last post

So we have reached the end of the class. I am looking forward to everyone's scenes today. This has been a good class. It was pretty fun most of the time. I learned a lot and I will use the things that I learned whenever they will benefit me. It was great to meet everyone in class. I wasn't too sure about this class when I started, but I had a good time.

I have really enjoyed this class!! I am really excited to get to see everyones final skit. Im a little nervous but oh well. I am going to miss this class. AND GOOD LUCK ON FINALS EVERYONE!!

Well, it's been a good class. I like acting a lot more since we began and have a better appreciation for what the pros in plays and movies actually go through. Aaron and my skit, I think, is going to kick some butt, but probably not. We did some useful exercises and played some fun acting games, and I think most people enjoyed the class too.

Last time for Blogging

Since this is the last post for this class, I want to thank Fabio on allowing me to enter into the class at the last minute; I hope I did not let him down on the expectations. This class was a break from all my regular classes that I had to take this semester. This was one the best classes I have taken since arriving to AU. I have a lot of great memories that will last a life time with all the activities, my classmates, the theater shows, and Fabio Polanco- REAL TALK. I enjoy watching and experiencing the growth of the class as a whole, when almost everyone was very shy and timid on doing the many exercises. In my opinion we have grown a lot in dealing with details, scenes, expressions, and expectations as human beings. It has been a great honor and pleasure to work with all of you and I hope down the road in the near future we can experience the great times like we have this semester, everyone have a great day , good luck on all your finals and have great and fun break, PEACE with Chicken grease, Holla. P.S. Thanks Partner for your time and effort, Much Love and Respect, best wishes in what you do in the future, PEACE.

Final

Right now I am finishing up all the paper work for tomorrow's presentation. I would have to say that waiting for the last minute was not a good idea since I have two other exams to study for and I have to finish a take home exam by 6 pm tomorrow. Although I am looking forward to getting the presentation done, I am not looking forward to no more acting class. Surprisingly, this was the only class on Tuesday/Thursday that I enjoyed. Hopefully Theater 203 is somewhat entertaining. Good luck to everyone tomorrow.

The last post

I can't believe that this is my last post. This class was so much fun and entertaining. I would recommend this class to everyone I know. This is the only class where I would say that I am looking forward to the final. I love watching every one's skits and seeing how creative they have become. It is evident that we have all improved, if not in acting, in our knowledge of how much work actually goes into the acting process. I have learned so much about acting and about myself by taking this class. I have gained confidence and I think I am less inhibited as a person. I have really enjoyed going to this class every Tuesday and Thursday.

Last Post

I agree with Claire that this class went extremely fast. Compared to my other classes, I looked forward to going to acting ever morning. It always seemed to put me in a good mood.
Watching everyone practice their skits really emphasized how much we all improved since the beginning of the semester. For some us there was some talent in that area that came through, and for others it was their confidence, use of space, actions, and the creativity. I am extremely interested to see how everyone's skits have progressed and been finalized. Good luck everyone on your final!

it's the final countdown! to the final...

We are all done with the class except the final, which will undoubtedly go very fast and prove to be very interesting. I really enjoyed this class for a few reasons. The class as a whole was really fun and entertaining, I liked going because it allowed me to be strange and creative for at least 3 hours each week. It was great that although the class was fun, we were able to learn and distinguish what actors actually do. I like that I have a more intelligent approach to discerning what is and is not good acting. I also think that I have a lot more insight into how much research and thinking is involved in saying just a few lines. I have always enjoyed watching plays but now I find myself picking apart how well the actors really get into their character. I am really glad that I took this class and cannot wait to see the final presentations that we all worked so hard on.

Don't forget the last post

Hi Guys,

If you see your classmates about, please remind them to write a final post before the exam on Tuesday. You guys are all doing very well. Remember, don't skip the detail. There is no such thing as too much.

Good luck on the final and have a great, if chilly, weekend of hitting the books!

Fabio

Bye-Bye

I can't believe this class is over( and I know that everyone's blog is going to say that, but I still wrote it.)
When I signed up for the class I was afraid it was going to be either A.) Really, really awkward. or B.) Really, really pointless. It turned out to be neither.
I think that if we compare out performances on Tuesday with what we did on the the first day of class , we would all be amazed at how different we are now. Not just that our acting is better, but how much more comfortable we all are doing things in front of the class.

papers

I am almost finished writing the papers that go along with the final exam skit. I am realizing that writing these papers are really helping me. The skit is developing a meaning and the lines are really beginning to make a story. It was fun to make things up about my character in the biography. I was thinking of things that would have happened in the past that contribute to why the scene is occurring now. I am excited to see everyone perform their skits on Tuesday with all of their props and everything!

Skits

Well II think our skit is coming along better than it was at the beginning. I like the storyline that we have chosen to go with because it makes for an iteresting skit and isn't as dry as what we had before. I can see now that since everyone has gone atleast once that everybodies skits our coming together niceley. I think it will be fun to watch everyone go when they have all of the props that they are going to use. Overall I thought that this class has taught me a lot about acting that I really never knew before.

It's the last day of class, which is too bad I think. Aaron and my skit is finally shaping up, and we are pretty pleased with that. It has been a decent semester, and it has been fun to observe how we all have improved since we were so much more awkward on the first few class days. It has been easier to wake up for this class than biology.

Last Day

Tuesday, Ryan and I got to do our skit for the last time before we actually get to go. I think that we are doing extremely well and now I just need to write the papers and get this sketch done. I can see a huge change in the first time we went along with others.

Wow. Today is the last day of class. Unlike other classes, this one flew by. Probably because we had so much fun. This class made me realize how difficult acting is. But it has also taught me how to act better. Though I don't plan on auditioning for plays anytime soon, I do plan on using my newly learned skills when clowning around with my friends. My one friend is really good at making people believe things and I think I may be able to keep up with him. So overall, I enjoyed this class. At first, I didn't think I would like when I found out it wasn't a straight-up improv class like "Whose Line," but it was fun and I had a good time.

Today is the last day of class its crazy. Overall i really think this class has been helpful. Even though I wont use the information within my profession it still had many positive aspects I could use. For example one thing is being comfortable in front of my classmates. I have always been kind of a shy one and has never really liked doing things in front of the class but this class has helped me a lot. Also I'm really excited to see every ones end result for their finals. After watching the couple groups go on Tuesday I was amazed how far they have come since day one working on these.

Tomorrow is our last day of clas...I can't believe it! Hallie and I will work on our skit again and I'm pretty excited because it needs a lot of work and there are lots of things with it that I'm not sure of so hopefully we can get some questions answered. Even though I haven't done a whole lot in the past few classes because we all have been watching other groups practice, I'm still getting a lot out of class and it's very helpful to hear the hints that the other students are given.

Tuesday Class

Tuesday's class was extremely helpful for me. Our skit is evolving, however, I feel as if I am barely doing anything because I simply answer questions. I want to be doing more, but think that if I was really in that situation, I would not be doing much at all...just sitting in my cubicle trying to get work done, while being annoyed by a coworker. I never realized how much goes into a skit and can not even imagine how much would go into a large part of a play. I give theatre majors a lot more credit now that I did before this class.

tuesday class

on tuesday it was a good day on getting better at what i am doing. i have some struggl e in figuring out how not to act phyiscally but through the line. this is a pretty good challenge for me, i will come through on this challenge. there has been some excellent strides in the quality of acting going on in our class, good everybody, peace.

Tuesday

Tuesday's class seemed very productive for the groups that went. I saw a lot of improvements in everyone's scenes/characters. Everyone is doing a great job and we have all grown a lot in our acting. I wish we could see ourselves at the beginning of the semester compared to the end of the semester. I think it would surprise a lot of people!

tuesdays class

in class on Tuesday we saw the groups do their scene . i think when i watch other peoples scenes it helps me out alot ,like when i listen to mr . palonco all the different advice on certain things we should or shouldn't do. it also helps me out when i watch the scenes it also helps me see the different expressions there are for different emotions and seeing them done by the other kids. but it is always difficult to do those same emotions for some reason. i kno what i want to do but most of the time i forget to do them haha. i guess its just the basic skill of remembering my actions that go with my lines.

Tuesdays class

Tuesdays class was very interesting! again we did the scenes and Renee's group was hilarious!! i love working on these scenes during class! it gives us the chance to try out different things to see what really fits! i think that once people start using the props i think its going to make a world of a difference!

Tuesday, December 2

Today in class we saw three scenes including mine. I always think it is productive to watch other people's scenes because it gets the gears turning. I have so many ideas for our scene; I can't wait to get together with Juan to practice them. I have learned so much through this project. I have learned that acting is really hard, that their are so many ways to say the same lines to give them different meanings, and that actions should not be planned, they should come natural.

toozedaes klash

As always, I liked the scenes today. I am glad that as a class we are generally comfortable doing weird extreme things just to make our scenes good. I like being able to laugh in class. I am anxious to see all of the final scenes because people are changing things every time that they practice in class. I also think its kinda cool how even though other groups have the same words the scenes are incredibly different because of the background story. I like that we could basically make up any relationship that we wanted and run with it. I don't really know if it would be easier or harder if we had been given our character bio.

Almost Done :)

I cant believe that we only have one more class of acting before we perform our skits. This class has been very entertaining, but I have also learned a lot. I did not know anything about acting before taking this class. Now as I am filling out all of these papers, I realized actors have to think about many different things, other than knowing their lines. I have come to realize how important knowing the action for each line is. I am definitely ready to see everyone do their skits with all of their props and everything!

I also enjoy watching other people do their skits. I think it's fun to see everyone's imagination. I also like how groups with the same lines do different things with them. Some groups do similar things like with Ryan and I and Paige and Renee. We both are doing an office setting, but it is still slightly different. Then you have the groups of Juan/Brittany and Ted/Claire that had two completely different ideas with their lines. So I'm excited to see the last few practice scenes and then the final skits next week.

Nice

I have also enjoyed watching everyones skits. I think it is very interesting to see people finally acting with lines and props after having them in class not using words or props. I think everyone is doing a great job and i really enjoy watching everyone. I hope that everyone is getting everything together and everything is coming along as well as mine is. Unlike Ryan I am not happy that it is snowing I want it to stop immediately!!!! I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and see you in class.

Mo Skits

So, we are doing more skits this week. That is good, I suppose, I hope they keep getting good because I like watching them as much as everyone else does. I am also happy that it is snowing again, and I hope everyone had a deece thanksgiving.

Acting Class

I have enjoyed watching everyone final skits. I feel like we are watching clips of movies when we do them in them class. By doing these in class i know it has helped my group a great deal with figuring out action words and how our body language should look. Also I really liked the threesome game. It is funny to see what random things come to peoples head. I think for our last class we should play a mixture of the three "warm-up" exercises we have done all semester because they have all be really fun.

Skits...Threesome...

I am really enjoying everyone's skits! I think everyone is doing a great job and it is really enjoyable to watch how everyone develops their skits. I am also enjoying this new game dubbed "threesome" though it is more interesting when we have everyone there. It is interesting to see what people come up with and a good way to get you thinking quick on your toes. I do miss whizbang though!! I hope we get to play it again before the class ends!

Thanksgiving Class

The class before Thanksgiving was pretty laid back. Since we were missing some people, we had to have other groups go that were not scheduled too. The threesome game was like always... no where near as much fun as frog detective or whizbang. I am sure tomorrow we will do the same things we have been working on for our final exam/project. Hopefully more people show up tomorrow though, it was pretty boring missing a third of the class.

Legally Blonde

So last weekend I went and saw Legally Bonde at Palace Theater in Cleveland and it was awesome! I have never been to a professionally done play before and it was so cool. The whole atmosphere was crazy and fun I really really enjoyed it. I wasn't really close enough to be able to really see the small details and facial expressions but everyone did an awesome job. It was really funny walking into the theater because it was so huge and the last theater I had been in was the Studio Theater for Crimes of the Heart and it was so tiny. Although it was more intimate and I could see more detail in the Studio Theater, I liked the larger theater better just because I really loved the atmosphere and the size of the stage and how much room the actors had to work with.

November 25th

Tuesday we got to play the Threesome game again! i really enjoy this game, but it seems to slow down very quickly if people are not paying attention or participating! however, we went over the scences again and i still find them very beneficial and it is very cool to see the groups improving each time they go! i am really excited to see all the final performances!

Tuesday, November 25

Today in class we got to play the game threesome. I found it really fun because the connections between the different objects were really creative. It was interesting waiting to hear what some one was going to say next. We also got to see two scenes that we had seen in a previous class. This was very helpful because when you are thinking of ideas for other people it gets your thoughts flowing about what you could do for your scene. I also think that it is obvious that people are working really hard on their scenes because there are huge improvements; people are taking their scenes to places I didn't even think were possible and it is AWESOME.

11.25.08

All of the feedback I received while performing my skit on Tuesday was so helpful. We needed to make some final decisions, and performing it on Tuesday helped us make some of those. The feedback that I received will help me now complete my character bio, sketch, and other worksheets. I am so glad we have the opportunity to perform these in class before the actual exam. The skits improve so much once everyone receives feedback. I am excited to watch everyone perform their skits on exam day!

Tuesday

On Monday in my Teaching Reading with Literature class, the teacher had the whole class engage in skits. Everyone was able to have their scripts in front of them while performing. Four females were in one skit, while the rest of the class was in another. The first skit was about four seventh grade girls gossiping during lunch. I thought that the females acting out the skit did a very good job. The other skit was a combination of scenes from the Outsiders. The performance for this skit was extremely sad. ha. The one thing that was done right was everyone made sure to not have their backs towards the audience. Overall, it was interesting to see the various ways that acting can be used for other than a play or movie.

In addition, I thought that it was interesting how Claire and Teddy's skit was adjusted and easily made much more entertaining and comedic. I am really excited to see their performance at the end of the semester!

I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo

We got to do our scene today and I felt a little better about it this time. I think that I need to just really let go and be this creeper. I know that its wrong but sometimes after watching a movie, or a play I confuse the character with reality, like if the person plays a murderer, I see that person in another movie, or later in the day (if it is a play done here) and just assume they are a murderer in real life. sooooo, if anyone is as strange and closed minded as me, let me just say that I am not a real creeper, at least I don't think. Anyway, I miss whizzbang even though I only made it to the final four one time. Does anyone know if the character bio is supposed to be in first person?

Thursday

I agree with Ryan the threesome was pretty cool. It was interesting to see the different objects people came up with right off the top of their head. Also i got to go for my scenes. Once again like the first time it really helped. It helped us to realized different actions words to use and also it made me feel like we are about ready. Which is aways a great feeling.

Yeah, threesome's pretty cool, it's fun to see what people associate with different things. Doing the skit is fun, and it will be good for Aaron and I to go again tomorrow, or today I guess. I would say it's gonna be good watch out, but I have a feeling that I am a completely unconvincing mobster. Either way, it's good to do and fun to tinker with.

Class

I think that our skit is moving along, and it has more meaning than when we first started. The thing about the skits is knowing how you want to say your lines and that really sets it off. I thought that the threesome game that we played last tuesday was rather fun, it hard to try to think of things to go with the other people. Oh, and I cant wait to go on break, it is much needed.

Thursday's Class

The "threesome" game was pretty interesting. I enjoyed actually not playing just to see what others would come up with. It seemed like it was more fun trying to guess based on other's personalities of what they might say when they went in the circle. The only flaw I could see with that game was that sometimes the third person wouldn't really make the word the same as the first two. It would be like Gun, Bullet, Holster. If gun and bullet were first, then it should be gunpowder since you need that to make the gun fire etc. The holister and bullet have nothing in common, but the other three all have a relationship to the usage of the gun.

And Yoder and I got to go Thursday and will get to enjoy it again for a little bit tomorrow. What could be more fun than acting like your a gangster and a policeman.

I was not in class Thursday, so I am completely confused by the posts about a game called threesome?? Thursday's class sounds like it was unique. I am excited to do my our scene again because I feel that it has come a long way and I love to hear all of the new ideas.

threesome: the game

I liked the game today and I'm sure that we could think of a more family appropriate names for these games, even whizzbang could be taken the wrong way. I think that it would be fun to steal these games and play them with the kids at the daycare/after school center that I work at. I just don't know how the parents would feel when the kids come home telling tales of their threesome... not okay. Other than that, I liked to see the scenes as they progressed since we first saw them. I am glad that we are getting so much time to do our scenes because seeing other groups is interesting.

Productivity

Thursdays class was very productive. Though Tricia and I have been working on the scene on our own, it is always so much different with an audience. I wish we had has our props though. BTW, when are we suppossed to have those?
Also, Threesome was a lot of fun. ( That is a really weird sentance.) It was cool to see people's creativity come out when they were comming up with words. And, unlike the ABC game, there were not as many long pauses. Yeah!

threesome

I really enjoyed the new activity we did today- Threesome! Inspite of the name lol i really enjoyed the improv aspect of the game! i also thought that the group work is so good! i think that it is really beneficial to all groups to see what you need to think about especially with the action words.

Actions

Today in class I was realizing that deciding the actions of every line may be a little difficult. I was getting an action and a quality confused. I think I am beginning to understand that an action is something that you can do to someone else. I will definitely need to look in a thesaurus. Until receiving this assignment I never knew how many things actors have to think about. I used to think that acting was just memorizing lines. This class has taught me that there are soooooooo many other things that actors must do in order to be good.

Thursday Nov. 20

It amazes me how much of a story can come out of a few simple lines, how one slight chance in an actor's tone of voice or movement can make such a difference and add so much to a line. I understood today how a play is never finished. There is always something more that can be done in order to make it better. When watching the skits today it was evident that there was improvement since the first time that those individuals did their skits. There was more movement and emphasis on the lines, however, it was not over the top. It seems like because the people who went knew their lines better it allowed them to not focus on what they were saying as much as their actions and actually believing that they were "in the scene". I am excited to see how everyone does on their final.

Tuesday

As usual, it was interesting to watch the other groups' skits. A couple people got to go see what was in the prop room and I hear that it has a lot of good stuff. It will be nice to add props to our skits. Given the circumstances, it was nice to be able to get some of the written stuff done as well. I feel that Tuesday was a very productive class.

Once again I liked to watch the skits on our late Tuesday, I think that what we are doing now is probably a suitable way to end the course. I know we have more working on them to come, and I wonder what else we will be doing to finish out the year. I am also very pleased that snow is on the ground and I hope it remains until I am no longer pleased.

Tuesday's "Late" Class

I would have to agree with Juan dealing with people staying and working on the assignment. I figured that most of the class was going to leave, but no one left. I think it is probably because the class is so fun that no one would want to miss out on that experience.

In a few weeks we won't get to have that class anymore and we will have to be back to boring old text books and assignments that involved research and blah... its a shame that the class is coming to an end. I get to go to the play tomorrow, so hopefully it is good.

I finally practiced my skit with Hallie in front of the class on Tuesday and it was super helpful. It's really nice to get outside suggestions and input on our scene. I was pretty unsure of how to handle certain parts but now I feel way more comfortable with everything. I can't wait to practice again and I'm pretty excited to see how our final version of the skit turns out.

On Tuesday even through the circumstances was odd, it was a good opportunity for us to practice on our scene was plus. I especially like how everyone stayed in class and decided to get better on their lines. This takes a lot discipline knowing we had a chance to leave but stayed to enhance our skills and talents. This is what it takes in the real world while trying to accomplish tasks, objectives and goals. Thumbs up to everyone in the class, PEACE.
P.S. glad Fabio got there in one piece.

Skit's

I thought it was helpful to see the other group go that had our same lines. It was interesting to see what kind of twist they put on the dialog and compare it to what we were doing. I think that it is definitely easier once you have had a chance to run through it in class and get feedback from Fabio. It is really important that you know what you are doing for each line and how you are supposed to portray yourself because it makes for a much better seen when you actually have purpose in your lines and your not just saying them. Once you are certain what you are doing it just give the skit more emphasis and not so much just two people conversing lines back and forth.

I was glad Ryan and I finally got the chance to do our scene in class. It was the first time that we actually got to act it out. It nice to get feedback for our performance. The way I need to act is a little different from how I act in real life. I'm usually pretty quiet and don't raise my voice. That's why I was a little monotone the other day. But it felt so good when I raised my voice and said, "Good Lord." I was kind of suprised by everyone's reaction. It looked like Ryan took a step back when I said it. Hopefully, I can continue doing the same thing the next time I do the scene.

Skits

I think it is really interesting to watch everyone work on their skits. I like to see how people can start with one idea and it be completely changed by the end of their practice time. It is so nice that we can perform these ahead of time and receive guidance. Watching everyone else even helps me think of things I should do in my skit. I thought it was cool to see how the way a person says a line can completely change the tone of the skit. When Bill was saying his "Good Lord" line monotone it was not very effective. However, when he changed the way he said that line, it really enhanced the skit. I am excited to watch the other people's skits tomorrow! :)

class on thursday

in class on thursday i thought it was going to be easy to do my skit after watching all the others before me ! boy was i wrong , i thought i could do all the things i wanted to do when i practiced it but i forgot to do alot of things. like act all hyper and annoying. i thought the amount of annoyingness i was giving was enough but it wasnt. its really hard to take something you can do very well by yourself , to in front of an audiance, by doing those in class it really hepls us out on what the audiance looks for in a skit and how detailed we sould be.

Tuesday

It has been really interesting watching other people do their scenes. In class i got to go up to the prop room. After seeing the options we have to work with i have been able to picture what the scene is actually going to look like. By being able to visualize the scene it makes it a lot easier to practice and to image how the scene will actually play out during finals.

Skit at FCA

Last night at FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), some students from AU put on a mini-skit. It is funny because every time there is a skit or anything to do with acting, I am always analyzing their actions. I can not just simply sit there and enjoy the skit because of my experience with acting, even though it is extremely limited. The skit consisted of about seven or eight individuals. There was not any talking in the skit, but rather just actions, signs with words on them, and music in the background. I think that because no one talked in the skit, it made more of an impact of everyone watching. Everyone watching seemed to have their eyes glued to the people in the skit. They did a pretty good job actually. I would have been so nervous to go up in front of a large group of my peers and participate in a skit, so I give them a lot of credit.

Tuesday, November18

I get so excited to come to class to work on our scenes and to see other people's scenes. I feel like when we watch the other scenes it is like watching a movie. Every one's storyline is so exciting. I think that working on the scenes has once again opened my eyes to how hard acting really is. There are so many ways to say a single word and each way gives the sentence a completely new meaning. I think it is fun to play around with the way to say different words and to see which way fits into the script. This is probably the only time I will ever say this, but... I can't wait for our final!

chewsday

today we started a little late but still prettymuch did the same things that we have been. It was pretty neat seeing the other group with the same script because it gave us a variety of options for how to interpret the words. Although we obviously are not going to copy it exactly, the different ways to say things was nice to see. I am excited to see all of the scenes on the final day because it seems like everyone is working really hard.

Props

A few of us went to the prop room today and it made me think about what the scenes will be like with actual props. In class we don't do a lot of activities involving things, so it will be interesting to see what the addtition of props will do to the scenes.
By the way, the prop room is really creepy. It looks like the perfect place to set a horror movie!

scenes

today's class was very helpful in determining how to go about the scene! i really enjoyed the repetition and new ideas t try each time! i feel like everyone else is probably bored of watching the same scene for 30min but i think that it is very beneficial to all groups not just the one that is being worked with

Scenes

I was very sick this past Thursday so I was not able to make it to class. But I am sure the groups who went did a great job! So far I am enjoying this project especially because we get to see the progress that each group makes. Watching these scenes makes me realize how much everyone has progressed since the beginning of the semester. It is great to see everyone applying techniques they have learned from this class into these scenes. The final outcome, I think, is going to be wonderful!

Acting

I thought that it was very beneficial for us to go in front of the class last week and run through our lines. We had a story made up, but the one we came up with in class I like much better. I think it is best that you have a run through like this because it allows you to see just how you feel in front of everybody and how you are going to say your lines. I think that it is important to know what kind of way you are saying your lines and how you are supposed to act accordingly. I think our act will be a lot better since we did the run through in class.

I'm kind of anxious to see how my scene is going to work out today in class. I haven't gone yet, so I'm curious to see how it goes and hear what feedback we get. I think that it has benefitted Ryan and I to see the other group with the same lines go before us, even though we are doing a little different of a setting. And as for the ABC game, it's starting to get very boring. It's a fun game, but the fun gets taken away when people pause for a few seconds to think of something to say. I think it might be easier to do if we were given a scene and we didn't start with the letter "A."

ABC game

I still really like this exercise. Even though its challenging i found that the second time the words seem to come faster to me. I still think we should have played frog detective for Rhea though. Also i am really enjoying watch the skits. It is interesting the story line that all the different groups has come up with just from the lines. I also feel that this helps everyone because in each group Fabio point out something different and tells whats good or what can be fixed. I feel that by doing this Fabio is really helping us prepare for our final and make it less stressful on us.

ABC Game

My first thoughts, and pretty much my only thoughts, on the ABC game is boring. I mean it is interesting to watch people squirm out of the letters, but the long pauses causes me to lose track of what is even going on. I think it would be more entertaining if we had done it numerous times before and everyone knew a bunch of words to start a sentence off with like Quick for Q.

As for the final scene acting skit thing, it really was fun practicing it. Although that whole zapping thing made little sense to me, the rest was pretty fun and enjoyable.

I still really like that we are doing these skits. I love how we pay attention to detail and can change what our character is doing to create the most drama for the situation. The somewhat extreme situations that are coming out of these unlabeled scenes are fun to watch and I am looking forward to when everyone performs the finished product.

Class

I thought that each group that went on thur did a really good job. I think as time goes on the groups will get better because of the fact that you get to hear all the tips that the teacher is giving us. I think that he is very helpful and that he makes it seem like its not hard and give me confidence when im up performing. I think that once I work on it more I will be ready for the final. I hope that everyone feels the same and that everyone thinks he is as helpful. I hope everyone is doing well and I still encourage those who have not gone to go.

class on hursday

in class on Thursday Aaron and Ryan Did a really good job on their scene. they were really believable with most of their actions and body language. i thought if they had all the props they needed i think they would of made a great video. they had i think one o the best scenes in the class, but i think everyone is buying into the scenes and doing very well.

I also went to see Crimes of the Heart over the weekend. I was so surprised at how small the theater was! I was very impressed though by most of the cast members. One of the actors was no very good though, I definitely noticed him trying to portray emotion rather than just doing it...which we learned was a big no no. Over all though it was a really good play and as always I was impressed by the actors simply for the fact that I have trouble getting up in front of just our class to do a silly exercise and here they are doing a play that's a few hours long and completely immersing themselves in their character.

On Thursday during our activity I had to do the activity with Ryan, I find it hard sometimes to concentrate while being partners. Because in my view he has the ability to make me laugh like a Jim Carey type. With Ryan using more body language than verbal contents, most of the time. However I was disappointed a little when we could not do the wiz game or frog detective as a class. I do not like the letter game. I am looking forward to class on Tuesday to view the rest of class scenes and how Fabio will respond on their actions and storylines.
Peace.

Crimes of the Heart

I went to see Crimes of the Heart on Saturday and it was pretty good. Very different from the crucible too. Even though I've been here fro three years, before this class I never attended any of the theater productions here. I was always too busy or something. But now i will definitly make more of an effort to get out and see them.

It was a hit!

Just as Paige explained, we teach at an after school program. We had time left over yesterday so we played the ABC game with our four girls. I did not know how they would respond to this activity, and I thought it may be too difficult for them. Boy was I wrong! A few of the girls were better than a lot of us in class. They got so into this activity. We did it for over an hour and when it was time to go, they were bummed because they wanted to keep doing the activity. As we kept doing the activity, we all got better. At the end, a few of the girls were even acting out the scenes. I realized that their imaginations were better than mine. For example, when we were coming up with relationships, one of the girls came up with a goldfish and a cat. This relationship turned out to be one of the funniest. It was so nice to have a back-up activity we could do that does not require any materials, well except for me who needs the alphabet written somewhere :) It was really fun to see how they the girls responded to this activity.

The ABC Game

The ABC game is a great way for students to think and be creative. After playing again on Thursday morning, Rhea and I thought that it would be a good activity to use with our students. We teach together at Eastview Elementary school. We have four fifth grade girls that we work with in an after school program called Learning Club. Yesterday was our last day to actually be with the girls on our own because next Tuesday is our celebration with everyone. Therefore, Rhea and I thought that we would do something fun with the girls. The ABC game came to our mind because it helps the students with thinking and processing at a faster pace. The girls absolutely loved the game! We literally played it for an hour and the girls didn't want Learning Club to be over because they just wanted to keep on playing. It was interesting to see what relationships they came up with and how well they were able to think of things to say starting with the specfic letters in the alphabet. The girls came up with some pretty intersting relationships other than the original sisters, mother/daughter, and friends. Some of my favorites were a monkey and banana, cat and goldfish, cop and robber, and Miss Romito and Miss Davidson. Basaed off of the way our students are academically when it comes to processing information, Rhea and I were easily able to tell who would excell and who would struggle with this activity. However, it was beneficial and fun for everyone.

scenec scenes

I was a little disappointed that we couldn't think of a good enough scene for class today, I hope that we can make it awesome by the final... I saw the lay today and I liked it a lot. It was very dramatic with a few comedic parts that I liked. I liked that the actors were right next to you in the studio theater and that we could see the action! better. I thought all of the actors were pretty great and liked that the cast seemed to really work well together. overall I really enjoyed the play.

Thursday, November 13

Today we did the ABC exercise again. I still feel like this exercise is quite difficult. I think we could all do this activity if we didn't feel like we were on the spot. After Tuesday's class I played this game with my friends and it seemed much easier. I really enjoy seeing other people's scenes. I feel like I learn so much from the feedback. As other people present I really get into their story and I want to know what happens next. I think it is so interesting that we can take a simple scene with no direction and make it into a complex storyline. Everyone in the class is so creative, it is interesting when they present because it is always something different.

ABC

I thought that the exercise we did on Tuesday with the alphabet was really fun. I found it hard to come up with what to say right on the spot, I caught myself thinking about a few before I would just blurt it out. I think that maybe by doing that exercise it can help actors be able to get out their words faster and not get stumped on what they are supposed to say. I think that the groups that went on Tuesday did rather well with their projects. I think it is important to know what your doing and how you are going to say things.

ABC

I enjoyed playing the alphabet game in the beginning of class. I watched the guys on whose line do it plenty of times and was excited to actually do it myself. The one thing that I noticed was that it is a lot harder when you are doing it compared to when you watch it. Fabio and Brianna did a very good job keeping up the flow. I think it would be more helpful if we were given a scene to work with like they do on Whose Line. And Juan, you have a lot of work to do if you want to beat me at whiz bang haha

Tuesday

Hmm... I wasn't there on Tuesday because I forgot to put the volume on my cell phone on anything other than silent. I woke up and had breakfast and then did the blog. Afterward, I laid down to take a nap and then I woke up around 9:50 and was wondering what happened. Anyway, I missed class so I have no idea if I am suppose to post much of anything or what on here. I guess my lesson to learn on the day was that you should always have volume on your cell phone when taking a nap.

Tuesday

On Tuesday in class I agree with everyone else that the alphabet exercise was fun. After watching Fabio and Briana it didn't seem it would be that challenging but it was. It was a lot easier to think of words when you were sitting down and watching but once you get up all the words seem to leave your head. I agree with Juan that this exercise could be used in many different setting. Also I enjoyed watching Paige and Renee's scene because I thought it was rather funny.

my turn!!!

So me and my partner went on tue and I did not think that we needed that much work. He gave us a lot of ideas that helped so much. I really suggest that people go as soon as they can and don't worry about him ripping you apart. It will really help you in the end and he give you a lot of good ideas. I hope every one is having good luck with everything and I would really suggest to go tomorrow if you can.

class on tuesday was really fun . i liked that excercise with the alphabet , which you had to start a sentence with the letter of the alphabet. i caused you to think fast well try and think fast hahah!! i thought it was good to help everyone one with things that happen unexpectedly on stage . so i think we should do that again because some of the sentences that were made up were so funny. oh and p.s I WON !!!!!! hahah

On Tuesday I enjoy the activity which we had to pick a word that starts with a letter in our conversation with our partner was really funny, cool and interesting. After leaving the class my mind started to think about all the letters I was struggling with and how I came up with words for them later. This activity can be used for many different things example like an ice breaker at camp or work. There were a lot of funny moments but also a lot that was learned, I missed the Wiz game, (bring it back) I want to beat bill, HAHAHAHAAHAHa. Peace

I guess unlike most of the class, I am much more excited about these skits than I am the new game we played. Every one that has gone so far has had so much potential, I think, to be thoroughly fun to watch. I am also already surprised at how diverse the little plots are, how people can come up with things so different. The alphabet game was fun though.

Improv

Along with everyone else, I loved the improvisation game we did at the beginning of class on Tuesday. At first, I was a little hesitant and thought it would be too difficult. Once I got up in front of the class, it was not as bad as I had anticipated. I thought it was so funny to hear people's stories that they made up going through every letter in the alphabet. I have never done this game before, but I thought it was so fun and entertaining. I think this game would be fun to use in my classroom some day. This activity would help two students work together to create a story. The children would also be able to work on expanding their vocabulary with this game. This was one of my favorite introduction activities we have done all year. :)

Abc

I loved the alaphbet game today in class. At first I thought i was screwed, but if i just didn't think about it too hard and let things come out naturally I was fine. Really, that is what we are suppossed to be doing all the time in class, so once again, our exercises parallel our long term goals. What a surprise.

ABC

I loved the ABC activity we did today in class!! i think that improv is awesome and also hilarious!! i thought that this was a great activity because it allowed us to be  creative as well as have fun!! I think it was also a nice change from wiz-bang! I think that game is getting a little old so it was nice to have a change of pace!

abcdefg...

I liked the alphabet game today, I think that is will be necessary to play this game all the time. I also liked the scenes that we had today, especially the one with Renee the creeper. I think people generally like creeper people because we all know them. I like to see the other groups because it gives me idea on how desperate I need to make my own scene. I realize that when there is death divorce or money involved, things are more interesting. I am going to see the Crimes of the Heart on Thursday and I'm more excited to see this one than the crucible because my roommate is reading it and says it is really good. thats all I have to say

Tues: Improv and Skits

Today's class was a lot of fun and extremely interesting once again. The improv alphabet game at the beginning of class was great. After seeing this activity on "Who's Line is it Anyway" and watching a few groups go, I thought that it was going to be easier than it really was. When other groups were going, I could think of what to say right away, but when it came to my turn, I totally froze and couldn't think of any words that started with specific letters and still made sense. I was disappointed in myself. I thought that I was more quick whitted than that. ha. However, I feel like this is one of the types of activities that would get easier the more you do it. I really enjoyed that game and hope that we do it more often in class now.

I also benefited from practicing our skits. Since Renee and I went today, I was really able to see how our skit was coming together. I like the lines that we got and what we made it into. It has a twist of comedy to it which I like. I thought that it was easier to remember my lines once Renee was actually talking to me and we were in an "office setup". The words came more naturally, however, I obviously have a lot to work on. I now see why people enjoy theater. It can really be a lot of fun acting like a completely different person and do things that you would normally not be caught doing.

I think being able to see the first to groups go on Thursday gave me a good feel of what to expect. I didn't realize just how much we had to think about when we are up there doing our scene. You first have to remember your lines, but then you have come up with actions that fit with what is going on. To me that's the hardest part about this. But once we come up with the actions and practice them a couple of times, we'll be fine.

Class

I think that by watching other perform their parts it will really help my group in coming up with how to say what we are trying to say and to bring more drama into our little skit. I thought that the people who went last Thursday did quite well and the only thing that I hope doesn't happen when I get up is that I forget my lines. I think that it is also very important with what tone and just how you say your lines because it can give your line a whole new meaning and put more emphasis on it as well.

Scenes

I definitely got some helpful hints from Thursday's class. It was also nice to see what some of the groups have come up with. It is interesting how two groups can come up with two completely different interpretation for the same script. That is one of the most exciting parts of doing these scenes. It will be interesting to develop our scene.

Skits

After Thursday's class, I think most of us have a better understanding of what we are suppose to do for our final. I did not think too much about the actions and what effect they may bring to the scene. You could tell a huge difference between before and after actions were included. It will be interesting to see what people have for today's class.

Them Skitz

I thought that the first two groups that went last Thursday were really good, especially for the first groups that went. They were better than I expected (not that I expected them to be bad), and everyone seems to be pretty relaxed and willing to try things, which I think will make for fun skits. I hope what Aaron and I are doing isn't turrible.

Excited for the skits

I've really liked pretty much everything we've done so far in this class. But i'm pumped to start our skits. The skits we saw on Thursday were really good but I guess I didn't realize how many small details and crazy little things went into developing our skits. I was not prepared for how many questions we were going to be asked about our skits and our background and what not but I guess every little detail realy does matter. I met with my partner and we figured out our skit and our relationship and what not and I'm pretty excited about it....it should be fun.

i really likes watching the class act out their scenes. i think we are actually putting everything we have learned throughout this semester to good use. i liked brittany and juan's i think they did a really nice job , they were very believeable. when brittany wanst smiling hahah. i just hope i am able to do it half as good as they did. but i am interested in seeing all the other scenes.

excerise

During the exercise on Thursday I was really into it, I think my partner was too. I think going first gives us an edge on how to better prepare for the next time around. I thought we did an outstanding job performing as the first group. I thought it would be more painful than what it actually was. I also learned a lot from just doing it, rather than coming up with the whole scenario at that time, I thought it was real helpful how Fabio would generate my character right on the spot but also giving my character his personality, qualities, and individuality; Marvelous!, peace with chicken grease.

Thursday

I really enjoyed presenting our scene in class Thursday. Although i was nervous and felt really unprepared it didn't go over as bad as i thought it would. It also helped to understand what was going on in our scene. We had met one time before doing it and talked about what the situation was going to be, but actually being in front of the class helped to play the scene out. It also helped because we got lots of pointers to work on, such as what actions we were doing at certain lines. Also it helped to fill in missing details about the situation that we had not previously thought of. Overall i feel that this helped me a lot and will continue to help prepare me for the final.

Presenting our scene

I really enjoyed presenting our scene on Thursday. I was really nervous about performing in front of the class; I think this was because the scene was not something we were told to do, we made up the storyline. Being up in front of the class just reinforced the fact that acting is so much harder than I thought. I am so glad that we had the opportunity to go first because we now know what to change and how to do that. I think our scene is coming along nicely and I am excited about performing at the end of the semester.

scenes

I thought that Thursdays class was very helpful in that it described what exactly we need to think about and how we use actions in our scenes.  I think that working like this for each group is going to be unbelievable beneficial to all groups! I think that the first group that went did a great job and it felt like they really knew what they were doing and knew their lines!

First Scenes

I thought that Thursday's class was so helpful. Watching the other groups perform their skits and the feedback they received was very beneficial. Before this class, I had not taken into considerations many of the questions that were asked to the two groups. I was only focusing on knowing my lines for Thursday. I realized I need to begin thinking about all of the details. I thought it was incredible that although people have simple lines, an entire story can be constructed just by actions and tone of voice.

Final Scene- take #1

I am glad that Tricia and I ended up doing our scene today. I think we have a good start, but it was nice to get feed-back early on in the process. When we rehearsed we mainly just ran the lines and came up with a preliminary idea of what our scene is about and who our characters are. It was odd that going into it the one thing that I was sure of was that I knew the lines. But once we were prompted to think more about our situation and who our characters were, I started to forget the lines. ugh. Oh, well. I have a month to learn the lines and I am beginning to realize that they are not really the important part.

scenerific

I liked class today because the groups that went had original storyline to go with the seemingly boring dialog. I am glad I did not go today because I memorized the lines but looking at the drama that is expected I now realize that our story needs a little work. I liked thinking of verbs that the lines were said with and think I might need a dictionary. I am excited to see what kinds of scenes the other groups come up with.

Scenes

I think that today was one of my favorite classes this semester. I thought that it was really interesting how just a few lines could be made into an entire story. I was also surprised at how much planning and background information goes into such a short skit. I think my favorite part about putting on a skit is deciding what types of props are appropriate to use. I always have loved to decorate and such so I think that it is the artsy side of me, but I really get excited that we get to have props for our final. How many props are typically used for a skit? Like what is an appropriate amount so that they are not distracting to the audience?

Class Tuesday

I thought that the exeercise we did in class on tuesday was rather interesting because you had to pay attention to what other's were doing so you could add something to the machine or whatever it was. I found it hard to come up with things to do after more and more people went. I think that acting out in a play can be the same because if you don't know whats going on around you, when you act your part it could be way off from what you are supposed to be doing or even how you are supposed to be feeling. When we were pulling the objects out of the blob I noticed that the people who did well were the ones who slowed down and and thought about their object more and when you do that it becomes more real and believable.

Tuesday was fine, I think that the substance method we are using is probably a good thing, because it is such a sandbox. I think it is good that we don't go into it thinking that we have to do anything or thinking about what we want to do, so we are more spontaneous and creative because we are just going with what we feel like and what the other person feels like. I suppose that's cool.

Tuesday’s exercise was very interesting because I could get or act out in the way he wanted. This was the first time I felt some type of frustration on any of these activities we do in class. Did I hide it well? HAHAHAHA. I am looking forward to today’s activity, let see how well we do?

Substance Mirror

I liked the substance mirror exercise. It introduced new concepts and incorporates some concepts we have learned in the past. It seems to be very similar to what we have done in the past except, when dealing with the substance, it is more lenient. This can be easy for some and challenging for others. Because you and your partner are handling something that is not necessarily in a set position all the time, you can do a lot of different experimentation. You need to mirror you partner, but you do not always have to be exact because you are handling the substance. Also, the fact that we do not know what the substance can do and are discovering just that gives us a lot of leniency in our actions.

NEW

I am very excited for Thur class because I am excited to see how everyone does with their scene. I agree with Bill i do think that everyone has improved and I think that everyone will do well on their scene. I am glad that we will be getting feedback from the teacher because I think that we will all need it and I think that it will be very interesting on thur.

I think everyone has improved a lot during the semester and the substance exercise shows just how far everyone has come. Everyone seems to have a better understanding of how to act. I remember the first couple classes when we did the watching a sporting event exercise. Everyone was doing way to much and doing the wrong things. But now, everyone is keeping everything simple and it really makes a difference. I'm curious to see how it goes once we start getting into dialogue and be able to speak and act at the same time.

Tuesday Class

Compared to last week when we first started the substance exercises I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable. I still am not sure what this substance is that we are working with though. I also find it interesting that when we first started doing 'exploring the substance with a partner' that we all seemed to be mirroring our partner, but in a different way than before because you just go with it, no discussion. I'm with Abby on the machine exercise. I enjoyed this exercise much more when we were part of the machine, but i do understand why you are having us do this exercise

New Mirror

It is interesting how we already did activities similar to what we are doing now in class. Although this time around, it seems a lot easier since we have already done it at one point or another. I think there is less of a fear factor as well since we are getting more used to being in front of the class. I however, think it is harder with the substance in the scene because both parties have to make the substance appear to be the same... which may create even more issues.

Anyway, I have more homework to do tonight than I have had all semester, so I am going to get started... see you all bright and early.

I agree with Hallie about how cool it is that we all automatically incorporate things into our exercises that we learned earlier in the semester without even thinking about it now. I wasn't a huge fan of building the machine in class...although it was funny trying to guess what parts people where putting on. I much prefer to actually BE the parts of the machine...that was hilarious. I excited about the final project though, it should be really fun and I hope I can get my creative juices flowing and come up with a good background story.

Defining a space

Out of all the exercises we did on Tuesday, I enjoyed when we try to figure out what characteristics define a space. It really gets me to think about the minute details that are in each space which make them unique. I thought that the time we did the yard and park was easier than the office and den. Right away when we started with the yard and park lists I was trying to think of how they are different. I could think of plenty of similarities, but I was focusing on their differences. For our final exam, I have been thinking of locations where our dialogue could be and how we will define the space.

The substance exercise we did again on Tuesday, is by far, not my favorite exercise but i understand how it enables us to show everything we have learned thus far in the semester.  I think its really cool how we do a lot of things we have been taught without even thinking about doing them!!

Nov. 4

In class today we continued working with substance. I think it is interesting how something so odd can help us so much with our acting. The substance allows us to apply all of the things we have already learned in class without us even knowing we are doing them. When working with the substance we move slower and we concentrate on size, weight, and shape. I am so excited to start working with actual dialogue in class. I think this will be very fun and interesting.

super tuesday

Today we did quick activities with the substance. My understanding of the point of the substance is, that is is just to just get us to pay attention to the grip and the handling and the weight of the object. There probably aren't situations much that it is actually necessary to pull crap out of goo but the thought process that we are learning is what we should have been doing the whole time when handling objects. We pay more attention to weight and mass if we go slower, which the substance gets us to work on. That's all I got.

I was not in class on tue. ( yeah for skip days!) but I'm sure it was as fun as it always is.
I am really excited for our final projects. It could be really fun to see how we apply all that we have learned into a real scene. It could also crash and burn and be not so good if we do not prepare correctly, but I'm trying to look on the bright side. I'm sure everyone's scenes will be awesome.

Substance Continued...

Recently I have felt like the activities we are doing with substance are extremely repetitive. Though, compared to when we started acting for non-majors, everyone seems a lot more comfortable. Personally, I feel like I am much more comfortable than I was at the beginning of the semester. When we have to do "strange" activities, the class just seems to go with the flow instead of questioning what we are doing. We figure there is some kind of purpose even though we may not have any idea what that is. I am wondering though where these substance activities fall into play.

Substances and Such

What I found with the exercises we did on Thursday was that they seemed so simple that it was hard. You'd think it would be easy to go up there and pretend you are holding that substance but you really do need to put a lot of imagination and focus into what you are doing if you want it to look real. It is a truly a lot more complex than I had initially thought.

In other news, I am excited for our final performances. It will be cool to see what everyone comes up with and particularly the differences in the groups doing the same ones. I'm excited to see how each group interprets their scene.

something

In class on thur I was a little lost at first because I was not there on tue but I think I caught on quickly. When he told me to go first I had no idea what I was doing, I was a little confused. Then when I told him I was not there and I sat out a few people I understood what was going on. I think the exersice was very interesting and I did not have any problems with it. Sometimes I have to think about what to do befor I do it but with this one I just got up there and imagined holding something sticky and cold. So it was fun I enjoyed it.

Thursday

I think I have figured out the purpose of the "substance" exercise. It might be to make us be able to imagine things are real so later we can act more realistic on stage. I seem to have more of a problem with this exercise because I have a hard time thinking there is something there when I have never seen or have no guidelines. I guess that makes little or no sense of why that would effect my acting, but it does.

I enjoy the exercise on Thursday because it was challenging and different; my substance was money that bends. Looking forward to this week and how we as a class will add on to what we have been experiencing thus far. I missed a week of class due to some family matters in New York, but I don’t feel that I am far behind in this class, am l? I thought it was pretty interesting to get our one page script and make more of it than what it is, without changing a word; this will be a great challenge. At least I got a cool partner to help raise my grade!!!HAHAHAHAHA. Peace

I still really don't completely understand the substance thing. I kind of feel like its easier than the other more specific things, like eating or carrying things, but I don't know why. I also for some reason think that it will help us be more comfortable, probably because I feel like we are doing things that we've always been doing but it seems easier because of the substance stuff. I guess I just don't know how. Maybe it helps us create things or somethin'

class thursday

i think we are all gettin so much better with all the aspects of acting. in class on thursday it was very interesting because we were just acting out in so many randome places. i mean i didnt kno what was i was supposed to do in a dryer haha. but after i got sum guidence it wasnt that hard. when we were doing the substance exercise sumtimes i actually thought there was a substance there , but it didnt last long, but the point is it happend.

Class

I though that the exercise we did in class last tuesday was a little weird. I was definitely so relaxes that i think i dosed off for a second. I was trying to figure out what it had to do with acting and i think that it makes you more loose and relaxed when your trying to act. I thought that the exercise helped me be able to just wing it and not think about what i was about to do. I think that is the key in good acting that you don't think you just do.

Go crazy

I think another reason why we are doing this exercise is not only to learn about space but to learn to let go and let our imaginations take over and be creative. Paige said that she doesn't know how this is making us better because everyone is doing the same motions. But when our teacher went out there he did like 5 different things that were nothing like what anyone else did. He told us that the substance could do ANYTHING we wanted it to and we all kept it in a little ball or stretched it out a tiny bit. If we would all just go crazy then I bet we would get some really cool uses out of that substance. However, this is easier said than done because I had a lot of trouble thinking of things to do with the substance until he went out there....I really need to work on getting my creative juices flowing.

Thursday was a little weird. Like in some of the other posts, I didn't really understand the substance exercise that we did in class. I had no idea what I was doing when I went up in front of the class. I just started moving my hands around in some weird motion. And I guess I did something right. Unless, Fabio just wanted me to sit down. I found it a lot easier when I was feeling the invisible substance when there was another person up there with me. I curious to see what we do in class this week.

October 30th

We did more work with substance today. I liked the substance exercise we did. I think that we are all getting so much better and we work together better. I am still confused about why we did this exercise, but if I had to guess I would say that the purpose of this exercise is to allow us to be more aware of ourselves and the space in between us as actors on a stage. When we did the exercise we had to pay attention to space and the movement of our partner. We had to utilize the space and react to our partners. The more exercises with the substance that we do, the more confused and curious I become.

Substance

I find these substance activities to be rather interesting. I find them interesting because i really don't know what the substance is. I thought i had some idea but after the exercise in Thursday class i have no idea. I agree with Paige that we all seem to just copy motions that people before us have already done but I think its because none of us really understand this exercise yet. Even though it seems confusing I am interested in finding out what the substance is and how it these exercises will make us better actors.

Substance

I am extremely curious as to why we are doing these substance activities. I thought that I had an idea, however, I became more confused after class on Thursday. Also, I feel like once a couple of people do the activity, everyone after them simply reenacts what was already done. People seem to be imitating instead of acting and sometimes it is hard to tell a difference. However, everyone does the same motions. I do not know how these substance activities are helping us become better actors/actresses but am interested and ready to find out.

Thursdays class

Thursdays class was a little interesting with us dealing with our own substances, however,  i do agree with Rhea in that im not really sure what the point of dealing with these substances is but hopefully we will figure that out during tuesdays class.  Im really excited about our final performances i think it'll be really funny what people come up with in their scenes!!!

10.30,08

After Thursday's class, I am still wondering what the purpose is of the substance activity. I am hoping that we will find out or discover the purpose of it soon! I am struggling a little bit with this activity. Like Professor Polanco said, I need to buy into the fact that I am really touching this substance. I did not really believe that I was feeling a substance when I was in front of the class. I thought it was a lot easier when we paired up. I guess I felt more comfortable because I was not up in front of the class by myself. I was actually thinking that there was a substance between my partner and me. I can't wait to see what Tuesday's class has in store for us and this substance.

substance abuse

Class Thursday seemed kind of slow paced. Maybe it was because of the beginning we were talking about the final project. Speaking of, Teddy, if you read this, I am your partner and I have your paper to memorize my Thursday. Anyway, after that when we were doing the manipulating the substance it seemed very relaxed. Nobody really could say anything because whose to say that you were manipulating the stuff wrong. It seemed like people just were doing what they thought they should. Maybe we were all still zonked out from Tuesday's meditation but we all just seemed not up to our best. maybe that's just me. Maybe next time we get to find out what the substance is... rotten jello perhaps

A matter of time

One of the things that I am having problems with when ever i do any exercise is dealing with how long it should take me to do any one action. As a musician I am trained to do things for a certain amount of time and then move on to the next thing. It is weird to 1. decided for myself how long I am going to do something and 2. make that decision based on how something feels. I thought that maybe I needed to concentrate more and pay more attention to what I was doing, but the more I analyze what I am doing the worse it gets. I'm guessing I need to do the reverse and just react without thinking , but that is really, really hard for me.

The Substance

The exercise we did on Tuesday was very interesting. I actually found myself feeling very relaxed and even a bit loopy after. I feel like the whole idea of this exercise is to be very aware of your body while you are moving on stage. If you can get your mind to this place while acting, your acting will become more relaxed naturally. Also, this exercise helped to focus my mind a lot. I am interested to see where this exercise will take us.

relaxation

in class on tuesday when we did that relaxation and visualization exercise , it helped me out alot., because once a year our team does that just to clear our head. this exercise helps me out so much. you can actually feel like you are falling into the floor. i do that everyday before i wake up four about 10 minutes, and it helps me with what i have to do that day. i think everyone should do that at least once a week because most people get to stressed out with homework and stuff and then end up getting sick and other stuff. this is a big release and helps alot.

I was not in class on Tue. because I was sick but it sounded like most of you enjoyed the exercise and thought it really interesting. I wish I could have been a part of it because I have been very stressed this week! I hope we do something as Interesting today in class!

relax exercise

For the exercise on Tuesday, I thought it was exciting that an instructor use a mediation tactic to have the class be aware of the situation or environment. I was tired and seemed sleepy for the first part of class but after doing this exercise I felt relaxed and less stress with a little kick in my step. Usually I do something like this by myself with no one around; it was quite different (not just one’s own energy but several others energy) with the whole class. Looking forward and curious to what he has to say on this exercise and how we can use this in class. Peace,
Juan

Sleep Exercise

So I would have to say Bill was right on his post. The exercise actually made me more tired than relaxed... I was trying to stay awake for the most part until he said "not to try to resist it." I thought it was weird imagining that my body was losing the tension to the floor. I guess for us black and white accounting people that becomes difficult. I have no idea what this has to do with acting other than maybe being more used to your surroundings.

I agree with Ryan Yoder's post. I have also done exercises similar to this but never experienced "the substance." I have no idea how we are going to incorporate the substance in to our next class period but it should be pretty interesting. Overall I liked the exercise we did in class...it was relaxing for most of the time but after a while my butt and lower back started to hurt from laying on the floor, and I know I was supposed to be pushing the tension away but clearly I was doing it wrong becaus eit still hurt lol. However, I did feel pretty loose and relaxed when it was over and we were walking around the room.

I didn't really like the exercise that we did on Tuesday. It just made me more tired than relaxed. The exercise made almost made me fall asleep. It made me so tired that by the time we had to stand up, I was about to sleep. Once we stood up I had a hard time standing because I was so tired. But I do think it's not a bad technique to relax. I think it only works when you are stress. Which is why I think it didn't work for me. When we started, I was pretty relaxed. I wasn't stressed at all. So I wonder how it works when I'm stressed.

the substance

I suppose I liked the progressive relaxation and visualization we did on Tuesday, I've done things like it before and it's very calming. I'm pretty interested to see what we do with this 'substance' thing, it seems kind of weird and abstract to me but that might mean it will end up being fun to do. I just don't know what to make of that yet, I have never heard of it before.

Meditation

I really enjoyed the meditation exercise we did in class. I have learned about this technique but i have never actually done it. I feel that the exercise worked for me but it could have been better if i was not sick, laying down flat like that i was having a hard time breathing. But besides that it relaxed me. At first i felt a little awkward doing the exercise but as time went on i got more comfortable with it. Now that I am aware of how well this technique works I'm going to use it in times of major stress, such as finals week, to take mind off everything and start fresh.

tuesday's floortime activities

The meditation exercise on Tuesday I think worked for me to a point, I felt the things I was supposed to I think. I did see and understand the weird spacey thing in front of me, but somewhere in the middle I got lost. I lost some of my focus when I was visualizing the place and person that was supposed to be with me. I think I lost focus because I over thought the situation. I think at the end I felt the pressure of the matter-substance-thing in front of me but told myself it was just because I was dizzy from being on the floor. I felt asleep even when I got up and couldn't get back into the normal pattern of things. I had a strange kinda feeling for a few hours afterward. I can't say whether or not I liked the meditation, I'm just not sure.

meditation

I loved the meditation/relaxation exercise we did on Tuesday!!! even tho i kinda fell asleep i was so relaxed and it took my mind off everything i was worried about that day.. which was a lot.  i feel like this is a great exercise not only for sport related activities but for acting purposes because it helps you to be completely one with your body and enables you to move your body in a way that is not forced.

Traped with no way out

I had to be trapped in a large jack-o-lantern and I had no idea what to do. I invisioned that i was in one i just could not imagine it actually happening. I just pushed on the walls and tried to get out through the eyes and mouth. I had to do it a few times but each time i did not feel that i did anybetter. I do not know why I could not do good but i just could not imagine it happening. I know that if i was in a play the writer could write this happening but i would have more time to practice making it look real. I could also maybe learn more about the texture and the way it would feel to be inside a pumpkin. I thought that everyoen else did well and I did not even think that I would get something like that to do.

Relax

At first I thought today's exercise was not going to be that hard for me. I have insomnia, and I do progressive muscle relaxation almost every night. The first part of the class, the relaxation part, was not that difficult. But then we got to the visualization part and i began to have problems. It was not that I could not see the things I was suppossed to see. I did see them. But because I knew logically that they were not real, i sort of pulled away from it and pulled myself out of the exercise from time to time.
I was still fairly successful at visualizing things. When we were asked to open our eyes, it seemed weird that we were still in a classroom and there were other people around because in my mind I was not in a classroom and there were no other people around. For a few hours after class was over I still had this weird floating feeling. I know this is not normal because I do relaxation/meditation stuff fairly regularly. I would be interested to know what part of the exercise effected me this way.

I think that the reason we did the relaxation activity today in class was in order to get in-tune with our body and mind. I think that this activity opened our minds and enabled us to imagine so deeply that we actually put ourselves into different situations. Instead of pretending we were somewhere, our body and mind actually believed that we were there. For example, standing on the beach and walking through a thick substance.

Personally, this activity put me out of my comfort zone. I can think of a couple different reasons why. First, I think that I was uncomfortable because the actions I was doing were things that I do not normally do. Even something as simple as laying on my back on the floor was something that I felt uncomfortable with. Secondly, I am usually in charge of my own body. I am not used to not having complete control. When we were being told what to do it was a different experience for me. I actually did a shorter version of this activity in yogalates class once and also felt uncomfortable then. It is ironic how these activities are suppose to be relaxing because even though my muscles feel relaxed, there is still something inside of me that is tense due to me being uncomfortable.

Relaxation

I am not sure why we did the relaxation activity in class today. I was trying to figure out the purpose of the activity while we were doing it (I know I was not supposed to be thinking!), but I could not figure out the reason behind it. The one thing I did notice is that focus was very important for this exercise. When I was totally focused on the activity I could visualize the images Professor Polanco was saying. When my mind would drift off and I became unfocused, that is when I began to question why we were doing that activity. I have no idea what the point of the exercise was or what we will be doing on Thursday, but I am interested!

Relaxation and substances

Class today was very interesting to say the least. It took me a while to focus, to really concentrate on breathing and just being still. However, once I was able to focus, I was totally relaxed and was able to visualize what was going on. When I stood up and opened my eyes, it was much harder to still see the substance; but I think that was just because I hit the boundary of my comfort zone. I was surprised that I was able to relax so much, because I am the type of person that is always worried about stuff. I am very interested to see where this exercise goes on Thursday. I haven't yet figured out the reason for the exercise, but not knowing will drive me crazy.

Trapped Exercise

I really enjoyed this exercise. I was really able to think about this one because I can be a bit claustrophobic at times. I have a problem with small spaces and being stuck it one would make things ten times worse for me. This helped me react to the situation better because I just thought about how scary it is to be stuck in a small space.

Trapped

I thought that it was pretty weird doing the entrapment exercise. When I was doing the exercise I had to imagine actually being trapped and it was hard for me to do because being trapped in a coffin is a little bit random. I do believe that the entrapment exercise was a lot easier than the entanglement exercise just because everybody has been trapped at some point in there life. I think in order to be good at the entrapment exercise you have slow down and really think what you would do to get out and the more you think about what your doing and the more different things you do to get is what makes the audience believe you are actually trapped.

It snowed a little bit this morning, that's the first I've seen and I liked it. Also, I think that entrapment was easier than entanglement because it was easier to imagine a box around me for instance than things on my legs. Maybe props would help that, but that would probably defeat the purpose of doing it in class.

past couple of classes

when we were doin the entanglement and entrapment exercises ini class it was very esay to see who was tryin real hard to show us the entrapment /entanglement insted of actually being trapt. i also found that it was very easy to become entangled by not doing alot of other extra motion. i think everyone is becoming more comfertable in class and its becomeing easier to express the objective they are assinged.

Emotions

What I've found most interesting and challenging in the past two classes is the incorporation of emotions in our exercies. We have to be scared without acting like we're scared...which is really realy hard to make seem real. I think it's cool that we've past simply making movements and paying attention to detail and we;re now concentrating on how our faces look and what we are actually feeling. Also, I stil think it's crazy how true the statement less is more is in this class. Sometimes I feel like I'm not even doing much and it turns out that I'm doing really well or I'll be watching other people and it really is true that the less people do and the less they try to make me believe them, the more I actually do believe them.

Class on Thursday was interesting. Learning how to act entraped was different. It's hard to go through all the steps of fear. When someone is trapped, they don't actually realize at first. They think that something might be jammed or out of place. But once they realize that getting out of the situation is going to be tough, they begin to panic. It's hard to panic without over doing it. The key is to truly believe that you are in that situation.

Entrapment Vs. Entanglement

For me ,it is a little bit hard to distinguish between entrapment and entanglement. They feel like pretty much the same thing to me. Both are negative things. Both involve a similar reaction mentally and physically. I suppose entrapment is worse than entanglement, but it really just depends what you are entrapped/entangled in. Maybe I am analyzing this to much, but i feel like these exercises are some of the harder ones to just get up and do because I don't quite know how to react to them.

Entrapment

Well this exercise I thought was going to be harder than what it really was. When I first drew the piece of paper out of the pumpkin, I wasn't sure exactly what to do. So I sat there and thought to myself, what happens in all the movies when someone is being hunted down by some crazy animal. Outside of that, I was just hoping it would look alright and I guess it worked. I think the exercise would have been more fun if we had more variety of entrapment items rather than mostly boxes and coffins.

And I was happy to see Bill finally lose at Whizbang.

Class

I was not in class on Thursday so I did not get to do the entrapment exercise. So i thought i would just talk about the class. At first i really didn't know what to expect from this class but now i really enjoy it. I love the fact that everyone has warmed up and is not to shy anymore while doing the exercises. It makes for a comfortable and relaxing environment. Also i find it rather interesting see how people have improved by being more aware of their surroundings and small detail. Overall this class is exciting and fun and I would recommend this course to anyone looking for a fun or a different kind of class to take.

I really enjoyed class on Thursday. I liked pretending that I was trapped in something; it was much more interesting to do and to watch. I liked that there was more of a dramatic response with fear, pain, or uncomfortableness, it added an element of excitement to the exercise. I thought Aaron did an awesome job pretending that he was trapped by a dangerous animal. He really looked scared, and he moved very slowly and carefully. This was so fun to watch. Everything we do in class builds on each other, I can't wait to see what we will do tomorrow.

trapped

I feel that the being trapped exercise was really hard and  scary! When you are trapped in something and cannot get out that is one of the most terrifying things at least to me! I am claustrophobic and if i was trapped in something confining... like a coffin i would be freaking out! My trapped situation was in a car, and in that situation i would not be freaking out for at least 20 mins. of trying, and i feel when you are trying to act out a situation like this you need to really act like its happening to you in order for it to feel real to an audience.

bloggeroo

I agree with Rhea that being trapped in something was more scary than being tangled in something. Sure, being tangled in a rope for the rest of your life might be embarrassing but being stuck in a a coffin or a giant jack o lantern could kill you, which is much worse. I like that we are quicker to both volunteer and finish our exercises in one class. In the beginning it was hard to go to class knowing that you had not gone yet and you had already forgotten what it was you were doing.

Entrapped

Sorry I accidentally pushed enter after I entered the title the first time I tried to post! Anyways, I thought the entrapment exercise we did in class on Thursday was easier than when we did the entangled exercise. I was trying to figure out why it was easier for me to do this activity. I figured out that being entrapped is a fear of mine where being entangled does not frighten me. I am not a fan of closed, tight spaces. It was much more real for me to act like I was trapped in a box than entangled in a spider web.

Entrapped

Thursday Class

This class was spent acting like we were trapped. It is extremely noticeable that the students in class have learned that less is more when it comes to acting. Almost everyone in class did only what was necessary when acting trapped. There did not seem to be any exagerration or over-doing during this activity. It is obvious that we are all improving. Hopefully we will continue to improve and gain confidence!

tuesday

it was nice to just sit and talk on tuesday. i found it very interesting to listen to everyones point of view on the play. i found alot of other characteristics about the cast that i couldnt find myself. it was nice just to sit and talk to eachother and have a discussion for once and be seious for once. i mean i like being goofey dont get me wrong but its nice to just come back and act serious once in a while. when i found out that the majority of the were cast freshman, then i changed my attitude towards the play. but it was nice just to relax and have a conversasion .

Tuesday Class

Tuesdays class was actually kind of nice. I enjoyed just seating around and talking about something for once. Don't get my wrong i enjoy the exercises we do in class as well but sometimes its nice to just relax and have a group discussion. I found it rather interesting to hear everyone's point of view about the play. Everyone was talking about mistakes that were made it the play, but me personally i thought it was excellent. The fact that majority of the cast were freshman i was shocked at how well they did.

Class Tuesday

I don't have any real feelings on the class Tuesday since I was unable to see the Crucible in the Theater. I did like talking about McCarthyism towards the end because I did know something about that. It was interesting to see others views and what they thought though.

Class Tuesday

I thought that class Tuesday was pretty nice. I thought that the discussion of The Crucible helped me understand the play a lot better and I also agreed with a lot of what others in the class were saying. I think that it was nice to hear everyone's opinion of the play. I think that having that discussion made me think about my paper and what I had to say about The Crucible as opposed to others in the class. The change in pace was nice but I definitely can't wait to get back to our acting or our making fools out of ourselves. I think that by watching the play it may help us to act better once seeing other who are much better at it than we are.

Tuesday- The Crucible

I have to admit, it was nice to just sit and have a discussion on Tuesday. It really got me to think more about The Crucible and reflect back on what I had written about it. A lot of people brought up some interesting points that I had not initially thought about when watching the show. I think we have all taken something from watching the actors in The Crucible and I'll be interested to see if anything we brought up during the discussion will show up in our acting in the near future. Watching others act is definitely one good way to learn about acting and improve your skills.

So

I suppose I thought the class that we talked about the crucible was pretty good. Seemed like some people were into it and some were not so much. I thought it was pretty interesting to hear Fabio's opinion on the play because I sometimes wonder how people who are experienced in plays think about the ones that they watch and are not involved in.

I liked the change in pace of class on Tuesday. It was nice to just have a laid back conversation with everyone. There were a lot of good topics brought up during our conversation. I would have to say that I agreed with a lot of the things that were said. I liked talking about the play. It made me understand it a little better. But I'm looking forward to the next class. I can't wait to play whiz bang again. I wonder what he has in store for.

Comfortable

I completely agree with Renee. I'm in a modern drama class and we discussed the play in that class too and I didn't really participate too much in that discussion because I don't feel even close to as comfortable in that class as I do in our class. I loved that so many different people voiced their opinions without being pressured too much by the professor, people just volunteered their thoughts. I was surprised to hear all the different comments about the old people in the play because I thought they did very well but I understand where these people are coming from with their arguments because they noticed small things about the portrayal of the characters that I didn't notice.

talking

Tue class was very interesting, I really like hearing everyone's opinion and how everyone else viewed the play. I really feel like the class as a whole is comfortable with everyone now because i felt like everyone was really honest in class tue and did not care what anyone else thought. I know that I was conformable saying what i thought because i did not think that anyone would judge me. I really enjoyed having the descussion in class and i hope to do it again when we see our next play.

To add to what Clair said, I think the same thing is true for musical performances. There is nothing worse than watching some one who is visibly uncomfortable sing or play a song. No matter how great they sound, if they look like they want to either throw-up or run screaming for the door the audience is not going to enjoy the performance. Ironically, someone can not be very good but if they are relaxed and just go with it then people tend not to notice that they are not very good.

The Crucible

The discussion that we had in class on Tuesday was very beneficial to my opinion of the play. I think going into the play having already seen the movie, I was expecting something very similar. Going into the play after having heard the discussion that we had on Tuesday I would have had a bit of a different opinion. Knowing the background of the play and Arther Miller has helped with my understanding of not only the play but the way the characters were portrayed. I think that being able to talk about the things that were good in the play and the things that were not so good also helped my understanding of the concept of the play. I also enjoyed the discussion because many times I form an opinion about things and do not explore why I feel the way I do about them, and I think this discussion helped with that.

fine arts's

Acting is like art, well, it is an art, but I meant like painting or sculpture. Most of the old masters were just great by nature. When Fabio was telling us how when a competent actor would come on stage it gave the audience a feeling of relaxation. The same comes from looking at a good painting by an old master. Some things just seem forced, What makes something good is the natural reaction that a person has rather that the artist forcing you to do something. Some artists are good just because they just are, they are not demanding you see something or wanting to be liked. We talked about an actor trying to be liked, and I saw that as a kind of trying to force a composition. Adding matching forms or color swatches does not make a painting work. Things work just because they do, even though I don't know much about acting, I appreciate the spontaneity of things that just work.

the crucible

 I felt the discussion we had today in class was very helpful in that it enabled us to hear what others thought about the play.  It really helped us to bounce off ideas of what type of acting engages the audience and what hurts actors on stage.  I thought it was nice to hear what others who have seen many plays felt about this play in comparison to professional plays.