the sugar plum variation) then Kylie comes out to do the dance of anger (the fire bird variation). Finally Brooklyn comes out doing the sad variation (swan lake variation) then we all come out. This is showcasing my strengths because I am a ballet dancer and the dance I'm dancing to dance I'm familiar with. This is challenging because I will be alone dancing not around people and we are not doing the traditional acting skits we are used to in this class. It will be set up as one little dance after another until we all come out together. We also can have lights spotlighting us as we dance.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
The Quiet Game Skit
For this skit we had to remake a scene from a movie, tv show, play/musical etc. For our group we remade the scene from The Office a scene called "The Quiet Game" when the whole office has to stay silent Kevin ruins it by saying "Oh yeah" when eating a candy bar.
When remaking this their were a few adaptations we had to make. First, since there were more people in this specific scene then in the group we had to cut it to only the main people of the scene which were Kevin, played by Jordan, Jim, played by Brooklyn, Andy played by Jeff, The raccoon, played by Lili (it went in with Andy's role in the scene) and Dwight, played by me. The other significant change we made was taking the scene and taking it from an office setting, The Dundler Mifflin office in the original, to a classroom setting our version. To make it make more sense we had to add on some lines in the beginning explaining it as a test that no one can talk in, or else they lose half the points. And we added a teacher character, played by Kylie. And we also changed Lili from a raccoon to a person out side of the room eating a sandwich
After looking over our skit I think that we did a very good job. Our skit was very funny and very connected to the original but also had its own spin on it. I think everyone did an amazing job in this performance and I thought Jess did a very good job writing and directing this skit. I liked that there wasn't that many lines so we had to use or facial expressions and our body language to move the scene along. The one thing I would suggest is that we practice being more serious so we don't laugh every to seconds which was a slight problem
When remaking this their were a few adaptations we had to make. First, since there were more people in this specific scene then in the group we had to cut it to only the main people of the scene which were Kevin, played by Jordan, Jim, played by Brooklyn, Andy played by Jeff, The raccoon, played by Lili (it went in with Andy's role in the scene) and Dwight, played by me. The other significant change we made was taking the scene and taking it from an office setting, The Dundler Mifflin office in the original, to a classroom setting our version. To make it make more sense we had to add on some lines in the beginning explaining it as a test that no one can talk in, or else they lose half the points. And we added a teacher character, played by Kylie. And we also changed Lili from a raccoon to a person out side of the room eating a sandwich
After looking over our skit I think that we did a very good job. Our skit was very funny and very connected to the original but also had its own spin on it. I think everyone did an amazing job in this performance and I thought Jess did a very good job writing and directing this skit. I liked that there wasn't that many lines so we had to use or facial expressions and our body language to move the scene along. The one thing I would suggest is that we practice being more serious so we don't laugh every to seconds which was a slight problem
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
The Importance of Being Earnest
I saw my school's production of the play "The Importance of Being Earnest" last Thursday. I thought that overall the production was very well done. It was a very funny production and was enjoyable. I liked how the actors had good blocking. I thought that it was very natural and wasn't overdone acting. I thought that the actors spoke very clearly and were very easy to understand. I think that all the actors did a very good job in this production
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Dance Moms Fight
Set the scene,
it is good for acting and a good comedy
Three characters required
My vision is unique because i'm rewriting a reality scene and making it my own
Aldc group is sitting in a room and cathy walks in screaming “HII” everyone gets angry. Abby and cathy argue over whose dance was better abby saying “My dance had much better turns” and cathy screaming “My dance had style and yours was boring”the abby telling her to shut up triggers cathy and she storms over then abby throws water at her saying she thought the witch would melt than cathy hits her with her bag. Cathy yells that kendall was terrible in her solo than jill screams at her and says more water at her telling her to “Get lost”
It will be a good choice because it helps with better emotion and will be fun to make
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
City of Stars Staging
If I was directing this scene I would stage it to look like it was on a bench in a city at night with the actor walking down the street when it is raining.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Reviews
My part: I think that I did a good doing the lights and controlling the production. I think I can improve on working out differences
My skit group: I think that overall our group did well acting and blocking, the video came out well in performance quality and how the skit flowed, I like that Jess turned her character from the mom to a sister figure because it worked better with the comedic flow of the scene. However there were problems ,forming the skit was difficult because there were disagreements from some cast members and some would interrupt in the middle of a rehearsal because of confusion. Next time we work in groups I think that we need to be ore clear with each other.
City of Stars: City of stars; performed by Brooklyn had a very pretty feel and look to it from the video I liked Brooklyn's emotion within the skit and how it ended with her sitting with the lights fading out. Her blocking was very good and fitted the dialogue well. I also liked the use of a rain sound. I think they should have made the lights softer to be able to see her face better.
Whats wrong me: Whats wrong with me performed by Mao which is from mean girls was a very good skit. I liked that they used a dressing room instead of the stage because it fit the scene better. I liked that they made it look like a makeup desk and that they had the phone get a call from "Regina George". Mao had very good emotion and had a cool guitar intro and outro. One thing I would suggest is that she looked in the mirror more to add more emotion and to have the camera not shake away at the end.
My skit group: I think that overall our group did well acting and blocking, the video came out well in performance quality and how the skit flowed, I like that Jess turned her character from the mom to a sister figure because it worked better with the comedic flow of the scene. However there were problems ,forming the skit was difficult because there were disagreements from some cast members and some would interrupt in the middle of a rehearsal because of confusion. Next time we work in groups I think that we need to be ore clear with each other.
City of Stars: City of stars; performed by Brooklyn had a very pretty feel and look to it from the video I liked Brooklyn's emotion within the skit and how it ended with her sitting with the lights fading out. Her blocking was very good and fitted the dialogue well. I also liked the use of a rain sound. I think they should have made the lights softer to be able to see her face better.
Whats wrong me: Whats wrong with me performed by Mao which is from mean girls was a very good skit. I liked that they used a dressing room instead of the stage because it fit the scene better. I liked that they made it look like a makeup desk and that they had the phone get a call from "Regina George". Mao had very good emotion and had a cool guitar intro and outro. One thing I would suggest is that she looked in the mirror more to add more emotion and to have the camera not shake away at the end.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Sets of the Stage
The stage sets can help set a scene and make a show more realistic. A set can make the scenes feel better and make a scene make more sense. For example, if there is a party scene in a play if they put a party room backdrop and some decorations to fit the mood. If it is a city street late at night. They can put out lampposts, a city like backdrop and dark lighting.
When it comes to sets there are many involved. The makers of the set who make the backdrops, constructed set pieces, and make the special embellishments, there's the set designer who designs the set with the director. There are also the people of stage crew who are in charge of the set while the show is going on and pulling ropes and wires to get the sets on and off.
There are many types of set pieces and ways the work, backdrops are usually symbols of were a scene in the show is taking place (ex. home, street, office etc.). These usually are pulled and changed from ropes backstage. There are also objects like furniture, doors, and landscape (fake trees or bushes etc.). These are ether pulled on and off stage manually by stage crew, some can enter and exit the stage on tracks they are attached to and wires pulled by someone backstage. Many professional theaters and shows have motorized sets that can go and leave the stage without anything attached usually powers by a remote control. Most of the time set pieces are moved during a blackout (when they turn off all the lights and the stage goes black, usually to transition to the following scene)
Sets are a big part of the show, without them audiences can't feel like they are in the world of the show and they lit up the stage and make it more decorative.
When it comes to sets there are many involved. The makers of the set who make the backdrops, constructed set pieces, and make the special embellishments, there's the set designer who designs the set with the director. There are also the people of stage crew who are in charge of the set while the show is going on and pulling ropes and wires to get the sets on and off.
There are many types of set pieces and ways the work, backdrops are usually symbols of were a scene in the show is taking place (ex. home, street, office etc.). These usually are pulled and changed from ropes backstage. There are also objects like furniture, doors, and landscape (fake trees or bushes etc.). These are ether pulled on and off stage manually by stage crew, some can enter and exit the stage on tracks they are attached to and wires pulled by someone backstage. Many professional theaters and shows have motorized sets that can go and leave the stage without anything attached usually powers by a remote control. Most of the time set pieces are moved during a blackout (when they turn off all the lights and the stage goes black, usually to transition to the following scene)
Sets are a big part of the show, without them audiences can't feel like they are in the world of the show and they lit up the stage and make it more decorative.
Monday, October 1, 2018
Reflection
For our songalogue project we were supposed to take the lyrics of a song and turn them into a spoken monologue. I originally couldn't think of one so the first song to pop into my head was the Christmas song "Frosty the Snowman". Not a great choice. It was obviously hard to take seriously so to hold in my laughter I tried to keep a straight face. However in my first rundown it wasn't very good because I actually sounded more angry then the happy mood of the song. It was also hard to memorize because there would always be that one line I'd always forget and because I had to readjust the lyrics to make it sound less awkward. It was hard to do so I decided the best choice would be to change my song. I changed my song from frosty the snowman to "Wake Me Up" by Avicii. This is a personal favorite for me so it was quite easy to memorize. The first time I performed it, I had kept some of the pauses that the song had put in which sounds good when singing it, it doesn't sound very natural when saying it. I had gotten rid of some awkward lyric ties and cut the repeating chorus and worked in making it sound more real and natural (although the fact that the song rhymes it didn't sound 100% real). When I finally performed the final draft it was a much bigger improvement from the first draft in how I spoke it and in emotion. It was also a huge improvement of song choice and emotion that Frosty the Snowman. Some of my strengths were that I looked all around instead of looking straight down or up and that my memorization was very good (probably because I know those lyrics by heart). Also, after watching the video I saw how my voice and my body language tied in well with the mood and emotion of the song. So overall my strengths were pretty good. Some weaknesses I think I need to work on are my blocking and use of arms because I sat in a chair the entire time, and my arms weren't really doing anything only for the big parts did I use them. That would be the one thing I would change. However I was satisfied with my performances because I think I had made some huge improvements. The rest of the class did very well with their performances and were very enjoyable. However I think that some people needed to change up their tone in their performance as it was pretty flat for some of the parts. I also suggested to them some better blocking because if they were walking around some had an unnatural tone or their body language was flat. I told them these things in their emails for them to work on, but overall as a class, they did pretty good. I think that our class did a very good job on these songologues and that the performances were very entertaining.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
New Lyrics
Avicii-Wake Me Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVjjuOqMQIw
Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start
They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well that's fine by me
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost
I tried carrying the weight of the world
But I only have two hands
I hope I get the chance to travel the world
But I don't have any plans
I wish that I could stay forever this young
Not afraid to close my eyes
Life's a game made for everyone
And love is the prize
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVjjuOqMQIw
Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start
They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well that's fine by me
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost
I tried carrying the weight of the world
But I only have two hands
I hope I get the chance to travel the world
But I don't have any plans
I wish that I could stay forever this young
Not afraid to close my eyes
Life's a game made for everyone
And love is the prize
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost
Monday, September 24, 2018
Progress Report
I worked on my songalouge to Frosty the Snowman. I made progress in blocking and overall performance. I still need to work on memorization
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Uta Hagen's Questions
1. Who am I? Who is your character? Identify all the details: name/age, physical traits, relatives, education, personal opinions, likes, dislikes, hobbies, fears, ethics, and beliefs.
I’m some girl who wants to tell her mom that she saw frosty the snowman and describes him with the song lyrics. Around 10
2. What time is it? The year, the season, the day, the minute. What is the significance of time?
It's winter time around christmas, it’s significant because that's when frosty the snowman comes alive
3. Where am I? Identify the country, the city/town, the neighborhood, the building, the room, the specific area of the room.
This takes place in the U.S in a regular little town, in the girls neighborhood, in her house because she is telling her mom about what had happened at the school
4. What surrounds me? What is happening in the environment around you? Weather, landscape, people, animate/inanimate objects.
It’s snowing. And it’s like a regular town
5. What are the given circumstances? Identify events in the past, present, future. What has happened, what is happening, what is going to happen?
The girl had seen a snowman come to life during recess and her and her friends followed it around town until the policeman hollard “stop” and that's when she went home. It said it had to go to the north pole because even though it's freezing in the town it’s still to warm for him and he will melt away. She’s discussing this with her mother in the present but she knows that in the future (later that day most likely) Frosty will move to the north pole
6. What are my relationships? This is more than your relationship to other people. Think about your relationship to objects, characters, and events.
Her relationships consist of a relationship with her mom, her friends and Frosty the Snowman
7. What do I want? What do you want immediately? What does the character want overall?
The character wants everyone to believe that frosty the snowman does actually exist and that she actually saw everything that she claims was happening
8. What is in my way? What are the obstacles to getting what you want?
People not buying that she actually say a snowman come to life
9. What do I do to get what I want? What actions do you take (both physically and verbally)? What tactics?
I use aggression in my voice to make it more believable
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
The Frosty the Snowman Monologue
Frosty the Snowman
by Jimmy Durante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6zW225k_O0
by Jimmy Durante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6zW225k_O0
Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the snowman is a fairytale they say
He was made of snow but the children
Know how he came to life one day
There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the snowman is a fairytale they say
He was made of snow but the children
Know how he came to life one day
There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh
And play just the same as you and me
Was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh
And play just the same as you and me
Frosty the snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said
Let's run and
We'll have some fun
Now before I melt away
Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all
Around the square saying
Catch me if you can
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said
Let's run and
We'll have some fun
Now before I melt away
Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all
Around the square saying
Catch me if you can
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler "stop!"
Thumpity-thump-thump
Thumpity-thump-thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpity-thump-thump
Thumpity-thump-thump
Over the hills of snow
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler "stop!"
Thumpity-thump-thump
Thumpity-thump-thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpity-thump-thump
Thumpity-thump-thump
Over the hills of snow
Monday, September 17, 2018
The Monologue
Over the coarse of a week working with the monologues I've learned a lot about how to control and portray emotion. The monologue I was given was about a kid named Nick who was upset how his dad's work is taking up all of his time and that his dad is missing out on events like soccer games and more because of his job. At first I found the monologue corny and kind of stupid in the way it was written. Because of this it was hard to take the monologue seriously. Which meant that it was difficult to portray emotion correctly. So not surprisingly the first draft wasn't so great. The first draft I couldn't stop laughing because I couldn't take the script seriously. But after a few days of practicing, blocking and memorizing, it became easier to read without bursting out laughing. The hardest thing was doing the performance in front of everyone because it was kind of embarrassing to do it front of friends and it wasn't hard to look over and see them holding in laughter. However some tips I used is to walk around so you aren't in the same position the whole time. Another is to look up or out to avoid looking directly at someone and another is to think about something that matches the emotion you are portraying. For example, I was trying to portray the look and feel of annoyance so I thought of ways and things people tend to do that seriously annoys me. Put yourself in the character and try your hardest to try to make it seem like you are in the same situation that the person you are playing is in. Take a deep breath before starting and in between the monologue. In the end the final draft was a big improvement from the first time performing it. While still could use some improvement it definitely helps me better understand acting
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Thursday, September 6, 2018
What is Theater?
What is theater? Theater is performing. It is a from of entertainment. It has many forms such as plays, musicals etc. I have a little background in theater. I have a dance background in recitals, dance events, and ballet. I have a slight play background. I was in "Alice and Wonderland" when I was in second grade (as a flower, not a big part). When most people think of theater they think of a boring school production they have to sit through. However, plays can be fun. Besides acting there is a lot that goes into a theater production. Stage production, set design, costume, the list goes on. The list of well known or Broadway theater productions is endless with hundreds of versions from school plays to regional productions. Many have been turned into movies or live tv versions. There is a long history of theater dating back to the middle ages. I think more people should have a general idea of theater and know what it takes to hold a production. I think that some productions are very interesting and exciting, while others I don't know anything about. Many plays are based of stories, books or true events and are adapted into a script or into a musical version. Theater has many roles from the leads to the secondary roles to the ensemble to the extras and understudies so there are many parts when auditioning. Since many productions are in the musical form you should have a small singing background before auditioning just to help. Most plays are about an hour and a half to three hours (usually with an intermission half way through the show) and theater productions are usually held just about anywhere so you should definitely try to see or try out for a production soon
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
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