skylark913 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
skylark913) wrote2008-08-08 08:37 pm
skylark913) wrote2008-08-08 08:37 pm
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Greenwich: August 5
August 5
This morning Heather took us to Woolwich, where we'll be having class for the rest of the week. It has a great acting space for workshops. We discussed sematics in class and the position of a chorus: whether they are critical or supportive, and how to portray that when you're acting.
Then we started doing excerpts from the plays and deciding how to stage something and act it out. _Henry V_ we did the opening chorus. My group chose to make ourselves anonymous and draw attention to the open stage. Then we did an excerpt from _Miss Julie_ in the round. We wanted to the fish bowl effect of watching someone's life.
After lunch we broke off into new groups to work on an excerpt from _Medea_. I ended up with Andrew, Ryan, Justin, and Jake, so I was playing Medea while they were the Nurse and Chorus. The first run through we were portraying the Chorus as critical. I was offstage most of the time (all my lines were anyway).
The second run-through we decided to bring out a misogynistic view point, showing a tortured Medea who was being accused of all sorts of things. We did this one in the round in order to force the audience to align themlseves with the accusing chorus. It was like a series of circles. Medea was in her own world, the the Nurse and Medea were next, then the chorus circling and prowling around them, then the audience intermingled in the chorus. Heather said we brought that across really well, and made them feel horrible for being a part of the chorus. I spent omost of that run through rocking back and forth on the floor, and pulling at my hair, crazed.
I really enjoyed all the acting bits today. A lot of people began to like Heather a bit more today. I hope we keep doing workshops like this all week.
After making it back to Greenwich it was really frustrating because I was the only one done with my paper, and it was too late to go out into London. So I chilled for awhile until around 1030 or 11 when people were ready to take a break. We drank and socialized and played a game called Asshole. Rather fun and entertaining actually.
This morning Heather took us to Woolwich, where we'll be having class for the rest of the week. It has a great acting space for workshops. We discussed sematics in class and the position of a chorus: whether they are critical or supportive, and how to portray that when you're acting.
Then we started doing excerpts from the plays and deciding how to stage something and act it out. _Henry V_ we did the opening chorus. My group chose to make ourselves anonymous and draw attention to the open stage. Then we did an excerpt from _Miss Julie_ in the round. We wanted to the fish bowl effect of watching someone's life.
After lunch we broke off into new groups to work on an excerpt from _Medea_. I ended up with Andrew, Ryan, Justin, and Jake, so I was playing Medea while they were the Nurse and Chorus. The first run through we were portraying the Chorus as critical. I was offstage most of the time (all my lines were anyway).
The second run-through we decided to bring out a misogynistic view point, showing a tortured Medea who was being accused of all sorts of things. We did this one in the round in order to force the audience to align themlseves with the accusing chorus. It was like a series of circles. Medea was in her own world, the the Nurse and Medea were next, then the chorus circling and prowling around them, then the audience intermingled in the chorus. Heather said we brought that across really well, and made them feel horrible for being a part of the chorus. I spent omost of that run through rocking back and forth on the floor, and pulling at my hair, crazed.
I really enjoyed all the acting bits today. A lot of people began to like Heather a bit more today. I hope we keep doing workshops like this all week.
After making it back to Greenwich it was really frustrating because I was the only one done with my paper, and it was too late to go out into London. So I chilled for awhile until around 1030 or 11 when people were ready to take a break. We drank and socialized and played a game called Asshole. Rather fun and entertaining actually.