Performance Log #1

When Kate and me were acting our scene, we both have a very different feeling than just look at the scripts. Through the acting, I can feel Romeo’s love to Juliet and his emotion changes.

We used three classes time to act our play. In the first class, we don’t know what kind of emotion we should have. All we knew is Romeo is leaving Juliet. So we borrowed the scene in the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet movie. In the movie, the scene starts from Romeo gets out of bed. Romeo puts sheet over both him and Juliet and the camera shoots between them. Since we are acting on stage, we need to show our self to audience; we changed our actions. We decided to make both Romeo and Juliet stands and Juliet walks toward Romeo when she’s talking. Then she pulls Romeo back into room from the balcony.

It is hard to know what action I need to take if I don’t act the scene out. In the second class we decided to act and see what we could do to our actions. We fond out some inappropriate decisions we made during the first class. For example, we arranged Romeo to stand in front of balcony in the first 14 lines of scripts. We found out this is a really long time and Romeo has nothing to do when Juliet is reading her scripts, which is awkward and boring. So we make Romeo start the scene by gets out of bed then walks to balcony when Juliet lies on bed and tells him: “Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day: It was the nightingale, and not the lark.” Since this scene happens in the next morning after they had sex so we have many close actions. By practice acting the scene again and again, we over came the embarrassing. When we were reading our lines, we found some words that are hard to pronounce and fixed our incorrect pronunciation.

In the last day, we started with getting familiar with our scripts. We read the scripts out and record it. I found out that I am more like a robot that reads without any emotion. Unlike Kate, she reads with intonation and can totally makes me feel Juliet’s sadness and happiness. The recording tells me I am still don’t totally understand my scripts and not familiar with it enough. I also found out we read too fast. One example is that Juliet says: “Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day: It was the nightingale, and not the lark, That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear; Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree: Believe me, love, it was the nightingale” she just woke up, so she need to speak slowly with soft voice. We need to arrange the speed we speak by both our action and the scripts’ content. Then we act the scene again. This time I have a new feeling of the act. Especially when I say: “More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!” I can feel Romeo is relive with his destiny.

Through these days practice, we made many changes to our actions, emotions, and positions. I find out practice is good for our acting. Through acting, I can find out if there is anything that I can improve or any actions we can add.

Blog post #5

The character I am acting is Romeo in the 2^nd balcony scene. The scene happens in Juliet’s room and on her balcony.

The scene happens in early morning when lark calls. Romeo is leaving Verona since he was banished for he killed Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt. Before he comes to see Juliet, he hides in Friar Lawrence’s chapel. Even though Juliet is extremely sad but she still chooses to stay one more night with Romeo. So Nurse comes to take Romeo to see Juliet. In this scene, Romeo just had sex with Juliet. He must escape from Capulet’s house quickly not only because Lady Capulet is coming for Juliet but also because he will be killed if he is seen in Verona. Romeo’s emotion is complicated. He doesn’t want to leave Juliet because this is probably the last time for him to see her. He is also scared because he killed his wife’s cousin last night and is now sleeping in his enemy’s house. He risks his life to see his lover one last eye. After the 2^nd balcony scene, he left Juliet and went to Mantua. This is going to be a long time separation.

       My scene starts from Romeo wakes up on the side of Juliet. He is now scared for being seen and being killed. I will show Romeo’s motivation through his movements. The newly married couples can’t stand being separate forever. To show their love, it demands actors do many intimate behavior. Romeo is still shocked by what he does the day before so I will be act by waking up in fear and anxiously breath. Also, he is afraid if he sees Juliet one more eye, he will rather dies than leaves his lover. So after he wakes up and puts on bed, he faces balcony and doesn’t see Juliet at all. He walks further to balcony, just like he is ready to leave Juliet. To show his struggling between give in to fate and his love to Juliet, Romeo walks to window and then takes Juliet’s hand. He is so struggles and does this action again and again in the first half of the scene. When his 1^st part of script ends, he drops Juliet’s hand and walks toward balcony. Then Juliet tries to retain him and lead Romeo back inside, he picks up the rope on the ground, crosses it on his neck and says: “Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so. How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day”. This action shows to both audiences and Juliet that Romeo’s situation is really dangerous: he could be die or be banished. As Juliet finally decides to let her husband go, they hold their hands together then walk to balcony. The balcony is going to be placed at the center of stage because their leaving part is the most important part in this scene. The only lighting comes from the top of Romeo and Juliet, which helps audiences to focus on their sadly leaving. Romeo crosses over balcony and goes backward further away. He keeps saying: “ Farewell, farewell”, and his voice goes lower and lower.

Short writing

Through the past days learning, I learned many new ways to act and to think about my character. The one that impress me the most is Uta Hagen. His way demand actors to feel their inner emotion, analyze the acting moment, not just a general emotion but the emotion changing or need exercising. Unlike others, Uta Hagen's way also demand audiences to forget this is a show and fully involve in the play. Stanislavski who is the leader of method acting, his acting way teaches me to ask my self questions before acting. It can help me understand the character more. He also demand actors to imagine they are not on stage but in real environment which may help me on my stage blocking. 

Prezi Link

http://prezi.com/jal0xyju8mct/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Lee Strasberg

                                                 


Lee Strasberg developed the methodology of acting. He was called "the Father of Method Acting in America". In his theory, he emphasizes the importance of subjective character in a show.This theory is based on Russian Actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski's theories.

As a teacher, Lee Strasberg has many successful students: Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper... He is  Konstantin Stanislavski's disciple. 

Method acting is a psychological way that needs actor uses his own experience rather than being a rigid actor. 

In his acting theory, the core includes improvisation and affective memory. Improvisation means actors need to perform things other then the script. It demands actors to express their own opinion and their inspiration. But the emotion they express needs to be similar with the original script. Affective memory means actors need to remind things that happened before in their life. The recall can help actors  arouse true emotions and bring it in to the play. 

First drafts of scripts + costume/prop ideas + some blocking

Costume: Juliet needs to wear a long white dress.
                   Romeo wears normal clothes. His pants need a belt.
prop ideas: a bed
                     A fence (to make fake balcony)
                    Steps

2nd Balcony Scene

Capulet's orchard.

Enter ROMEO and JULIET above, at the balcony

JULIET
Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day:
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree:
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.

ROMEO
It was the lark, the herald of the morn,
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.
I must be gone and live, or stay and die.

JULIET
Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I:
It is some meteor that the sun exhales,
To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,
And light thee on thy way to Mantua:
Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone.

ROMEO
Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;
I am content, so thou wilt have it so.
I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye,
'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow;
Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat
The vaulty heaven so high above our heads:
I have more care to stay than will to go:
Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so.
How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day.

JULIET
It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away!
Some say the lark makes sweet division;
Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes,
O, now be gone; more light and light it grows.

ROMEO
More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!

JULIET

Then, window, let day in, and let life out.

ROMEO
Farewell, farewell! one kiss, and I'll descend.

(He goeth down)

JULIET

Art thou gone so? love, lord, ay, husband, friend!

Ere I again behold my Romeo!

ROMEO

Farewell!

I will omit no opportunity

That may convey my greetings, love, to thee.

JULIET

O think'st thou we shall ever meet again?

ROMEO

I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve

For sweet discourses in our time to come.

JULIET

O God, I have an ill-divining soul!

Methinks I see thee, now thou art below,

As one dead in the bottom of a tomb:

Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale.

ROMEO

And trust me, love, in my eye so do you:

Dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu, adieu!

Exit

JULIET

O fortune, fortune! all men call thee fickle:

If thou art fickle, what dost thou with him.

That is renown'd for faith? Be fickle, fortune;

For then, I hope, thou wilt not keep him long,

But send him back.

Lines:--

Juliet 27

Romeo 24

Farewell My Lover

The Baz Lurhnann version of Romeo ad Juliet is one of most classic versions. It follows exact the same settings as the book does. After I finished watching it, I am overwhelmed by the strong emotion of lonely, sorrow and sadness. If Romeo can stay any longer in Mantua, or if Juliet can wakes up a second earlier, this tragedy won’t happens. The movie sends these emotions by using different color, and mutual connotation of the beginning and the ending.

In the last two acts, it tells Juliet drinks fake poison and Romeo doesn’t meet her in Capulet’s tomb right on time, which causes a heart-rending tragedy. The part in this movie that impressed me the most is when Romeo heard Juliet’s death, he cries and has his knee on desert. He faces to the sun, tears roll down his face then he shouts out Juliet’s name. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in Romeo’s heart. The camera turns to the desert, making Romeo to be a figure of little dot in this land. The land is as bare as Romeo’s heart. His Juliet is dead, so does his soul. Glaring sunlight comes upon Romeo, when the camera moves to Romeo’s back, his dark shadow makes a striking contrast with the golden sky. By shooting with camera through both long and short distance, the movie lefts audience a feeling of lonely and despair. Sunset is also a really good object to show death and sadness. The low background music starts when Romeo hears his lover’s death, which also creates a woeful atmosphere.

The movie uses a really good combination of background music and actors’ actions. For example, when Romeo runs to escape from Polices’ chasing, the background music is in a really fast pace that brings audience a tense atmosphere. Also the lights’ color is a really interesting part of this movie. When Romeo and Juliet first meet, they are blocks by a blue fish tank. When Romeo finally gets into Capulet’s tomb, the blue lights glaring throw the door and shines on his back. The only difference is when Romeo was first shine by the blue light, he is facing a living Juliet, and for the second time, Juliet is already dead. One thing that is really important in this movie is in the second balcony scene, Romeo is wearing the exact same shirt as he dies. When Juliet says goodbye to Romeo on the balcony, she says: “O God! I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see thee, thou art so low… as one dead in the bottom of a tomb.” What she says is like a foreshadow that forebode Romeo’s death, which also means audience’s emotions are not only lead by the current scene but also affect by the previous scene. At the end, when both of them lie on the bed of tomb, they have the exact same posture as they does when they wake up together in the first morning when Romeo was banished. These postures get correspondence that left audiences a sad feeling and makes this scene really thoughtful. When I was watching this part, really hope if everything happen right in time, none of them needs to die.

Just like what the prologue says: “ A pair of star- cross’d lovers take their life” (prologue, line6) Romeo and Juliet are like stars, the shines on the sky but they are never able to get close to each other. The movie version makes me see this play from a different perspective. It makes me more focus on the small details that are not able to be shown in a play. Baz Lurhnann’s cutting of this movie makes it more ironic and impressive. "For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and Romeo."