One act play!

Introduction:

This week we presented the one act play and then reflected about the process and the final performance.

Analysis:

The process is the background, the other side of the final product, the play. We worked for some weeks on this presentation so at the end everything would be ready. Is amazing to think that everything started from a cloth that look as the ones that “widows” use. Then we developed the idea of a widow and a morgue, it all started from this stimuli. Then we developed the game, this  I think is where most creativity is needed, innovation. We started with the game of being In a row and each side of the actor would be a different character and when the actor would turn, facing the other side then the other character would be presented. We left this idea as the lack of interaction between the characters made it difficult to follow and be interesting for the audience.  The game that is supposed to make the “connection” with the audience was working all the other way around so we changed the game. The game was now to two characters per actor and that the costumes would change for each character. This game has been use in other plays but in another way. The advantage of having used this game before is that we knew it would work.

In the making we realized that the script was too long but without adding nothing to the scene, there were just words without any purpose. The script must be done again. Writing the script again I think it was one of the biggest challenge someone could have as we have never done this before, it was new, and not easy.

Then the characterization I think was what we most worked in more. We had to do two characters so we expore a lot the way of walking, the voice, physical characterization and this for one character needed to be contrasting from the other. The characters needed to be very different so presenting two characters by one actor would work.

The voice is always one of my greater challenges, in this play and in shadow Queendom I had difficulties founding the voice. Although I loved the voice of the grandmother and think that was a great voice I think that the one from the administrator was not good enough. It was new and I found the voice of my character exploring my stimuli for the character but as it wasn’t my voice sometimes I lost it. As voice changes depending in the mood and the administrator had to be mad and then more calmed when I had to perform as I was desperate or mad and shout I think I lost the voice, the type of intonation of my character and when this moments passed and I had to talk calm again it was difficult to return to the voice of the character.

Then in the making what we worked a lot was on the actions, in the rhythm. A play without rhythm and slow gets boring and hard to watch. What I liked to hear after the play was that the audience didn’t want it to be over. This mean that the audience liked to watch it, they enjoy it. One of the main reasons what that things happen fast, the other was the laughter. The rhythm must be always fast, but there needs to be variation between slow ways of talking as the doctor, nurso and fast ways of talking as the grandmother, boy.

The final performance had something that weren’t planned as we could prevent every accident. The funniest accident was that the boob of “nurse” felt. This accident had a very good response from the audience. It was hard not to lose concentration in this moment as it was VERY funny but when you are In character and you know your character wont laugh and get into the mood then is more easily controlled. Stefano at the end said “get me knew implants” this line was clapped by the audience as it was very funny and showed a great management on the character as the response was fast and get within the character personality and the mood of the play.

Connections:

The final performing and the process remind me to the process of making shadow Queendom. We focused in different things and give priority to the use on puppets rather than characterization in this play and this was the main difference of the process of the play and this was showed in the final project.

Although it was different the process followed the same scheme. Stimuli, concept, game, vision, etc. This scheme is what helps to have an order in the process and every previous stage links to the next one and this makes it fluid. When everything was ready to be put on stage was where both processes differ as the priorities changed.

Reflection:

Some time ago I posted “a hole that is never full” this was an entry that talked about how a play had always room for improvement; how we never could say that the play was finished. In this play it was different because although we needed to improve the rhythm I felt that it was finished because of how we managed and knew the play very well, and we also had all the props.

So now I think, can a play be declare finished? Maybe when a play can´t be improved much a play can be said to be finished, when the actors know and manage the play so that they even can do it backwards, when all the props and scenery are ready.  But this doesn’t mean that it cannot be improved.