I DID EET!

So the monologue went well.

It feels good to say that. I feel that it went well and this is backed by the fact that everyone said they liked it and thought it was good. This could be just sympathy though, but i think that they would be honest if I sucked.

I could not remember all my lines halfway through, so throwing caution to the wind, I improvised. In the true spirit of Stanislavski I imagined I was Firs and said what he (or I) whould say. It was scary. I still don't like ripping myself in and out of various realities, it feels weird for the unreal to be real. I suppose I will just get used to it over time.

So, Stanislavski and his system seem to be onto a good thing here. I will elaborate on another post.

I'm planning, maybe, three posts over the holidays? One on Boal, another on my reflection of Stanislavski and the third on, damn, I have forgotten. (Chrome productions maybe =P)

Till then.

Lunch-time; D-day

So in fifth period today we have to perform our monologue.
Saying I'm nervous is quite an understatement. I feel under prepared and I don't know if I will remember my lines. Mr Eastway says that if I did my 'Homework' then I will be fine. I don't feel fine! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
So now I'm feeling a little less freaked out by the calming picture of that fresh prince.
He reminds me that as long as something isn't horrific and its memorable then after some time we see it through the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia.
So I still feel like a deer in the headlights, but I know that Even if I crash and burn it will be all good in a few months time.

=\

Monologue performance!

WHEEEEEEEEEE!
So here is this week in a nut shell.
I haven't posted much because I am lazy and I had an English assignment, BUT lots happened this week so her it is:
I mainly knuckled down on my monologue this week, I won't lie, I left it a bit late so now it is 1# work priority. I really properly kicked it into gear when I realised I was really behind on it and it was showing proper well through my class output.
ANYWAY.
I kicked into gear especially after the horrible attempt I made yesterday at performing it and now it is half decent! Wooo! I got some good feed back and I can really work on it Over The Weekend. I really would like to nail this one and have a beautiful piece at the end, so, break me leg!

Front of house...

So I am operating front of house for the upcoming prodution of a comedy of errors.

Marketing .

Pricing.

Front end stuff.

???

Profit!

I think I get what I'm not doing

Firstly, I fixed the titles.
So drama today really only held one main point for me, and I'm pretty happy about it. I figured out what my objective is. Firs, is desperate to continue serving his master in an attempt to keep alive the 'good ole days' I need to show this and show as he realises his age has caught up with him and the world leaves him behind how the inner turmoil he experiences. There shall be shouting.
Aside from that I also figured I need to make myself a prompt copy of my script. I am doing that now.
I am also hurrying with my Stanislavsky book and the Research Investigation is looking dire. I am not happy with the outlook of my weekend in terms of not working.
Also, it seems that the year is really moving, I rarely spend any time not working, sleeping aside from the (small) time ration of video games that is always nibbled at by work.
*Melodramatic sigh*

वहत इस थिस?

Something is wrong with my titles. I hope it will go away next post.
Real title:
Lesson learned.


So.
Today Mr E basically slapped me in the face. Not in the literal sense, of course and he had all the right and meaning in the world too. But I still feel like a goober for it. It went down like this: I had written my Dinky little monologue and then he wanted to see it. I played it out but I wasn't really in character. Once I finished he asked me 'what does your character want'
It was like I was on a homemade rowing boat in the middle of the ocean and a passing dolphin of friendly intent asked me why I had a giant hole in it. Doh! So we soon figured out that i forgot to follow Stanislavsky's system and raced off and tried to attack the task directly. Sorta like abseiling with a piece of string.

Lesson learned:
1. I'm a blundering troll when it comes to writing for drama, I run, but in straight lines at the task at hand. It is year 7 English all over again.
2. The System has merits and use. I both crashed and burned because I didn't follow it.

Now I know I said I would write on the system but considering recent revelations I think I do not understand it sufficiently.

Monologues

As I was writing my monologue I realised a few important things about the exercise.
Writing it is, in part, a form of improvisation. As I piece together the various pieces of my chosen character, Firs from Chekhov's, I glued them together with bridging dialogue I wrote to suit Firs as well as re-ordering what he says. I also need to completely come up with stage directions, costume and and how Firs speaks.
Another notable point is the fact that I am using another persons character. I was apprehensive at first in changing anything about him because I did not create him. I did not feel licensed to change him in any way, including what he said. Then i realised that plays are written to be interpreted. There is no set way to play them out and creative choices are made by members of the company acting out the play, in this case myself. He was a near blank canvas, with a few lines to include in my painting of him. My portrayal.
I found I ha the same problem with interpreting literature for English and I'm lead to believe I am not the only one whom things this.

Next post:
Improvisation (and maybe stanislivski [citation needed])