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fandomhigh2006-10-24 04:54 am
actingreaper) wrote in fandomhigh2006-10-24 04:54 am
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Basic Acting, 10/24
The desks were back in their more traditional desk-like arrangement, and Daisy was seated at the front with an arrangement of books.
"Okay guys, today we're going to talk about acting styles through out western history. Not to be confused with acting with style, which you've all pretty much shown you could do last week with your monologue presentations." She began passing out some handouts. "We're going to look at four of the most prominent playwrights in history, starting, of course, with William Shakespeare. Love him or hate him, odds are you know him or know of him. His collected works are standards in almost any English class. His plays are still being performed today, despite being 400 odd years old. Does he actually deserve the credit he gets? Well, who knows. But he does write with a very distinctive style.
"Next up is something of a neighbor of Shakespeare, albeit a tiny bit more current: Oscar Wilde. Known especially for his social commentary on the more affluent classes of Ireland and Britain and for his preference towards the male sex. Like Shakespeare, he takes the more traditional route of writing about the pillars of society, the ones we all sort of wish we were but aren't, but his plays have a dry wit to them that's far more accessible to modern audiences.
"Our next playwright took plays in a bit of a different direction. The Russian great, Anton Chekov. His plays are for more depressed, in a money sense, than Shakespeare's or Wilde's, but no less important. While our other two writers were busy poking holes in the nobility and bourgeousie, Chekov was more interested in the common man's plight in Russia. You can get a real sense of Russian history from his plays, if you want to try.
"Finally, something closer to home for all of us, at least while we're here in Fandom: Tennessee Williams. Working class, working class, working class. His works are more sensual, in every sense of the word, than the other three--hot, humid, heavy, and, yes, sexy. Anyone who doesn't believe me just needs to see Marlon Brando without his shirt on. When he was young. Not the big sweaty guy you see in his later movies.
"I'd like for all of you to take a moment to read over the information I've provided you on these four playwrights, and think about how their writing style reflects the time and place they are from. What does Shakespeare tell us about Elizabethan England? What do you learn about Victorian times or Russia, or New Orleans from the plays? What might modern playwrights, from whatever time you happen to be from, say about your time and place? And most importantly, how would you represent the heart and soul of Fandom High in a play?
"Lastly, I wanted to show all of you this, a wonderful experiment in modern improvisational theater, starring one ‘Anton Chekov'. If you were to meet Chekov, or Williams, or Shakespeare or Wilde on the street as these people ‘did', what would you ask him? Take turns pretending to be one of the playwrights at a book signing. What would you choose to talk about? How would you answer the questions? Pair up and do a bit of roleplay here, taking turns being Joe Street or a playwright.
"Don't forget to get into groups for the final scene project, and pick a scene you'd like to perform for the class."
[ooc: as usual, the post will be open for play all week. Have a ball, folks]
"Okay guys, today we're going to talk about acting styles through out western history. Not to be confused with acting with style, which you've all pretty much shown you could do last week with your monologue presentations." She began passing out some handouts. "We're going to look at four of the most prominent playwrights in history, starting, of course, with William Shakespeare. Love him or hate him, odds are you know him or know of him. His collected works are standards in almost any English class. His plays are still being performed today, despite being 400 odd years old. Does he actually deserve the credit he gets? Well, who knows. But he does write with a very distinctive style.
"Next up is something of a neighbor of Shakespeare, albeit a tiny bit more current: Oscar Wilde. Known especially for his social commentary on the more affluent classes of Ireland and Britain and for his preference towards the male sex. Like Shakespeare, he takes the more traditional route of writing about the pillars of society, the ones we all sort of wish we were but aren't, but his plays have a dry wit to them that's far more accessible to modern audiences.
"Our next playwright took plays in a bit of a different direction. The Russian great, Anton Chekov. His plays are for more depressed, in a money sense, than Shakespeare's or Wilde's, but no less important. While our other two writers were busy poking holes in the nobility and bourgeousie, Chekov was more interested in the common man's plight in Russia. You can get a real sense of Russian history from his plays, if you want to try.
"Finally, something closer to home for all of us, at least while we're here in Fandom: Tennessee Williams. Working class, working class, working class. His works are more sensual, in every sense of the word, than the other three--hot, humid, heavy, and, yes, sexy. Anyone who doesn't believe me just needs to see Marlon Brando without his shirt on. When he was young. Not the big sweaty guy you see in his later movies.
"I'd like for all of you to take a moment to read over the information I've provided you on these four playwrights, and think about how their writing style reflects the time and place they are from. What does Shakespeare tell us about Elizabethan England? What do you learn about Victorian times or Russia, or New Orleans from the plays? What might modern playwrights, from whatever time you happen to be from, say about your time and place? And most importantly, how would you represent the heart and soul of Fandom High in a play?
"Lastly, I wanted to show all of you this, a wonderful experiment in modern improvisational theater, starring one ‘Anton Chekov'. If you were to meet Chekov, or Williams, or Shakespeare or Wilde on the street as these people ‘did', what would you ask him? Take turns pretending to be one of the playwrights at a book signing. What would you choose to talk about? How would you answer the questions? Pair up and do a bit of roleplay here, taking turns being Joe Street or a playwright.
"Don't forget to get into groups for the final scene project, and pick a scene you'd like to perform for the class."
[ooc: as usual, the post will be open for play all week. Have a ball, folks]