wednesday’s post

today was our third and final day with shawn. we continued with last weeks idea of coming into the space with new eyes. we got to see shawn and elisa work again. and while it’s great to see them work everyday, it just kind of sucks that they end up doing more work than us. i think i would have preferred seeing them for a shorter time,or just watching the students all go. and that way we could all do something.

today i watched scarlett,margie,and abbi do movement. and its interesting to see them like that, scarlett especially,because she’s so different just nin the halls.and its great to see both sides, the public,and the more animalistic/primal side.

it was a great experience with shawn for the past 2 weeks,and although i’m not sure i understood everything, it was great to watch him and elisa work with us.

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today i read about my experience on monday. plus i watched and took some notes on shawn and elisa’s movement time. i also paid attention to scarlett,margie,and abbi’s movement.

tuesday’s post

today we had the 8th graders come to visit!! it was really exciting to think, these kids could be our freshman next year. and i remeber meeting some 8th graders last year, and how i was in 7th grade and came to talk with you with my mom, and i first met javi. then he asked me what grade i was in and counted to his senior year and said “if you came here i’d be your senior.” it’s funny how i ended up coming to the school and really getting to know javi and the seniors and im here today and everything…

anyway. i got to show a 8th grader how to work the light board. i think that was like a land mark for me. because i remember matt teaching me like the first month freshman year and i just couldnt get it. now i’m teaching someone. HOLY JESUS. then i took my 8th grader on a tour and it surprised me how much i knew after this year and 2 months.

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today i showed my 8th grader around,and i showed her how to use the light board.i also said all my accomplishments, including my cake internship,which is so fun to say. plus i offered to try my monologue, but you were primarily working with the juniors. and i participated in all our warm up games.

monday’s post

so today was day two with shawn and elisa. first of all. its great to be with shawn, but sometimes i wish he would tell us exactly whats going on. today one second he was talking about coming into the space,and the next he was walking to the wing,coming back and telling us about some sports team. i really wanted to ask,wait what just happened? and then he told kelsey and fernando to do the same thing. i just didnt understand what he wanted them to do. or what he was doing.

but after that we did some movement. coming into the space and just moving. shawn and elisa both went,and the contrast between the two was almost laughable. elisa was soft,slow,and small. shawn was jumping around and spazing out and sort of sighing but loudly. i thought he was going to start screaming,and i was seriously bracing myself for it. but he didn’t.

after they both went, he let us go. lexii and i got picked. i was really excited and happy to go. lexii’s movement went first. i saw alot of testing of her limits with her body. and just seeing what she could do in the space.

then i got to try. at first i had some inner monologue going on, and i was kind of saying what should i do? and i started just doing things i was comfortable,trying to become aware of my body. and after getting used to it i could feel my head start over thinking. and i wanted to say “STOP OVER THINKING” so my body kind of said it for me. i just shook all my thoughts loose and then just went with it. i started just making noise with the floor, with my hands, seeing what changed if i made noise a different way. and just felt very relaxed and stopped thinking about what i was doing. i just played and had fun up there. one moment i remember the most; i was looking at the lights,and then looking away they burn was still in my eye, anywhere i looked. and i saw it,and wanted to catch it. that was all i wanted. i really just had fun and played during my movement!!

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today i tried my best to understand what shawn wanted us to see. i really focused and tried to understand what he meant about seeing the space with new eyes. i got a chance to do some movement and i felt it was one of the “real-est” times i’ve ever had on the stage. and i think i’m slowly seeing how to stop thinking and relax on stage.

thursday's post

today was our acting time. i went last week, so i didnt get to work today. but i did watch kelsey,scarlett and victoria go today.and i got some notes i can use about seeing your surroundings,and being in the moment. like the false memories i think work a bit for me,but only to see how olivia would act around me if she was interested in me. then i think i can use those false memories to kind of piece it together,and it can help me discover my lines more.

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i came prepared with my blacks and script. i turned on the stage lights. i listened to kelsey,scarlett,and victoria and wrote down notes they got that i think i can use toward my monologue. then i helped clean up the auditorium for the talent show. i walked through the seats collecting trash,and i cleaned up some crap off of the stage.

wednesday's experience.

of course the one day when so much happened, we dont have to journal since we stayed after.

well i am journaling anyway.because i want to remember my experiences with shawn lewis.

first off, hey there shawn! he's the exact kind of crazy you discribed. but i felt just such a passion and true understanding of himself, his body, his craft. and it was a great thing to see in such a reserved person. i appreciated his,getting on our level, and treating us like peers and friends not students. though at first i wasn't sure where any learning was coming in. i thought he was just walking around and chatting.then his wrods kinda came back to me and i went, oh yeah we are just being right now. i wish i had 5 minutes alone. i wanted to experience it. but i felt like there wasn't much wrong that could be done in class.

i explained this afterward,but i'm a thinker. i over think and pre-paln and it sucks! but i just went with shawns free-flow today and let everything go. i did my own thing, i zoned in and out of shawn's 10 minutes, because it was my 10 minutes too. i didnt have to focus on everything,cause it was mine.MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE. all mine. when we had our giant pile, i didnt have to sit there and slep or lay on people, i can play with the candle or watch scarlette draw or see how many shadows the lights were making on my hands (6 infact) or what colors where on the lights,and how that made me think and feel. they were diming and people were breathing,and theyre moving and not moving. and it was all okay!!

then we had our campfire.which i felt was just fun. just a fun thing to do and say. and it was nice to picture and to feel like it did happen. i feel like it was partially knowing everyone made it more real,and you could see how people would act around a campfire.

then we had our i guess movement/speaking to the sike. monster, monster, monster. this point is when i saw shawn do it,but it wasn't right away. i expected for him to speak as soon as he faced the sike. but no,he took his time to get comfortable and to breathe.which was great. then i got to try. i was scared at first but i just let myself relax,and feel comfortable around myself and then i said monster,monster,monster. i did whatever movement just came to my body.and it felt great.

i do have to give myself a bit of a pat on the back,because on top of acting, i was stage managing a bit. i tried to work the lights (my intentions were there) but you kinda took over since i was in class. i got the cord for shawn. and it just felt like cool to be a stage manager.even if i was not doing much, it still feels cool to be called a stage manager and know that i have responsiblities.

which brings me to, open rehearsal fail. i wish it would have pulled through because i was looking forward to seeing lou direct,and see a director work with professional actors.and to see chelsea stage manage with the actors. and i guess you could say i was a bit of a mini-sm. cause i helped chelsea with getting people on stage, and keeping them under control while she did her sm duties.

all and all it was a very good day. and if you read all that babble,you desrve a metal.

tuesday's post

today we continued our denotative analysis. after our very long discussioon on SATS/PSATS. i know its going to sound negitive,but im terrified for SATS. but then who isn't?

i took more notes on the denotative analysis. and i think we even went a little conotative today. and we're definatly working faster with the text.which is a serious plus. and then today i wrote my first rehearsal report, which i copied off of matt's last year for freshie showcase. so i think the format was pretty good. they just take time. i'm trying to persuade my parents about letting me bring my computer to school.but so far no luck. hopefully i can soon,so the reports can just be typed while were rehearsing.

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today i took notes on the denotative analysis,which i've been doing,so i have a referance if an actor forgets something,and its also helping me understand the language alot better. plus i participated in our many discussions about lucianna's living arrangements,PSATS/SATS, etc. and i wrote my very first rehearsal report.

monday's post

today we were scanning again. i finished all my scansion,since i only have my monologue. so now i just have to memorize my scansion. plus we took notes on more royal shakespearian videos. god i hate those people. call me jelous or pissed off, but i hate them. because it proves to you over and over how freaking amazing you have to be to be an actor.and its just alot to bite off,that you might not be able to chew.

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i completely finished my scansion,and it's been aproved by you. now im continueing my search for oprative words. for the most part i understand every word. but when in the monologue i dont understand them, so i dont get the contex of some of the words i guess.so i have more questions! i took notes on the royal shakespearian amaz-a-people. and i'm finishing up my screen play so it makes sense and still tells a similar story as my 20 page script did.

wednesday's participation? thursday and fridays posts

so im not entirely sure if i'm supposed to do participation for wednesday, since we had psats, but just incase here's my participation...

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today i kept reading twelft night. i worked more on my monologue, and thought about my character and i worked more on my scansion. plus i began my new play "just a pack of gum" which i am super excited about,and if it comes out good it might be my marking level play.

thursday's post

acting thrusdays!!!

i really like thursdays because were actually in the theatre,and i feel like i can actually stage manage, a bit, sort of.like turning on the lights,and running to the classroom. it makes me feel like i have a job in a way.

but anyway, i got to work on my monologue today. which was good, because even if i sucked with my monologue, i got to work on it. i'm learning something. i see how i now have to discover my lines, which i understand. but its hard for me,because i feel like its going to come out fake. so i've been pre-thinking it, which is an old habit, that has worked for years,and since last year it hasn't been as successful, so obviously that has to change. i also learned that i have to see my space in detail,and be able to pull it up when doing my monologue. i think that will also help me with your comment from the beginning of the year which was to "click in" to my monologue from the beginning.this includes knowing my immediate surroundings and the ring i have.

the exorsize today though...yeah make the grade obsesser look for a pencil she can't find and take points off. WHILE having people count and just stare at me. the counting was really driving me insane. because that kept making me think of points dropping off my grade,and not finding the pencil and people being there just WATCHING me. but then on the flip side, when i knew where the pencil was, i was almost afraid to find it! because i felt like, its fake, it doesn't look right, i looks like i was just acting like i was looking for the pencil before; so i skipped over it on purpose. my god, i have to stop thinking.

i think once i work on discovering my lines, it will help alot. not only with shakespeare but acting in general,because i felt like i couldn't "discover" my lines last year with freshie showcase.

QUICK INSPIRING DIRECTORS COMMENT: when emily was going, and she was kind of holding back and laughing, i really saw how almost annoying it was, when she would have the drive and go for it, but then drop it like 5 seconds later. i wanted her so badly to just keep with her drive of the character and her anger comiung out, because it was really making the character. just my thoughts....

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today i was prepared with my blacks and script. i got to try my monologue today, and thought it was a good learning experience. i'm really going to TRY to just not think, and forget about the people watching because thats all i think about when on stage. i tried to find the pencil , which teahces me to discover my lines. (which i will also work on.) and i'm going to think more about my surroundings to help me click into character.

friday's post

writing day today! i'm really enjoying writing now. last year i was never really fond of writing,but this year i'm enjoying it. i love hearing other people's ideas and how their writing is going. like i wish we could have a week by week update of everyone's projects.

today i did not get to read, but i'm hoping and praying that i get called next week. i'm planning on turing my play into a screen play,because the set would change to much in a play. the one down side is i worte a really good monologue,which is actaully my favorite part of the play, and i'm thinking its going to have to get shortened, or completly taken out. but maybe its for the best, if this screen play turns out well.

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today i wrote my soc, which again i really want to read. i gave criticism about abbi's piece,which i also got to read, and loved, even in the rough stage its in i loved the story. and i gave feedback on miguel's screen play,  which was interesting, a bit confusing, but it makes you think a bit; and i also read parts of his screen play.

wednesday's post

wednesday's post

so today, i read alittle bit more of twelft night,which honestly i haven't been reading alot.but im going to get back on track now. i refreshed myself on my monologue, so that thing is drilled into my head. DRILLED. and my personal favorite, i began working on a new play, which is from the workshop we had with chris. and its going to be an actual play, because my current play is most likely going to be a screen play. i think it fits better with the topic and with the highschool age group, which the whole play pertains to.

no participation cause we had to take the psats.... not fun.

tuesday's post

more script analysis. its still going good. i'm understanding alot more. though i have a problem with thinking in connotative terms. so im really trying to work on finding meaning behind every single word. i am still taking notes, but i feel that im taking less notes, because i understand more,and anything i dont understand i write down, and the whole explaination when i do. though here's another time when it sucks to be stage manager (OBVIOUSLY i have to understand the script too. and thats not what im saying) because the actors are working on their characters and going deeper into their lines. where i kinda feel, stuck on what to do. just more monologue work, and stage managerly duties, which is hard without an actual stage to manage on.

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today i took my notes on our denotative analysis of the script. i also helped denotate some of the actors lines. plus i asked questions, so i'm learning alot more about the play, and of course writing it all down. side note: i dont know if i should say that i thought about things happening on stage, i guess i was directing in my head, but since your the director, its your vision. and finally i was on "dictionary duty" as i like to call it, and looked up words for the class.

thursday's and friday's post

thursday's post

today we heard everyone's shakespearian monologues. i had mine completely memorized for class. after everyone read theirs, we started actually working with them, and getting our message across. it was interesting to see how your voice, the scansion, and the analysis really play a part in understanding what people are saying. i can only think of it as a different language. when hearing something you dont understand, the person's tone of voice, their inflections on some words, and their body can show you what they mean, even with out knowing all the words.

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today i was ready for class with my blacks and my monologue memorized. plus i re-learned how to work the light board. which for some reason i'm never completely remembering. when reading my monologue i only forgot 2 words, and i almost got to work on mine today, but i'm looking forward to working on it next week.

friday's participation.

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so today we had an unexpected guest artist, chris, who worked on our writing with us. i enjoyed meeting him and hearing about how he was always open to learning more about the theatre. he worked with lights, set, writing, press, and acting. thats how i feel about theatre. i just want to learn as much as i can about everything i can. today i listened to his advice about writing and my writing from today was actually read. i liked my idea alot and im thinking about continueing it into a full play.

tuesday's and wednesday's post

tuesday's post

today we did more denotative analysis,which is getting surprisingly easier-ish? its not easy yet, but its getting to the point where i start to pick up things on my own. but its still step by step, and line by line. listening to a chunk of dialogue, isn't easy yet.but i'm hoping and praying that by the end of this year it will be a bit easier.
and then i'll feel like a genius, because i'll understand shakespeare at the drop of a hat!

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today i wrote the sat question of the day, which i also got correct! plus i took my notes on denotative analysis (we're finally on scene 2. that only took forever.) and i participated alot in the actual analysis. i'm understanding this alot more than last week, and thats a real improvement from just last week!

wednesday's post

today we watched the royal shakespearian company's video lesson.

HOLY CRAP.

these people are insanely insanely insanely INSANELY good. you said they were faking, but i could not tell for the life of me. their faking is better than me on my best day. which is expected. they are freaking acting monsters, obviously they can kick a 15 year old's ass into the ground. i was just blown away by how much work needs to be done to get close to their level.

thats why i was..."depressed" i guess today. because i was thinking how much work i would have to do to become an actor, and how im not sure if i can get to that point, if i have the mental muscle to work to that. so then my mind kind of started racing around and i went through director, writer, techie. directors need the same "education" as actors, possibly more than that. i'm not the greatest of writers, and im not super technical in the tech side, so i just kept thinking, little techie, little techie, little techie.

it has not been a good week so far for me. sorry if i scared you with my sad expression.

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i took notes today about the shakespeare MASTERS. its crazy you trained with one of them. i'm both scared and terrifed for more shakespeare. but its a good terrified. i think. i really learned alot about acting with shakespeare, and i saw how you still can make it truthful even when your not as used to the dialogue he uses. im looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow use these tips with our monologues tomorrow.

monday's post

so more scansion. i really dread it now. scansion is like a roller coaster, you dont get it, then you think you get it, but no theres another turn and you have no idea whats going on. today we got extra help with our individual monologues and lines. thank god. i had everything scanned! i thought it was okay. but today i re-scanned alot of it. and found opprative words. and performed it infront of the class.

let me just say, holy crap. i was not at all ready. and it sounded like crap even for me. it kinda just proved a point when scarlett said she didnt understand it. i heard it not making much sense. and i've been thinking that everything would just work out when i said it. and it doesn't. well not everythig just work out, but that the i.p. would just work alot better. and onto of that we have character work and truthfulness! when i originally scanned it, everything sounded fine. i was saying line by line out loud to know that all the accented and unaccented words were right.but i guess not.

i'm just really un happy with how class went today for me. my monologue was off, my scansion was off, and im not great with the opperative words. just a general bad day.

and my blog is making no sense. in summary today sucked. im so pissed that i sucked with my monologue because everyone else seems to just be able to say it! i can't. not that everyone is doing great, but i feel like everyone just gets shit that i dont. i really hate shakespeare. i understand that its me who has the problem with his writing, and that i need to get educated but im so annoyied with this stuff. i hate not getting this. i seriously do.

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today, even though i suck with shakespeare, im trying. i deserve a 100 for trying as hard as i can to understand the i.p. and the opperative words and all of it.i also deserve a 100 today for basically getting to be the crap example to the class. and i deserve a 100 for re-doing all of my lines in the i.p. and looking for the opperative words.

friday's participation

today was more of our writing workshop. i find it really great to see people's creativity and how everyone expresses themself. i'm DYING to go. i'm so excited because i haven't really worked on my play in almost a month, because i want to take feedback from dan, from friends outside of school, and then from our workshop to make a improved project.

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 i gave feedback to kelsey and scarlett and im really trying ot get the hang of  saying more of your emotional response then a "this is what you should change" response. and i can see how that helps the writer more than telling them what to do. because it hurts when your told to write a certaint way by someone who is a peer. its your style, write how you want. i'm excited for more pieces when people begin to share more. i'm enjoyinh writing,but it feel like its better just for me; i dont think it could be a great career,but it could be a fun hobbie/outlet of creative juices.