PPP + dynamism?

Description
These weeks we've been concentrated mainly in our one-act play... which will be presented in only 10 days (matameee)

As the PPP is one of the tasks we have to do for the IB, we are using our play to practice and learn how it must be done (while planning and making sure that every aspect is right for the play)

On the other hand, we keep practicing and creating, and this was an important week, as we finally thought about an ending for our play.


Analysis 

The Practical Performance Proposal, as it name mentions, is a proposal where you need to explain CLEARLY a play that you want to create.
It should be very detailed, and explain the reason for choosing every single aspect of your play. (include diagrams, not a few examples but 'everything')

One of the things that should be included is the play's aim. The purpose of this play is to entertain and amuse the audience as it is going to be presented in a school festival.
But, how can these aims be achieved?

The play needs to be DYNAMIC: including short texts, counterpoints wherever possible so that all characters participate all the time, a variety of ''eye-catching" characters in the same stage, and... Slapstick!

Charles Chaplin: known for creating laughter by using slapstick

We learnt that slapstick (a type of broad, physical comedy involving exaggerated, boisterous actions (e.g. a pie in the face), farce, violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense), is a great way to 'accomplish' laughter in the audience.
In my opinion, it is one of the funnier and best parts of the play, as the characters exagerate their actions, and the 'problem' they have will amuse the audience, making it funnier and more interesting thanks to the background music -> Magic Mamaliga
Another aspect that will help us create a dynamic play is the fact that it will develop around one central issue rather than around a 'whole world'. The central issue is the situation taking place around the whole body : Each character has a different aim and situation, but this corpse is their connection.

Some characters may have connections (nurso and nursa,
bad wife and her son, priest and good wife, etc) but all of them
are connected thanks to Mr. Mcrobbie's death.

...+ Connections

1. Music, choreographies or sequences of movement always help to create dynamism in a play. The choreography in "La Cocina" is a clear example. The rythm marked by the actors in unison and the organized chaos built up created sensations of stress and fatigue, but 'woke up' the audience,entertained and interested it. 

2. Other way of creating dynamism is breaking the fourth wall and refer the audience. In some parts of "Los Músicos Ambulantes", the characters talk to the audience and play with them. (The music and dancing present in the play are also key elements to create entertainment)

3. If according to Theatre historians slapstick has been present in theatre since its beginnings, it is clear that it is a technique that has always worked to amuse the audience.
"Beating the devil off stage, for example, remained a stock comedic device in many otherwise serious religious plays. Shakespeare also incorporated many chase scenes and beatings into his comedies, such as in his play The Comedy of Errors. "

4. According to Julio Cortazar, 'the short story wins by knock out'. Our play, like the short story, develops around one central issue, and this makes it more interesting.

5. Dynamism can also be created when actors walk near the audience, such as in "Miyuki y Los tres demonios "with the hanamichi, or the ghosts in "Shadow queendom", or Sandra's character in "Its all bussiness"

Reflection/ Final questions

As the creation of a play is a hard process, being specific and detailed (PPP) is very important in order to create something clear and that seems organized and well-planned (for example> cholour scheme in the costumes). 

You have to focus on the purpose of your play, and if it is a comedy, find all the ways possible to entertain the audience. Think about what you would like to see on stage.. what would make you laugh?
It should have well-elaborated jokes and situations. Watching and reading other plays may give you more ideas.


What other techniques could be included in our play to make it more dynamic? Does the use of music always help to catch the audience's attention? Will all types of audience enjoy black humour?

c h a r a c t e r i s a t i o n

"Becoming a character, as it is colloquially termed in theater, is more than stage make-up and reciting lines. It is the purposeful altercation of one mannerisms and appearance to mimic a very specific sort of person." 1

Description

one act play one act play one act play
only 17 days left, and so much to be done...

This was a "characterisation week". We did some fisical work (mainly based in rythm) which helped us to develop and 'deepen' our characters.

On the other hand, we continue practicing the scenes and editing ->(our director)
However... we don't know yet how's the play going to end


Analysis and Connections

"They say, "Don't judge a book by its cover." But that is exactly what an actor must count on. Because of mass media influences, certain physical attributes are linked with different behaviors." 1

As I always mention, the creation of a play (including it's vision, concept, game, characters, etc.) is not an easy process!
I've learned it is important to "go forward", and avoid changing things in the play that had already been decided or created.

The creation of a character isn't easy either, and as this play concentrates a lot in changes in characterisation to amuse the audience, we've done some exercises in order to know our centre of energy + how (and at what rythm) our characters walk, stand up, and breath.

Although I like my character, it has been hard for me to perform it, as many times I forget about being "sweet" and keep using a more "stereotyped personality". In order to solve this, I will start using Jessica Rabbit's voice as a stimuli. [Jessica's Famous Scene]

On the other hand, I think that my other character (the priest) needs to be further developed, and as I want it to be the opposite from the mean wife (to create a greater surprise in the audience), I decided that my stimuli will be the Chameleon.

"Any actor worth his salt should learn a variety of accents, voice types and voice patterns. Not all thirty-year old men have the same style of voice."  1

Finally, it is essential to know the importance of the internal monologue for characterisation:
"But these things cannot be accomplished without one more task: how does the character think? Understanding the noetic tendencies of a character is the key that unlocks the rest of his personality.Identify the cognitive processes of a character; the likes and dislikes, dreams and failures - what is rational and what is irrational. Create the person that should be represented." 1

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• In plays such as 'La cocina' and 'Más pequeños que el Guggenheim', we were able to see very different types of characters in one stage, and that was one of the things which mainly catched my attention and amused the audience.
  Different accents and personalities (such as Chiclayo and the "bad boy", or "el albino" and Sunday) demostrate that contrasts and good characterisation were essential, as it is going to be in our play.
  On the other hand, (depending on the play's concept) the scenery and design does not need to be extremely elaborated, because if characterisation is well-developed, the audience will concentrate on that and find it very enjoyable (like in 'Más pequeños que el Guggenheim').
• Our method and approach in characterisation reminded me of a class where we discussed about Stanislavski:
  "In Stanislavski's technique, the actor would perform a physical motion or a series of physical activities to create the desired emotional response for the character. Emotions were considered to be formed from the subconscious, so this technique allowed the actors to consciously target and control their subconscious emotions through movement. For instance, if an actor needed to weep, he could sigh and hold his head in his hands, a physical action that many who are crying instinctively do." 2

Reflections/ final question

*It is very important to mention what I've also learned this week:
when you are acting, you DON'T IGNORE what is happening on stage, in order to keep the energy. [It is essential to maintain a high energy]

*If you want a deep characterisation, you need to analyze and develop (psychologically and physically) your character. This isn't an easy process.

*in the creation of a play, lines (better if short) need to be acted and not said.

When do I know if my characterisation is "good enough" to start working on the next one? (in this case, from the wife to the priest)
Is there a better way to approach characterisation (for example, through animals, or cartoons), or does it depend on the case?

Which method works better for our characterisation -> developing our characters from the inside to the outside, or from the outside to the inside?

Quotes from:
1 "Method Acting: How to Become a Character" - by Andy Herrick
2 "Stanislavski's system" - from Wikipedia

Creating a play- Limits and changes

Description

It has been more than a month since I wrote my last entry, but very important things have happened.

1. We worked on the play's concept, 'textures' and colour scheme in class
2. I wasn't able to be present on the first One act play rehearsal, but on the second one (Thursday 9th), we started to see something was wrong.... The game we had imagined had an "extreme makeover".
   I think we are finally learning the difficulties of creating a play...

Analysis and Connections

We've always been told that a play cannot be created by "sitting down", but by standing up, improvizing and trying.

It was very hard to find an interesting game for our One Act Play, and when the idea of the "halves" or "two-face" appeared it sounded like a brilliant one!
However, when we started to rehearse for the first time... something was going wrong from the beginning.
I remember I told one of my partners that maybe we were always taught to act in "3/4" because acting side face doesn't really work in theatre.
Does it? maybe for another play or acting space, but it was impossible for us to perform different actions, and the play was becoming static and borring. Characters could not move from one place to another, and couldn't really interact between them.

Imagine any play (Más pequeños que el Guggengeim, La Cocina, Interruptor) but with characters who have those "limits". I tried, but I can´t. In all the plays we've watched characters CONNECT with each other, and their faces can face any direction.

The idea of the "magic door" seems like a good one for me, as it gives us much more possibilities, and is very interesting in terms of characterization. Not only the costume creates the character, but mainly the voice, the body expression, personality, mannerisms, etc.
This extreme sudden change will create the "rechicken effect" in the audience, as hopefully, thanks to the change in characterizations, they will feel amused and very surprised. 

Reflection/ Final Questions

A play's game can be a very "high obstacle", and practice + trying is essential in theatre. We need to see if things work, and if they don't, they need to be changed then.
Other very important aspect is that interaction and connection between the characters in a play is extremely important. Otherwise, the audience will not connect with them, and it may become uninteresting.

Finally, a play needs to be full of ACTIONS (things that happen) and not unuseful text [that's why creating a script was also extremely hard for me].
 If your game doesn't let you perform different actions and movements, then consider changing or improving it.

In what kind of play or acting space would the "two-face" game work?

Is the game of a play ALWAYS a limit?