Log #3

Since my partner has left this week, my schedule has changed and been conformed to fit my project for the time that I have to work on it. This week has been about the discovery of my character and memorization. It has been difficult thinking about not having my partner with me for my finalizations of the scene, though it has allowed me to branch out into a deeper analysis of my character to understand how an why she reacts to the events that take place around her. Mrs. Guarino has agreed to help me with my scene and possibly play Romeo, which means that I will need to get the blocking down to exactly what will take place.

I feel that up to this point the scene has grown immensely, and it is daunting but true that there is so much more work that can be done to improve it. I was able to correct the original blocking and try to understand the exchange between the two characters during the scene. I feel more comfortable with the extra movements that were added, and I believe that even more movement could be included if necessary. I have learned a lot about myself as an actor through this process as well as a director. I loved having the ability to edit and cut what I needed from a scene, and shape it to be what I had envisioned in my mind.

This week I worked hard on memorizing my lines completely. It was easier working by myself to complete this process since I could focus on my separate parts. At one point I needed someone to read back my partners lines so I knew when to say what, but overall I feel that it was not too difficult to get my lines down. I feel like I learned and used new and more efficient techniques to memorize my lines than I have in the past. My scene felt daunting and long at first, but after I memorized it I realized that I have so much more freedom now when I work on my scene. I can hopefully get the emotional aspect of my character to a more clean-cut point now that I am not focusing on holding a script.

I have not been able to run through my scene this week so far, but I hope that in the next two days I am able to progress and perfect what I need to for the final cut. I feel like I have used this time to get comfortable with my character and the lines that I will need to recite. When I put new ideas to the test, I hope that everything comes out to portray what the scene demands. I do not have a perfect idea of what the final scene will look like, but I believe that with the circumstances, I am set up to succeed, even if it does not come out to what I envision it being like.

At first I imagined Juliet being a more submissive and hesitant character throughout this scene, but the more I performed that way, the weirder I felt. I realized that even though Romeo and Juliet face obstacles and are aware of them, the scene portrays the moment when Juliet is able to completely confess her love and exchange her true feelings with Romeo. I feel like I have been performing her part as if she does not even want to be with Romeo! I believe that Juliet needs to be more out front and emotional with her lines, but not necessarily "over the top." I hope with enough effort, I can find a balance between the character and the scene she is faced with.