Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances....

There is no doubt that the work we've been doing with the Meisner technique has been challenging, but I hope that it has allowed all of you to start thinking about how to use your instincts truthfully.   When the work onstage is honest and actors are not only invested in the world around them but also the people with whom they are interacting, it's riveting.  In our everyday lives, we work really hard to make sure that people don't get to us, that we don't sweat the small stuff, and never let anyone see us cry.  As actors, we have to be brave enough to let people happen to us, to really listen to them and let their presences affect what our characters feel and choose to do.

It really is hard work to be truthful and imaginary at the same time.  The more we can find to really be doing onstage (really playing cards, really drinking the tea, really cleaning the house), the less we have to THINK about being truthful.  We can just be there, in the moment, honestly drinking tea and reacting to the imaginary world we're living in for a few moments.

I am very proud of the work you've done in class over the past month.  Don't forget that, like anything worth doing well, this takes time, energy, focus, and effort.  We'll continue to use basic aspects of repetition before scenework to help you connect with your partner(s) before performances and will continue to talk about "really doing what you're doing for real", but as we move away from this technique as a primary focus of our classwork, I encourage you to read more if you are interested.  Let me know if you want some titles.  

We're taking up a corner of the internet.

 Acting Ensemble's WIKI is up and running!  Be forewarned that you might get more than seven or eight invitations and announcements of this event since I'm not sure of the most effective way to get you signed up.  Plus, I'm kinda excited about it.  

You'll need to create an account and user name.  Make sure your user name is something that easily allows us to know it's YOU.  (magicsetfairy42 isn't going to work.)  Try using some combination of your first and last name.

You can contribute to every page of the wiki by clicking on the edit tab on the upper right, but make sure you are on the correct page.  For example, the home page is for general information, so if you're trying to post a link to a scene you found, make sure you've clicked on the "Duet and Group Scenes" page listed on the left side of the wiki.  If you want to comment or discuss a scene posted, use the discussion tab at the top of that particular page.  It's easier than it sounds once you start looking around.

So far, besides the home page, we have a page that links us back to this blog, the Duet & Group Scene Idea page, and a RITEA idea page.  Make sure you check them all out!

Here's to saving paper and sharing ideas!  MA

Oh... back to school....

Welcome back to our first week of school and our adventures in Acting Ensemble.  This blog will serve different purposes throughout the year, firstly as a place to discuss our ideas and expectations, but also a resource for you regarding both the class and your extracurricular theatre endeavors (should you so choose to have them).  There are links along the right side of this page that you may find helpful- especially the green and red light publishing lists which let you know which publishers/playwrights you can choose from when selecting monologues and scenes for class and/or festivals and conferences.

For this first entry, I'd like you all to think about your expectations for this class this year.  What are you hoping to accomplish?  What do you feel you have a strong understanding of, and which types of things do you think you are still struggling to master?  What types of theatre do you hope we spend time on this year?  Where should we spend the most time?  We are going to start this discussion at our first class meeting today, and I look forward to seeing it continue here!

Theatre, like any art form, is always evolving.  It's such a creative venue for communication, serving many purposes, that the actor needs to have a lot of different ways to express him or herself.  In Drama Practicum I and our productions, we often talk about different ways to connect with and become a character.  What are some that you routinely use?  Which ones are more challenging for you than others?  Why?

I try using different combinations of techniques depending on the character, play, and type of show, but recently, I've been exploring more with the use of body shape and gesture as a starting place for a new character.  Instead of jumping right to the text to figure out what he or she "wants," I let the new shape, way of walking or gesture start to decide how this new person feels about the world around her.  I've always enjoyed using this method (especially with improvised, unscripted characters), but I usually layer it in after I've spent a lot of time with the text or establishing my ideas about a character rather than as a first step.

I'm very much looking forward to working with this group and to hearing what you have to say!