In class writing/ acting method an how to apply

Through my classmates presentation about different acting methods taught from famous acting trainer, I discovered many similarities all of them have. Practicing is always important, no matter practicing the script or to practice improvisation actings. For my trainer of the project p—Michael Chekhov, he encourages actors to act naturally using imagination of different situations as the character will face. Interpreting the character's reaction and attitude towards events he or she is facing. He also mentioned that feeling the atmosphere is important, recognizing if the scene is sad or happy then imagine it flowing around the air. 

    However, to make sure I relate and wisely use these techniques I learned from the project and from my classmates presentation. Practicing more would be a key point for me to do as an actor acting for a first time for a project. Other than memorizing the lines, I'll memorize the feeling every time I felt as Friar Laurence, how justice and kind he is towards Juliet and think deeper on how he would react to Juliet being emotional in this specific scene I'm acting. In addition, Michael Chekhov said to imagine a center of energy in the actor's chest then feel it bump and spread through the whole body. I would definitely choose to try this method next time while performing our scene. After being familiar and have memorize all my scripts with my partner, I would try starting off the performance with small body movements untill the energy spreads bigger to every part of my body. I would also choose to video ourselves to see what looks awkward and what looks exegerating. Last but not least, to make sure that me and my partner are interpreting the scene in a similar feeling so we could create an equal and stronger atmosphere. In conclusion, to apply these methods, memorizing the lines are first of all important and is what our group is working on these days. As soon as we complete the fluency we expects to have, we could try both methods from my researched project and hers to see which fits us the best.

Acting Log 1

Day 1 Inclass practice

The first day of practicing is a little bit difficult because me and my partner Sarad, aren't familiar with the lines at all. Even though we understood the scene is emotional but we could not even read the lines with vivid feelings nor tone that follows along the plot and the characters' feeling. For our first practice together, we decided to memorize a small part of our lines daily, so that we won't have to memorize it all at the very last minute. Basically for today, we read through our lines over and over again, we also make sure to pronounce words correctly like thou and thy that appears often in the text. 

Day 2 Inclass practice 

For our second day practicing together, we decided to work more on our feelings while reading aloud the lines. Therefore we read through the lines again but following along the video beside our ebook with the actors reading it out with us. I realized that I am missing a lot of expression while I'm to busy memorizing the lines. Many low and high tones are made while the actors reads, and it sounded differently than mine even though it is the exactly same scene. Whenever Juliet (my partner) is very emotional, she shouts louder and speaks faster. For myself as Friar Laurence, I am more calm as a character but also, I should raise my voice when I'm trying to stop Juliet from being over emotional to make her listen to me. We practice reading our lines following the flow, tone and speed with the video of the actors playing so we could get used to it and could pronounce words with expression to make it more interesting for the audience. 

Day 3 Inclass practice 

After two days of reading lines and pronouncing words correctly, we decided to research some staging on YouTube to see what experienced actors have done to show this scene better. However, some of it we did not like it too much because of it being over exegerated and noisy. Some videos that we seen being acted by students in our age, made it boring like a normal conversation without emotions. Me and my partner are trying to find a middle point in between the two versions we saw and disliked. We started creating our own body movements naturally as we read through. For example, Sarah pulling out her dagger with a desperate and more of an anger tone while reading, I will make a facial expression showing shock. We also added in a hug when Juliet puts down her dagger and started crying instead of threatening to suicide. I see some changes on us while reading when body gestures are added in, our tones became more natural and fluent; In addition, I could also feel myself more into the character I'm acting with emotions inside of me, instead of pretending and imitating the actor acting in the videos on our eBook.

Day 4 Inclass practice 

Today's practice went well since it's the fourth day and me and my partner is cooperating well. We have changed gradually from our first practice by adding in more body movements to create a more natural feeling into our performance. Even though we're still not done memorizing our lines, we can read though all of them fluently with high and low tones. However, by the end of class today, we have an Inclass writting assignment that have reminded me of more techniques and methods to improve our acting skills. I also decided to brainstorm a little bit after class as Michael Chekhov have said, imagining myself as the character and think how should I react as if I am the character. For our next practice together, we would want to share our methods we have researched about since we did not have enough time today Inclass to go this far. 

Acting Friar Laurence

   The scene I will be acting is Act 4 Scene 1 where Friar Laurence and Juliet was having an emotional conversation after Juliet's parents forced her a marriage with Paris. Sarah will be acting Juliet wanting to suicide and I will be acting Friar Laurence trying to come up with a solution. Friar Laurence, which is my character, has a healer and advisor kind of personality and also a father-like, reliable person to both Romeo and Juliet. Comparing to all the characters in the story, Friar Laurence is oppositely calm in my opinion for most of the time. 

    The setting is in Friair Laurence's cell right after he have finished talking with Paris about the sudden marriage he has with Juliet arranged by their parents. A historical past of this given circumstance is that Romeo and Juliet have already secretly married each other and are crazily in love with each other. A potential and an expected, ideal future Friair Laurence has, if this obstacle did not appear, is that through Romeo and Juliet's marriage the feud could be reconciled. Over all, Juliet and Friair Laurence's relationship is close and important since he was the one that made their marriage possible and the one person that this couple both trusted. Friar Laurence could also be considered as a person with power, since religion did played an important role in the society during that time. As a god father, he is also expected to have specific justice and kind strengths. But his vulnerability could also be caused of his strengths believing that everything should result in a more optimistic way. 

    However, Friar Laurence's goal is to help Romeo and Juliet's love being permitted by their families. His motivation is to make the society more peaceful and to encourage a reconcile between the Montagues and the Capulets. Therefore, I will portray this character with a reliable and staid image by acting calm and understanding towards Juliet being emotional. Some body languages and movements I have think of to act out during the performance is to show a contrast between me as Friar Laurence and Juliet. I would try and hold still Juliet's shoulder when she could be shaking with desperate and anger because of the arranged marriage. The outfit will also be an important part to show my characteristic, for example wearing something more formal, I will want to wear something different comparing to the film version where Friar Laurence was wearing a flower shirt. It is more complicated and difficult to achieve Friar Laurence's overall motivation in this short scene trying to solve Juliet's concern. However, coming up with this solution is already a key point to many of the upcoming events. 

Moreover, I would speak slowly and steadily to show my calmness and ability to comfort people with conscious when Juliet is speaking nervously and without productive thoughts to solve a serious problem. To become a kind and nice character, I will pause from line to line to make sure if Juliet is feeling better and would try softly to take her knife away for her to hurt herself. As Friar Laurence, I would also make sure that I respects and listens to Juliet's feelings and if she would really want to accept such dangerous and risking solution. To portray all these details and personalities, many small body gestures and facial expressions should be acted carefully and naturally. Also using what I have leanred from reading articles about Michael Chekhov's acting philosophies. To imagine Friar Laurence while practicing, asking why and how questions as if I am the character; also, how to feel and spread the atmosphere with my partner during performance. 

Acting Philosophies from Michael Chekhov

 Marinda Hsu
                                  Acting Ideas and Philosiphies from Michael Chekhov                




              Michael Chekhov's famous techniques are being widely used until today. His main idea was not to immitate performances but to interpretate and understand it. First of all, actors should be trained to know how to change and open their inner life of the specific character he or she is acting, also having an imaginary center in the actor's mind in order to act differently for assorted characters. Second of all, the actor should enter psychologically into the character he or she is acting. This technique could be trained by observing and figuring out why the character acts in the certain way, asking why is the character reacting in a way like this. Third of all, a technique that Michael Chekhov mentioned was to have a imagination of the character the actor will be acting. Ask or pretend to be the character in your imagination, what will you do if you are facing this situation, what will your reaction be as the character. Another very important element towards acting, is the atmosphere. Michaed Chekhov said that it is important to let the atmosphere and the sensation combine during acting. Atmospheres like happinness, sadness or madness should be imagines and set up when the actor is acting, a specific way to accomplish this technique is to imagine the atmosphere "in the air". Last but not least, the gestures. An actor should start of thinking how the character will be reacting and wanting, next on, to start of with a smaller gestures then untill it spreads through the actor's whole body. Make it nature and simple but withouth loosing any decisive movements to state the character's feelings within the scene. Over all, Michael Chekhov believes more on the actors' instinct and imagination. He also encourages practicing improvise acting in order to be more open and free as an actor.

https://prezi.com/7gb6jja9wfh-

A Short video I found from Michael  Chekhov Studio in London
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIvh79OijBo>

scripts + costume/prop ideas

Script Act IV Scene 1

Marinda and Sarah

JULIET

O shut the door! and when thou hast done so,

Come weep with me; past hope, past cure, past help!

FRIAR LAURENCE

Ah, Juliet, I already know thy grief;

I hear thou must, and nothing may prorogue it,

On Thursday next be married to this county.

JULIET

Tell me not, friar, that thou hear'st of this,

Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it:

If, in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help,

Do thou but call my resolution wise,

And with this knife I'll help it presently.

God join'd my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands;

And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo seal'd,

Shall be the label to another deed,

Or my true heart with treacherous revolt

Turn to another, this shall slay them both:

Therefore, out of thy long-experienced time,

Give me some present counsel, or, behold,

'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife

Shall play the umpire, arbitrating that

Which the commission of thy years and art

Could to no issue of true honour bring.

Be not so long to speak; I long to die,

If what thou speak'st speak not of remedy.

FRIAR LAURENCE

Hold, daughter: I do spy a kind of hope,

Which craves as desperate an execution.

As that is desperate which we would prevent.

If, rather than to marry County Paris,

Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself,

Then is it likely thou wilt undertake

A thing like death to chide away this shame,

That copest with death himself to scape from it:

And, if thou darest, I'll give thee remedy.

JULIET

O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,

From off the battlements of yonder tower;

Or walk in thievish ways; or bid me lurk

Where serpents are; chain me with roaring bears;

Or shut me nightly in a charnel-house,

O'er-cover'd quite with dead men's rattling bones,

With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls;

Or bid me go into a new-made grave

And hide me with a dead man in his shroud;

Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble;

And I will do it without fear or doubt,

To live an unstain'd wife to my sweet love.

FRIAR LAURENCE

Hold, then; go home, be merry, give consent

To marry Paris: Wednesday is to-morrow:

To-morrow night look that thou lie alone;

Take thou this vial, being then in bed,

And this distilled liquor drink thou off;

When presently through all thy veins shall run

A cold and drowsy humour, for no pulse

Shall keep his native progress, but surcease:

The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade

And in this borrow'd likeness of shrunk death

Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,

Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes

To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead:

Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault

Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.

In the mean time, against thou shalt awake,

Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,

And hither shall he come: and that very night

Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua.

JULIET

Give me, give me! O, tell not me of fear!

FRIAR LAURENCE

Hold; get you gone, be strong and prosperous

In this resolve: I'll send a friar with speed

To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.

JULIET

Love give me strength! and strength shall help afford.

Farewell, dear father!

Exeunt

PROPS:

-Transparent, glass bottle with colored liquid (could use gatorade)

-Few grasses and flowers on the table

-a knife, dagger for Juliet (maybe from the dining hall )

-bible (to create a feeling inside a church)

COSTUMES:

-Juliet/ Dress (white if possible)

-Friar Laurence/ black robe with cross necklace  

STAGING:

(Background, stage: Table with medinces and plants on the side of the room. Two long chairs on the side with  Friar Laurence and his bible kneeling in the middle praying. )

-Friar Laurence praying in the church untill Juliet breaks in.

-Juliet running in to Friar Laurence's cell --> Take out her dagger threatens him 

-Friar Laurence infront of his table-->  Tries to calm her down-->Tells her the solution and gives her the vial 

Take home quiz

Marinda Hsu

2016.10.14

IB Lit & Performance

Ms. Guarino

Take Home Quiz

A) Act 4 is all Juliet. She considers options, defies her parents, gets advice, goes against the advice of one trusted counselor and agrees to trust a more unknown one, makes a decision, faces real fears, chooses to make sacrifices, chances death, takes an unknown potion, embarks on an adventure that risks exile or worse. Discuss her character and personality. What does this act reveal about her that we didn't know before? How has her character changed since we first met her in act one? Be specific. Also, while Juliet is going through all of this, what is Romeo doing? How are their characters contrasted by this juxtaposition? What is Shakespeare perhaps suggesting about gender in this act and how does that also contrast from how the gendered "normal" world was presented earlier in the play?

Juliet have always been a pure, innocent and naive young girl in the story, her less experience in the society have made her obedience and trusting to her parents’ orders on her life. After meeting Romeo, we eventually discovered her hidden courage and rebellious attitude to her controlling parents. During Act One, we see how Juliet was dressed as an angel and how she was so easily attracted by another young handsome man. Many descriptions and techniques in the scenes during the first few acts all shows her gentle personality. Gradually, we see Juliet’s characteristic change extremely obvious within Act 3 scene 3 where she had a verbal fight with her father, rejecting to marry Paris. While Juliet was going through all these changes and conflicts, Romeo was outside of Verona, being exiled from the Prince. During this period of time in the Act, Juliet have became a stronger girl and was making many decisive choices to gain her freedom and make her thoughts into reality. No matter from choosing to take the poison or saying no to the nurse’s suggestion. On the other hand, Romeo was being a weaker part with less power to fight for their love during that time. Perhaps, Shakespeare is stating that the expected role of gender was being wavery and replaced comparing to the normal expected role of gender earlier in the play. Juliet’s role as a female that was expected to be obedience and weak have turned into more of a male characteristic in the society during that time period. For example, Juliet’s mother is a woman having typical characteristics. Oppositely, Juliet was being more strong and making many brave sacrifices in order to help herself and her husband Romeo to be together.

C) Consider the ending of the play. Is it a tragedy even though the city's natural order is restored by the ending of the feud? Were the deaths worth it?

Since Romeo and Juliet are the main characters, I think an ending of their death in the play will always be a tragedy, even though the Montagues and the Capulets reconciled. But on the other hand, it could also be seen as a satisfying ending in some specific viewpoint. First of all, the death could be prevented so closely if one of the priest did successfully get the message from Friar Lawrence to Romeo, then no misunderstanding will lead to the death of Romeo; Even though this is obviously a tragedy for Romeo. But on the other side for Friar Lawrence, the death might seemed worthy even though his beloved children are dead, but this have also brought out the same outcome he wanted in first place, an end of the feud. Second of all, Romeo and Juliet were trying so hard just to be together with each other. The death have eventually brought them together; it brought Romeo rushing back to Verona and it made this two lovers forever beside each other with their families’ understanding and permission.

F) Choose either Romeo or Juliet and analyze their portrayal in the film. What characteristics are highlighted and how? Be specific? Is this faithful to the original play? Why or why not?

Romeo’s portrayal is bold and impulsive in the film, which is faithful to the original play. He is also always deeply in love with someone, starting from Rosaline to Juliet. Even though as an audience we questioned and disliked the fast change on Romeo’s love, he soon have proved how his love can be true and sincere. This affectionate characteristic Romeo has was being highlighted in both the film and the original play. Romeo said “Her I love now Doth grace for grace and love for love allow; The other did not so” right after he met Juliet on the balcony and went to Friar Laurence, this shows his impulse; but later on when he did not hesitate to die with Juliet, have brought out his concentrated and deep love that have been questioning by the audience. Romeo is also being described as a free young man comparing to how Juliet was always staying inside her room. Romeo and his friends were always driving around, basically doing whatever they want without restrictions from their family. Therefore, Romeo fits the role of male during the society well within his first impression. In my opinion, the overall potrayal of Romeo in the film  is faithful and similiar to the original play from Shakespeare.

Blog post #4: A Visualized End

Marinda Hsu

2016.10.09

Lit and Performance

Ms. Guarino

Blog #4

                                                                A Visualized End

    Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo and Juliet is my favorite version throughout all other films of this love story. Obviously, this version is set in a more modern situation comparing to Shakespeare’s original setting. Other adaptations that were made in the last two acts included the way how the prince was replaced by the police and how he was chasing after Romeo with a lot of other policies with guns when he was heading back to Juliet’s fake funeral in Verona. A part I realized that was changed, is the ending, where the book says:”A glooming peace this morning with it brings”; But in the movie version, the sun did not rise until then. The news was released in the morning, but within the short period of time where everyone found out Romeo and Juliet’s death in the movie, was during night time. Another change was the part where Juliet was in transient death and how Paris have reacted. The whole part where Paris was expressing his sadness and showing his triffling suspect toward Juliet’s death was not being shown in the movie version. Instead, in the book a quote like this was being said by Paris that have catched my attention while reading:”O love, O life! Not life, but love in death”. Last but not least, during Act 5 scene 3 where Paris and Romeo fought, was not being acted in the film version. Eventually, many parts of Paris’s scenes were not being shown completely in the adaptations of the movie. This could be a solution on how the director wanting the audience to focus more on Romeo and Juliet’s relationship without too much distractions. 

    Overall, the biggest adaptation I see in the flim version was when Juliet and Romeo died together in the church. In Shakespeare’s version, Friar Lawrence was there when Juliet suicide and Romeo was already out of breaths when Juliet woke up. In comparison, the film version made Romeo and Juliet both awake for a short amount of time and made Romeo still breathing untill Juliet have finished talking. Also, Juliet stabbed herself with a dagger instead of a modern film version, with gun. However, visualizing all these classical and important scenes into a film is more romantic and shocking for me as an audience. Especially the warm, orange candle light being lit up in the church when Romeo and Juliet dies was giving the audience a more emotional feedback within the large set up. Therefore, the emotion the audience was left with after watching the film version was filled with sadness and emptiness, but also toucing because of them hugging on to eachother right before and as death strikes them. The film have done a good job showing all these sadness through out the ending scene where the coloe was grey and black, it was even raining when during the last scene where both famillies found out their chirldrens’ sudden death. Even though the film adaptations could be missing some small details and parts from the original Shakespeare version, as a reader that could not understand old English that well, a visualized version have gave me a more emotional reaction towards the last two acts which were very suspending and intense in events. 

Blog post #3 Up and Down

Marinda Hsu

2016.10.07

IB Lit and Performance

Ms. Guarino

Blog Post #3

                                                     
                                                                          Up and Down 

Stories often follows a pattern with a plot that goes from small events to a conflict then to an ending with a solution. Romeo and Juliet, a romance tragedy has a interesting pattern. In my opinion, one event gives the audience, and the couple hope, but then in contrast after a hope or lovely scene, a radical change will occur to the next event in the plot. For example right after the secret wedding, Romeo got exiled, and right after Juliet thought that they were going to successfully elope, Romeo misunderstood everything and suicide. This pattern is like a roller coaster, going up and down, good and bad, sad and happy. It is a smart way to keep the audience attracted and the plot entertaining to watch for a long time.

There is also an interesting part about the shaping and pattern of Romeo and Juliet. Both Romeo and Juliet has a similar background and when drawing a relationship chart, you find out that characters are divided and placed equally. Romeo has a best friend, Juliet has her nurse, both a really close listener and helpful person in their life; Romeo once has Rosaline, and Juliet was once locked into a marriage with Paris; Both Romeo and Juliet has a cousin, too. This is an interesting pattern our group have found out when visualizing the characters’ relationships in Romeo and Juliet.

Within these regular patterns changing the story throughout each events, the character are also changing because of the events that have happened. First of all, Juliet as a weak and innocent girl have turned into a girl that is more decisive and strong. Juliet said:” I will look for love” right after her mother’s order for her to have a marriage but after meeting Romeo, Juliet was obviously against her parents, and was expressing it clearly. Romeo as a strong and sober boy, have gradually turned into a more soft and blind person after being in love with Juliet. He was very impulse after knowing Juliet’s death without any doubt towards this sudden, suspicious death he heard from his servant. The nurse have also changed, many classmates during the discussion have described the nurse changing into a traitor betraying Juliet’s trust and rely on her. Oppositely, I do not think so. The nurse have been on Juliet’s side for the first time she heard about Romeo as a Montague, an enemy of the family. She wanted Juliet to be happy and she cares about her feelings. Later on when the nurse wanted Juliet to marry Paris was because of her protective characteristic towards Juliet like a mother. She was afraid that it will be a hard and struggling marriage for Juliet marrying Romeo that was banished from Verona. In my opinion, the nurse is the one that has not change her heart for the whole time throughout the story.

In conclusion, patterns are found all over Romeo and Juliet that have shaped the entire plot. The biggest pattern lining up hope, hopeless and depression, happiness was also symbolized within the second balcony scene on the sound of a nightingale and a lark.

Romeo and Juliet: Act 4&5 Notes

Act4

Scene 1(Verona, Friar Lawrence's cell)

-Paris went to find Friar Lawrence to plan the wedding on Thursday for a reason that Mr. Capulet wanted them to be marry and the reason that Juliet needs someone to go through her sadness on Tybalt's death. 

-Juliet told Friar Lawrence that she'll choose to die if there's no solution to make her not marry Paris. (Foreshadowing her death again). "「O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,From off the battlements of any tower, Or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk Where serpents are; chain me with roaring bears,Or hide me nightly in a charnel-house, O’ercover’d quite with dead men’s rattling bones,With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls.....」

-Friar Lawrence gave Juliet this liquor to make her look dead for a period of time. 

Scene 2(Capulets home)

-Capulet:「I’ll not to bed tonight; let me alone......Well, I will walk myself To County Paris, to prepare up him Against tomorrow. My heart is wondrous light.....」shows his enthusiasm and impatient towards this marriage. 

Scene 3(Juliets bedroom)

-Juliet asked her mother and the nurse to leave and drank the liquor. 

Scene 4(Capulets home)

-servants and Capulets bustling. 

Scene 5(Juliets bedroom)

-The liquor worked well.

-Paris:「O love, O life! Not life, but love in death!」, so does Paris really loves Juliet?

-Peter had a fight with the musicians. 

Act 5

Scene 1(mantua, street)

-Balthasar told Romeo that Juliet is dead—> Romeo went to bought an illegal poison wanting to die with Juliet. 

Scene 2(Verona, Friar Lawrence's cell)

-Romeo did not get the letter because there was a plague. 

-Juliet will be awake within three hours. 

Scene 3(Capulets grave)

-first line in scene three what Paris said. This might be showing that Paris felt that Juliets death was suspicious and wanted to make sure if she's really dead or not. Since he told the page to listen carefully if there's any sounds underground. 

-Paris and Remeo fought. (Romeo did not want to fight him at first. But Paris kept on saying that he's a criminal and blamed Juliets death on him. )

-the king (Prince) appears. 

-Paris is dead, Romeo is dead and Juliet is back to life after two days after the funeral. 

-Juliet suicide. 

-Capulet: "O brother Montague, give me thy hand." —> symbolizing how Finally the two families reconciled. 

-Capulet:「Poor sacrifices of our enmity!」admitting their mistakes and forcing attitude towards his daughter.