2009 LUL
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tableau vivan = living picture
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2007 -- google.com/group/acting2 -- 2009
THR221 Intermediate Acting
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& thr blog
Never mind the vocalization, lets focus on physicalization only...
Body language? Body, speak!
The most useful in class the "handshake": they understand immediately the BM steps -- aim, action... The physical structure of "handshake" is obvious; now we can work on "characterization" (expression the character through this action)![ 2004 updates -- 2004.txt ]"Throwing a stone"...
"A hug"...
Or the act of "sitting down" -- the moment we break it in BM step, we can work on age characterization, for example. BM allows us to "slow down" the natural motion and examine the segments. If aim and action are determined by the moving the center of gravity within the body (sometimes even outside of the body), we can find new way to cary on this center of gravity.
Also, the "center of energy" for "inner gesture" exer. -- each character has its own energy center (hands, for example).
[ woman's center of gravity, man's, child's, old man's and so on ]
I suspect that BM exer. could be a great basis for new set of warmups...
Another archive etudes picture:
I do not have photos from my classes, I place images from my shows (all are taken by Kade and Tara, my Theatre UAF designers). I thought about doing the drawings, but this is another project which never made it to the top of my list of priorities. Of course, there is the old fashion descriptive narrative -- but after all the actual BM training could be exercise only live. So, I limit myself to the ideas of biomechanics, the theory side of it.
Connect (link) to Glossary asnd back to the pages.
* Go to SHOWS directory and select something you like (for example, since I am to direct "Don Juan" I am thinking about it). So, the first task is to introduce the hero -- here is need for some etude! What do we have -- a "womaniser"? How to show it? How to make it visible from the moment he enters the stage? Maybe even before it? (Sound, reaction on stage). Where is this "etude"?
Read intro page in BM II: the connection between Epic Theatre and Biomechanics. Also, connections with Method Acting: where and when apply one or another? For theory of BM, go to MasterClass (notes for 60 minutes lecture).
Biomechanics is the basic theory of movement and physical theatre; there are many connections we can draw to various perfomance arts (dance, ballet, mine) and even to martial arts and sport (acrobatics, gymnastics, you do the list). Meyerhold brought the very old forms of street theatre (including circus), which only look like avant-guarde of the 20th century after two millenniums of drama-oriented shows. I only wish I could write about all applications of BM the way medical biomechanics developed it science terms. Do we need such in depth development of theatre BM theory? I don't know. Semiotics (science of signs) has not much history either -- and we need stage semio analysis to be advanced in order to take BM to the level of science...
All I can do now is to establish the directions for the future research and explorations of BM subjects.
The group sits or stands around the acting space.
Two people enter the space and begin to improvise a scene, with dialogue and as much physical action as possible.
At any moment, anyone else in the group may shout, "FREEZE!"
The actors freeze instantly and exactly.
The person who stopped the scene taps one of the actors on the shoulder. The actor sits down and the new person takes his or her position exactly.
The new person must now initiate a new and DIFFERENT scene. The scene must flow naturally from the positions of the two bodies, and it is the new person's responsibility to communicate to his or her partner and to the audience what the new scene is about.
At any moment another person may shout, "FREEZE!" and it begins again.
Pointers
With groups of kids I sometimes have them take turns saying, "Freeze!" In other words, as a scene goes on, only one person is allowed to freeze it. Then when he does, the next person is allowed to freeze it, and so on.
If you have a reticent student, you can shout "Freeze!" for him and then coach him as necessary.
Group stands outside a designated performance space.
One person runs into the space, forms her body into a statue and announces what she is, as in "I'm a tree."
Instantly the next person runs on and forms something else in the same picture. "I'm a bench under the tree."
The next person further adds to the picture. "I'm a bum on the bench."
"I'm a dog peeing on the tree."
"I'm the newspaper the bum is sleeping under."
Etc., until the whole group is part of the picture.
Start again. And again. Etc.
Coach this to go very, very fast. There is no time to think--just go!
If there are two teams, they alternate.
Pointers
Make sure a different person starts each picture.
Variations
Or even, "A moving, talking picture!"
Group gets in a line at the edge of the playing space. The first person enters the space and begins to pantomime a simple activity--for example, brushing his teeth.
The second person runs on and says, "What are you doing?"
The first person may answer anything EXCEPT what he is actually doing. In our example he might say, "I'm washing the car."
The moment the second person hears the answer, she must begin to pantomime the mentioned activity.
The first person goes to the end of the line and the third person runs on and says, "What are you doing?"
Etc.
The new person MUST START IMMEDIATELY when the answer is heard.
The answer MUST NOT be what the person is doing, but, for convenience, it should also NOT be something that LOOKS LIKE what the person is actually doing.
Variations
You can play this as a tournament if you want. Two people bounce the question back and forth until one of them "fouls" by repeating himself, stopping the action before answering the question, not starting the acting in time, or answering the truth. A new challenger steps in, and so on until all but one person have been eliminated.
Everyone sits in a circle. There should be one fewer chairs than people.
The person who is left in the middle ("IT") says something like, "Everyone wearing red." or, "Everyone who has a brother," or "Everyone who is left-handed." Any description that is likely to describe some and unlikely to describe all will do.
Everyone who fits the description must move to a different chair.
"IT" is also trying for a seat.
Usually a different person will be left standing, and become "IT."
In addition to being fast-paced and very physical (especially when played with highly competitive, creative adults), this game helps a cast to get to know each other, and it calls for strategy that depends in part on how well "IT" knows the others. Great fun.
Right now you're made completely of wood. Your arms and legs are carved from a single piece of wood. You can't move any part of yourself at all.
Now the magic spell has begun. It begins at the top of your head. The spell moves down slowly until your head down to your eyebrows is flesh and blood. Try and move your eyebrows.
The spell keeps moving down. Now you can move your eyes! All your life you've been staring straight ahead, and now you can look to the sides.
The spell gets to your ears and your nose. See if you can wiggle them.
The spell gets to your mouth. You can smile. It feels strange at first, and probably looks pretty strange too, but you grow more comfortable with it. Try some other facial expressions as well.
Slowly you discover that you can turn your head. Careful! You can look up and down carefully as well. Look! You have feet! This is the first time you were ever sure.
The spell reaches your shoulders. But remember, your arms and hands are still attached to your torso, since you are carved from a single piece of wood, so you can move ONLY your shoulders. Try some circles. Do you feel a tingle up and down your spine? That's the magic working.
The spell reaches your chest. You can puff it out like a soldier.
Your elbows can move now, but still not your hands. As the spell goes lower, see if you can pull your left hand away from your body. Ooofff! You did it.
Bring your hand up to your face and study it. See if you can move the fingers. Wow! You've never seen anything so beautiful!
See if you can get your right hand free as well. Does it move too?
The spell has reached your waist. Carefully bend forward, to the side. See if you bend backwards. See if you can make a circle.
The spell reaches your hips, but your knees are still locked together and your feet are still attached to your pedestal.
The spell gets to your knees. See if they bend!
Reach down and see if you can pull your left foot free. Ooofff! Point the toe. Flex the foot. Make little circles.
Now see if you can get your right foot free.
You're all real now! See how you can move. Careful at first--these are your first steps! Let's find all the ways our new bodies move!
The group divides into two teams. Team A leaves the room, and Team B brainstorms a person, place and thing. (For example, Shirley Temple, in Burger King, with a butter churn.)
The first person from Team A enters, and Team B tells her the three things.
The second person from Team A enters.
The first person must communicate all three items without speaking. The twist is that the second person can't speak either, so there is no way for the first person to be sure she has communicated successfully. The second person may indicate through sounds, humming or gestures that he does or does not understand--he may even try to "restate" an item in a different way to be sure he has it, but no language of any kind is permitted.
When the second person thinks he has all three items, the next person enters, and the message is passed on in the same way.
When the last person in Group A thinks she has figured out the three items, she announces her conclusion--which is almost never identical to the original information.
The teams switch roles and the process is repeated.
Pointers
Music (hummed but not, of course, sung) can be extremely useful here. I once saw a person act "Tinkerbell" by three bars of the opening music from The Wonderful World of Disney and tapping an imaginary wand. The person receiving understood instantly. Commercial themes, television show themes, pop music--all are easily recognized and convey much.
If a group is good at the game, they will start deliberately choosing combinations of items that will be hard to guess, but at first a leader might want to veto items that are too obscure. (Of course, half the fun of the game is that people get off on the wrong track, and since half of the group is always "audience" they are able to watch as the train comes derailed.)
It is very difficult for players familiar with charades to understand that not only the "giver" but the "receiver" as well must not speak. Be sure to stress this. You cannot, as in charades, verbalize your guesses so as to help the actor know how he's doing.
Set up four chairs to resemble the front and back seats of a car.
The first three people get in the car, leaving the rear passenger-side seat empty.
The three people in the car invent a scenario to explain their traveling together, and mime driving along, improvising a conversation, etc.
The next person in line enters the scene as a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker must have a fairly clearly defined character.
The people in the car must stop to pick up the hitchhiker, but they improvise how politely they do it, etc., based on their characters.
Once the hitchhiker is in the car and a four-way conversation begun, everyone in the car begins to pick up the hitchhiker's personality and mannerisms. (For instance, if the hitchhiker is paranoid, soon everyone is paranoid. If the hitchhiker is drunk, soon everyone is drunk. If the hitchhiker is excessively cheerful, soon everyone is, etc.)
Once everyone has fully taken on the new personality, the driver leaves the scene and everyone moves over one seat, so that the front passenger becomes the driver, the driver's-side rear passenger becomes the front passenger, etc.
Repeat with a new hitchhiker, who has a different personality. (Until they have picked up the new person, the three in the car continue to play the first hitchhiker's personality.)
Pointers
Stand in a circle. Everyone look at the floor.
When the leader calls out, "Look up!" everyone must look directly into the face of someone else in the circle.
Most people will find they are looking at someone who is not looking back at them, but a few people will probably find that they are staring directly into someone else's eyes.
When this happens, these two people are "out," and must exclaim to each other, "Dude!" as they leave the circle.
Continue in this fashion until only one (or, if there's an even number in the group, two) are left.
At first this won't take very long, but after a while a group will get to the point where they can go for a long time without anyone being knocked out. It takes a real psychic bond--essential also for real ensemble work.
Variations
Obviously the "Dude!" part is not required. I just think it makes it more fun.
Pointers
Everyone stands in a circle. One person begins to develop "the shakes" in one particular, localized part of his body. (For instance, his foot might begin to shake violently.) After the shakes are fully developed, that person "throws" the affliction across the circle to another person. Eye contact is important here, so that it is clear who is being "thrown" to. The new person "catches" the shakes in the same body part. Gradually the shakes move to a different body part. (For instance, the tremor might travel up the leg until it eventually comes to rest in a hand.) Once the affliction is firmly established in its new location, the victim "throws" it to another person, etc. Try not to repeat any body part exactly. (It may be necessary, of course, to repeat "foot," but maybe the shakes themselves are different, or it locates in a particular toe or something the second time.) Continue to play until everyone is running out of ideas.
Pointers
Stand in a circle. One person announces, "I am Mr. Hit!" Mr. Hit begins walking directly (but slowly, at first) towards another person in the circle, with his hands out in front of him like a zombie. If he touches (hits) the person, they are "out" and must leave the circle. The only way the intended victim can stop Mr. Hit is to call out the name of another person in the circle before any contact is made. No fair running away.
Once a name is called out, that person instantly becomes Mr. Hit and begins advancing on a victim. (He doesn't have to announce that he is Mr. Hit after the first time.) Again, the only way the victim can save himself is by calling out a name.
Continue play until all but two people have been eliminated. It gets harder and harder, because as people are "out" the fund of names grows smaller. You can't say the name of a person who is out--it must be someone who is still in the circle. It sounds easy, but it isn't. It is very difficult to think with Mr. Hit bearing down on you.
This is great, if frustrating, fun, and although, as I've said, I think it is great for any group, it is also hands down the most effective "name game" I know. Something about the sheer panic you feel when Mr. Hit is coming at you and you can't think of a name to say really makes those names stick in your head. Doesn't work with little kids.
Pointers
Some groups find that they have to change the name of the game to "Mr. Tap" to avoid injury. You know your group best. There's really no reason to do more than lightly touch the victim.
An online course supplement *
2005-2006 Theatre UAF Season: Four Farces + One Funeral & Godot'06
Film-North * Anatoly Antohin * eCitations *
Acting amazon
