Week Six - Study Break: Week Two

Week Six

'You're not there to feel it, do it' [19]

Friday

The next stage for us is to develop character profiles for both our stranger on the street and our monologue character. I believe I have achieved a lot with my initial introduction of Trudy, by looking at most of her physical and personal characteristics. The further development of her character should be straightforward.

  Trudy’s voice is very quiet; she sounds shy, yet firm. She is educated and has a broad vocabulary and expert knowledge in biology and the environment. There is no sign of a television, radio or newspaper in her house. She never cares about her appearance, fashion has never been important. She hardly eats and when she does she feeds like a rabbit. It is a depressed time of her life. This is how the character of Trudy lives, usually detached from real life; drifting in and out of her world.

  Antony is also in a state of depression. The difference is he is a strong man, a solider who believes he is betrayed. He is thirty-one years old and has thin black hair with the occasional grey. He has dark blue eyes and a small scar on his right shoulder. The wrinkles on his cheeks show his forced smile; he hardly ever feels happy any more.

  His stature is always strong. As a solider he emits a never-say-die attitude. His small steps are firm and deliberate like those of an elephant. He holds on to every betrayal and double cross event in his life; like an elephant, he never forgets. He always contemplates every thought and movement, attempting to achieve respect from others. The way he looks is almost more important to him than what he says.

Meyerhold’s approach to acting focused on the movement of an actor. Meyerhold used an acting method known as Biomechanics. Movement on stage can say a lot about the character. This could be another aspect of developing the characters in The Wizard of Oz. The way each character walked revealed a lot about their personality; ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’

In the film ‘The Usual Suspect’[20] Kevin Spacey plays the role of a big gang boss, posing as a disabled criminal. This story line was revealed without words; he simply walked down a footpath and transformed his disabled walk into a regular stroll. Through this simple movement, the audience receives an understanding of the character.  Movement can reveal a lot about any role.

 It is also important to note that ‘a prop acquired significance when it became an extension of the hand’.[21] One great example of this is when Kevin Spacey attempts to light his own cigarette. His arm shakes, demonstrating the severity of his disability. The cigarette also shakes as if it is part of his arm; it has become an extension of his body. What is not said is just as important as what is said.

Week Seven

'I always meet people who are living as though it is a rehearsal and the show is going to be later and I feel like saying this is the show, this is it! It's not a rehearsal.' [22]

Monday

  This week I have joined one of the workshop productions, ‘Scarecrow’. The group required a male actor to complete their ensemble. I don’t feel as though I am on top of everything, however having completed the unit’s readings and researched my monologue I decided that I need to further my development.

 It looks like a great production, something I should be able to talk about and develop in my journal. I am playing one of the scarecrows. Both scarecrows represent television actors, advertisements and even family members. These characters are used to demonstrate to the audience the changes a television can bring to a once-TV-free house. The scarecrows become real and spread into the house like a disease. This is my first impression of the play, so it will be interesting to see how my thoughts develop over the weeks.

Thursday

We were given the opportunity to present our monologues on the Nexus stage today. I was very happy with my attempt, as I have put a lot of work into it. There were some areas of speech that I was able to clear up today. Having now completed reading the play and accompanying notes, I have been able to develop a strong understanding of the speech.

I need to focus on the areas of movement and stature in order to improve. Antony is a solider, and therefore very firm in his stance and dignified. He is about to commit suicide; even this act will be noble. He will not even draw the sword on himself; his servant will carry out this act (this will eventually fail, of course). The key to my portrayal of Antony is to present myself strong, like a solider that is about to die, while the subtext of the monologue is to demonstrate strength of character to the end.

I need to develop a method to present my character as strong, yet someone you pity. The monologue is a roller coaster ride of emotion. This is something I need to capture and enhance in my delivery. I don’t wish to feel the emotion, I would rather tell the audience these feeling exist in the character and not me. I wish to demonstrate the betrayal and bitterness Antony feels, and at the same time to be scared of him.  I would like every movement to be realistic to my character. How?

  I need to focus on the beats in the monologue; these are the emotive phrases in the speech. I have headed each phrase into a category to develop a flow; from betrayal, to bitterness, sorrow, anger and finally pity. I need to remain attentive on my stance by focusing on the atmosphere I create. ‘Antony’s rage overpowers this scene’[23], and I wish to convey this to the audience.

Friday

  Good Friday holds one tradition in our house, going down to Fremantle to eat fish and chips. We try a made an afternoon of it, allowing the kids to jump on the bouncy castle, have a coffee and watch the street performers. My point, finally, is that a street performer is just like an actor on stage or television. Can you see the pattern?  A magician, TV and street performers; I have no life.

The street performer ‘Mr Spin’ works with different theatre parameters. There is no way he can avoid placing his back to the audience as the crowd forms a circle around his performance. His performance is a great example of biomechanics.

  ‘Biomechics requires balance, rhythmic awareness’.[24] Similar to circus disciplines, Mr Spin has worked on his act for many years. Focus and concentration on everyone and everything around him is the key. Juggling baseball bats and balancing on a unicycle are an extension of his body. He is not a real life character, merely a representation of one.

  Mr Spin’s act consisted of large movements and characterisation. The character appeared to be insecure, yet excited to meet the audience. He constantly waved at audience members and dressed in an awkward manner demonstrating this character trait. The Meyerhold approach ‘enables actors to maximise the theatrical potential of every moment in performance as the physical quality of the body itself is defamiliarised’.[25] Focus of the actor therefore shifts from body to movement.

With the Meyerhold approach in mind, I feel it is important to reflect back to past workshops and attempt to link this theory to any activities we have done. One class I recall involved a small group activity, which took place in about week three or four. In groups of about five people, we were asked to create a number of shapes using our combined bodies. The onus then became making the shape of an object, rather than the group of five university students stretching on the floor. Movement becomes just as significant as words. An image becomes more important than the human beings constructing it.

Break: Week One

'Get inside of the words' [26]

Friday

At the halfway point of this unit I felt it was important to look at the unit objectives and see how I am progressing. This allows me to achieve two things. Firstly it allows a time to self-evaluate and self-assess. Secondly it gives me the opportunity to set future goals and attempt to achieve any aspects I may have missed or not fully addressed.

 At the end of the unit, students will gain:

-         A practical introduction to a variety of alternative approaches to the practice of acting. I feel I have met this objective quite successfully. I am developing an understanding of the many different acting ways and approaches. I am currently trying to expand on some of these methods by discovering new information and theory.

  -         A set of specific technical skills useful in the practice of acting, in the areas of voice, movement and characterization. I believe I have been successfully acquiring new skills in this unit, yet there are some points I still need to address. I am feeling very comfortable with my movement on stage, however my characterisation and voice need work

My goals for the remainder of the unit are based on further improving my skills. I will endeavour to read beyond the set text and workshop information. Identifying my goals will ensure time to further research any approaches I admire. Secondly, I need to develop my voice and characterization skills. The Scarecrow production should allow me the correct arena to develop these skills. Setting these goals will allow me to further develop my acting skills and establish the discipline required for acting. By the completion of this unit I would like to have created my own approach to acting

Break: Week Two

'To the strongest!' [27]

Tuesday

  Having just reflected upon my journal, I have come to realise I lack information in two areas. Firstly I talk about and currently use a Michael Chekhov approach to acting. This is an area I need to research further and in the next couple of weeks, I hope to show my findings. The other aspect is a lack of information about ‘Antony and Cleopatra’. I have read a great deal about the play, there is a need however for more information in my entries which I would like to rectify.

  Love for each other is the story of Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship. This is also the downfall of them both. ‘The central theme of this play is exactly that – love vs. war’.[28] Each act of the play is focused on the presentation of this theme. Acts One, Three and Five focus on love and Acts Two and Four are based on war and rivalry. Although there are some scenes that counteract this theory, essentially this is the presentation of the story.

Mark Antony is a proud Roman General, who attempts to make decisions based upon winning against Octavis Caesar. The play is based on the need for both men to have power over Rome. The decisions Antony and Caesar both make are based on war not love. Caesar offers his sister’s hand in marriage to his foe, and in a strategic move, Antony accepts. Caesar uses his sibling and Antony forgets his relationship with Cleopatra. ‘Their egos, rather than their reason, appear to dominate this debate’.[29]

The play focuses on ‘power; psychology and strategies’.[30] As the play progresses, Antony gains and looses power. Caesar is a solider from the beginning to the end of the play; he continually holds power, even when he begins loosing the war. It is perhaps Cleopatra who is the one character who sees only love throughout the play. Antony swings between both love and war, he wants to be with Cleopatra, yet has ‘an equally strong desire to seek and maintain power in Rome’.[31]

  This makes the monologue extremely important. Without any foundation of truth, Antony believes Cleopatra has betrayed him. His lack of reason allows him to despise the person he was supposed to love. The changing line in the speech is ‘triple turned whore’ indicating Cleopatra’s relationships ‘from Julius Caesar to Pompey to Antony’.[32] Antony believes he is just another victim in her quest for power, he does not realise she does truly love him. This monologue is governed by a lack of power, thoughts of betrayal and Antony’s attempts to discover reason.

  I had an opportunity today to present my monologue again to David. I need to focus more on my character. This will allow me to create realistic movement on stage. There is also a need for my monologue to be more powerful, David suggests adding about 25% to my performance. Power is the key to this speech, if I can achieve a strong stage presence ‘I have done all’.[33]

View other 'Acting' journal entries...

Week One - Week Five         Week Six - Study Break: Week Two

Week Eight - Week Twelve          Week Thirteen

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Semiotics and Performance: The role of the Actor (2005)     Performing Shakespeare in the Classroom (2005)

Drama and The Curriculum (Summer, 2005)     Children's Theatre (2004)     Acting (2004)

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