One of the problems I encounter when I embark upon characterization is that I tend to overcomplicate things. I also tend to fall into two types. I usually begin with a strong, angry woman, or a tortured, despondent woman. Now, there is nothing wrong with these types, though there are many more out there, but I begin the play and the scenes at a zenith already. I have nowhere to go, no growth to accomplish. This rehearsal tonight was a step away from that pitfall of mine, and into a much better way to work on character.
Occam's Razor is a philosophical idea or premise or whatever they call it, that roughly states that when faced with multiple explanations, the simplest answer is the best and most acceptable. I need to apply this thinking when I approach my characters. I clutter the lines with overwrought and complicated emotions, losing the main focus of the scene.
For example, one of the scenes we worked on today was the "wooing of Olivia" scene, where Viola, dressed as Cesario, and Olivia meet for the first time. When I auditioned and cold read this scene, I played it full of mournful sighs to the audience, completely wrapped up in the misery of Viola having to woo a woman for the man that she loves. My director thankfully stripped all that fluff away and gave me a very clear goal: Stick to the plan. Viola has written and memorized a nice speech and she is going to say it to Olivia come hell or high water. That is her goal, her motivation. She doesn't get her goal in end, but that's another story. My director's way of doing makes so much more sense then the way I originally approached it, because last night we had already established that Viola, far from being completely in love with Orsino by the end of Act One, is just beginning to admit her feelings for Orsino. Orsino has sent Viola to woo, and, for respect, friendship, and the beginnings of love, Viola has decided that she will woo with all her might.
With the new motivation, that scene, which I thought was going to be difficult is proving to be easier than I had imagined, though I shouldn't have worried, because I ran into a truly difficult scene during the last half-hour of rehearsal. It's in Act II scene iv, the first part only, where Feste is singing to Orsino and his court. I do not have any long and drawn out speeches, instead I have a few lines scattered throughout the scene. I've always find that scenes where I speak less are always more difficult that scenes where I speak more. Fewer lines means more work and thought for the actor, because the character doesn't have a speech or monologue to help clue us in to what they are feeling, they only have a few sentences, but in those few sentences they have to have a full character as if they were a soliloquy from Hamlet. It will be a good challenge for me.
My director said something to me tonight that not only helped me figure out II,iv, but will also impact everything I do with Viola. He told me that the hardest thing about Viola is not acting like she is concealing anything. He told me that I shouldn't show the audience that I'm concealing a gender secret, I should actually conceal it, totally and completely. I was showing the audience that I was concealing things, that was my whole idea behind Viola, that is what I did when I auditioned for her, and yet my director is having me go in a completely different direction. He wants a funnier, less despondent Viola. It makes me wonder why he picked me if my initial characterization was so far from what he wants...I don't know why, but I'm incredibly glad that he did. This is proving to be a most amazing show and an incredible learning experience.
Plus, it's a barrel-full of fun!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
A Classic Blunder to a Stronger Character
I have been cast as Viola in a production of 12th Night or What You Will (this is the only Shakespeare play with a double title, possibly because Ole Bill was making fun of a pretentious double-titled play that Ben Johnson as written a few months earlier.)
Anyway, this is exciting to me, and I enjoy writing about things that are exciting to me, so I'm going to write about my journey as I move through these rehearsals and discover the character of Viola.
Let us begin with an amusing anecdote. It is the friday of the first week of rehearsal, and we are finally getting to move about and begin characterizing. All of the actors sit in a circle and perform their scenes in the middle of the circle. We're all having a blast and being generally ridiculous when ridiculosity (Shakespeare made up words and so can I) is called for. The final scene approaches and Viola is finally reunited with her long lost twin brother Sebastian. Sebastian and I are very emotional and excited by this scene, obviously. There is a point when Viola cries out, "I am Viola." I approach the line and pass it, but as soon as I say it, the entire cast falls down in laughter, leaving me standing in bewildered silence. When someone finally tells me what I said, I join them on the stage floor in gales of laughter. Instead of "I am Viola," I said, still completely in character, "I am Volivia!" Thank you, ladies and gentleman, Volivia has left the building.
Amusing anecdote done with, let's get on into characterization. My first thoughts about Viola without even looking at the script were that she is in love with Orsino and she is going to have a lot of fun double meanings in her lines, and will be exquisitely tortured by the love triangle between Orsino, herself, and Olivia. I worked with these initial feelings and plastered my script, in pencil thank heavens, with notes about how this line was an admittance of love and this line was a double meaning, and this one was tortured, etc. I even went as far as to change the punctuation of a line slightly so that I could make it seem like Viola already had a tiny crush on Orsino.
I went into the first big rehearsal tonight full of these wonderful thoughts. Of course, by the end, they had all been tossed out and new ones put in their place. I feel victim to one of the classic blunders, though at least I didn't go up against a Sicilian when death was on the line.....
Our director said two things during rehearsal today that resonated with me. The first thing he said was that the lines that you speak should never be simple exposition. This is true with all plays, but Shakespeare especially can become full of monotonous explanations if you don't put a personal emotion and reason behind everything you say.
The second thing our director said was a piece of advice that seems so self-evident, yet I had never thought about this before. He told us that decisions should not be made off-stage. They should be made onstage where the audience can see them. Seems simple, right? I've often found that the most helpful acting tips are the simplest things that you never manage to think of yourself. I guess that's why we need teachers.
This might not seem like a big deal, but it completely changes how I play Viola. Instead of starting Act I; scene v already in love with Orsino, I am now just discovering that I love him in this scene. The other scenes I have will be a deeper discovery, understanding, and acceptance of this love, which gives me a fun and exciting character arch to play with!
The other scene we worked on tonight was I,ii, the first time the audience sees Viola. I had originally cluttered it up with double meanings and the like, but our director quickly cleaned things up, making the scene about nothing more that Viola and her friend the captain trying to figure out how to survive in this strange land of Illyria.
The Viola that I started out with is very different from the Viola that came out tonight. This Viola, the Viola that the director wants, is a lot more honest and straightforward than the Viola I had envisioned. I think that this simplification of Viola will ultimately be better than my initial interpretation. Simple and clear character choices always read better onstage than the convoluted drivel you create in the isolation of your home. This is why rehearsals are so important. No matter what you come up with outside before the rehearsal, afterwards, you almost always come out with something new.
Anyway, this is exciting to me, and I enjoy writing about things that are exciting to me, so I'm going to write about my journey as I move through these rehearsals and discover the character of Viola.
Let us begin with an amusing anecdote. It is the friday of the first week of rehearsal, and we are finally getting to move about and begin characterizing. All of the actors sit in a circle and perform their scenes in the middle of the circle. We're all having a blast and being generally ridiculous when ridiculosity (Shakespeare made up words and so can I) is called for. The final scene approaches and Viola is finally reunited with her long lost twin brother Sebastian. Sebastian and I are very emotional and excited by this scene, obviously. There is a point when Viola cries out, "I am Viola." I approach the line and pass it, but as soon as I say it, the entire cast falls down in laughter, leaving me standing in bewildered silence. When someone finally tells me what I said, I join them on the stage floor in gales of laughter. Instead of "I am Viola," I said, still completely in character, "I am Volivia!" Thank you, ladies and gentleman, Volivia has left the building.
Amusing anecdote done with, let's get on into characterization. My first thoughts about Viola without even looking at the script were that she is in love with Orsino and she is going to have a lot of fun double meanings in her lines, and will be exquisitely tortured by the love triangle between Orsino, herself, and Olivia. I worked with these initial feelings and plastered my script, in pencil thank heavens, with notes about how this line was an admittance of love and this line was a double meaning, and this one was tortured, etc. I even went as far as to change the punctuation of a line slightly so that I could make it seem like Viola already had a tiny crush on Orsino.
I went into the first big rehearsal tonight full of these wonderful thoughts. Of course, by the end, they had all been tossed out and new ones put in their place. I feel victim to one of the classic blunders, though at least I didn't go up against a Sicilian when death was on the line.....
Our director said two things during rehearsal today that resonated with me. The first thing he said was that the lines that you speak should never be simple exposition. This is true with all plays, but Shakespeare especially can become full of monotonous explanations if you don't put a personal emotion and reason behind everything you say.
The second thing our director said was a piece of advice that seems so self-evident, yet I had never thought about this before. He told us that decisions should not be made off-stage. They should be made onstage where the audience can see them. Seems simple, right? I've often found that the most helpful acting tips are the simplest things that you never manage to think of yourself. I guess that's why we need teachers.
This might not seem like a big deal, but it completely changes how I play Viola. Instead of starting Act I; scene v already in love with Orsino, I am now just discovering that I love him in this scene. The other scenes I have will be a deeper discovery, understanding, and acceptance of this love, which gives me a fun and exciting character arch to play with!
The other scene we worked on tonight was I,ii, the first time the audience sees Viola. I had originally cluttered it up with double meanings and the like, but our director quickly cleaned things up, making the scene about nothing more that Viola and her friend the captain trying to figure out how to survive in this strange land of Illyria.
The Viola that I started out with is very different from the Viola that came out tonight. This Viola, the Viola that the director wants, is a lot more honest and straightforward than the Viola I had envisioned. I think that this simplification of Viola will ultimately be better than my initial interpretation. Simple and clear character choices always read better onstage than the convoluted drivel you create in the isolation of your home. This is why rehearsals are so important. No matter what you come up with outside before the rehearsal, afterwards, you almost always come out with something new.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Strip Boozkin: Kill the monsters! Steal the Treasure! Stab your buddy and Cut Loose!
While playing Munchkin with my fine friends, I was struck with a brilliant idea, which unfortunately, did not let me win the game; however, in the aftermath, my friends and I created rules for a new munchkin game, the game to rule all munchkin games. We call this game: Strip Boozkin.
The Rule
If you lose a level, you remove a piece of clothing.
The Rule
If you lose a level, you remove a piece of clothing.
If you lose an item of clothing, you remove the corresponding piece of clothing; if you gain an item of clothing, you can put back on the corresponding piece of clothing.
If you gain an item of clothing without having stripped, you may add another piece of clothing to your wardrobe.
Take
off an article of clothing when you run away.
Cheat
cards can be used to regain an item of clothing.
Wishing
rings and other curse removers can be used to avoid drinking or stripping.
Drink
every time you go up a level.
Drink
for every card you discard.
3 Drink
when you change class or race.
When
you change gender, take two drinks.
If
you die, finish your drink!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Celestial Affairs
The sun kissed me awake
Leaving electrical imprints on my eyelids.
I let it lap at my skin,
Blushing at its wanton curiosity.
Don't be jealous of the sun, my love,
And its golden attention to me.
The sun was kissing me, my love.
It was not kissed by me.
The moon caressed me asleep,
Tracing over my shivering skin.
I let it lay over my body,
Reveling in its milky softness.
Don't be jealous of the moon, my love,
And its silver attention to me.
The moon was kissing me, my love,
It was not kissed by me.
It had been pointed out to my that my poems were getting rather depressing. So here's one full of whimsy!
Leaving electrical imprints on my eyelids.
I let it lap at my skin,
Blushing at its wanton curiosity.
Don't be jealous of the sun, my love,
And its golden attention to me.
The sun was kissing me, my love.
It was not kissed by me.
The moon caressed me asleep,
Tracing over my shivering skin.
I let it lay over my body,
Reveling in its milky softness.
Don't be jealous of the moon, my love,
And its silver attention to me.
The moon was kissing me, my love,
It was not kissed by me.
It had been pointed out to my that my poems were getting rather depressing. So here's one full of whimsy!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Chattanooga Nights
My legs are light and floaty
Better to lie down
Prostrate on a sheepskin rug
Of scratchy softness
The night is clear but
My eyes are cloudy
Other people swim in the fog
We laugh for no reason
Trying to find ourselves
In alcohol and herbs
I am a lover says one
I like words another declares
I live for art says the third
They turn to me
What am I
A runaway in an old ballroom
Hiding shame and uselessness
In pallid artistry
I am a flapper I say
Oh how the chorus cheers
I slink back into smoke oblivion
No future
Foggy present
Just a flapper with a past
No punctuation in this one. It's an experiment. Did it fail or succeed? Need more info?
Thursday, February 9, 2012
A really long post full of poetry, probably bad.
Excerpt from Say it with Flowers, a play by Gertrude Stein
George Henry, Henry Henry and Elisabeth
Henry.
Subsidiary characters.
Elisabeth and William Long.
Action in a cake shop and the sea shore.
Other interests.
The welcoming of a man and his dog and the
wish that they would come back sooner.
George Henry and Elisabeth Henry and Henry
Henry ruminating.
Elisabeth and William Long.
Waiting.
Who has asked them to be amiable to me.
She said she was waiting.
George Henry and Elisabeth Henry and
Henry Henry.
Who might be asleep if they were not waiting for me.
She.
Elisabeth Henry and Henry Henry and
George Henry.
She might be waiting with me.
Henry Henry absolutely ready to be here with me.
Scenery.
The home where they were waiting for William Long to ask them
To come along and ask them not to be waiting for them.
Will they be asleep while they are waiting.
They will be pleased with everything.
What is everything.
A hyacinth is everything.
Will they be sleeping while they are waiting for everything.
William Long and Elisabeth Long were so silent you might have heard an egg shell breaking. They were busy all day long with everything.
Well, isn't that a weird mish mush of oddity. I think so. We read this and a few other poems that had characters (gasp!) and dialogue (gasp!) in them. Such innovations! She charged to write a poem with at least one character and at least one line of dialogue. I am not kidding you, folks. One character and one line of dialogue. What a slave driver this woman is! She also encouraged us to write in the above style. This is my response:
Say it with Memes, a parody
Me, myself, and I
And him.
Other characters.
Cats in tubes.
Time: Irrelevant
Place: Improbable
Action is OM NOM NOM
The trolling of a man
on a forum and the
Wish that noobs
wouldn’t feed the animals.
Me myself and I and
Him talking.
Cats in tubes.
Surfing.
Some places I never go.
He said he was surfing 4chan.
Me, myself and I and
Him.
What does Philosoraptor really mean?
Impossibru.
Me, myself, and I,
and
Him.
Success Kid shares stories with Challenge Accepted.
Forever Alone is waiting in the dark.
Scenery.
A multi-universe tumblr world where Ponies live in chaos.
Will they keep to canon or make their own.
Everything is possible.
What is everything.
A double rainbow is everything.
Friendship is Magic and the Ponies know it.
He and I were so
quiet, except for the clicking of keys and the expletives pouring from our mouths. We were busy killing zombies.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
An Acrid Sonnet
That sallow sour sow upon your arm
Is green with joy of treasure freshly won.
Your insipid sanguine smile follows
Fawning at the feet of your new love.
I wish you well with your fair trollop, boy.
May you stay firmly grounded in the Earth
Of salt mines and of clammy compromises.
Had you but asked, I would have set you free
To seek her bitter bosom's black embrace.
I don't know much of rules and love and war,
But I have learned thanks to your guiltless guile.
Plain truth is better than a sweetened lie.
I hope that this is less than what it seems.
May her cold facts be better than my dreams.
Note: There is nothing wrong with my current relationship! We are still happy sunshine joy bubbles! Don't worry! I'm just experimenting with a different voice. ^_^
Is green with joy of treasure freshly won.
Your insipid sanguine smile follows
Fawning at the feet of your new love.
I wish you well with your fair trollop, boy.
May you stay firmly grounded in the Earth
Of salt mines and of clammy compromises.
Had you but asked, I would have set you free
To seek her bitter bosom's black embrace.
I don't know much of rules and love and war,
But I have learned thanks to your guiltless guile.
Plain truth is better than a sweetened lie.
I hope that this is less than what it seems.
May her cold facts be better than my dreams.
Note: There is nothing wrong with my current relationship! We are still happy sunshine joy bubbles! Don't worry! I'm just experimenting with a different voice. ^_^
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