Commedia Troupe Week 2

This was the last week of Commedia troupe work. We had spent most of our time in class practicing and (mostly) not wasting time. All of us had improvised quite well, and although we had made a ton of changes, we were still able to rehearse many times and get used to the scenario. In fact, the improvisation felt so natural that all of us practically were our Commedia characters. At the end of Tuesday's class, our story seemed so funny that even Thomas was unable to stop laughing at Carson's perfect portrayal of Pantalone.
On the last Drama lesson this year (2009), we ended our Commedia unit with our troupe performances! When my troupe performed, many parts were unexpected, since so much improvisation occurred! For example, the scenario didn't say that Pierrot would complain when Il Dottore got rid of his pimple.
I must say that all of my troupe members acted and improvised very well. Thomas did not exaggerate enough to get to the energy level 6, but at least the audience responded. Also, Nir and I were both at energy level 5 for the whole performance. I'm pretty sure that none of us were even close to Carson's explosions. However, we were funny enough to impress the audience. At least that counts for something!
I loved this unit. I can't wait for the final one!

Commedia Troupe Work Week 1

Finally, our troupes were chosen! I (Tartaglia) worked with Nir (Il Dottore), Thomas (Pierrot) and Carson (Pantalone). There was one little problem with cooperation in the group, but it was fixed in a short period of time. At first, I thought that the mix of characters was quite strange and that it would be hard to work out, but I was wrong. The scenario came to us quite quickly. When our scenarios were ready, we rehearsed, and each rehearsal was a bit different. As we practiced, we figured out loads of ways to improve our scenario, such as adding more lazzis and jokes into it. If I had to redo this week, though, I would have continued to work on the scenario earlier and not waited for my other teammates to start contributing. That way, we would have been able to prepare the scenario sooner.

Commedia Character Monologue Week

This week was focused on our individual Commedia characters. I was really lucky to have my first choice (Tartaglia) and to naturally get into character. I enjoyed acting with the mask on, because it really helped me understand the character's personality. It was also fun to interact with other characters, so I would get used to being around them.
On Wednesday, everything was pretty much the same, except we had scenarios to work with. I enjoyed it, since I was able to improvise easily and not worry about "forgetting lines".
We had to perform on Friday. At first, I was reluctant to perform, but being second really helped. I think that it really helps to go first or second, since the nervous feeling quickly fades away. The strangest part was that my performance was a lot more amusing than I thought it would be! I guess it teaches me not to underestimate my abilities.

More into Commedia

Tuesday's class was a mix of the Zen Zen Zo workshop and the type of classes we had at the beginning of the year. We did many activities to improve our control over body energy and movement in different postures. During the end of class, my group members and I all ended up having different small ideas in our main plot, and the skit was a total mess. Then, on Thursday, we learned a bit more about Commedia characters in order to choose the one we'd like to act out. I was lucky to have my first choice, Tartaglia, or the stutterer.
I had actually underestimated many parts of Commedia, such as the character Tartaglia and improvisation. It was hard to improvise with others, since we are unpredictable even to the rest of our troupe. Also, just by stuttering too much, I suddenly started coughing. And to think that rehearsing for this character would be easy...

Commedia Film Week

Our scripts for the film are finally finished! It was nice that on the first try, the script already fit the time requirement. I wasn't completely satisfied with the script ending, but my teammates disagreed. Anyways, we worked on our acting and our expressions. We decided to do the rest of the practicing at home, though. On the filming day, though, I could honestly say that I ruined some of it because I was rushing Mr. Rahman, and I stuttered in the second scene. However, the last scene could have been called perfect, since everyone went through the entire part smoothly. The end of class was just me and my group members rushing to get the iMovie done. In fact, Jessica had to stay after class ended.
This week did not go as I had planned, but it was equally exciting and enjoyable!

Drama Workshop

Today, there was a workshop for Drama, so our English and Drama classes were reversed. In the workshop, we learned about three main parts of acting: energy, focus and physical awareness. I loved the workshop, because not only were we able to interact in a fun and energetic way, it was also the perfect time for deep thinking and understanding of concepts of theatrical arts. I hope we get to do activities like this in regular Drama classes!

Presentations and New Play

This week was for the drama presentations! I was nervous at first, as usual. However, as we went through it, the panic disappeared. It was a bit disappointing to realize that many people did not get most of the jokes we had prepared, though. At least it was better than the PowerPoint part. Nobody asked questions for our slideshow, and each time the other groups did it, it was too quick for me to get all the notes. Then, on Friday, I needed to catch up on the scriptwriting for the upcoming play. I would explain the scenario, but that would have to be a surprise. I can't wait for the next project!