Journal #7 - Evaluation and Reflection
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
In the ultimate performance, about 9 people, including my classmates, a few teachers and school staff, participated in the circle which luckily left me with 4-5 vacant chairs that I could manipulate. Before the show, I talked briefly with the audience about the intimacy, the interactions and the content of the piece which could be uncomfortable, and that they were free to leave the circle if they felt the need to.
I started with turning on the lamp and describing the Pillowman using my body (0:00-1:25). I turned myself into a pillow – a thing that is soft, warm, safe, and delicate. The story moved on to the Pillowman’s job which dealt with suicide and children accidents. This middle part (1:28-5:50) was where I made use of my surrounding to the maximum – myself, the spectators, the lamp, the floor, the chairs. I used plastiques movements, combined with my vocal tone, to present contrasting emotions – the conflicting paradox of suicide and freeing someone from a “dreadful and hard life.” (McDonagh, 44) I, the Pillowman was sad and depressed with his job of convincing a child to kill themselves, but playful and optimistic when helping them avoid a torturing life. The lamp acted as an oven, a portal through time, or simply a cellmate that the storyteller could talk to. The floor was the ground, sometimes a lake (4:18) and a bed (6:45). The chairs allowed me to sit next to the audience (2:26 and 2:56) and to create sounds such as the shotgun (4:21) and the sweeties. I used movements to portray the cars and my shirt for the plastic bags (5:18). In the end, I played the Pillowman and a little girl that refused him when he tried to convince her, and concluded the piece with an eerie shout as I turned off the lamp.
While pleased with the general performance, I was disappointed that physical details were not picked up due video frame or hidden by front spectators – the actions at the front chairs, many close-up facial expressions and hand gestures, the tingling sensations of my feet, the part where I laid down on the floor around minute 7:00. Although I am reassured that all spectators were able to observe every minor detail, I should have thought about the camera angles and how it would appear on video.
The Responses
The majority of the responses from the audience was that they felt extremely uncomfortable (as I anticipated), especially when I moved closely to a person and made direct eye contact as if they were a part of the play, and then reminded that they were not. A spectator made a comment on how difficult it was to be in this intimate proximity, to remove themselves while being ‘forced’ to witness. Some said they were constantly anxious and on edge not knowing where the story would head to. Another spectator said she knew what would happen (the little girl in her bedroom part), but didn’t want me to go there; and when it happened, the audience felt acutely confronted. My instructor (who was monitoring the camera from a higher angle) revealed the moments that nobody noticed where the whole group pulled away whenever I reached out and relaxed back down when I got up. I was happy that the audience commends on the lamp and other physical representations. Although there wasn’t a “special silence” that Grotowski wanted at the end of his productions (I got applause), I was content to know that I fulfilled my (and his) goals and artistic intentions.
Learning & Implications
I was anxious. This project was definitely a challenge for me - a student who rarely makes eye contact, usually stays reserved and has a hard time getting close to people. Even though in Grotowski’s standards, I did not experience hardcore intense physical transformations, but I was glad that I set steady goals for myself and then finally got to see my progression – from having no idea how it would turn out to creating a detailed piece with separate movements, vocal effects and emotions for different moments/manifestations.
Grotowski’s method has reminded me of the heart of being an actor: exploring my limitations and setting objectives to break them. It’s taught me to be mindful of what I communicate to the audience verbally and physically. It’s shown me that theatre is not just telling a story to the audience, but also provoking their thoughts and fully immersing them into the narrative waves.
I started with turning on the lamp and describing the Pillowman using my body (0:00-1:25). I turned myself into a pillow – a thing that is soft, warm, safe, and delicate. The story moved on to the Pillowman’s job which dealt with suicide and children accidents. This middle part (1:28-5:50) was where I made use of my surrounding to the maximum – myself, the spectators, the lamp, the floor, the chairs. I used plastiques movements, combined with my vocal tone, to present contrasting emotions – the conflicting paradox of suicide and freeing someone from a “dreadful and hard life.” (McDonagh, 44) I, the Pillowman was sad and depressed with his job of convincing a child to kill themselves, but playful and optimistic when helping them avoid a torturing life. The lamp acted as an oven, a portal through time, or simply a cellmate that the storyteller could talk to. The floor was the ground, sometimes a lake (4:18) and a bed (6:45). The chairs allowed me to sit next to the audience (2:26 and 2:56) and to create sounds such as the shotgun (4:21) and the sweeties. I used movements to portray the cars and my shirt for the plastic bags (5:18). In the end, I played the Pillowman and a little girl that refused him when he tried to convince her, and concluded the piece with an eerie shout as I turned off the lamp.
While pleased with the general performance, I was disappointed that physical details were not picked up due video frame or hidden by front spectators – the actions at the front chairs, many close-up facial expressions and hand gestures, the tingling sensations of my feet, the part where I laid down on the floor around minute 7:00. Although I am reassured that all spectators were able to observe every minor detail, I should have thought about the camera angles and how it would appear on video.
The Responses
The majority of the responses from the audience was that they felt extremely uncomfortable (as I anticipated), especially when I moved closely to a person and made direct eye contact as if they were a part of the play, and then reminded that they were not. A spectator made a comment on how difficult it was to be in this intimate proximity, to remove themselves while being ‘forced’ to witness. Some said they were constantly anxious and on edge not knowing where the story would head to. Another spectator said she knew what would happen (the little girl in her bedroom part), but didn’t want me to go there; and when it happened, the audience felt acutely confronted. My instructor (who was monitoring the camera from a higher angle) revealed the moments that nobody noticed where the whole group pulled away whenever I reached out and relaxed back down when I got up. I was happy that the audience commends on the lamp and other physical representations. Although there wasn’t a “special silence” that Grotowski wanted at the end of his productions (I got applause), I was content to know that I fulfilled my (and his) goals and artistic intentions.
Learning & Implications
I was anxious. This project was definitely a challenge for me - a student who rarely makes eye contact, usually stays reserved and has a hard time getting close to people. Even though in Grotowski’s standards, I did not experience hardcore intense physical transformations, but I was glad that I set steady goals for myself and then finally got to see my progression – from having no idea how it would turn out to creating a detailed piece with separate movements, vocal effects and emotions for different moments/manifestations.
Grotowski’s method has reminded me of the heart of being an actor: exploring my limitations and setting objectives to break them. It’s taught me to be mindful of what I communicate to the audience verbally and physically. It’s shown me that theatre is not just telling a story to the audience, but also provoking their thoughts and fully immersing them into the narrative waves.
Journal #6 - Experimenting and More Rehearsals
Thursday, February 21, 2019
I devoted the majority of this session to discussing ideas with and getting feedback on my piece from my classmate - the student mentor. Previously, I had shared with him the idea of having a circle of chairs for the audience around and me performing in the middle of it. Having a mentor who can give advice, suggestions, and be a regular spectator that is willing to be critical about my piece was very beneficial during the development of the piece, as objective opinions could be extremely crucial. They could generate insights or perspectives that I otherwise would have neglected due to being too focused on telling my own stories, and when I needed reminding that the audience mattered greatly as well. Furthermore, one of the main principles of the Grotowski method is the involvement of the spectators, hence my idea of an intimate environment where I could interact with and get as close to the audience as possible. Despite being a Solo project, a few intrinsic factors were indispensable.
The Circle – Interactions with the Spectators
Theatre for Grotowski can exist without makeup, without autonomic costume and scenography, without a special performance area (the stage), without lighting and sound effects, etc. With this in mind, my ideas for the original piece was to perform in a nonconventional way: on the floor, the audience sitting around in a circle while things happen in the middle. That would not only enable me to interact deliberately with the spectators, but also increase the intimacy/uneasiness and effects of my own voice.
For the circle, my goal was to have enough space to perform the physical movements freely while interacting closely with the spectators. The diameter of the space had to be essentially wider than my heights since I planned to lie down in the performance. The question was: How wider would it need to be? In the first rehearsal, the circle consists of around 14-17 chairs which made it relatively spacious. I found it difficult to reach out and interact due to that vast area, but also because I got lost and scattered around trying to remember my lines while choosing a chair/viewer to walk to. As a result, I reduced the number of chairs to 12-13 people for the following rehearsals, but it all boiled down to the number of spectators attending on the final performance, and knowing the monologue by heart was the more essential goal since I could choose any chair to reach out while keeping the movements and story-telling intact.
The Lamp – Lighting and other extra effects
Grotowski forsook lighting effects. This revealed a wide range of possibilities for the actor's use of stationary light-sources by deliberate work with shadows, bright spots, etc. My idea for the original piece was to have a standing lamp as the only source of lighting that I can carry around and manipulate. This embraced Grotowski’s poor theatre of simplified lighting while also creating an intimate and eerie atmosphere within the performance area. The standing lamp used was borrowed from the school’s theatre storage. During the first few practices, the lighting flickered multiple times whenever I touched its tube (body) and sometimes went out completely if I tried to turn it on/off. Although this initially added a glitchy and ominous feeling, I couldn’t interact with the lamp lest it turn off permanently, and this special effect would undermine Grotowski’s theory of minimal properties. Moreover, flickering lights might be harmful to spectators’ sight and especially to me who oftentimes stared directly into the bulb in the final piece. Fortunately, my student mentor helped me with that problem without buying a new lightbulb or spending too much time. The finalized lamp was stable throughout the piece.
Regarding my voice and facial expressions, my main objective was to get really comfortable with creating unusual looks/tones and to present them right in front of an audience. In terms of artistic intentions, this technique was not aimed to communicate something to the spectator (which was more prominent in Brecht’s theories), but to show them the actor’s desire and craziness as if he was alone and talking to his imaginary friend. The goal was for the audience to observe every detail of my movements and expressions, to make them feel completely trapped, although they were free to leave the circle at any time.
“The Pillowman” – Testing out scripts
I originally chose a monologue by Jessie Cates in ‘night, Mother by Marsha Norman because it was emotionally charged and powerful when I first read it. However, I quickly realized that the text did not go well with Grotowski’s method due to the conversational element which contrasted with my focus on physicality. I was then left with two more choices: an excerpt from The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh and a monologue by Ma from The Dance and the Railroad by David Henry Hwang which was suggested by my instructor. While the latter had multiple grim, bold and powerful images, I had a hard time generating physical patterns and simultaneously keeping the narrative intact. Upon reflection, I think part of the reason why was because I never read the actually read the play, and the lack of context resulted in failure to construct a meaningfully immersed character despite the fascinating monologue. On the contrary, I read and quite enjoyed The Pillowman, thus I was able to act it out more emotionally. Moreover, the monologue did not contain clear and definitive imageries and settings like that of The Dance and the Railroad (in which the majority of the action involved grasshoppers and occurred in a cave). Consequently, my creativity was given more space when interacting as the Pillowman. I got to decide where the story happened, how it happened, and what it represented.
Feedback
Mentors generated insights or perspectives that I otherwise would have neglected due to being too focused on telling my own stories, and when I needed reminding that the audience mattered greatly as well. Despite being a Solo project, a few intrinsic factors were indispensable.
No props?
I was suggested a few times to utilize more props to manipulate and create even more effects with them. An example was a crate or a pillow to sit and lie on. Although a pillow would have been very interesting and made things a lot easier, I chose to use only the lamp not only to preserve Grotowski’s ideology but also to challenge myself in exceeding my bodily limitations and my improvisational skill to utilize whatever was available in the performance (i.e. a few vacant chairs, my limbs, even the audience).
What do I mean? – My intentions and the significance of the piece
In the play, McDonagh uses the Pillowman story as a bedtime story despite its grim content dealing with children and suicide. Throughout rehearsals I was asked, by others and myself, that if I was thinking of portraying the story differently. The meaning and significance of the Pillowman lay within that fact – the uneasiness could be represented through many means. Who am I in the story? Am I the playwright? A storyteller?
After a period of thorough consideration following Grotowski’s essence, I decided. I am the Pillowman. I am the adult, the children, a girl, a lake, a gun, a pillow, or a mentally damaged person who longed for someone to communicate with. I would also let the spectators decide what they perceived. I hoped for them to see what I felt when I first read the play – provocation, unease, disquiet, anxiety, thoughtfulness, a new perspective on suicide, on depression, on sadness, on life, on children who are happy and on parents who had lost their kids. This was my intentions.
Journal #5 - Trying out and Rehearsing
Monday, February 10, 2019
After an extensive period of researching on Grotowski’s physical aspects, I finally came to the point of trying out the plastique exercises in his book, Towards a Poor Theatre. My first impression after carrying a few of the elementary exercises out was “Wow. These are all very hard.” I had difficulty doing those that involved opposite body movements and contrasting them abruptly and swiftly. I then understood more about the importance of having a friend or a tutor to show me if I was doing things accurately. Although none was available, watching videos about these plastique exercises on essentialdrama.com really helped the process. I was also reminded of the main objective of the Grotowski’s method which was to explore one’s own bodily limits and to break those barriers. “New ideograms must constantly be sought and their composition appear immediate and spontaneous. […] These exercises in composition present unlimited possibilities.” Following this philosophy, I pushed myself harder after each run-through of an exercise. Even then, it still felt like my movements weren’t bold and steadfast enough. My body and mind weren’t ready to go over the top. Therefore, exceeding their comfort zone became my goal for the next session, since if I could not do that when I was alone, it would 99% be impossible with people observing due to my fear.
The next thing I did was testing out scripts with Grotowski’s physical and vocal techniques. I originally chose a monologue by Jessie Cates in ‘night, Mother by Marsha Norman because it was emotionally charged and powerful when I first read it. However, I quickly realized that the text did not go well with Grotowski’s method due to the conversational element which contrasted with my focus on physicality. I was then left with two more choices, an excerpt from The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh and a monologue by Ma from The Dance and the Railroad by David Henry Hwang (suggested by my instructor). While the latter had multiple grim, bold and powerful images, I had a hard time generating physical patterns and simultaneously keeping the narrative intact. Upon reflection, I think part of the reason why was because I never read the actually read the play, and the lack of context resulted in failure to construct a meaningfully immersed character despite the fascinating monologue. On the contrary, I read and quite enjoyed The Pillowman, thus I was able to act it out more emotionally. Moreover, the monologue from the Pillowman did not contain clear and definitive imageries and settings like that of The Dance and the Railroad, in which the majority of the action involved grasshoppers and occurred in a cave. Consequently, my creativity was given more space when interacting as the Pillowman. I got to decide where the story happened, how it happened, and what it represented.
The next thing I did was testing out scripts with Grotowski’s physical and vocal techniques. I originally chose a monologue by Jessie Cates in ‘night, Mother by Marsha Norman because it was emotionally charged and powerful when I first read it. However, I quickly realized that the text did not go well with Grotowski’s method due to the conversational element which contrasted with my focus on physicality. I was then left with two more choices, an excerpt from The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh and a monologue by Ma from The Dance and the Railroad by David Henry Hwang (suggested by my instructor). While the latter had multiple grim, bold and powerful images, I had a hard time generating physical patterns and simultaneously keeping the narrative intact. Upon reflection, I think part of the reason why was because I never read the actually read the play, and the lack of context resulted in failure to construct a meaningfully immersed character despite the fascinating monologue. On the contrary, I read and quite enjoyed The Pillowman, thus I was able to act it out more emotionally. Moreover, the monologue from the Pillowman did not contain clear and definitive imageries and settings like that of The Dance and the Railroad, in which the majority of the action involved grasshoppers and occurred in a cave. Consequently, my creativity was given more space when interacting as the Pillowman. I got to decide where the story happened, how it happened, and what it represented.
Journal #4 - Grotowski's Plastic and Vocal Exercises
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Reference(s): "Towards a Poor Theatre" by Jerzy Grotowski
essentialdrama.com/practitioners/grotowski/
essentialdrama.com/practitioners/grotowski/
After thorough consideration, I have decided to choose the physicality and vocality of Grotowski's poor theatre. According to Paul Allain in his interview published on The Essential Drama website, plastic (or plastiques) exercises are characteristically Grotowski's ideas. However, the detailed description of these exercises in Grotowski's book noted that they are based on Dalcroze and other classical European methods, with the the fundamental principle is the study of opposite vectors. Some of them have also been adapted according to "process of the formation of gesticulatory ideograms as in ancient and mediaeval theatre in Europe as well as African and oriental theatre." Mentioned throughout the sources , these represent Grotowski's spirit of learning from other theatrical conventions and theorists such as Stanislavski and Artaud, and more importantly, the exploration of the actor's own body in a unique way. "New ideograms must constantly be sought and their composition appear immediate and spontaneous" (Grotowski, 142) instead of merely follow existed, fixed methods without the actor's creativity. Each exercise helps the study of one's own means of expression, of their resistance and "their common centres in the organism" (Grotowski, 140).
Here are the goals of some of the elementary exercises listed in Towards a Poor Theatre: (Grotowski, 140-142)
TECHNIQUE OF THE VOICE
Excerpts: "The spectator must be surrounded by the actor's voice as if it came from every direction and not just the spot where the actor is standing. [...] The actor must exploit his voice in order to produce sounds and intonations that the spectator is incapable of reproducing or imitating." (Grotowski, 147)
Here are the goals of some of the elementary exercises listed in Towards a Poor Theatre: (Grotowski, 140-142)
- Sharpening the body movement to be strong like a bows of a ship cleaving a huge wave.
- Achieving the sensation of being extremely light, soft and elastic like foam rubber.
- Walking rhythmically. The first step is a normal one; on the second, bend at the knees until the buttocks touch the heels, keeping the trunk erect.
- Improvising with the hands. Touch, skim, feel, caress various various objects, materials, textures. The entire body expresses these tactile sensations.
- Unexpected movements.The beginning of the movement must always be emphasized and then suddenly change - after a moment of immobility - to the correct movement.
TECHNIQUE OF THE VOICE
Excerpts: "The spectator must be surrounded by the actor's voice as if it came from every direction and not just the spot where the actor is standing. [...] The actor must exploit his voice in order to produce sounds and intonations that the spectator is incapable of reproducing or imitating." (Grotowski, 147)
Journal #3 - More on Grotowski's Poor Theatre and Actor Training
Monday, December 17, 2018
Reference(s): "Towards a Poor Theatre" by Jerzy Grotowski
Undecided on Grotowski, I decided to look into one of the primary sources written by Grotowski called "Towards a Poor Theatre" which was considered to be one of his most significant books. Here was what I found:
1. Theatre can never be similar, or have similar effects, to movies and television. Grotowski regards to play productions and practices that include special and decorative effects to be "Rich Theatre." "By multiplying assimilated elements, the Rich Theatre tries to escape the impasses presented by movies and television. [...] The integration of borrowed mechanisms (movie screen onstage, for example) means a sophisticated technical plant, permitting great mobility and dynamism." To Grotowski, no matter how much theatre expands and exploits its mechanical resources, it will remain technologically inferior to other advanced means of entertainment. Therefore, he proposes towards poverty. This can be traced back to the Five Truths scene featuring his method in which has minimalist contributions of camera tricks or lighting effects compared to other practitioners. Theatre for Grotowski can exist without makeup, without autonomic costume and scenography, without a special performance area (the stage), without lighting and sound effects, etc. With this in mind, my ideas for the original piece is to perform in a nonconventional way, such as on the floor, the audience sitting around in a circle while things happen in the middle. That would not only enable me to interact freely and deliberately with the spectators, but also increase the intimacy/uneasiness and to-be-determined effects of my own voice.
2. The acting and training process is "not a deductive method of collecting skills." Everything is concentrated on the "ripening" of the actor which is expressed by "a tension toward the extreme, by a "complete stripping down, laying bear of one's own intimacy - all this without the least trace of egotism or self-enjoyment." The intriguing part is where he talks about how theatre is a particularly thankless art. One who does theatre should not expect reviews of how he well or badly he performed, but rather than the reactions from the audience, which should not be flowers or praising applauses either, but rather "a special silence in which there is much fascination but also a lot of indignation, and even self-repugnance." These details described by Grotowski seem scary. While I admire the intimacy, the "stripping down" of one's personalities and the full submersion in the character's world, I also valued feedback given by those who watched my performance. If there is nothing but silence, discomfort, and confusion by the abstract, how would I know how the audience felt about the piece? I speculate it would be difficult for them to speak out their opinions (this is why Grotowski's productions were thought to be arrogant and elitist, targeted only for the highly-regarded intellectuals), given that they formed any thoughts at all! I want theatre to be for everyone. If I choose to follow Grotowski's method, I will need to tone it down.
3. Lighting:
Grotowski forsook lighting effects. This revealed a wide range of possibilities for the actor's use of stationary light-sources by deliberate work with shadows, bright spots, etc. My idea for the original piece is to have a standing lamp as the only source of lighting that I can carry around and manipulate.
4. The Acting:
In general, I still retain the feel of being challenged by Grotowski's method, as there are many loopholes and contradictions to my ideas of theatre and personal comfort zone. However, I still want to be challenged. My goal for next session to watch one of his productions and study more about the physicality of his method.
Undecided on Grotowski, I decided to look into one of the primary sources written by Grotowski called "Towards a Poor Theatre" which was considered to be one of his most significant books. Here was what I found:
1. Theatre can never be similar, or have similar effects, to movies and television. Grotowski regards to play productions and practices that include special and decorative effects to be "Rich Theatre." "By multiplying assimilated elements, the Rich Theatre tries to escape the impasses presented by movies and television. [...] The integration of borrowed mechanisms (movie screen onstage, for example) means a sophisticated technical plant, permitting great mobility and dynamism." To Grotowski, no matter how much theatre expands and exploits its mechanical resources, it will remain technologically inferior to other advanced means of entertainment. Therefore, he proposes towards poverty. This can be traced back to the Five Truths scene featuring his method in which has minimalist contributions of camera tricks or lighting effects compared to other practitioners. Theatre for Grotowski can exist without makeup, without autonomic costume and scenography, without a special performance area (the stage), without lighting and sound effects, etc. With this in mind, my ideas for the original piece is to perform in a nonconventional way, such as on the floor, the audience sitting around in a circle while things happen in the middle. That would not only enable me to interact freely and deliberately with the spectators, but also increase the intimacy/uneasiness and to-be-determined effects of my own voice.
2. The acting and training process is "not a deductive method of collecting skills." Everything is concentrated on the "ripening" of the actor which is expressed by "a tension toward the extreme, by a "complete stripping down, laying bear of one's own intimacy - all this without the least trace of egotism or self-enjoyment." The intriguing part is where he talks about how theatre is a particularly thankless art. One who does theatre should not expect reviews of how he well or badly he performed, but rather than the reactions from the audience, which should not be flowers or praising applauses either, but rather "a special silence in which there is much fascination but also a lot of indignation, and even self-repugnance." These details described by Grotowski seem scary. While I admire the intimacy, the "stripping down" of one's personalities and the full submersion in the character's world, I also valued feedback given by those who watched my performance. If there is nothing but silence, discomfort, and confusion by the abstract, how would I know how the audience felt about the piece? I speculate it would be difficult for them to speak out their opinions (this is why Grotowski's productions were thought to be arrogant and elitist, targeted only for the highly-regarded intellectuals), given that they formed any thoughts at all! I want theatre to be for everyone. If I choose to follow Grotowski's method, I will need to tone it down.
3. Lighting:
Grotowski forsook lighting effects. This revealed a wide range of possibilities for the actor's use of stationary light-sources by deliberate work with shadows, bright spots, etc. My idea for the original piece is to have a standing lamp as the only source of lighting that I can carry around and manipulate.
4. The Acting:
- In the poor theatre, the actor must himself compose an organic mask by means of his facial muscles and thus he wears the same grimace throughout the whole play.
- "All the actors use gestures, positions, and rhythms borrowed from pantomime
- To act:
- To stimulate a process of self-revelation, going back as far as the subconscious, yet canalizing this stimulus in order to obtain the required reaction.
- To be able to articulate this process, discipline it and convert it into signs. In concrete terms, this means to construct a score whose notes are tiny elements of contact, reactions to the stimuli of the outside world: what we call "give and take."
- To eliminate from the creative process the resistances and obstacles caused by one's own organism, both physical and mental.
In general, I still retain the feel of being challenged by Grotowski's method, as there are many loopholes and contradictions to my ideas of theatre and personal comfort zone. However, I still want to be challenged. My goal for next session to watch one of his productions and study more about the physicality of his method.
Journal #2 - A Look into Jerzy Grotowski
Monday, December 10, 2018
I have not decided yet on which theatre practitioner to choose for the Solo Piece, so I looked into Jerzy Grotowski, whose methods were applied in one of the Five Truths scenes. As I mentioned in the previous journal, I liked the scene because of the intimacy and emotionally filled atmosphere between the actor and the audience. After researching and scanning through productions directed by Grotowski, I learned that choosing him for my project would unquestionably present challenges, at least in my initial vision of what my piece would look like applying Grotowski's method. In his productions, Grotowski and the actors spent a long period of time reconstructing the characters' emotions - a physical realization of what Stanislavski called the ‘inner life’.
"Grotowski combined the musicality and plasticity of Meyerhold with a Stanislavskian psychological process. It was never about true to life character, it was about revealing something of the actor." - Paul Allain, essentialdrama.com/practitioners/grotowski/
Grotowski is about paring away scenography, lighting, sound . The actors are still lit but it’s never decorative, it is totally functional. It’s about getting a really simple mise-en-scène which he adapted for every production to focus on the actor. That’s what is at the core of it for Grotowski: the actor/spectator relationship, whereas Artaud was really about total theatre, in a much more "filmic" way (which was very evident in his version of Five Truths scene), the montage of all these elements that would somehow take over the audience.
"It’s about an individual encounter." Grotowski talks about the spectator, not the audience, so it is singular. It is never homogeneous; it’s never the audience as a total body of people. It’s always about that one-to-one relationship. That intimacy, that proximity was possible with only a few people.
"A lot of people found it [Grotowski's production] impenetrable and they found that kind of work too difficult; but it was work you had to go back to. [...] Grotowski was demanding something of the spectator just as he demanded of the actors; he demanded something of all his participants."
The reason why I think applying Grotowski would be challenging, personally, is due to my lack of confidence to get intimate. Although I admire it greatly and think that it will help with the piece's significance, I'm not exactly the kind of person who feels comfortable engaging with the audience or screaming/using my voice as an effect in front of somebody. At the end of the day, it's my decision whether or not I'm willing to step out of my comfort zone and to find enough time dedicating to my piece.
Reference(s): essentialdrama.com/practitioners/grotowski/
"Grotowski combined the musicality and plasticity of Meyerhold with a Stanislavskian psychological process. It was never about true to life character, it was about revealing something of the actor." - Paul Allain, essentialdrama.com/practitioners/grotowski/
Grotowski is about paring away scenography, lighting, sound . The actors are still lit but it’s never decorative, it is totally functional. It’s about getting a really simple mise-en-scène which he adapted for every production to focus on the actor. That’s what is at the core of it for Grotowski: the actor/spectator relationship, whereas Artaud was really about total theatre, in a much more "filmic" way (which was very evident in his version of Five Truths scene), the montage of all these elements that would somehow take over the audience.
"It’s about an individual encounter." Grotowski talks about the spectator, not the audience, so it is singular. It is never homogeneous; it’s never the audience as a total body of people. It’s always about that one-to-one relationship. That intimacy, that proximity was possible with only a few people.
"A lot of people found it [Grotowski's production] impenetrable and they found that kind of work too difficult; but it was work you had to go back to. [...] Grotowski was demanding something of the spectator just as he demanded of the actors; he demanded something of all his participants."
The reason why I think applying Grotowski would be challenging, personally, is due to my lack of confidence to get intimate. Although I admire it greatly and think that it will help with the piece's significance, I'm not exactly the kind of person who feels comfortable engaging with the audience or screaming/using my voice as an effect in front of somebody. At the end of the day, it's my decision whether or not I'm willing to step out of my comfort zone and to find enough time dedicating to my piece.
Reference(s): essentialdrama.com/practitioners/grotowski/
Journal #1 - National Theatre's Five Truths - 5 Theatre Practitioners
Thursday, December 5, 2018
1. Constantin Stanislavski
Stanislavski is probably the theatre practitioner whose methods I'm most familiar with prior to researching theorists. His "method acting" mobilizes the actor's conscious thoughts on stage to provoke his/her emotional experience and subconscious behaviors. I can see this sentimental authenticity through Ophelia (actress Michelle Terry) in this version of the monologue. However, it seems like due to this conscious effort to generate emotions, the scene is prolonged as the character spends time to recall memories constantly, thus resulting in disconnected pauses. Ophelia looks like she is always deep in thoughts. Stanislavski's technique can be useful in my process of learning more about the character I'm acting; it can also be crucial if the scene I choose doesn't have many spoken lines and focus more on facial expression.
2. Peter Brook
With just the video and without any prior research, my first guess on Peter Brook's method of acting was to enhance the connection between the character and the audience by picking an element/prop (such as the watch of Ophelia's father) and making it central throughout the whole production. There is an evident connection between the actor and their props as well. Ophelia carefully organizing the props in specific locations, to me, shows a significance in not only the personal relationship (with Hamlet), but also in the character's determination in choosing an intimate object (a rock) to kill herself. The continuous sound effect was very interesting, though I haven't fully grasped the artistic intention behind the choice.
3. Bertolt Brecht
The Brecht scene was the most straightforward to me in which the obvious method of addressing directly to the audience was shown (partly because we just learned about his theory of alienation. The acting was narrative, direct, almost comical and relatable. The choice of changes were apparent: lighting, desk, props, makeup, facial expressions, etc. in order to achieve the 'literal' intention - keep the audience aware that this is the truth behind the drama. While this scene alone is a bit drab and emotionally disconnected, I think it would be a great "breaking the fourth wall" scene delivering shock to the audience when combined with a normal Hamlet play.
4. Antonin Artaud
This scene is my least favorite, though it was quite successful in delivering shocking and uneasy elements. I'm fascinated with the idea of confining the audience into one narrow space (i.e. the fish bowl) and subjecting them with diluted visuals + overwhelming sounds, leaving no escape room for the senses. However, the method in this video is rather unrealistic in our case due to the involvement of many camera angles and voice editing. I want to look more into the practical implication in live theatre using this method.
5. Jerzy Grotowski
This scene is my most favorite because I favor techniques that are intrinsically simplistic but simultaneous sentimental. Props and settings were reduced to almost non-existence, leaving just the actress, intimate space between the audience, and only few elements that are crucial to the scene. It involves a vocal effect (the scream) at the beginning which can be challenging for me, but resulting in a great significance in conveying the message if I managed to to it.
Stanislavski is probably the theatre practitioner whose methods I'm most familiar with prior to researching theorists. His "method acting" mobilizes the actor's conscious thoughts on stage to provoke his/her emotional experience and subconscious behaviors. I can see this sentimental authenticity through Ophelia (actress Michelle Terry) in this version of the monologue. However, it seems like due to this conscious effort to generate emotions, the scene is prolonged as the character spends time to recall memories constantly, thus resulting in disconnected pauses. Ophelia looks like she is always deep in thoughts. Stanislavski's technique can be useful in my process of learning more about the character I'm acting; it can also be crucial if the scene I choose doesn't have many spoken lines and focus more on facial expression.
2. Peter Brook
With just the video and without any prior research, my first guess on Peter Brook's method of acting was to enhance the connection between the character and the audience by picking an element/prop (such as the watch of Ophelia's father) and making it central throughout the whole production. There is an evident connection between the actor and their props as well. Ophelia carefully organizing the props in specific locations, to me, shows a significance in not only the personal relationship (with Hamlet), but also in the character's determination in choosing an intimate object (a rock) to kill herself. The continuous sound effect was very interesting, though I haven't fully grasped the artistic intention behind the choice.
3. Bertolt Brecht
The Brecht scene was the most straightforward to me in which the obvious method of addressing directly to the audience was shown (partly because we just learned about his theory of alienation. The acting was narrative, direct, almost comical and relatable. The choice of changes were apparent: lighting, desk, props, makeup, facial expressions, etc. in order to achieve the 'literal' intention - keep the audience aware that this is the truth behind the drama. While this scene alone is a bit drab and emotionally disconnected, I think it would be a great "breaking the fourth wall" scene delivering shock to the audience when combined with a normal Hamlet play.
4. Antonin Artaud
This scene is my least favorite, though it was quite successful in delivering shocking and uneasy elements. I'm fascinated with the idea of confining the audience into one narrow space (i.e. the fish bowl) and subjecting them with diluted visuals + overwhelming sounds, leaving no escape room for the senses. However, the method in this video is rather unrealistic in our case due to the involvement of many camera angles and voice editing. I want to look more into the practical implication in live theatre using this method.
5. Jerzy Grotowski
This scene is my most favorite because I favor techniques that are intrinsically simplistic but simultaneous sentimental. Props and settings were reduced to almost non-existence, leaving just the actress, intimate space between the audience, and only few elements that are crucial to the scene. It involves a vocal effect (the scream) at the beginning which can be challenging for me, but resulting in a great significance in conveying the message if I managed to to it.
