Today we performed our Comedia acts. Because we weren’t prepared to do a full skit we cut it and instead of coming up with something last minute, we decided to show the public a preview of what we would take to Argentina.
I think the performance went ok. It wasn’t great because none of the actors had full physicality and I think the main reason for that is, people rely more on words than actions. we think too much of what to say and forget that it’s Comedia. If you want to be funny, your body is the key to that, not what you say. There were times when the audience was laughing, but they didn’t laugh as much as we expected and it was because we weren’t physical enough.
Another thing that in my opinion went bad was the ending. We know it was a preview to what we will take to Argentina, and we know that there is an ending to the story. The audience didn’t get that message. Because we didn’t end the act properly, and nobody mentioned that there is actually half the story left, the audience didn’t understand that so they weren’t sure if we were done with the performance or we were doing some dramatic pause or something. I think that was the biggest mistake because the ending is always one of the most important aspects in a performance, because it’s what the audience remembers the most.
Still, after some groupthink during class we came to the conclusion that we have bonded a lot as a group through this activity because we all had to cooperate and listen to each other in order to move forward. I still think we have a lot of bonding left to do, but we took the first step and that’s something good.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Lovers
I did some research on Comedia’s character the Lovers. The following are the most important things I found:
1. In love with being in love
2. Pretty and Very vain
3. Always have a mirror somewhere.
4. Usually have something in hand (like a handkerchief or a fan)
5. Stands in a fourth or fifth position (ballet)
6. Speaks in romantic, poetic phrases
7. Gets message across through Zanni, colombina or some other servant character Very shy when speaking directly to other lover
8. The smallest mistake equals chaos
9. Does not wear mask but wears makeup
10. Usually high society. Wears the latest fashion
11. Female lover usually changes clothes various times to show off
12. High status that usually comes down because of other lover
13. They NEVER touched, no matter how passionate the moment. They come very close, but they never touch
14. Their hands are free, floating around, just like their whole body does. They “lack contact with the ground”
15. Are aware of the audience
1. In love with being in love
2. Pretty and Very vain
3. Always have a mirror somewhere.
4. Usually have something in hand (like a handkerchief or a fan)
5. Stands in a fourth or fifth position (ballet)
6. Speaks in romantic, poetic phrases
7. Gets message across through Zanni, colombina or some other servant character Very shy when speaking directly to other lover
8. The smallest mistake equals chaos
9. Does not wear mask but wears makeup
10. Usually high society. Wears the latest fashion
11. Female lover usually changes clothes various times to show off
12. High status that usually comes down because of other lover
13. They NEVER touched, no matter how passionate the moment. They come very close, but they never touch
14. Their hands are free, floating around, just like their whole body does. They “lack contact with the ground”
15. Are aware of the audience
Monday, November 7, 2011
Fools
Fools
I went to watch Fools on Saturday night. The comedy by Neil Simon turned out to have a whole lot of dirty jokes, something that surprised me because it’s a school play. Still, to make a comedy effective, some sexual jokes are required.
I loved the stage. It looked very simple, just three houses there. The contrast between the inside of the house and the outside was also very well done. Though in class we talked about how there was a problem with the lights, I don’t think it was that notorious. The spotlight has broken, and that I could tell from the audience, but other than that I think it was pretty good.
The sound effects were also very well done. They were all on cue, so they all made sense with what was going on onstage. What I mean is, sometimes a sound, like a gunshot, comes before the actor actually “shoots” the gun onstage, so that messes everything up. I didn’t see that happened in this play.
The actors on stage were really good too. I was sitting at the back of the auditorium, and I was able to listen with no difficulty. At times it was hard to understand what they were saying because they were talking too fast, or because they started speaking before the audience started laughing. Still, all of them were very into their character, and they did a very good job portraying them. There was only one character I could not get what his purpose was, and that was Luchito’s character. Not because he wasn’t good at illustrating him, but because I couldn’t see where he fit in the play.
Overall I think it was a good play. It was fun to watch and it was funny, and that’s usually something hard for actors to do onstage and they managed to do it most of the time.
I went to watch Fools on Saturday night. The comedy by Neil Simon turned out to have a whole lot of dirty jokes, something that surprised me because it’s a school play. Still, to make a comedy effective, some sexual jokes are required.
I loved the stage. It looked very simple, just three houses there. The contrast between the inside of the house and the outside was also very well done. Though in class we talked about how there was a problem with the lights, I don’t think it was that notorious. The spotlight has broken, and that I could tell from the audience, but other than that I think it was pretty good.
The sound effects were also very well done. They were all on cue, so they all made sense with what was going on onstage. What I mean is, sometimes a sound, like a gunshot, comes before the actor actually “shoots” the gun onstage, so that messes everything up. I didn’t see that happened in this play.
The actors on stage were really good too. I was sitting at the back of the auditorium, and I was able to listen with no difficulty. At times it was hard to understand what they were saying because they were talking too fast, or because they started speaking before the audience started laughing. Still, all of them were very into their character, and they did a very good job portraying them. There was only one character I could not get what his purpose was, and that was Luchito’s character. Not because he wasn’t good at illustrating him, but because I couldn’t see where he fit in the play.
Overall I think it was a good play. It was fun to watch and it was funny, and that’s usually something hard for actors to do onstage and they managed to do it most of the time.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Comedia Del arte
We started studying Comedia del arte, an art form that originated in Italy in the 16th century. It is completely improvised, but includes certain stalk characters, like the Zani or the Pantalone. This particular art from died down for many years and was picked up again after the 1950’s.
What surprised me the most is that at first I thought that since it was a very old theater it would be a little boring to study. Not necessarily to act it out but studying it would be extremely boring. Still, I was able to link Comedia to many of the T.V. shows from today, like for example SpongeBob Squarepants, or one of my personal favorites, Drake and Josh. The original form requires masks to help the audience identify each character onstage and to easily differentiate the Arlequin from the Pantalone from the aristocrats and so on. Now the masks aren’t required, but the characters are still very well portrayed. For example, in SpongeBob Squarepants, SpongeBob and Patrick Star would be the shows Zanni’s whereas Mr. Krab would be the aristocrat, and his daughter, Pearl, would be the young lover. Mr. Krab also plays a lover part in one episode with SpongeBob’s driving teacher, Mrs. Puff. Not only that one but many of the T.V. shows I watch today have a lot to do with Comedia Del Arte.
Up till now we’ve studied two characters; the Zanni and the lovers.
The Zanni is the typical stupid funny and dramatic character we watch all the time, whether it’s on a television show or a play. The Zanni is too stupid to think logically. He thinks about what he wants at the moment, and that is usually food or sleep. He guides himself according to what he smells and what he sees and doesn’t process information. Because the Zanni is unable to look ahead, he can’t fall in love, very much like the lovers.
The lovers aren’t really in love, but they love the idea of saying they are in love. They like the feeling of having someone to flirt with, and therefore it’s usually love at first sight, like Romeo and Juliet. In many of the Comedia visions, the lovers see each other, fall in love, and then there’s some problem in which either somebody tries to keep them away, or they get mad at each other, but it’s only a matter of time before they forgive each other and reunite.
Though the Zanni is the funniest character, I like the lovers better. The Zannis act stupid throughout, and they make the audience laugh, but the real story is on how the lovers are so into each other. The lovers are extremely dramatic, coming up with the biggest clichés in order to satisfy the other, and sending the message that they love each other.
We still have a lot of other characters to look at, so I’ll probably end up changing my mind about the lovers. Still Comedia del Arte is really interesting to study. Making links between that art and what I see today is fun, and there’s a lot to learn form Comedia.
What surprised me the most is that at first I thought that since it was a very old theater it would be a little boring to study. Not necessarily to act it out but studying it would be extremely boring. Still, I was able to link Comedia to many of the T.V. shows from today, like for example SpongeBob Squarepants, or one of my personal favorites, Drake and Josh. The original form requires masks to help the audience identify each character onstage and to easily differentiate the Arlequin from the Pantalone from the aristocrats and so on. Now the masks aren’t required, but the characters are still very well portrayed. For example, in SpongeBob Squarepants, SpongeBob and Patrick Star would be the shows Zanni’s whereas Mr. Krab would be the aristocrat, and his daughter, Pearl, would be the young lover. Mr. Krab also plays a lover part in one episode with SpongeBob’s driving teacher, Mrs. Puff. Not only that one but many of the T.V. shows I watch today have a lot to do with Comedia Del Arte.
Up till now we’ve studied two characters; the Zanni and the lovers.
The Zanni is the typical stupid funny and dramatic character we watch all the time, whether it’s on a television show or a play. The Zanni is too stupid to think logically. He thinks about what he wants at the moment, and that is usually food or sleep. He guides himself according to what he smells and what he sees and doesn’t process information. Because the Zanni is unable to look ahead, he can’t fall in love, very much like the lovers.
The lovers aren’t really in love, but they love the idea of saying they are in love. They like the feeling of having someone to flirt with, and therefore it’s usually love at first sight, like Romeo and Juliet. In many of the Comedia visions, the lovers see each other, fall in love, and then there’s some problem in which either somebody tries to keep them away, or they get mad at each other, but it’s only a matter of time before they forgive each other and reunite.
Though the Zanni is the funniest character, I like the lovers better. The Zannis act stupid throughout, and they make the audience laugh, but the real story is on how the lovers are so into each other. The lovers are extremely dramatic, coming up with the biggest clichés in order to satisfy the other, and sending the message that they love each other.
We still have a lot of other characters to look at, so I’ll probably end up changing my mind about the lovers. Still Comedia del Arte is really interesting to study. Making links between that art and what I see today is fun, and there’s a lot to learn form Comedia.
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