Lewis & Clark Moodle

Alex and I spent most of our time just running over our lines over and over again. But now we are devoting time at looking at blocking/props and what thing out characters want to be known for doing. We start with looking at clips on YouTube of people performing and checking out what props are essential to get the point across. We are spending time writing a list of what we need. For example my character yells at Alex’s character for his backpack, therefore we know we need Hal ( Alex’s character) to have a backpack. Also, we know we need notebooks 103 to be exact but we only need a good pile to get the point across so we are working on getting the specific props and our blocking. When it comes to how we perform on stage we also read how it is really important not to have out backs to the audience so we also work on our stance, still working on how to make use of the space rather than just walking back and forth. So, that’s that and I hope everyone enjoys their break!!

After our last rehearsal Kim and I were feeling pretty stuck in our scene.  Having learned our lines and gotten comfortable with the beats we became unsure what else the scene was missing.  Rebecca advised us to try various exercises such as rehearsing the scene speaking the subtext of the characters lines instead of the actual lines and rehearsing the scene with completely melodramatic acting.  The former exercise helped me figure out which aspects of the character's subtext were missing when we delivered the actual lines.  Rehearsing the scene with ridiculous melodramatic acting helped Kim and I find more humor in the scene.  The melodramatic acting also made the shift in tone when Jessica starts asking about Warren's sister much more drastic and striking.  I would recommend both of these exercises to other groups.

I think Mo and I have been struggling a bit to get back on track. Both of us were less than thrilled with our class showing of our scene on Tuesday. Though I know I've given a lot of time to focusing on my given circumstances for the scene, I think adding the lines makes things way more complex. A lot of what Kayleen is doing is playing against what she's actually feeling. He relationship with Doug is so complicated, and this scene is climatic in the play. This is the major falling out between Kayleen and Doug, and they go another several years without seeing or speaking to each other. Keeping that in mind just raises the stakes of the scene. I thin Mo and I could benefit from spending some time developing the characters more and maybe just working on the actions a little bit more. I'm excited to get back to work with Mo once the holiday weekend is over. 

Our first rehearsal in East!  Dennis pre gamed with a homemade meal he made himself and then we started making videos and trying to work through a lot of laughs- mostly on my part.  Once we started we really got into it and gave each other advice on how we thought our characters would react and how loud or mad or quiet and hesitant we should get.

Liam and I rehearsed our scene on Saturday. We found it harder than expected to take Rebecca's notes and apply them to our scene; we weren't sure how to add in more physical action nor how to make the latter half of the scene more high-stakes or poignant. We did try to slow down the dialogue where needed, which I think will help me to pace myself during the second showing of the scene, since in the first showing I rushed some lines and spoke over Liam's lines a couple times. I took a short video (albeit at an odd angle) of our scene. This helps me to understand how my voice sounds and how I need to project a bit more (at times I sound like I have a glass ball in my mouth, but that tends to dissipate when I am really applying an action to the dialogue). 

Lulu and I are finally rehearsing off book. Its been a real struggle the past week for us lol. Our biggest struggle was finding time to meet with each other. We are both so busy so it is hard to find times that work for both of us. But, the time that we have been able to get together we have made a lot of progress. We are both feeling pretty comfortable with our characters and are excited to keep working on our scene. We have came a long way from where we started and are excited to continue to work. This break coming up is going to be much needed for us. It will give us a lot of time to rehearse and prepare ourselves for the future events. This Thanksgiving break will also allow us to get caught up on our sleep (which is very much needed) haha.

Lulu and I are finally rehearsing off book. Its been a real struggle the past week for us lol. Our biggest struggle was finding time to meet with each other. We are both so busy so it is hard to find times that work for both of us. But, the time that we have been able to get together we have made a lot of progress. We are both feeling pretty comfortable with our characters and are excited to keep working on our scene. We have came a long way from where we started and are excited to continue to work. This break coming up is going to be much needed for us. It will give us a lot of time to rehearse and prepare ourselves for the future events. This Thanksgiving break will also allow us to get caught up on our sleep (which is very much needed) haha.

Mau and I met yesterday and ran our scene a handful of times while exploring the physical space of our scene. We found natural places to sit down and stand up. Running the scene like this helped it feel more real than just reading the words over and over. 

Each time we run through the scene, we get a greater understanding of our characters and their relationship to one another. I've found that Jessica likes Warren more than I originally thought. We are working on memorizing the second half of the scene now, and hopefully when we get off book completely, the characters will become second nature to us. 

Olivia and I were able to meet twice this week to tackle getting the entirety of our scene down. We are starting to feel much more confident about our lines! Unfortunately it's hard for us to find time that works for both of us to rehearse in the black box, but we've found another room to rehearse in that works well for now. Hopefully as final presentations draw closer we'll be able to rehearse more in the space.

We are starting to get a very good feel for our characters and are definitely feeling better about the way we channel our own emotions and experiences into them to create a sense of individuality. Hopefully we will be able to continue practice this week in spite of Thanksgiving to keep the ball rolling!

Olivia mentioned my method acting in the previous blog and I am happy to say that I am out of the hospital and have rejoined the land of the living. We have been meeting every other night to go over lines and rehearse our scene. It is coming together well and we are both nearly off book (we definitely will be by Tuesday!) and have a better understanding of Doug and Kayleen's relationship. This scene is unique because both Doug and Kayleen have to balance being sarcastic and witty with the gravity of the given circumstances. These characters have been through so much together and it is important to understand that when playing both of them to fully make sense of their relationship. There is a balance that we are working on articulating and showing between Doug and Kayleen being playful and lighthearted and the high level of tension that runs through their relationship. It is extremely prevalent in this scene, especially towards the end. We are going to work on this balance because there are some pretty funny moments in this scene, but they cannot take away from the underlying tension and gravity of the given circumstances. We're excited for Tuesday!