Music as a key element for exploration

Description
The school play rehearsals are progressing, and this week they were our main focus.
On tuesday 9th, I was in charge of the three "Geist" groups. As always, we started with warm-up activities that involve concentration and energy, and then they were divided into three groups. Boys would continue developing their "zombie-like" characters, and girls had to develop other scenes.

It is impossible to work with so many at the same time... for this reason, Thursday's and Saturday's rehearsals were better, as I could concentrate in just one group (the boys from the blue dream).
We reviewed the body sequences and started working on the actual scene, but I noticed that one element was key for their character exploration and development: Music.
Analysis
Music is able to create different atmospheres in a play, and evokes different emotions in its listeners. For this reasons, I believe it is an essential element to focus, explore and develop a character.
On Thursday's rehearsal, I noticed that the boys were further more concentrated in their characterization after I made them 'reflect' and analyse the movement of each part of their body with the help of music. While they were working and moving, music was also helpful to remind them of the scene's atmosphere and the mood they should transmit with their movements.

I've noticed Music allows them to transform the inner emotions into movement and clear intentions, creating a deeper characterization than if they just imitate the movements I tell them to do.  

On the two last rehearsals, I've asked them to work and focus in mainly three aspects: body movement, face expression and breathing, and when they achieve to do it their characterization really improves. Why? because not only the music but also breathing helps them transmit the character's intentions. Some have tackled successfully this three requirements, although my main concern now is for them to "stay in character" through the whole scene, and not just when its their turn to move or speak. In order to achieve this, we shall continue practising characterization exercises, and maybe use (low) music even when they are saying their lines.


Connections
A matter of dissection: music was used to explore each character's rhythm and poses. I remember it allowed me to concentrate and by following the rhythm of the music find the intentions and clear body expression for my character.


Kioskotambo: This is a clear example of how music evokes different movements and different moods in a character and a play. My character's movements were based entirely on the music, and as it was joyful my character was as well. Music guided me to transmit the Maqta's emotions and be able to interact with the audience.

La bruja de Kókoro: I believe this is the character in which I have explored breathing the most. I consider it to be the basis of my characterization, as it allowed us to create a tense mood during the whole scene.

When I think about the characters in this year's school play, the witches from Miyuki always come up to my mind. We need to explore face exaggeration,  distorted movements and heavy breathing, which were aspects that this characters had.


Reflection

Characterization is a process that progresses, but the acting concept can be highly influenced by music.

Should we try playing music (in a very low volume) during most of the scenes even though characters are speaking?
Music evokes immediate feelings in actors, which help them to explore and develop their character. It remembers them of the atmosphere they should create and the mood that the scene should have, and allows them to explore  different ways of achieving this. I say different ways, because I have learned that most times actors can't do everything you want them to, and the role of a director is to be sensible to what an actor can give. (This connects with my last entry) were you 'accommodate' to what you have, and explore other possibilities in your characterization if you couldn't achieve the expected ones.

In this process, music can work as a guideline or "dorsal spine" to allow you explore different possibilities, without going away from the main aim.
However, when do we know if an actor needs to prove other possibilities, or just needs to keep exploring and trying the wanted one?

This week I thought of Theatre as the nucleus of all the arts: it involves visual arts in the design, dance in the coordination of the actors, and music transforms its atmospheres and allows its actors to explore.
If music explores sound.. sculpture volume and painting colours... what does theatre explore?
Theatre is a mixture of all the arts in order to represent mankind in different ways, can the "form of Theatre" we were looking last year go along these lines?