CLASSICAL ACTING AND ACTING
Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
The first video shows the version of the final performance with the live audience.
I can tell myself that having an audience is changing the atmosphere. When we have just a camera on and media students, I could have felt that they observed us, but they did not engage in the process.
However, when people laughed when it should be funny, it lifted my mood and encouraged me to act better and comically.
This video is a version without Jamie; media students recorded that. Because he could not attend the rehearsals, we had few other versions without him (that version supposed to be version J)
In this documentary, my classmates and I share our experience in preparation for the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare.
The video coveres:
1. the answer how we chose the play
2. why we modernize it and how it affected characters like Olivia or Malvolio, how it affected the backstage
3. use of acting techniques (it was covered briefly by Keiran and his situation with letter when he needed to improvise on the stage), also on what we based our characters and what techniques were used to build a character
4. classical genres we tried (greek, commedia, shakespeare) what are similarities and differencies, stock characters, noises instead of words
5. a lot of info about covid, the difficulties to touch each other, rehearsals on the phone, labeling props, sanitizing them, backstage rules, need of audience
It was interesting to hear thoughts about coronavirus and what effect it has on us. I was scared most of the time to pick the disease and then transfer it to my classmates or teacher. Luckily my role did not require a lot of physical communications with the other actors. But I was singing and always tried to make sure that I am 2 meters away from everyone.
Classical Theatre
Before our group decided to stage a play by William Shakespeare, we studied different classical theatre genres.
The logbook and video of rehearsals are on the link below in the blog (Classical Acting)
Greek Theatre
The theatre of Ancient Greece was between 550 BC and 220 BC. A festival honoring the god Dionysus was held in Athens every year during the spring. There were three dramatic genres: tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play. A tragedy play usually spoke about serious, tense, and often cruel events based on myths or other religious plots (blood, killings, and revenge). While in comedy, there was more humor and jokes about politics, famous heroes. One more extra, a satyr play, was a mix of Drama and Comedy. The central tragedy topic was about unfortunate events, while the satyr story was more comical and chaotic. The characters were partly real, partly surreal.
Ancient Greek theatre traveled often. Usually, there were little decorations and costumes. The chorus played the role of a narrator of the story, as well as dancers and singers. For changing the characters, the main actors changed their masks and costumes. Also, actors changed their voices and gestures too. Besides, only men could perform on the stage. And young boys who did not hit puberty would play female characters.
However, that fact did not stop writers from building the plot around strong female characters (Antigone, Medea, The Women of Troy).
All plays were written and performed in the Ancient Greek language.
The most famous author of the tragedy was Sophocles. He was also renowned for introducing the third main character to his plots (before him, there were usually two main characters in a story).
Usually, Ancient Greek plays performed in Amphitheatre. It could accommodate up to 14 000 people. The actors were wearing unique masks that helped to produce their voices (similar to gramophone). Each of the masks represented a particular God/Goddess or Muse with an exaggerated expression on them. That means that actors could quickly go from one role to another.
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/backstage/greek-theatre
https://www.britannica.com/art/Old-Comedy
https://www.britannica.com/art/satyr-play
http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Theatre/
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/wRnC0fJ0
http://www.apgrd.ox.ac.uk/learning/an-introduction-to/an-introduction-to-the-tragic-body
https://www.britannica.com/art/tragedy-literature#ref51106
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia Dell'arte is the Italian comedy genre, which translates as an awful comedy or players' comedy.
The theatre industry in Italy was boosted in the 13th-14th century when Humanism became popular. Early plays were similar to Roman comedy plots. They were written and performed in Latin. But then wealthy people thought of transforming the dining area into a stage and performing in Italian instead of Latin. Then the first theatres were built. Still, theatre performances were for rich people, made by rich people, and even performed by rich people.
But later, a new genre appears that does not require a particular stage or language. It was a traveling theatre – Commedia Dell'arte. And the working class and poor people could attend and watch it.
The traveling theatre consisted of 8-12 actors, both genders, men and women. In Italy, women could act on the stage from the start of the 16th century. In this genre, stock characters have dress, masks, accents, gestures, even food that was unique for and associated with certain characters. There was a particular purpose for it. Italian language in those times was differing from one region to another. Therefore, actors who played stock characters partly used the language or some words, and mostly, they used sounds. The stories of plays were different. Usually, they were improvised. But they were built around "Lazzi" which means jokes/gags. There are thousands of Lazzi for various emotions and situations.
There are three groups of characters: masters, servants, and lovers. Except for young lovers and their parents, all stock characters wear unique masks that show their personality.
Masters:
Captain is a seemingly brave soldier, but a coward. He usually wears colorful and bright soldiers' uniforms.
Pantalone (or "Magnifico") is a wealthy merchant, successful businessman who adores young women but is mean and bitter. He spoke in a Venetian dialect. One of his name's origins might be that the name came from the Greek language and translated as "powerful in all things." His mask usually highlighted his physical features, including a crooked nose and raised eyebrows.
Doctor (Il Dottore), a medieval doctor, the mask highlights his big nose. He came from Bologna, which was a wealthy district in the past. The doctor is a comical character who does not know much about what he says.
Servants:
Harlequin, young and playful boy who likes jokes and a bit stupid. He usually did acrobatic tricks and made the audience laugh. Arlecchino's mask has a piggish nose, sometimes a bump on his forehead, and generally with devilish and feline features.
Columbiana usually in love with Harlequin or Captain, the main maid, smart. Colombina translated into English as "little Dove," and the masks in this range are without exception purely "Eye Masks," just covering the eyes and exposing the mouth so that the wearer can eat and drink freely.
Pulcinella is a servant who tries to outgrow and looks better than he is. His mask with a beaked nose is given rise to his name, either from the Latin 'pullus gallinaceous' or from a dialect corruption of 'Pullicino' (young chick).
Zanni, historically, the name Zanni came from the Venetian name 'Giovanni' (John). This character was a lower-class servant, the peasant or migrant worker who worked in Venetian society. Sometimes also as an odd job person or hawker. Zanni reflected the Bergamo peasants' role, who were facing hunger in the rural areas they lived in due to cheaper imports from Greece after the Venetian army conquered their region in the early 1400s. They flooded into the urban cities such as Venice, offering themselves for whatever work they could find and eeking out a living in any way they could. In their favor, they were famous for their nimbleness and agility on the positive side and the other side - their crudeness. Zanni has a half-face mask (not covering mouth) with a long nose, and the longer the nose, the more stupid the character was.
Brighella is a servant and sometimes a musician, guitar player. This meddlesome, greedy, and astute servant is also a ruffian, ready to satisfy even the meanest desires of his master.
The main plot was normally about lover's stories. They did not wear masks and were portrait as young and beautiful. Also, there were their parents who often opposed the young lovers' relationship.
Commedia Dell'arte characters and physical comedy influenced other playwriters all over the world. And it keeps being funny even nowadays.
https://www.britannica.com/art/commedia-dellarte#ref1434
https://www.italymask.co.nz/About+Masks/Commedia+dellArte+Characters.html
Shakespearean Theatre
During the Elizabethian period, morality plays got famous (plays based on religious stories) and showed good and bad conduct. At the same time, there were touring actors ‘strolling players’ who wrote plays for themselves. However, the government tried to forbid them. In addition to Shakespeare, other playwriters such as Marlowe and Johnson began to write comedies and tragedies. The first English Theatres were built in the time of that monarch.
Jacobean drama is a theatre period in the time of monarch James I (1603-1625). Even though it is the next theatre period after the Elizabethan theatre, it has its characteristics and style. When James I came to power, the theatre became one of the significant leisure in London. At the end of the Elizabethan period, there was more violence on the stage. Play writers were exploring the “devil side” of the human soul.
Costumes and jokes were over the top and often had a sexual context.
Shakespearean Theatre is called so because of one of the greatest play writers of all time and the most significant English writer. William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon. He was married to Anna Hathaway and had three children. In 1592 he was known in London as an actor and playwriter. He wrote 37 plays, more than 100 sonnets and invented about 2000 English words during his life. In 1599 The Globe Theatre was open on Themes' riverbank by Shakespearean’s Theatre Company and was destroyed by fire in 1613 (reopened in 1997).
The Shakespearean period was at the ruling time of two English Monarchs - Elizabeth I and James I. Those rulers affected the plays that were written and their style of performance.
During the Elizabethian period, morality plays got famous (plays based on religious stories) and showed good and bad conduct. At the same time, there were touring actors ‘strolling players’ who wrote plays for themselves. However, the government tried to forbid them. In addition to Shakespeare, other playwriters such as Marlowe and Johnson began to write comedies and tragedies. The first English Theatres were built in the time of that monarch.
Jacobean drama is a theatre period in the time of monarch James I (1603-1625). Even though it is the next theatre period after the Elizabethan theatre, it has its characteristics and style. When James I came to power, the theatre became one of the significant leisure in London. At the end of the Elizabethan period, there was more violence on the stage. Play writers were exploring the “devil side” of the human soul.
Costumes and jokes were over the top and often had a sexual context.
William Shakespeare made an enormous contribution to English literature. He invented about 2 000 new words.
Shakespeare wrote his words for actors, so they can read them aloud or perform. In the 16th century, the syntax was responding to meter and phrase. Therefore, it was different from the syntax used nowadays. For example, in the video made by Global Theatre, David and Ben Crystal talk about the original pronunciation (OP) of words. Interestingly, the play performed in OP was shorter by 10 mins than the same play but in a modern accent. Also, Ben stressed that by using OP, the voice goes deeper. Besides, there are two types of written language – verse and prose. The verse is everything that is looked like a poem and has a rhyme. Shakespeare was fond of Iambic Pentameter, and he wrote his poetry in that rhythm. The main idea is to put stress at the second syllable, like a heartbeat. Plus, it was understandable for the audience and was useful for actors to memorize the script.
Only males were allowed to perform on the stage. Young males performed female parts. However, female characters are portrayed as strong and stubborn women. They are driven by love, hate, or revenge, which makes them enjoyable to watch.
Plays were performed in an open-air theatre. The most famous reproduction of Elizabethan Theatre is Globe Theatre based in London. The costumes were rich and often given to actors by wealthy patrons.
Biography - https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Shakespeare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5lsuyUNu_4
Restoration Comedy
The Restoration Period was between 1660 and 1710. It started after 18 years of theatre being closed due to Cromwell'sCromwell's influence: a Puritan (puritans forbid everything sinful, such as drinking, theatre, parties). When King Charles II came to the throne, he dissolved Cromwell's orders and decided to re-built the theatre. Also, Charles II grew up in France, and French writers, especially Moliere, influenced theater. During that period, women started to be allowed to perform on the stage in England and write plays.
It was the time when improvements for design happened on the stage: moveable scenery, candlelit chandeliers, and footlights, even though the stage was still poorly lit. Actors were recruited from the lowest background and learned mimicking and correct etiquette. The audience was aware that it was a staged performance and that the poor playing aristocrats.
There was no kind of the fourth wall. Actors could dress directly to the audience. Besides, they would overact and exaggerate the stupidness of the middle class and wealthy people.
During that period, Comedy of Manners became popular. Comedy of Manners – comedy play centered around middle-class people, their sexuality, and funny situations about it. Typical characters were witty, funny, satirical, extravagant. Often satire was about characters that pretend young but old or pretending to be smart but in real stupid. I would also call that satire a bit extravagant. After 18 years without theatre, people became desperate for entertainment and were desperate for everything. That's why restoration comedy became so adult and explicit. Their names meant something else. For example, in the play, The Country Wife main character is Mister Horner and Mary Pinchwife.
Conventions include:
· Constancy and inconstancy in love
· Sex as a tempting force
· Love in various forms
· Characters clashing over love entanglements and intrigues
· Settings in the town or scenes that portrayed country life as boring
· Clergy and professional men being treated with disdain or indifference
Actors wore excessive make-up, false noses, beards, mustaches. Gesticulation was particularly important. At that time, the acting style of facial grimacing, winking, and smiling developed. The dress was the contemporary dress of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
The most famous play of that time is Country wife by William Wycherley, The Man of Mode, or Sir Fopling Flutter by George Etherege and The Way of the World, by William Congreve. Later, Oscar Wild would write The Importance of Being Earnest in a style of Comedy of Manners.
https://www.rsc.org.uk/restoration-plays
https://thedramateacher.com/comedy-of-manners/
http://theatrestyles.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-comedy-of-manners.html
Practitioners
Bertholt Brecht
Bertholt Brecht was born in Germany on 10 February 1898. He studied medicine in the university and became a military doctor during First World War. The things that he saw in the war made Brecht a pacifist. After the war, he used to write songs and performed them at the circuses and fairies. When he meets Karl Valentin he writes a series of short farces, including A Petit Bourgeois’ Wedding. At the same time Brecht found himself interested in Marxism. As well, as in art called Expressionism. Brecht was against Nazi party, so in 1933 he was forced to move to escape from Nazi regime. During his exile he wrote the most of his famous plays (“Mother Courage”, “The Life of Galileo”). In 1949, when he back to Germany he started his own theatre company the Berliner Ensemble. His work influenced modern theatre practitioners. Also, Bertholt Brecht created new genre of theatre.
Biography - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bertolt-Brecht
He was a big fan of boxing and he is curious by the idea that people pay to go and see boxing, which is still not a real fight. There are rules, rounds, time. Both fighters are friendly before the match and during the fight they just show their skill. He was thinking that there is nothing in theatre that people would not like.
In Brecht’s plays there were used new production methods, such as rotating stages, screens to project films and slides, platforms for simultaneous actions, conveyor belts and movable flats. To create a story, he could take a character or famous person from the past then placing them into modern world and face the modern problems (The Life of Galileo). He believed that actors should be story tellers instead of becoming the role.
The War influenced Brecht's work very much. His goal was to teach people through the theatre. He wanted the audience to think about what just happened and then think about it when they leave the theatre too. The characters in his plays are controversial and the challenges they faced too. After the First World War Brecht was directing plays on factories using minimum props due to current situation in Germany. After The First Wolrd War Germany was suffering. Brechtian theatre was made by and for working class people.
Epic theatre – form of theatre where the audience is no longer emotional about the play. The spectator is involved in thinking process during the play and after the play. Furthermore, theatre takes responsibility to teach the audience (didactic theatre) and to challenge their minds. Nothing is nothing anymore. Brecht wanted the spectator to experience something new and reflect it on their lives. He wants the audience to think. Whilst dramatic theatre is entertainment. In dramatic theatre the audience associate themselves with the main characters and reach catharsis (when the audience experiences strong emotions, such as fear, pity, happiness, fury and etc. at the same time as actors or because of events in the play). And as a result, emotions are exceeded intellect. He called the act of distancing the audience from emotional involvement the verfremdungseffekt (it is still often called the alienation effect or is shortened to the ‘v’ effect). There are different techniques that are used to remind the audience that they are in the theatre and to stop them being emotionally involved.
Acting techniques:
Narration, a character might tell the audience previous events of the play or introduce another character
Third person narration, a character suddenly steps out of their role and gives personal actor’s feedback on emotions of their character
Speaking the stage directions during the performance
Speaking directly to the audience, asking their opinion, interact with them
Using placards or holding up a sign or banner, using multimedia (power point) for better understanding of the plot. Putting controversial information on signs to create a conflict and double meaning of the scene
Physical gestures or Gestus, Brecht believed that gestures are important in his plays. Often, there were stock characters with gestures that are implied to characters in the play. Furthermore, there was a gesture with social comment. It was used to increase social dilemma about situation or character
Song and dance, joyful music, and sad lyrics
Spass, translates as “fun”, used to break the tension, and again remind the audience that they sit in the theatre. It could be stand up or physical joke, fun song or inappropriate comment
Actor must distance themselves from the character
Staging techniques:
Multi-rolling, one actor plays few characters (changing voice, gestures, body-language) cross-sex casting
Split-role, more than one actor plays same character
Minimalistic set, props, and costume design
Symbolic props, something could become something else (a suitcase might become a desk)
Harsh white simple lighting
Crew staff is visible for the audience
Montage, series of scenes going one after another and contrasting one another
Fractured narrative, the plot jumps about in time, scenes are episodic
Epic theatre shows argument, it is a political statement. The audience should remain objective. If they have emotions, they lose their objectiveness.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bertolt-Brecht
Brecht by Michael Toss, 1994
Konstantin Stanislavsky
In the last year we performed “The Bear” by Anton Chekhov and for preparing for my role I used Konstantin Stanislavskiy acting techniques. Therefore, this year I am going to re-look at the techniques and choose the most appropriate for me.
Konstantin Stanislavskiy was born in 1863 in Moscow, Russia in wealthy family (his family owned the biggest chain of supermarkets in those times). His main approach was to reach the realism and naturalism on the stage. Theatre used to be available in Russia only for rich people. The plays that were staged were far away from reality. The conflict between nobel and working class people started to grow. Stanislavskiy wanted to reach naturalism at the stage. He wanted to show that conflict. Make the audience to believe that everything they see is real. Together with famous Russian writer Anton Chechkov they achieved the goal to show real characters and emotions on the stage. During his working period in Moscow Art Theatre his technique became famous all over the world. He wrote 3 books with description of his method. Which became inspiration for many other practitioners.
Stanislavskiy was paying lots of attention to psychological side of character and author. Also, he encouraged actors to improvise and give the real emotions or “act as for the first time”, use their emotional memory.
Techniques
Given circumstances
The information that is given in the script about the place, time, ere, characters, relationships between characters, stage directions. Everything that is said in the script to help an actor to help build a role.
Emotional memory
Emotional memory is a technique when actor brings their personal life experience to apply to their character.
Method of physical actions
During the physical action, an actor imagines the situation a character is in. This technique helps to build inner tension inside the actor and makes the scene looks more realistic.
Subtext
The script of a play is a text, the subtext is the actual meaning and motivation behind those lines. The way of delivering lines might be different depends on situations and actors that play those characters.
If
Or “Magic If”. Placing yourself on a character place, answer the question “what would I do if I was on their place?”. It helps an actor to find real motivation.
Objective, super-objective and the through line
An objective is the reason for actions in the play. There are always obstacles that stand on a character way. It is always a verb “I wish…”.
The super-objective is a main goal of the character in a whole play. The goal that motivates them and creates the relationship between characters.
1) An Actor Prepares by Konstantin Stanislavski
2) https://www.dramaclasses.biz/the-stanislavski-system
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcUF_XD7zjI&feature=youtu.be
Max Stafford-Clark
Max Stafford-Clark was born in 1941. In 1974 Max founded the influential theatre company Joint Stock with Bill Gaskill. Joint Stock pioneered a new way of creating theatre working with writers and actors in a workshop environment.
Rather than there being a hierarchy of director and writer, producer, then actors, the whole company was considered equal and a play was developed by the group.
Recently his company was reduced funds from the government. After having a stroke, he decided to retire.
Last year we looked at technique "Units and actions"
“A unit is determined by what the character that runs the scene wants. An action is the tactic the protagonist takes to achieve that objective, and it has to be described with a transitive verb.
Once a scene is divided into units it is actioned i.e. each line is described using a transitive verb. A transitive verb takes a direct object. An action explains what the character wants to do to the character they are speaking to. The subject does something to the object, which is why you use a transitive verb.
http://www.outofjoint.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Max-Stafford-Clark-Workpack.pdf
In my logbook I used that technique partly for the script
Jacques Lecoq
Jacques Lecoq was a French Theatre practitioner, who was famous for creating a movement technique that is called 7 Levels of Tension. The main idea is to relax or tense the body depending on the situation is required.
This is a list of names given to each level of tension, along with a suggestion of a corresponding performance style that could exist in that tension.
Exhausted or catatonic. The Jellyfish. There is no tension in the body at all. Begin in a complete state of relaxation. If you have to move or speak, it is a real effort. See what happens when you try to speak.
Laid back – the “Californian” (soap opera). Many people live at this level of tension. Everything you say is cool, relaxed, probably lacking in credibility. The casual throw-away line – “I think I’ll go to bed now”.
Neutral or the “Economic” (contemporary dance). It is what it is. There is nothing more, nothing less. The right amount. No past or future. You are totally present and aware. It is the state of tension before something happens. Think of a cat sitting comfortably on a wall, ready to leap up if a bird comes near. You move with no story behind your movement.
Alert or Curious (farce). Look at things. Sit down. Stand up. Indecision. Think M. Hulot (Jacques Tati) or Mr Bean. Levels 1 – 4 are our everyday states.
Suspense or the Reactive (19th century melodrama). Is there a bomb in the room? The crisis is about to happen. All the tension is in the body, concentrated between the eyes. An inbreath. There’s a delay to your reaction. The body reacts. John Cleese.
Passionate (opera). There is a bomb in the room. The tension has exploded out of the body. Anger, fear, hilarity, despair. It’s difficult to control. You walk into a room and there is a lion sitting there. There is a snake in the shower.
Tragic (end of King Lear when Lear is holding Cordelia in his arms). The bomb is about to go off! Body can’t move. Petrified. The body is solid tension.