Monday, September 29, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
How I Think My Monologue Went- My Reflection
In acting class over the past two weeks, my classmates and I have been working on monologues. At the end of last week and all of this week, we worked on presenting them to each other in class. I did mine last, because I got sick and wasn't in school for three days. This as quite ironic, since I was also sick when my class started the unit on monologues. I also didn't get to seem all of my classmates perform their's in person, so instead I had to watch the videos of their performances on their blogs.
I really enjoyed watching all my friends monologues, that I at least saw (when I wrote this, not everyone had posted theirs on their blog yet, so I can only write about the people I saw). I noticed that Sam was very expressive with her facial expressions and body language. She also spoke very clearly, with very good diction. Jemima also had very good body movements, especially when she slammed the books down, When she did that, it not only showed how she was angry at the person she was speaking to, but it also helped keep the audience focused on her. Another good thing Jemima did, was be loud, so it was easy to hear her and very easy to understand what se said also.
When I did my monologue, the hardest part for me was memorization. It did not help that I got sick, so I did not work on it for a few days in a row right after I got it memorized the first time, then did not look at it a few days before I performed it. I still did my best any way, even though I had trouble with it.
One thing that I need to work on when I perform monologues is my movements. I often fidget, especially when I get nerves, like when I perform, so I fidget even more than I normally would. When I fidget, my movements don't look so good, and can be distracting to the audience and take away their focus of my actual performance, not my fidgeting. I need to learn how to make more concise, defended movements that have a purpose, which I will work on next time when I am performing a monologue or any other kind of similar performance.
I think I did well at being clear when I spoke and loud. I noticed that was very important for people when I was watching them as they were doing their monologues. It really helps people understand what is being said and keeps the audience engaged in a performance.
Even though in my final performance of my monologue I had good diction and spoke very loudly, it wasn't always like that. I often spoke in a quiet voice that was unclear and often would speak to fast, but as I went through the process of learning and working on my monologue, I improved all of these things. I eventually evolved into speaking louder first, then I got better diction, and finally I got to being able to talk slower. All of these things gave me a real benefits in my end performance.
Well, that's all I have to say, this week. I'll talk to you next week about our next project- making a silent movie.
-Bye for now- Maddy
I really enjoyed watching all my friends monologues, that I at least saw (when I wrote this, not everyone had posted theirs on their blog yet, so I can only write about the people I saw). I noticed that Sam was very expressive with her facial expressions and body language. She also spoke very clearly, with very good diction. Jemima also had very good body movements, especially when she slammed the books down, When she did that, it not only showed how she was angry at the person she was speaking to, but it also helped keep the audience focused on her. Another good thing Jemima did, was be loud, so it was easy to hear her and very easy to understand what se said also.
When I did my monologue, the hardest part for me was memorization. It did not help that I got sick, so I did not work on it for a few days in a row right after I got it memorized the first time, then did not look at it a few days before I performed it. I still did my best any way, even though I had trouble with it.
One thing that I need to work on when I perform monologues is my movements. I often fidget, especially when I get nerves, like when I perform, so I fidget even more than I normally would. When I fidget, my movements don't look so good, and can be distracting to the audience and take away their focus of my actual performance, not my fidgeting. I need to learn how to make more concise, defended movements that have a purpose, which I will work on next time when I am performing a monologue or any other kind of similar performance.
I think I did well at being clear when I spoke and loud. I noticed that was very important for people when I was watching them as they were doing their monologues. It really helps people understand what is being said and keeps the audience engaged in a performance.
Even though in my final performance of my monologue I had good diction and spoke very loudly, it wasn't always like that. I often spoke in a quiet voice that was unclear and often would speak to fast, but as I went through the process of learning and working on my monologue, I improved all of these things. I eventually evolved into speaking louder first, then I got better diction, and finally I got to being able to talk slower. All of these things gave me a real benefits in my end performance.
Well, that's all I have to say, this week. I'll talk to you next week about our next project- making a silent movie.
-Bye for now- Maddy
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Week two of class
In my acting class, over the past two weeks, we have done many different and fun things that work on our acting skills. Each different thing taught me something about acting and performing. We did two different main activities. One of the things we got to do was work on reading a poem in different ways. The other thing we got to do was work on monologues, which we are still doing now. Even though I only went to class for a few times because I was sick, I did learn a lot.
One of the activities my classmates and I worked on in class was reading a poem. At first we read it normally and in order. Then we had to read it out of order, with each person picking several different lines they liked and saying them whenever they liked. We then staged it, by making certain lines be only said at certain, but general, times. After doing it like that a few times, we added stage directions and music to it and did a performance of it a few times in the black box theater. These exercises taught me about that in some situations when actors do improv, there needs to be some amounts of planning, in what they are going to do and say, and how to do that planning. It also gave me more practice and experience in performing in the black box theater. I also learned to try not to play with my hair while I was reading the poem, which I did the first time I read it.
Another activity that we are doing currently is working on monologues. We all got to pick one to do. I found two very different ones, a light, dramatic monologue from the TV show 'Grey's Anatomy' and another funny one from 'Saturday Night Live,' but in the end I chose to do the one from 'Grey's Anatomy.' I have been working on memorizing mine. It also lets me work on speaking in a slower, more paced voice with clear diction, which I did not do when I said them at first when I read them. I also get to practice my skills of choosing what to do with my body while I am performing.
Throughout acting class, I have done several different activities, like reading poems in different ways and getting to work on monologues, to work on my skills. I also got to have fun while I worked on them.
https://az31353.vo.msecnd.net/pub/ynxhakye
One of the activities my classmates and I worked on in class was reading a poem. At first we read it normally and in order. Then we had to read it out of order, with each person picking several different lines they liked and saying them whenever they liked. We then staged it, by making certain lines be only said at certain, but general, times. After doing it like that a few times, we added stage directions and music to it and did a performance of it a few times in the black box theater. These exercises taught me about that in some situations when actors do improv, there needs to be some amounts of planning, in what they are going to do and say, and how to do that planning. It also gave me more practice and experience in performing in the black box theater. I also learned to try not to play with my hair while I was reading the poem, which I did the first time I read it.
Another activity that we are doing currently is working on monologues. We all got to pick one to do. I found two very different ones, a light, dramatic monologue from the TV show 'Grey's Anatomy' and another funny one from 'Saturday Night Live,' but in the end I chose to do the one from 'Grey's Anatomy.' I have been working on memorizing mine. It also lets me work on speaking in a slower, more paced voice with clear diction, which I did not do when I said them at first when I read them. I also get to practice my skills of choosing what to do with my body while I am performing.
Throughout acting class, I have done several different activities, like reading poems in different ways and getting to work on monologues, to work on my skills. I also got to have fun while I worked on them.
https://az31353.vo.msecnd.net/pub/ynxhakye
Saturday, September 6, 2014
About Me and Goals
My name is Maddy. I am fourteen years old. I started at CA four years ago in 7th grade and I am in 10th grade. This year, I am taking six different classes. In the fall, my afternoon activity is drama. In the winter, I am going to do drama also. I am not sure yet what i am going to do in the sprig, though.
There are seven people in my family who live with me. I have a twelve year old brother, Chris. He's in 8th grade at another school. My nine year old sister, Amelia is in 4th grade in another school, too (My lucky parents have kids in three different school in three different towns!). My mom is a psychiatrist and my dad is an electrical engineer. My grandma also lives with us (sort of), but she splits up her time between living with us and living with my aunt, uncle, and three cousins in New York. I also have a dog who's 12 weeks old named Tazzy that my family got this summer. She is a Cockapoo. My brother named her after the Tasmanian Devil form Loony Toons, which Amelia and I had to go along with, since we picked out the dog without him.
I like to read, act, sing, watch TV, sleep, write, draw, and dance. I my favorite kind of books are fiction. One of my favorite book series is the 'Matched' series. It's about a girl named Cassia living in the future, where people, if they want to get married, have their husband or wife be picked by the government, but by mistake she's given two boys, instead of one, as her match and she has to pick between them as which one she loves, since she knows them both(which makes it even more rare). It also is about their adventures (I can't say anything more since I don't want to give away the story.). It's very similar to 'The Hunger Games,' which I also like.
I take dance classes at a studio near my house. I have taken classes in ballet, hip hop, jazz, musical theater, and tap dancing. This year I am only taking one class of hip hop, like I did last year.
I have been in three different plays at CA. I was in 'Kiss Me, Kate' and 'The Madwoman of Chaillot,' last year. The year before that I was part of 'A Christmas Carol/ The Raven.' (It was kind of weird that the play was in November.)
I have several different goals for this class. One of my goals is to become more confident in my performing abilities. Another goal is to learn how to play new, fun acting games. Working in new types of acting also is a goal I have for this class. I want to work more on my current skills in improve this year, also. I also want to learn more about some of the other parts of theater, besides acting. These are some of my goals for my acting class this year.
There are seven people in my family who live with me. I have a twelve year old brother, Chris. He's in 8th grade at another school. My nine year old sister, Amelia is in 4th grade in another school, too (My lucky parents have kids in three different school in three different towns!). My mom is a psychiatrist and my dad is an electrical engineer. My grandma also lives with us (sort of), but she splits up her time between living with us and living with my aunt, uncle, and three cousins in New York. I also have a dog who's 12 weeks old named Tazzy that my family got this summer. She is a Cockapoo. My brother named her after the Tasmanian Devil form Loony Toons, which Amelia and I had to go along with, since we picked out the dog without him.
I like to read, act, sing, watch TV, sleep, write, draw, and dance. I my favorite kind of books are fiction. One of my favorite book series is the 'Matched' series. It's about a girl named Cassia living in the future, where people, if they want to get married, have their husband or wife be picked by the government, but by mistake she's given two boys, instead of one, as her match and she has to pick between them as which one she loves, since she knows them both(which makes it even more rare). It also is about their adventures (I can't say anything more since I don't want to give away the story.). It's very similar to 'The Hunger Games,' which I also like.
I take dance classes at a studio near my house. I have taken classes in ballet, hip hop, jazz, musical theater, and tap dancing. This year I am only taking one class of hip hop, like I did last year.
I have been in three different plays at CA. I was in 'Kiss Me, Kate' and 'The Madwoman of Chaillot,' last year. The year before that I was part of 'A Christmas Carol/ The Raven.' (It was kind of weird that the play was in November.)
I have several different goals for this class. One of my goals is to become more confident in my performing abilities. Another goal is to learn how to play new, fun acting games. Working in new types of acting also is a goal I have for this class. I want to work more on my current skills in improve this year, also. I also want to learn more about some of the other parts of theater, besides acting. These are some of my goals for my acting class this year.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Inspirational quote
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html#XHqMEh8ojiPguWMP.99
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