End of the Acting Workshop

I learned so much from this workshop. I learned how to prepare a scene and a monologue in a more sophisticated manor and ultimately, in a much easier way as it shows results much faster than the previous ways I've prepared a scene or a monologue. Mr. Rizzo is a very talented and wise man and really knows what he's talking about. Not only was I learning, but I was having fun too. I would love to have another workshop with Mr. Rizzo and for a longer period of time so we can work and explore more.

Acting Workshop

Today was mainly a day of going over what certain terms were from the books we were supposed to read. I found bits and pieces of the books not to be helpful and Mr. Rizzo said the same. He told us the things we should know and luckily most of my confusion was cleared. The rest of my questions will be answered in the upcoming days with monologue work comes into play as that's where I have a few questions. After the first day and getting the basic gist of what the workshop is like and how to work on scenes, I've learned a lot and am looking forward the rest of the workshop.

The Monologue Audition A Practical Guide for Actors

I found this book to be very helpful. I've done a few of the things mentioned in the book and now I know more about what I already knew because the book went into further detail and I learned new things from this book as well. Some of the things were confusing but I'm sure that will be clarified in this week's workshop. I felt I could relate to this book as it mentioned some of the struggles that actors go through and I know I'm one of those actors. Hopefully after this week's workshop, I won't be struggling with the same things anymore. Overall, this book provided me with many useful tools and I hope to learn how to execute them properly this week.

The Practical Handbook for the Actor

I find this book to be very helpful. I realize that some of the stuff I'm already doing to prepare for my role in something is what was said in the book. I always have a physical posture and an attitude for a charcater and a specific voice. Right now, I have a apperance and an attitude for my role as Biggley in How to Succeed. I'm still trying to figure out a voice that suits my appearance. I realized that my action can always go back to telling someone off. Biggley is the president of a company and if the slightest thing upsets him, he will tell you to your face. The only person he probably would not tell off is Ms. Jones, his secretary. I sometimes do analyeses of scenes but I usually don't write them down. I always have an idea of where I'm coming from and what I'm going to do but I know that when I go through a scene, it will not always be the same as it went the time we ran it earlier so I must be prepared for anything to happen. I can't have a preset idea of how I will say a line because if I decide to scream and the person I'm playing off did nothing to anger me, there is no reason to yell. Ultimately, this book was very useful and I hope I can learn more in detail about the stuff in the book from the upcoming workshop and how to execute what I learned.

How to Succeed Update

It's been a rough two weeks for me and the show between All County and Midterms. It's obviously shown as I haven't had time to blog for a week. Last week, rehearsals for How to Succeed were completely butchered. We could not rehearse as most of the leads went to All County and when the leads are not at rehearsal, it is very difficult to run through the script. I was in All County so I had the stress of the show and All County together all at once. It was hard juggling both that week. This week, midterms messed up rehearsal because many people want to stay home and study. Luckily, most of my rehearsals were after all my midterms. But it's understandable that people want to study and do well. The timing has been poor for the past few weeks so now we really have to get the ball rolling on this show.

Acapella Group Workshop Day 1

After one day of the Acapella group workshop, I'm hooked. Everything I described in my blog post yesterday has already occurred. All the cool harmonies are already coming into play and it's only the first day! We chose to sing Settle Down by Kimbra. It wasn't my top choice but I'm getting more and more into it. It's slowly growing on me, that happens with certain songs. I don't like them at the start but as I listen to it more and more, it grows on me. I've noticed that one of the techniques on how to learn a song and sing it acapella is to learn it by ear. I don't read music very well (which is something I hope to improve on in time) so I usually learn music by ear which is why I felt as if I caught onto my part relatively quickly. The workshop so far is even better than I imagined and I'm looking forward to continuing it.

Acapella Workshop

I absolutely love acapella groups. I love singing without music. I love hearing singing raw, without the roar of drums and the piano accompaniment. Harmonies sound absolutely beautiful without music and I can't explain my fascination. I think my fascination may have started when I discovered Barbershop Quartet and they sound really cool acapella. The two songs I would love to do in an acapella group are Uptown Girl by Billy Joel and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Those two songs are a two of my all time favorites. Bohemian Rhapsody is pure genius and Uptown Girl is really catchy and the harmonies are really cool. I did it with music in chorus and I imagine it'd sound even better acapella. I can't wait for the rest of the week to experience my very first acapella singing workshop!

Audition Follow Up: Looking at the Audition Tape

1) After viewing my audition tape, I realized how unnatural my first run through of the script was. It didn't feel like a conversation to me. I looked like I was waiting for my line during the first run. During the second run, it felt a lot more natural. It felt like an actual conversation two people. I looked more relaxed and I wasn't waiting for my next line.
2) One of my problems was I was looking in the script too much. This is easily fixed; don't look in the script as much. Another problem was not having the first run through feel conversational. This may not seem big but it is as sometimes you only get the chance to read through the script once. So, I need to work on having the script sound like a conversation. I'm not used to film acting as I've been doing a lot more theatre lately. So a solution would be to participate in more film projects to work on that type of acting. My other glaring problem is blinking too much. I don't know how to control that. I always blink a lot as my eyes are sensitive and I don't get much sleep.
3) I feel like I was very professional. I acted mature and not like a teen. I was polite and listened and made the adjustments I was asked to make.
4) I need to work on my film acting sounding more conversational, not blinking as much, and looking up from the script more. Overall, I just need to relax and not over think so much. I believe that's the source of my problems

Audition Workshop Response

Audition Prep
1) I prepared for the audition by analyzing the script. I listed my character's objectives and tactics and then read the script aloud, deciding whether or not the tactic worked for that particular line.
2) Yes, I did apply previous techniques and strategies. Most, if not all of the skills I learned in last year's acting session were applied somehow in my preparation.
3) I did not research very much. The situation of the scenes was something I had knowledge of beforehand. Also, the week was hectic. Had I not been so preoccupied with my academics and extracurricular activities, I probably would have done research.
4) I approached the script with a process. I read the script to in my head a few times so I had a feel for the script. Then I analyzed it trying to figure out objectives and tactics. Then I read the script out loud and made any adjustments to the tactics that I felt were necessary.
Audition Itself
1) I think the audition went alright. I did as I was told and made the adjustments I was told to make. I guess you could call those my "strengths." As for shortcomings, I probably could have asked a question or two about the script before I started to have a better understanding of the script.
2) I applied the information received at the audition by changing the way my character approached his objective as most of the information I received was feedback on my first reading of the scenes.
3) I could not tell you if whether or not I got the part. Even if the way I acted the part was what they were looking for, I may not have the right hair color or I could be too tall or some other physical feature could have gotten in the way. Getting a part doesn't just rely on how well the audition went, a lot of being casted is how look and if you don't have the look for the part, you don't get it.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: Rehearsal #4

Today was the first day we started blocking the show. It was a relatively simple rehearsal. We went on stage when our scene came and we received or blocking. We only blocked scenes one through seven and I do not appear much during those scenes so I was left with a lot of down time during the rehearsal. We may have been able to go further with the blocking but I found there was constant interruption as people were talking and slowing down the blocking giving process. Although we are on schedule, it's never a bad thing to be ahead of schedule. Tomorrow's rehearsal will hopefully be the same except without all the talking so instead of being on schedule, we're ahead of schedule.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying : Rehearsal #1

The first rehearsal was a read through of the show. I personally find this rehearsal very crucial. This is the first time your able to consistently run through the show which won't happen again until a week or two before the opening night. You discover a lot of the comedy or drama in the first read through. I discovered a lot about the comedic timing for Biggley. Also, I spotted most of the punch lines that I have to hit correctly otherwise the joke won't come out right. But, this is only the first rehearsal. Many more discoveries about the role of Biggley and the relationships he has with other characters will slowly develop as I figure out who Biggley is and as I rehearse with my fellow cast mates, chemistries will develop as well. I'm looking forward to a great experience!