Monday, April 27, 2009

Post Solo Performance

Whew..., was it good? What was the response? I don't know, audience...what was the response?

I felt extremely good about the performances, of not just me, but of my comrades in the class. I feel like we all gave it all that we could considering (at least from my perspective) how much we really didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. I will be the first to admit that I was filled with dread beyond all dread, no matter how often Amy told us it wasn't that big of a deal (...but academics are academics!). However, having done one I reflect:

The last time I did my solo performance with a larger audience I felt like I was missing a big chunk of information. Granted, everyone is their own biggest critic, I realize now that Fairouz was in no way as developed as other people developed theirs...or maybe she was and I just can't see that? I will admit that I feel like I went a much different route when it came to doing my performance, I felt like I was doing a monologue a lot more than I was bring pieces into the piece to be examined, although that was a part of it. I felt that I didn't explain my process of creation, but rather did a weird monologue that was full of exposition of my character. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but perhaps it limited me...or I just didn't know how to develop it more (at the time). I ramble....

The big chunk that I was missing was part of my character that I sort of tricked myself into thinking I really didn't need.... for example...the race difference! Ah, gad! It was as I was down pretending to have sand fall through my fingertips that I realized that I was not complete and I had turned this woman into a woman from campbellsville and I no longer believed in her anymore - that is, not to the fullest extent.

However, this has taught my loads! In fact, it makes me very excited to do this process again and I may just go around making ten minute solo performances as I please... I mean, I'm already the life of every party anyway, ha. But, on a serious note, I deeply feel that I grasp the level of commitment something like this takes and how I did not give it all the justice it deserved. It was a learning process though, and now I've learned without receiving a literal slap on the wrist. I think that doing TOO much research is always the answer instead of curtailing around a schedule - although, I do think that I gave it as much as I could in my current state of ...crazy and sick.

How did it affect me as an actor? technician?

How didn't it. I think it's obvious how it affected me as an actor, but as a technician it only furthers my evolving through process that...theatre is not Me or You - it's US. And, if it isn't US it isn't worth a damn. I think this only makes it clearer that research is important in all facets of ...LIFE. It's a crime to misrepresent anything and these techniques allow me to represent to a more full capacity. Also, creating these solo performances allows all this research and information to become tools for creativity which was the most fun. Being able to take SO many things and create a story from it, my own story (so to speak) makes me feel more like the artist that I strive to be. In the end, we're all artists, even the audience.

This was TOO much fun! Can't wait to do it again!

Pre Solo Performance

As I begin to write this, I can't even allow myself to think straight without playing music in the background. This worries me a bit because the weapon of choice is, of course, CocoRosie...perhaps they are becoming a bit TOO involved with my life. Perhaps? NONSENSE... I start to wonder.

"Now that I'm alone, I feel the lonely brokenness of all the wicked avenues I never sold my love on."

Beginning to develop my solo performance I was really nervous. I knew I had a lot of information but due to my crazy semester and schedule and the outside world...and perhaps my overall effort in the end, I didn't develop the character as much as she deserved to be. I focused mainly on how her situation in the play could be played out, that is regarding her feelings of loss and not really being able to understand her brother's disappearance. If I've learned anything this semester in my own life it's that I now know what it's like to have someone in your life and for reasons that you canNOT understand they are gone. I wanted that to come across. So, I interviewed Cassandra Perkins, the one and only since she had a similar situation involving her brother leaving for the service. However, their stories don't really match, thankfully nothing tragic became of Cassie's brother, but the feeling of losing someone close to you (or that you might) was what I wanted to hit upon.

"He's my evil shadow dove, my black palomito. Can't shake him like a diamond skull... I can't seem to do so. Can't just rub him out like the mob used to do so..like memories of porno and tear stains and tobacco...oh...it's a mini disastro"

What else? I was able to use my information regarding the first gulf war to give a setting for the play since the rest of the show is set... in some...other world it seems. Boxler, especially exists in this world of living/dead...and I begin to think that Fairouz and Craver are no strangers to this weird existence. For this, I wanted to incorporate a part of a conversation that the class had had about the setting for "In the Heart of America." I chose to set my performance/scenes in a hotel room that was full of sand. That is to make the gap between life/death america/iraq more apparent.

What is most interesting/scary is that will it be ten minutes? I know Amy would say it really doesn't matter, but that's the academic part of all of this coming together. The stress of it being an assignment helps it work and makes it even more daunting. Here's hoping that it goes well!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Schedule for Final Performances: Solo Character Studies and Scenes from Two Plays by Naomi Wallace

Hello, everyone.


First of all, I've fixed things so that anyone interested can comment here on the blog. Better late than never.

We'll be giving a public demonstration of our work for this class, and we would love to have everyone come to our final performances. We will be showing solo character study performances that incorporate interview material, interspersed with scenes from The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek and In the Heart of America by Naomi Wallace.

Saturday, April 25 at 2:00 pm and Sunday April 26 at 7:00 pm, in the Thrust Theatre at the University of Louisville:


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Please come and let us know your thoughts on the work we've done this semester! And invite friends, too.