So today in Acting Class we did a very physical exercise. We did some Suzuki method stuff in order to develop character and learn ways to create a physical character for our scenes that will be coming up. The exercise started with us just walking around the theatre and then Professor Cirino would say statue and then we would have to freeze into a statue without even thinking about it. It got to the point where I was not even thinking about what statue I was becoming and just went from one statue to the next. The next portion of the exercise consisted with each of us keeping one statue we create and continuing to do that same statue. We then had to create a character out of that statue. This was actually one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had. This was probably one of the first times that I felt completely into a character. This is definitely a method I will be using in the future for developing character. For the next couple of classes, Professor Cirino told us that we would continue to work with these statues and develop them further and then take this exercise into developing our character for the scene.
And on a side note, the Vagina Monologues at SDSU opens tomorrow. I am the light board operator for it and the show is going great. Tomorrow should be amazing also.
I also have my first rehearsal for Midsummer next monday which I am super excited about and the two films that I am in should start to be shooting fairly shortly.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Class 2-18-10
So, todays class started out with the same ball game that we played last class. After that we started on doing our first readings of our monologue. We took notes on our classmates readings and what we liked. I was one of the ones to go today. I definitely need to have the monologue cemented in my mind much more. I thought I had it but I do need to memorize it a little bit more. And personally I didn't think my monologue run-thru went well today. I was not proud of the way I did it, and I will make sure I improve immensely before I go again and I know that once my monologue is fully memorized. Next time I need to have much more concentration and much more focused. I was distracted today during the monologue. I also need to do some character work for my monologue and that will be posted on this blog also. After the monologue, Professor Cirino gave me some feedback and gave me some ideas for ways I can do it next time I perform it. He gave me some very good ideas and will definitely use them during my final performance. A couple of the groups also read their scenes and then the Professor gave them some feedback also. Hannah and I will be reading our scene for the class next tuesday.
On a side note, I may also be getting into another film. I contacted somebody about a film, and they said it was between me and somebody else so I should know about that within the next couple of days and I will keep you updated.
On a side note, I may also be getting into another film. I contacted somebody about a film, and they said it was between me and somebody else so I should know about that within the next couple of days and I will keep you updated.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Days of Wine and Roses by J.P. Miller
So, I just finished the play Days of Wine and Roses by J.P. Miller and found it to be good and thought that it also did have a good message. This play was also a movie and it followed one guys story of being an alcoholic and his trip to recovery. He met a girl that shared his like of alcohol and they hit it off almost immediately. They eventually got married and they ended up trying to go into recovery together. They go through their ups and downs and they have their times when they feel the need for alcohol and other times when they feel they have done good keeping their desire for alcohol under control. They start to get distant though when Joe begins being able to fully not consume alcohol while Kirsten is struggling very much and continues to get dangerously drunk to the point of putting their daughter in danger. Joe decides to tell Kirsten that she can come back as long as she stops using alcohol, but she says that she can't promise that, and that she does not think she can stop, so Joe tells her that they can't get back together so the play ends with Kirsten and Joe seperating for who knows how long.
This play is all about how much drinking alcohol and an addiction like that can ruin lives. Their relationship was based on alcohol and the addiction and because of this it slowly deteriorated their relationship until they could not be together anymore. Not only was their relationship begun on basis of alcohol but also ended because of alcohol. It shows both sides of alcoholism also. The promising recovered alcoholic who is starting to make a new life for himself and the alcoholic who has ruined her life and will not be able to have her life back as long as she remains an alcoholic. The play was able to portray its message of the dangers of alcohol to both body and relationships very well and I would recommend this play to anybody else.
This play is also the one that Hannah and I will be doing our scene from. We had to do a little bit of cutting but we are going to do a scene where they are both desperate for alcohol and are needing it and then transition into a separate scene where they have been doing good with their recovery and have decided to celebrate with a drink. This scene will be different then anything I have done before and should be an interesting one.
And on a side note, I got into the film that I auditioned for last night and am very excited. It will be my first film and should be a great experience.
This play is all about how much drinking alcohol and an addiction like that can ruin lives. Their relationship was based on alcohol and the addiction and because of this it slowly deteriorated their relationship until they could not be together anymore. Not only was their relationship begun on basis of alcohol but also ended because of alcohol. It shows both sides of alcoholism also. The promising recovered alcoholic who is starting to make a new life for himself and the alcoholic who has ruined her life and will not be able to have her life back as long as she remains an alcoholic. The play was able to portray its message of the dangers of alcohol to both body and relationships very well and I would recommend this play to anybody else.
This play is also the one that Hannah and I will be doing our scene from. We had to do a little bit of cutting but we are going to do a scene where they are both desperate for alcohol and are needing it and then transition into a separate scene where they have been doing good with their recovery and have decided to celebrate with a drink. This scene will be different then anything I have done before and should be an interesting one.
And on a side note, I got into the film that I auditioned for last night and am very excited. It will be my first film and should be a great experience.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Class 2-16-10
So, today in class first off we did a ball game where the person would start off by throwing the ball into the center and then they would call somebody's name and then that person would have to touch the ball before it touched the ground twice and then call somebody elses name and then it would continue. If a person was to not touch the ball before it hit the ground twice then that person would be out. I think the reason for this exercise was to help with listening and reacting skills. We really had to listen for our names and then react once we heard it.
We also talked a little more about monologues and scenes. I will be doing my monologue for the first time on thursday so I will tell you all how it goes. Right now, its in my mind but I need to work on it more to get it cemented in my mind. For our scene, Hannah and I have two ideas. We will either do one from Days of Wine and Roses or one from Closer and you will hear about both of those after I have finished reading them. We will for sure know the scene we are doing after class on thursday.
Also, today, I had an audition for a student film, which I thought went really well. They said we will keep in touch. I will also keep you all updated on that and if I get in it.
We also talked a little more about monologues and scenes. I will be doing my monologue for the first time on thursday so I will tell you all how it goes. Right now, its in my mind but I need to work on it more to get it cemented in my mind. For our scene, Hannah and I have two ideas. We will either do one from Days of Wine and Roses or one from Closer and you will hear about both of those after I have finished reading them. We will for sure know the scene we are doing after class on thursday.
Also, today, I had an audition for a student film, which I thought went really well. They said we will keep in touch. I will also keep you all updated on that and if I get in it.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Birds of Paradise 2-14-10
So, today I went to go see the musical “Birds of Paradise” at San Diego State University and enjoyed it very much. This hilarious comedy about an amateur theatre group putting on a musical version of The Sea Gull was written by Winnie Holzman and David Evans and directed by theatre faculty Paula Kalustian.
First of all, I would like to say just how much I enjoyed the show. I enjoyed all of the songs, while at the same time I really liked the story and the complex characters within the story. Each character was very different from the next and was showed very well throughout the play. Each character had their own set of physicalizations, problems, goals and thoughts about the other characters and I just found each character to be interesting and unique in their own way. For example there was the organized housewife, Stella who just seemed to have the perfect life and just wanted everybody to be happy but it turned out that her marriage was not as happy as the audience thinks and everything gets revealed later on. Also the relationship between Marjorie and her son, Homer is a lot more complicated then first thought. In the beginning we just think that it’s a normal mother son relationship but later on we realize that it has to do with Marjorie’s loneliness and sadness and her fear of letting her son go.
Each character also had very distinct goals they were trying to accomplish and things that they wanted while the other characters may have wanted completely different things. Homer, the composer, really just wanted to get his work out there and to “spread his wings” and get out into the world and he does this by using his friend Julia’s goal, which in the long run is to get out into the professional acting world. Homer’s goal is then fighting throughout the play with Lawrence, the professional actor’s actions, which includes changing the play that Homer wrote to reflect what Lawrence likes and what Lawrence wants. Everybody in the play had specific goals that the actors had to play, and what made it even harder was how each characters had goals that were crucial to story of play, so all actors had to make sure that the audience really saw what their characters wanted.
Another thing I really liked about the play was its parallel to The Sea Gull by Anton Chekhov. I previously crewed for a production of The Sea Gull and thought that it was very interesting just how much the play paralleled the show and how each character went through many of the same things that the characters from Chekhov’s play went through. The plot of “Birds of Paradise” was basically a lighter version of “The Seagull” and the characters all seemed to parallel somebody from the original show.
I enjoyed this show immensely and thought it had a wonderful story, superb acting and beautiful music that will remain in my head for many hours.
First of all, I would like to say just how much I enjoyed the show. I enjoyed all of the songs, while at the same time I really liked the story and the complex characters within the story. Each character was very different from the next and was showed very well throughout the play. Each character had their own set of physicalizations, problems, goals and thoughts about the other characters and I just found each character to be interesting and unique in their own way. For example there was the organized housewife, Stella who just seemed to have the perfect life and just wanted everybody to be happy but it turned out that her marriage was not as happy as the audience thinks and everything gets revealed later on. Also the relationship between Marjorie and her son, Homer is a lot more complicated then first thought. In the beginning we just think that it’s a normal mother son relationship but later on we realize that it has to do with Marjorie’s loneliness and sadness and her fear of letting her son go.
Each character also had very distinct goals they were trying to accomplish and things that they wanted while the other characters may have wanted completely different things. Homer, the composer, really just wanted to get his work out there and to “spread his wings” and get out into the world and he does this by using his friend Julia’s goal, which in the long run is to get out into the professional acting world. Homer’s goal is then fighting throughout the play with Lawrence, the professional actor’s actions, which includes changing the play that Homer wrote to reflect what Lawrence likes and what Lawrence wants. Everybody in the play had specific goals that the actors had to play, and what made it even harder was how each characters had goals that were crucial to story of play, so all actors had to make sure that the audience really saw what their characters wanted.
Another thing I really liked about the play was its parallel to The Sea Gull by Anton Chekhov. I previously crewed for a production of The Sea Gull and thought that it was very interesting just how much the play paralleled the show and how each character went through many of the same things that the characters from Chekhov’s play went through. The plot of “Birds of Paradise” was basically a lighter version of “The Seagull” and the characters all seemed to parallel somebody from the original show.
I enjoyed this show immensely and thought it had a wonderful story, superb acting and beautiful music that will remain in my head for many hours.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Angels In America Part 2 by Tony Kushner
So, I was able to finish up the second part to Tony Kushner's Angels in America. This continued right from where the first part left off. Louis continued to feel guilty about his leaving prior and decides to fill the guilty feeling by going out and being with Joe. Joe eventually realizes that, once Louis makes the decision to go back to Prior, he loves Harper and really does want to be with her. The play ended with Roy dying from his illness and the two couples: Joe and Harper, and Louis and Prior not getting back together. The pain Harper and Prior both had to go through was just too much and they couldn't let Joe and Louis back into their life. In the end, this play went way beyond being a gay play. Not only did it include gay people living their lives but it also brought about the nature of love and what love is exactly. Another main idea of the play was getting across gay issues and the problems they have faced and to bring into view this disease that for years was thought to only be a gay disease and one that the government did not feel needed to be faced. It brings to light the intolerance against gay people that has gradually started to become more prevalent in American society and the prejudices associated with AIDS and those inflicted with it. The ending of this play is able to give us hope. It tells us to not just give up. That as long as America stays progressive and the minority does not give in we still have hope. Minorities can do anything as long as they remain strong and do not let the majority get in their way.
MONOLOGUE:
Prior:
"I'm almost done. The fountains not flowing now, they turn it off in the winter, ice in the pipes. But in the summer its a sight to see. I want to be around to see it. I plan to be. I hope to be. This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all, and the dead will be commemorated and will struggle on with living, and we are not going away. We won't die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. Bye now. You are fabulous creatures, each and every one. And I bless you: More life. The Great Work Begins."
MONOLOGUE:
Prior:
"I'm almost done. The fountains not flowing now, they turn it off in the winter, ice in the pipes. But in the summer its a sight to see. I want to be around to see it. I plan to be. I hope to be. This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all, and the dead will be commemorated and will struggle on with living, and we are not going away. We won't die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. Bye now. You are fabulous creatures, each and every one. And I bless you: More life. The Great Work Begins."
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Class 2-9-10
Hey everybody!
Okay, so first i'm going to catch you up all on the film festival I saw at my school last friday. It was a collection of films made my both undergraduate and graduate students. I really enjoyed the film festival and thoroughly enjoyed seeing what my fellow students have been making. There was a large group of films, each very different ranging from documentaries to adaptations to narratives. My favorite film there was probably "Day Labor" which was a touching film about latino Americans who are trying to find work and support their family. I thought it was a very good story but also one that was sad and very close to what really happens. Its message is great and one that does want to make the audience take action and try to fix the conditions that some people in our country have to live in because of discrimination. Overall the film festival was great and I encourage everybody to go to the SDSU film festivals.
And then now I'm gonna talk a little bit about what we did in class today. First off, we did some stretching and warm up exercises, which afterwards I felt very good and much more relaxed and less tense then when I got to class. We also talked about who our scene partners for the first scene of the semester will be and I was paired with my friend Hannah. Professor Cirino then told us he wanted us to do a scene where we would be completely different then what we normally play or come off as, so he said I should do a scene where I am a rough and tough kinda guy. I'm really looking forward to doing a scene like this because I have never really played this kind of character ever so I can not wait to get to play that kind of character. Next he approved and told us which monologue he wants us to do for our first monologue. For me he chose the Nest monologue that I have put up in January. Well I think thats about it for now. You should all come see the Vagina Monologues on the 26th and 27th at 8 pm or on the 28th pm at San Diego State. And I will be doing light board operator for the show, so I hope to see you all there.
Okay, so first i'm going to catch you up all on the film festival I saw at my school last friday. It was a collection of films made my both undergraduate and graduate students. I really enjoyed the film festival and thoroughly enjoyed seeing what my fellow students have been making. There was a large group of films, each very different ranging from documentaries to adaptations to narratives. My favorite film there was probably "Day Labor" which was a touching film about latino Americans who are trying to find work and support their family. I thought it was a very good story but also one that was sad and very close to what really happens. Its message is great and one that does want to make the audience take action and try to fix the conditions that some people in our country have to live in because of discrimination. Overall the film festival was great and I encourage everybody to go to the SDSU film festivals.
And then now I'm gonna talk a little bit about what we did in class today. First off, we did some stretching and warm up exercises, which afterwards I felt very good and much more relaxed and less tense then when I got to class. We also talked about who our scene partners for the first scene of the semester will be and I was paired with my friend Hannah. Professor Cirino then told us he wanted us to do a scene where we would be completely different then what we normally play or come off as, so he said I should do a scene where I am a rough and tough kinda guy. I'm really looking forward to doing a scene like this because I have never really played this kind of character ever so I can not wait to get to play that kind of character. Next he approved and told us which monologue he wants us to do for our first monologue. For me he chose the Nest monologue that I have put up in January. Well I think thats about it for now. You should all come see the Vagina Monologues on the 26th and 27th at 8 pm or on the 28th pm at San Diego State. And I will be doing light board operator for the show, so I hope to see you all there.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Angels in America Part One by Tony Kushner
Okay, so the play that I read this week was Angels in America by Tony Kushner. I have been wanting to read this play for years and I am so happy that I finally did. I related to this play on a couple levels and it really spoke to me. I found this play very touching and one that I think everyone should read. I think it would really open peoples eyes to gay issues and the AIDS epidemic.
This play is about the lives of homosexuals in the time when AIDS was becoming a big issue. One of the couples portrayed was Prior and Louis. Prior had been hiding his sickness of AIDS from his longtime partner Louis, and when Prior eventually tells Louis about his sickness Louis gets scared and does what Prior was worrying about all along, leaves him. Joe, another character, is married to his wife, Harper, but has a secret that he has been hiding and feels ashamed of. Joe is a homosexual and eventually tells his wife, who gets upset and tells him to leave. Joe and Roy, an HIV positive man who sleeps with men but does not like labels and still considers himself heterosexual, meet through business and Roy needs help from Joe when his job is at stake, and even though Joe has developed feelings for Roy, he can't help him because of ethical issues. Part 1 ends with the sick Roy having a visit from his dark past come to haunt him. Joe and Louis, who is trying to figure out how he could have left Prior, meet up and discuss things that are going on and bond over some similarities. The play ends with Prior laying alone in his bed seeing an Angel descend upon him. This play touches on psychological effects brought on to a minority by discrimination. Also touched on labels and what labels actually mean. Makes the reader think about love and what love really is and just how complicated it can be. And finally it touches on how unexpected life is and that there is no way to run from something you are scared of. Eventually, you must face it and deal with it. You can't run away from something forever.
I found this play to be very moving and very relatable, especially for me on so many levels. I will now be reading Part 2 of Angels in America so be sure to keep checking back for when I talk about Part 2.
And like I usually do, I was able to find a monologue I liked and will post it here.
Roy:
"No. Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only: where does an individual so identified fit in the food chain, in the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, but something much simpler: clout. Not who I f*** or who f***s me, but who will pick up the phone when I call, who owes me favors. This is what a label refers to. Now to someone who does not understand this, homosexual is what I am because I have sex with men. But really this is wrong. Homosexuals are not men who sleep with other men. Homosexuals are men who in fifteen years of trying cannot get a pissant antidiscrimination bill through City Council. Homosexuals are men who know nobody and who nobody knows. Who have zero clout. does this sound like me, Henry?"
This play is about the lives of homosexuals in the time when AIDS was becoming a big issue. One of the couples portrayed was Prior and Louis. Prior had been hiding his sickness of AIDS from his longtime partner Louis, and when Prior eventually tells Louis about his sickness Louis gets scared and does what Prior was worrying about all along, leaves him. Joe, another character, is married to his wife, Harper, but has a secret that he has been hiding and feels ashamed of. Joe is a homosexual and eventually tells his wife, who gets upset and tells him to leave. Joe and Roy, an HIV positive man who sleeps with men but does not like labels and still considers himself heterosexual, meet through business and Roy needs help from Joe when his job is at stake, and even though Joe has developed feelings for Roy, he can't help him because of ethical issues. Part 1 ends with the sick Roy having a visit from his dark past come to haunt him. Joe and Louis, who is trying to figure out how he could have left Prior, meet up and discuss things that are going on and bond over some similarities. The play ends with Prior laying alone in his bed seeing an Angel descend upon him. This play touches on psychological effects brought on to a minority by discrimination. Also touched on labels and what labels actually mean. Makes the reader think about love and what love really is and just how complicated it can be. And finally it touches on how unexpected life is and that there is no way to run from something you are scared of. Eventually, you must face it and deal with it. You can't run away from something forever.
I found this play to be very moving and very relatable, especially for me on so many levels. I will now be reading Part 2 of Angels in America so be sure to keep checking back for when I talk about Part 2.
And like I usually do, I was able to find a monologue I liked and will post it here.
Roy:
"No. Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only: where does an individual so identified fit in the food chain, in the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, but something much simpler: clout. Not who I f*** or who f***s me, but who will pick up the phone when I call, who owes me favors. This is what a label refers to. Now to someone who does not understand this, homosexual is what I am because I have sex with men. But really this is wrong. Homosexuals are not men who sleep with other men. Homosexuals are men who in fifteen years of trying cannot get a pissant antidiscrimination bill through City Council. Homosexuals are men who know nobody and who nobody knows. Who have zero clout. does this sound like me, Henry?"
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Class 2-2-10
Okay, so today right we started class right away. We did not do any of the warm-ups beforehand that we usually do. This most likely had to do with the amount of stuff we had to do in class today. First of all we had to have some sort of monologue that we had in our repertoire prepared for class today, and we went right into the monologues. Each person gave a monologue and the purpose of this so that our professor Peter could see any bad habits we have while performing that he could help us get rid of. The monologue that I did was from The Misanthrope by Moliere and i'm really interested to see what Peter thought of it.
After our monologues, we finished up doing walks that we observed throughout our day to day life. I did the walk that I saw for the class today, and Peter said that my initial starting off point of the walk, would definitely be a very good gesture and position to keep in mind when thinking about some characters. This exercise definitely helps when it comes to trying to figure out physicalizations for a character. Observing people and finding something that works is a very good idea.
After the monologues and the walk, we talked about giving him ideas for monologues that we will be performing eventually. I have a couple ideas but I will post which one I actually get assigned to and then I will get to create a whole character paper and profile about it. I'm really looking forward to what monologue I get to work on next and even the first scene of the semester I get to work on. I'm looking forward to what Acting 2 has in hold for me next.
After our monologues, we finished up doing walks that we observed throughout our day to day life. I did the walk that I saw for the class today, and Peter said that my initial starting off point of the walk, would definitely be a very good gesture and position to keep in mind when thinking about some characters. This exercise definitely helps when it comes to trying to figure out physicalizations for a character. Observing people and finding something that works is a very good idea.
After the monologues and the walk, we talked about giving him ideas for monologues that we will be performing eventually. I have a couple ideas but I will post which one I actually get assigned to and then I will get to create a whole character paper and profile about it. I'm really looking forward to what monologue I get to work on next and even the first scene of the semester I get to work on. I'm looking forward to what Acting 2 has in hold for me next.
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