This week was more Bitch of Living. We finished up learning the song on Monday, then we sang through it a few times, looking at the sections that needed the most work. Wednesday was devoted to choreography, or rather chair-ography. We got about roughly halfway through with the choreography and shall conclude it next week.
I don't have to much to say about this week. I'm just enjoying the creative process of learning choreography and immediately having to put it into practice, as well as begin to endow it with individual acting choices. I was pretty proud of myself for remembering all of the words to the song, which doesn't really seem like a big deal- but when not everyone can remember the words to the song in a certain moment, it kind of makes a difference.
One thing that I know is going to be a challenge for me: the balance I need to strike between the physical tension that occurs in the given circumstances of being an angst-ridden teen, while at the same time not having that tension obstruct any singing or movement that has to occur. It's a bit tricky.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Part of Your World: Week 3
A bit of a late post for last week. I spent most of the weekend resting after the first week of evening rehearsals for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. However, I'm posting now!
Monday it was my turn to perform an audition song and work on it with Jason. I decide to sing "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. I had sung it only once before for an audition a few years ago, but held onto it due to the amusing nature of the piece.
Definitely my actor type.
Jason had me sit in a chair like a mermaid and play with my hair (which was a sweatshirt wrapped around my head). I had no problem with this, by the way, because in 'actor school' things like this happen literally all the time. Anyway, the idea was to really play up the cheekiness of the piece I had selected. Then Jason took all of those props away from me. He told me to stand and sing to my other (or focal point). It was a much simpler and much more effective version of the song. It would be easy to play this song for laughs, but instead by playing the need of the character (never mind gender or a plethora of given circumstances) it gives the audition piece a weight that many people would not expect it to have.
On Wednesday everyone went down the line again and sang their audition song- this time applying Jason's notes. It was fantastic to see everyone become even more comfortable with their individual pieces. When it got to me, Jason mainly worked on my breath support and boy did I need it. Breathing while singing makes the song sound better and makes it easier to sing! Who would have thunk it?
Thursday was the auditions for the next USU production - A Year With Frog and Toad. Although not everyone is eligible for the show, auditioning is a great way to apply what you are learning to a practical situation. Along with an appropriate monologue I decided to sing "Part of Your World". I felt personally that my audition was middling, but it verified that this song is a valuable addition to my audition repertoire.
Monday it was my turn to perform an audition song and work on it with Jason. I decide to sing "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. I had sung it only once before for an audition a few years ago, but held onto it due to the amusing nature of the piece.
Jason had me sit in a chair like a mermaid and play with my hair (which was a sweatshirt wrapped around my head). I had no problem with this, by the way, because in 'actor school' things like this happen literally all the time. Anyway, the idea was to really play up the cheekiness of the piece I had selected. Then Jason took all of those props away from me. He told me to stand and sing to my other (or focal point). It was a much simpler and much more effective version of the song. It would be easy to play this song for laughs, but instead by playing the need of the character (never mind gender or a plethora of given circumstances) it gives the audition piece a weight that many people would not expect it to have.
On Wednesday everyone went down the line again and sang their audition song- this time applying Jason's notes. It was fantastic to see everyone become even more comfortable with their individual pieces. When it got to me, Jason mainly worked on my breath support and boy did I need it. Breathing while singing makes the song sound better and makes it easier to sing! Who would have thunk it?
Thursday was the auditions for the next USU production - A Year With Frog and Toad. Although not everyone is eligible for the show, auditioning is a great way to apply what you are learning to a practical situation. Along with an appropriate monologue I decided to sing "Part of Your World". I felt personally that my audition was middling, but it verified that this song is a valuable addition to my audition repertoire.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Focus: Week 2
A shorter week overall, due to Labor Day. Wednesday was spent observing each classmate performing an audition song and working on it with Jason. Didn't get to everyone (including myself) so the rest will go on Monday. The biggest observation I had was that everyone in our class can sing, but not everyone is comfortable with singing. Or at least, not in front of other people. Of course we are just beginning this class, so I'm excited to see all the growth that will happen to everyone during the semester-myself included.
Friday was our first Actor Lab, which encompasses all acting majors. In the future the lab will be used many ways: Either sharing classwork with the students in other years, or team building exercises, or perhaps Q and A's with guest artists. This first lab was mostly dedicated to department announcements and general feedback on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Auditions. Jason mentioned that a few people's focus (in terms of where we were looking during our pieces) was way too far to the left or right. This was certainly true for me- my nerves made me go into automated audition mode, which manifest in me doing me pieces with an almost profile gaze (as if I'm performing out over a vomitorium in a 3/4 thrust).
I will certainly be mindful of that in the upcoming audition for A Year With Frog and Toad. Since I am already cast in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (as Gooper) I will be unable to be a part of the musical production. The music from A Year With Frog and Toad is quite lovely, so I'm excited to see the show in a few months. I'll leave you with this Tony performance from the original production:
Friday was our first Actor Lab, which encompasses all acting majors. In the future the lab will be used many ways: Either sharing classwork with the students in other years, or team building exercises, or perhaps Q and A's with guest artists. This first lab was mostly dedicated to department announcements and general feedback on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Auditions. Jason mentioned that a few people's focus (in terms of where we were looking during our pieces) was way too far to the left or right. This was certainly true for me- my nerves made me go into automated audition mode, which manifest in me doing me pieces with an almost profile gaze (as if I'm performing out over a vomitorium in a 3/4 thrust).
I will certainly be mindful of that in the upcoming audition for A Year With Frog and Toad. Since I am already cast in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (as Gooper) I will be unable to be a part of the musical production. The music from A Year With Frog and Toad is quite lovely, so I'm excited to see the show in a few months. I'll leave you with this Tony performance from the original production:
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Just a bitch: Week 1
Monday: First day of class. Went over the syllabus and the overall goal of the course. There were two things that Jason mentioned in his introduction that were especially key:
1) A motto for his class- "Safe walls, big falls". Feeling safe in a learning environment, especially with such vulnerable actions as acting and singing, is very important.
2) Every actor is a musical theatre actor. This I completely agree with! As an example, here is Judy Dench 'singing' Send in the Clowns. The acting is the key in a musical - you might have the most beautiful singer in the country performing in a musical, but if they cannot engage the audience on an emotional level it won't have nearly the impact it could.
Then we all stood at the piano and vocalized to help Dallas (our pianist) find each class members' vocal range. It was a bit nerve-racking. I'm a bit rusty with the singing and I don't have much of a range to begin with, but now I finally have my range!
Ab2-F4. Baritone. Blammo.
Wednesday: Starting learning the ensemble number: Bitch of Living from Spring Awakening. I was unfamiliar with this song and I'm quite enjoying it. It's a very energetic number with an punky kind of attitude. Makes sense, being from Spring Awakening and all. As a reference, here is a version of the song with the Broadway cast. The in-class version is thankfully arranged to give everyone (men and women) a fair amount of singing to do.
1) A motto for his class- "Safe walls, big falls". Feeling safe in a learning environment, especially with such vulnerable actions as acting and singing, is very important.
2) Every actor is a musical theatre actor. This I completely agree with! As an example, here is Judy Dench 'singing' Send in the Clowns. The acting is the key in a musical - you might have the most beautiful singer in the country performing in a musical, but if they cannot engage the audience on an emotional level it won't have nearly the impact it could.
Then we all stood at the piano and vocalized to help Dallas (our pianist) find each class members' vocal range. It was a bit nerve-racking. I'm a bit rusty with the singing and I don't have much of a range to begin with, but now I finally have my range!
Ab2-F4. Baritone. Blammo.
Wednesday: Starting learning the ensemble number: Bitch of Living from Spring Awakening. I was unfamiliar with this song and I'm quite enjoying it. It's a very energetic number with an punky kind of attitude. Makes sense, being from Spring Awakening and all. As a reference, here is a version of the song with the Broadway cast. The in-class version is thankfully arranged to give everyone (men and women) a fair amount of singing to do.
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