Superb Silent Acting!

The Good, The Bad, And The Monolouges

Okay, I'll admit it: I sorta lied in the title....

There were no bad monologues. Everybody did great! That being said, there are always some points to remark on. Overall, I think the more dramatic monolouges, the serious ones, were slightly better on the emotion side of things. Comedic performances that involve emotion are difficult to do, because how can you demonstrate sadness when you are trying to make an audience laugh? Those who performed a comedic monolouge did great, because it was funny, and it was lighthearted yet serious at once, but not as much emotion was demonstrated compared to the more serious, dramatic monolouges done by others.

Dramatic monouloges are easier to perform. for some. The emotion can be pure, and the purpose is not to make somebody smile. 

In all of them, the movements were working. Everything was done with a purpose. People didn't just randomly move about, or fidget. However, there were parts where people could have slowed down their talking. Words were often rushed, especially in the beginning. I think a lot of this was due to nervousness, because they were in front of an audience and being videotaped and graded all at once. Honestly, that can be somewhat stressful. 

As somebody watching, I enjoyed the character put into them. Each actress had her own way of making it their own, whether it be the occasional, meaningful glance at the audience or the sassy walk away from an ex boyfriend. The more personal somebody makes it, (without losing the essence of character) the better it is... Usually. Depends on the play. In this circumstance, it was better when it was personal. 

For myself, I need to work on a lot of things. Mainly, the whole "movement with a purpose" thing. I was lucky, because I was able to sit down and have movements given to me by the script. But I'm afraid if I did a monolouge standing up, I might fidget or be randomly walking around during the performance. 

I am glad, though, that I learned to work on my diction and speed. I know I talk fast, I always have. It's always a problem when on stage. Countless directors have told me "slow down!" or "Sam, I can't understand you." I get yelled at for speaking to fast at the dinner table all to often. I think I delivered the monolouge at a reletively understandable speed, with my "t's" and "d's" said clearly. 

It was difficult for me to be able to express a lot of emotion. When I think of Charlie Brown, I think nervous... not much else. I'm sure I could have done it with more emotion, not just showing the anxiety aspect of it. I think anxiety and nervousness was shown well, but not longing or pain because there were parts where Charlie did feel that way. Like when he was depressed because he thought everybody would laugh at him, or when he thought the little girl didn't like him. 

Overall, everybody did pretty well. There are always things to be improved, always ways to get better. There is always something to learn from it. 

Script

 I think lunchtime is about the worst time of day for me. Always having to sit here alone. Of course, sometimes, mornings aren't so pleasant either. Waking up and wondering if anyone would really miss me if I never got out of bed. Then there's the night, too. Lying there and thinking about all the stupid things I've done during the day. And all those hours in between when I do all those stupid things. Well, lunchtime is among the worst times of the day for me. Well, I guess I'd better see what I've got. Peanut butter. Some psychiatrists say that people who eat peanut butter sandwiches are lonely...I guess they're right. And when you're really lonely, the peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth. There's that cute little red-headed girl eating her lunch over there. I wonder what she would do if I went over and asked her if I could sit and have lunch with her?...She'd probably laugh right in my face...it's hard on a face when it gets laughed in. There's an empty place next to her on the bench. There's no reason why I couldn't just go over and sit there. I could do that right now. All I have to do is stand up...I'm standing up!...I'm sitting down. I'm a coward. I'm so much of a coward, she wouldn't even think of looking at me. She hardly ever does look at me. In fact, I can't remember her ever looking at me. Why shouldn't she look at me? Is there any reason in the world why she shouldn't look at me? Is she so great, and I'm so small, that she can't spare one little moment?...SHE'S LOOKING AT ME!! SHE'S LOOKING AT ME!! (he puts his lunch bag over his head.) ...Lunchtime is among the worst times of the day for me. If that little red-headed girl is looking at me with this stupid bag over my head she must think I'm the biggest fool alive. But, if she isn't looking at me, then maybe I could take it off quickly and she'd never notice it. On the other hand...I can't tell if she's looking, until I take it off! Then again, if I never take it off I'll never have to know if she was looking or not. On the other hand...it's very hard to breathe in here. (he removes his sack) Whew! She's not looking at me! I wonder why she never looks at me? Oh well, another lunch hour over with...only 2,863 to go.

Monolouge

Charlie Brown Monolouge

What really goes down in Acting, D period

          The first two weeks of class went by in a blur. The five of us in acting class have been having a blast, from poetry to monologues. I learned things I already know and some things I didn't, too. Mrs. Guarino taught us the importance of emotion. While I had already knew this, we all learned about analyzing your script to figure out the emotion - something I had never considered before. I had always said it as I saw fit, never was there much progress in emotion. By going through line by line and feeling what the character was feeling, we really got the progression. My directors had never before really taken the time to do that.

While the directors of the past may have not pointed out emotion, the basics like diction and projection were always on their minds. I talk fast - I know. We all do it sometimes. The basics were already known to me, but acting class is helping me to really understand the importance, especially when you see others mess it up too, and hear how bad it can sound.

While acting is about being somebody else, we learned to be ourselves too. I learned the importance of friendship, and having somebody to read a monolouge too and get feedback. We are all on different levels, yet we are all learning the same things. It is the little things like those that make not only acting but everything else done in life enjoyable.

I, as an actress, value personality. If you're not making it your own, then why are you doing it? As a kid, I grew up knowing that no matter what, you have to be true to yourself. Of course, there are the times when you lose that veiw on things. Not once have I lost it on stage. To stage is my home - in my mind, there are a thousand versions of who I can be and I can always be at least one when I'm acting. 

If you, reading this, ever want to be an actor - take a class. No matter how much you think you know, there is always room for more. The world is our stage - but this stage, is yours.

 ~ Signing off, Sam.

About Me

I'm Sam.
          I could start with the basics about me... my family, how old I am.... but I don't think that's what anybody's here for. If you did find your way to this little blog of mine, then welcome. I'll warn you - I'm a complicated person. Different, I guess. Not in a bad way. So here goes... all about me
         If you couldn't tell from my quote of the week, I'm really into music. Probably too much. It's basically become the fabric of my being - I define myself by the artists I listen to, because their influence has made me who I am. So, to tell you about myself, I'm going to start here - with what I love.
        My story starts about 2 years ago. I was working out when I heard a song on Pandora I had not heard before. "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark" was the title. It's by Fall Out Boy, popular not too long ago. I liked it so much that I created a station out of it. Remember, this was just the beginning. The music meant nothing to me - I liked it, that's all. So I kept listening. Learned about songs I already knew existed 
but never really had heard before. "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" and "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (the last one is by Panic! at The Disco). These songs were good, but still, meant nothing. I didn't see them the way I do now. 
          That all changed on May 17th, 2013. To be honest, it's not a date I like to talk about. Most people don't know unless they know my parents, and even then some people have no idea. But, this is about me, and to tell you who I am you need to know. You may have noticed I started my story only two years ago. I did just that to explain the start of the music aspect. I would have began from this date, because it changed me forever. On May 17th, 2013, my dad had a stroke. A major, dangerous, nearly fatal stroke. He was paralyzed in the hospital for a long time, and then he was brought to a rehabilitation hospital. He was still mostly paralyzed when he went there, they told him he would never walk again. This was not a fun time for my family. My mom was stressed out because dad wasn't home and she had three kids to take care of, my brothers didn't really know what was going on, so I turned to the one friend I had always had, no matter what. Music. 
          Music is the definition of me. I sing, I act, and I listen to music. Now, I see music and myself differently than I did before... The lyrics mean something. When everything in the world goes wrong music is right. I grew up dancing to bands every morning with my dad, the two oversized speakers in my house on almost-full volume. Whenever I'm home alone with my brothers (Eli, 3, Brandt, 11) I continue that tradition. I want to be a lead singer in a band, to do what Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, and twenty one pilots have done for me. I want to be a friend to those who feel like they have none, to save people who need saving. I don't know where to start - how does a thirteen year old girl chase her dreams? I'm doing what I can at Cheshire Academy (It's why I came here), but for now, I'm still dreaming. 

Quote of the Week

Lyrics that mean nothing, we were gifted with thought,

Is it time to move our feet to an introspective beat,

It ain't the speakers that bump hearts, it's our hearts that make the beat. - twenty one pilots