Jackson’s Ultimate Blog To End All Blogs.

  https://youtu.be/_jSOLiB-L8Q For this version I truly attempted to commit, I added some costume and changed the setting for a more realistic approach. I also had my Mother record so that I could capture the camera angle from truly another persons eyes. I hope you enjoy! 

 In order to complete this monologue, I attempted to follow the tips and exercises from the book as closely as possible. In doing this I found that I was able to understand my character much better, and I feel I was able to harness the awkwardness, as well as the introspectiveness of the scene much better than I would have without. In the end though I am not happy with my final product, while I do feel as it was much better, there is still so much I feel like I could do, and so many things that will never be explored. I see many parallels between this character and some of my own personal relationships, and as much as I tried to key into that, I do not feel that I harnessed that energy in an effective enough way to portray the full scope of all of those big feelings. And while maybe that is not the point of this scene, which I believe is indicative through the script and the setting, I do still feel as though there is much left unspoken and many feelings beneath the surface that I ...

 120: In the monologue, the character is initially speaking at a thousand words per minute, trying to get in their well-prepared speech before anything else can be said. Then there is change when they realize they were not talking to the person they thought they were and became flustered and embarrassed. The monologue then changes once more as the character begins to reminisce about the past and becomes more comfortable opening up to this stranger.  121: Hope, the character, has just traveled a long distance from their college big city to try and reignite their love with the hometown sweetheart that got away. They have just gotten out of the taxi and are at the front door, they are very nervous and truthfully are more so there as a cry for help. They feel lost, confused, and hope that they can return to a time that was comfortable and easier through this old love. It is 9 o clock at night, it is snowing and the northern lights can be seen, the character is alone saved for the ...

  For our scene, we tried to focus on the "Theater of Cruelty in order to reflect Artaud and his methods. In order to do this, we attempted to create unsettling and uncomfortable camera angles, with many up close and personal scenes as well as lots of dynamic changes on the volume of the lines being spoken. We also utilized sound, in order to highlight Millie's character's "descent into madness" the camera crept closer and closer to her face, as the realization of her actions set in and the sound of the crickets got louder and louder until it was just a cacophony of sound. This reflects the feelings Millie is going through, as well as making the audience uncomfortable and disturbed, in a similar way to how millie was. Another aspect we tried to key in on to emulate Artaud was in the placing of the audience. Theoretically, if the scene was not filmed, the audience would be placed in it, viewing the scene from different angles, and when my character would begin to ...

 Brecht. Brecht was a German playwright from the early 20th century, and much of his theater is reflective of that time period. Brechtian theater is defined by its primary objective of operating the audience from the play. Many methods implemented are focused on not providing a cathartic experience or really any emotion at all. Instead, Brechtian theater is focused on making one think. In order to do this, much of the dialogue may simply be stated instead of acting in the traditional sense, and the actions feel very deliberate and unrealistic. This departure from the traditional ideas of achieving realism and emotional depth provided a refreshing and thought-provoking different approach, and many works of Brechtian theater are well respected.  Artaud. On something of an opposite spectrum, Artaud's theater method was focused on emotion and his approach to achieving emotion among the audience was revolutionary. The "Theater of Cruelty" is focused on attacking the audience o...

 This post will cover my notes on all of the monologue practices, 110-119  In all, the monologue practices were purposed to elevate my understanding of the character I am portraying, as well as the circumstances in the show and the originally intended meaning. To start, I read the play in its entirety and attempted to piece together the purpose of the monologue and how it fits into the play. I benefit from Almost Maine having many somewhat disconnected scenes, so I am not necessarily bogged down by the monologue serving a larger overarching purpose. As I read the play and the full scene the monologue takes place in, I realized the true meaning behind the words and actions of my character, and it was through that realization that I believe I have elevated my depiction. In later exercises, there was a focus on fleshing out the character itself, this is done by building their life. from earliest memories to their future to their current situation I have immersed myself in the wor...

 Uta Hagen 9 questions 1. Who am I? Characters name, Hope, 25, average height, college-educated, the defined features of a young person at the metaphorical climax of their life the top of the hill just before they head down. Typical college student opinions fear the future and accept their adulthood fully, confused about their purpose, still grasping to return to a time that was easier to control. Longing to satisfy a nagging twitch in the back of their mind, inspired by the melancholic and nostalgic longing of returning to the empty promises of their small hometown. 2. What Time Is It? It is 9 o clock, which is important in the show as this is the exact time the northern lights appear and is the time of night where everything seems to go down. It is the height of winter, and the snow has melted the town into a landscape straight out of a hallmark movie. It's the time of the year where everyone is either celebrating family, friends, and fulfillment, and everyone else is struggling ...

 I find a lot of the information to be surprisingly revealing. When approaching acting, especially in such an intimate circumstance as a monologue, it is important not to think about how you want to say something, but more so why you're saying it. Like Stanislavksi's work. The focus is on steeping yourself in the character and understanding the context, the circumstances, and the character's wants and needs. By doing this one can better act out the monologue because, as the book states, "  We do not act out a speech, we think and do as our character within a given situation." This is revealing in that it is still something I struggle with, to become my character more than I am just saying lines from a script, and as I continue to attempt to act out more than a speech, I am excited to utilize these exercises to help me get there.