"The fact is, he's shot himself"
... look it up
Have a great break everybody
matt
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday's Run
I would first like to say that I think our performance / work-in-progress run went well today. Everyone was having fun and trying new things, and really letting the words tell the story. It seems that our pace suffered a bit from our playful attitude but it definitely was a learning experience to do. I really went for my goal of trusting the text, and it seemed to work well for me. I was pleased to find a freedom in the words without having to overpower with “acting”. I had fun today and found a freedom with having the audience there. I went more for the physical attributes of Dorn’s bad knees and back and really just trusted the work I had done. I was very pleased with how things went, and learned a great deal from working on The Seagull. Thanks Matt for everything!
Tuesday' run
After this Tuesday run I am not feeling the best about my performance and choices for Dorn, but I am happy because I think I know what I need to work on for our performance on Thursday. I felt like I was pushing every moment far too hard today and pretty much just trying to hard to act. I was not talking and listening like I should have been, and I was in my head. I was successful I believe with the physical life of the character during this run, which is promising in my ongoing effort to slow down Dorn and take out all of the idiosyncratic gestures that I do in my life (the fast paced jabs, and frantic arms). My goal for our run on Thursday is to trust the text. I want to simply talk and listen and let myself have fun and play. I want to trust the work that I have done on the character and let the words be my vehicle for acting.
-Skye
-Skye
Monday, December 8, 2008
My Nina
First of all, I think this project came at the perfect time in my life, and I am very grateful to have worked on it with such a focused and wonderful group of people. I was constantly trying to find new ways of pushing myself to be better every time I entered the space. All across the board, what I am working on most now is just letting down defenses and not presenting the emotion, or working myself up into it, but breathing it in and just being it, and being active on top of it. I think Nina definately was a character that helped me to do that, and it was easier at certain times than others.She was so layered, with her abandonment and abuse issues, to her love and infatuation with Trigorin, her adoration of Arkadina, her intense friendship with Konstantin...I really grew to have very strong opinions on each character, and that felt most evident to me in my playing of the 'performance' on stage. The most difficult part of the process for me was playing the more youthful side!
of myself and making it believable. It's not that I'm not youthful, obviously I am, but I think Nina just comes from a much different point of view physically and vocally, which forced me to really change how I moved in the space. This was a great exercise in Laban and Effort Actions, did Nina poke? glide? flick? I used that to help me-and the Clown exercise was an aha moment for me too, where I really paid attention to my habits/natural tendencies. I love Clown work because it allows you to make a big choice and play it and practice sustaining it-so this helped me in developing my character. On the day of the show, I thought technically I might have been looking at the ground a lot-I took Matt's note of playing more of the nervous side, but I think I could find more thoughts up in the air at times also. I still think I was on my way of finding the 'hippiness', but granted more time and exercises I know I could have gone even further. I think I need to just think LIGHTER o!
verall...Matt, your note you gave me right before to just focus on her
hunger really helped me...thanks. The actual 'performance' of Konstantin's play felt awkward-in a good way that helped me as the actor. I felt a nice balance between being grand and truthfulness. So really feeling the play through moment by moment helped set me up for the coming back out and them clapping, etc...Sometimes, as Daisy, the audience can have a tendency to make me "pony it up" for them and lose character, but that did not happen here. I am learning how to stay in it no matter what, and stay true to the work. I of course, was still aware of their presence, but it did not make me stray off course or lose my need or forget who I was talking to or why. My concentration was on telling this story.Knowing people had seen this show on Broadway recently and had the amazing Nina there stuck in their minds, I didnt care. I was not trying to emulate anybody's performance, or try and be like they were. I was my Nina and that's all I could be.
of myself and making it believable. It's not that I'm not youthful, obviously I am, but I think Nina just comes from a much different point of view physically and vocally, which forced me to really change how I moved in the space. This was a great exercise in Laban and Effort Actions, did Nina poke? glide? flick? I used that to help me-and the Clown exercise was an aha moment for me too, where I really paid attention to my habits/natural tendencies. I love Clown work because it allows you to make a big choice and play it and practice sustaining it-so this helped me in developing my character. On the day of the show, I thought technically I might have been looking at the ground a lot-I took Matt's note of playing more of the nervous side, but I think I could find more thoughts up in the air at times also. I still think I was on my way of finding the 'hippiness', but granted more time and exercises I know I could have gone even further. I think I need to just think LIGHTER o!
verall...Matt, your note you gave me right before to just focus on her
hunger really helped me...thanks. The actual 'performance' of Konstantin's play felt awkward-in a good way that helped me as the actor. I felt a nice balance between being grand and truthfulness. So really feeling the play through moment by moment helped set me up for the coming back out and them clapping, etc...Sometimes, as Daisy, the audience can have a tendency to make me "pony it up" for them and lose character, but that did not happen here. I am learning how to stay in it no matter what, and stay true to the work. I of course, was still aware of their presence, but it did not make me stray off course or lose my need or forget who I was talking to or why. My concentration was on telling this story.Knowing people had seen this show on Broadway recently and had the amazing Nina there stuck in their minds, I didnt care. I was not trying to emulate anybody's performance, or try and be like they were. I was my Nina and that's all I could be.
Masha's last entry
Working on “The Seagull” was a great experience for me. And the final showing I thought went very well. However, it was so different when we did it in front of people. I found myself second guessing myself when I got off stage and then before I went on I found myself trying to plan things out. So I had to constantly tell myself to chill out. When the performance was over I realized that Masha is such a complicated role and I really wish I could have gone deeper. I hope I get the chance to play her again. She has such an a amazing arch and it would be wonderful to delve more into it. Like Alborz said, I feel like I only clipped the tip of the iceberg.
The biggest thing I learned this semester working on Chekhov was text work. I was always very confused about how to do it and we talked about it for an hour and I understood it completely. It makes so much sense to have an action when you are not talking. I never had done that before and it automatically makes you so much more active while you are not talking on stage. So I had a clear idea of what I was doing while I wasn’t speaking, but I might as well have been because I felt so involved with what was happening on stage.
The biggest thing I learned this semester working on Chekhov was text work. I was always very confused about how to do it and we talked about it for an hour and I understood it completely. It makes so much sense to have an action when you are not talking. I never had done that before and it automatically makes you so much more active while you are not talking on stage. So I had a clear idea of what I was doing while I wasn’t speaking, but I might as well have been because I felt so involved with what was happening on stage.
Running reactions
I was pleasantly surprised with my work during or run on Thursday. I thought that I came into the first few beats with Alborz more comfortably than we've ever been. I thought Alborz and I played off each other well. And I was able to logically live in most of the beats with everyone else on stage.
I do think that I got trapped in the vocal constraints of my character. I didn't go on stage 100% sure of my vocal placement. It improved over our run, but that was something I was frustrated about.
This class has been invaluable to me at this point of my junior year. To go through this process with all of my classmates and with Matt reminded me of the hard work that you have to put in to get true results. I hope to carry this into everything I do in the future.
I was very thankful to work with everyone throughout this process.
Have a beautiful, relaxing, and refreshing break.
Peter
I do think that I got trapped in the vocal constraints of my character. I didn't go on stage 100% sure of my vocal placement. It improved over our run, but that was something I was frustrated about.
This class has been invaluable to me at this point of my junior year. To go through this process with all of my classmates and with Matt reminded me of the hard work that you have to put in to get true results. I hope to carry this into everything I do in the future.
I was very thankful to work with everyone throughout this process.
Have a beautiful, relaxing, and refreshing break.
Peter
Thanksgiving voice
I had several meals with my grandfather over the thanksgiving break. I studied his vocal patterns as well as his physical tempo.
Vocal - His speech was very firm, and yet the vocal quality was very worn out. When you're old, you have the same intent and drive in your words, its just that you can't physically muster the same strength in your voice.
Physical - The same thing goes for your body. Every move my grandfather made was slower and more thoughtful than my own impulses.
The physicality is not an objective but rather its an obstacle. Once I set the parameters of my voice and physicality I will hopefully be able to find more freedom in them; instead of playing them as an objective.
- Peter
Vocal - His speech was very firm, and yet the vocal quality was very worn out. When you're old, you have the same intent and drive in your words, its just that you can't physically muster the same strength in your voice.
Physical - The same thing goes for your body. Every move my grandfather made was slower and more thoughtful than my own impulses.
The physicality is not an objective but rather its an obstacle. Once I set the parameters of my voice and physicality I will hopefully be able to find more freedom in them; instead of playing them as an objective.
- Peter
Alborz's final thoughts
It is always surreal when a project is finished. After living and breathing something for so long, your brain feels like a vacuum when the thing that occupied it is over and sucked out, and your head is left reeling with small recollections of the previous weeks.
I do not think that the showing was a failure by any means, and I was pleased with the way I allowed myself to trust the work I had done even though I knew going into it that there was so much more to be done (there always is). I did not feel self-conscious about my choices during the showing, which is always a good sign that I am focused on playing with my scene partners and not on the reactions or vibes of my audience. While I caught myself at times slipping into old habits, such as over-cheating myself to the audience in my scene with Nina, I think I was able to adjust accordingly in these moments.
I think that the next step would be—well I think there are a lot of next steps—but an important one for me would be to really explore the intensity of Konstantin’s responses and tactics. I would have allowed myself more to test the limits of how far he will go, how much he is irked my his mother and by Masha. I think in the Nina scene, I went to great lengths to get Nina to profess her love to me, but maybe there are more of these big moments, especially in my scene with Sorin and when I stop the play. I think I could have found more moments of the same intensity as when I shoved Masha out of my face at the end of my scene with Dorn. It is not about melodrama, but rather about those straws on the camel’s back that push Konstantin to these extreme places.
What an experience!
I do not think that the showing was a failure by any means, and I was pleased with the way I allowed myself to trust the work I had done even though I knew going into it that there was so much more to be done (there always is). I did not feel self-conscious about my choices during the showing, which is always a good sign that I am focused on playing with my scene partners and not on the reactions or vibes of my audience. While I caught myself at times slipping into old habits, such as over-cheating myself to the audience in my scene with Nina, I think I was able to adjust accordingly in these moments.
I think that the next step would be—well I think there are a lot of next steps—but an important one for me would be to really explore the intensity of Konstantin’s responses and tactics. I would have allowed myself more to test the limits of how far he will go, how much he is irked my his mother and by Masha. I think in the Nina scene, I went to great lengths to get Nina to profess her love to me, but maybe there are more of these big moments, especially in my scene with Sorin and when I stop the play. I think I could have found more moments of the same intensity as when I shoved Masha out of my face at the end of my scene with Dorn. It is not about melodrama, but rather about those straws on the camel’s back that push Konstantin to these extreme places.
What an experience!
after the final run
I feel more proud of our class as a whole than I ever have before. Of course we all still have a long ways to go, but I think that everyone in all three of the classes did some of the best, most simple yet filled work I have seen thus far. Most everyone looked comfortable and grounded and there was not this need to “show” the work. In terms of our class and my work, I felt like the energy and pacing was a little slower at the beginning although it did not hinder us too much. I thought we were talking and listening well to each other and that our responses aided our fellow actors on stage as apposed to responding to “show” how we felt about something. There was a moment when I was with Masha in the first scene near the stage and I knocked over the seagull cut out that was leaning against a stage leg. In the moment, I looked at what I had done, took note of it and let if affect me, but I felt that my need to communicate what I was saying to Masha was so crucial that I needed to give my focus back to her. But looking back on that moment I think I could have used the seagull falling over more. If I knocked something over near the stage, of course I would fix it because I always want to please and the last thing I want to do is offend my host. On the other hand, maybe Konstantine set that up for his play, so I don’t mind if that gets screwed up because it will be harder for him to impress Masha. In the group scene, I felt better about just letting myself be there listening and not feeling like I always had to do something. When we all entered for the play scene, I felt more connected to the group than I had before. I think everyone was more connected because all we had out there was each other and I thought this was especially apparent in the big pause before “the angel of silence…” line. I enjoyed the feeling of drowning in the silence and I thought everyone dealt with it really nicely.
It was a pleasure working with all of you (as always) and it is a great privilege that we all get to see each other grow so much through all of the training we have had so far. Thank you all and thank you Matt for all the time and work you put into the class/project.
It was a pleasure working with all of you (as always) and it is a great privilege that we all get to see each other grow so much through all of the training we have had so far. Thank you all and thank you Matt for all the time and work you put into the class/project.
Last blog before Brooklyn
Chekhov = boring. (That was the old Caitlin.)
Chekhov = wonderful, necessary, smart, emotional, hysterical. (This is the new Caitlin.)
I saw The Seagull on broadway over mid-semester, and my old and stupid opinions changed by the ending of the act. Then, as I would have it, literally on the ride home from New York we got the email saying we would be doing this show. This was the most exciting project I have gotten to work on in so long, and I am so glad we got to do it together. It was a difficult process for me, I had too many ideas in the beginning which scared me, and made the mistake of choosing one early on and forgetting the rest. I had a lot of fun on Thursday but at the beginning of new beats I still felt inactive and got a little lost trying to gain back this "idea" I had rather then listening and reacting. There's always more to do and always more to improve on; I wish we had more time...now I understand why they take 3 years to work on these scenes in Russia. I'll really miss working on Chekhov, I want to explore more of the idea that there are no villains/good guys...that concept is so incredible to me. It makes so much sense! Every villain could be played as the hero...because they think they are one! How much more interesting would they be. Chekhov gets human interaction so incredibly well, I want to continue reading all his plays because he picks up on these uncannily true thought processes and ways of dealing with others people go through better than any writer I have come across. I especially loved our talks we had in class about acting, in general. From Star Wars to The Front Desk, I loved talking with you all and there are notes in my journal that I am still thinking about. I now know how to use a Big List and find that super objective, how Clowns can actually help me act, how important your relationship to your environment is, and so much more. So thanks Matt, Peter, Nick, Tyree, Daisy, Tess, Alborz and Skye for the learning and the fun. One last quote:
"Chekhov often expressed his thought not in speeches," wrote Stanislavski, "but in pauses or between the lines or in replies consisting of a single word… the characters often feel and think things not expressed in the lines they speak."
So I leave you with this:
have a great.........................................break.
Chekhov = wonderful, necessary, smart, emotional, hysterical. (This is the new Caitlin.)
I saw The Seagull on broadway over mid-semester, and my old and stupid opinions changed by the ending of the act. Then, as I would have it, literally on the ride home from New York we got the email saying we would be doing this show. This was the most exciting project I have gotten to work on in so long, and I am so glad we got to do it together. It was a difficult process for me, I had too many ideas in the beginning which scared me, and made the mistake of choosing one early on and forgetting the rest. I had a lot of fun on Thursday but at the beginning of new beats I still felt inactive and got a little lost trying to gain back this "idea" I had rather then listening and reacting. There's always more to do and always more to improve on; I wish we had more time...now I understand why they take 3 years to work on these scenes in Russia. I'll really miss working on Chekhov, I want to explore more of the idea that there are no villains/good guys...that concept is so incredible to me. It makes so much sense! Every villain could be played as the hero...because they think they are one! How much more interesting would they be. Chekhov gets human interaction so incredibly well, I want to continue reading all his plays because he picks up on these uncannily true thought processes and ways of dealing with others people go through better than any writer I have come across. I especially loved our talks we had in class about acting, in general. From Star Wars to The Front Desk, I loved talking with you all and there are notes in my journal that I am still thinking about. I now know how to use a Big List and find that super objective, how Clowns can actually help me act, how important your relationship to your environment is, and so much more. So thanks Matt, Peter, Nick, Tyree, Daisy, Tess, Alborz and Skye for the learning and the fun. One last quote:
"Chekhov often expressed his thought not in speeches," wrote Stanislavski, "but in pauses or between the lines or in replies consisting of a single word… the characters often feel and think things not expressed in the lines they speak."
So I leave you with this:
have a great.........................................break.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Frustration
I felt more unsure of myself in this last run that I have during any other we have done so far. I felt like I discovered so many new things in the clown run we did before thanksgiving but I had a hard time implementing some of those discoveries. I didn’t trust that some of the choices I made were reading so I ended up forcing some moments. I keep aspiring to trust that the work I have done will be there for me and that it wont look like I’m empty or inactive. Sometimes this causes me to “over-show” and the result is a very surface performance in which I am not fully present with the rest of the ensemble. At a couple of moments I found myself reverting to habits I had freshman year and thought I had got rid of (for the most part) such as excessive fighting or feeling the need to always do something with my hands. Since freshman year I have been working on channeling that fidgety energy into my center and letting it help keep me going on the inside while being still on the outside. I have found times, especially in certain scenes last year where this has worked for me (and I have been able to bring aspects of that goal to the work we have done in Chekhov class this year) but I felt like I did not accomplish this on Tuesday. This frustrated me, but I was able to take that frustration and get excited about it and “use it as motivation to work harder and increase efforts.” –Matt Gray, 10/26/08
Masha's Clown
When we did the clown run in class I learned so much about my character. The whole time I was on stage the only thing I cared about was being with Konstantine and when I was with him on stage the only thing I cared about was making him notice me. I got a great note, however, that you can’t play a scene wanting only something/someone that is off stage. So I came up with things that I want from Medvedenko in the scene, because the way I played it in the clown run I couldn’t tell you what made me stay and keep talking to him. I decided that I enjoy Medvedenko’s company. When we first met I liked our conversations and we became friends. I don’t want him to think that I am in love with him and I want to make that clear. I don’t want to be responsible for him not being able fall in love with someone else, because I am in love with Konstantine and don’t feel that way about Medvedenko.
During the speed run we had on Tuesday I was having so much trouble figuring out why I started talking about a storm and I remembered Matt saying something about a storm happening inside me not just in the weather. In the scene I notice the weather in order to change the subject because I am tired of him lecturing me about money and me not giving him enough credit and attention. Which makes me think about how Medvedenko only cares about money and thinks one can’t live without it. However, I think it would be worse to live without love. Then I say “But you wouldn’t understand that…” This is because he never tries to understand me he only pretends to. I always tell him how I feel and then we just end up talking about how he has no money and how he understands if I can’t love him because of that.
I also noticed in this run that I was paying attention more to the exercise instead of actually going after what I wanted. I was worried about getting rid of pauses ect. that I wasn’t playing actively. Although, whenever I wasn’t talking I was able to completely engage and go off my impulses because I didn’t have to worry about speaking. For the showing tomorrow I am going to wait for my impulses, while still having an urge to speak. I have to act like this is the only time I can say what I need to say, or else I will lose Konstantine forever.
During the speed run we had on Tuesday I was having so much trouble figuring out why I started talking about a storm and I remembered Matt saying something about a storm happening inside me not just in the weather. In the scene I notice the weather in order to change the subject because I am tired of him lecturing me about money and me not giving him enough credit and attention. Which makes me think about how Medvedenko only cares about money and thinks one can’t live without it. However, I think it would be worse to live without love. Then I say “But you wouldn’t understand that…” This is because he never tries to understand me he only pretends to. I always tell him how I feel and then we just end up talking about how he has no money and how he understands if I can’t love him because of that.
I also noticed in this run that I was paying attention more to the exercise instead of actually going after what I wanted. I was worried about getting rid of pauses ect. that I wasn’t playing actively. Although, whenever I wasn’t talking I was able to completely engage and go off my impulses because I didn’t have to worry about speaking. For the showing tomorrow I am going to wait for my impulses, while still having an urge to speak. I have to act like this is the only time I can say what I need to say, or else I will lose Konstantine forever.
Masha's Definition of Love
Love is someone I can’t take my eyes off of for a second. I hate not being in the same room as him and we are always looking for each other. As long as we have each other nothing else matters not even MONEY. We could live on a deserted island and be happy because we are together. His love is straightforward, direct and passionate. He talks like a poet and speaks from his heart. Every move I make is for him and every move he makes is for me. Every decision we make is to make our love stronger. He tells me all the time how much he adores me. We take walks together, play cards and go riding together. Love would look past my deformity and think I am beautiful and a lady.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
how to feel?
this is how I feel before our performance today.
I feel incredibly nervous and I wish that there was all the time in the world to really work this. This material is massively difficult and what I found particularly hard was finding my objective in all of the self-pity that seems so present in the monologues. Also, I found it really hard to respond on the line multiple times in the scene work. What I am working on for today are these two goals of fighting for what I want by engaging my partner and not just acting by myself and also responding on the line rather than taking pregnant pauses. There is so much more to discover about this scene. I think I am hitting the tip of the iceberg.
Alborz
I feel incredibly nervous and I wish that there was all the time in the world to really work this. This material is massively difficult and what I found particularly hard was finding my objective in all of the self-pity that seems so present in the monologues. Also, I found it really hard to respond on the line multiple times in the scene work. What I am working on for today are these two goals of fighting for what I want by engaging my partner and not just acting by myself and also responding on the line rather than taking pregnant pauses. There is so much more to discover about this scene. I think I am hitting the tip of the iceberg.
Alborz
The text
As I continue to delve more deeply into this world of the Seagull and prepare for the mornings journey, I find myself wondering what everyone else wants. I'm beginning to think that Trigorin is a character that thinks he wants the best for everyone. He doesn't seem to take advantage of others and manipulate to make himself look glorious, and although he is seeking some kind of glory, fiscal success and acclaim are not his goals. Instead we see a aman that seeks to appease all. Not only all of you, but the whole of Russia. He hates to see the country and his people suffer, and would, if he could take all of the problems of Russia and make them his own. But he's no great hero and in manys ways is only identified by his writing, not his character. The only way he can really bring this desire to fruition is through his writing, but as Trigorin points out, he can't keep up. Landscapes can't wake a country deep in suffering. To him his writing is of no signifcance. Trigorin does w!
ant pleasant reviews, kindness, or praise, but rather to be told that his writing, his work, and in turn he himself are truly import.
ant pleasant reviews, kindness, or praise, but rather to be told that his writing, his work, and in turn he himself are truly import.
Thoughts before showing
I guess going into this, the feelings of, "Oh, we didnt have enough time!" and "People are gonna be there for the first time", mixed with the excitement of seeing our classmates performing Chekhov as well, all starts kicking in. My advice to everyone, and mostly myself, is just to breathe, relax,....and trust in the work we've done up to this point.
My biggest goals for tomorrow are to take all this work and advice I've been given, and now just let it go in a sense and make it relate to me in a deeper way. Now it is not about a performance, but remembering to just be real and truthfully tell this story, and I think the hard word will all fall into place.
I want to truly talk to each person on stage, and find a real connection with them when I speak. and although they wont have experienced the entire show in just 45 minutes, I would love for the people watching to leave believing as many moments as they can-and being able to easily empathize with the tribulations and desires of each character, as they are all made so clear the minute they enter the stage. I definitely want to keep the NEED up but with her lightness and youth, because I think I lost some of it during the last run...
Now is the time to put the doubts away and as Joe would say, "Run toward the FEAR!" Cause yeah, Chekhov is kinda scary...but it is also so rich, so human, and such an exhilarating place to work from.
I want to have fun with it!!!
BREAK LEGS TOMORROW!
Daisy
My biggest goals for tomorrow are to take all this work and advice I've been given, and now just let it go in a sense and make it relate to me in a deeper way. Now it is not about a performance, but remembering to just be real and truthfully tell this story, and I think the hard word will all fall into place.
I want to truly talk to each person on stage, and find a real connection with them when I speak. and although they wont have experienced the entire show in just 45 minutes, I would love for the people watching to leave believing as many moments as they can-and being able to easily empathize with the tribulations and desires of each character, as they are all made so clear the minute they enter the stage. I definitely want to keep the NEED up but with her lightness and youth, because I think I lost some of it during the last run...
Now is the time to put the doubts away and as Joe would say, "Run toward the FEAR!" Cause yeah, Chekhov is kinda scary...but it is also so rich, so human, and such an exhilarating place to work from.
I want to have fun with it!!!
BREAK LEGS TOMORROW!
Daisy
My true voice
I have been struggling a lot of my voice usage in our acting class. I know my voice is strong and resonant, but too often I get caught up in the ''feeling'' of my voice. My character, Sorin, was booming around the stage with the fury and a timbre of a Henry V.
I've noticed, that when I don't have specific actions and objectives, I tend to push my voice out. Imagine hitting a punching bag over and over again... that's what my voice feels like when I'm not working for anything. It's supported... but it's definitely not connected.
In the clown run I was focused on "playing" with vocal qualities. I found a lot of interesting choices that are to be made. Changing my voice also allowed me to emphasize different words that changed my intention on several lines.
The more choices the better!
-Peter
I've noticed, that when I don't have specific actions and objectives, I tend to push my voice out. Imagine hitting a punching bag over and over again... that's what my voice feels like when I'm not working for anything. It's supported... but it's definitely not connected.
In the clown run I was focused on "playing" with vocal qualities. I found a lot of interesting choices that are to be made. Changing my voice also allowed me to emphasize different words that changed my intention on several lines.
The more choices the better!
-Peter
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Notes before the Storm
Hi
here are the notes from yesterday afternoon's run:
FOR EVERYONE:
- you MUST allow yourselves to be surprised by your partner's choices. Especially if it is when they raise their voice, cry, laugh, etc.
- everyone needs to look at the first beat of each scene they are in - REALLY get active and physical. A great bit of advice I was once given : "always make your first action grounded in a physical activity". That way you start grounding yourself RIGHT away
- always contact someone as you try an action - THEN check them at the end to see if it landed.
- allowing thoughts to change doesnt sacrifice pacing.
OK, specifics:
Medviedenko:
- allow Masha's scream and sitting to surprise you a little - even if that surprise is registered by diappointment
- Allow yourself some time to formulate that first question - NOT an epic pause, just a thought shift
- Take a slight moment to change thought before you confess "I love you". I lost it.
- be sure to really ask the Question to Kon "You will send someone...?" You kind of 'ran away'
- make sure you laugh at Arkardina's joke about Dorn taking his hat off to the devil
- Try a change in action for "Someone ought to write a play...". Try retreating, rather than defending yourself so much
Masha:
- explore the physical impact of taking snuff - it looks a bit mechanical at the moment
- LOVELY transition on "It's so close..."
- Careful of rushing text - you speed through the lines sometimes to find passion, I think. Make the thought shift FIRST.
- find an earlier 'trigger' to check Dorn before he takes his hat off
- Try laughing at Arkardina's joke about Dorn taking his hat off to the Devil
- In your scene with Dorn, let the stakes go DEEP in you, rather than making you go faster. Allow these confessions some space to land.
Konstantin:
- Keep exploring the physicality of KONSTANTIN, rather than relying on Alborz as much as you can
- just perform the action on "She loves me, she loves me not..." You labored it a bit. Fond the significance at the END of the action
- Really pick up Sorin's 'offer' when he talks about the theater. Add on to his thought with "We need new forms..."
- try advancing to Nina on "We're alone..." It is a bit awkward right now as you go later...
- pay attention to the kiss : does he get what he wants? Does he want another kiss?
- careful of emphasizing every word in your HAMLET speech. Play the intention.
- REALLY need Dorn when he encourages you - when was the last time ANYBODY did that (not even Nina!)
Nina :
- perhaps emphasize the word 'driving' in "I was driving the horse". It means you kicked its ASS to get here on time
- She needs to get ready for the performance - make up, hair, costume, etc. All those activities stopped. So perhaps sit and put on make up?
- re-examine the kiss : who kisses who? Remember to be polite. How does she get out of that WITHOUT hurting him?
- Nice work in the play - now work more for clear, specific 'choreography' throughout Konstantin's play
- When the audience is interested (and they are for the most part), return to the world of the play and make that situation clearer
- Watch that dress!!!
- part of Nina is how quick she is to cry or how CLOSE she gets to crying. You need to explore that a little more. Like when the play is stopped by Konstantin. That happens in front of TRIGORIN! How humiliating...
- use the thought behind the line "...how different everybody's destiny is.." you rushed it a bit yesterday
- I think (but may be wrong) that the touch of TRIGORIN should be on "You're over-worked..."
- really work the actions in your speech about wanting fame. How BADLY does she need it? Isnt it her ONLY hope? That speech is like a personal manifesto...
Sorin :
- Don't rush your getting up, leaving or singing. Maybe he's a bit intrigued by Konstantin's love. He strikes me as the kind of guy who would sing "Konstantin and Nina sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G". No matter how old he is. Have a little giggle over the situation, maybe?
- Find a reason to GO after you story about having your singing silenced : waiting there is deadly.
- Remeber the performances / performers you describe to Arkardina as REMARKABLE.... It's like your favorite moments of youth.
Arkardina :
- You are doing some lovely work - what I still dont get is how she LOOKS. Her hair, posture, movement are all things sculpted and designed to draw attention. I think you can revel in that more. She is a carefully put together Lady, and that is what is so revealing about her
- Anyway you could KEEP the dropping of your cigarettes during the play? That was GREAT
- Feel free to laugh at your own joke about Dorn taking his hat off to the Devil - does she find a double - entendre with that sentence?
- Have more fun with your story about Dorn. How many estates did he scandalize? SIX!!!
- Try to find a final 'bow-like' moment as she exits. Not as extreme as the Clown Run, but something a bit subtler...
Dorn :
- Use that table to hold on to for your first line - it may help you find some physical ease and release... Same goes for the chair. When you sit, how long has it been since you last sat?
- Careful of breaking your line to make an action change. You did it yesterday with "How nervous.....(Action shift)....you are". It leads to a kind of William Shatner rhythm. Trust your subtext and release... (easy for me to say, I know!)
Trigorin :
- WAY stronger during the Act 1 stuff. That bear image seemed to help.
- Remember to laugh at Arkardina's joke about Dorn taking his hat off to the Devil.
- Remember how insecure Arkardina is to any kind of disagreement.
- Ive asked Caitlin to KEEP her dropping her cigarettes during the play. Be sure to pick them up like you did yesterday - great choice.
- Remember to be observant of manners at the beginning of your scene with Nina - that way, when she breaks those manners, your anger and need to leave is quite genuine. She breaks the rules you are so kindly observing.
- Perhaps he relaizes it is kind of funny when he says "So I write about EVERYTHING"
- Careful of overplaying "Who am I... Agamemnon". IT is the first reference to a mistress. Agamemnon returned from Troy pulling his mistress (Cassandra) in a chariot and presented her to his wife. And then his wife killed him with an axe. That line could be a little more 'dangerous'
Good Luck tomorrow!!!
here are the notes from yesterday afternoon's run:
FOR EVERYONE:
- you MUST allow yourselves to be surprised by your partner's choices. Especially if it is when they raise their voice, cry, laugh, etc.
- everyone needs to look at the first beat of each scene they are in - REALLY get active and physical. A great bit of advice I was once given : "always make your first action grounded in a physical activity". That way you start grounding yourself RIGHT away
- always contact someone as you try an action - THEN check them at the end to see if it landed.
- allowing thoughts to change doesnt sacrifice pacing.
OK, specifics:
Medviedenko:
- allow Masha's scream and sitting to surprise you a little - even if that surprise is registered by diappointment
- Allow yourself some time to formulate that first question - NOT an epic pause, just a thought shift
- Take a slight moment to change thought before you confess "I love you". I lost it.
- be sure to really ask the Question to Kon "You will send someone...?" You kind of 'ran away'
- make sure you laugh at Arkardina's joke about Dorn taking his hat off to the devil
- Try a change in action for "Someone ought to write a play...". Try retreating, rather than defending yourself so much
Masha:
- explore the physical impact of taking snuff - it looks a bit mechanical at the moment
- LOVELY transition on "It's so close..."
- Careful of rushing text - you speed through the lines sometimes to find passion, I think. Make the thought shift FIRST.
- find an earlier 'trigger' to check Dorn before he takes his hat off
- Try laughing at Arkardina's joke about Dorn taking his hat off to the Devil
- In your scene with Dorn, let the stakes go DEEP in you, rather than making you go faster. Allow these confessions some space to land.
Konstantin:
- Keep exploring the physicality of KONSTANTIN, rather than relying on Alborz as much as you can
- just perform the action on "She loves me, she loves me not..." You labored it a bit. Fond the significance at the END of the action
- Really pick up Sorin's 'offer' when he talks about the theater. Add on to his thought with "We need new forms..."
- try advancing to Nina on "We're alone..." It is a bit awkward right now as you go later...
- pay attention to the kiss : does he get what he wants? Does he want another kiss?
- careful of emphasizing every word in your HAMLET speech. Play the intention.
- REALLY need Dorn when he encourages you - when was the last time ANYBODY did that (not even Nina!)
Nina :
- perhaps emphasize the word 'driving' in "I was driving the horse". It means you kicked its ASS to get here on time
- She needs to get ready for the performance - make up, hair, costume, etc. All those activities stopped. So perhaps sit and put on make up?
- re-examine the kiss : who kisses who? Remember to be polite. How does she get out of that WITHOUT hurting him?
- Nice work in the play - now work more for clear, specific 'choreography' throughout Konstantin's play
- When the audience is interested (and they are for the most part), return to the world of the play and make that situation clearer
- Watch that dress!!!
- part of Nina is how quick she is to cry or how CLOSE she gets to crying. You need to explore that a little more. Like when the play is stopped by Konstantin. That happens in front of TRIGORIN! How humiliating...
- use the thought behind the line "...how different everybody's destiny is.." you rushed it a bit yesterday
- I think (but may be wrong) that the touch of TRIGORIN should be on "You're over-worked..."
- really work the actions in your speech about wanting fame. How BADLY does she need it? Isnt it her ONLY hope? That speech is like a personal manifesto...
Sorin :
- Don't rush your getting up, leaving or singing. Maybe he's a bit intrigued by Konstantin's love. He strikes me as the kind of guy who would sing "Konstantin and Nina sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G". No matter how old he is. Have a little giggle over the situation, maybe?
- Find a reason to GO after you story about having your singing silenced : waiting there is deadly.
- Remeber the performances / performers you describe to Arkardina as REMARKABLE.... It's like your favorite moments of youth.
Arkardina :
- You are doing some lovely work - what I still dont get is how she LOOKS. Her hair, posture, movement are all things sculpted and designed to draw attention. I think you can revel in that more. She is a carefully put together Lady, and that is what is so revealing about her
- Anyway you could KEEP the dropping of your cigarettes during the play? That was GREAT
- Feel free to laugh at your own joke about Dorn taking his hat off to the Devil - does she find a double - entendre with that sentence?
- Have more fun with your story about Dorn. How many estates did he scandalize? SIX!!!
- Try to find a final 'bow-like' moment as she exits. Not as extreme as the Clown Run, but something a bit subtler...
Dorn :
- Use that table to hold on to for your first line - it may help you find some physical ease and release... Same goes for the chair. When you sit, how long has it been since you last sat?
- Careful of breaking your line to make an action change. You did it yesterday with "How nervous.....(Action shift)....you are". It leads to a kind of William Shatner rhythm. Trust your subtext and release... (easy for me to say, I know!)
Trigorin :
- WAY stronger during the Act 1 stuff. That bear image seemed to help.
- Remember to laugh at Arkardina's joke about Dorn taking his hat off to the Devil.
- Remember how insecure Arkardina is to any kind of disagreement.
- Ive asked Caitlin to KEEP her dropping her cigarettes during the play. Be sure to pick them up like you did yesterday - great choice.
- Remember to be observant of manners at the beginning of your scene with Nina - that way, when she breaks those manners, your anger and need to leave is quite genuine. She breaks the rules you are so kindly observing.
- Perhaps he relaizes it is kind of funny when he says "So I write about EVERYTHING"
- Careful of overplaying "Who am I... Agamemnon". IT is the first reference to a mistress. Agamemnon returned from Troy pulling his mistress (Cassandra) in a chariot and presented her to his wife. And then his wife killed him with an axe. That line could be a little more 'dangerous'
Good Luck tomorrow!!!
Masha's Inner Circle
- I take snuff.
- I decide I am going to rip up my love for Konstantine and forget about him.
- I search for Konstantine.
- I order Medvedenko around and out of my sight.
- I state my unhappiness and how I will never be happy.
Number 2 on my small list is something that Masha knows she needs to do in order to be happy, but knows deep down will never happen.
- I decide I am going to rip up my love for Konstantine and forget about him.
- I search for Konstantine.
- I order Medvedenko around and out of my sight.
- I state my unhappiness and how I will never be happy.
Number 2 on my small list is something that Masha knows she needs to do in order to be happy, but knows deep down will never happen.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Masha's List
Masha Big List
- I enter coming from a walk.
- I state my unhappiness to Medvedenko.
- I explain how I am not unhappy because of lack of money.
- I correct him that even a poor man can be happy.
- I change the subject.
- I blow his off. (he keeps talking about money, and won’t listen to me)
- I take snuff.
- I state/ repeat I can’t return Medvedenko’s love.
- I offer him snuff.
- I change the subject.
- I realize that Medvedenko won’t understand me.
- I get excited that Konstantine entered.
- I reject Sorin.
- I order Medvedenko to come with me on a walk.
- I enter with Ark, Sorin, Tigorin, Med, and Dorn to see the play.
- I watch Konstatine and Ark bicker.
- I hear a horn.
- I watch the curtain rise.
- I watch Nina try to act.
- I see a marsh light appear.
- I watch Nina act some more, I’m not impressed.
- I see two red lights appear over the lake, I am impressed by it.
- I notice Dorn take his hat off.
- I advise Dorn to put his hat back on or else he will get sick.
- I offer to go find Konstantine.
- I go find Konstantine.
- I overhear Konstantine talking about his feelings for Nina.
- I tell Konstantine to go in the house.
- I take snuff.
- I become agitated.
- I confess my love for Konstantine.
- I pick up my snuff box.
- I exit to the house.
- I am sitting on a bench with Ark and Dorn.
- I get up because Ark tells me to.
- I confess I feel old and have no urge to live.
- I sit.
- I try to put myself together.
- I shyly ask Nina a favor.
- I try to control my feeling to stick up for Konstantine.
- I get up.
- My leg falls asleep.
- I walk with slow, slack steps.
- I exit.
- I am standing by the table.
- I decide I am going to rip up my love for Konstantine.
- I state I am getting married to Medvedenko.
- I don’t want any time for love in my life.
- I pour Trigorin and myself a glass of alcohol.
- I defend my drinking habits.
- I toast Trigorin.
- Trig and I drink.
- I shake Trigorins hand.
- I ask Trig to send me a book of his.
- I exit.
- I enter with Med.
- I call for Kon.
- I look around for Kon.
- I turn up the flame in the lamp.
- I shake my head.
- I state I am staying at the estate.
- I tell Medvedenko to go.
- I take snuff.
- I make a bed for Sorin.
- I let Medvedenko kiss my hand.
- I let Polina stroke my hair.
- I am still making the bed.
- I blame my mother for Konstantine being annoyed with me.
- I tell my mom that I am moving away with Med.
- I decide I am going to rip out my love for Konstantine from my heart.
- I silently dance 3 waltz turns.
- I promise I’ll forget Konstantine in a month.
- I speak to Medvedenko and question his presence.
- In a low voice with bitter rage I order Med to get out of my sight.
- I sit down by Sorin’s wheelchair.
- I tell Dorn what make Kon happy.
- When Kon enters I don’t take my eyes off him the entire time.
- I am surprised Trigorin remembers me.
- I shake Trigorins hand.
- I ignore Trigorins question about me being happily married.
- I tell my father to give Med a horse.
- I ask my father again to give him a horse.
- Seeing he is silent, I throw my hands up in frustration.
- I let Med kiss my hand again because he is leaving.
- I sit down at the table to play cards.
- I start the card game.
- I call out numbers for the game.
- I don’t get involved in any of the conversations, I just keep playing the card game.
- I exit with everyone except Konstantine to go eat supper.
- I enter.
- I am frightened by the loud bang in the other room.
- I enter coming from a walk.
- I state my unhappiness to Medvedenko.
- I explain how I am not unhappy because of lack of money.
- I correct him that even a poor man can be happy.
- I change the subject.
- I blow his off. (he keeps talking about money, and won’t listen to me)
- I take snuff.
- I state/ repeat I can’t return Medvedenko’s love.
- I offer him snuff.
- I change the subject.
- I realize that Medvedenko won’t understand me.
- I get excited that Konstantine entered.
- I reject Sorin.
- I order Medvedenko to come with me on a walk.
- I enter with Ark, Sorin, Tigorin, Med, and Dorn to see the play.
- I watch Konstatine and Ark bicker.
- I hear a horn.
- I watch the curtain rise.
- I watch Nina try to act.
- I see a marsh light appear.
- I watch Nina act some more, I’m not impressed.
- I see two red lights appear over the lake, I am impressed by it.
- I notice Dorn take his hat off.
- I advise Dorn to put his hat back on or else he will get sick.
- I offer to go find Konstantine.
- I go find Konstantine.
- I overhear Konstantine talking about his feelings for Nina.
- I tell Konstantine to go in the house.
- I take snuff.
- I become agitated.
- I confess my love for Konstantine.
- I pick up my snuff box.
- I exit to the house.
- I am sitting on a bench with Ark and Dorn.
- I get up because Ark tells me to.
- I confess I feel old and have no urge to live.
- I sit.
- I try to put myself together.
- I shyly ask Nina a favor.
- I try to control my feeling to stick up for Konstantine.
- I get up.
- My leg falls asleep.
- I walk with slow, slack steps.
- I exit.
- I am standing by the table.
- I decide I am going to rip up my love for Konstantine.
- I state I am getting married to Medvedenko.
- I don’t want any time for love in my life.
- I pour Trigorin and myself a glass of alcohol.
- I defend my drinking habits.
- I toast Trigorin.
- Trig and I drink.
- I shake Trigorins hand.
- I ask Trig to send me a book of his.
- I exit.
- I enter with Med.
- I call for Kon.
- I look around for Kon.
- I turn up the flame in the lamp.
- I shake my head.
- I state I am staying at the estate.
- I tell Medvedenko to go.
- I take snuff.
- I make a bed for Sorin.
- I let Medvedenko kiss my hand.
- I let Polina stroke my hair.
- I am still making the bed.
- I blame my mother for Konstantine being annoyed with me.
- I tell my mom that I am moving away with Med.
- I decide I am going to rip out my love for Konstantine from my heart.
- I silently dance 3 waltz turns.
- I promise I’ll forget Konstantine in a month.
- I speak to Medvedenko and question his presence.
- In a low voice with bitter rage I order Med to get out of my sight.
- I sit down by Sorin’s wheelchair.
- I tell Dorn what make Kon happy.
- When Kon enters I don’t take my eyes off him the entire time.
- I am surprised Trigorin remembers me.
- I shake Trigorins hand.
- I ignore Trigorins question about me being happily married.
- I tell my father to give Med a horse.
- I ask my father again to give him a horse.
- Seeing he is silent, I throw my hands up in frustration.
- I let Med kiss my hand again because he is leaving.
- I sit down at the table to play cards.
- I start the card game.
- I call out numbers for the game.
- I don’t get involved in any of the conversations, I just keep playing the card game.
- I exit with everyone except Konstantine to go eat supper.
- I enter.
- I am frightened by the loud bang in the other room.
poetry
The Seagull
by Norman Dubie
Chekhov, at Yalta
A winter evening at the cottage by the bay,
And I sat in the black and gold of the dead garden
Wrapped in blankets, eating my sister’s suet pudding.
The fountain was wrapped in dirty straw and
Just below my property in the old Tartar cemetery
There was a small funeral in progress: the widow
Is wearing a purple shawl, the children are bare around
The shoulders and the girls are wearing orange petals
At their throats. The ashen white beards of the men
Are like immaculate vests from this distance.
There is nothing more intolerable than suet pudding,
Unless it is the visitors. The drunken visitors laughing
In my kitchen, eating my duck and venison, while I hide
From them here in the dark garden.
The daughter of one of these gentlemen is pretty.
I saw her through the window drinking
Champagne from a clay mug—just under her thin blouse
I saw the blue points of her breasts that turn,
In opposition, both out and up like the azure slippers
Of the priest who is now singing in the cemetery below my house.
Once the family has gone off with its torches I’ll
Climb down to the fresh grave and drop some coins
For flowers, even wooden teeth for the widow so she can
Attract a new husband? The black, turned soil
Or our garden reminds me
Of the common grave given to the children
Of the Godunov Orphanage after that horrible fire:
A charred horse was thrown in with them,
Bags of lime, and what I understood to be a large ham
That the authorities, nevertheless, declared
The torso of a male child of nine or ten. The Czar,
In their memory, placed a tiny trout pond over them
And this inscription: A blue blanket for my little ones.
My wife goes nearly naked to parties in Moscow.
My sister here, at Yalta, goes sea bathing with a rope
Around her that runs back to the beach where it is
Attached to a donkey who is commanded by a servant
With a long switch.
The sea tows her out and then the donkey is whipped
Sorrowfully until he has dragged her back to them.
I named the donkey, Moon, after the mystery of his service
To my sister. This winter
He has been an excellent friend.
I read to this poor beast from Three Sisters. He is a better
Critic and audience than I could find in the cities.
I have won an Award that will save me from arrest anywhere
Inside Russia. I am going to refuse it! And then travel
To Nice or Paris.
My tuberculosis is worse. Tolstoi reads my stories
To his family after supper. And reads them badly, I suppose!
I did walk that evening all the way down to the cemetery
Only to discover that my pockets were empty.
I screamed up to the house for coins, for plenty
Of coins! The visitors, laughing and singing, ran down
To me without coats and with a lantern swinging—
My sister trailed behind them
On her donkey. Her square black hat
Bobbing like a steamer way out in the bay.
And when they reached me—
I said, “Sister, pack the trunks! You hurt me!
I will write that we have departed for France, for Italy.”
Norman Dubie, “The Seagull” from The Mercy Seat: Collected & New Poems 1967-2001 (Copper Canyon Press, 2001). www.coppercanyonpress.org
Source: The Mercy Seat: Collected & New Poems 1967-2001 (Copper Canyon Press, 2001).
by Norman Dubie
Chekhov, at Yalta
A winter evening at the cottage by the bay,
And I sat in the black and gold of the dead garden
Wrapped in blankets, eating my sister’s suet pudding.
The fountain was wrapped in dirty straw and
Just below my property in the old Tartar cemetery
There was a small funeral in progress: the widow
Is wearing a purple shawl, the children are bare around
The shoulders and the girls are wearing orange petals
At their throats. The ashen white beards of the men
Are like immaculate vests from this distance.
There is nothing more intolerable than suet pudding,
Unless it is the visitors. The drunken visitors laughing
In my kitchen, eating my duck and venison, while I hide
From them here in the dark garden.
The daughter of one of these gentlemen is pretty.
I saw her through the window drinking
Champagne from a clay mug—just under her thin blouse
I saw the blue points of her breasts that turn,
In opposition, both out and up like the azure slippers
Of the priest who is now singing in the cemetery below my house.
Once the family has gone off with its torches I’ll
Climb down to the fresh grave and drop some coins
For flowers, even wooden teeth for the widow so she can
Attract a new husband? The black, turned soil
Or our garden reminds me
Of the common grave given to the children
Of the Godunov Orphanage after that horrible fire:
A charred horse was thrown in with them,
Bags of lime, and what I understood to be a large ham
That the authorities, nevertheless, declared
The torso of a male child of nine or ten. The Czar,
In their memory, placed a tiny trout pond over them
And this inscription: A blue blanket for my little ones.
My wife goes nearly naked to parties in Moscow.
My sister here, at Yalta, goes sea bathing with a rope
Around her that runs back to the beach where it is
Attached to a donkey who is commanded by a servant
With a long switch.
The sea tows her out and then the donkey is whipped
Sorrowfully until he has dragged her back to them.
I named the donkey, Moon, after the mystery of his service
To my sister. This winter
He has been an excellent friend.
I read to this poor beast from Three Sisters. He is a better
Critic and audience than I could find in the cities.
I have won an Award that will save me from arrest anywhere
Inside Russia. I am going to refuse it! And then travel
To Nice or Paris.
My tuberculosis is worse. Tolstoi reads my stories
To his family after supper. And reads them badly, I suppose!
I did walk that evening all the way down to the cemetery
Only to discover that my pockets were empty.
I screamed up to the house for coins, for plenty
Of coins! The visitors, laughing and singing, ran down
To me without coats and with a lantern swinging—
My sister trailed behind them
On her donkey. Her square black hat
Bobbing like a steamer way out in the bay.
And when they reached me—
I said, “Sister, pack the trunks! You hurt me!
I will write that we have departed for France, for Italy.”
Norman Dubie, “The Seagull” from The Mercy Seat: Collected & New Poems 1967-2001 (Copper Canyon Press, 2001). www.coppercanyonpress.org
Source: The Mercy Seat: Collected & New Poems 1967-2001 (Copper Canyon Press, 2001).
The Notebook of a clown
The clown work was really beneficial for me in terms of finding my character's physicality and ease. It also was a good barometer for me to notice my habits, and what is hard for me to "break" once I get on stage. I noticed that throughout the exercise I would repeatedly "fall back" to my usual old habits: strength, sexuality or just yelling. Now some of that sexuality I can use for her, because she does have a certain sensuality to her, that especially attracts Konstantin and Trigorin and I'm sure many other men as well, but I have to be careful not to let it go too far into a more mature, womanly sexuality. I think what makes Nina so sexy is the fact she doesn't know she is. Remember, she is still an adolescent, and this is a big time for her in realizing her own sensuality and what she likes, hence her taking to the older men like Trigorin, Dorn and Sorin-mostly because they can act as the positive Father figure I don't really have.
It tells me a lot that my voice was literally hoarse and sore after we were done...but it never is when we do the scene, and it never was last year when we did Clowns...I think I just pushed to over-compensate for a lack of having the physicality down exactly at that moment.
On the other hand, I think I found a lot of great things and good starting points to continue with for Tuesdays rehearsal. I had an absolute clear opinion of each person I was talking to, and the relationsips were immediate. I knew how I felt about Masha, about Konstantin, and Trigorin, etc...and I didn't have to HIDE or mask anything-because Clowns don't have filters. I said what I meant, how I wanted to say it, and I dared not apologize for it. It was such a liberating experience, and one that will for sure help in the performing something such as Chekhov where you cannot play the subtext or there is no inner conflict, and so often the character's demeanor is so opposite of what they are saying.
I found the clown work to be especially handy during my long speech. Again, it was helpful to see the 'true' reactions of my peers and of the family I love and respect so much, and that gave me the impetus to perform more for them and earn their acceptance in return.
I wish we would have gotten around to Tyree and I's final scene because I'm sure a lot would come out of their relationship, but we are going to try and get together and do something...
I LOVE CLOWNS!
--Daisy
It tells me a lot that my voice was literally hoarse and sore after we were done...but it never is when we do the scene, and it never was last year when we did Clowns...I think I just pushed to over-compensate for a lack of having the physicality down exactly at that moment.
On the other hand, I think I found a lot of great things and good starting points to continue with for Tuesdays rehearsal. I had an absolute clear opinion of each person I was talking to, and the relationsips were immediate. I knew how I felt about Masha, about Konstantin, and Trigorin, etc...and I didn't have to HIDE or mask anything-because Clowns don't have filters. I said what I meant, how I wanted to say it, and I dared not apologize for it. It was such a liberating experience, and one that will for sure help in the performing something such as Chekhov where you cannot play the subtext or there is no inner conflict, and so often the character's demeanor is so opposite of what they are saying.
I found the clown work to be especially handy during my long speech. Again, it was helpful to see the 'true' reactions of my peers and of the family I love and respect so much, and that gave me the impetus to perform more for them and earn their acceptance in return.
I wish we would have gotten around to Tyree and I's final scene because I'm sure a lot would come out of their relationship, but we are going to try and get together and do something...
I LOVE CLOWNS!
--Daisy
Summer Heights... are you HIGH, Caitlin?!
Probably one of the most amazing things ever filmed for television, this clip from Summer Heights High made me think of Arkadina...if Arkadina said everything she was thinking and played all of her tactics out loud.
Watch Chris Lilley play Ja'mie (Jamie...she added the apostrophe herself) a private school girl who is doing an exchange program at a public school where she just had a fight with her only friends there. AMAZING!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr-Usynqkec
Watch Chris Lilley play Ja'mie (Jamie...she added the apostrophe herself) a private school girl who is doing an exchange program at a public school where she just had a fight with her only friends there. AMAZING!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr-Usynqkec
send in da clowns
Thank God we did that Clown run! It was so informative for me, I was thinking about all these different aspects of Arkadina to exaggerate and play with in the clown run. At first I was going to play up this Diva actress, a big hat, huge sunglasses, and have fun in 'performing' every line and taking the stage for every long speech. I got to thinking though, and this idea of this bratty child star who gets everything she wants, and when she doesn't get it her temper goes off, sounded so much more like what is underneath Arkadina's exterior. Think of how amazing the child star would be at acting GENUINE, (which is something I am really trying to work on when Arkadina is talking to Nina), everyone thinks she is adorable and cute; she can make an audience's heart melt, but backstage she is having a temper tantrum when Mom doesn't bring her the right kind of juice. Konstantin even talks about But what happens to child stars when they start growing and the cuteness turns to awkwardness? They leave the spot light, they can't get jobs, they become forgotten. Which is Arkadina's fear, not being relevant anymore with audiences and with those around her. She doesn't want to be Gary "What'chu talkin about Willis?" Coleman one day, and Gary Coleman the security guard the next (which really happened...by the way). Her super objective is all about this! She must remain and become even more relevant in everyone's lives.
Monday, December 1, 2008
moment before
After multiple readings of the play, the scene that baffles me the most is the short exchange between Konstantin and Nina right before Trigorin enters with his “Takes snuff and drinks vodka…” I wanted to talk about this scene and I think this might be helpful for Daisy when she is thinking about the moment before her scene with Tyree. Here is the scene and below it are my thoughts.
[SCENE TOO LONG TO ADD]
This scene is hysterical. Too funny!! It probably does not take up more than three or four minutes of stage time but the characters, especially Konstantin, use the strangest tactics I have ever seen in a scene. Konstantin enters asking Nina if she is alone. He clearly wants to show his seagull to Nina and only to Nina. When she assures him that she is alone, Konstantin appeals to Nina with three phrases. He repents (I’ve done a vile thing). He shocks (I killed this seagull). And he worships (I lay it at your feet). What is he trying to get from Nina through such a strange ruse? Does he want her forgiveness? Does he want her to shelter him? Does he want an apology? Nina’s response is surprising. She is not moved by his repentance, nor is she shocked, nor does she feel worshipped. She actually picks up the seagull and looks at it (What’s the matter with you?) Konstantin’s burnt offering, his sacrifice to the gods, only baffles her. And yet, instead of cringing, she actually touches the seagull. Then again, her response is not that much of a surprise, with the exception of her picking up the seagull. How could she react with anything but bafflement? And then Konstantin says “Soon I will kill myself in the same way.” Most people who are actually serious about suicide never let on that they are planning to kill themselves. But of course Konstantin attempts it multiple times. Is he begging Nina to save him from himself? Does he think that slaying a seagull makes him look thoroughly insane and the appearance of insanity will force Nina to take care of him? But Nina simply dismisses him: “I don’t recognize you,” she says. And Konstantin responds by reciprocating the sentiment, the way children snap back at other children when they can’t think of a good comeback: “Well I don’t recognize you…etc). Nina just doesn’t get it. He knows Konstantin wants something from her but he doesn’t understand his “symbols.” The exchange ends with Konstantin proclaiming his usual self pity, unsuccessful at achieving his goal of “I’m crazy!! Help me!!,” if that is what he wants. I remember times when I have consciously done rash things to get attention from other people. The difference here is that Konstantin actually does end up killing himself.
[SCENE TOO LONG TO ADD]
This scene is hysterical. Too funny!! It probably does not take up more than three or four minutes of stage time but the characters, especially Konstantin, use the strangest tactics I have ever seen in a scene. Konstantin enters asking Nina if she is alone. He clearly wants to show his seagull to Nina and only to Nina. When she assures him that she is alone, Konstantin appeals to Nina with three phrases. He repents (I’ve done a vile thing). He shocks (I killed this seagull). And he worships (I lay it at your feet). What is he trying to get from Nina through such a strange ruse? Does he want her forgiveness? Does he want her to shelter him? Does he want an apology? Nina’s response is surprising. She is not moved by his repentance, nor is she shocked, nor does she feel worshipped. She actually picks up the seagull and looks at it (What’s the matter with you?) Konstantin’s burnt offering, his sacrifice to the gods, only baffles her. And yet, instead of cringing, she actually touches the seagull. Then again, her response is not that much of a surprise, with the exception of her picking up the seagull. How could she react with anything but bafflement? And then Konstantin says “Soon I will kill myself in the same way.” Most people who are actually serious about suicide never let on that they are planning to kill themselves. But of course Konstantin attempts it multiple times. Is he begging Nina to save him from himself? Does he think that slaying a seagull makes him look thoroughly insane and the appearance of insanity will force Nina to take care of him? But Nina simply dismisses him: “I don’t recognize you,” she says. And Konstantin responds by reciprocating the sentiment, the way children snap back at other children when they can’t think of a good comeback: “Well I don’t recognize you…etc). Nina just doesn’t get it. He knows Konstantin wants something from her but he doesn’t understand his “symbols.” The exchange ends with Konstantin proclaiming his usual self pity, unsuccessful at achieving his goal of “I’m crazy!! Help me!!,” if that is what he wants. I remember times when I have consciously done rash things to get attention from other people. The difference here is that Konstantin actually does end up killing himself.
Deer-est Konstantin
I want to discover more about how Konstantin moves and further explore the nature of his physical life. I see him as a wild deer of some sort. Deer are not particularly masculine creatures and they do not wear their strengths proudly on their chests. Though they have horns and strong hooves that will kick you if you provoke them or get too close, they are mostly quiet, majestic, effeminate, and for the most part not predatory. This pained solitude is balanced with a more volatile protective instinct provided by their horns and strong legs.
The sociological structures of deer are twofold. On one hand they travel in small groups or flocks. Often eight or nine of them live in a community that travels together, eats together, and takes shelter together. On the other hand, however, I can remember a number of times that I have seen one lone deer prance through my backyard, or confoundedly hobble across the road, lost and searching for its brothers and sisters or for its home or for food. Konstantin is this lone deer who has not yet grown to maturity, in that stage between a fawn and a protective male patriarch. He hobbles behind the pack constantly, begging them to wait for him, imploring his mother to allow him to rustle his neck and head against her legs, a parental nurturing he was never granted as a fawn. Often he puts up a front of pride at living on the fringe, stilted and left behind, claiming that he does not need his mother and her boyfriend and these old, out of touch offspring of aristocrats and their dormant sensibilities. This is a defense mechanism he utilizes to deal with his loneliness.
Deer are often the popular prey of human hunters and more gruesomely the unsuspecting victims of road kill. Konstantin is shot over and over again in each act of The Seagull and each time he limps his way through the rest of the act. He lets each disappointment and each failure throb like a bullet stuck in his legs, weighing him down. Only Konstantin, himself, can heal these bullet wounds and renew his beautiful, strong legs and prance his way to maturity, finally having learned how to find support and courage in his own self-worth and identity and reconciling himself with his mother and Nina and the others around him. After this, he can pursue his ambitions but he needs to get over his failures and learn to love himself first.
This image has more practical implications for my acting work. Deer move from a center placed in their heads, just above their eyes where their horns will grow in if they are males. They move in tempos that are sporadic: e.g. sometimes slow, lingering over every step, and other times rapidly when an impulse ignites their instinct to move. Often times they stand incredibly still, acutely observing their surroundings without moving their heads, and this exemplifies the tableau of majesty that we often associate with deer. Wounded deer hobble with the utmost attention to avoid placing pressure on the wounded leg. When scared they jump and retreat backwards or they sprint away at high speed.
I hope to play with subtle changes in my body in our final rehearsal to bring this image to life in a way that might work for the character.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Chekh-office
Working with opposites and thinking outside of what the assumed character qualities of Dorn are after our clown rehearsal, I thought of a perfect person to oppose everything that I believe Dorn is, hence this youtube clip of all of Michael Scott's finest "Ladies Man" moments from The Office.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIPklHggHFM
-Skye Scott
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIPklHggHFM
-Skye Scott
The Gift of the Seagull
A lonely seagull flies the winds
Majestic... soaring...gliding wings
A single screech sounds from the sky
Come fly with me... come here and fly
My spirit floats to be a part
I feel the beating of its heart
My soul, one with this bird of sea
Now knows the meaning to fly free
I feel the winds caress my soul
And soar the streams without a goal
My being trembles of delight
A treasure I received tonight
The seagull's flight of soaring high
The gift of what it means to fly
by Munda
Majestic... soaring...gliding wings
A single screech sounds from the sky
Come fly with me... come here and fly
My spirit floats to be a part
I feel the beating of its heart
My soul, one with this bird of sea
Now knows the meaning to fly free
I feel the winds caress my soul
And soar the streams without a goal
My being trembles of delight
A treasure I received tonight
The seagull's flight of soaring high
The gift of what it means to fly
by Munda
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Opposite of what people say about Masha :
Act 1:
Med-You’re not healthy, your father is extremely rich.
Med-Your soul and my soul have a common point of contact.
Med- Every day I walk four miles and four miles back and all I meet with when I get here is your concern.
Trep- Mashenka never looks for me. She’s so tolerable.
Dorn- You’re so easy going.
Act 2:
Ark- You’re forty-two and I am almost twice that.
Dorn- Masha looks younger that Arkadina.
Ark- You are always running around, you always look into the future.
Dorn- Masha never drinks.
Sorin- Masha is full of happiness.
Trig- Never takes snuff or vodka… always wears white. The schoolmaster hates her…
Act 4:
Med- Masha is such a great mother, she is always with her son.
Pol- Masha’s a bitch.
Trep- Marya Ilyinichna would never go visit Nina.
Med-You’re not healthy, your father is extremely rich.
Med-Your soul and my soul have a common point of contact.
Med- Every day I walk four miles and four miles back and all I meet with when I get here is your concern.
Trep- Mashenka never looks for me. She’s so tolerable.
Dorn- You’re so easy going.
Act 2:
Ark- You’re forty-two and I am almost twice that.
Dorn- Masha looks younger that Arkadina.
Ark- You are always running around, you always look into the future.
Dorn- Masha never drinks.
Sorin- Masha is full of happiness.
Trig- Never takes snuff or vodka… always wears white. The schoolmaster hates her…
Act 4:
Med- Masha is such a great mother, she is always with her son.
Pol- Masha’s a bitch.
Trep- Marya Ilyinichna would never go visit Nina.
Suzuki Seagull
I was looking over some notes I made after a Suzuki class one day when I had a particularly revelational experience The Suzuki work demands a high level of both physical and mental stamina and I decided to utilize an exercise called stomping shakuhachi to explore more of Konstantin.
As the exercise began, I chose a focus and sent my energy mercilessly towards that focus. Stomping shakuhachi requires a sense of controlled abandonment and suddenly I turned and saw Caitlin. I just wanted to throw myself at her feet, to contact her somehow, to contact my mother, just once, for the shortest time, and then I would get back up and resume the exercise. Of course, the precision of the form did not allow me to do this (aside from the fact that Catherine would have murdered me). And it was so frustrating marching to this arbitrary beat, sweating out my ass, and I realized that this should be how hard I am fighting during the whole span of the play, with this kind of desperation where every single molecule in my body is activated. And when we all fell to the floor to prep for the shokhuhachi, I had never been more viscerally connected to the exercise. When I rose from the floor, I instinctually made a gesture, holding a gun in my right hand. I knew that I would never point that gun at anyone else but myself. Fighting against that knowledge became my obstacle. Maybe I could muster enough strength to turn that gun on the people who really deserved it, my mother, Trigorin, Nina for having an affair with Trigorin. It became harder to keep myself from dropping to the floor with exhaustion, from pointing the gun to my own head until I had expended the last ounce of my strength to turn it the other way.
If I could just transport this intensity into myself internally during a scene--all of the dynamic friction between what I want and what is stopping me from getting it, I think my work on stage would be filled with so much more. Well, that’s a challenge for me!
- Alborz G-Money
As the exercise began, I chose a focus and sent my energy mercilessly towards that focus. Stomping shakuhachi requires a sense of controlled abandonment and suddenly I turned and saw Caitlin. I just wanted to throw myself at her feet, to contact her somehow, to contact my mother, just once, for the shortest time, and then I would get back up and resume the exercise. Of course, the precision of the form did not allow me to do this (aside from the fact that Catherine would have murdered me). And it was so frustrating marching to this arbitrary beat, sweating out my ass, and I realized that this should be how hard I am fighting during the whole span of the play, with this kind of desperation where every single molecule in my body is activated. And when we all fell to the floor to prep for the shokhuhachi, I had never been more viscerally connected to the exercise. When I rose from the floor, I instinctually made a gesture, holding a gun in my right hand. I knew that I would never point that gun at anyone else but myself. Fighting against that knowledge became my obstacle. Maybe I could muster enough strength to turn that gun on the people who really deserved it, my mother, Trigorin, Nina for having an affair with Trigorin. It became harder to keep myself from dropping to the floor with exhaustion, from pointing the gun to my own head until I had expended the last ounce of my strength to turn it the other way.
If I could just transport this intensity into myself internally during a scene--all of the dynamic friction between what I want and what is stopping me from getting it, I think my work on stage would be filled with so much more. Well, that’s a challenge for me!
- Alborz G-Money
Paltr-y Chekhov
Here is a link to the New York Times interview with real life mother and daughter superstars Blythe Danner and Gwemyth Paltrow, playing Arkadina and Nina in The Seagull at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EEDB1231F930A3575BC0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EEDB1231F930A3575BC0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
Go Daisy go!
As I go forward in this process and approach these final Acting classes, I am thinking about what Matt was saying last class,and I realize that this is my chance to compose the best work I have ever done. The biggest challenge for me, and also the most fun, will be to completely transform Daisy's mannerisms and behavior(more earthy, grounded, mature) into a young girl, because I dont think I'm anywhere close to that yet. But that is an actor's job, to tell a story and use their tools of expression (physically and vocally) to portray any character they are given. I am really thankful to have this opportunity to fill out a younger character, because I am usually always cast in the same type of roles: Mothers, really old women, or strong leader-types, but I know I can do so much more. My goal is to infuse Nina with Daisy's hopes and dreams (because many are the same as Nina herself), but give her more bouyancy and life and although she is a smart girl, a little bit of naivety t!
o suit her age. I want to make her real, and ground her in the reality she's living in without giving her too much weight. Most importantly, I want to just be honest, and do all these things without adding so much decoration on top of the text. Our director for Into the Woods Kent Gash said, "You only need to add shit when it's a bad script. When the text is good, it's all in there." , and that is certainly the case with The Seagull. It's all in there, now all we have to do is be honest, and honor the great and timeless story we are telling.
...wish me luck :)
--Daisy
o suit her age. I want to make her real, and ground her in the reality she's living in without giving her too much weight. Most importantly, I want to just be honest, and do all these things without adding so much decoration on top of the text. Our director for Into the Woods Kent Gash said, "You only need to add shit when it's a bad script. When the text is good, it's all in there." , and that is certainly the case with The Seagull. It's all in there, now all we have to do is be honest, and honor the great and timeless story we are telling.
...wish me luck :)
--Daisy
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Blue Skye Thinking...
This is a list of things that I have been thinking about with Dorn in and out of rehearsal that I find to be very fun, interesting, and important.
"Every moment in a play you must assume is one of the most important moments in that persons life."
"Tony McKay has become my 'icon' so to speak, from Catherine Moore's excercise. Not only because of his thoughtful, smooth, and languid mannerisms but because of his stoicism and lady-killer calm assertiveness."
"Truth is plain, it is simple"
"Status is a terrible thing to act."
"Love and nervousness is all around in The Seagull. Dorn is not nervous, he believes he is the voice of reason."
"Speak thoughts, not lines."
and
"You are enough" - Matt
Just some things I've been bouncing around. Im working more toward stillness with presence, and trying to get rid of my jerky awkward Skye gestures.
"Every moment in a play you must assume is one of the most important moments in that persons life."
"Tony McKay has become my 'icon' so to speak, from Catherine Moore's excercise. Not only because of his thoughtful, smooth, and languid mannerisms but because of his stoicism and lady-killer calm assertiveness."
"Truth is plain, it is simple"
"Status is a terrible thing to act."
"Love and nervousness is all around in The Seagull. Dorn is not nervous, he believes he is the voice of reason."
"Speak thoughts, not lines."
and
"You are enough" - Matt
Just some things I've been bouncing around. Im working more toward stillness with presence, and trying to get rid of my jerky awkward Skye gestures.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
raise your voice in chorus
I found some great Choral Music Videos I would like to share. Not only are the wonderful to listen to but also they sucked me into the world of Chekhov. Some is more intense then others, but I tried to include a wide variety.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mVKdE9ZEVE
-Rachmaninov (1873-1943) with video collage of both old and modern Russian footage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTH0pcu_t_8&feature=related
-Ave Maria (Rachmaninov)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM4tD422nTQ&feature=related
-Video of a Funeral Service for a Russian Choral member cut in with amazing footage of Russian Cathedrals both exterior and interior. An amazing video although it is almost 8 minutes long. The singers are the Male Choir of St. Petersburg and although this specific group was not formed till 1993, they have a great tone about them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WpD2Cspn6g&feature=related
Apparently these are the lowest choral voices in the world. The video is short and has great pictures of old Russia that are very helpful. The choral music is very old and sometimes turns into a kind of chant, but the sounds are amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mVKdE9ZEVE
-Rachmaninov (1873-1943) with video collage of both old and modern Russian footage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTH0pcu_t_8&feature=related
-Ave Maria (Rachmaninov)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM4tD422nTQ&feature=related
-Video of a Funeral Service for a Russian Choral member cut in with amazing footage of Russian Cathedrals both exterior and interior. An amazing video although it is almost 8 minutes long. The singers are the Male Choir of St. Petersburg and although this specific group was not formed till 1993, they have a great tone about them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WpD2Cspn6g&feature=related
Apparently these are the lowest choral voices in the world. The video is short and has great pictures of old Russia that are very helpful. The choral music is very old and sometimes turns into a kind of chant, but the sounds are amazing.
blue hairs vs new Heirs
The day before I went to see the production of the Seagull that is currently running at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York, I stopped by the box office to ask about their student ticket policy. The gentleman in the box office told me that student tickets were $26.50 (tax included) and that they were to be purchased the day of the show (a fairly standard student price and policy). But what I found interesting about this encounter was that the box office man told me “…you should have no problem getting tickets because very few students have come to see the show and we almost always have extra tickets.” When I think students, I think young people. So what I took away from the conversation was that very few young people had come to see the Seagull. This struck me as strange. Why was this star studded, critically acclaimed show that was selling out full price tickets almost every night not attracting people of our generation or younger. Chekhov is a household name comparable in a way to Shakespeare. My curiosity got the best of me, and I did some snooping around online. It turns out that not only was the box office man correct, but it appeared to basically be the same situation some months earlier when the play was being performed in London. The next day I was back in the Times Square area and I went around to some other Broadway theatres. The vast majority of shows had sold out of student rush tickets meaning that young people were certainly still going to the theatre. Now obviously it is a generalization to say that young people are not interested in Chekhov, but it seems that in terms of ticket sales, the Seagull is at the bottom of their priority list. I bring this up because there are many themes in the Seagull (and the rest of Chekhov’s plays) that relate directly to young people and provide valuable insight into issues that are still dealt with today. Yet despite this fact, young people do not seem to view the Seagull (at least this production of it) as relevant enough to see.
As the next generation of actors, we have a responsibility to not only perform Chekhov and other non-contemporary texts well and honestly, but we also must continue to find new ways to attract a younger contemporary audience and point out the relevance in the masterpieces that have gotten theatre to where it is today. I am not entirely sure how to do this, but I believe it is an important dialogue to have. I would be very interested in feedback with regard to whether others think that is an important issue. Much Thanks
-Bonnar
As the next generation of actors, we have a responsibility to not only perform Chekhov and other non-contemporary texts well and honestly, but we also must continue to find new ways to attract a younger contemporary audience and point out the relevance in the masterpieces that have gotten theatre to where it is today. I am not entirely sure how to do this, but I believe it is an important dialogue to have. I would be very interested in feedback with regard to whether others think that is an important issue. Much Thanks
-Bonnar
da country
I like these shots (TEACHER SAYS : I only added one as the other has already been submitted by a student for this blog) of the countryside because they show two contrasting seasons yet they both have very similar qualities about them. The vastness of the land and the sweeping landscape are apparent in both and by examining the different seasons it helped humanize the images of the Russian Country that I have in my head.
Push-y poems
A few poems by Pushkin that encompass themes of the play and also exemplify Russian sensibility on art and love:
--“I Loved You…”
I loved you: and, it may be, from my soul
The former love has never gone away,
But let it not recall to you my dole;
I wish not sadden you in any way.
I loved you silently, without hope, fully,
In diffidence, in jealousy, in pain;
I loved you so tenderly and truly,
As let you else be loved by any man.
--“To a Poet”
A poet! Do not prize the love of people around,
It soon will pass -- the glorifying hum --
And come a court of fools and laughing of cold crowd --
But you must always stay firm, morose and calm.
You're king: live lonesome. Along the freedom's road,
Stride there, to where just shows your free mind,
While modernizing fruits of thoughts, beloved,
And not demanding you to be awarded.
Awards inside of you. You are your highest court;
Severely then all, you value your effort.
Well, are you satisfied, oh, my severe artist?
You're satisfied. Then let the mob condemn your verse,
Spit at the altar, where your fire burns,
And toss your brass tripod with somewhat childish wildness.
--“The Burned Letter”
Farewell, Letter of Love! farewell: it’s her desire.
How long did I delay! How long refused, in ire,
I to destroy the single joy of mine!...
Enough! The time has come. Burn, scripts of love divine.
I’m ready; nothing else can call for my sad soul…
Now the greedy flame is touching its form whole…
A minute!… it is flamed and blazing – smoke, light,
With my bitter laments, is flying of my sight.
And now the ring’s stamp forfeited its form previous –
It’s boiling – the seal wax… O, Providence of Heavens!
That’s all! The letter’s leaves are twisted, now black;
On their light ashes their well known track
Is whitening… My heart is squeezed. Oh, dear ashes,
In my sad destiny, my poor consolations,
Forever lie on breast, so fully, fully wracked…
--“I Loved You…”
I loved you: and, it may be, from my soul
The former love has never gone away,
But let it not recall to you my dole;
I wish not sadden you in any way.
I loved you silently, without hope, fully,
In diffidence, in jealousy, in pain;
I loved you so tenderly and truly,
As let you else be loved by any man.
--“To a Poet”
A poet! Do not prize the love of people around,
It soon will pass -- the glorifying hum --
And come a court of fools and laughing of cold crowd --
But you must always stay firm, morose and calm.
You're king: live lonesome. Along the freedom's road,
Stride there, to where just shows your free mind,
While modernizing fruits of thoughts, beloved,
And not demanding you to be awarded.
Awards inside of you. You are your highest court;
Severely then all, you value your effort.
Well, are you satisfied, oh, my severe artist?
You're satisfied. Then let the mob condemn your verse,
Spit at the altar, where your fire burns,
And toss your brass tripod with somewhat childish wildness.
--“The Burned Letter”
Farewell, Letter of Love! farewell: it’s her desire.
How long did I delay! How long refused, in ire,
I to destroy the single joy of mine!...
Enough! The time has come. Burn, scripts of love divine.
I’m ready; nothing else can call for my sad soul…
Now the greedy flame is touching its form whole…
A minute!… it is flamed and blazing – smoke, light,
With my bitter laments, is flying of my sight.
And now the ring’s stamp forfeited its form previous –
It’s boiling – the seal wax… O, Providence of Heavens!
That’s all! The letter’s leaves are twisted, now black;
On their light ashes their well known track
Is whitening… My heart is squeezed. Oh, dear ashes,
In my sad destiny, my poor consolations,
Forever lie on breast, so fully, fully wracked…
Dames....
I found three pictures of female actresses of, two of whom would have been contemporaries of Arkadina. The first is an actress performing in "La Dame Aux Camelias." The second is Eleanora Duse and the third is Sarah Bernhardt. They are both performing and I think their theatrical poses are exemplary of both how Konstantin resents his mother, her indulgence as an actress and her ability to exude passion only on stage and never for Konstantin--and also his attraction to the theatre. Looking at these pictures, I see a bit of Nina in all three of them, the poses are striking and I would have coached Nina to follow the example of these larger than life actresses. So while I outwardly balk at the "modern theatre" and profess the "doctrine of new forms," I admire the same traditional, arguably indulgent technique in Nina as she performs my play.
Monday, November 17, 2008
from your teacher
check this out :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2008/nov/17/anton-chekhov-dacha-museum-yalta
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2008/nov/17/anton-chekhov-dacha-museum-yalta
alone on a horse
http://pro.corbis.com/images/42-18239168.jpg?size=572&uid=%7B2FC5451A-CFBC-4759-9DB6-19E8C104AE78%7D
I was originally looking for images of traditional horseback riding in the late 1800's, and I came upon this image instead. It really struck me, and in it I can see the innocence and sexiness of Nina. She, like Nina is dressed in all white, and I love how pure and fragile she looks. I absolutely loved this picture..
I was originally looking for images of traditional horseback riding in the late 1800's, and I came upon this image instead. It really struck me, and in it I can see the innocence and sexiness of Nina. She, like Nina is dressed in all white, and I love how pure and fragile she looks. I absolutely loved this picture..
Seagull!
This is so cool! MSM (Manhattan School of Music) recorded an Operatic version of The Seagull. To purchase the album, go to this link:
http://www.dramonline.org/tracks/seagull-act-i-nina-i-am-alone
Here are some excerpts out of the liner notes from the production:
Composer's Notes:
(Written prior to the opera's 1974 Houston premiere:)
It is always difficult to describe why a composer picks a particular subject. It's an almost intangible quality…that cries out for music. I thought that I would be able to translate [The Seagull] into my own operatic terms. I think of the psychological levels of the characters and the way they relate and don't relate to each other. One is the character of Masha, who is not very important in the play; but she struck me as being so interesting psychologically, so deep, that she became a very important character in the opera. Musically, I have found it very interesting to describe the many moods of this girl.
First, Kenward and I sat down and discussed the shape of the opera. The play is in four accts; the opera is in three. We discussed and highlighted the potentially “musical” spots: for instance, I wanted a trio for the three ladies to sing, and he found a situation in the play where that could very easily happen; I wanted certain duets, certain solo pieces, certain ensembles, and he found spots in the play to fashion them. Then he wrote the libretto, and as he would send me a scene, I would set it.
When I had finished the first act, he came down from Vermont where he was writing the libretto to hear it. We then talked about the second act and proceeded from thee. We made some revisions. For example, there were first revisions of the libretto with Kenward himself. In one instance a duet in the second act that I wanted him to do. I described a certain feeling I wanted and he proceeded to write words that were not in the original p0lay. There were some things for Arkadina: I wanted her to sing a very impassioned second act aria to Trigorin. We discussed the kinds of things that she would say. We also gave her a scene from Oedipus, because she is an actress and it would make, we felt, an exciting finale for the opera. Then, when we worked with the director, there were still other changes. There is a scene in the last act between Constantine and Nina in which they meet for the last time. The director [Frank Corsaro] thought it would be better. So I rewrote the scene…
I wanted to write a piece which would speak to the audience with luscious vocal lines and beautiful orchestration. So that's what I did with this piece. I was no longer concerned - am I “modern” or not?
(Written prior to the December 2002 production:)
Over 28 years have passed since the premiere of The Seagull, half a lifetime for me. Of my 17 operas, it remains my favorite child. The musical atmosphere has changed greatly in the interim and the lyric, romantically tonal is no longer the exception, but now the standard. Critics are no longer shocked by a flow of melody from composers, and the love of audiences for a new work is no longer suspect. For this production, I have written two new interludes to accompany the act divisions and stagecraft. As I wrote them, I was flooded with the feelings of my 26-year-old self and so grateful that this opera has survived and is still being produced. It has been twenty years since I have written an opera and I have in all that time refused to do so. But now my heart and mind have changed and as I pored over the score for this New York production, and in preparation for next season's in San Francisco, I begin to hear faintly in the back of my mind…music…operatic music. Perhaps soon t!
here might be number 18.
*
Thomas Pasatieri
Librettist's Notes:
(Written prior to the opera's 1974 premiere)
I re-re-read the play. It seemed a hopeless mystifying project. It sat there on the page, a cryptic presence wanting only to be left alone. Then I went to see my friend Stella Adler, knowing that she knew about Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theatre and Chekhov. She sat down, a copy of the play in her lap, and began to talk about the play's opening moments - Mash…a storm about to break…the air is unbearable…it's dusk and Masha wears black…his dirty fingernails…no one makes love to her…
I realized the way to proceed was to mine the under-the-surface structure, the labyrinth of details that had at first put me off in Chekhov's plays. Time onstage moves like real-life time - in a muddled way, with stars and stops, with sad high points that are cut off abruptly, turning into absurd low points, which drift on and on, and become funny or suddenly heart-breaking, and sometimes nothing seems to be happening, and the initial boredom of nothing happening, the slowness, becomes riveting. That was the challenge: to try to create this complicated `real life' time sense for the first time in an opera.
- Kenward Elmslie
http://www.dramonline.org/tracks/seagull-act-i-nina-i-am-alone
Here are some excerpts out of the liner notes from the production:
Composer's Notes:
(Written prior to the opera's 1974 Houston premiere:)
It is always difficult to describe why a composer picks a particular subject. It's an almost intangible quality…that cries out for music. I thought that I would be able to translate [The Seagull] into my own operatic terms. I think of the psychological levels of the characters and the way they relate and don't relate to each other. One is the character of Masha, who is not very important in the play; but she struck me as being so interesting psychologically, so deep, that she became a very important character in the opera. Musically, I have found it very interesting to describe the many moods of this girl.
First, Kenward and I sat down and discussed the shape of the opera. The play is in four accts; the opera is in three. We discussed and highlighted the potentially “musical” spots: for instance, I wanted a trio for the three ladies to sing, and he found a situation in the play where that could very easily happen; I wanted certain duets, certain solo pieces, certain ensembles, and he found spots in the play to fashion them. Then he wrote the libretto, and as he would send me a scene, I would set it.
When I had finished the first act, he came down from Vermont where he was writing the libretto to hear it. We then talked about the second act and proceeded from thee. We made some revisions. For example, there were first revisions of the libretto with Kenward himself. In one instance a duet in the second act that I wanted him to do. I described a certain feeling I wanted and he proceeded to write words that were not in the original p0lay. There were some things for Arkadina: I wanted her to sing a very impassioned second act aria to Trigorin. We discussed the kinds of things that she would say. We also gave her a scene from Oedipus, because she is an actress and it would make, we felt, an exciting finale for the opera. Then, when we worked with the director, there were still other changes. There is a scene in the last act between Constantine and Nina in which they meet for the last time. The director [Frank Corsaro] thought it would be better. So I rewrote the scene…
I wanted to write a piece which would speak to the audience with luscious vocal lines and beautiful orchestration. So that's what I did with this piece. I was no longer concerned - am I “modern” or not?
(Written prior to the December 2002 production:)
Over 28 years have passed since the premiere of The Seagull, half a lifetime for me. Of my 17 operas, it remains my favorite child. The musical atmosphere has changed greatly in the interim and the lyric, romantically tonal is no longer the exception, but now the standard. Critics are no longer shocked by a flow of melody from composers, and the love of audiences for a new work is no longer suspect. For this production, I have written two new interludes to accompany the act divisions and stagecraft. As I wrote them, I was flooded with the feelings of my 26-year-old self and so grateful that this opera has survived and is still being produced. It has been twenty years since I have written an opera and I have in all that time refused to do so. But now my heart and mind have changed and as I pored over the score for this New York production, and in preparation for next season's in San Francisco, I begin to hear faintly in the back of my mind…music…operatic music. Perhaps soon t!
here might be number 18.
*
Thomas Pasatieri
Librettist's Notes:
(Written prior to the opera's 1974 premiere)
I re-re-read the play. It seemed a hopeless mystifying project. It sat there on the page, a cryptic presence wanting only to be left alone. Then I went to see my friend Stella Adler, knowing that she knew about Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theatre and Chekhov. She sat down, a copy of the play in her lap, and began to talk about the play's opening moments - Mash…a storm about to break…the air is unbearable…it's dusk and Masha wears black…his dirty fingernails…no one makes love to her…
I realized the way to proceed was to mine the under-the-surface structure, the labyrinth of details that had at first put me off in Chekhov's plays. Time onstage moves like real-life time - in a muddled way, with stars and stops, with sad high points that are cut off abruptly, turning into absurd low points, which drift on and on, and become funny or suddenly heart-breaking, and sometimes nothing seems to be happening, and the initial boredom of nothing happening, the slowness, becomes riveting. That was the challenge: to try to create this complicated `real life' time sense for the first time in an opera.
- Kenward Elmslie
Filling the silence
This post is some of my thoughts on filling the pauses, especially the one before Skye's line "The Angel of Silence has passed over us."
On Friday all of the actors had a Viewpoints class with Catherine Moore. We did an exercise where we investigated a painting in an art book, and then had an open viewpoints session with music supplied by Catherine. Our assignment focused on trying to look at the picture and translate what we saw into our Viewpoints vocabulary. It was a very informative class. We created a piece of theatre as an ensemble. We did this by LISTENING to each other and trying to play off of each other. If someone had an idea, everyone was open to building on it.
This is the kind of environment we have to bring to this ensemble scene. Even though we all have our own intentions... they have to be found in the other people on stage. The silences only work when what we're discovering something new in the other people on stage. If you want to see people standing around in silence not reacting to each other... go to a museum. The silences are where HUGE discoveries happen. Something Matt said to me in class was something my silence could be filled with is the discovery that Nina is enthralled with Trigorin.
I hope this is something we can all work together on... cause when we all find it together... it feels like acting.
And acting feels good...
Peter
On Friday all of the actors had a Viewpoints class with Catherine Moore. We did an exercise where we investigated a painting in an art book, and then had an open viewpoints session with music supplied by Catherine. Our assignment focused on trying to look at the picture and translate what we saw into our Viewpoints vocabulary. It was a very informative class. We created a piece of theatre as an ensemble. We did this by LISTENING to each other and trying to play off of each other. If someone had an idea, everyone was open to building on it.
This is the kind of environment we have to bring to this ensemble scene. Even though we all have our own intentions... they have to be found in the other people on stage. The silences only work when what we're discovering something new in the other people on stage. If you want to see people standing around in silence not reacting to each other... go to a museum. The silences are where HUGE discoveries happen. Something Matt said to me in class was something my silence could be filled with is the discovery that Nina is enthralled with Trigorin.
I hope this is something we can all work together on... cause when we all find it together... it feels like acting.
And acting feels good...
Peter
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Notebook of Trigorin by Tennessee Williams
Dolores Whiskeyman
The world of Anton Chekhov is a melancholy place where love is unreturned and ambition thwarted. Here, the light is ever fading against the leafless trees and the maidservant, always in black, forever bemoaning her passionless marriage to an insufferable schoolmaster.
Upon this template, Tennessee Williams has sketched The Notebook of Trigorin. a "free adaptation" of Chekhov's The Seagull, which makes its Washington premiere at The Keegan Theatre in Arlington.
As in the original, The Notebook of Trigorin offers an absurdly convoluted tale of love, lust, vanity, and bad aim with a pistol. Consider: Masha loves Constantine who loves Nina who loves Trigorin, who loves, apparently, just himself, but tolerates the passion of Irina, while flattering himself with the affections of Nina and - in Williams' version, anyway - skinny dipping with Yakov on the sly.
With a storyline like that, you expect a few laughs -- and you get them. But the black humor that inhabits all of Chekhov's plays bleaches to a pale mirth in this version. Refracted through his lens, Chekhov's biting social satire becomes an elegy -- but a lovely one, and under Mark A. Rhea's direction, exquisite.
So leave Chekhov at the door and deal with this play on its own merits. Though the storyline is mostly Chekhov's -- with a few variations -- the sensibility and the language is all Tennessee, lovely and lilting and poignant at points. The strength of the play lies in characterizations so vivid that they live on in the imagination long after the lights have dimmed. Williams renders his characters more sharply than Chekhov. Dorn, the doctor -- a staple character in Chekhov -- is downright nasty -- and Masha the overseer's daughter, is a lush.
If it did nothing else, Rhea's production proves that the power of theatre to transport us lies not in its props and costumes and sets, but in the charged emotional energy between actor and audience. The seduction begins with the first beat of the play -- when Jeremy Beck, as Constantine, literally leaps into the scene, and it continues until the final act, when Constantine slams shut his writing desk and reaches oh so slowly for a drawer the audience knows contains a pistol. He is completely defeated, completely still, his back towards the audience, his face towards the lake, and as his fingers work the drawer open and fold back the velvet lining, the audience is absolutely breathless, watching him. All the while Beck never looks down. His eyes are focused on the lake beyond the window, the place of his great humiliation.
It is at the lake that the play opens-- twilight on the country estate of Constantine's mother, Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina, a prominent but aging actress of the Moscow stage. Constantine is preparing to present his first play, with a neighbor girl in the lead. But poor Nina (Linda Jean Chittick) isn't quite up to the role. Nor is she up to the intensity of Constantine's affections; her eye is drawn instead to the writer Boris Alekseyevich Trigorin (Ian LeValley), Irina's younger lover.
Beck lures us into great sympathy for Constantine, an annoyingly depressive youth who cannot attract the love of the woman he wants nor shake the obsessive attentions of the woman he doesn't. As Constantine cries out for "new forms, new forms!" we realize that his play is really an old form - a child's clumsy ploy for maternal approval. He doesn't get it, of course. For as he observes, in Moscow, Irina is an energetic 32 - at home, in the presence of her 25-year-old son, she is a tired 43 -- and she resents it.
Yet Rena Cherry Brown brings vulnerability to Irina, softening that enormous vanity and making it easier to forgive the offhand manner in which she dismisses her son. Irina's neediness drives her; she is hopelessly in love with Trigorin, an opportunist who -- everyone knows -- is as bored by her as she is inflamed by him. Desperate to be loved, Irina cannot give love, and her insecurities ravage her son, whose hopeless pursuit of Nina reflects the rejection he feels from his mother.
At the center of the psychological war sits Trigorin, a cool observer with a notebook. At once charming and manipulative, petulant and brutal, he is the agent of tragedy and remains untouched by it. As Williams recasts him, he is also a closeted homosexual - but for what purpose? That is never clear, and it is the weakest element in the play. The conceit, once raised, ultimately goes nowhere; the outcome of the play is the same and Trigorin's role in it unchanged. His sexuality becomes an aside - more of a distraction than an enhancement in a story driven by the sexual frustrations of its principals.
But as Trigorin, LeValley is fascinating in his restraint, the intimations of his secret life revealed ever so subtly. In the way that he settles into a chair, in the turn of his head or the flicker of a smile across his face, LeValley shows us Trigorin's true nature long before Williams does. In this fashion, Rhea saves Williams from himself, and prevents his delicate meditation on the frailty of human nature from deteriorating into a politically incorrect cautionary tale about the impact of an overbearing mother on the personality of her weak-willed son.
The world of Anton Chekhov is a melancholy place where love is unreturned and ambition thwarted. Here, the light is ever fading against the leafless trees and the maidservant, always in black, forever bemoaning her passionless marriage to an insufferable schoolmaster.
Upon this template, Tennessee Williams has sketched The Notebook of Trigorin. a "free adaptation" of Chekhov's The Seagull, which makes its Washington premiere at The Keegan Theatre in Arlington.
As in the original, The Notebook of Trigorin offers an absurdly convoluted tale of love, lust, vanity, and bad aim with a pistol. Consider: Masha loves Constantine who loves Nina who loves Trigorin, who loves, apparently, just himself, but tolerates the passion of Irina, while flattering himself with the affections of Nina and - in Williams' version, anyway - skinny dipping with Yakov on the sly.
With a storyline like that, you expect a few laughs -- and you get them. But the black humor that inhabits all of Chekhov's plays bleaches to a pale mirth in this version. Refracted through his lens, Chekhov's biting social satire becomes an elegy -- but a lovely one, and under Mark A. Rhea's direction, exquisite.
So leave Chekhov at the door and deal with this play on its own merits. Though the storyline is mostly Chekhov's -- with a few variations -- the sensibility and the language is all Tennessee, lovely and lilting and poignant at points. The strength of the play lies in characterizations so vivid that they live on in the imagination long after the lights have dimmed. Williams renders his characters more sharply than Chekhov. Dorn, the doctor -- a staple character in Chekhov -- is downright nasty -- and Masha the overseer's daughter, is a lush.
If it did nothing else, Rhea's production proves that the power of theatre to transport us lies not in its props and costumes and sets, but in the charged emotional energy between actor and audience. The seduction begins with the first beat of the play -- when Jeremy Beck, as Constantine, literally leaps into the scene, and it continues until the final act, when Constantine slams shut his writing desk and reaches oh so slowly for a drawer the audience knows contains a pistol. He is completely defeated, completely still, his back towards the audience, his face towards the lake, and as his fingers work the drawer open and fold back the velvet lining, the audience is absolutely breathless, watching him. All the while Beck never looks down. His eyes are focused on the lake beyond the window, the place of his great humiliation.
It is at the lake that the play opens-- twilight on the country estate of Constantine's mother, Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina, a prominent but aging actress of the Moscow stage. Constantine is preparing to present his first play, with a neighbor girl in the lead. But poor Nina (Linda Jean Chittick) isn't quite up to the role. Nor is she up to the intensity of Constantine's affections; her eye is drawn instead to the writer Boris Alekseyevich Trigorin (Ian LeValley), Irina's younger lover.
Beck lures us into great sympathy for Constantine, an annoyingly depressive youth who cannot attract the love of the woman he wants nor shake the obsessive attentions of the woman he doesn't. As Constantine cries out for "new forms, new forms!" we realize that his play is really an old form - a child's clumsy ploy for maternal approval. He doesn't get it, of course. For as he observes, in Moscow, Irina is an energetic 32 - at home, in the presence of her 25-year-old son, she is a tired 43 -- and she resents it.
Yet Rena Cherry Brown brings vulnerability to Irina, softening that enormous vanity and making it easier to forgive the offhand manner in which she dismisses her son. Irina's neediness drives her; she is hopelessly in love with Trigorin, an opportunist who -- everyone knows -- is as bored by her as she is inflamed by him. Desperate to be loved, Irina cannot give love, and her insecurities ravage her son, whose hopeless pursuit of Nina reflects the rejection he feels from his mother.
At the center of the psychological war sits Trigorin, a cool observer with a notebook. At once charming and manipulative, petulant and brutal, he is the agent of tragedy and remains untouched by it. As Williams recasts him, he is also a closeted homosexual - but for what purpose? That is never clear, and it is the weakest element in the play. The conceit, once raised, ultimately goes nowhere; the outcome of the play is the same and Trigorin's role in it unchanged. His sexuality becomes an aside - more of a distraction than an enhancement in a story driven by the sexual frustrations of its principals.
But as Trigorin, LeValley is fascinating in his restraint, the intimations of his secret life revealed ever so subtly. In the way that he settles into a chair, in the turn of his head or the flicker of a smile across his face, LeValley shows us Trigorin's true nature long before Williams does. In this fashion, Rhea saves Williams from himself, and prevents his delicate meditation on the frailty of human nature from deteriorating into a politically incorrect cautionary tale about the impact of an overbearing mother on the personality of her weak-willed son.
Turgenev
Since so much of Russian identity is said to be defined by writers I thought that it may be interesting to examine some of the big names. Below is a link to Fathers and Children, said to be Turgenev's most powerful work. I would encourage everyone to at least give time to read the introduction to the book as it will help to inform a bit of how our community and country defines itself.
http://books.google.com/books?id=dFsMAAAAIAAJ&printsec=titlepage#PPP1,M1
http://books.google.com/books?id=dFsMAAAAIAAJ&printsec=titlepage#PPP1,M1
Monday, November 10, 2008
mourning has broken...
We were talking about in class what Masha means when she says, “I am in mourning for my life.” I did some research on what it was like when someone died and what the funerals were like.
Funerals in Russia are not only a time for mourning but a period of elaborate food and drink rituals. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, the day of death, the day of the funeral, and the 3rd, 9th, and 40th days after death are all considered days of mourning. In addition, several Parents' Days are assigned by the church throughout the year to remember the dead. On all of these days it is customary to visit the graves and leaves some food on the grave as a symbolic offering to the loved ones.
On the day of the funeral the family prepares and serves a special dish: sweet kasha made with wheat or rice. Grain symbolizes eternal life, and sweetness symbolizes heavenly peace. After the funeral, family and close friends gather at home for the funeral banquet. A table setting is prepared for the deceased person and a chair is left empty in memory of the departed. People talk about the life and good deeds of the deceased and drink to his or her memory and for the peace of their soul. A similar banquet is repeated on the 40th day of death.
When in mourning you were expected to wear all black.
It seems that a funeral is a laundry list. The same steps were expected to happen every time a person passed away. They have special days devoted to remembering that person. Masha, however, claims that she is in mourning everyday, and not for a person but for her life. This is very comical. I think it would be interesting for me to try and make Medvedenko laugh at this statement, instead of making it a pity party.
Funerals in Russia are not only a time for mourning but a period of elaborate food and drink rituals. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, the day of death, the day of the funeral, and the 3rd, 9th, and 40th days after death are all considered days of mourning. In addition, several Parents' Days are assigned by the church throughout the year to remember the dead. On all of these days it is customary to visit the graves and leaves some food on the grave as a symbolic offering to the loved ones.
On the day of the funeral the family prepares and serves a special dish: sweet kasha made with wheat or rice. Grain symbolizes eternal life, and sweetness symbolizes heavenly peace. After the funeral, family and close friends gather at home for the funeral banquet. A table setting is prepared for the deceased person and a chair is left empty in memory of the departed. People talk about the life and good deeds of the deceased and drink to his or her memory and for the peace of their soul. A similar banquet is repeated on the 40th day of death.
When in mourning you were expected to wear all black.
It seems that a funeral is a laundry list. The same steps were expected to happen every time a person passed away. They have special days devoted to remembering that person. Masha, however, claims that she is in mourning everyday, and not for a person but for her life. This is very comical. I think it would be interesting for me to try and make Medvedenko laugh at this statement, instead of making it a pity party.
What's in a name?
Maria Mariya Marya Masha Mashenka Mashulya
The girl's name Masha \m(a)-sha\ is a variant of Mary (Latin), and the meaning of Masha is "star of the sea".
Meaning and origin: The name is supposed to be of the Old Jewish origin and has many meanings such as: be against something, deny,be bitter; saint, high and tall, bitter, beloved, obstinate, sad, and persistence, superiority, mistress, lady, stubborn.
Chekhov had a sister named Masha, who supported his writing, and always wept at his plays.
The girl's name Masha \m(a)-sha\ is a variant of Mary (Latin), and the meaning of Masha is "star of the sea".
Meaning and origin: The name is supposed to be of the Old Jewish origin and has many meanings such as: be against something, deny,be bitter; saint, high and tall, bitter, beloved, obstinate, sad, and persistence, superiority, mistress, lady, stubborn.
Chekhov had a sister named Masha, who supported his writing, and always wept at his plays.
facial hair
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"There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless — boys and women — and I am neither one." (A Greek Saying)
pictures....
For my blog I am giving you two pictures that I found, the first is a famous painting from the 19th century by Russian artist Ilya Repin of Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) after murdering his son. This painting gives me the most vivid imagery of my final moment in the Seagull when I find Konstantin dead. It is a beautiful work of art. The second photo is of Lake Pleshcheyevo. This lake is the place where the Russian Navy was begun. Peter the Great began building the very first Russian ships here during his reign. The image though is a great one to get a sense of the enchanting lake that lies as a backdrop for our play.
Konstantin and single motherhood
Dug up some literature on single mothers and their children. Caitlin, I think this raises some questions about our givens, relationship as well as our subtext much of the time. The article I read is titled “Family Structure and Children’s Success: A Comparison of Widowed and Divorced Single-Mother Families” from the Journal of Marriage and the Family (May 2000). The citation and website link is below. Following that are some notes I took:
Biblarz, Timothy J., and Greg Gottainer. “Family Structure and Children’s Success: A
Comparison of Widowed and Divorced Single-Mother Families.” Journal of
Marriage and the Family 62 (2000): 533-48. JSTOR. May 2000. 9 Nov. 2008.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1566757?&Search=yes&term=structure&term=family&term=children%27s&term=success&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfamily%2Bstructure%2Bchildren%2527s%2Bsuccess%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26wc%3Don&item=5&ttl=11265&returnArticleService=showArticle
Notes:
• the experience of children raised by divorced mothers is markedly different from the experience of children raised by widowed mothers.
• children raised by divorced mothers are less likely to complete high school and/or college than those of widowed mothers (533)
• children raised by divorced mothers are more likely to have menial and/or unstable occupations than those of widowed mothers (533)
• adult children raised by divorced mothers experience more depression and unfulfilment than those raised by widowed mothers (533)
• in a typical two parent family, children learn about how to function and interact with authority; the children of single parents are more likely to suffer one of two extremes: either great neglect or excessive parental authority (534)
• children with stepfathers (the mother being either widowed or divorced) tend to fare negatively in terms of education and occupational status relative to biological two-parent families (537)
• divorced single mothers will tend to socialize more often with their relatives than widowed single mothers (543)
• divorced single mothers tend to be more dissatisfied with their financial situation than widowed single mothers (544)
Is Konstantin’s father dead? I do not think so, just gone. Therefore, I think treating Arkadina like something closer to a divorced mother makes the most sense. Konstantin was unable to finish at university for “circumstnaces beyond our control” but could this also have had to do with his situation as the neglected child of a single mother? Is part of the reason that Konstantin so resents Trigorin because he has occupied the position of stepfather in his life? Does Konstantin resent both Arkadina and Trigorin for shutting him away from his real father? Arkadina’s readiness to socialize with Sorin and the others at the country estate also points to a status equivalent to that of a divorced mother. Also, her readiness to “dissolve into tears” when someone asks her for money suggests a financial dissatisfaction characteristic of divorced mothers according this study.
These questions of single motherhood, stepfatherhood, and child development will help me as I deepen my objective of “Let me into this family!”
--Alborz
Biblarz, Timothy J., and Greg Gottainer. “Family Structure and Children’s Success: A
Comparison of Widowed and Divorced Single-Mother Families.” Journal of
Marriage and the Family 62 (2000): 533-48. JSTOR. May 2000. 9 Nov. 2008
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1566757?&Search=yes&term=structure&term=family&term=children%27s&term=success&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfamily%2Bstructure%2Bchildren%2527s%2Bsuccess%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26wc%3Don&item=5&ttl=11265&returnArticleService=showArticle
Notes:
• the experience of children raised by divorced mothers is markedly different from the experience of children raised by widowed mothers.
• children raised by divorced mothers are less likely to complete high school and/or college than those of widowed mothers (533)
• children raised by divorced mothers are more likely to have menial and/or unstable occupations than those of widowed mothers (533)
• adult children raised by divorced mothers experience more depression and unfulfilment than those raised by widowed mothers (533)
• in a typical two parent family, children learn about how to function and interact with authority; the children of single parents are more likely to suffer one of two extremes: either great neglect or excessive parental authority (534)
• children with stepfathers (the mother being either widowed or divorced) tend to fare negatively in terms of education and occupational status relative to biological two-parent families (537)
• divorced single mothers will tend to socialize more often with their relatives than widowed single mothers (543)
• divorced single mothers tend to be more dissatisfied with their financial situation than widowed single mothers (544)
Is Konstantin’s father dead? I do not think so, just gone. Therefore, I think treating Arkadina like something closer to a divorced mother makes the most sense. Konstantin was unable to finish at university for “circumstnaces beyond our control” but could this also have had to do with his situation as the neglected child of a single mother? Is part of the reason that Konstantin so resents Trigorin because he has occupied the position of stepfather in his life? Does Konstantin resent both Arkadina and Trigorin for shutting him away from his real father? Arkadina’s readiness to socialize with Sorin and the others at the country estate also points to a status equivalent to that of a divorced mother. Also, her readiness to “dissolve into tears” when someone asks her for money suggests a financial dissatisfaction characteristic of divorced mothers according this study.
These questions of single motherhood, stepfatherhood, and child development will help me as I deepen my objective of “Let me into this family!”
--Alborz
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