Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 22:
1.
"When you play a character you must see what you have in common with that character, but you must never stop there." Describe why a character is incomplete when you base it only on what you can relate to.
2.
"When Marlon Brando was working on the role of Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, he used Van Gogh's painting of the boots to help him understand the character. He saw Kowalski as a peasant who'd come to the city and was broken by it." Describe a time when you used an object to help create your internal character and then describe how you physically demonstrated that internal character.
3.
"If, as actors, you've done your homework, there's no cause to be humble or apologetic in applying to agents or directors or producers. You've done the grinding work demanded by your profession, and they haven't. You'll begin to act when you can forget your technique -- when it is so securely inside you that you need not call upon it consciously." Describe a time when you were able to easily become your character on stage because of the research you did.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Class 21: Stanislavski and the New Realistic Drama
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 21:
1. "But as an actress who has a great deal of experience elsewhere, I resented acting with some of the principals used at the Group Theatre." At one time or another we feel that we are more skilled and resent or blow off what we are taught in the theatre. Describe a theatre experience when you learned to build upon something you already knew or were surprised how well you knew the information.
2. "He explained in detail how important it was to use circumstances. He said where you are is what you are, and how you are, and what you can be. You're in a place that will feed you, give you strength, give you the ability to do whatever you want." I suppose this is why I prefer sets that are as realistic as possible; as an actor I want to be immersed in the show. Give an example of a time when your location (according to the script) dictated what you did in your performance.
3. "In one scene of the play Stanislavski's character talked to the people and asked them to do something. That was wrong. He said, 'I had to speak to the soul of the people. If I could reach their souls, I could get somewhere.' Ten years after Stanislavski originally played the role, the play was revived; the part was his and now he could play it." Reflect on a past performance and describe one thing you did on stage, why it was "wrong," and what you would do differently to be able to reclaim that part of the performance if you were going to do it again.
4. "The truth is big -- don't tear it down. We want to hear Mr. Ibsen, not you." Describe a time when your performance wasn't as successful because it was more you than the character the author intended.
5. "As an actor you have to find a way to analyze the outside world to give it value. Trust me, it's there. You must be fed from the outside. If you feed only from yourself, you're pathological." Explain what Stella Adler mean by this.
Questions from Chapter 21:
1. "But as an actress who has a great deal of experience elsewhere, I resented acting with some of the principals used at the Group Theatre." At one time or another we feel that we are more skilled and resent or blow off what we are taught in the theatre. Describe a theatre experience when you learned to build upon something you already knew or were surprised how well you knew the information.
2. "He explained in detail how important it was to use circumstances. He said where you are is what you are, and how you are, and what you can be. You're in a place that will feed you, give you strength, give you the ability to do whatever you want." I suppose this is why I prefer sets that are as realistic as possible; as an actor I want to be immersed in the show. Give an example of a time when your location (according to the script) dictated what you did in your performance.
3. "In one scene of the play Stanislavski's character talked to the people and asked them to do something. That was wrong. He said, 'I had to speak to the soul of the people. If I could reach their souls, I could get somewhere.' Ten years after Stanislavski originally played the role, the play was revived; the part was his and now he could play it." Reflect on a past performance and describe one thing you did on stage, why it was "wrong," and what you would do differently to be able to reclaim that part of the performance if you were going to do it again.
4. "The truth is big -- don't tear it down. We want to hear Mr. Ibsen, not you." Describe a time when your performance wasn't as successful because it was more you than the character the author intended.
5. "As an actor you have to find a way to analyze the outside world to give it value. Trust me, it's there. You must be fed from the outside. If you feed only from yourself, you're pathological." Explain what Stella Adler mean by this.
Class 20: The Actor Is a Warrior
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 20:
1. "You must see these lines are full of strength, power and authority. The words come from God, through Shakespeare, to you." Describe a time on stage when you felt you were performing your lines with the strength, power, and authority spoken about above.
2. "Take the text and make it yours. The actor becomes richer as he makes the author's ideas his own. You are the conductor of the orchestra, not just a player. You cannot be weak inside. The actor must sense the power, the quality, the size of thinking in the text. If it doesn't mean anything to you, instinctively, you haven't got it. Or the part." Using an experience you had for an audition describe how you connected to the author's ideas in the script.
3. "He must lean the ideas of the great writers, not just the lines! You are not parrots!" Explain what Stella Adler means by this.
4. "One more thing -- you no doubt think the military mind is about anger. Anger is cheap. Take the anger out. It's not a substitute for thinking, for ideas, for words. Look at history. Invariably the victorious side is the one fighting for an idea." Explain how "fighting for an idea" strengthened your character during a performance (or how it would have in a past performance where you were not fighting for an idea.)
Questions from Chapter 20:
1. "You must see these lines are full of strength, power and authority. The words come from God, through Shakespeare, to you." Describe a time on stage when you felt you were performing your lines with the strength, power, and authority spoken about above.
2. "Take the text and make it yours. The actor becomes richer as he makes the author's ideas his own. You are the conductor of the orchestra, not just a player. You cannot be weak inside. The actor must sense the power, the quality, the size of thinking in the text. If it doesn't mean anything to you, instinctively, you haven't got it. Or the part." Using an experience you had for an audition describe how you connected to the author's ideas in the script.
3. "He must lean the ideas of the great writers, not just the lines! You are not parrots!" Explain what Stella Adler means by this.
4. "One more thing -- you no doubt think the military mind is about anger. Anger is cheap. Take the anger out. It's not a substitute for thinking, for ideas, for words. Look at history. Invariably the victorious side is the one fighting for an idea." Explain how "fighting for an idea" strengthened your character during a performance (or how it would have in a past performance where you were not fighting for an idea.)
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Class 19: Making the Costume Real
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 19:
1. "Character is physicalization -- with truth. I'll even let you write that down. Everything you say, everything you do defines your character. The outside is what counts most in character. Your physical self is the most interesting thing in character." Describe a role you played that was so physically motivated you were able to easily find you character.
2. "Your costume must feed you. Be careful of regarding your costume as 'make believe.' You mustn't lie to your body. If you do, you kill your talent. What you put on is going to be part of you. Live in it. Marry it. Don't cheapen yourself by cheapening your costume. Learn to change your outside. Become the character." Using an experience you had on stage describe how your costume made it easy to find your character.
3. "You must reach the point where you need to make a gesture -- then restrain it. See what gestures you need. Then give it no more, no less than it needs. Otherwise it will e casual, contemporary, cluttered." Explain what Stella Adler means by this.
Questions from Chapter 19:
1. "Character is physicalization -- with truth. I'll even let you write that down. Everything you say, everything you do defines your character. The outside is what counts most in character. Your physical self is the most interesting thing in character." Describe a role you played that was so physically motivated you were able to easily find you character.
2. "Your costume must feed you. Be careful of regarding your costume as 'make believe.' You mustn't lie to your body. If you do, you kill your talent. What you put on is going to be part of you. Live in it. Marry it. Don't cheapen yourself by cheapening your costume. Learn to change your outside. Become the character." Using an experience you had on stage describe how your costume made it easy to find your character.
3. "You must reach the point where you need to make a gesture -- then restrain it. See what gestures you need. Then give it no more, no less than it needs. Otherwise it will e casual, contemporary, cluttered." Explain what Stella Adler means by this.
Class 18: Actors Are Aristocrats
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 18:
1. "As an aristocrat you understand the tradition of handing down. Do you have something handed down from your grandmother? If so, you understand that what is handed down is respected and cherished. In the case of an aristocrat, what's handed down is social position, a sense of esthetics and morality. From what's handed down you derive a sense that you're not alone." Describe a time when you felt your inheritance as an actor. (For example when I was the lead in "The Comedy of Errors" I took my first time doing Shakespeare very seriously. I knew that these words were hundreds of years old and have been performed hundreds of times by amazing actors. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that I mastered that role.)
2. "The resentful man is neither sincere nor honest nor straightforward. His mind loves hiding places, secret paths and back doors. Everything hidden impresses him as his security, his comfort. He knows waiting. He knows self-deprecation, self-humiliation." Describe a character you have played or would like to play that demonstrates these qualities.
3. "Actors are aristocrats of the mind! And have been for well over 2,000 years!" Explain what Stella Adler means by this.
Questions from Chapter 18:
1. "As an aristocrat you understand the tradition of handing down. Do you have something handed down from your grandmother? If so, you understand that what is handed down is respected and cherished. In the case of an aristocrat, what's handed down is social position, a sense of esthetics and morality. From what's handed down you derive a sense that you're not alone." Describe a time when you felt your inheritance as an actor. (For example when I was the lead in "The Comedy of Errors" I took my first time doing Shakespeare very seriously. I knew that these words were hundreds of years old and have been performed hundreds of times by amazing actors. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that I mastered that role.)
2. "The resentful man is neither sincere nor honest nor straightforward. His mind loves hiding places, secret paths and back doors. Everything hidden impresses him as his security, his comfort. He knows waiting. He knows self-deprecation, self-humiliation." Describe a character you have played or would like to play that demonstrates these qualities.
3. "Actors are aristocrats of the mind! And have been for well over 2,000 years!" Explain what Stella Adler means by this.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Class 17: Learning a Character's Rhythm
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 17:
1. "Now you see the costume is the character. What you put on is the character, affect you inside. What's outside make you feel certain things inside. The costume helps us conquer our impulse to slop about and be comfortable." Describe when a costume you wore had this type of change over you on stage.
2. "This is a case where the words matter more than the feeling. Let the words do it. Don't 'feel' too much. Don't let 'feeling' overwhelm the words. We want to hear the words more than the emotion." Using an experience you had on stage or watching a play/musical explain what Stella Adler is talking about.
3. "Isabella is urging her brother to die so she can preserve her virginity. I can't think of any idea more foreign to the way you think. Apart from the language's beauty, her plea will tell you what it means to be governed by ideas, not feelings." Describe a time when your character's motivation came from their beliefs instead of their feelings.
Questions from Chapter 17:
1. "Now you see the costume is the character. What you put on is the character, affect you inside. What's outside make you feel certain things inside. The costume helps us conquer our impulse to slop about and be comfortable." Describe when a costume you wore had this type of change over you on stage.
2. "This is a case where the words matter more than the feeling. Let the words do it. Don't 'feel' too much. Don't let 'feeling' overwhelm the words. We want to hear the words more than the emotion." Using an experience you had on stage or watching a play/musical explain what Stella Adler is talking about.
3. "Isabella is urging her brother to die so she can preserve her virginity. I can't think of any idea more foreign to the way you think. Apart from the language's beauty, her plea will tell you what it means to be governed by ideas, not feelings." Describe a time when your character's motivation came from their beliefs instead of their feelings.
Class 16: Dressing the Part
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 16:
1. "Actors must develop the ability to see even casual dress as something historical. To wear a shirt the way they do, with the sleeves rolled up or more than one button unbuttoned at the neck shows they're specimens of the late 20th century. So is the fact that one is wearing a tie but has loosened it." Take a look at what your peers wear on a regular day. Describe what they are wearing from a picture and then explain what this says about who they are.
2. "When we put on the costumes of another time we're not just 'dressing up.' We're not playing 'make believe.' We're assuming another way of thinking. We're donning an inheritance, intellectual and spiritual." Describe a costume you wore for a play and explain how it allowed you to become a character with a history.
3. "On stage you're nothing. You are what the clothes make of you. Clothes say something about your self-control, your self-awareness, your social awareness. Clothes say something about your ability to be restrained, your ability to be respectful. When you wear your clothes, you're limited to your own mind, your own memory. It's hard to act. you can be only yourself." Using an experience from the stage explain why that sentence is true.
4. "I'm very aware that this class is antagonistic to your time. It challenges the suppositions of your time. But you want to be professional, and this is a 2,000-year-old profession." Explain what Stella Adler is saying in this last sentence.
Questions from Chapter 16:
1. "Actors must develop the ability to see even casual dress as something historical. To wear a shirt the way they do, with the sleeves rolled up or more than one button unbuttoned at the neck shows they're specimens of the late 20th century. So is the fact that one is wearing a tie but has loosened it." Take a look at what your peers wear on a regular day. Describe what they are wearing from a picture and then explain what this says about who they are.
2. "When we put on the costumes of another time we're not just 'dressing up.' We're not playing 'make believe.' We're assuming another way of thinking. We're donning an inheritance, intellectual and spiritual." Describe a costume you wore for a play and explain how it allowed you to become a character with a history.
3. "On stage you're nothing. You are what the clothes make of you. Clothes say something about your self-control, your self-awareness, your social awareness. Clothes say something about your ability to be restrained, your ability to be respectful. When you wear your clothes, you're limited to your own mind, your own memory. It's hard to act. you can be only yourself." Using an experience from the stage explain why that sentence is true.
4. "I'm very aware that this class is antagonistic to your time. It challenges the suppositions of your time. But you want to be professional, and this is a 2,000-year-old profession." Explain what Stella Adler is saying in this last sentence.
Class 15: Character Elements
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 15:
1. "One way we can build a character is by identifying character elements the playwright uses in creating his people. Here's a list of character elements that are worth studying: carefree, ambitious, outgoing, enterprising, responsible, conscientious, adventurous, scholarly, reliable, practical, introspective." Describe what character elements you played as a character on stage. What was the author's purpose in creating character like this?
2. "Acting is reacting, and shouldn't arise out of a false response." Explain what Stella Adler is talking about.
3. "In a play you can't really work unless you develop an attitude toward your partner." Using an experience from the stage explain why that sentence is true.
4. "Resist the impulse to make the play fit you. You must fit the play." Why should you do this as an actor?
Questions from Chapter 15:
1. "One way we can build a character is by identifying character elements the playwright uses in creating his people. Here's a list of character elements that are worth studying: carefree, ambitious, outgoing, enterprising, responsible, conscientious, adventurous, scholarly, reliable, practical, introspective." Describe what character elements you played as a character on stage. What was the author's purpose in creating character like this?
2. "Acting is reacting, and shouldn't arise out of a false response." Explain what Stella Adler is talking about.
3. "In a play you can't really work unless you develop an attitude toward your partner." Using an experience from the stage explain why that sentence is true.
4. "Resist the impulse to make the play fit you. You must fit the play." Why should you do this as an actor?
Class 14: Understanding the Text
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 14:
1. "The actor, however, is not only to reproduce these national and occupational traits. He must also show the differences between individuals -- how two Italian designers, for instance, behave differently toward the same attractive client." In the theatre we are frequently given characters that are thrown in for support, for example the angry white mob in "To Kill A Mockingbird," or the Munchkins from "The Wizard of Oz." What is/would be your process for creating a specific character for a non-specific role.
2. "A human being, if you take him out of his social situation is somebody else. He doesn't know who he is, and neither will you know how to play him because you're in limbo." From your experience on stage explain how knowing (or not knowing) your character's "social situation" helped (or hurt) your character.
3. "The strongest base for a table is three legs. If you can find three interrelated ideas in a text you have a play that's in control." List three interrelated ideas from a play you performed. Make sure that you list your character and the show.
4. "Background is created out of the five W's -- who, what, where, when, why. Answer these questions and the background falls into place. For instance, imagine a bunch of daffodils you've received from a friend. They live in a vase in your living room for five days, and then you throw them out with the trash. When you received the daffodils, they'd already lived a life of their own. They were born in a nursery in Holland and were transplanted to grow in special soil. They were sent to the flower market in Amsterdam and bought at the flower auction. They were loaded onto a plane as air freight and shipped to Kennedy Airport. From there they went first to a wholesale florist on 28th Street and then to the flower shop in the Village where your friend spotted them. You now know the what, where, when and why of the daffodil. If called upon, you could now play one of the daffodils." If you had to play the daffodil you probably wouldn't be able to express all that history, but you would be confident about who you were. How many times have we spent the time to be as specific with our character as Stella Adler has been about this simple flower? Create the who, what, where, when, and why for a character you would like to play onstage one day.
5. "When you come in saying, 'I'm a lawyer' or 'I'm a doctor' or 'I'm a stenographer,' you're somebody that does something. You don't come in with lines. You don't come in with a scene. You come in as somebody who does something. What do you do. Think about it." From your stage experience describe the difference between a character you played who had a very specific profession and one that did not.
Questions from Chapter 14:
1. "The actor, however, is not only to reproduce these national and occupational traits. He must also show the differences between individuals -- how two Italian designers, for instance, behave differently toward the same attractive client." In the theatre we are frequently given characters that are thrown in for support, for example the angry white mob in "To Kill A Mockingbird," or the Munchkins from "The Wizard of Oz." What is/would be your process for creating a specific character for a non-specific role.
2. "A human being, if you take him out of his social situation is somebody else. He doesn't know who he is, and neither will you know how to play him because you're in limbo." From your experience on stage explain how knowing (or not knowing) your character's "social situation" helped (or hurt) your character.
3. "The strongest base for a table is three legs. If you can find three interrelated ideas in a text you have a play that's in control." List three interrelated ideas from a play you performed. Make sure that you list your character and the show.
4. "Background is created out of the five W's -- who, what, where, when, why. Answer these questions and the background falls into place. For instance, imagine a bunch of daffodils you've received from a friend. They live in a vase in your living room for five days, and then you throw them out with the trash. When you received the daffodils, they'd already lived a life of their own. They were born in a nursery in Holland and were transplanted to grow in special soil. They were sent to the flower market in Amsterdam and bought at the flower auction. They were loaded onto a plane as air freight and shipped to Kennedy Airport. From there they went first to a wholesale florist on 28th Street and then to the flower shop in the Village where your friend spotted them. You now know the what, where, when and why of the daffodil. If called upon, you could now play one of the daffodils." If you had to play the daffodil you probably wouldn't be able to express all that history, but you would be confident about who you were. How many times have we spent the time to be as specific with our character as Stella Adler has been about this simple flower? Create the who, what, where, when, and why for a character you would like to play onstage one day.
5. "When you come in saying, 'I'm a lawyer' or 'I'm a doctor' or 'I'm a stenographer,' you're somebody that does something. You don't come in with lines. You don't come in with a scene. You come in as somebody who does something. What do you do. Think about it." From your stage experience describe the difference between a character you played who had a very specific profession and one that did not.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Class 13: Giving Actions Size
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 13:
1. "In addition to cold, reasoned logic, advice is generally dark in mood. It has something to do with being professional. To get the necessary note of authority into the voice, an actor giving advice assures himself he knows something very important that the person receiving the advice doesn't know." Drawing from your experience onstage explain what you did vocally and physically in order to successfully give another character advice.
2. "When Eliza Doolittle finally defies Henry Higgins, Shaw is not just describing a former flower girl telling off a professor of phonetics. He's writing about the servant class raising itself to the level of its masters. The woman who at the beginning of the play couldn't have imagined herself as anything but a servant is now telling the wealthy, well-born man who has taught her and supported her that she's his equal." Give your own example of how your character successfully or unsuccessfully defied another character (include how you used your voice and body.)
3. "Because it requires losing the present, the action 'to dream' is close to the action of reminiscing, but is different because it looks to the future instead of the past." Explain what differences there would be for a character vocally and physically when they are dreaming instead of reminiscing.
4. "'That's forbidden,' I said. 'Never start a scene by sitting down.'" I say this because most students take away the urgency needed at the beginning of a monologue or scene; Stella Adler says it because it prevents an actor from setting up the environment before they speak. Give an example of how you began a scene or a monologue sitting down and specifically explain what you would do now in order to set up your environment.
5. "I urged him to think about that window. 'That window has a life of its own, ' I said. 'A leaf flutters down outside the window. Birds fly past. The last light of day reaches you through it. You worship that window.'" Describe at least one situation where you were able to visualize what was going on outside of the room you were in in order to be able to develop a more believable character.
Questions from Chapter 13:
1. "In addition to cold, reasoned logic, advice is generally dark in mood. It has something to do with being professional. To get the necessary note of authority into the voice, an actor giving advice assures himself he knows something very important that the person receiving the advice doesn't know." Drawing from your experience onstage explain what you did vocally and physically in order to successfully give another character advice.
2. "When Eliza Doolittle finally defies Henry Higgins, Shaw is not just describing a former flower girl telling off a professor of phonetics. He's writing about the servant class raising itself to the level of its masters. The woman who at the beginning of the play couldn't have imagined herself as anything but a servant is now telling the wealthy, well-born man who has taught her and supported her that she's his equal." Give your own example of how your character successfully or unsuccessfully defied another character (include how you used your voice and body.)
3. "Because it requires losing the present, the action 'to dream' is close to the action of reminiscing, but is different because it looks to the future instead of the past." Explain what differences there would be for a character vocally and physically when they are dreaming instead of reminiscing.
4. "'That's forbidden,' I said. 'Never start a scene by sitting down.'" I say this because most students take away the urgency needed at the beginning of a monologue or scene; Stella Adler says it because it prevents an actor from setting up the environment before they speak. Give an example of how you began a scene or a monologue sitting down and specifically explain what you would do now in order to set up your environment.
5. "I urged him to think about that window. 'That window has a life of its own, ' I said. 'A leaf flutters down outside the window. Birds fly past. The last light of day reaches you through it. You worship that window.'" Describe at least one situation where you were able to visualize what was going on outside of the room you were in in order to be able to develop a more believable character.
Class 12: Complicating Actions
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 12:
1. "You don't hear me talk much about emotions. That's because emotions aren't doable. Actions are doable, and if you do them correctly, they prompt feelings." Give an example of when an action prompted a feeling (for example, being given a rose.)
2. "To remain in your personal past, which made you cry or gave you a past emotion, is false, because you're not now in those circumstances. You're in the play, and it's the play's circumstances that have to be done truthfully by borrowing what was physical from the past action, not the emotion." In your own words explain what Stella Adler means. Do you agree or disagree with her?
3. "Whenever you enter or leave the stage, you go into circumstances. That means you have come from somewhere and you're going someplace. A good actor doesn't enter from the wings. Before he enters he makes a preparation. He's found a need to walk on that has nothing to do with the stage manager's cues." Give a specific example when you (as an actor in a show) did or did not enter the stage as if you had just come back from someplace else. How did this help or hurt your performance?
Questions from Chapter 12:
1. "You don't hear me talk much about emotions. That's because emotions aren't doable. Actions are doable, and if you do them correctly, they prompt feelings." Give an example of when an action prompted a feeling (for example, being given a rose.)
2. "To remain in your personal past, which made you cry or gave you a past emotion, is false, because you're not now in those circumstances. You're in the play, and it's the play's circumstances that have to be done truthfully by borrowing what was physical from the past action, not the emotion." In your own words explain what Stella Adler means. Do you agree or disagree with her?
3. "Whenever you enter or leave the stage, you go into circumstances. That means you have come from somewhere and you're going someplace. A good actor doesn't enter from the wings. Before he enters he makes a preparation. He's found a need to walk on that has nothing to do with the stage manager's cues." Give a specific example when you (as an actor in a show) did or did not enter the stage as if you had just come back from someplace else. How did this help or hurt your performance?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Class 11: Instant and Inner Justifications
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 11:
1. "When we act, primarily we perform an action. Our second objective is creating a reason for the action. This is called justification." Drawing from your experience describe your action for your character and your justification.
2. "I know that sounds obvious, but it's not good. Why is 'I'm thirsty' not a good justification? Because it's too subjective. It's a state of being. You need to find a justification that you can do. 'I need water as a chaser for my drink.' 'I need water to wipe a spot off my dress.' 'I need water to take an aspirin.'" Give your own example of poor justification and strong justification.
3. "In life, as on the stage, it's not who I am but what I do that's the measure of my worth and the secret of my success. All the rest is showiness, arrogance and conceit." Explain why this first sentence is true in regards to the stage.
4. "In a restaurant a man asks a woman if she'd like some sugar. She says, 'No, thank you.' Her answer has great strength because her inner justification is that she has diabetes." By creating your environment and your character there are some things you understand about your character that others do not -- this allows you to have strong justification. This is what creates a successful performance. Give an example of when you used strong justification for a character you have portrayed. Explain how you felt about your performance.
5. "The objects you choose can help or hinder you. A radio, for example, something mechanical, is a mistake. Instead, turn to nature. A radio leaves you stone cold inside." Describe at least one situation where a property helped or hindered your performance.
6. "Bringing that poetic quality into it, you reminisce about your high school graduation. 'There it was that day! There was -- an auditorium!' You don't try to make it natural. So you don't try to bring it back to a natural tone of voice. 'Was there a graduation? Was there? There's the apple tree. There's the haywagon.'" Describe why reminiscing in a natural tone of voice would not work on stage (even if you were using a microphone.)
Questions from Chapter 11:
1. "When we act, primarily we perform an action. Our second objective is creating a reason for the action. This is called justification." Drawing from your experience describe your action for your character and your justification.
2. "I know that sounds obvious, but it's not good. Why is 'I'm thirsty' not a good justification? Because it's too subjective. It's a state of being. You need to find a justification that you can do. 'I need water as a chaser for my drink.' 'I need water to wipe a spot off my dress.' 'I need water to take an aspirin.'" Give your own example of poor justification and strong justification.
3. "In life, as on the stage, it's not who I am but what I do that's the measure of my worth and the secret of my success. All the rest is showiness, arrogance and conceit." Explain why this first sentence is true in regards to the stage.
4. "In a restaurant a man asks a woman if she'd like some sugar. She says, 'No, thank you.' Her answer has great strength because her inner justification is that she has diabetes." By creating your environment and your character there are some things you understand about your character that others do not -- this allows you to have strong justification. This is what creates a successful performance. Give an example of when you used strong justification for a character you have portrayed. Explain how you felt about your performance.
5. "The objects you choose can help or hinder you. A radio, for example, something mechanical, is a mistake. Instead, turn to nature. A radio leaves you stone cold inside." Describe at least one situation where a property helped or hindered your performance.
6. "Bringing that poetic quality into it, you reminisce about your high school graduation. 'There it was that day! There was -- an auditorium!' You don't try to make it natural. So you don't try to bring it back to a natural tone of voice. 'Was there a graduation? Was there? There's the apple tree. There's the haywagon.'" Describe why reminiscing in a natural tone of voice would not work on stage (even if you were using a microphone.)
Class 10: Building a Vocabulary of Actions
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 10:
1. "The circumstances and the partner can play an important part in making the action strong." Draw from an experience on stage to explain what Stella Adler is saying.
2. "In an action you must know what you do, where you do it, when you do it, and why you do it. But you don't know how you do it. The how is spontaneous and unexpected." Explain why this is the case.
3. "The action embraces a number of other actions -- getting across the border, deciphering the prescription, signaling form help -- but escaping is what you are doing most. What you do most is your action." Describe how your end goal in a play motivated your other actions throughout the play.
4. "One of my students got so caught up in his attempts to capture the attention of the circling helicopter that he ignored my stage signals. No matter how I tried to get his attention he kept jumping and waving, stopping the drama and spoiling the progression. An actor must correct himself as he goes along and not let emotion distort or interfere with the action." Describe a time when you let your emotion distort of interfere with the action.
Questions from Chapter 10:
1. "The circumstances and the partner can play an important part in making the action strong." Draw from an experience on stage to explain what Stella Adler is saying.
2. "In an action you must know what you do, where you do it, when you do it, and why you do it. But you don't know how you do it. The how is spontaneous and unexpected." Explain why this is the case.
3. "The action embraces a number of other actions -- getting across the border, deciphering the prescription, signaling form help -- but escaping is what you are doing most. What you do most is your action." Describe how your end goal in a play motivated your other actions throughout the play.
4. "One of my students got so caught up in his attempts to capture the attention of the circling helicopter that he ignored my stage signals. No matter how I tried to get his attention he kept jumping and waving, stopping the drama and spoiling the progression. An actor must correct himself as he goes along and not let emotion distort or interfere with the action." Describe a time when you let your emotion distort of interfere with the action.
Class 9: Making Actions Doable
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 9:
1. "Everything is based on actions. An actor develops a character from the things he does. That's why the actor must understand actions." Using your experience onstage as an example, explain what Stella Adler means.
2. "There are strong and weak actions. To be strong, an action needs an end, an objective. . . 'I'd like to go somewhere' is weak. 'I'd like to take a walk in the park' is strong.'" Drawing from your experience on the stage explain why the second statement is a stronger action statement than the first.
3. "To reminisce is to soliloquize, to recall the past and bring it back to life. It's different from remembering, which is automatic and associated with daily life. You remember your telephone number and your grocery store list. You remember to answer a letter. In reminiscence, a man brings back what he loves." Give an example between remembering and to reminisce.
4. "Before starting the reminiscence, walk around the stage. But don't walk anywhere without going somewhere. Don't begin without a starting image, say of an object on the stage, from the couch or the table." Finish reading the rest of the paragraph. Explain the benefit of using Stella Adler's blocking tips if you were to perform a scene where you reminisce.
5. "The objects you choose can help or hinder you. A radio, for example, something mechanical, is a mistake. Instead, turn to nature. A radio leaves you stone cold inside." Describe at least one situation where a property helped or hindered your performance.
6. "Bringing that poetic quality into it, you reminisce about your high school graduation. 'There it was that day! There was -- an auditorium!' You don't try to make it natural. So you don't try to bring it back to a natural tone of voice. 'Was there a graduation? Was there? There's the apple tree. There's the haywagon.'" Describe why reminiscing in a natural tone of voice would not work on stage (even if you were using a microphone.)
Questions from Chapter 9:
1. "Everything is based on actions. An actor develops a character from the things he does. That's why the actor must understand actions." Using your experience onstage as an example, explain what Stella Adler means.
2. "There are strong and weak actions. To be strong, an action needs an end, an objective. . . 'I'd like to go somewhere' is weak. 'I'd like to take a walk in the park' is strong.'" Drawing from your experience on the stage explain why the second statement is a stronger action statement than the first.
3. "To reminisce is to soliloquize, to recall the past and bring it back to life. It's different from remembering, which is automatic and associated with daily life. You remember your telephone number and your grocery store list. You remember to answer a letter. In reminiscence, a man brings back what he loves." Give an example between remembering and to reminisce.
4. "Before starting the reminiscence, walk around the stage. But don't walk anywhere without going somewhere. Don't begin without a starting image, say of an object on the stage, from the couch or the table." Finish reading the rest of the paragraph. Explain the benefit of using Stella Adler's blocking tips if you were to perform a scene where you reminisce.
5. "The objects you choose can help or hinder you. A radio, for example, something mechanical, is a mistake. Instead, turn to nature. A radio leaves you stone cold inside." Describe at least one situation where a property helped or hindered your performance.
6. "Bringing that poetic quality into it, you reminisce about your high school graduation. 'There it was that day! There was -- an auditorium!' You don't try to make it natural. So you don't try to bring it back to a natural tone of voice. 'Was there a graduation? Was there? There's the apple tree. There's the haywagon.'" Describe why reminiscing in a natural tone of voice would not work on stage (even if you were using a microphone.)
Class 8: Learning Actions
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 8:
1. "As an actor you have to be able to take either side. If you can't take both sides, it means you can only play yourself." Why does Stella Adler think this?
2. Stella Adler stops the acting exercise and says, "You are not interested in what he's saying. You're anxious to talk. That's not discussion. Discussion comes out of what your partner says, not what you feel." Describe why a discussion "comes out of what your partner says, not what you feel."
3. "We have a false situation -- a situation where the action starts with your talking. It has to start before you talk." Using personal experience explain why a "false situation" would begin with only talking.
4. "A character doesn't consist of how he feels but in what he does. Feeling comes from doing." Using personal experience from the stage describe what Stella Adler means by this.
Questions from Chapter 8:
1. "As an actor you have to be able to take either side. If you can't take both sides, it means you can only play yourself." Why does Stella Adler think this?
2. Stella Adler stops the acting exercise and says, "You are not interested in what he's saying. You're anxious to talk. That's not discussion. Discussion comes out of what your partner says, not what you feel." Describe why a discussion "comes out of what your partner says, not what you feel."
3. "We have a false situation -- a situation where the action starts with your talking. It has to start before you talk." Using personal experience explain why a "false situation" would begin with only talking.
4. "A character doesn't consist of how he feels but in what he does. Feeling comes from doing." Using personal experience from the stage describe what Stella Adler means by this.
Class 7: Getting Hold of Acting's Controls
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 7:
1. "You can't play 'old.' You can't play 'young.' But you can find physical controls that will make you seem old or young." Describe a moment as an actor when you used the physical controls that allowed you to seem older or younger. What specifically did you change?
2. "Every accent requires an adjustment of the way your tongue forms words. Once you find these adjustments you have a way to control the accent. You're not just doing an imitation." Describe how and where you used the specific muscles in your mouth to create an accent.
3. "Say the line, 'I'll throw a stone' in your normal voice. Now become a marble statue and say it again." Do this exercise. Describe what the vocal and physical differences were between saying the line in your normal voice and your marble statue voice. How would you personally use this on the stage?
4. "A character doesn't consist of how he feels but in what he does. Feeling comes from doing." Using personal experience from the stage describe what Stella Adler means by this.
Questions from Chapter 7:
1. "You can't play 'old.' You can't play 'young.' But you can find physical controls that will make you seem old or young." Describe a moment as an actor when you used the physical controls that allowed you to seem older or younger. What specifically did you change?
2. "Every accent requires an adjustment of the way your tongue forms words. Once you find these adjustments you have a way to control the accent. You're not just doing an imitation." Describe how and where you used the specific muscles in your mouth to create an accent.
3. "Say the line, 'I'll throw a stone' in your normal voice. Now become a marble statue and say it again." Do this exercise. Describe what the vocal and physical differences were between saying the line in your normal voice and your marble statue voice. How would you personally use this on the stage?
4. "A character doesn't consist of how he feels but in what he does. Feeling comes from doing." Using personal experience from the stage describe what Stella Adler means by this.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Class 6: Making the World of the Play Your Own
Questions from Chapter 6:
1. "There was no pole, no line, no fish hook. But in the way he held his hand and lifted his arm, you could see the pole, the line hanging in the water, the twitch of the line as the fish took hold of the hook. It was genius." Describe a moment as an actor when you didn't work with your property to make it as real as possible. What would you change in order to create an engaging relationship with that prop?
2. "It's only when we don't understand the circumstances that we have to 'act,' that we have to fake it. And believe me, the audience knows that instinctively." Describe a moment onstage when you didn't understand the circumstances. What would you do differently?
3. "In creating the physical reality, you will have created the mood." Give an example of how a specific environment dictated what you did as an actor.
Class 5: Developing the Imagination
Questions from Chapter 5:
1. "If you'd come here to study a musical instrument, on thing you'd have to learn is the proper way to warm up." Why is this important. Describe what you do or what you should do in order to prepare for your performance on stage.
2. "In a play the playwright is never going to give you a tablecloth that belongs to you. That is your job." What does this sentence mean and why is this important?
3. "Life in the theatre isn't necessarily when you get money from performing. It isn't when you sign a contract. It isn't even when you are in a play. It's when you understand it. If you understand it, you'll know why you want to act, and if you don't understand it you won't want to act." What does Stella Adler mean?
4. "Did you notice that this time as Jennifer described the robe she began to giggle? That's significant." Why was Jennifer's giggling during her description important to the audience?
Class 4: The Actor Needs to Be Strong
Questions from Chapter 4:
1. "If I walk on stage, on that platform, everyone who watches knows my walking must have some meaning, some significance." Describe how do you want to be seen on that platform?
2. "If you walk around without a world, it makes your actions self-conscious. You must always fill the stage with your imagination." Describe an instance on stage when you did or did not envision your environment; how did this effect your acting?
3. "For the imagination to come quickly, all the actor has to do is let go." Explain what Stella Adler is talking about. Explain why it is easy or difficult for you to let go.
4. "The reality you create on the stage by opening a jar or threading a needle isn't so that the audience will believe in you. It's so that you believe in yourself." Explain what Stella Adler means by giving an example from your experience on stage.
Class 3: Acting Is Doing
Questions from Chapter 3:
1. "An action has to go somewhere. It has to have an end. It can't just hang. Now if I said to you, 'Count,' it wouldn't work, would it? But if I say, 'Count the blue blouses in the room' it works immediately. Every action has an end, an object. An action is weak unless you finish it." Use a specific example from your life on stage that explains what Stella Adler talking about.
2. "Sometimes, when a husband and a wife go on a trip together, he might say, 'My God! Do you know what that it? Why that's Notre Dame!' And she replies, 'Yes, I know. I can see it.' They are seeing in Notre Dame something entirely different. As actors you must make everything you see come alive." Explain what you think the husband or wife saw when they made their statement.
3. "You can say, 'She beat her baby,' and that's reporting. Or you can say, 'Look at her beat the baby. Isn't it terrible,' and that is still too cool for the stage. One has to put it in the present, placing you there. You particularize: 'Oh, my God, the baby, the baby. . .' And there you are at the place, in the present moment, and we in the audience experience what you see." Use a specific example from your stage experience to describe a moment when you had a limited amount of words to express a big idea.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Class 2: The World of the Stage Isn't Your World
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1
of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to
another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 2:
1. "Part of your preparation must be to understand the language of the past and to make it compelling for audiences in the present." Why is this important and give a specific example of how you had to "understand the language of the past" in order to successfully portray your character.
2. "If I don't understand the chair completely, I'll be forced to fake it. That's the worst thing an actor can do." What is Stella Adler talking about and give a specific example of what your "chair" was during a performance.
3. "If the actor sees it he can make his audience see it." Give an example of how you were able to successfully create your environment on stage.
Questions from Chapter 2:
1. "Part of your preparation must be to understand the language of the past and to make it compelling for audiences in the present." Why is this important and give a specific example of how you had to "understand the language of the past" in order to successfully portray your character.
2. "If I don't understand the chair completely, I'll be forced to fake it. That's the worst thing an actor can do." What is Stella Adler talking about and give a specific example of what your "chair" was during a performance.
3. "If the actor sees it he can make his audience see it." Give an example of how you were able to successfully create your environment on stage.
Class 1: First Steps On Stage
Write at least 1 paragraph (4 sentences or more) responding to 1 of the questions below. Then write at least 1 paragraph responding to another student's response to 1 of the questions.
Questions from Chapter 1:
1. "Carrying a spear makes you a different person." Give a specific example of what your "spear" was onstage, what was its purpose, and how did you use it as a performer.
2. Stella Adler speaks about the importance of aims in regards to acting. Discuss 1 of your aims.
3. "He must learn to see the difference between different reds-the red of a racing car, the red of a hibiscus, and the red of blood. They're three different reds. They mean three different things." Give a specific example of a certain color, what its purpose was, and how you used it as a performer.
Questions from Chapter 1:
1. "Carrying a spear makes you a different person." Give a specific example of what your "spear" was onstage, what was its purpose, and how did you use it as a performer.
2. Stella Adler speaks about the importance of aims in regards to acting. Discuss 1 of your aims.
3. "He must learn to see the difference between different reds-the red of a racing car, the red of a hibiscus, and the red of blood. They're three different reds. They mean three different things." Give a specific example of a certain color, what its purpose was, and how you used it as a performer.
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