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.
1) When I played Belle in Beauty and the Beast, I had to wear a tight corset. The corset literally forced me to stand up straight and push my shoulders back. If I were to bend forward or slouch like modern girls typically do, I would not have been able to breath. The way I stood made me look confident and fearless, which I feel really reflects who she is. She goes outside the social norm by being a female who reads, she turns down Gaston and isn't afraid to tell him off, and in the end she no longer fears the beast. The corset gave me the confidence I needed to play the part.
ReplyDeleteThat dress really helped complete the character. All costumes generally do at YPA. They're freaking fantastic. They add every little detail so they can transform you. The corsette is a great example.
DeleteGood statement Evan, but back up your comments with specific details for those not familiar with YPA. What's YPA? Specifically describe a detail to a costume. . .
DeleteMy response was to Makenna, so I figured it was okay to say YPA since she participated in it. One Example: Bell is from France. Female French aristocrats commonly wore corsets. The Beast is wealthy. Once Bell had to dress up fancy, her attire included it. At no point is that ever talked about in the script, but thanks to the help of a well informed costume designer it was added.
Delete1) in into the woods, the prince costume made me feel... Well... Princely. It boosted my confidence and allowed me to act with more swagger. The costume was white and gold. It really personified sex and power. It really soaked into me. The boots were made for walkin, and that's just what they did. They added a little more pep in my step. This costume along with my hair dye really changed me from an actor to a character.
ReplyDeleteHow was your confidence boosted by your costume and hair? What you feel is different than what someone else would feel from the same thing. Give details. Who, what, where, when, why, and how.
DeleteI think one of the best things about the costumes for Into the Woods, was the fact that we as actors wouldn't wear something like that in real life. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but I feel like the further our costume strays from our actual personality, the easier it is to get into character. What we wear and how we look greatly affect how we feel. And by the way, the prince costume was legit.
DeleteThe golden color scheme in my costume and hair was flashy and bold. Those things were conveyed in my personality. My hair was also so bold that it made me stand out. That was a reality for me then, and the prince always believed he stood out as well.
DeleteI strongly agree with the extra swag, and the boost in confidence I feel came from each little bit of the costume adding on to the whole picture. Being bold and flashy really bring out the personality of the charecter, and maybe a little bit of the actor also, which makes it more fun and memorable.
DeleteComment Evan Anway 1) It wouldn't let me comment on your post! Anyway. I think that costumes can be a big help when trying to find your character because it puts you in their situation. On a normal day your not going to go walking around in a prince costume at school. It is just not part of who you are, or who modern society dictates you to be. When you put on that costume you really step into character because it is so different from the every day norm. It helps to break away from who you are to who you character is.
ReplyDelete2. I think that one of the problems that lead actors have often is putting too much emotion into a character, or "overacting". This is how smaller characters can wind up stealing the show. When the lead pours too much emotion into their part it just comes off as fake. Nobody is bawling their eyes out all the time, or shouting every word ever. Real people have emotional highs and lows, and nobody is a bundle of relentless emotional energy all the time. That's why focusing on the words is just as important, if not more so, than the emotion. Emotion can be distracting.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people just fall into the trap that they think they have to be dramatic because they're the lead. They think there has to be this incredible significance to everything they say, which is true to an extent, because everything said in a play is significant, but in many cases the significance is misplaced or misguided - it's not about how dramatic you are with a line, it's about whether what you're doing matches the intended significance of the author.
Delete2. There's a natural tendency to try to be emphatic and show how angry we are at something or to really project our feelings - but often we don't have to, the words do it for us much more simply and honestly. All we have to do is say those words and the point is made. The intent has to be there, yes, but we don't have to be so emphatic to a point where we're simply making a point of being dramatic and showing how upset we are. For example, in All That's Known, in the middle of the song after Melchior sings about his frustrations with his society, he sings "but I know, there's so much more to find, just in looking through myself, and not at them." There's a real desire and tendency to try to be emphatic and loud and powerful here and rich in dramatic emotion, especially because there's a natural build in the song there, but it's more powerful and effectual to the audience to back off a little there and be more reserved instead of going "guns ho!" into that part. The audience will see the reservedness and because it's not as loud as they're expecting, they're forced to listen to what I'm really saying and that's when the words come alive and fulfill their intent.
ReplyDelete1. The prince costume in Into The Woods made me feel very proper, ruling, and important. The costume changed everything about me as soon as I put the full thing on. The fact that my whole posture changed really helped too. The extra props would add to the feeling, but when you take the costume and the make-up and you see yourself, and you feel the difference, it's like you really are a whole different person while it's on you; and because of that, it makes it much easier to act, or maybe not even act, but become.
ReplyDeleteRyan- Okay! Look at you! I think that costume put an extra boost in your confidence (although you already have a bunch) and made you more prince-like than you already are. That's really cool! What I found funny about your costume was that it probably made you stand up straight because it was so tight on you! I'm sure the make-up made you feel princely as well. Who would have thought? Make-up and a band outfit can turn you into a prince. :P
Delete1. The Mokey costume in Wizard of Oz. Few things:
ReplyDeleteFirst- I looked different than all of the other monkeys. I looked like a full blown-out monkey. Everyone elsewore brown make-up and had these tiny wings. So because of this, I felt like the lead monkey. I felt like captain Nico.
Second- I almost looked like a monkey bellhop. With the little hat and the red jacket. Because of this, I felt like a servant. And I am supposed to be a servant to the Wicked Witch. So that worked out well for my favor.
Third- the mask made me feel like a monkey. While wearing the mask, you couldn't see my face at all, you can only see the monkey. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't even see me. It was much easier for me to get into character because of this
2.) I think this primarily occurs in really good monologues, and it has more to do with the author than the actor. When the words and how they are situated produce immense amounts of power that the audience can feel, it's tempting to over blow it with the emotion that many actor's attempt to sprinkle liberally over their performances. It's that vibe you get that makes you get goosebumps, and I'm sure there's some sort of science behind it, but the idea still stands that it can be poisoned by distracting the audience with absurd amounts of voice inflection and over-dramatic movements all over the stage. Just letting the words do what they do is not only easier for us, but it's the right thing to do at the time, and realizing that would be more characteristic of a mature actor as opposed to simply trying to be horribly complex with it. I think a great example (probably a pretty stereotypical one as well, but what the hey) is the "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" monologue. It's filled with that epic energy that kind of just captures an audience's attention and holds it for as long as it takes to get the points across.
ReplyDeleteI know that, in my own personal feelings, listening to a monologue like Antony's in Caesar, fills me with empowerment, energy, ready to follow Antony and ignore Brutus. I think letting emotions rule that monologue would ruin it. I think Soap Operas are a good reason of why too much emotion is a bad thing (and we all know how much Stella LOVES television...) Soap Operas are pretty dramatic, but sometimes it just gets to a point where if becomes laughable and cheesy. Cheesy is bad, and should stay out of serious/dramatic acting. In fact, cheese seems to turn the audience off. I know when something gets super cheesy, I get sort of squirmish and uncomfortable. Besides, adding the bad amount of emotion to a monologue or scene is offensive to the author.
DeleteWhen you have monologue such as the "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" I think restraint is what makes it powerful. As both Keenan and Katie said, adding all of that extra emotion (as Keenan put it) poisons the performance. Mind you sometimes it’s necessary to have a lot of inflection or change your tone, especially if the writing isn’t that powerful. However, when you’re performing something with strong words and a strong message, letting the words speak for themselves present the best results. It makes me think of when I was in choir. We talked about this often and I think there’s even a sign in Irwin’s room that says it. Every choir can be loud, but it takes a good choir to be quiet. When you sing quietly you have to maintain intensity, and I often find that this is when I get goosebumps. Just because you are a little held back and not throwing everything you’ve got at the audience, doesn’t mean the performance won’t be good. With the right piece, I think it turns out better.
Delete1. Again with my Catherine costume, specifically my party dress, that costume made me act like Catherine. When I wore that dress, I could just walk into the room, like I usually do. I strut into the different scenes like a peacock, confident with cigarette and alcohol in hand. That dress made me constantly think if I was looking my best, if I was dazzling everyone around me. Lord knows I wasn't comfortable in that dress. However, because it made me Catherine, I became Catherine, and became comfortable in it as Catherine- you feel? I became proud, fearless, ready to tackle the night and the party before me, whether or not my stupid sister got so drunk she stuck her head in the pool. I was cool, confident, dazzling, and a star in my own right.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent example of knowing how you appear when you walk on stage. A lot of people are not aware of who they are to other people, and it is the same way on stage. Knowing how to be the character is great, but having almost an audience view beforehand is fantastic so you know that the product you're presenting is satisfactory, if not magnificent. I'm of course referring to the fact that you were uncomfortable in the dress, but you remained that cocky, confident young lady ready to fish her sister out of a pool. You were aware of how you appeared,and regardless of how you felt wearing the dress, you knew the character would be confident looking like that and that's how she would come across to other people. The other actors on stage are like a mirror to your character's personality, because how they react to you should be in line with how you see your character and how your character sees himself/herself.
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ReplyDelete1. The costume for Tom the Troll in the Hobbit had this kind effect on me. When I played Tom, I wore a gray spandex bodysuit, a potatoe sack-like shirt, a gargoyle mask with a long gray wig, and lots of gray makeup. It made me look absolutely monstrous. And when I wore the costume, I felt more brutish and troll-like. I slouched more, and my movements were more ape-like. The costume really made me feel like a Troll. It's amazing the effects a costume can have on a person.
ReplyDelete3. This example by Stella Adler I think most obviously relates to Desdemona. She knows that she loves Othello. Desdemona has committed herself to him and it really doesn’t matter what happens, because she loves him. Therefore when Othello ‘finds’ that Desdemona has been cheating on him and decides to kill her, she seems alright with it. Of course Desdemona is scared to die and she tries to deny what Othello is saying even though he won’t listen to her. However, she has accepted that Othello’s actions can never tarnish her love for him and her trust in him. I think it’s a little unrealistic to have so much love for another person that he can destroy you and your opinion doesn’t change, but I think as Adler says this is the bigger idea Shakespeare is trying to get across. It’s the idea that love conquers all. It also helps get across Shakespeare’s point on how easily persuaded man can be in the most obvious of situations.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good example of motivation coming from belief, rather than feeling. Desdemona didn't want to die, but she let Othello kill her because as Makenna said, "she has accepted that Othello’s actions can never tarnish her love for him and her trust in him." It's just really tragic. And Makenna, it's not all that unrealistic to have so much love for another person that he can destroy you and your opinion of him/her doesn’t change. As sad as it is, I have seen stuff like that happen before. I haven't seen it personally, but stuff like that can and does happen, sadly enough.
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