The Secret

Think slow, act fast.

Buster Keaton

The Creative Challenge

And, we put a lot more value, or at least I personally put a lot more value, on the creative values and creative challenges of something than the commercial necessities.

Rowan Atkinson

Packing Ain't Easy

Pack everything in, and try to close the suitcase. Take it all out. Go through the canned food bit. Trade towel for washcloth. Compare speedos and shorts, go with the shorts. Toss a shoe. Pack underwear and soap. Shirt gig. Break toothbrush, put in, then empty toothpaste, and put in. Cut pants. Grab shorts. Compare, then toss pants. Grab my teddy, and figure a way to cut him up. Don't do it, pack him and close the suitcase. Grab book, and put it into larger suitcase. Look around, put small suitcase inside the big suitcase, close it, and leave.

I have felt odd feelings about my character as of late because I have been able to get into his skin more than I ever really thought I would have. I have found myself shaking every now and then when i am just walking down the street or some other normal event.

I thought in the performance itself, I felt as though I really understood my character. I do understand after practicing today the anger that Professor Phillips was talking about though. When I tried it, it felt natural. It felt as though my character was supposed to become more upset at this point or that. I believe that during the performance the sitting on the ground was a good brotherly moment. I thought that the shaking was good because it helped me get into character a lot, but I do understand that this is something I need to work on as well. I need to make it more noticeable to the audience that I am not just sitting there. Also, I really liked how I got off the floor. I line when getting up just felt good. I don't know why, but it did.

On the other side of the spectrum, I realized that I did not give enough time for the spilling of the alcohol. I also felt a little bit off with becoming tipsy during the story. I believe it is because I am just sitting there, so I should find something to do while the story is going on. Finally, I think that standing during the story did not work very well at all. When I tried that portion sitting down, it felt a lot more natural. It felt as though, that is how Edmund would react.

Under Undershaft

Realism will require an actor to create an entirely new individual to present onstage. Becoming another person takes a lot of work. For Andrew Undershaft I had to spend a few hours finding clues as to who he was in the script. I would look at how he reacted to other people in various situations as well as how they reacted to him. I also looked into what he said about himself along with what others said about him. These clues helped me to construct a foundation and skeleton for the character of Undershaft. Next, I needed to dig deep into his motivations. I understood the type of person he was but I wasn't still exactly sure of he was individually. To do this I needed to construct a life for Undershaft by inventing his given circumstances both large and small. I needed these so that I could figure out why he does the things he does. I began this section but I did not take it as far as I generally would have liked. He is a very complex character, but I only really focused on what was immediately important for the scene. I feel that if I had created a more solid world around Undershaft, the character would have been more easily produced.
For the performance itself I felt that certain things worked well, while others were a little wanting. I felt that Undershaft's disgust of the 'common mob of slaves and idolaters' was well shown. A cetain small thing that I liked was when Undershaft threw his hand wide and proclaimed that the army was worth buying becasue it was the church of the poor. I aslo felt that his general confidence and control of the situation was well percieved but I could take that a bit father still. This is an area I will help to strengthen for the next performance. There were several areas I felt could take out all together or at least improve. One area was the still blocking. I was too concentrated on what we had rehearsed and was not letting it happen natually. I also felt that the scene was a bit sluggish. Nate and i have worked on picking up cues so that this sort of thing wont happen again, or at least not as bad. And one final thing I think could go was Undershaft's apparent anger. He isn't supposed to be agnry but maybe a bully or at the very least calcualtaing. With these things in mind, I think the next perforance will be much better.

Becoming Cusins

In all honesty, it has been very difficult to really know my character. I feel that I have a good understanding of who he is and what his motives are, but I just feel like there is something there I am missing to become Cusins fully. As for Tuesady's performance, I feel like a few things worked for me. I felt like the back and forth lines toward the end gave us a good, friendly rip at eachother with each line. Another part that I felt worked, was the opening lines. They let you in on how they feel about eachother, and it sets up where we want to take eachother through the conversation. I also thought that my costume worked well. It is definately something that Professor Cusins would be seen wearing. As for what I feel didn't work too well; I'd start with the final handshake. Now that I look back at it, it just doesn't seem to fit. I also had a problem feeling comfortable in Cusins's posture. I can do it, but it just doesn't flow to me, and that is noticible. One final part that didn't quite work was the exchange of lines. They definately need to be more rapid thoughts on the previous line, as well as where I intend to take the conversation.

Realism v. Comedia

Realism has proven thus far to be descently difficult. It is difficult in the way that you need to know your character in a very deep way. You need to know him "through & through". It seems as though the only way you would actually perfect the personality and emotions of you character, is to be you character. Even as this person, you have to know the other character rather well; to know how he will respond to your words. This brings up the comparison to Comedia. Not in the fact of knowing the character, but the diffuculty of becoming the person. In realism, it's all about the research, and what you can find about that individual. In Comedia, it seems to be all about the repitition. You learn the movements and actions of the character, then perfect them . . . physically. You need to have the right body movements and bodily reactions to each situation. What's your views to this comparison? Which (realism or comedia) would you say is harder for you to master? Which do you like more?

Tasks vs. Inspirations

It's not a general matter of "work to be done," but of concrete tasks, consciously undertaken and mastered by repetition. They are the irreducible minimum of our business. Specific things done, moment to moment. Grasp this, and at once there's a clearing of the decks - all reliance on so-called actors' instinct, inspiration, divine fire, and such-like dangerous fantasies must go.

-Morris Carnovsky

Are You Digging a Ditch?

To be an actor in the theatre is to teach yourself and keep yourself disciplined and honorable. And if you do that, you get a chance to fly in this kind of emotional paradise that acting can be. Acting is just as hard as ditch digging. And if you do all the yeoman work, inspiration will come.

-Frank Langella

As I was getting out of bed this morning, I felt terrible. I had this cough sitting in the back of my throat that I felt like I could not get rid of. I went downstairs to have something to eat, but found that I just could not force myself to eat anything while feeling like I do. Mom noticed something was up. I'm not sure if it was my lack of hunger or my coughing, but I knew that I needed to act like nothing was wrong for her sake. I went off to work, but I did not feel like writing anymore today for the column. I made a few corrections to the piece that I had and turned it in for tomorrow's paper.

I just keep thinking about this cough that I have, and the fact that I look skinnier than normal. Something just does not seem right with me. I have tried to do my normal routine, but cannot seem to get into the rhythm. Maybe, I should just relax and read some Wilde. Maybe that will calm my nerves.

Edmund

Daydream Believer

Preparation is a kind of daydreaming. It is daydreaming. It's daydreaming which causes a transformation in your inner life, so that you are not what you actually were five minutes ago, because your fantasy is working on you.

The fantasy of the daydream is the most personal, most secret of the acting values. What it means in ordinary language is that we use our imagination in order to fulfill in ourselves what we have more or less determined is our emotional condition before we begin the scene.

-Sanford Meisner

So how bout that woodshedding today, huh? I felt that we made some strong headway in our scene today. Several things seemed to click in a row. It initially helped that Nate and I defined our environment in which we are performing our scene. I guess that makes sense, however. The more we put our mental state into a real setting with real given circumstances, the more natually the character of Undershaft comes to me. The next thing that Nate and I focused on was the introductory beat in our scene. We did that one beat for more than half the time, but I feel like we may have finally cracked it. It felt right and natural. For several beats after that first one, things seemed to flow more smoothly. Professor Phillips (and Meisner) were definitely on to something by suggesting that everything is a brand new reaction to the beat right before it. That is how it goes in real life isn't it? And these scenes are about verisimilitude are they not? Hmm. I feel kinda dumb now when I type it all out like that.

Get Thee to a Woodshed

From the Urban Dictionary:

woodshedding
	meaning to practice or hone skills, particularly musical skills. the origin is from the fact that for purposes of privacy people would go to their woodshed to practice without being overheard jason spent the last three months smoking grass and woodshedding his banjo skills.

Uta Hagan

Theoretically, the actor ought to be more sound in mind and body than other people, since he learns to understand the psychological problems of human beings when putting his own passions, his loves, fears, and rages to work in the service of the characters he plays. He will learn to face himself - and to do so takes an insatiable curiosity about the human condition.

Prof. Cusins

I did not sleep well last. I do believe my reasoning is quite reasonable. After yesterday's conversation with Mr. Undershaft, I fear as to the direction of the Salvation Army. He said he can buy it! How absurd! I'll admit, I am a little mad, as every man in love is, but for him to call my love, his daughter, mad as well . . . who does he think he is? He hasn't even been in Barbara's life that long. It frightens me that a man such as him is here. The distractions Barbara must feel from her obligations because he is here now. I guess it is not necessarily my problem, but he is a threat to my two loves, Barbara and the Salvation Army. Money and gunpowder . . . HA!-Prof. Cusins

characters

I was just wondering how everyone is coming along with their characters? Have you made any realizations or is there anything that confuses you about your character? I know that the more time that I put into who this character is, the more I am able to understand how or why he may act a certain way. I know that I have not ever really stared death in the face like he is, but each minute that I put into his mind, I feel as though I obtain valuable information about who Edmund Tyrone is.

I have just found that I have consumption, and I will have to be sent away. I’m not sure how to explain what I feel, but I can say that I am scared. My grandfather died of consumption, and my father is stingy enough with money that I am positive the sanitarium that he will send me to will be below par. I am going to die… I need to focus on something else. What about mother? How will I even tell my mother? She is completely consumed with the morphine that if she is even having a good day, I know I will drive her to having more! I just need something to take my mind off of this, but I know that everyone will continue to remind me some way or other about my disease. I need something to take off this edge… I need a drink.

Edmund Tyrone