Log #2

This week has been dedicated to getting my scene to be the most finalized it can. After finding out my partner would be leaving before the final performance is due, we had to make changes to our assignment. The new goal was to get as much done before he is gone. We accomplished a lot in the week and our scene evolved into something different than what I had envisioned. I originally hoped that the scene would be less confrontational, but as we progressed into the details of blocking, I realized that it would not be enough to stand stationary.

Before this week my partner and I tried to read through the finalized script to get a feel for what emotions would be portrayed. Once we worked in the black box though, I realized that my partner was having a lot of difficulty feeling comfortable with an audience. This caused him to speak in monotone and not have awareness for any natural gestures that would go with his character. After we performed for the first time on monday, we were able to start making changes for the better since we had feedback from our peers. I realized that I was over-acting in comparison to him during our performance, so for the next two days we worked on finding a balance.

Mrs. Guarino offered a theatre game that benefited us greatly. Bad Acting is a technique where actors over-act to the point that their performance is cheesy or bad. This helps actors who are nervous or unsure gain a sense of strong presence, which they can later tone down for the real performance. I believe that this helped both my partner and I to get into a more comfortable state. I think we both felt more prepared and willing to go outside of our comfort zones.

When we highlighted our lines to distinguish what emotions we would be using for each line, I found it much more helpful than reading off of my normal script. Since I color-coded all of the emotions my character uses, I realized how important it is for my partner and I to be on the same level as far as how big or small we portray our characters.

After we finalized how we were going to read the script, we had to establish what the blocking would look like. We ran through the scene a few times with stagnant, non-confrontational movements. The scene felt dry and dull. There needed to be more gestures, and more importantly, an exchange between the two characters. They are supposed to be falling in love, and we had not shown that in our body language at all. Today we were able to work with Mrs. Guarino to figure out how make the characters connect during the scene. I believe that we worked hard this week and I hope that the scene can progress even more as more time passes.