Glasgow girls.
Review
I tried to observe this piece more than to enjoy the story of it, what I really liked was the energy of the actors on stage, I can also say that the lighting and sound was good, I have to admit that it wasn't my favourite play, If I would have to talk about my favourite play I could talk about it for hours, but I appreciate the professionalism that I've seen in their work, the staging was good, I feel like every single detail was a part of the subtext, which i found really complex. It was an inspiring story about human rights, an ambitious project meant to underline the fact that even if Glasgow was not the ideal city, it was their home after all. The last dance was the best, in my point of view, the choreography was hard but they made it without any mistake, to draw a conclusion, I can say that it was a good piece of theatre, directed and staged well.
Musical Theatre Performance
Before our performance on stage we had to watch the students from Musical Theatre performing, I feel like their performance went really well, the staging and directing was good, lighting and sound was good, I found their performance catchy, interesting, I enjoyed it. The students from Music also performed on stage, I loved their performance, they have amazing voices and they choose great songs, I feel like we've done a real show.
Drama, Level 3, Year 2 performing Peter Pan
It was amazing ! I enjoyed every minute of it but most of the time I couldn't see anything because of the lights, I have to say that the lighting and the arrangement of the chairs in the Theatre was not that good. I loved the fact that they were confident on stage, they liked what they were doing, the boy who played Peter Pan was really good, he connected with the audience in a beautiful and friendly way, I was impressed by their performance, the big pirate was funny and charismatic and the dog was really into the character's skin.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
UNIT 4 - Context
Greek theatre
What was the time period? -> Greek tragedy as we know it was created in Athens around the time of 532 BCE, when Thespis the earliest recorded actor. In the classical period.
What else was “happening” at this time? Was it important and how did it affect any dramatists? -> After the Great Destruction of Athens by the Persian Empire in 480 BCE, the town and acropolis were rebuilt, and theater became formalized and an even greater part of Athenian culture and civic pride. This century is normally regarded as the Golden Age of Greek drama.
Who were the main playwrights?-> The most famous playwrights of the genre were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides and many of their works were still performed centuries after their initial premiere.
What were their main works?-> Greek tragedy led to Greek comedy and, together, these genres formed the foundation upon which all modern theater is based.
What are the themes of these plays? Were they socially relevant?-> Tragedy or comedy, yes in that time period.
Brief contextual background to Stanislavski
I researched online and this is what I found:
Constantin Stanislavsky, famed Russian actor, director, and teacher, influenced the theater of the 20th century and beyond. Throughout his long life, he developed a variety techniques that became known as "The Stanislavsky System" or "The Method." His books My Life in Art (an autobiography), An Actor Prepares, Building a Character, and Creating a Role are still studied today. During adolescence he developed a love of the theater; he defied the expectations of family and social class by becoming an actor.
He dropped out of drama school after only several weeks of instruction. The style of the day called for unrealistic, over-dramatic performances. It was a style he loathed because it did not truly convey human nature. Working with directors Alexander Fedotov and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Stanislavsky would eventually co-found the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898.
His international success in the early 1900s is tied to the rise of Anton Chekhov's popularity as a playwright. Chekhov, already a beloved storyteller, vaulted to higher levels of fame with his unique comedic dramas, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, and The Cherry Orchard. Each production of Chekhov's major plays was overseen by Stanislavsky, who realized early on that Chekhov's characters could not be effectively brought to life on stage by traditional means. Stanislavsky felt that the best performances were the most natural and realistic ones. Hence, his method developed, revolutionizing acting techniques throughout Europe, and eventually the world.
What is the Stanislavsky System?
The goals of the "Stanislavsky System" was to portray believable, natural people on stage.Most of the actors tend to be melodramatic, Stanislavski helped to change that. In many ways, Stanislavsky is the father of today's style of Method Acting, a process in which actors immerse themselves into their characters as much as possible.Elements of his Method
Although the Stanislavsky System cannot be thoroughly explored in a brief article such as this, here are a few defining aspects of the this famous teacher's method:The "Magic If": A simple way of beginning the Stanislavsky Method is to ask yourself "What would I do if I were in this situation?" This is a good way to consider natural reactions to the events in the story. However, Stanislavsky also realized that these types of "what if" questions do not always lead to the best characterization. "What would I do?" might be a very different question from "What would Hamlet do?" Still, it's a good place to begin.
Re-Education: Actors must rethink the way they move and talk while onstage. Being onstage in front of a large audience can be an intimidating experience -- certainly not part of most people's everyday lives. Theater began in Ancient Greece with masks and choreographed sequences; styles may have changed in subsequent centuries, but they were still characterized by an actor's over-emphasis found in early theater. However, in real life, we don't behave that way. Stanislavsky compelled actors to find ways to exhibit true-to-life human nature, while still being able to project loudly enough for audiences to hear.
Observation: Stanislavsky was the ultimate people-watcher. He encouraged his students to carefully observe others, focusing on their phsyical traits just as much as their personalities. After studying everday people, he would often disguise himself as a peasant or an old man, and interact with the townspeople to see how well he could fit in. Every person is unique. Therefore, every character should exhibit unique traits -- many of which can be inspired and adapted from an actor's observation.
Motivation: It's become a cliche actor's question -- What is my motivation? Yet, that is precisely what Stanislavsky expected his actors to consider. Why does the character say this? Why does the character move to this part of the stage? Why does she turn on the lamp light? Why does he take a gun out of the drawer? Some actions are obvious and easy to explain. Others can be mysterious. Maybe the playwright doesn't even know. (Or maybe the playwright was just lazy and needed someone to move a chair across the stage for the sake of convenience.) The actor must study the text thoroughly to determine the motivation behind a character's words and actions.
Emotional Memory: Stainslavskly didn't want his actors to simply create a fake smile of an emotion. He wanted his actors to actually feel the emotion. So, if a scene called for extreme grief, actors needed to put themselves in the mindset of the character's situation so that they genuinely experience the feelings of intense sadness. (The same goes for all the other emotions.) Sometimes, of course, the scene is so dramatic and the character so human that these intense emotions come naturally to the actor. However, for actors not able to connect with the character's emotional state, Stanislavsky advised performers to reach into their personal memories and draw upon a comparable life experience.
Stanislavsky's Legacy
Stanislavsky's Moscow Theater thrived during the days of the Soviet Union, and it even continues today. His method of acting has influenced many other renowned drama teachers including:- Stella Adler
- Lee Strasberg
- Uta Hagen
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