- Ideal Stage Placements .

Meaning:

Stage Right is familiar

Stage Left is alien

Upstage is distant, downstage is intimate

Downstage right best for intimacy

Down centre best for confrontation

Downstage left best for unfamiliar alien

Upstage left is distant unfamiliar

Upstage right is distant and familiar. From this position it is the easiest to remain unnoticed.

Movement:

Moving from stage right to stage left is easiest and most natural. 

Moving from left to right is most easily noticed. 

- Agusto Boal .

·         Theatre of the Oppressed

o   Forum theatre: an interactive theatre that allows for the audience to participate in the event itself

o   Spectactors are the audience that end up participating in the theatre of the oppressed through spectating and involvement

o   Not just a source of entertainment

§ Aims to evoke social change if used effectively

o   Invisible theatre (What would you do)

§  NY all actors and they set up a scene where they were oppressing a woman for her race. The surrounding people reacting to the scenario became the spectactors.

·         Once scene was over, they would ask people why they reacted that way

- Konstantin Stanislavski .

Konstantin Stanislavski (Vladimir Nemirovich Danchenko)

·         Upper class

·         Developed the MAT (Moscow art theatre) which turned well known for realistic interpretations of plays that were famous by Russian playwrights

·         Protected by Lenin

·         In fear of government, deleted many of his own works

·         Stage Directions were turned from simple into ways of evoking certain emotions, showing subtle details

·         “As if for the first time”, everything is new truthful sincere and joyous

·         Meyerhold

a.       Method acting: Stanislavski taught his actors to “be” rather than to “act”. For example, if character is experiencing a loss, the actor was to pull from himself the emotions that he himself would have felt in the past, for example the death of a family member, and channel it through his character to evoke the same emotion.

b.      The circle: when actors were nervous on stage, he taught them to focus on a small circle, usually consisting of one prop and one other character. Once the actor became comfortable with the small section on the stage, he could expand to other characters and props, always being able to resort back to the initial two items within the small circle if the nerves were to return.

c.       The magic “if”: Rather than simply having his actors learn their lines and memorize the expected emotions and reactions expected to go with them, Stanislavski used the magic “if” to expand the actors understanding of their characters. He would take the characters out of their scenes and allow the actors to react as their characters in different situations through using “if”. For example, how would your character respond if it was pushed while walking down the street? It allowed them to find the differences between their characters and themselves.

- Odds and Ends

Intrinsic: belonging to a thing by it's very nature
Extrinsic: not essential or inherent, not a basic part or quality, extraneous

"It's good because it's hard, and it's hard because its good."

- Quotes , and more Quotes .

" Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. "

- Steve Jobs

" If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. "

- C.S. Lewis

" Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity."

- Voltaire 

- Remembrance Day Blocking .

• Maverick in center and girl on left, boy on right/ playing video games
• Roll call begins as they play/ Maverick is called last, boy called second last, girlfriend says goodbye and best friend brings maverick to front of formation
• March into opposing triangles, line of 4, 3, 2, and as mavericks name is called, the opposing team marches in already in formation, and meets the two triangles with maverick in the middle. 
• Turn flashlights all off/ screen goes black,
• Have war noises playing,
• Stop for a moment,
• Every other light turn back on, fog present (Best friend alive, maverick dead) / game over flashes across the screen.  
• Roll call man comes to mavericks body, drapes a flag over him.
• Best friend takes the flag back to girlfriend on the couch; girlfriend holds it and turns off the lamp beside the couch
• Blackout

- Objective Day .

Don’t speak unless spoken to, Don’t have an opinion, Don’t research anything

October 31^st, 2011

Morning (Drive in):

It turned into more of a “reflective period” for Emma to virtually talk to herself unless I was addressed. It was different than a normal drive in because it turned into more of a monologue than a dialogue with the absence of singing or extreme laughing. I didn’t find myself eager to talk though; it was just different than I’m used to.

Bio (P1)

Bio was not difficult in the slightest. I rather wrote down my answers instead of answering his questions aloud. Socializing isn’t a huge part of bio, so I wasn’t longing to talk at all. The biggest challenge was knowing the answer and not being able to say it when no one else in the class knew it, so it resulted in a “you guys should know this” lecture from Mr. Hertz. Even though that got frustrating after the 2^nd or 3^rd time, it was better to know than not know it. I found myself often laughing to myself, which made me seem insane I’m guessing.

Theatre (P2)

It got frustrating because no one was staying on task or keeping anyone on task, so I found myself making plans on my own and showing them to people. Only 4 of the 6 people contributed to it, and it was extremely frustrating to have to sit there while no work was getting done, so in return, I formatted all the blocking necessary.

Lunch (Improv)

For improve at lunch, my objective was put on hold while the improv team itself was working. As soon as it ended, I went back to the silent, unresearched life.

Social (P3)

Social was possibly the hardest of all the classes, strictly from the opinion aspect. Many questions that Gillespie had asked I was the only one that knew the answer and it was frustrating to sit there and need to listen to him lecture us on how uneducated our generation can be.  In social I found myself able to be increasingly observant to more than just the general discussion, but rather people’s body language concerning certain ideas. Taking more of an outside view on the discussions today allowed for viewing from a different perspective.  There were many things that throughout the course of the class I had wanted to look up or research, though it didn’t bother me as much once I realized I had to hold back.

Chemistry (P4)

Chemistry, much like most of the other classes wasn’t a big hindrance. Mrs. Walsh was awfully confused when she would expect me to talk and id sit there silent, or id raise my hand instead of just flat out asking, it was almost funny to watch her respond to the change in my habits. The social aspect of it was a bit more difficult just because the classroom setup is to be sitting at a table with 4 of my friends. By that point, Hayley had made it clear that you had to address me in order to have me speak, so most of them understood quite quickly. Not surprisingly, it was easier to focus knowing that I was unable to talk.

Overall:

One of the main reasons I think I talk so much is to avoid thinking to myself.  I seemed to be a lot more aware of my pain when I was being more observant rather than participatory. A big aspect of the idea of the objective for a day is to increase self-awareness, in which i found the objective to be quite appropriate. Rather than coasting through the day as a matter of habit, i found myself being attentive of my surroundings and current situation and adjusting accordingly. This was effective in relation to the directors concept, because it set a clear picture of how a character must compose them self according to their current objective, even if it makes sense to defy it for some reason or another. Applying the directors concept to our everyday lives was beneficial overall.

- Henry David Thoreau .

" If you build castles in the air, your work need not be lost. That is where they should be. Now put foundations under them."

Aim high and dream big but build up enough of your life in that direction so that one day you can stand upon that work and it will hold you up. You need enough to hold up your dreams so that when you finally get there, you're able to stand upon them without having the castle come crashing down to earth. Find a way for the earth to meet your dreams, that way your dreams are more of a reality than if they're forever up in the air. But you must dream otherwise you have nothing to build up to.

After studying at Harvard and growing exceedingly close to his brother John, Henry David Thoreau was further traumatized from witnessing the death of his brother . This damage further pushed Thoreau to continue to read and write and grow, inspiring him to move to Walden pond. Writing his first book there, he also spent much time exploring nature and ways of life. After two years Thoreau returned home where he then spent 9 years rewriting his book to perfection concerning his experiment of living at Walden, finding great joy in things that most wouldn't be able to see. People often identified him as the "hermit in the wilderness." He had always been able to question and wonder in ways that most couldn't. Never attempting to push his way of life upon others, Thoreau was on a quest to find harmony within himself and relate that to his social, political, and cultural surroundings. Emerson once defined his as "the bachelor of thought and Nature".

- Consequence of Sound .

" My rhyme ain't good just yet,
My brain and tongue just met,
And they ain't friends, so far,
My words don't travel far,
They tangle in my hair,
And tend to go nowhere,
They grow right back inside,
Right past my brain and eyes
Into my stomach juice
Where they don't serve much use,
No healthy calories,
Nutrition values.
And I absorb back in
The words right through my skin
They sit there festering inside my bowels."

Consequence of Sound by Regina Spektor . 

- In Response To Directing .

 My directing project was more difficult that i had imagined at times, though i think that pending the last minute switch, it was a success. Trying it first hand allows you to realize how important communication is, and in response it turned out to be much more successful than i would've thought. During class time, the communication with my actors turned out to be successful, aiming for more of a democracy than a straight up dictatorship. My actors seemed to respond well to it and it helped avoid any conflicts concerning decisions making. The biggest problem with communication from my actors was Chrissy not showing up to our final preparation class. We were on track, but had no flex time to end up on track by the end of the class especially if Chrissy wasn't there with her lines memorized and she was the focus of the skit. My first reaction was to dismiss her, and find a way for our group to have a project by the end of that class that would be as close to presentation-ready. At that point i realized how beneficial it was to have made a mind map of the initial ideas we had made from our first class of the project and because of this we were able to pick out our next two strongest ideas that would work with a maximum of 3 actors, instead of 4. This saved us a lot of time. By the end of that class, we were able to have the full layout of our skit and our lines memorized. It was at this point that i had made the decision that IF Chrissy were to show up the next day and had a valid excuse for missing class that i would let her step in as the waitress, which is a rather small part, but it was still beneficial because Chrissy still got a chance to participate as well as i got the chance to spend the last 45 minutes prior to presenting where i could watch the group and make the adjustments that being in the skit itself made it difficult to see. By the time we were ready to present, i felt as if we could pull it off, though one more day would've allowed us to clear up the confusion at the end. I think we did a good job at developing the two distinct atmospheres, though the conflict, because of being so chaotic in nature, was a little undeveloped. Chrissy not showing up was a challenge to our group but i feel as if we had a better outcome because of the pressure last minute. If i were to do it again, i think i would do relatively the same thing, possibly thinking through the clarity from an outside perspective, regardless of time limitations.

- Gytis Padigemas .

" Think possibility . "

If you're never thinking possibility your brain will simply cling to the probable rather than the possible. In this, you will be withheld from more than imaginable and you'll be stuck in a box. If you think possibility, you're rather thinking uninhibitedly, rather than confined. Possibility doesn't mean it has to currently exist, and that's where the imagination comes in. To think possibility is to step out of that box and open up your mind to all that could be, rather than what simply already is. 

- Lau Tzu .

" For all things difficult to acquire, the intelligent man works with perseverance. "

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

- The Great Mediocrity .

This week has been driving me mental thinking about the "great mediocrity" and such. Such as what power does one in the top portion of the pyramid have over those beneath them? The thinkers, the great minds, even the doers exist at the top. So if they are the ones who take the control, start the projects, make a name for themselves, then what are the entitled to regarding the other groups?
On Friday Hayley, Emma, and I participated in the river cleanup led by the janitor (who in fact, McCarthy constantly talks about how he exists on top). While we were going through and getting the garbage from the riverbanks and surrounding areas, we came across many homeless people who happened to be sleeping or just existing where they are used to existing. As we went down the riverbank, we came across this full camp setup, consisting of sleeping bags, sweaters, boxes, and fencing, that was unoccupied at the time that we passed it. The first thing that came to my mind was that someone called that home. All three of us left it, and continued on, leaving it alone, though the janitor proceeded to tear it all down, and throw it into garbage bags to be thrown out. From that perspective, i cant understand his thinking. It's mid-october, the overnight frost is beginning to set in, this is everything that this man has accumulated and obtained in the past bit, and since he decided to go out and do who knows what for however long he was gone, he now only has the clothes that were on his back when he left. What if that man decided to leave that day in search of a job, in search of support, to start his journey to the top of that pyramid? What entitled the janitor to tear down the life that this man may have possibly started to build up in hopes of a better tomorrow? I cant stop thinking of what that man must've thought when he returned to find all of his possession gone. So tomorrow, Hayley and I are going to talk to the janitor to find out his perspective on why it was so important that all of his stuff had to be thrown out. It was supposed to be helping out the community, but for some reason,  felt for that one man, i had hurt the community more than helped it.

- Life Objectives .

I think I’m the prime example of the great mediocrity, and it’s not something I’ve grown to be proud of. I live my life doing everything at an acceptable level, being decent at most things, and great at none. I live my life with an odd mindset that takes some risks, and fears the others. I think my anxiety gets in the way of my superobjective, whatever that may be, and helps keep me stuck within the great mediocrity. I fear the wrong things, and take the wrong risks, leaving me relatively in the same place I would’ve found myself in two years ago. I think part of the reason that I have such difficulty with choosing a superobjective is the idea of our entire life falling underneath it. My life, from the way I see it, has been split in half. Before I was injured, I was fearless. I approached everything head on and if I were still that same person, I’d say my superobjective would simply turn out as “to be”. I wanted to be great at everything I did. I was convinced I had the world at my fingertips and that I could be anything and everything I would’ve ever wanted. I was athletic; I wanted to be on top. I was academic; I wanted to be as smart as my mind allowed me to be. I was optimistic; I wanted to be happy. And at that point, I had the drive to get me there.  Once I fell, fear came in and took away that overall longing to be great. Everything I wanted to be, and every answer I searched for seemed to rub in my face how much I am NOT capable of, and how much I have to restrain myself from the things I love. So since I fell, I’ve lost touch with the person who metaphorically carried the umbrella labelled “to be”, and I feel as if the newer me has lost that umbrella all together. Is it possible to obtain more than one superobjective in your life? They say that once the superobjective has been achieved or completed, then that is where it all ends. It is possible to say that my life ended when I fell, and I started a new one? Or is that a portrayal of having violated my superobjective for over 3 years and as a result it’s led me to living a life of mediocrity. I could say my superobjective is now “to survive” but that would simply be saying that I’ve chosen to lead my life at the mediocre level just from getting by on a day to day basis. Some days I’m more than that though. Some days I wake up and I can still feel the world at my fingertips, but that doesn’t last long. I could say that I’ve turned my direction in life to “search”, but I feel that it’s unjustifiable in relation to most days. Could it be “to find”? I’m always looking for answers, for stories, and especially for cures; to find approval, to find life in the smallest things, and to find hope in other people. The idea of being virtually two separate people still scares the shit out of me, and within that, I don’t know if I’ll ever find the person who initially wanted “to be” everything, but is it possible to have more than one life objective? Is it possible to carry two separate umbrellas in your life? The similarities between me now and Morgan Louise 4 years ago are ultimately non-existent. Is it possible to come back from that, and still be great? 

- The Storyteller .

 "August Gale: A Father and Daughter's Journey Into the Storm" by Barbara Walsh is a newly released novel based upon the story of my family on my mothers side. Captain Pat Walsh is my great grandfather and the story  is based upon his death along with the rest of my family, with the exception of my grandfather, who was 4 at the time. In the book, there is a section where they speak of Mitchell, whom i met when i was 7 years old when i returned to Newfoundland. They describe him as a storyteller, though they word it beautifully, discussing his passion for spinning stories, collecting details like little bits of string, and saving them until he settled in at a neighbors kitchen table where he would entertain in exchange for food and drink. 
The idea of "collecting bits of string and saving them" is a beautiful way of realizing the mindset of a director. Being so aware of their surroundings, picking up bits and pieces from everything they do day to day, and saving them to use them when the time is perfect. I've only read bits and pieces of the book thus far, but the collecting string stood out to me. 

- Directing Project .

identify two contradicting atmosphere , and identify how one atmosphere contradicts the other.
JP, Chrissy, and Alexa

Possible ideas:
Chistmas, vs. death ?
wedding vs. left at alter
first date vs. finding out you're adopted
day with auntie vs. divorce

• Aunt picks up niece from school for an early birthday thing, ect.
• Aunt gives niece birthday gift of 2 tickets to Disneyland
• Aunt bring niece back home to drop her off
• As dropped off, mother is struggling to keep husband from leaving
• Husband rips suitcase from wife's hands, approaches daughter
• "I love you, I'll see you soon, I promise" ect
• Husband leave, daughter runs to mother, distraught. 

- Rene Descartes .

"I think, therefore I am."

- The Directors Concept .

Each play has a superobjective, which is the clear and concise concept developed for the overall play. Within this, each character must have their own superobjective under which individual scene objectives would fall. It's like the umbrella concept, and each sub-level exists within the previous. Within each scene objective, each character has specific beats or tactics they use to achieve each scene objective, character objective, as well as the whole plays superobjective.

- The Lovely Bones

"As I would stand in the rain, my mother would stand at the open porch door. We both listened together to the rain pour and the thunder clap and smelled the earth rising to greet us. "You look invincible." My mother said one night. I loved these times when we seemed to feel the same thing I turned to her, wrapped in my thin gown, and said, "I am.""

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold is an extraordinary book. This excerpt is such a perfect example of text that relates to your senses through complete imagery. The way that the author spoke showing such vulnerability allows for a reader to interpret the section with such a raw nature and beauty. The relationship between a mother and a daughter is something that has always been seen as significant, whether that means tense, intimate, or even distant. I love that in this sense, they're speaking of invincibility. Sebold used the relationship over the course of the novel to portray progression, and in this excerpt, with such tenderness it is shows that said relationship was honestly something worth fighting for. Those moments when you know that you feel the same thing as another human being is such a specific occurrence, and there really isn't much that it can replace. From a directors perspective, to be able to recreate that moment on stage would be such a rare and tender moment that each individual in the audience would be able to relate to in one personal experience or another. I think the lack of eye contact, and rather the mother as the superior standing behind the daughter sends a whole new, stronger power for the moment. The daughter is full on into the rain, letting go of everything she knows for that one moment, and the mother, standing in the doorway would be a part of the storm, but yet still have her foot in the doorway, that last connection back to reality.
This except plays such a strength with the senses. Within 5 sentences, Sebold was able to capture sound, feel, smell, and sight into one without seeming like a list. I find such beauty in the way that "earth rising to greet us" is worded, therefore making it one of my favorite word-bits of all time (aside from "Let it bend before it breaks".) Within 5 sentences, the author makes such a clear picture of what is happening. To me, the feelings associated with this would be the perfect installation.

- Occupy Wall Street .

Imagine a perspective from the bystander, the one that ins't placing the blame. 

- Joseph Campbell .

" Follow Your Bliss . "

Campbell was a mythologist, writer, and lecturer.

"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are—if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time"


"I don't know whether my consciousness is proper consciousness or not; I don't know whether what I know of my being is my proper being or not; but I do know where my rapture is. So let me hang on to rapture, and that will bring me both my consciousness and my being."

- Thomas Carlyle

"The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none."

Believing in a leader/hero than people must recognize and worship, Thomas Carlyle was opposed to analytic reasoning. He supported a more emotional and intuitive approach. Scottish born, he led the life of a historian and an essayist. In his youth, he possessed the ultimate goal of being in the ministry. After 3 years, he abandoned that goal after having discovered a theological position that was contradictory to his teachings.  Thomas Carlyle experienced constant gastric pain that he had continued to live with all his life. This suffering most likely contributed to the perspectives he had carried out through his philosophies.  He had developed a concept called the "Everlasting No". It was a direct opposition to the Everlasting Yea, which was a complete faith in God. The Everlasting No expresses a "determination to mock and malign every aspect of the noblest sentiments of humanity" He had developed his own spiritual belief system based upon energy that is manifested within an individual. This was often described as "vitalism" "Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity."

- Aristotle .

" It is the mark of the educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Humans ultimately have the ability to see things, become aware of things, and to not believe or necessarily accept it. An uneducated mind, for example an animal, sees the sun as a light in the sky, and in their mind, it's exactly that, and its all it will ever be. Whereas a human would see this light, and question its validity, its composition, its purpose. The educated mind possesses the ability to reason and to doubt. The educated mind is trained to entertain thoughts as they are and allow for contemplation to further the understanding of the topic.

- Publius Terentius Afer .

"I am a human, and nothing human is alien to me."

"While there's life, there's hope."

Publius Terentius Afer (190-158BC), who is modernly known in America as Terence, was an African who came to Rome to write comedies in the form of 'Fabula Palliata'. Initially coming to Rome as a slave for a Roman senetor, he was properly educated and then freed and given a variation of his patrons name, Terence, and Afer was originated from his place of birth. At the time of his life, Terence almost lived in the shadow of Plautus, being less popular because of his work being more refined and less farcical than that of Plautus. He was often accused of validity of his work being his own and people saw him as a contaminator of Greek materials, meaning he amalgamated all or parts of Greek writing into one larger Roman whole. It has been said that English writers such as Shakespeare and Chaucer show evidence of having been influenced by Terence, as well as Moliere, Wilde, Congreve, and others. The extant works of Terence include six plays: Andria, Hecyra, Heautontimoroumenos, Eunuchus, Phormio, and Adelphi (most well-known). He is known for consistency of plot and characterization. He left Rome in 158BC to Greece to study the comedies of Menander from which he never returned. It is said to be that he downed at sea, but it is also a possibility that he died while in Greece.
Menander is accepted as the best writer of the comedy of manners among the Greeks. He was considered an imitator of Euripides. The only surviving full example of "New Comedy" to exist in modern times is Dyskolos, a play Menander had written.
Fabula Palliata refers to a type of ancient Roman comedy that is greatly centered around the greeks. Dressed up in Greek garments, with social conversations portrayed in Greek, with storylines heavily influenced by "New Comedy", done by the Greeks. Terences involvement in the revival of Fabula Palliata triggered a supportive response, the fabula palliata gave way to fabula togata, where actors are dressed in roman garments.

- Mind Altering ?

Freaky Friday, for example, is a movie/novel centered around a mother and daughter switching bodies into the lives of one another. They face their conflicts in life, their relationships, and allow themselves for a better understanding of one another. In that sense, they keep their own mind, and switch their bodies.
Now what if that was swapped. What if humans possessed the ability to remain in our own bodies, and swap minds with one another; the way they think, make connections, show emotion, even analyse situations. "If you could only imagine what goes on in my head." But to realize the depth of that statement has tied up my mind for days. In order to fully comprehend what is within the mind of someone else, it would virtually eliminate the perspectives of your current mind. Within our own minds, we hold the ability to compare, analyse, and retain information . Once we switch that out for the mind of another, there would be no way to form a conclusion on how the "new mind" would compare to your original because all you have to compare with is the memory of what this "new mind" entails.
As humans, we're constantly finding ourselves in situations where we look at something in a different way than we have in the past, or we remember something from a different perspective than we initially saw it through. Our moods about certain people change, even our likes and interests, or motivations in life. What if all of this was a flaw of switching minds with one another to a certain extent, but as a human race we're unable to fathom the idea. What if mental illness, lets say depression, were to only exist in certain original minds. As one is "cured", said mindset would be transferred from one person to another, leaving an opening for a more positive one to move into its place. What if as people pass, their minds are not put to rest, but rather sent back to the cycle of transferring thought processes.