Doing improvisation scenes within our characters and with other character allowed me to explore my characters with more depth. I got to understand them on a more personal level, and create scenes of what I imagine they do after their average day, and what they do as activities etc. This activity locks in with the task of creating a character playlist, because when I was imagining my character, it also reminded me of songs that I'd chosen to suit my character during certain moments in a day of their lives.
For my character 'Doctor Prokrustes', I came to the conclusion that as a doctor, she is most likely to be living much better off than the other characters during those times.I imagine that she's rich from having a good occupation. In relation to this, I imagine that a normal activity for her would be playing tennis at a club.
I imagine that my character is elegant in the way that she holds herself. Being given the role of a doctor, I imagined that she looks like me, therefore i'd be able to relate more to the character. As another task, I imagined her to look totally different to how I'd previously imagined her. Doing this I saw 'Doctor Prokrustes' with very German features (as the play was originally German), she had big curly blonde hair and blue eyes and her favorite activity was painting.
I then had to do this [painting] activity in a hot and then cold environment, and I had to physically show how these two different temperatures had an affect on my characters activity. The side affects were quite obvious as it had external effects (although my characters activity was subtle). However, I then had to focus on something within the play that could also affect this activity. I thought of the fact that the doctor had to do the unfavorable job of prescribing abortion pills for a 14 year old. This affected Doctor Prokrustes painting as she couldn't paint to a great quality like she usually would. From doing this, I could really connect to how my character would've been feeling at the time doing her job, and how it would affect her everyday life.
Later, I was partnered up with another character from the play (Martha) to improvise a scene that shows how we interact with each other.
Overall, from doing this activity I learnt more about my character and how she'd interact with others. This has given me more of an insight on what she feels toward other character within the play, although she may not have a spoken scene with them. This work has developed my understanding of Doctor Prokrustes internal thoughts.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Production Project Blog
Character Playlists
I think that this song can reflect some of the things that Doctor Prokrustes has to go through every day. One of the song lyrics are "It's another if it ain't one thing", and one of the things that the 'Doctor' goes through every day is facing different patients with different illnesses, therefore it's almost never ending as 'It's another if it ain't one thing!" I can imagine this song being a point in Doctor Prokrustes life when she is currently with a client, working.
Some of these lyrics could metaphorically relate to the scene in which my character is prescribing Wendla with her medication for the abortion. It was the unwanted job for Dr Prokrustes to be helping out a pregnant 14 year old, therefore in relation to the song lyrics "There's a fork in the road, I'll do as I am told" and "I must take the un-forsaken road", Dr Prokrustes has an obstacle that she may not necessarily want to tackle, but in the nature of her job she will continue to do it although it's against her mentality.
This song sounded quite haunting, the flow and rhythm was very slow and the voice seemed echoed. The music in the background seemed quite dark, and I believe that this represents some elements of Bluebottle and the company of other teachers.
Here is a character playlist in which I believe that these songs reflect my characters in some way or another. Each song should have a meaning and reflect my characters life in some way. It's important to me that each song reflects each character during different moments of their life each day, for example, when they're: busy, relaxing, working, observing etc. Listening to these playlists can help me along the process of getting into character.
Doctor Prokrustes:
The reason why I chose this as one of the songs for Doctor Prokrustes is because the music has quite a busy theme towards it, which I imagine can be the lifestyle of Doctor Prokrustes, the reason being she is always busy with work and appointments and working with different clients. I think this song reflects my character during her busiest moments of her life, perhaps on the way or preparing for work.
The Jazz music in this song is extremely relaxing and slow. When closing my eyes and listening to this song, I could imagine my character being at home in a dim orange-lit room by a fireplace unwinding after a long day of work. To me ,this song represents the moments of equilibrium in Doctor Prokrustes life.
Though my character may have a repetitive pattern of work, Dr. Prokrustes doesn't fall into the same category as the company of teachers, as I believe she isn't controlled in a systematic way. She tries to live a lifestyle as normal as possible.
Some of these lyrics could metaphorically relate to the scene in which my character is prescribing Wendla with her medication for the abortion. It was the unwanted job for Dr Prokrustes to be helping out a pregnant 14 year old, therefore in relation to the song lyrics "There's a fork in the road, I'll do as I am told" and "I must take the un-forsaken road", Dr Prokrustes has an obstacle that she may not necessarily want to tackle, but in the nature of her job she will continue to do it although it's against her mentality.
Bluebottle:
This song is called personal and the reason why I chose it was because of the title and some of the lyrics. As my character observes the students/children living their lives, it's almost like my character is getting too involved in their personal business without the children even knowing. This song would represent the moments in which my character is on stage, observing the students lives.
The instrumental of this song has an isolated and desolate feel towards it. I imagine that Bluebottle, being a mysterious and quiet character would enjoy moments of isolation. That's how I imagine this instrumental song and my character matching. Being in the shoes of Bluebottle, I imagine that if she were to listen to this song, it would be at a time where she is not working at school as a teacher, but at home alone where she is tranquil.
"Everybody's got a Secret" are the main lyrics to this song. Considering my character is extremely mysterious, it's evident that 'Bluebottle' may have a 'Secret'.
This song sounded quite haunting, the flow and rhythm was very slow and the voice seemed echoed. The music in the background seemed quite dark, and I believe that this represents some elements of Bluebottle and the company of other teachers.
The instrumental of this song at the beginning reminds me of marching, it has a repetitive pattern but the instrument itself sounds broken. In my own interpretation, I thought of this as Bluebottle, being a teacher having a repetitive routine everyday, which also relates to the fact that all the teachers are like robots, and the broken sound towards it could represent the actual internal downfalls within themselves.
The lyrics "I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine" signifies Bluebottle in many ways. It seems as if she's so controlled by the ownership of the head teachers and the pastor, that it's almost become part of the norm to walk and talk like a machine hinting they're in a controlled yet unstable state of mind.
Production Project Blog
Titles and Sub-Titles of my scenes
It's important to give each scene given to my character a title and sub-title. I've discovered that this helps give the character an objective throughout the scene. No matter how small the character's role is in the scene, giving it a sub-title allows them to have a more evident reason for being in the scene. Perhaps this will help me to understand my characters more, as I would know the reasons for them being in a particular scene. Rather than just them being present on the scene externally, I can now explore the reasons why they are actually there, perhaps focusing on more internal reasons, their thoughts and how they're feeling in that present time.
Bluebottle:
Act One, Scene Three-
Title: The Observation
Sub Title: Discovering that Martha's father abuses her
Though in this scene Bluebottle has no given lines, from just observing, being in the scene and creating a sub-title, I've given my character the chance to react to what's going on and have feelings towards this, making Bluebottle more knowledgeable to Martha's situation at home. Already, this has given my character a significant reason to being in the scene, although it's mostly internal, perhaps Bluebottle's observations can affect the way she is later on in the play.
Act One, Scene Four-
Title: The mystery Observation
Sub-Title: Shocked at Moritz curiosity
In this scene it's evident that Bluebottle and Hammerhead are shocked at how one of the best students would be attracted from something that he's clearly restricted to. For the title, I've called it the mystery observation, as my character is in the same position as the other boys when finding out that Moritz had sneaked into the staff room. For the sub-title, I've called it 'Shocked at Moritz curiosity. Though the verb 'Shocked' would suggest that someone is either panicking or really surprised, Bluebottle reacts to this in such a subtle way which adds to the mystery elements of each of the teacher, which defines their differences between them, being extremely secretive and abstract, as opposed to the nature of the rest of the character.
Act Three, Scene One-
Title: The Staff Room Meeting
Sub-Title: One Less Problem/ I won't be satisfied Until the Window is shut
The reason why I chose these names for the scenes is because, evidently the head teacher/teachers and the pastor are in a staff room meeting. And the 'One Less Problem' is the problem of the open windows being addressed, therefore Bluebottle has a problem lifted off her shoulders during the staff meeting. Until the window is shut, then Bluebottle won't be satisfied. I believe that during this whole staff meeting, my character has one intention only to get across and that is based on the windows. This adds a slight humor to the scene, and it almost makes my character and the other characters seem quite crazy as they all come to the end of the meeting, having only solved the window issue.
Act Three, Scene Two-
Title: The Funeral
Sub-Title: The consequences of going against the rules
Dr. Prokrustes:
Act Three, Scene Five-
Title: Another Client
Sub-Title: Unfavorable task of treating a pregnant 14 year old
Originally, I was going to name the sub-title of this scene 'Another Day', however, acting upon given advice it was too simple and didn't really give my character a motive throughout the scene. However, when changing this, just the sub-title alone gave more depth to the title and more depth to Dr. Prokrustes objectives. This has given me something to work with, in terms of my characters actions, reactions, facial expressions etc.
Bluebottle:
Act One, Scene Three-
Title: The Observation
Sub Title: Discovering that Martha's father abuses her
Though in this scene Bluebottle has no given lines, from just observing, being in the scene and creating a sub-title, I've given my character the chance to react to what's going on and have feelings towards this, making Bluebottle more knowledgeable to Martha's situation at home. Already, this has given my character a significant reason to being in the scene, although it's mostly internal, perhaps Bluebottle's observations can affect the way she is later on in the play.
Act One, Scene Four-
Title: The mystery Observation
Sub-Title: Shocked at Moritz curiosity
In this scene it's evident that Bluebottle and Hammerhead are shocked at how one of the best students would be attracted from something that he's clearly restricted to. For the title, I've called it the mystery observation, as my character is in the same position as the other boys when finding out that Moritz had sneaked into the staff room. For the sub-title, I've called it 'Shocked at Moritz curiosity. Though the verb 'Shocked' would suggest that someone is either panicking or really surprised, Bluebottle reacts to this in such a subtle way which adds to the mystery elements of each of the teacher, which defines their differences between them, being extremely secretive and abstract, as opposed to the nature of the rest of the character.
Act Three, Scene One-
Title: The Staff Room Meeting
Sub-Title: One Less Problem/ I won't be satisfied Until the Window is shut
The reason why I chose these names for the scenes is because, evidently the head teacher/teachers and the pastor are in a staff room meeting. And the 'One Less Problem' is the problem of the open windows being addressed, therefore Bluebottle has a problem lifted off her shoulders during the staff meeting. Until the window is shut, then Bluebottle won't be satisfied. I believe that during this whole staff meeting, my character has one intention only to get across and that is based on the windows. This adds a slight humor to the scene, and it almost makes my character and the other characters seem quite crazy as they all come to the end of the meeting, having only solved the window issue.
Act Three, Scene Two-
Title: The Funeral
Sub-Title: The consequences of going against the rules
Dr. Prokrustes:
Act Three, Scene Five-
Title: Another Client
Sub-Title: Unfavorable task of treating a pregnant 14 year old
Originally, I was going to name the sub-title of this scene 'Another Day', however, acting upon given advice it was too simple and didn't really give my character a motive throughout the scene. However, when changing this, just the sub-title alone gave more depth to the title and more depth to Dr. Prokrustes objectives. This has given me something to work with, in terms of my characters actions, reactions, facial expressions etc.
Production Project Blog
What other characters think about my characters & What my characters think about themselves.
Though nothing is actually said about either of my characters, from knowing the play in general I have an idea of what other characters would think about them, and what my characters would think about themselves.
Because 'Bluebottle' is a teacher, usually the students (the boys) would find teachers quite demanding and annoying. Especially due to the fact that they get given lots of work to do at home. Additionally, the teachers show a signs on authority and cultism, therefore that's more of a reason as to why the students may not feel as generous towards them.
I imagine that Bluebottle is aware of the secrecy within herself and the other teachers, but she is too programmed to make any changes to her weirdness.
As for Doctor Prokrustes, I generally think that people respect her and admire her for her work, for example, in one scene when the Doctor is talking to Wendla's mother, Mrs Bergmann says "May I offer you a glass of wine, doctor?" This shows that people do acknowledge Doctor Prokrustes' work to helping others.
Doctor Prokrustes thinks of herself as an intelligent character. I imagine that she thinks of herself as a character that other people often rely on, therefore she may sometimes seem to act as if she's better than other people, however she already knows her position in society as she has a well-paid job. She knows she's rich and she shows that through her physicality and the way she thinks of other people.
Because 'Bluebottle' is a teacher, usually the students (the boys) would find teachers quite demanding and annoying. Especially due to the fact that they get given lots of work to do at home. Additionally, the teachers show a signs on authority and cultism, therefore that's more of a reason as to why the students may not feel as generous towards them.
I imagine that Bluebottle is aware of the secrecy within herself and the other teachers, but she is too programmed to make any changes to her weirdness.
As for Doctor Prokrustes, I generally think that people respect her and admire her for her work, for example, in one scene when the Doctor is talking to Wendla's mother, Mrs Bergmann says "May I offer you a glass of wine, doctor?" This shows that people do acknowledge Doctor Prokrustes' work to helping others.
Doctor Prokrustes thinks of herself as an intelligent character. I imagine that she thinks of herself as a character that other people often rely on, therefore she may sometimes seem to act as if she's better than other people, however she already knows her position in society as she has a well-paid job. She knows she's rich and she shows that through her physicality and the way she thinks of other people.
Thursday, October 02, 2014
Production Project Blog
Differences between me
& my characters
& my characters
Doctor Prokrustes:
Evidently, my character are I are different in terms of age, the location and the time period in which we were born. Identifying these differences at an early stage of the rehearsal process allows me to develop my character and act in truth as my character. The way in which I present these differences should come naturally in future rehearsals.
Bluebottle:
The character Bluebottle is extremely abstract and mysterious in the way in which she reacts with the other characters. The way in which our play's directed means that my character will be on stage watching the action, just observing the scene. The differences between Bluebottle and I is again similar to Doctor Prokrustes. We've different occupations, and different times in which we were born and the location. Also, I believe that there is a strong difference between my personality and Bluebottle's. I say this because Bluebottle almost seems to be quite mysterious, almost robotic in term of how they speak and the sub-text behind it. At one point of the play one of Bluebottle's lines is: "A mystery indeed.", to me this shows that the teachers are almost like a secret society, being very observant and evaluative when it comes to their students.
Bluebottle:
The character Bluebottle is extremely abstract and mysterious in the way in which she reacts with the other characters. The way in which our play's directed means that my character will be on stage watching the action, just observing the scene. The differences between Bluebottle and I is again similar to Doctor Prokrustes. We've different occupations, and different times in which we were born and the location. Also, I believe that there is a strong difference between my personality and Bluebottle's. I say this because Bluebottle almost seems to be quite mysterious, almost robotic in term of how they speak and the sub-text behind it. At one point of the play one of Bluebottle's lines is: "A mystery indeed.", to me this shows that the teachers are almost like a secret society, being very observant and evaluative when it comes to their students.
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