actingreaper: (teacher)
actingreaper ([personal profile] actingreaper) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2006-10-10 11:56 am
Entry tags:

Basic Acting, Fourth Period [10/10]

The classroom was even more open than usual when the students arrived, the desks having been replaced by a handful of folding chairs.

"Right, let's get started, shall we?" Daisy stood in the center of the room and looked around at the students. "As you know, if you've been following your syllabus, your monologue presentations are due next week. So I thought I'd give you all an opportunity to practice in class today, as well as an opportunity to practice something else, one of the most important skills an actor can have: keeping your audience's attention. Even on the long, boring, exposition parts of a play.

"With that in mind, I have what will hopefully be a fun activity for you all. I would like you to split up into pairs or groups of three and practice your monologues for each other, keeping in mind that you have to keep your audience interested. Because if you don't, they will leave. That's right, those of you watching your classmates perform are to get up and walk away if the monologue isn't holding your attention one hundred percent. Don't be nice here. Walk to the other side of the room. Leave the room, if you feel like it. People doing the monologue? If this happens, you have to get your audience back. Convince them to stay, without breaking character or stopping your monologue. Up your performance and drag that audience member back in."

Daisy went over to her chair. "If anyone can't find a partner, I'm willing to be an audience member. I warn you though, I can be very hard to keep interested." She smiled. "Get to work!"

[ooc: this post will be open for play all week, since I know we have a variety of availabilities in here. Daisy is an option for partnering, but she's right, she is hard to keep interested. And she'll walk away. And keep walking. This excercise is one I've done for class, and my instructor related a story of doing it himself . . . in which he had to follow his instructor out to his car and get in in order to keep following his audience and keep them interested.]
chasingangela: (name sidelong)

Re: Monologue practice

[personal profile] chasingangela 2006-10-10 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Angela sighed and started reading over her monologue as she waited for a partner.

Re: Monologue practice

[identity profile] whitedeathpod.livejournal.com 2006-10-10 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
John comes over and sits down. "Hey, Angela. Wanna be my partner?"
chasingangela: (looking down)

Re: Monologue practice

[personal profile] chasingangela 2006-10-10 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sure if you don't mind serious SP," Angela said, putting down her sheet. "What are you working on?"

Re: Monologue practice

[identity profile] whitedeathpod.livejournal.com 2006-10-10 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"Something called Scooter Thomas Makes it to the Top Of the World," John replies. "Want me to go first?"
chasingangela: (straightforward and kind of orangey)

Re: Monologue practice

[personal profile] chasingangela 2006-10-10 08:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm doing Shakespeare," Angela confessed, relieved. "So sure, you can go for it."

Re: Monologue practice

[identity profile] whitedeathpod.livejournal.com 2006-10-10 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"Right." John stands, shook out his hands.

"Jesus Christ. What have I gotten myself into... Oh, Jeezo, jeezo, jeez... " He took on a deep Southern twang again, swinging his arms wide and quick."

"Leslie?...Leslie Pinkus?...Are you still out there? I know you can hear me, because I can hear you. I can understand if you don't want to come out again, I mean I probably wouldn't either, but I just want you to hear what I have to say."

He looks from left to right, using his arms to plead and look sympathetic. "Just listen to the sound of voice, Miss Pinkus. Okay? Because the things is, ya see, I know you won't believe this or anything, but the truth is I never woulda tried to do what I did with you if it hadn't been for a stupid crazy bet I made six weeks ago with my idiot friend Dennis Wright who told me he once tried to feel your boobs underwater and you let him."



chasingangela: (shy smile)

Re: Monologue practice

[personal profile] chasingangela 2006-10-10 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Well this, certainly wasn''t boring. Angela blinked a few times and kept listening.

Re: Monologue practice

[identity profile] whitedeathpod.livejournal.com 2006-10-10 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Now John's using an even deeper Southern twang and walking around like he's got the tightest jeans in the world on.

"That's what he told me, that's the God's honest truth, and I know I was an even bigger idiot for believing him, but the thing is he made it sound really good and there was no way out of it but for me to tell him I could do the same thing and maybe even go farther, you understand what I mean?"

John nods and pretends to push back his cowboy hat.

He bends down and his voice takes on a pleading, woeful tone. "Anyway, I'm sorry I tried to put my tongue down your throat. I'm even sorrier it missed and got stuck in your braces. It wasn't too pleasant for me either. I hope we can still be friends and maybe write letters to each other after we go home tomorrow. Okay? You can stop crying and come out of the bushes now, Leslie."
chasingangela: (my so-called life...)

Re: Monologue practice

[personal profile] chasingangela 2006-10-10 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Angela laughed and applauded. "Where did you find that?"

Re: Monologue practice

[identity profile] whitedeathpod.livejournal.com 2006-10-10 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"Random book," John answers and takes a bow. "I was going for something kinda strange and that no one would've heard before."
chasingangela: (B&W profile)

Re: Monologue practice

[personal profile] chasingangela 2006-10-11 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
"Definitely not like anything anyone in class is doing," Angela said. "So now it's time for me to do mine."

She clasped her hands behind her back and started on the monologue, a little softly and tripping over the words occasionally.

Re: Monologue practice

[identity profile] whitedeathpod.livejournal.com 2006-10-11 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
John listens intently and quietly. It's been awhile since he heard Shakespeare.