Class (Final) 12/17

Monologues

• Monica
• Emphasize "fucking"- it's there for a reason
• Anna- Supernatural (Dean)
• Rigid
• Keeps looking up
• Keep the person you're talking to in one place
• Take your time
• Maddie- Special Days, Still Life
• Good dramatic beginning
• So good and emotional
• Almost crying but not
• Can she not move?
• Larissa- Anne of a Thousand Days
• On trial
• Using scarf as prop in her lap
• Rocking back and forth?
• Scary
• Good standing up and getting mad
• Itzel- Simply Maria
• Good facial expression
• Locked in by words- focus on emotion/story
• Alexis- Far From the Madding Crowd
• Amazing progressive hand/arm movements- playing with hands then sweater
• Came in and was on his knees so she changed from laughter to serious 
• Autumn- Brighton Beach Memoirs
• Good voice, emotion
• Husband died early
• Dramatic, deep
• Starts to cry at end
• Siting, turned to side, then turn to center
• Carter- The Laramie Project (Andrew)
• Amazing costume, gets him into character, straight thuggin'
• Good chill, sitting backwards in chair, maybe move around

Reading

• Larissa
• Vampire
• Girly girl
• Make her quirky
• Erin- Dreams in Captivity
• Love, married couple
• Retirement home

Scenes

• Anna & Lizette- Uncommon Woman
• Anna still has same voice
• Both a little stiff
• Put a lot of work into it and we can tell
• Lizette & Tabatha- Clutter for Two
• Tabatha is so excited to clean 
• Lizette is awesomely messy (hair at beginning)
• Good friendship but strained- show both
• Itzel & Carter
• Tension at the beginning just sitting in bed
• Itzel starts out soft and just bursts out yelling/sobbing- explosion
• Holding her crying at the end- physicality of couple

Rose (The Woolgatherer- scene)

• First reading- 12/8
• Jesse- find your inner rude trucker and dial it back so you don't scare Rose
• Me- wants him emotionally but not so much physically
• Rose- literally crazy- work that angle

We didn't get to actually perform our scene because we ran out of time.

Scene 2: Rose (The Woolgatherer)

Scene from The Woolgatherer by William Mastrosimone (part of Scene 1) with Jesse Cassiani

Sunshine by William Mastrosimone

Sunshine is a stripper and she is the star of her strip club. Everyone knows her and she thinks she has it all. She runs into a stranger's house, saying that she's running from her abusive husband. That stranger is Nelson, a lonely paramedic. They fall in love after he becomes estranged from his wife and she chases him when he doesn't fall for her seductive tricks.

There were not any scenes or monologues that stood out to me particularly; they all seem to need context.

Callie (Stop Kiss- scene)

• First read- 10/13
• Add to make longer
• Good starting with game
• First performance- 10/29
• NO HUFFING
• Maddie's moving around (like she has ADHD) and I'm just trying to play the card game
• Actually play a card game during the scene (realistic and flows better)
• I'm timid and stoic and just want her to focus
• Boring as is- need to jazz up the scene
• Have to get up and move around at some point
• Second performance- 12/1
• Good characterization
• Work on cues (faster, cut each other off when we're supposed to)
• Maddie- doesn't cross arms until end when getting uncomfortable
• Good comraderie
• Little details- touch each other, look at each other
• Need to show flirting side- underlying desire/confusion about liking girls
• Third performance- 12/10
• Awkward touches- trying to be touchy but didn't come off that way
• Beginning and middle- they're good together (game and talking about George and Peter)
• My monologue- cutting myself off and looking at her 
• Show awkward not looking at her- look and look away

Class 12/10

Scenes

• Jesse & Jacob- Zoo Story
• Jesse is maybe too silly?
• Much better
• Jacob- good character (+glasses and smile)
• Good progression/arc
• Characters are good but don't fit together
• Not friends obviously, but need to work together
• Not listening to each other
• Good job taking notes from last time
• Me & Maddie- Stop Kiss
• Awkward touches- trying to be touchy but didn't come off that way
• Beginning and middle- they're good together (game and talking about George and Peter)
• My monologue- cutting myself off and looking at her 
• Show awkward not looking at her- look and look away
• Erin & Autumn- Stop Kiss
• Erin said "dammit Callie" and she's Callie
• Awkward hand hold
• Way better at the end
• Still have character elements in anger and other emotions
• Don't not care, show caring and then anger in that 

Monologues

• Erin- The Greatest Play Ever Written (Mrs. Craig)
• Great beginning- energy
• Great voice fluctuation
• Like having a nervous breakdown (huffing)
• Pacing once or twice

Reading

• Alexis- Far From the Madding Crowd
• Don't want to marry
• Goodbye monologue
• Very honest, layered
• Kaitlyn- The Altruist (Sydney)
• Fed up/anger
• Build throughout
• Maddie- Special Days, Still Life
• Doctors
• Louder with still powerful voice
• Really good- no Maddie voice
• Starting in middle of talking
• Jacob- A Lie of the Mind
• Same character as Nate in the scene
• Brother with short fuse
• Progression, energy is great
• Frustration/angst
• Tabatha & Lizette- Hot Mess
• Dorm room that's a mess
• Mixed in Spanish
• Itzel & Carter- Still Alice
• Telling her man (husband?) about her Alzeimers
• Short but intense
• Mostly Itzel talking

Class 12/8

Scenes

• Tabatha & Jacob
• Way better
• Props would help
• Good individual characterization
• Act more like brother/sister
• Siena & Diana- Stop Kiss
• Siena's awkwardness is amazing and Diana's just like whatever
• Good blocking
• Catch her with her shirt off?
• Can see Siena's character's internal monologue on her face
• Itzel & Rodrigo- Barefoot in the Park
• Good beginning (silent/doing own thing)
• Good rise to anger
• Rodrigo's deadpan
• Not right time to put on robe
• Throwing shoes seems random
• She's roaming around
• Angry- turning pages
• Throwing magazine came out of nowhere
• Divorce?? All of the sudden
• Naz & Martha- Five Women Wearing the Same Dress
• Good fidgeting
• Naz- better- voice, character
• Still doesn't really react to death- slow down
• Good friendship

Reading

• Martha- Ballistic
• Eye ball exploded?
• Filipino woman
• Long?- cut it up a little
• Married with kids
• Autumn- Brighton Beach Memoirs
• Pain- death
• Doesn't want to be helpless
• Mom- too old?
• Liza- My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Toula)
• Big family eating
• Same voice as always?
• Listing?
• Carter
• Great character ("know what I'm sayin")
• "Dawg," "homie"
• In prison- max ward
• Auctioning off guys
• Me & Jesse- The Woolgatherer
• Jesse- find your inner rude trucker and dial it back so you don't scare Rose
• Me- wants him emotionally but not so much physically
• Rose- literally crazy- work that angle

Monologues

• Larissa- Anne of a Thousand Days
• Rocking (sitting) and playing with hands- good physicalization
• Good shifts between loud/anger and quiet
• Needs movements even though she's trapped sitting
• Same character as always- deep, older, strong, etc.
• Matt- The Gym Teacher
• Amazing characterization
• Doing stretches and push ups while talking
• Great voice of authority
• Good movements
• Talking downt ot kids- jokes and inappropriate things

"Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights" Critique

Shivaree by William Mastrosimone

Chandler is a boy that has been sheltered by his mother for all of his life. He wants to get out of his mother's grasp; he is very smart by ignorant. Then he meets his neighbor named Shivaree who is a belly dancer. They fall in love and he sneaks out to see her because his mother doesn't approve.

There are a few good scenes between Chandler and Shivaree, and one monologue by Shivaree about her belly dancing.

Class 12/3

Faustus

• Captivating actors make a show
• Don't try to get answers from it (don't try to understand)
• Don't ask why, ask what
• Like an abstract painting as a show
• Invented in characters even if they aren't invested in the story
• Try to see from one character's POV
• Beautifully creating characters- not for the audience, just be in the moment on stage (not in the spotlight/main focus)

Monologues

• Summer- Grey's Anatomy (Meredith Grey)
• Huffing on "wife" and ends of sentences and in between lines
• More energy at beginning

Reading

• Maddie- 
• Narcolepsy
• Falls asleep and never wakes up
• No Maddie voice
• Turkey on Christmas
• Type cast as quirky/cutesy

Scenes

• Matt & Summer- DMV
• People- like in the DMV
• Crowds, annoying people
• So that getting to the window is his salvation (but she's no better)
• People getting in Matt's way
• Me whispering story in Summer's ear
• Sensual story she's immersed in (doesn't look up)
• He needs to be more offended by her questions
• Carter & Larissa- Fool for Love
• DAMN
• Carter- good stance, looks like a different person
• Super developed characters
• Larissa's crazy face
• Taking real shots?!?
• Can see him gripping her arm
• Awkward getting her on bed
• Throws her on bed and then she knees him in the balls
• He threw a chair and knocked over the bottle
• Burned him with a cigarette!
• Good touching her and her reactions
• So intimate
• Great props
• Good trashy outfit and belt buckle
• Mico & Liza- Good People
• Mico's face is great
• Liza's story telling is amazing, as is her laugh
• Realistic
• She doesn't look at him?
• Good scene for them
• Good cutting each other off
• Don't grab her so forcefully
• Good switches between funny/loud/soft

Class 12/1

Scenes

• Monica & Scarlett- A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking
• Soooooo good (better)
• Monica- great character, good accent
• Good job working together
• Choice getting mad
• Scarlett- stiff, closed off (show that)
• Think about what's keeping your character there
• Me & Maddie- Stop Kiss
• Good characterization
• Work on cues (faster, cut each other off when we're supposed to)
• Maddie- doesn't cross arms until end when getting uncomfortable
• Good comraderie
• Little details- touch each other, look at each other
• Need to show flirting side- underlying desire/confusion about liking girls

Reading

• Summer & Matt- DMV Tyrant
• Helper is reading at DMV window
• "your turn to say something"
• Funny, frustrating
• Good for their personalities
• Long
• Don't play frustration right away
• Sense of power over him
• Anna- Supernatural (Dean)
• Chasing/hunting monsters
• Short and sweet
• Naz- Nine Parts of Desire
• Love, art, Muslim daughters
• Artist, mother, nudist
• Itzel- Simply Maria (Maria)
• Want to go to college
• Good accent
• Woman's rights
• Carter- Top Dog, Under Dog
• Job, boss, cussing
• "I was the be-all, end-all"
• Good accent
• Angry --> other places