Character creation exercises

We have learnt variety of techniques during our first term doing theatre. Here is what I have learnt...
Research
 It is important that you research the character and the play , you need to look at the social, political, cultural and  historical background. By doing the research it makes the play believable and there for makes your character more believable within the play.  Reading books about the period, looking on the internet, finding photos and reading articles from the time, are all good ways of finding out this information.  You need to find out where your character has come from and what kind of environment it was.  It is vital that you do this because it helps you to make your performance more convincing. Doing research on the time period really helps, as you can find out the given circumstances of your character. It is so much easier when you understand the play's background and environment. Once you know this you can begin to shape your character around the play. Everything you find out will add to the depth in which you play your character.

Hot Seating

Hot seating is where you sit in a chair as your character and answer questions from other people. you have to answer as you think your character would. I think it is a useful exercise because it helps you think about elements of your character, that maybe you hadn't considered before. you may feel vulnerable whilst doing it, but that helps as all good actors need to be able to feel vulnerable. 

Creating Previous Scenes
 Creating a previous scene to the scene that you are playing helps you to get into the mind-set of the character. If you have an idea of what your character has been saying or doing before the begging of the scene it will help you to portray your character more realistically. I found it an enjoyable and productive performance, and now when I  perform my scene I find it much easier to get into my character.

3 line scenes

We did an exercise where we had to perform our scenes, but only using three lines, all consisting of three to four words, that summed up the thoughts or feelings of our characters. This was an effective exercise because you have to use your objectives to get across to the audience what you would have usually done with you lines. I really enjoyed the exercise, but I really had to work hard to keep my three lines very short and to use you body language to show how my character is feeling, which is something that doesn't come naturally to me.

Working on a prescribed set

Working on a prescribed set is when you are given a set that you perform on. It will already have the right furniture and props on it. You have to play around with your scene so that it fits with the set and the things in it. I found it really helpful to work on the set, because it helps to develop your scene and have a better understanding of the character's environment.

working out your objectives

It is important that you know your objective for every single line your character says. For example one of my lines is 'I forbid you to go' and my objective is to control. It is so important because it makes your lines have meaning. If you know your objective it is much easier to act with your whole body and not just your face. It  makes your lines flow and they sound more natural. It doesn't look like you are pretending when you are playing your character, because you really are working to achieve your objective.

It is important that when you get your script, you read through it and write an objective next to each line, or even each part of a line. It is easier to work out the objectives if you perform the scene a few time and work out what objectives you character has, depending on the other characters responses and actions.

Thursday 12th september

What have I learnt about the world of Acting today?

 I have learnt that you should always analyse your character , by studying your script, gathering facts and forming your own opinions an personal assumptions on them. you should work out the characters physical objectives for each line they say. Make sure you know how your character feels emotionally and mentally and what their purpose is

when performing never over think or try too hard when playing your character, because it leads to a repetitive and stiff performance.

 
How have I improved?

I have improved by learning how to prepare for a character that I have been given. I have learnt what to do and look for when I have been given a script. I feel that knowing my characters physical objectives helped my performance to improve massively. I learnt that when you don't try too hard it makes your performance so much more convincing and professional.

Thursday 5th September 2013 - notes

What is good acting?

Good acting is making the audience question the subject of the play. The actor should not only recite their lines, but truly believe in what they are saying and what emotions the character is feeling. Its important to make connections and relate to the character you are playing. You need to make eye contact with the audience and make sure you don't have your back to them. Make sure you act with your whole body and not just with your face. Go further than your own limits and try to reach your characters. The actor needs to be able to deal  with hard subjects in their performances.


What is bad acting?

Bad acting is when you don't commit to the character and when you don't put 100% effort into making your character convincing. It is when you don't learn your lines accurately. The actor has to be able to work well with other actors and the director. They need to take on constructive criticism. Actor should always react on stage to what you hear, not just what you have rehearsed. A piece of theatre has to draw you in and keep you interested.


Self evaluation

For the lesson on Thursday, I would give my self a level D1. This is because I felt I showed good focus throughout the lesson. I tried to join in with discussions and I put lots of effort into the lesson. I think I showed imagination in my character development.

To get a higher level I would have to show more acting skills in my practice and development.


SKILLS AUDIT

STUDENT NAME:  Eleanor Chilton Sutton                                 

Performance skills ·      Voice (projection, control, accents, singing confidence) ·      Characterisation ·      Rehearsal skills ·      Movement/physical skills ·      Different styles of acting (Comedy? Shakespeare? Emotional work?) ·      Confidence in working with text	Out of 10
Current skills and experience  I can project my voice on stage and I can also sing. I can create a character, but I may need some support. I love to dance and I have used physical theatre before. I enjoy all different styles of acting. I feel like I am becoming more confident in working with text.   Areas to improve I feel I could improve in my confidence on stage. I would like to be able to do a range of accents. I think I could make my acting skills better, this would make my final performances even better.
Do you have skills or experience in any of the following? Stage design, make-up, directing,script writing, lighting, sound, finance, and digital IT supports, marketing administration?                         I have written a script with a group of other actors, and assisted with stage design.	Out of 10
Other skills in the workplace Communication Organisation Team work	()
Current skills and examples I feel I work well in a team and my communication is very good. Areas to improve I need to make sure I am organised, by learning my lines and bringing the right things to lesson.