Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Friday 10th of December and more on One Hander

Today, I worked more on my performance. I thought through my outfit, props and such. I have decided, that since Grotowski believed in poor theatre, I will not use props, and my costume will be simple: a black shirt with jeans. In class we performed to each other, and received feedback. I was told that my facial expressions at the beginning were not clear or articulate enough, which I will have to work on. However, towards the end I do apparently have good facial expressions: when I believe that I’m being watched my eyes really show that. All of this relates to Grotowski’s ideas of the actor being the one who conveys the message, through the body, the movement of the body and tension. I also found that Grotowski encouraged the use of a lot of air in the performances- as much as needed. This is means that when I speak for a longer period of time without taking a breathe to show that I’m taking deep breathes- there are several instances in the beginning where this is possible. My voice at the beginning is articulated, and should convey frustration through the voice. Then towards the end, from the moment the character hugs her daughter; I start to show more movement with my body. My movements are clear and simple. I also experiment with facial masks for instance where I hug good-bye, showing the way the character wants to cry but is holding it in. I believe that the performance does come from me- the actor, as it is meant to in Grotowski style theatre.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Final Script

Every day. Get up at five, go for a jog, take a shower, wake Sally, cook breakfast down with Dave and Sally for breakfast. Eat a tiny portion. Be sure to leave some on the plate. Always leave some on the plate.

Get dressed.
Check on Sally. Comb her hair. Pack her lunch. Wait with her for the bus. Hug her goodbye. Then let go.

Choke back your tears. Go back inside. Check yourself in the mirror. Ugh. Cross through the kitchen. No one watching. Open the pantry, look inside. Grab the jar of peanut butter. Stick your finger in the jar of peanut butter. Feel someone watching you. No one's there. Put the peanut butter away. Wash your hands, careful to remove any trace of peanut butter. Reapply lipstick. Head out the door. To work.

This isn't fun anymore. There's something wrong with me.
 Comment: These cuts were made simply to polish off the script, as now I have a firm idea of how to perform this. At first, It’s simple: me walking, and listing the duties/activities that I’m going to do, in a bored, frustrated manner, exaggerated movements, a slow pace and a clear articulation. The first line should be enunciated. Then towards the end, I will act out the parts, so since I can show some of the lines with my body, there was no need for them.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

2nd of December 2010

Today I worked on nailing the ideas for my one-hander script. I decided to do the beginning rather slowly and in a reciting manner, sitting on the floor, since Grotowski did not use a lot of props. The beginning will be spoken with a fast pace, but with a lot of pauses, with little emphasis. Then towards the middle of the scene, I get up and start acting out the scene. This will be done at a fast pace, however with a lot of facial and physical expressions that conveys the overall frustration of the piece. This is perfect in terms of Grotowski’s techniques, since now I can experiment with facial masks, which Grotowski used in several of his performances to convey the sentiment of the character. For the last two lines, I go down on the floor, as I say the words with little enunciation or articulation, and at a rather slow pace. So, once I had decided which direction the piece will take, I began working with the script cutting out parts that I though would either make the performance more like a maim or did not support the ideas that I had fro that section and how to convey it.

2nd revision of the script

Get up at five, go for a jog, take a shower, wake Sally, cook breakfast down with Dave and Sally for breakfast. Eat a tiny portion. Be sure to leave some on the plate. Always.

Get dressed.
Check on Sally. Comb her hair. Pack her lunch. Wait with her for the bus. Hug her goodbye. Then let go. Watch her walk away, board the bus.

Choke back your tears. Go back inside. Check yourself in the mirror. Ugh. Cross through the kitchen. Feel the quiet of the empty house. Open the pantry, look inside. Grab the jar of peanut butter. Unscrew the lid. Take a whiff. Stick your finger in the jar of peanut butter. Lick it off. Feel someone watching you. No one's there. Put the peanut butter away. Wash your hands, careful to remove any trace of peanut butter. Reapply lipstick. Head out the door. To work.

This isn't fun anymore. There's something wrong with me.

Comment:
I made these cuts in order to ensure that the performance would not be a maim but would actually have me act out the sections, and not talk. However, I left in the sections, which I deemed necessary for understanding the performance. Also, I left in sections that would facilitate the rather slow nature, more narrative nature of the beginning and the more dynamic ending section.