Why? What elements of the session made you think this? I'm curious, and think that if you reflect on this it may help you unpick what is in and out of your comfort zone, Maybe that will help you approach the next workshop? Also, other group members might feel the same way or feel encouraged to discuss issues if you let us know more specifically what's making you think/feel when you have finished sessions!
1.Creating "Communion" - This exercise involved you as a group to walk around the space, and without any one person leading, finding an impulse in coming to a group standstill. You were then required to imagine you were watching a football match and, once again without any one person leading, finding the moment of when your team scored a goal. These exercises were designed to help you think about working as an ensemble, that when performing it requires a group of actors to collectively tell a story, as opposed to a group of actors telling their own individual stories. These exercises required to think about sharing and giving to one another in the space, to be sensitive to the tempo/rhythm of your fellow performers and general focus and listening skills. It is this ability of embracing the collective, and of colluding with one another in your work that Stanislavski calls Communion.
2. Relaxation/Concentration - with voice. - these exercises involved connecting imagery with warming up the voice, releasing tension through rolling through the spine, massaging the jaw, lip flutters to release tension in the lips. Avoiding extraneous use of breath by using natural breath "breath for life".
Relaxation is central to Stanislavski theory, these exercises required you make the connection that the voice and the body are the two most important tools you have as performers. Keeping the body and voice relaxed and free of tension, according to Stanislavski enables actors to offset pre-show nerves and focuses the actor on their job of performing.
3. Truth and Belief - the bird exercise/ chair exercises. These exercise prompted you to recognise the importance of the actor having a rich imaginative life. In order for the actor to make something seem real and believable he/she needs to invest in their actions with absolute conviction. Detailed investment is important. The more specific you can be in your work - giving light and shade to what your investing in, the more the audience will belief in what your doing is truthful and believable.
4. Subtext exercise - Consisted of working in fours with two people delivering the text, whilst the other two participants would "drop -in" thoughts or subtext of what the characters were truly thinking. Exercise forced you to consider how subtext can free an actor from the text, in developing a more fully rounded character. Think about the physical-psychological aspect of characters and how the physical can influence the psychological and vice versa.
Remember to be making connections with this work to other work you'll be exploring on different practitioners. Also be thinking about what discoveries you made with this work, what worked for you, what didn't work for you and how you can apply this to your upcoming work on Unit 3.
Consolidate learning with the reading you do (plenty of books on Stanislavski in the library). Any questions then please do feel free to ask me.
Why? What elements of the session made you think this?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, and think that if you reflect on this it may help you unpick what is in and out of your comfort zone, Maybe that will help you approach the next workshop?
Also, other group members might feel the same way or feel encouraged to discuss issues if you let us know more specifically what's making you think/feel when you have finished sessions!
1st Year Fdeg - Stanislavski Workshop
ReplyDeleteThursday 13th October 2011
10-3.45pm
Studio 7
Exercises Inc:
1.Creating "Communion" - This exercise involved you as a group to walk around the space, and without any one person leading, finding an impulse in coming to a group standstill. You were then required to imagine you were watching a football match and, once again without any one person leading, finding the moment of when your team scored a goal.
These exercises were designed to help you think about working as an ensemble, that when performing it requires a group of actors to collectively tell a story, as opposed to a group of actors telling their own individual stories. These exercises required to think about sharing and giving to one another in the space, to be sensitive to the tempo/rhythm of your fellow performers and general focus and listening skills. It is this ability of embracing the collective, and of colluding with one another in your work that Stanislavski calls Communion.
2. Relaxation/Concentration - with voice. - these exercises involved connecting imagery with warming up the voice, releasing tension through rolling through the spine, massaging the jaw, lip flutters to release tension in the lips. Avoiding extraneous use of breath by using natural breath "breath for life".
Relaxation is central to Stanislavski theory, these exercises required you make the connection that the voice and the body are the two most important tools you have as performers. Keeping the body and voice relaxed and free of tension, according to Stanislavski enables actors to offset pre-show nerves and focuses the actor on their job of performing.
3. Truth and Belief - the bird exercise/ chair exercises. These exercise prompted you to recognise the importance of the actor having a rich imaginative life. In order for the actor to make something seem real and believable he/she needs to invest in their actions with absolute conviction. Detailed investment is important. The more specific you can be in your work - giving light and shade to what your investing in, the more the audience will belief in what your doing is truthful and believable.
4. Subtext exercise - Consisted of working in fours with two people delivering the text, whilst the other two participants would "drop -in" thoughts or subtext of what the characters were truly thinking. Exercise forced you to consider how subtext can free an actor from the text, in developing a more fully rounded character. Think about the physical-psychological aspect of characters and how the physical can influence the psychological and vice versa.
Remember to be making connections with this work to other work you'll be exploring on different practitioners. Also be thinking about what discoveries you made with this work, what worked for you, what didn't work for you and how you can apply this to your upcoming work on Unit 3.
Consolidate learning with the reading you do (plenty of books on Stanislavski in the library). Any questions then please do feel free to ask me.
Dan