As a first-time theater student, my greatest satisfaction is that I have learned to enjoy expressing myself, through bringing my own unique experiences to life through the character I am portraying. Furthermore, theater class has taught me how to express myself more effectively. As Sir Ian Murray McKellen, famously cast as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings says, “Acting is a very personal process. It has to do with expressing your own personality, and discovering the character you're playing through your own experience – so we're all different.”
Before theater class, I had some experience in performance, both before large audiences nationally and internationally. However, my experience was quite different from theater in that my performances with the Young Voice of Colorado was predominantly singing, with an occasional silent acting role, with the added distinction of being a
Not only do choirs want the choir members to connect with the audience through emotion, but they also want the audience to remain engaged throughout the performance. No facial expressions, or limited facial expressions results in the audience checking out and growing bored with the performance. Consequently, without choirs encouraging facial expressions, I am convinced that I would have found acting to be much more of a challenge. However, despite knowing and being familiar with facial expressions, what I did find challenging was to make my voice express what I, or more specifically, the character was feeling. This is certainly I found more challenging and certainly one area that I grew in while in theater class. As a result, I believe that I now have more confidence in my ability to use, not only facial expressions, but also my voice to express what the character and I are
In this area of theatre i have learned more about brainstorming, character position, the effectiveness of music, the effectiveness of light and at what darkness and more about character goals and character formation both physical and vocal.
Acting is seen in your everyday life, whether it be on a tv, in a movie theatre, on a stage, or even in person! Acting goes as far back as 500 B.C. when it was used for the same thing it is today, entertainment. It still goes by the same basic rules, yet it has changed some. I’ve always loved the thought of being an actress on the big stage, so I thought this would be the perfect time to figure out if this is what I really want, or possibly make me want it even more.
Performing or public speaking of any kind is difficult, but that difficulty can help to build confidence. Fine arts gives students the ability to perform and build confidence with their own support team of people who do and love the same thing. Not having to perform alone and knowing that everything possible has been done to ensure a good performance helps performers be confident in themselves and in their abilities. “Puneet Jacob, former choristers and current assistant conductor, says kids are often afraid to perform because of fear of failure.” (Lefebvre) The more a person faces their fear, especially when they do well and the fear is disproved, the less afraid he or she will become. When students work on music or a play for months on end, they become much more confident in themselves and what they can do than they were when they first began.
I went to see Around the World in eighty Days with a very open mind as it was the first professional play I have gone to see and after I left I was absolutely stunned. After experiencing the dynamic magic that is professional theatre I became positive I would never pay to see a film in a theatre ever again. I never thought film actors and stage actors were the same but now I know unequivocally that the two are on separate planets. The vast differences in both planets truly makes one appreciate theatre for all of its’ glory. While I never thought much of or respected actors, and why would anyone; stage actors are true workers, stage actors are true artists, stage actors are actual actors.
The dramaturgical perspective, or its equivalent impression management, is sociological paradigm by which a goal-directed conscious or unconscious process (presentation or reception), attempts to influence the perceptions of other people (Helslin, 2012). Unlike other sociological theories, Dramaturgy does not examine the human behavior outcomes but analyzes the context––the stage––in which we perform for an audience. With five personality dimensions: audience status, power, attractiveness, like-ability, and intimidation as perceived by the performer, dramaturgy plays up verbal and non-verbal cues as the main component. In movies, or even Broadway plays, there’s a need for a specific theme. Without this fundamental point, they would be meaningless nonsense with no relevance. Our lives are no different. We all have personal goals in which impression management can be applied for success, and this assignment helped me recognize that. I act a certain way with the goal that I must persuade my audience, or defend my character. In the following paragraphs, I will highlight myself in a workplace performance for dramaturgical analysis. My performance provided me with praise, and self esteem, but a poor performance would surely have brought me negative criticism or disrespect.
Mastering vocal expression is about incorporating thought and feeling in the speech and applying suitable volume. Encompassing warmth and friendliness, enthusiasm, and sincerity into a speech is how a good speaker shines in the personality department. Possibly the most important component to being
Lazarus, Joan. "On the Verge of Change: New Directions in Secondary Theatre Education." Applied Theatre Research 3.2 (July 2015): 149-161. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/atr.3.2.149_1.
According to Erving Goffman’s performances theory, the way we interpret ourselves is similar to a theater in which we are all actors on a stage playing a variety of roles. The way in which we act in front of a group of observers or audience is our performance. Goffman introduces the idea that we are always performing for our observers like actors performing on a stage. The impression that we give off to an audience in a scenario is the actor’s front. You can compare an actor’s front to a script. Certain scenarios have scripts that suggest the actor how he or she should behave in every situation. The setting for the performances includes the location and scenery in which the acing takes place.
For the performers action to become significant, they must dramatically express during the interaction what they want to convey. Dramatic realization is the portrayal of desired characteristics that the actor wishes to present to the audience. Additionally, the concept of idealized performances is relevant to the discussion. Goffman argues, that social actors (performers) do not have full autonomy in deciding their role, but that they perform (interact) in the most socially acceptable way (35). Thus, when we are on the front stage, we embody in our performance the values of society (35).
Emotional expression is they way that the internal aspects of a character’s conflicts, needs, and feelings are expressed. Those that study Meisner acting in nyc use an imagined emotional history of a character which they must then express using all the aspects of the instrument. Students of Meisner acting must study the range of human emotions in all their complexity. They work hard to create a foundation of human emotion and way of communicating based on real people and fictional characters. When called upon to create a specific character, they dig very deep and create and imagine (another part of the instrument) what that character’s emotional story is.
I’ve learned to appreciate the beauty of how theater is more than a mere performance, but rather an artform with nuance and depth. My knowledge on theatrical styles has expanded and some of my favorites we have studied in class are Brechtian and Chinese theatre styles. I grew up participating in musical theatre, but never had the opportunity to truly learn the history and details of the craft. After studying RENT, I am inspired by the various possibilities for theater beyond acting, singing, and dancing. Theater can be used for activism or as a form of commemoration. Theater is relevant by communicating issues to the world. Theater is so much more than a dramatic presentation. The theater that I have come to appreciate the most are the performances that relay a greater purposeful message about society amidst the theatricals on
Applied Theatre work includes Theatre-in-Education, Community and Team-building, Conflict Resolution, and Political theatre, to name just a few of its uses. However, Christopher Balme states that “Grotowski define acting as a communicative process with spectators and not just as a production problem of the actor” (Balme, 2008: 25). Applied Theatre practices may adopt the following “theatrical transactions that involve participants in different participative relationships” such as Theatre for a community, Theatre with a community and Theatre by a community Prentki & Preston (2009: 10). Whereas, applied theatre one of its most major powers is that it gives voice to the voiceless and it is a theatre for, by, and with the people. However, Applied Theatre practitioners are devising educational and entertaining performances bringing personal stories to life and build
“Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.” ― Meryl Streep. I love exploring and gaining knowledge about the beautiful craft of acting. During my journey of being an actor, I notice there are two types of actors: stage and film. Stage and film actors are different in their times of rehearsal, their relationship with an audience, and their emotional challenges.
The survival of theatre lies in the very nature of humankind: its inner voyeuristic drive. The desire to watch other people dealing with their conflicts and fates challenges as well as reinforces values and the morality of society. The theatre provides an exciting opportunity to watch stories and situations as if they were real life, showing us the truth of our nature.
My experience watching a live theatre performance on stage was a fascinating one, most especially since it was my first time. I attended a staged performance of “The History Boys” in a small theatre called “The Little Theatre of Alexandria” at 8:00 pm on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. The overall production of the play was a resounding experience for me particularly the performance of the actors and the design of the scene made the play seem real.