End of Unit 1

Now we officially finished working about the Unit 1 - introduction to theatre.
During the unit I learned lots of things about myself and functiation in a group,
and especially about the "backstage" of the theatre.

First, I learned about different styles of theatre- in a round, thrust, Arena, Open end/End on, Traverse and Proscenium Arch. I learned how important are the parts of the backstage of the theatre- the directing, the stage managing and designing, the lightning and a lot more.
The thing that influenced me the most was when I understood how important it is to trust your partners, so you can feel free on stage. I got it by all the trust excersises we did, the improvization, the act excersises etc.

My main experctatoion from the furute units is to have more challenging acting excersises. This is the thing that I like the most but also the thing that I feel less comfortable with and unfamiliar. I'd like to play a lot, to act, to experience lots of different styles of acting, scripts and partners, and especially know lots of different plays from all over the world.

I had lots of confused emotions during the unit. I was scared, I was happy, I trusted people, I didn't. I was angry and I was calm... and I've been changed in a way that make me more open to try new things. 3 months ago I would never act in English a polish king that says "now by my green candle!", and I would never try to improvise. I'm very happy that I have the chance to get through this proccess with the students in class, and I really do feel comfortable with them enough to let myself relax and be myself in class.

For the next unit, I have three main goals that I would like to achieve to improve my work:
First, even though that I feel more comfortable to improvize and to try new things, I still scared everytime when I need to do something without any preperation. I'd like to be more calm.
Second, I'd like to be more open-minded with ideas and comments, and not to get insulted on the first second. I'd hope that I wouldn't criticize myself so harshly on my work in the future.
Third and last, I hope that I'll try to participate more in acting excersises and get more expeirience in acting- but this is something that I can do only if I will achieve the two goals I just mentioned.

I hope that I'd have fun in the next units as I had on the first one.

Arlecchino & Chinese Opera

The show took place in Sha Tin.

First of all, the play was in Italian- though we could've read subtitles in English, I tried not to look at them that much because I felt Disracted. I tried to see how do they play, and trying to pay attnetion to the small things.

The play was shown in a Proscenium Arch hall. It was huge, and so as the stage- though the all play was on a small wood stage that was based on the big one.

The play was very special, because it has it's own structure. It was divided to 3 pictures, in each one of them a narrator from the side turn on and off the candles and it symblized the new part of the play. Some parts of the show were trying to invlove the audience in it, and I felt that it make the audience feel like a part of the show, living on the same time.

A few days after, we went to another show, this time to a Chinese Opera.

Just like the Commedia dell'Arte, It took place in a Proscenium Arch hall. I found it interesting because of the movements that the actors did, and especially because of the melody.

Both of the shows were really good, and I especially liked Arlecchino because i felt more comfortable with the way it was presented- It was a whole show, and the Chinese Opera was some really good scenes from the play.

Stage Lightning

What for?

Illumination: A fundamental purpose is to make the performers and stage space visible
Atmosphere: Atmosphere and mood are stimulated in the audience by stage lightning, for example: scary plays or romantic.
Style: Determined by and supporting the style of the performance piece.
Focus: Focusing the attention of the audience on specific performers or area of the stage space.
Illusion: Helps to create a fictional illusion/environment onstage that creates or reinforces a sense of place and time, for example day or night.

I studied Film in the past so some parts of the lightning looked familiar to me, but the thing that surprised me the most is how lightning is crucial in theatre, and it actually plays another part in the play. It can make the audience feel curtain emotions, direct us to pay attention for a curtain movement and even can confused us.

During the lesson we played a game- kind of "Trivia". Our teacher asked questions about the different types of lightning, and we had to say the name of it. After that, we were asked to make a plan for lightning on a stage. It was difficult because there are so money, and every light influenced on another light. You also must to pay attention to the stage designing and how is everything set on the stage. In the end we did a really good job, but there are some parts of lightning that I still don't understand and I probably get them better if I will try doing them.

My Research Homework Task - Theatre in a Round

What is it?
A theatre in the round (central stage, island stage) is a form of theatrical staging area which tries to achieve a certain purpose by organizing the stage and the audience in that specific way. It’s actually an acting area which can be both on floor level or on a stage but it surrounded by the audience. The theory and the whole idea about it the arena is that by surrounding the stage, a new understanding and loving relationship between the audience and the actors is being created. In 1947, Margo Jones established America's first professional theatre-in-the-round company, but it was invented a lot earlier.

Who’s using this form and for what purpose?
The first example is the Ancient Greek Theatre. Most of the plays that have been shown were tragedies, war stories and dramas. With that form they actually achieved a bigger reaction from the audience to the story that they tried to present and the emotions were much more real- the feeling is that you’re actually closing the stage, the actors, they are in the middle- you are actually, physically in their world, in their space.

The second example is the fact that the Arena Stage was used firstly by Gladiators for the enjoyment of the Caesar.

The other example is the Circus- they’re built in a way that makes the audience concentrate in what they’re doing, they are in the “center” of the world. The excitement is much bigger because there are so many things that happening in several places on the same time, and it creates excitement.

Benefits and Disadvantages
The main problem is that all the time, at least one of the actors is facing his back to a part of the audience which sometimes makes the bond between the stage to the audience weaker. On the other hand, it makes a special effect that can be done only if you use this type of theatre. Most directors take this problem as a benefit and use it for increasing emotions and make special effect, for example special lightning and set design.

The affects of the Theatre in a round:
Creates a special bond between the audience to the actors
Make the audience feel a part of the story
Make natural affects that can be used, for example, for increasing emotions
Present the play on a totally different way and showing other aspects of it

Sources:
http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/Drama/dconcept.html - WUD Library
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_in_the_round - Wikipedia
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/Cambridge/entries/015/theatre-theater-in-the-round.html - Cambridge University

Directing & Storyboarding

leader, insider, puppet master, a guide, coordinator, realizes the text, interpreter, choreographer, visionary, facilitator, motivator, outsider, knows the text and actors

(Decision makers, team builders, team members)

- During the lesson we got a script with 20 movements, and we had to act.

The link attached is our storyboarding for the scene. It helped us to organize our parts- the directors knew what they were doing and what do they want, and we knew exactly what are we suppose to do all the time.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2316/2044683300_f39c8ce101.jpg?v=0

During the exercise I got some idea about different styles of directing; one of the directors was more tough, and the other one tried to listen to our ideas. I also saw how can a script without words can make you understand exactly the same things, and how storyboarding is a useful tool for practicing scenes- both for the director and actors.

To see how this whole "directing" part actually works, we divided into several groups and each group had to choose a picture, and to direct a short scene on it. I was the director... we choosed a picture with two old people sitting on a bench. I felt a bit scared because I wasn't sure if I'm suppose to take control or to share my idea with the actors. Because of that, I didn't have a structured idea and I felt like I'm losing my power and the actors took control instead of me. I wasn't pleased with my work, though in the end we had a nice play. I hope that next time I will be more organized and I'll know what I'd like to do as a director.

Ritual

fear
anger
exploring
excitment
crying
dancing
supporting
touching
open
bonding

We entered to the dark room one by one. We were all sitting in a circle and each one of us had a candle. We could hear only the drums. In some point we were asked to lay down and close our eyes..

The drums got louder and louder, and we were asked to do things like "put our mask of anger" or "think about something happy" and share it with a partner. It was wierd for me... I really wanted to get into the mood, and I really tried to think only about the thing that I was asked to, but for some reason I couldn't. In some point we had to share our feeling with a partner. I felt bad because I didn't feel that I "feel like I'm suppose to feel", but later I understood that there is not such thing as "suppose to feel". In the minute when I touched my partner, my feelings started growing. I felt the exact same feeling which I felt during my bad experience, exactly the same anger, exactly the same happiness.

I thought that it would be hard for me, sharing my feeling with my partner but than I realized why I was there and why were they there, and that I had nothing to be ashamed of. It made me feel free to show what I felt.

It was a really special experience for me, because I felt that we now crossed a barrier that we had- we all had to think about a really bad experience that we had, and get over it with each other.. I felt that I have a group that supports me.

Get to know your partners

During the first few classes we've done lots of activities to get to know each other.

The purpose was to build a strong connection between us,

build trust and to understand each other's feeling and background.

One of the activities that I liked the most and I'd like to talk about,

was when we had to bring an object which is important to us and to write why next to it,

and what are we suppose to achieve from this class.

I liked it because I felt that this is a good way to share a part of me with the class and it made me think again why am I taking this subject, and why am I doing it.

I brought a Chess board that my grandfather gave me- he used to play with it with my dad.

It is special to me because my dad passed away 4 years ago and it reminds me of him.

The chess board was next to a big page with lots of random words that describes me and the "thing" that I hope to achieve in this course- I wrote that I'd like to learn how to express myself, and to feel free to be shown in front of other people.

Through other people's objects and "goals" I got to know better some of them,

or at least it made me think that I know them better. It was useful because it was only the second week of school, and I think that it made me feel more comfortable with them.

We did more trust-building excersises like dividing into pairs, choose one person to lead and the other person need to close his eyes and to trust the other person to lead him properly, without "fall" or "stuck" in other people.

Those excersises made me feel more comfortable in the class, and let me feel that I actually have partners that I can trust on.

What's theatre?

"Theatre is the branch of the performing arts defined as simply as what occurs when one or more human beings, isolated in time and space, present themselves to another or others.'

By this broad definition, theatre has existed since the dawn of man, as a result of human tendency for story telling. Since its inception, theatre has come to take on many forms, often utilizing elements such as speech, gesture, music, dance, and spectacle, combining the other performing arts, often as well as the visual arts, into a single artistic form..."

(Wikipedia)

Let the Journey Begin

After trying to keep my journal in my big red-black notebook, I decided to move here.

First, so I can write again everything I've been going through during the last months from another point of view.

Second, so I can edit and change everytime-

I don't think that this journal suppose to be all formal with curtain points and conclusions that never change, I think the opposite. I'm suppose to update, I'm suppose to delete, I'm suppose to talk about my feelings and thoughts and experiences over and over again untill I'll find the thing that I feel the most comfortable with.

Third, and maybe the most important reason... the whole idea of this journal for me is not only to get a good grade, is also to improve myself and let other people to tell me what they think. I'd like people to read this journal and go through this course with me, so I can share my experience with other people.