I am continuing to struggle through the darkness of line-learning and have no sight at all to the end of the tunnel. At this point, I should consider digging for gold with my bare hands because I feel my headlamp requires batteries that were not included and can only be found as I work my way through. Digging for gold, that's exactly what I have been doing, actually.
The way Tennessee Williams writes! He is so very alive in his work. He tells me when to pause and think...and often, when to move. I am so thankful to be under his watchful eye. And, again, I am thrilled that my director understands the intentions of my character in any given scene.
Blanche is really coming to life for me perhaps to the dismay of my family and fellow cast members. I may be over the top, over accented, annoying...I don't know. Ya gotta start somewhere. I just have to try out things and experiment in the actor's science lab at this point....but I have hit close to home on her voice now. It is coming, and I feel pretty genuine in a lot of it. I hear her in my head. It is a voice that I have found through reading aloud and not from watching other actresses portray her. (I will have to dive in deeper into accents in another blog)
It has been difficult to not allow myself to look up prior productions, even the movie of this play. An actress in this situation cannot look at what has been done but must find everything for herself. Yes. Yes, it would be so easy to watch how the others...the greats if you will...have played Blanche. If I watch it, I fall victim to their way and lose my own. How could I ever make Blanche my own if I look at how others play her? It is true that many years ago, I did take in/view several versions of Streetcar. Yet, my eye has always been cast keenly on Stella and not Blanche, so I find discovering this character very fresh and new.
Over the years, I have spent a lot of time avoiding the main parts in shows. I have always preferred playing the funny, smaller parts (if not a variety of multiple parts within any given show). When I think about it now, I realize that during rehearsals that I never held resentment for anyone with more lines..it has never mattered to me. I have always felt pretty well suited for any part in which I have been cast. I know, however, when an actor is up there on the stage for the entire rehearsal and you have only a couple of lines in a show and have to sit until it's your cue, how it can be. When you play a lead and you know the entire cast is waiting for that one scene they are in and how long it will take to get there. It is best to save your topic of conversation you have planned to discuss with the stage manager or the director to take place later and not during everyone's waiting time. Just thinking about that for some reason.
Tonight, we "stumbled through" the second half of the play. A "stumble through" does not mean that we all go out and have drinks prior to the rehearsal, it means that we work through the scenes--looking for fluidity--trying to read our random blocking notes we have scribbled quickly in pencil in the exterior of the body of the script on the pages that sometimes can be much worse than a doctor's penmanship. So we have to stop and start scenes...sometimes even reblock things. It is very important to have a pencil in your pocket or in your hair during these.
Generally right after blocking, a theatre will rarely have a set built with the objects with which the actors will work. We improvise these doors, sofas, glasses, tables...all this with the understanding of where every object has already been blocked onto the stage. Sometimes we get it taped out on the floor as well. It's sometimes hard to visualize how it will look especially with the added burden of having the script in your hand. It is fun to watch the set be created a little more each rehearsal, though. It grows and completes just as our characters fall into place. Bit by bit.
When I have a character with several lines, such as Blanche, I turn to my old-timey mini-cassette recorder. I record all the other character's lines around the blank spaces where as I can fill in my lines. I prefer to do it this way because when alone I can experiment approaching delivering my lines in new ways within that space. Being able to constantly respond to my other actor's words over and over helps me to decide what works and what doesn't.
I have vowed to no longer drink theatre coffee because I have found myself up very, very late the past few nights. I have been leaving full of energy and ready to take on the script into late night wrestling matches after rehearsals this week. Maybe it's okay, but I do have to work tomorrow. So I will go and try to calm my brain.
Comment if you desire.
The way Tennessee Williams writes! He is so very alive in his work. He tells me when to pause and think...and often, when to move. I am so thankful to be under his watchful eye. And, again, I am thrilled that my director understands the intentions of my character in any given scene.
Blanche is really coming to life for me perhaps to the dismay of my family and fellow cast members. I may be over the top, over accented, annoying...I don't know. Ya gotta start somewhere. I just have to try out things and experiment in the actor's science lab at this point....but I have hit close to home on her voice now. It is coming, and I feel pretty genuine in a lot of it. I hear her in my head. It is a voice that I have found through reading aloud and not from watching other actresses portray her. (I will have to dive in deeper into accents in another blog)
It has been difficult to not allow myself to look up prior productions, even the movie of this play. An actress in this situation cannot look at what has been done but must find everything for herself. Yes. Yes, it would be so easy to watch how the others...the greats if you will...have played Blanche. If I watch it, I fall victim to their way and lose my own. How could I ever make Blanche my own if I look at how others play her? It is true that many years ago, I did take in/view several versions of Streetcar. Yet, my eye has always been cast keenly on Stella and not Blanche, so I find discovering this character very fresh and new.
Over the years, I have spent a lot of time avoiding the main parts in shows. I have always preferred playing the funny, smaller parts (if not a variety of multiple parts within any given show). When I think about it now, I realize that during rehearsals that I never held resentment for anyone with more lines..it has never mattered to me. I have always felt pretty well suited for any part in which I have been cast. I know, however, when an actor is up there on the stage for the entire rehearsal and you have only a couple of lines in a show and have to sit until it's your cue, how it can be. When you play a lead and you know the entire cast is waiting for that one scene they are in and how long it will take to get there. It is best to save your topic of conversation you have planned to discuss with the stage manager or the director to take place later and not during everyone's waiting time. Just thinking about that for some reason.
Tonight, we "stumbled through" the second half of the play. A "stumble through" does not mean that we all go out and have drinks prior to the rehearsal, it means that we work through the scenes--looking for fluidity--trying to read our random blocking notes we have scribbled quickly in pencil in the exterior of the body of the script on the pages that sometimes can be much worse than a doctor's penmanship. So we have to stop and start scenes...sometimes even reblock things. It is very important to have a pencil in your pocket or in your hair during these.
Generally right after blocking, a theatre will rarely have a set built with the objects with which the actors will work. We improvise these doors, sofas, glasses, tables...all this with the understanding of where every object has already been blocked onto the stage. Sometimes we get it taped out on the floor as well. It's sometimes hard to visualize how it will look especially with the added burden of having the script in your hand. It is fun to watch the set be created a little more each rehearsal, though. It grows and completes just as our characters fall into place. Bit by bit.
When I have a character with several lines, such as Blanche, I turn to my old-timey mini-cassette recorder. I record all the other character's lines around the blank spaces where as I can fill in my lines. I prefer to do it this way because when alone I can experiment approaching delivering my lines in new ways within that space. Being able to constantly respond to my other actor's words over and over helps me to decide what works and what doesn't.
I have vowed to no longer drink theatre coffee because I have found myself up very, very late the past few nights. I have been leaving full of energy and ready to take on the script into late night wrestling matches after rehearsals this week. Maybe it's okay, but I do have to work tomorrow. So I will go and try to calm my brain.
Comment if you desire.
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