Stanislavsky

Stanislavsky Techniques:

Relaxation– Is beneficial as it has a positive effect on your concentration. Being able to hone in on tension allows you to concentrate better on playing your role as well as the prep and research required.

Public solitude– Stanislavsky introduced this concept as a means to free the actor from the debilitating effect of a large audience. It’s when the audience feel like that are observing a private situation they are not supposed to see.

Magic if- this is an effective tool for actors and is a way for them to discover whole new elements that can be used in the development of their role. Actors must ask themselves “if” questions as a means of seeing how one would react in a given situation.

Imagination– as an actor imagination is key as it allows you to not only visualise and create a setting and atmosphere but also think what they would do in a given situation.

Units– units is a way of sectioning a piece to allow for contrasting atmospheres and actions to take place creating an dynamic and exciting piece of theater.

Ojectives– having objectives as an actor is important because it gives the actor a drive and intention which creates a meaningful and direct piece of theatre.

Super objectives– A super-objective, in contrast, focuses on the entire play as a whole. A super-objective can direct and connect an actor’s choice of objectives from scene to scene. 

Emotion memory– a way for actors to understnd how their character might feel and be recalling how they may have felt in a similar situation. This creates a more personal and genuine performance.

Sense memory– this involved the recalling of a sensual experience to stimulate an emotional reaction. This method allows actors to get into thier character, by gaining an emotional connection.

For me personally I found that having an understanding of these techniques really helped me to inhabit my character when performing my monologue. I found that having knowledge about public solitude meant that I could make my piece more intimate and personal for the audience, as if they were observing a private domestic situation. Imagination played an important role because I had to make up the life story of the woman I was portraying. Through imagination I invented her family including high points as well as very sad elements. In some mini way I used units because as each new garment of clothing was added to the line it was a trigger for me to start talking about a new person in my life. Some units were funny and some were sad. I also managed to connect sensually as the act of holding the familiar clothes such as a childs T shirt triggered an emotional response of affection towards the child which hopefully came across to the audience.

creating my character

I found the given task of choosing a member of the public to create my character really interesting. It allowed me to really observe human interactions and behaviour which helped greatly when inhabiting my character. I felt however that I should have delved into my observations in greater depth because when I came to creating and becoming my character I found it hard to take the step away from me and into her. This may have been because I felt we were possibly too similar already (young female), when in my head I knew I wanted to play a more constrasting and different character. I couldn’t find enough diffrence to get hold of and develop, so to over come this problem I decided to think about what my character would be like in 30-40 years. Thinking about the struggles she might face in her life made me see her as a young grandmother and be living a not so happy, rather lonely old age. This allowed my piece to develop into a way of her looking back on her life through different family members.

I wanted to make sure that my script really reflected my characters profile and personality. To do this I made sure that I didn’t over complicate the script as I lost the natural quality of the moment. I found that when I allowed for space and pause it helped the piece to be more direct and therefore helped to connect to the audience and show how lonely my character is.

My performance targets

My performance targets for the development and performance of this piece were to create a compact, clear piece of theatre that I would feel strong and confident in delivering. I didn’t want to overstretch myself by creating a long or very complicated piece or by having too much emotion to have to perform. My target was also to communicate and show a character very different from myself. I hoped that I would convey her well and that she would be believable. My target was also to manage to perform clearly on stage with a loud voice and a relaxed way of moving around

I was drawn to the use of props so therefore another target was to make sure I used props/set well and that they added to the piece , did not distract and were there for a reason not just decoration. To make sure I was familiar with the props and not confused by them in performance I made sure I rehearsed several times with the line, the pegs and the clothes so that I could handle them in a relaxed way.

Monologue Evaluation

For this assignment we were asked to create a character and then develop them into an imaginative and engaging piece of theatre, applying the methods of Stanislavsky to create our final piece. We firstly observed, then developed and imagined and then performed our monologue.

Initially, in my observation stage, I was drawn towards a girl who I found interesting. She was around 19 years old, an independant person with a style of dress that was bold and a bit edgy. She had dyed blue hair and piercings. She was on her own in the environment but was talking with someone on the phone. However, when I came to begin the process of trying to inhabit her as a character and develop my material I found it hard. I couldn’t seem to make the step away from myself into becoming her and imagining what she might be thinking. This may have been because we were already too similar ( young female ) and so I couldn’t find enough difference to get hold of and develop. I struggled with this for a few days until I realised that I needed to choose a character who was a bigger step away from me.

To overcome this problem I decided to imagine what this character would be like in 30 or 40 years. I tried to think about what struggles she might face in her life. This led me to imagine her as a young Grandmother and be living a not so happy, rather lonely old age. I wanted to make a piece about her looking back on her life through her different family members, almost like a cast of characters.

I decided to portray this idea through a visual metaphor. I embodied this by creating a physical washing line in the space hung with different sizes, styles and types of garments which served several functions; practical, visual and narrative.

I entered the space with an armful of washing which I dumped on the floor by the pre- prepared line. Although it looked messy and casual, the washing was prepared in the right order and as I performed my monologue I took each individual garment and pegged it on the line. Each time this reflected the person in my life I was talking about and also the relationship between the people in my life. By the end of the monologue the audience was left with the story of my life visually laid out. This then remained as I left the stage as a memory or trace of my life.

The growing line of washing also evolved as a set whilst I was performing the piece, giving the audience something to observe as it developed whilst also listening to me talk. When writing the script my intention was to be fairly minimal with what I said, as the washing line images would complete the story and create greater depth to the meaning, allowing the audience to infer further personal histories, emotions and narrative. Examples of this are when I speak about my daughter having loads of kids and it is noisy when they come to stay. For this moment I peg several odd socks on the line all of a small size. This suggests many

chaotic children of a young age which I don’t need to say in the dialogue. Later I hang a small boys blue T shirt followed by a similar but large mans T shirt. I say that my son died aged 3 and that this broke his Dad. The similarity of the 2 T shirts suggests they were close as a father and son with matching personalities. This then makes the death even more cruel. The Dad’s T shirt also makes him seem to be a young Dad which we can imagine means the death of a child is even more shocking for him to recover from.

The washing line also provided me with a physical task to complete whilst acting. As a performer with less acting experience I was keen to keep my acting natural and realistic. I found that the job of hanging washing prevented me from over acting or being over emotional. I had a task to complete that I had to concentrate on and it kept me grounded and quite relaxed.

I found the task of developing, writing and performing a monologue challenging. I feel like I have learnt a lot about myself, my strengths and my approach and also what I am wary of.

I found that when I over complicated the written script I lost the natural quality. I found instead that when I kept each spoken part more sparse and allowed for silence and pauses then the visuals filled in the gaps. This helped to keep the piece feeling simple and direct and not over theatrical. I was really pleased that the monologue ended up having some funny parts as well as a very sad section.

I also learnt that good observation is key. I think I rushed this part, choosing the first person that I was drawn to. Perhaps if I had observed more closely at the start and thought harder about my choices then I wouldn’t have got stuck in the process.

I have also learnt about myself that I am more comfortable acting in a natural way at the moment. Being supported by the props gave me more confidence to perform and also confidence to be quiet on stage, not filling every moment with dialogue. I think it also kept my pace steady without rushing. I could only go as fast as the washing was being hung.

I tried to embody Stanislavsky’s philosophy of “ living truthfully in imaginary circumstances” by being direct and natural in a made up setting. I think my monologue showed a vulnerable person in a private, domestic situation which is the “public solitude” that Stanislavsky describes. I tried to be “truthful” in that the character completely believed her story and was real in the world that she inhabited. Her truth was real to her and hopefully it came across to the audience.

I enjoyed developing and performing the monologue even though I found it a challenge to achieve.

Jose Limon exercises

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This first exercise focuses mainly on the succession of the spine. This is important because it is a way of mobilising the centre of the body. Each broken up part of the first roll down shows the gradual succession of the spine allowing fluid movements to be achieved. When going to the side, succession of the spine is also used, ensuring mobility is gained in both planes.

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In this exercise succession is also an important factor, however we also see elements of potential and kinetic energy when we are in the full plie moving into the forward stretch over the legs. This is important because it creates dynamics which can be taken forward into a dance piece. Opposition is also a major factor when we begin to incorporate the arms as the energy is spread in opposite directions.

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Equally, opposition is also used in this exercise when involving the arms which creates strength to the movement. We also see levels of supension between the stretch and the plie, also creating dynamics, and when dropping to the side we especially have to again think about the succession in the spine to create a fluid movement.

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At the beginning of this exercise we are thinking about rebound as we push the legs down with our body, and sit back up. Due to the speed at which this movement is danced the rebound is particularly important to ensure the dancer stays in time as well as creating exciting dynamics. Opposition is used again in this exercise when we roll to standing and the arm and foot creates a diagonal line through the body also creating suspense.

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Throughout this exercise there is constant flow of rebound between the side positions and the transferring forward stretch. This creates fluid movement and equally helps to reach the final side position shown in the right picture and momentum is created helping the shoulder to get right over the wrist. Also in this particular position supension is created before flowing around to the other side.

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In this exercise rebound again is a key factor as you push your weight off from your leg and suspend in the centre before dropping/ lunging to another side. This creates contrasting dynamics and shows the difference between kinetic and potential energy. The use of the rebound also forms momentum enabling the dancer to incorporate the arms and upper body creating interesting and exciting movement.

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The swing needed in this exercise helps to create supension on each lean, equally creating a rebound in the body. Rebound is a particular technical feauture in the forward swing and the arms help to extend and lengthen the movement and create a more dynamic piece.

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In this exercise potential and kinetic energy are key technical factors and you can see the clear contrast between these energy stores in the stop and lunge before the spin. Equally this change of direction creates more rebound and therefore suspension between each movement.

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In this exercise there is constant rebound each time you change direction on the roll, again creating momentum and power, making it easier to leap high on the final sets. Opposition is key as well during the leap as the lines created inbetween the limbs help with balance and extension.

My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

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