JENNA’S MID-TERM EVALUATIONS

1. JENNA’S SCENE: CATFIGHT ENGAGEMENT
• I felt that I did a lot better on this scene and I saw some improvement in my scene. The blocking was clearer and I took out things that weren’t working in the scene. I felt that the fight scene worked better with them circling around it.  I’m also glad that I established which spot was Shelly’s and which spot was Tiana’s. I felt that I failed a little in the comedy part. I wish I could have gotten more people to laugh. I think maybe I tried to force the comedy on the audience. The nine squares weren’t all used in my scene. Next time I will try to use all of my space. I am glad that I was able to use my props well. My favorite part was the journals being thrown down. I think I should have worked with the fans a little more. The costumes worked very well for the characters too. I was glad Tiana let us borrow from her closet. Shelly indeed look young while Tiana looked very elegant. Also I don’t think I really thought out what was my climax in the scene. The blanket also might have been better if it had been a bench. Next time I need to think a little more about the scene. Overall I think I learned a little more about directing and I will try to do better next time.
2. TRICIA’S SCENE:
• I felt very comfortable with this scene and was happy to work with Tricia in the scene. The blocking was definitely better this time around. It was not as crowed as before. I like the fact that I hide the letterbox while Pedro is not looking. We did not use downstage at all but I feel that we used the rest of the space well. I had my space and Pedro and I as a couple had a space but unfortunately Pedro did not have a space for himself. I liked our costumes and felt they worked for this scene. The props were used at least three times. I felt it was great idea for Pedro to use his hat for showing whether he was staying or leaving. I also liked how Pedro and I were able to time our head turning. I was glad that we were able to get a good laugh out of the audience with it. This scene definitely improved in it’s blocking and as an actress I felt we did a lot better.
3. PEDRO’S SCENE:
• The way the scene was set up was a lot better this time. I felt where the door was and the steps looked a lot better. The togas worked very well with giving us an idea of when and where this scene takes place. I also liked the use of the wooden sword and the staff. This also helped with creating the time period and the feel on the whole scene. I like the way they were used. The pre-acting done by Ramiro was a great way to begin the scene. I did not like how all the sexual innuendos were dropped. I felt that took away so much from the scene and made it not as enjoyable as it was before. The climax was easy to tell when Jessa throws the garland on the magistrate. I was a little taken back by the use of the plastic water bottle. It was used three times but it did take away from the concept and took my out of the play. I also wish Jessa’s character was not so angry all the time and had some variability. There was improvement from what I first say I just wish Pedro had left some things in.
4. TIANA’S SCENE
• I love the fact that Tiana used all nine squares of the stage. Having the door in the back off the room was good blocking choice. I also like the use of the knife instead of the razor. I wish Tricia had used it correctly so I actually believed she was thinking of killing herself. I also wish they did not have to mime the phone but Tiana’s sound effect definitely made up for it. The actor’s reaction to it was very nice as well. They looked very surprised. I also liked the way Tricia said “For God’s sake! What did he say!?” It was very nice and I could feel the climax building right until the end when Tricia makes her decision and leaves. I really liked the outfit Tricia was wearing and it did make her seem like upper class but I did not like Ramiro’s costume. I felt that he was too dressed up. Maybe if he had lost the tie and unbuttoned his jacket it would have been more believable to me that he was lower class. I did feel the scene had made progress. The actors seemed a lot more comfortable and the blocking was smooth.
5. JESSA’S SCENE
• I felt this scene did make some progress in that it had more of a climax then it did before. I did not like that fact that Shelly was not writing down the things Ramiro was saying. Was Shelly supposed to be older too? Shelly did great on the regal part but I would not believe she was older then Ramiro in a heartbeat. The costumes worked pretty well for the scene except for Shelly wearing the bright blue dress. There were not any props so nothing to worry about. I felt the space could have been used more. They stayed basically in the same areas. Maybe if Ramiro or even Shelly could have circled around the chairs or Shelly pacing back and forth while asking questions. I did feel that Shelly’s character storming out was more justified then it had been before. Last time I felt that it was Ramiro who should have left the room but after I saw the scene again I changed my mind.  I also wanted to see more of a struggle in Ramiro as well. It did not seem like he really wanted to marry Gwen. There was some progress from when we first saw the scene but I expected a little more from it.
6. RAMIRO’S SCENE
• The blocking did not seem very smooth at all. I also noticed some problems with it though when Jessa said to stand up when Tiana was already standing. It was a good idea for Jessa to start on the ground but I felt she was on the ground for too long. The way the table was arranged too did make it awkward for the actors when they were sitting down. Most of the stage was used which was good. I wish that the props had been used more. The bottle and the glass were only used once and I felt it could have been a lot stronger. The boots were introduced but it seemed weird for them to just be sitting there on the table. Most people who are not familiar with the play would have no idea what was up with the boots at all. I did like the fact that Tiana was playing Jean. It was a bold choice to make but it worked well in the end. I liked Tiana’s costume and did help with her gender role. I wish Jessa had been wearing something a little more fancy. I noticed the climax at the last line, which I felt, was still nicely built too. This scene had some progress but I think it still needed a lot more work on it.
7. SHELLY’S SCENE
• Shelly’s scene was very enjoyable. I felt she did well on making them use all of the nine squares. The chase scene was even more enjoyable especially with them jumping up on the couch and trying to get the case back. I do wish they had rolled on the ground for it and gotten down a dirty for it. I enjoyed Ramiro’s pre-acting in the beginning with him looking at the cigarette case and eating the sandwich. It was also completely hilarious when Ramiro put the case down his pants. I know I was laughing at Pedro’s reaction. The costumes worked very well. I got the feel that they were upper class. I also liked how Ramiro looked sloppy and then had to fix himself up. The props were used very well. The cigarette case was great and used very well. I did feel the Tiana could have been used a little better with her line. Did she know that Ernest was actually Jack? The climax at the end when Pedro admits defeat is wonderful and satisfying. There was a lot of progress for this scene. The blocking was much smoother and made sense. Shelly also did a great job making this scene funny.