Jenna Weisz

Intermediate Acting Journal

THR 221

Instructor: Anatoly Antohin

Dates: January 28, 2008- April 9, 2008

 

January 28, 2008

It was quite an interesting experience for me doing my monologue in class. I had only just memorized it last Saturday and Anatoly wanted someone to do one. I felt extremely nervous because I had forgotten bits of monologue and I didn’t want to look like an idiot in class. While I was saying my monologue I was trying my best to keep the flow even though I knew I missing lines. I felt like I had lost some of the impact by missing those lines. I also just stood there without any action at. After I had finished Anatoly discussed the climatic parts of my monologue, I realized by what people had said that I hadn’t made clear what was the highest climatic point. I hadn’t realized till Anatoly started talking about it that before I had performed my monologue that I hadn’t really thought about the climax before performing. I then realized I had many climatic points but only one that was the highest with my line “If you take away my chocolate I will die!” I really need to think more about that before I perform a monologue. Anatoly also had me pretend like I was eating a chocolate bar. It was really hard for me to say the word chocolate like I had been eating some.

January 30, 2008

Went into details about the 5 W’s for your monologue piece which is What, Who, When, Where, and Why. I know I need to write a bio for my character in my chocolate monologue. I also haven’t put in any pauses. Which self are you addressing is another thing you need to think of. For my character I need to decide whom I am addressing the fat girl, the singer or etc.  Anatoly also talked about “Actor’s Text” about how do I make the text my own and deliver it. The spectators also need to be able to identify with the character and not the actor. When working on our monologues we need to build the characters like layers on an oil painting. We must also ask the why to discover our motivation. Chris did an interesting monologue about a serial killer. He did a very good job with the content. Dorothy piece on the opera girl was an interesting character. At first I didn’t like it cause I thought she was over doing it. But then I realized that was part of the character with her kicking at the ground and throwing around the chair.

February 4, 2008

Thinking about it I realize how hard it is being an actor. You have to take on so many personas. You wear thousands of masks but in these masks you need a piece of yourself in each of these masks. Because it is about how you can make the character fit you and then you play with a little. If you don’t believe in the persona your trying to be then how is the audience suppose to believe that you are for example Billie or whatever character you are. There are many ways different ways you can use to act. You have method acting and system. Method acting an actor recalls emotions or reactions from his or her own life and use them to identify with the character being portrayed. In the System the actor analyzes deeply the motivations and emotions of the character in order to personify him or her with psychological realism and emotional authenticity. In my chocolate monologue I use Stanislavski system to figure out why my character refuses to give up chocolate and what it means to her. I also identify with my character because both of us had weight issues we had to deal with her. I also can recall my reactions to being told that I need to be on a diet and how that felt to be hurt so bad. It stunned me that people were so worried about my weight and how even people I really cared about even said stuff just like for Billie. Also in class Anatoly talked about our Master Gesture for our characters. We need to invent for our characters a gesture that they are doing throughout the entire scene and play. This is so when you see them on stage you know that this is your character. I’m trying to think what I could of done for Billie. Maybe putting her hands on her hips? I’ll have to work on that because I will be using that Chocolate monologue for auditions and I need to develop more of a character for Billie. We got to see Sam’s monologue, which was from Two Gentlemen of Verona. His character was Lance a drunken servant to Proteus. When watching I didn’t feel that Sam believed his character. I think it would have been better with some quietness and then loudness in his lines. Anatoly had both Ramiro and Sam acting together like they were drunk it became more believable. Sam then did a lot better on his monologue and felt more believable. Maggie did it monologue did serious scene with a comedic character. She had an accent but didn’t stay with it. She has really good facial expressions. Did a good job of imagining who was in front of her. I need to do that for Billie. Imagine that Billie is talking to her best friend. It is also helpful to do some pre-acting of seeing and becoming your character. If you character seems that way become that character. Establish your character’s situation. Have memories to back your lines with Maggie’s character’s husband. I read the monologue to help Maggie out. It was a very good scene and thinking about being a nurse and telling my story about my husband.

February 6, 2008

What to do for my midterm. I need to pick a good scene with a strong character. We read some scenes from Mikado, which were very interesting. The scene specifically was the one in which Ko-Ko is talking Pooh-Bah. At first when read it wasn’t done very well. When I was reading the part of Pooh-Bah I got the idea to keep shifting sides when talking to Ko-Ko to emphasize how I would love to “help” him but I needed more money to buy the silence of all my duties. It was very fun I would like to read the entire play. We also got to look at another scene from Mikado where Nanki-Poo, Yum-Yum, and Ko-Ko are having a conversation. It was very interesting.

February 11, 2008

I read the play Mikado over the weekend and found it to be a very interesting play we re-did the three-person scene with Maggie playing Nanki-Poo, Dorothy as Yum-Yum, and me as Ko-Ko. Anatoly had us each take on the characters. Dorothy was the valley girl and Maggie was the British rock star. I playing Ko-Ko was an old man. It was an extreme challenge for me because I am not sure how to relate to an old man. Anatoly had me breathe really heavily like I was about to die and walk with a shuffle and use a chair. I also had myself hunched over. I had trouble keeping the look up and I felt really stupid but I kept trying. I tried to be kind of like Mr. Herbert the Pervert from Family Guy, I love how that character whistles when he talks and how he always mentions Chris and getting his newspaper. I really want to do voice acting that would be lots of fun. Making some silly voices would be awesome. I would also loved it if the character I do is very enjoyable to people and brings a smile to their face.

February 13, 2008

I need to make sure my character is multi-dimensional. Use episodes to break up your scene. Find your Inner gesture, inside your personal preference. There will be some limitations to what I can do. Use method for inside out acting and biomechanics for outside in. Mathew did a scene from V For Vendetta and played “V”. The scene he did from the movie was the telecom scene telling people about the lies they are living and how they should stand together. I like that scene from that movie. I also like the beginning when V does his speech with all those v’s. A classic scene even if it is from a movie. Mathew’s voice really did seem to fit the character. When he was talking he was speaking too quietly and was thinking about what to say next not like his character. I need to pick a scene and a partner to work with. Well I’ve been sitting next to Sam for a couple weeks maybe I’ll ask him to be my partner. I’m not sure what scene we should do. Maybe a scene from Much To Do About Nothing. I really like the play and the character Beatrice she is really strong.

February 18, 2008

I need to think episodic structure like with Epic theatre. I need to use images to try to convey what I am doing. On Sunday Sam and I got together and picked the scene for Much To Do About Nothing. I feel really good about the scene and think I could convey lots of different things. Mathew did his scene again and did a much better job. You could see his improvement. He was much stronger and believable. I also need to think of my actor’s text and how I am going to play and write my stage directions. Need to do that on my script since it is my “acting homework” that every good actor does. It also an amazing difference in what words mean when you have a different emphases or just the way you say them.

February 25, 2008

Need to make sure I am ready for my Mid-term. Also make sure I do Beatrice’s GOTE (Goal Obstacle Tactics Expectations). I also need to make my own page and put my resume on the acting 2 website. Figure out how my I will become my role.

February 27, 2008

Bring Cycles when doing my scene. Remember to 1. Aim 2. Action 3. Release 4. Stop. I need to make sure to define my three stages in which my character goes through. Maggie and Dorothy did a cold reading from the Ernest Play. A really good scene. I like how polite they are and how they are trying to kill each other with kindness. They needed to express their age differences a little more. I loved how they used the fan for their master gesture. They need to mirror each other more if they are trying to outdo one another. If they went through the process and exaggerate what everyone likes with the scene they would get more laughs and add more to it. What will I introduce to my character that is not in the script? Good start will enable if it will be good. You need to start bit by bit not all at one. Establish character from the beginning of the scene.               Midterm Scene Ideas- Sam and I need to work on our scene. Especially with me crying. The fake crying to get Benedicks attention I think works for the scene. I am manipulating Benedick to get what I want. What I want is Hero’s Honor returned or revenge by having Benedick kill Claudio. But that is Benedick’s best friend so he doesn’t want to do it. Big obstacle. I feel that if he loves me he will do it. Push him around bring about his anger, passion. So maybe just act out Beatrice out. Put more into it. Be horrible to Benedick? Really Bitchy. I demand it, so give it to me! Think about blocking, practice facial expressions in mirror. More pushing Sam around and being mean. Go from Lady to Ferocious. But what is my inner conflict? I need to figure this out.

March 3, 2008

So we are going to have a home take midterm, which is very nice. It will be posted on Tuesday. Maggie and Dorothy did a second showing. I like how they do their actions. Dorothy being very arrogant and Maggie like a little girl. Like how there faces are getting red and how they are making faces at each other. They are defiantly more childish. I liked it a lot better. Some cases I thought Dorothy was lost. With some copycat actions and good use of fans. They are like weapons. The mooning and dropping the diary was good as well. Not sure how many stages. From the ground to knees to standing? So just three. It was nice see there characters sizing themselves up. Got to love competition. Mathew and Sayrah did their scene from the Glass Menagerie. Sayrah acting shy. Hmmm that is kind of interesting. The way she touches the blanket. I liked the scooting across the floor by Saryah to be closer to Matt. It was interesting to see Matt’s character trying to draw her out. Blue Roses? That is really cute. Wow maybe a little more obsessive from Sayrah. Love how Matt acted when he got the newspaper the Torch. Getting Closer?? Matt is into himself?? Ending a little more dramatic. The big clamp on leg. She should act like she has a problem with her let. Starts to take away the security blanket. That is good. Thinking of the Future. Use her as an inspiration to get out. Be yourself go back to high school stage. When he talks about being single he doesn’t even look at her.

Midterms Scene Work- Get costumes and props that are right for the scene. Make sure they are used. Acting is re-acting. Inner conflicts: I want Benedick to be mine? No, I like Benedick and I know I’m using him and I feel guilty using his feelings to get my own selfish way. So as I’m going through the play I realize he really likes me and I like him but I want to use him. Sam drops me. Walking around more has a book for my master gesture. Maybe drop my book when Sam tries to kiss me or says he loves me? More natural flirtations? Am I just angry?

March 5, 2008

Sam and I performed our midterm. I didn’t think we did very well and Anatoly agreed. So we begged him to let us do our scene after spring break so that it would be better. He agreed so Sam and I have been working on our scene after tech and my rehearsals for Winter Shorts. I think it is getting a lot better since I kind of know what I want to do with the scene now.

March 17, 2008

Did the Beatrice and Benedick scene again. I treated Benedick like shit and was more of a bitch. I made it super obvious that I didn’t really care about him and I was just using him for my own motives. I got lots of inspiration from my last performance of Foreplay on Sunday. Jesse was being such an asshole I just finally could be the bitch I wanted to be. It took me a while to build it up but I used substitution and hit Sam and abused him the way I felt I had been abused having to work with Jesse. It felt good to do the scene again and everyone felt that it was a lot better then last time. So as long as there is improvement.

March 19, 2008

We are doing movie scenes for class, which ended up not being a good idea. I need to find a scene to present in class. Maybe No Country For Old Men? Sam and Ramiro did a reading of the Breakfast Club. Interesting voices. Don’t like how Sam combined characters. Character choice doesn’t fit the scene.

March 24, 2008

I picked two scenes from Pitch Black. One is between Johns and Riddick and the other is between this girl and Riddick. Joe picked a scene from Inside Man. We both performed them. Maggie and I did one of the scenes, which it is supposed to be guys so some our classmates didn’t like it. But oh well. I really did like that movie.

March 26, 2008

Famous for 15 I am going to be in Sam’s play. “Where’s that Damn Swede” it is pretty funny and I am playing both a Swede and a German girl. It was really interesting to do that. I liked having a director to help you work on the scenes. I felt I did a lot better on my role by Having Adam ask me questions about my character. I think I will do this again for next year. Ramiro and Dorothy also did a scene from Gladiator. Dorothy fits the role of a queen very well. I liked watching the scene and working it so it could become better. If I had to pick a scene it would probably be that scene for movies. Also need to remember to change your voice, walking, and become the character. Decide what you are and maybe use props.

March 31, 2008

I did my 5w’s on the Honey Bunny scene. Who is she? I know I rob banks with my “man friend” not sure if we are just lovers or that we are married or even boyfriend & girlfriend. I’ve decided that “Pumpkin” has been my lover for years and we are constantly testing our love for each other since our job is extremely dangerous and we could die at anytime. I think I want Pumpkin to ask me to marry him. I’m very experienced been doing this for years. Always pushing for the next new thing. I want excitement. I’ll say I’m about 25 years old. Grew-up with a father who was criminal. He wasn’t always home but he taught me a lot about guns and crime when he was. My mother wanted me to get an education. But my dad took me on a couple jobs and I helped out. Got a taste of it in my blood. I went to college, found myself bored, majoring in business. One day I was in a bank, cashing a check, just waiting in line wondering and thinking about the different ways I could rob this bank. When all of a sudden Pumpkin busted in holding two guns and a couple in his holster. He looked magnificent cold and collected, in control. It lit a fire in my gut as he shouted out orders. The way he demanded us to get down on our knees and hand over our money got me super excited. I wanted hum right the. I wanted to follow hum and never leave him again. I had decided right then, so I walked up to hum grabbed a gun out of his holster and told him my name was Bunny (my father’s nickname for me) and that I was crowd control. He looked me up and down and well Honey…. Then a big grin came on his face. Well Honey Bunny he said seeing the approval on my face. You can call me Pumpkin he said. Then we went along with the job. We made a good team. We’re been inseparable ever since. Now we have gotten a few years older we’re a lot more careful about our jobs now. With youth you’re more unpredictable, rash. I’ve noticed we’ve grown cautious but in a good way. But I want the excitement back when we first met. Maybe if we try some new kind of jobs. So we are sitting in this diner. I want to push our relationship further. I’ve always the pusher. My goal in this scene is like I want hum to ask me to marry him. So during the whole scene there is this undertone of Yes and No. Or me saying, “Ask me!” and he saying “Not Yet!” Maybe I have a personality disorder too and this criminal activity is like therapy for me. I’m always the proper girl but when I’m doing something illegal this crazy bitch can come out and I can be free. A release fro my anguish.

April 2, 2008

You need your own techniques or you will rely on others to pull out your acting skills for you. Actor = Actor 1 + Actor 2  Manger hold: Medium and Creator. Movie or point of view in that perspective makes it easier to be an actor with the camera. The camera does the acting for you. So camera acting bad for actors. Gold triangle going from actor to audience to actor and back. R & G is method acting. Mirror reflecting Mirror in those two characters. What are we as actors trying to reflect? Rachel Blair grew up in Massachusetts, Boston. Who: Rachel Blair with a personality disorder. What: I am a psycho, robber, and criminal. When: this early morning. Where: Shit-hole restaurant. Why: I’m challenging my boyfriend. Defiantly more aggressive. Called Honey Bunny but I’m not like that at all. Ironic. What’s my conflict??

April 7, 2008

We dropped doing movie scenes for finals so all my hard work is a waste. We need to pick a final scene and whom we are going to be working with. I need to figure out how I am going to approach it.

April 14, 2008

I picked this scene Philosophy and Cabbage. I think Ramiro and I are going to do it. But I really don’t like the scene. It doesn’t have that much meat in it. Sayrah wanted me to be Donna in Don’t Walk On A Naked Man On the Floor. The character isn’t something I would want to do for my final. And the role does nothing for me. I think I would end up hating it.

April 16, 2008

I got replaced with Dorothy (who doesn’t want to do that part either) on the naked man scene. Maggie and Joe did a really good scene about a Man and a Women. The women are always working while the man stays home takes care of the kid. It was really sad and interesting. It was hard to figure out their relationship between them. Man I really need to work on or pick a new scene. Preferably pick a new scene. Damn I don’t know any good scenes.

April 21, 2008

I talked to Anatoly at the end of class about the scene I had picked and how much I hated it and wanted a better scene. I told him I wanted a stronger character with more depth. He suggested doing the scene Miss Julie. I looked up the scene on line and really loved it. I now needed to see if Ramiro wanted to do it. I also looked up background information on the play.

April 23, 2008

Did a cold reading in class went pretty well. Sayrah read it with me, which was kind of interesting I’m excited to do this scene because there is so much you can do with it. Anatoly discussed how it is a love scene and I myself wasn’t sure of that.

April 28, 2008

Got a hold of Ramiro and had him read the play. Ramiro liked it too. So we both read versions of the whole play and did some research. Discussed our characters a little bit. Tried to figure out our motives and what our characters are doing. Why is Miss Julie talking to Jean in the first place? The dreams that both our characters discuss at the beginning is a pretty obvious big part of it. I want to fall into oblivion. 

April 29, 2008

My motivation is love. I am in love with Jean and my character changes by the way I love Jean. At first I only love hum because he doesn’t or he just pushes me away (even though he loves me) Obstacle- our classes and Kristin and Jean pushing me away. Stop pushing me away Jean. So I am both a man and a women would I be rough with Jean? Well I just was raised that way. I hate myself for what I am. I just want love. I am naïve and young. I don’t know much about the world. I look to do my father’s bidding. I am under his spell. This is what connects me to Jean even though we are from different classes. But it is already doomed our love. We set you up for tragedy when we talk about our dreams. Jean wishes to climb while Miss Julie wishes to fall. August Strindberg is the write and was from Sweden lived from 1849-1912. August was certain that woman were in conspiracy to steal power from men. Used role by building images, which is faster, and bolder process. For his World of the Play August believed the Vampire and Victims theory. Ongoing war between the sexes Women naturally bonded against men and met in secret to discuss strategy. So who are the victim and the vampire? If we look at this entire play the count can be seen as the vampire sucking out the life of both Jean and Miss Julie but in this scene it first appears Miss Julie is the vampire but really she is just the victim being used by Jean. Obstacles: Different Goals. Our goals will have meeting points but after that will never meet again Jean is also my obstacle because he is pushing me away. Kristin is another obstacle that blocks me from Jean. Class structure. Damn we are definitely not meant to be. Motivation: I am in love. I always get what I want and Jean defiles me. He doesn’t’ do what I want not like the other servants. So my love for him changes during the scene. Goal: TO seduce Jean. Get him to love me. Obstacles: Already discussed. Naïve. Tactics: Use force. Womanly wiles are straightforward maybe? Show my weaknesses. Trying to fell empathy. Expectations: I will seduce Jean and have sex with him and somebody will finally love me.

May 3, 2008

Went to Ramiro’s house and worked on the scene. Need to do some more memorization. We talked more about our characters and the fact that Jean crawls into an outhouse. Ramiro didn’t realize that a Turkish Pavilion was an outhouse. He said now that I had told him that it changed really the whole meaning for him of his monologue. It is really funny. I thought about how suicidal Miss Julie is. She is just looking for something to bring about her fall or someone to stop her from falling. Ramiro also had some good ideas for pre-acting. Since we need to show our relationship and how Ramiro is lower then me we will have him serving wine to me. I then will start to mess with him a little.

May 8, 2008

Worked a lot on the scene and just making sure our lines were right. I think we will do well. We discussed our characters. I feel that Miss Julie and me have a lot in common in the fact that we don’t want others to take care of us. But in Miss Julie’s case everyone has to do what she wants. All she wants is love kind of what we all really want in love. She wants to be strong and like a man. Sometimes I sort of feel like that. I don’t want to be a wimp or rely on other people to take care of me because people are not reliable. They always seem to disappoint you in the end. But Miss Julie is forced to rely on her parents and Jean who only disappoint her in the end. She wasn’t sure if she was going to kill herself but with the final deception from Jean has forced her into her own death. I wish it didn’t have to be that way for Miss Julie.

May 9, 2008

Final Day. Dang it came so fast. We worked hard this morning making sure it was good. I think Ramiro and I should do really well and I am really excited about doing the scene. It has been a fun semester and I learned a lot about how to be a better actor and apply this to other things I worked on. I’m so glad I have more experience after R&G and Winter Shorts and I am excited for future shows. We had Anatoly come watch us a couple hours before hand. He watched our scene and gave us some notes. The notes really helped us out. He said that Ramiro and I need to get a little closer. He also suggested a different way to do the wine glass at the beginning. We also used some cranberry juice as wine, which was really yummy. Anatoly talked about how we need to do more of the sex or no sex. So that we are teasing the audience more. I also need to kind of strip a little by taking off my shoes and scarf. I guess I’ll be more seductive with Ramiro. I also did a scene for Molly. I didn’t get my lines memorized but in the end I was able to pull it off like I had with the exception of that annunciating my words.