Here I am again, getting ready to launch-HEAD ON into another tech week, or as we call it affectionately "Hell week"- the week that we as actors kind of almost have to take a back seat to the tech guys and stage crew and let them rehearse what THEY have to (lights, sound, prop moving), things like that.
It's also the week that we as the actors put the final touches on everything-on our characters, get our final costumes, ask any last-second questions, and sprinkle the theatre magic around the stage and on ourselves that make the show come to life!!!
We have one more rehearsal this week that's just a rehearsal-and we're adding just a part of our costumes this week too. Starting Saturday, we begin "hell week".
With that in mind-I do what I always do right before a show I'm in starts-I take some money and head into the city to see a show. I do this either by myself, or with a friend. This time, I went by myself. I do it as a way of reflection, or reminding myself what the goal is.
I went to see "La Cage Aux Folles" since it announced it will be closing on May 1st, to my absolute HORROR! But, that's another story, nevermind.
Anyway, I got into the city early and got my student tickets (box seats for $36.31-YES PLEASE!).
And I passed the day, doing this and that and meeting up with friends and such. I saw the show and I have to tell you guys-it was the most beautiful show I've ever seen!!! The chemistry between Harvey and his leading man- Christopher Sieber was amazing!!!!
I stagedoored after the show for Harvey, and also for my friend again-I wanted to talk to him! They came out together again, and I grabbed my friend after he was done doing what he needed to do, and we went for a walk.
While we were walking, he was telling me about another acting theorist named Meisner. Now, I had never heard the name before-I was taught Stanislavski, and that was pretty much all I knew. I told him about some difficulty I have been having, remembering my cue lines and everything like that, and how it was worrying me.
He smiled and nodded, listening to what I had to say, and then began to tell me about Meisner's theories. Here's what I've come up with in my understanding, since I purchased the recommended book and have begun reading it:
1) Acting is NOT a representation of life-it IS life. When you go out onstage as a character, that is the ONLY world you have ever know.
2) You and your character are 2 different people. You are you, but when you walk out onstage, you are your character. And they know different people, have seen different things, and know different things. They may even live in a different time period, or be higher or lower on a social scale-but you ARE that person.
3) Saying your lines is instictual. How you deliver your line solely depends on how the person you're in the scene with gives you the line before, or how you deliver your line depends on the circumstances of why you deliver the line.
For example, the way he was teaching the class, he brought up one male student, and one female student. With the male student he told him his only line was "mr. Meisner", he had the student repeat it, and was happy with the results of the repeat. He then went behind the male student and pinched him-causing the male student to scream "MR. MEISNER!"
See what I mean? The male student yelled his line, because of the action of being pinched. But, it was the same line!
My friend by no way discredited Stanislavski-hell, my friend studied him too. But what he told me is that Stanislavski doesn't help in SCENES. It helps in monologues, but in scenes, this guy works better.
I'll let you all know what I think after I read the whole book :)
Well,I think that't it for me today-next update I hope will have costume pictures and everything :) Very excited!!! :D
No comments:
Post a Comment