Drama

=MYP4 Drama =

Konstantin Stanislavski
Who was a Russian stage director, actor, and drama theorist? Who founded the Moscow Art Theatre? Who was able to manage all of this in a time of great ideological and physical civil war for his country? I would like to introduce you, the reader, to a greatly influential man. Born under the name Konstantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev this man had many accomplishments including, but not limited to; changing the ideas behind how actors went about learning their roles, founding the Moscow Art Theater, directing the stage productions of Anton Chekhov and William Shakespeare, (The Seagull and Othello respectively) two of the era's greatest playwrights, and creating an entire independent theater movement. Konstantin Stanislavski was born under the name Konstantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev in Moscow, Russia on the 17th of January in the year 1863. He was born to the Alekseyevs, a wealthy family known throughout the capital and many parts of Russia, at the time for manufacturing gold and silver braids for the decoration of military uniforms. When Stanislavski was a child he performed for many of his family and friends, in either his country or family home. Some of his other interests as a child included the circus, ballet, and the art of puppetry. As he got older one of his favorite things to do was to walk about the streets as various characters. He enjoyed confusing his friends, and found a sense of thrill taking on the roles of different characters, including tramps, drunks, and even gypsies. It is unclear as to whether or not he had his family's support regarding his decision to go into the acting industry. However, the evidence would suggest against it due to the fact that his name was legally changed to Stanislavski at some point. Additionally, his family only allowed him to publicly perform as an amateur actor and discouraged him from being too involved with the theatrical aspects of Moscow at the time. Actors and those involved with stage productions were, for the most part, regarded as merely a step up from the serfs. For someone of the stature of Konstantin, diving into the world of acting was unheard of. At the age of twenty-five, Stanislavski founded the Moscow Art Theatre. The establishment was first opened for use in 1898. The theater was considered to be one of his greatest contributions to society. There were several great playwrights to have their plays performed in the Moscow Theatre of Art including Anton Chekhov, Marim Gorki, and William Shakespeare. Anton Chekhov became gained popularity mainly due to the fact that Stanislavski directed his play “The Seagull” during the theater's opening year. The seagull was then adopted as the theater's emblem. The play was mainly believed to be so successful due to the fact that it created a mythical universe which drew in audiences. It also featured new ideas and different styles of direction. The Moscow Theatre of Art was so impressive for several reasons but it was particularly impressive for the time since Russian theater was heavily censored. In fact only two cities sported their very own acting companies, Moscow and St. Petersburg. However the censorship did eventually diminish since many Russian social comedies of the time began to make disguised attacks on the country's society of the time. Eventually many of the regulations that were holding back the Russian performing arts were abolished. Four years before his direction of “The Seagull” Stanislavski also directed Shakespeare's “Othello”. He traveled to exotic lands in search of props and fabrics which could be useful in conveying the theme and setting the atmosphere for the production correctly. Stanislavski's excursions to foreign lands for the sole purpose of a theater production was unheard of at the time. Through the direction of several plays though he realized that many actors had attitude problems and were hard to work with, so he created his system. The Stanislavski System is a progression of exercises and techniques that can be employed to improve an actor's performance on stage. The system also developed greatly throughout Stanislavski's life as he added more and more notes and There are three main books which contain the principles behind his system. The books are entitled; “An Actor Prepares”, “Building a Character”, “and Creating a Role”. Only the first of which was published during his lifetime. The latter two were based on his notes which have been collected and realized in the form of the other two books. The first book, “An Actor Prepares”, helps actors to get into the role using various methods. One of the more famous ones being the “Magic If”. One must simply ask oneself “What if I were presented with this situation?” or “If his character was feeling sad right now, how would mine react?” The later two books focus more on the physical aspects as well as the more detailed aspects of the character while on stage, and place less importance on each individual character's psyche. Another key concept is that each actor must definitely believe in the truth that his or her character sees. Some other key aspects include recognizing different character's motivations as well as timing your lines in a precise manner, and the concept of “Circles of Attention”. “Circles of Attention” focus on the idea that a character slowly builds his bubble of focus outwards until it includes the whole stage, and if he or she were to lose focus, he or she would simply start small and begin to expand the circle once more. Another key concept and probably the most influential on Western theater, is the concept of adapting a broader view of emotions. Instead of letting your own get in the way, try to feel the way your character would. The American idea of Method Acting is based almost entirely on this principle. Stanislavski's later life was lived out in relative peace as he allowed use of his facilities for the purposes of Soviet propaganda. His relationship with the authorities was indeed rocky for awhile as he also was involved with some social mirrors of Red October and Bloody Sunday. Konstantin Stanislavski died on the 7th of August in 1938. At the age of seventy-five. Sources Reflection on Today's Activity Today in class we put some of the ideas behind the genius of Stanislavski into practice. We did various activities in class where we really tried to get into the minds of inanimate objects. The idea behind which was that if we could take on the role of something that has no actual thoughts or feelings that it would become much easier to portray dynamic sentient beings while performing. My favorite of the activities was one in which we were able to write about our feelings and brainstorm of how it would feel to be a certain object before delivering a monologue to the class on the same topic. Some examples of things that were portrayed include akidney bean inside of a tin can and a chair.
 * []
 * []
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5133151]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Child Soldiers <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Child soldiers are a group of people that have no voice. This is because they are small in comparison with the world around them. If they had an option not to they would ask not to fight. The larger issue is child labor or unfairness to children. We need to stop this since it's not a choice these children are making. They're being made to do this because thy are being blackmailed or need the money. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Assignment: Impossible// Reflection <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I liked this play and thought that it was well written. I think it is a good play for our class's age group since it talks about a topic we are interested in and most of the characters are our age. I can sort of identify myself with both Paul and Mr. Ankart since sometimes I can find it hard to concentrate on school like Paul and I am also sort of awkward like Mr. Ankart. Mr. Ankart is also a nice guy so I can see my self in him for that reason as well. I can also somewhat relate to Janice who is smart and likes to have a plan. The only character that I can't really identify myself with is Beth because she is such a good person, but I do like her character

Character Development
My students know me as Mr. Ankart. My full name is Simon Theodore Ankart. My ancestors came from England. Then they came across the Atlantic to America a long time ago. They were some of the first pioneers of country. I have been alive for thirty-four years. I love my family very much. I am not currently married or in a relationship but I would like to be. Both of my parents are still alive and I enjoy spending time with them when I can.

Some of my main hobbies include playing chess with my friends and fellow teachers during lunch and in the staff room. Since I am also the gym teacher at a local high school I also enjoy playing sports very much and used to be quite good myself back in the day. I describe myself as sort of an awkward individual although I am deep down a very nice person and can have a fairly good sense of humor at times, or at least I think so. I live on the east side of town in a small ranch house. I have a pet dog whose name is Benji and he helps keep me company.

One of my biggest goals in life is to some day find a woman that I can really live to make happy. Some of my other goals are to get a college degree in at least something so I can move up on my school's pay scale, buy a nice sport's car, and maybe someday coach football.

My favorite food is steak because I like how juicy it is when you bite into it and it has protein in it which helps keep me strong. I also like the color blue because I am a pretty cool and relaxed person. My favorite kind of music is rap because it's good music to work out to and it is fun to listen to.

Right now I am also teaching sexual education to a class of high schoolers. Secretly, I find it pretty cool to get to be their counselor on such an important topic, but I tell all of my students that Mrs. Donnelly, the school's principal, had to force me to do it.

Developmental Workbook 10/10/11
In class we have been studying a play called Assignment: Impossible. My role in the play is that of an awkward physical education teacher who has recently started teaching sexual education to his students as well. He is tasked by the principal to guide several misdemeaning students in a project in the form of a play that they will present to the whole school. I feel that I am preparing my character well as I am getting into the role more and more every day. I have improved by learning my lines and developing my lines and starting to get down some actions. I need to learn all of my lines for the performance and be able to convey them effectively.

Developmental Workbook 11/1/11
Today in class we did an activity on improvisation and the magic if which was a key theory of the late Konstantin Stanislavski. We were given various scenarios and then asked what would happen if. I felt that I could find myself pretty well in my situation which was in a cemetery at the grave of my dead wife. The scene then progressed to people being angry at me. When people are angry with me I tend to withdraw, especially when I'm sad so I felt that this was appropriate. I'm not really sure how well I would have done if I had been given a different scenario or scene in which most people are comfortable, because I think that I would probably have to draw more from my character's psyche and this is often a more difficult task as an actor. I enjoyed the actor and received positive feedback in which I was told that I had accurate emotions.

Developmental Workbook 11/7/11
Relaxation and Concentration Relaxation is learning to relax the muscles and eliminate physical tension when performing. Concentration is learning to think like an actor and to respond to one's imagination. Today we sat on the rug and our classroom and did a relaxation exercise. We were told to lay down and close our eyes. We then listened to relaxing music. Next, we focused on putting tension into certain parts of our body and releasing it. It was sort of relaxing. Then we focused on listening to certain sounds on concentrating on different things. This activity was good and it was relaxing. I also feel that my concentration has improved.

Developmental Workbook 11/20/11
Work With The Senses Overall it was challenging to remember some details but I was able to recall many significant senses and I surprised myself with how much I remembered. I found it easier just to jot every thing that I thought of on paper, instead of trying to have to keep hold of everything in an abstract manner in my mind. The overall experience was fun. As I said before, the only real surprise to me is just how much I was able to remember about certain events. This is also called sensory memory. Sometimes this is also known as effective memory. This refers to learning to work from a small sensation and expand it. It requires the actor to learn to memorize and recall sensations. This will help me as a performer because now I can remember certain emotions and portray them on stage when it's required.

Developmental Workbook 11/26/11
Sense of Truth This week we learned about sense of truth in class. Sense of truth is learning to tell the difference between the organic and the artificial. Stanislavski believed these were natural laws of acting which were to be obeyed. It was a little bit hard for me to eat the apple that we were told to picture in class because because it was a repeated action and I got bored and distracted. The toast was a bit easier to create beacuase it had certain steps that I could follow to make the toast and then eat it. Creating a work of art was a bit hard since I don't usually do this but I was able to focus somewhat and find a subject to sketch. I made maccaroni and cheese as my meal because this is a meal that I know how to make from memory and it's pretty simple. Imagining wasn't so hard for me to get but focusing and being patient enough with certain tasks that I created for myslef were boring to accomplish. It was hard for me to comit to most of this activity, except for the toast. For some reason, I was able to focus when I was doing this.

Developmental Workbook 12/5/11
Contact and Communication This week we learned about contact and communication. To do this we all got into a circle on the rug and one person started doing an action. The person to their left then had to ask them what they were doing. Then, whatever the person answered they then had to start doing. This chain works it's way around the circle and eventually the performers have to begin doing a different action. I did pretty well. I was next to Isabella and she told me that she was being a retarded cow and dancing in circles. I then had to do this. It was a bit strange and I found it hard to keep my focus but I relied on what I had learned from previous weeks. Practicing contact and communication will help me become a better performer so I can improvise better and communicate with my fellow actors.

Developmental Workbook 1/16/12
The Bold and the Beautiful & The Office Everything in the show is overdone, including the acting style. All of their facial expressions and body language is over the top. I guess it could maybe be similar to someone's life but the point of the show is that it is for some people the ideal life where there is always a new relationship or something interesting happening. All of the people are also more attractive than normal people. In The Office it seems more like a scenario that would be closer to a workplace in real life. The characters in The Office are also funnier because it is supposed to make people laugh. It is a comedy. The acting is also less fake in The Office and the actors seem to have more experience or training. I doubt that any workplace is as extreme as The Office, but it seems like some of the scenarios and plot lines that could occur in someone's everyday life. I believe that this show is for people who have jobs and work during the day because these episodes air later at night. It's a comedy so that people can unwind and relax after their day at work.

Developmental Workbook 2/3/12
Tableau Acting & Women's Rights Today in class we learned about a new method of acting. This new method is called Tableau Acting. In it, you must convey a message or scene, through only one frozen still of all of the actors. They can take any pose they want. Some of them may even be playing the role of inanimate objects in the scene but the actors must not move. I believe that to convey a message effectively using this method of acting you must return to the ideas taught in the Stanislavski System. You must first relax and focus, then truly imagine yourself in the scene. Once you have imagined yourself in the scene you must then think of an action that will convey to the audience your idea. It must be specific as they will have no verbal cues to rely on. They will not be able to see any movement either.They will only be able to see one pose of you. Thinking of something that will be specific to this action or location is very important. For me, it was a bit challenging to come up with an idea quickly enough to convey my message.

In class today, we also learned about the history of women in acting and I discovered that it was not until recently that women were given a place in acting. This prompted me to do further research on the history of women and their rights. I learned that women have been treated unequally in the past and still are in many parts of the world today. Thanks to the UN Millennium Development Goals however, things may get better for them as one of their goals, is to promote the empowerment and equality of women across the globe. I've learned about some of the women that started to make a change such as Susan B. Anthony and Margaret Thatcher. My partner and I looked at several key events in the history towards equality for women and selected around ten. We then thought about which of these events might be the easiest to create a tableau for with only two people and decided on a further five taken from the ten which we had already selected.Most of our scenes do not rely as heavily on movement or particularly being in the scene. Instead they tend to generally reflect more of the idea as we believed that in this way we could better communicate our message to an audience.

Reflection on Tableau Performance 2/6/12
I had my performance with Tableau acting today. It went fairly well. My partner was Calypso. We chose several scenes from history to communicate to an audience through the use of Tableau acting. The scenes we chose all showed how women gained equal right over the course of time.

Final Drama Reflection
This year the final Drama presentation was entitled //Of Life and Love.// There were various scenes from different plays and some poetry was read by older students. The scene that I was was Scene 2 from a play called //It's Not You, It's Me.//I was with one of my classmates Taylor Rice. I was originally going to be in another scene with Robyn but Andrew was given this role instead.

I developed my character through various exercises and time given in Drama class along with time in Performance Workshop. My character's name was Jacob. I decided that my character is content with his normal lifestyle of going to high school, playing sports, and watching sports on television. Although I myself like sports I am not like this. I decided that I would instead try to remember emotions of various friends that I have that dedicate their entire lives to playing sports and following sports teams. In the end, Jacob ended up having a lot of emotions that I recognize since I see them in my friends. I created Jacob to not only be apathetic towards romantic situations and girls (as is mostly implied by the script) but to anything other than sports in general. His entire life revolves around sports. When he's not playing sports, he's watching sports, when he's not watching sports he's thinking about what will happen this weekend in sports. Basically, when Jacob isn't thinking about sports something is wrong. I recognized that to realize the anger that he was feeling at certain points in the script, I had to understand his anger from not being able to do what he loved. That was something that I think almost everyone can relate to. At least I was able to relate, which helped me with showing anger.

I applied my acting skills by using the techniques outlined in Stanislavski System which we studied at the beginning of the year. I also specifically worked on volume (projection) and displaying accurate emotions. Memorizing the script was also difficult for me but with practice I was able to do it.

As a pair I believe Taylor and I did really well. Taylor had a difficult time memorizing the lines since she had a lot of them. As a whole all of the students performing had trouble with this, but were somehow able to pull the final performance together.

My performance experience was good. It went smooth and in places where Taylor and I forgot parts of lines but we were able to improvise and it turned out to be real. We delivered a solid performance and overall the effect of the final performance was good.