Blog 17: Fourth Interview

These are the twenty questions I would like to use for my Fourth Interview:

1. What technique or method can an actor best use to engage the audience's attention?
2. How can an actor best memorize his/her lines?
3. What makes an actor's performance so significant to the audience?
4. How does an actor become the character that is believable to audiences?
5. How can an actor create a significant scene that is believable?
6. What are the best ways to use techniques, generally, when working in the space of the stage?
7. What aspect of acting do you enjoy the most?
8. How long would an actor need to practice on different techniques and/or methods in order to be able to engage the audience?
9. What types of excises can an actor use to practice on techniques and/or methods?
10. If you were to work on rehearsal of a play that you are in, what technique or method would you prefer to use and why?
11. How can an actor learn to use their own personal memories of events and apply it to the character?
12. How can an actor build confidences him/her self if they're in a situation in the performance when they feel nervous?
13. When it comes to becoming the character, some actors would use imagination to be the character and some actors would use observation of others work. So, which one do you use the most in performance and why?
14. What technique can an actor use to improve his/her vocal/speaking skills when performing a long piece of a monologue or dialogue?
15. How do you prepare yourself mentally/physically the night before the performance?
16. How can an actor become multiple characters without acting the same character's personality in different performances?
17. What influences you to become an actor and be able to perform in front of a huge live audience?
18. How is one actor able to influence and communicate their main point significantly to the audience?
19. What does it mean to you when you and everyone else on stage performs to the audience?
20. In your experience, why does audience come to see the actor's performance even if the production of the play is big or small?

Preparing for Fullerton Festival

Since the past two months, me and the drama team had been preparing for the annual Fullerton Festival for  March 14 and 15. For those who don't know what it is, The Fullerton Festival is an annual theatre competition where over 30 high schools drama clubs come together and compete against each other weather its acting, tech team, stage designs and so on. Since the play called "working", that the drama team preform, ended in December, the team went straight in Fullerton stuff. Each person in the drama team, including the ones who are not in the elective but are still going, had been assign and register for the competition of what catalogs they sign up for.

I in the other hand, sign up for monologue catalog and beginning working on it. the monologue that I am doing is a scene form "Midsummer night's dream ", by William Shakespeare, where I play as a character name Puck who is telling a silly event that he had trick some other character on purpose. So far, I'm beginning to understand the character's objective and try to lean to act like him. I also been practicing at home where I wrote my lines down many times so its easier to memorize and practice in a full mirror to see how I'm preforming. Not only I'm doing a monologue, but I am also doing scenes from "working" with the drama team and will be only performing it under ten minute, since there are other team who are competing.

And to make sure we are doing alright, The drama team had an after school  rehearsal meeting on 2/26 to review of what we are being scored on by the judges and gone through everyone's monologues and dialogues scene, including the "working" scene. at the end, everyone including me got reviews of what to improve in the next few weeks before the Fullerton Festival comes. So hopefully me and the drama team do well for the completion in a couple of weeks, so wish us luck.

This is the monologue I'm doing for the Fullerton Festival. The paper I have in the right is a technique I learn a while ago that helps me to memorize my lines better. what I do is that I write foru or five lines down and writ it over again about 10 tens which will help me remember what I wrote and help me to say it better and it work all the time.  

This feed back, from Hogan, which is telling me what I need to improve before the Fullerton festival comes.

This is the score sheet that the judges will be using to score us in the performance. It kid of dose look like the project rubric, except this focus on Content & Demand, Articulation & diction, Choices Made, and Audience Interest from the scale of 1-4.

Blog 16: Advisory Meeting #2

Content:

Just like you did for answer 1 and the objectives for Purther's textbook work for answer 2 post:

EQ

"What technique or method can an actor best use to engage the audience attention?"

Answer #2 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*

Answer #2: "The Stanislavski Method helps an actors to learn to become a believable character to the audience."  

3 details to support the answer (a detail is a fact and an example)

Detail # 1:What the Method teaches is how to use physical action within the character. In order to do that, you learn the 13 steps to create the physical action of the character:

1. Units and Objectives 
2. Through line of actions and the super objective
3. Analysis of the text through action
4. Truth, Belief and the "Magic If"
5. Imagination
6. Subtext
7. Motivation
8. Concentration
9. Relaxation
10. Communion
11. Adaptation
12. Tempo-Rhythm
13. The Physical Apparatus

Each of this step go very detail and show the importance of how to become the character. If actor's learn to use these steps, they'll learn to act like the character on stage that will be believable to the audience

Detail # 2: What an actor needs to know is how to use the method as not just an external tool, but as an internal tool. This method teaches you use Emotional Memory, meaning you use your own past event memories and apply it to the character. what it dose is when a character is in a emotional moment, like they lost someone, you use your past memories of someone you love died and you use that emotion you feel in your character and image the place you were in that make you said. This tool helps to bring the character to life through emotion and this will help to create an effected scene to the audience. But an actor has to learn to use this tool carefully because if it use to much within the actor's emotional memories, it could lead to mentally disruption of the actors mind.

Detail # 3: Another thing that this method teaches actors is to learn to control feelings and knowing when to use it in a specific scene that can be relative to the audience. When it comes to different scene, each actor should know how will this character going to feel for the next scene. When a scene change from a happy moment to a sad moment, the actor should change form feeling glad to feeling depression scene this will fit well with the scene. The top four different scenes that each actor should practice on controlling feelings are weddings, funerals, children births, and relationship break ups. The reason why is because most actors have gone trough this situation and know how they feel in that moment. Not only that, most of the audience that an actor is performing will know exactly how the character is feeling and feel liking the character is going through a relative situation that they have gone through.

The research source (s) to support your details and answer

Source 27a,b, c, and d: Sawoski, Perviz. "THE STANISLAVSKI SYSTEM GROWTH AND METHODOLOGY." N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2013

Source 26a and b: Verducci, Susan. "A Moral Method? Thoughts on Cultivating Empathy Through Method Acting." Journal of Moral Education, 29.1 (2000): 87-99. 

Source 23a and b: Goodwin, John, and Rick Deady. "The Art of Mental Health Practice: The Role of Drama in Developing Empathy." Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 49.2 (2013): 126-134. pg 1-4

Personal interview with Ginna Escobar of interview three.

Concluding Sentence

So the Stanislavski Method is one of the most significant acting tools that any actor can use when learning to become a believable character that will engage to the audience's attention. It may be difficult for same actors to interpret with this method, but with good practice and a good understanding of it, its easy to interpret it and become a better actor. 

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

Content:

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

My plan for the next 30 hours is that I will be preparing for the annual Fullerton Festival in March 14 to 15 and I'll be performing one monologue and one group scene for the competition.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I will take pictures on the days I go on after schools rehearsal, my practice at home of my monologue , and the events at the Fullerton Festival.

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

This will help me explore deeper into my topic because I will be competing hundreds of other actors at the festivals and I need to make sure how I am going to get a good score from the Judges. This will mean I'll need to find ways of how I can improve my acting skills, meaning finding methods or techniques that can help me engage the judges and get a good score. Not only that, I'll be also watching other actors performing to see how they do it that is significant to the audience and hopefully helps me find new answers for my EQ.

4.  Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your other logs and call it the independent component 2 log.

It has already been done.

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

Content:  

• LITERAL
  (a) Statement saying: “I, student name, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”

"I, Gustavo A. Rios, affirm that I completed my Independent Component which represents 30 hours of work"

• (b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component

The source that help me with my Independent Component 1 is Joe Hogan who is my Drama Teacher/Director of the I-Poly Drama play Called 'Working".

• (c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours).   Post it next to your mentorship log.

It already post up in my blog page, but I put another one here just in case if the link in my blog page might go something wrong.

Independent Component 1 Log

• (d) Explanation of what you completed.    

What I have Complete was for the past two and half months, I have been rehearsing and preform a musical play Call "Working" with the I-Poly Drama Club and perform it at I-Poly High School on December 4, 5, and 7. Its also part of The drama club preparation for the competition for the annual Fullerton Festival on March 15 and 16.

• INTERPRETIVE 
  Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  
  

Many people believe performing a play might be easy, and it isn't. It takes to of time to prepare a performance before performing the play, especially this one since it was the first play the the drama club is doing a musical play. So almost every week of September, October, November, and even last week of December, I will always come after school rehearsals to practice on scenes of Act 1 and 2 for 2 to 3 hours from Mon - Thurs.

What I did was That I got two different parts for the show. the first one was that I was a office guy in the background which I got to say a line about how the office was to small to work in. The second one was my main one, which is that I got to play as a guy name Anthony who is a Stone Mason. This where I do a monologue about how this character love his work so  much  and how he express it by building a wall out of brick. I have to learn how the character acts and how he feels about his work. 

 Not only did I just learn my lines and learn to be the character, but I also have to practice a lot of choreography with groups, since I am also in a couple of scenes that involves big dancing and singing numbers. It was a lot of work that it took us about 3 weeks to get down the opening scene of the play which was called "All the Live Long Day". I have to spend long hours on the choreography with the group so that way the group will make a good impression to the audience. 

The Evidence are pictures I took during my rehearsal of practicing choreography, practicing my monologue, my scheduled, and the performance of the play. All of the evidences will be at the bottom for you to see.

• APPLIED
  How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better?  Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped. 

How this component help me to understand my topic better is seeing how do I, as an actor, is able to grab people's attention and have them enjoy them selves.  Because right after the performance, many people from the audience were complementing the group's performance work, including my performance, and how well we did. This got me thinking of how on earth was I able to grab peoples attention. I know that many people will say "practice, practice, practice"  is the key answer to create a good performance, but I wanted to know what are ways to do a great performance that amuses the audience. I began to observe the rehearsal while doing it. I notice that the whole group are practicing choreography so much. I have to learn my ques of when move and where I'll be standing. Thanks to this, it help to formulate my first answer of using the blocking technique, because during the rehearsals, everyone have to know how will the scene will run and make sure that our choreography goes well on stage.

Not only that, I also observe myself to see how I become the character that I am playing and how I am expressing my self with my whole body, mind, and vocal. This got me thinking of of the tools that I research which talks about what tools will actors use when rehearsing like the Stanislavsky method, which teaches you how to become the character through emotion and memories of your own, and the Chekov Technique, which teaches you to use your body, vocal, and mind to create body language and so on. Thanks to this tools that I have research, I want to learn and know which of the techniques or methods will help an actor like me that will bring the audience attention that will amuse them very effectively.

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

Content:

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

What I am most proud of is that I get to engage the class with my lesson with so much passionate and pretended like it was a performance which help me a lot. But what I am very proud is that this is the first project that I get to be myself because in the other years of projects, I always have to do subject in groups that doesn't really get my interest and I have to limited my talking and presentation skills, since I like to move around and make the subject so interesting, when it come to presentation. But for this project, I get to work on a topic that I am so passionate about and get to demonstrate my answer number 1 to the class in my own way.

2. Questions to Consider
       a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE       P          AP       CR       NC

I think I deserve a "P"

       b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

The reason why is because I have turn in my rough and final lesson plan on time, been preparing for the lesson like asking question to teacher to see what I should do and what I shouldn't do in the lesson, came prepare on the day of my presentation, gave some valuable info of my answer, reference my mentor and some sources, made time, and was able to engage the audience,aka class, which really made me happy to do so.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

What really work for me is the lesson plan and the PowerPoint because both help me to organize my thoughts for answer number one so that way I'll know what to say to support my answer. Another thing that help me is interacting with the class, I love to demonstrate to them of the things I know like how to position yourself, what to do and what not to do and so on. This help me to give them a visual info instead of just saying it.  

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

Even though I made time, I should of speak less so that way I could of have more time on the activity since I only had around ten minutes to do so. Not only that, I should also work on my speaking skill since I was kind of talking to fast and had a little bit of trouble pronouncing some words, so I should try to rehearse more like I do on performances in drama.

5. Finding Value
What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

 For my next answers, I'm trying to use method acting to have a strong and creative mind, and to do that you use the Stanislavski method, it one of the most efficient acting tools when it comes to learning to becoming the character.  I am still learning and researching it right now, but hopefully I get it all down by the end of next month.

New Mentor and Learning Experience Opportunity

About three weeks ago, I was with my parents at their friends's house to celebrate their friend's Daughter's 21 birthday. During the party, My parents were talking with their friends, including others that they never met, until they met someone name Ginna Escobar. She is a close friend to my parents' friends for couple of years.They talk about many things like where they're from, how their life are, and so on. During that time, we found out that she is the vice mayor of Pomona, which really surprise my parents, and not only that, she actually a part time theater actress and owns a acting studio in downtown Pomona. My parents began to tell her about my senior project of what I am doing and how I a handling it. She was actually curious about my work and ask me about how much I know about. I told her about things I did in my independent component 1, mentorship at chino community theatre, my involvement in I-poly drama,  my research, and so on. She was very impress of how much I know so far and told me that she really like how I am so passionate about my work. Not only that, she told me that she will really like to have me work with her at her acting studio in down town Pomona, teach me some acting tools like technique or method, and get involved with her work. I was so happy that I get to have an opportunity to work with someone who has been acting in the professional level. She told me to call her if I am willing to take her offer and let me interview her. I haven't done it yet but I will do as soon as possible because with this Opportunity, this can help me understand better of my topic better and help me with answer 2 and 3 for my EQ.