Key points for this class
Bus stop comments
Tiers of theaters
What pulls you in?
Endowment
Letter exercise/notes
Homework
Bus stop comments
Stay in character from "action" to "cut".
Mine -- too busy first time, tired, unclear (ginger ale grimace, etc.). Second over-the-top, didn't show environment, good use of prop (sandwich).
Mike -- panhandler. Great detail. Picks up penny, eats left food, holds out cap for money, wipes nose on shirt.
Christine -- cold (hot coffee). wearing trenchcoat.
Nathan -- reading book, pencil in mouth (food prop?). Making notes.
Dave -- checks watch, chews gum, drinks, reads magazine.
Bob -- jumps up and down, waves at cabs. Water on seat. Camera, notebook, candy bar. Impatient. Runs to T.
CC -- sandwich, notebook, taking notes, eating.
Erin -- notebook, pencil -- candy bar, taking notes.
David -- flashlight -- scared. Crosses himself.
Naturalism vs. over-the-top.
Make simpler choices.
Always the little stuff in film.
Doing it for audience, or actually doing task? Mundane task -- counting pennies. Resist urge to tap-dance.
Exercise in noticing things.
Tiers of theaters
Four basic tiers of theaters -- regional out-of-town, regional, Equity, non-Equity.
Regional theaters -- out-of-town (Wang, Shubert, Colonial), Huntington/ART. Go to Harvard for grad actors.
Equity -- New Rep, Gloucester Stage, Lyric.
Non-Equity -- Speakeasy, Coyote, Boston Theater Works, Sugá (all BCA). Also Theater Offensive.
What pulls you in?
Why are exercises boring? Nothing's happening. We wait for something to happen -- action, conflict. Redstone festival -- Nine, period piece (2 girls drawing scene that went on and on and on ...)
What pulls you in?
-- specificity related to actor's reality always pulls you in.
-- unexpected choices
-- conflict
Coffee too hot? Take off lid, it sploshes. (In that case, specificity and conflict go hand in hand.)
Conflict is so essential in people's lives that they create it.
Endowment
"Not real booze, not real blood." Giving something a quality it doesn't have.
2 ways to do it -- physically, emotionally. Emotional quality only to you. Harrison Ford and grail -- if he believes it, we do too.
Letter exercise/notes
Take a blank piece of paper, endow it, make it a letter.
Mine -- paycheck. Not a lot of endowing, good meticulousness (smoothing corners, tearing inch by inch). Some stuff for audience, not me, some stuff (blowing on paper) illogical.
Nate -- Dear John letter. Did it twice -- first time like punch in stomach, second time realization too quick, too angry.
Dave -- rejection letter, a bit over-the-top.
Mike -- at work, thought was memo but wasn't. Second time much more specific (yeah, I saw it), a little too much multi-tasking.
Homework
Bus stop exercise one more time. In addition to environment, time, props, and moment before, add two things:
-- private moment in a public place
-- conflict
Physical, emotional private moments. Have to get on bus. Can't go home and take care of stuff (no conflict).
Having cold is not private moment. Examples -- pee, adult mag, monthly visitor, birthday card with photos.
My idea: going to work (or possibly interview), blazer and long-sleeved shirt. Bra comes undone in back!