fandomhigh | Drama, Monday, Period 2 [05/18]

"Welcome back. This week, we're introducing ourselves, and examining a little more behind the theory of acting: Method vs. Classical." Sophie sipped her coffee. "If you're unfamiliar with the terms, allow me to explain. Method actors follow the theories of Stanislavski and his adherents, that an actor can only truly act when they understand the psychology and sense-memory of a character, and draw on their own experience in order to portray their actions. Classical training focuses more on what is thought of as the externals: the movement, voice, verse-speaking, combat, theatre history, and understanding of the text. One, it's thought, emphasizes the internal, the other the external. We introduced ourselves last week 'in character'-- please do so today out of character, as yourselves, and also one more thing--"

"Voice." Sophie smiled, and said in a perfect Mid-western American accent. "Not just speaking so the people in the back rows can hear you, got it? But cadences and rhythms, timing and approach." In a heavily Serbian-accented voice, she continued, "People, they believe what zey hear, yes? Zey do not notice it so much. But! An impression, yes, it makes one." She switched back to her own BBC-and-RADA-approved British accent. "Emotion isn't the only thing that gets expressed and judged. So does your intelligence, your education, your geographical background, your likely motivations. Today we're going to play with this, using the Expert Translation game." She smiled, then pointed. "And you will introduce yourself first, and your take on what your voice says about you."

[ocd ~~on its way~~ is up!]

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"Rachel," Gabrielle spoke up with appropriately grandiose gestures and pacing, "was struck by a sudden divine inspiration from the gods and hid herself away to think further on these things. Hours passed, and days, and the inspiration grew and grew and grew like a fire being fed twigs, and then branches and logs, until it was a blazing and all-consuming beacon of truth that struck her so speechless that she couldn't move from the incredible awe of it all!"

She might have missed the point of the exercise.

But what did the point of the exercise matter when you had good material to work with?

Raven blinked in surprise, then remembered she wasn't supposed to react to the translation. "There was a party Saturday night," she went on. "But I did not go because I do not own any green clothing."

"But divine inspiration doesn't come without a price," Gabrielle continued with a melancholy little sigh. "And the gods are often petty, so in this case the sacrifice they demanded for the gift they gave her was everything green that she owned."

It was a perfectly logical thing to think if you'd so much as heard anything about Aphrodite in the Very Special Greece.

It was difficult for Raven not to laugh, but she maintained control over her emotions and said instead, "I did visit one of the campfires earlier in the week and was given a drink called vodka. I did not like the taste but I was told that everyone drinks it in large quantities here."

Gamely, Gabrielle brightened and went on. "But earlier in her travels, she met Salmoneus and was sadly, in her innocent and trusting way, duped into believing that the fizzy seltzer water ~~shut up, they totally had that in the Very Special Greece~~ he was selling was actually distilled from ambrosia. Needless to say, the disappointment was heartrending, and maybe that's why she originally retreated into solitude for meditation, and then received her divine inspiration from the gods!"

Editing stories would be so much easier after the advent of the Backspace key.

Maybe Xena would end up inventing that just to make life easier on herself.

. . . yes, long before the invention of typewriters, even. Look, when you lived with Gabrielle, 'necessity is the mother of invention' was capable of taking on some truly ridiculous proportions.

"While I was meditating, I thought about one of my classes from earlier in the week," Raven said, feeling a little mischievous. "In one class, I met a talkative young woman who suffered from some great torment as we were required to remain silent."

"And while she was deep in the throes of her meditative half-trance, she thought about --"

Blink.

"Hey!"

"I believe you have deviated from the assignment," Raven said, oh-so-innocently.

Drama, Monday, Period 2 [05/18]

Re: WLITA? Exercise - Expert Translator

Re: WLITA? Exercise - Expert Translator

Re: WLITA? Exercise - Expert Translator

Re: WLITA? Exercise - Expert Translator

Re: WLITA? Exercise - Expert Translator

Re: WLITA? Exercise - Expert Translator

Re: WLITA? Exercise - Expert Translator

Re: WLITA? Exercise - Expert Translator