Tuesday November 29- Presentation

At the end what we decided to do was do a preview of the play to the audience and finish it in the scene were Pantalone tells Columbina about Capetano. Then, they would break characters, narrate the end of the story and explain about the trip to Buenos Aires and about the fundraising we will do. I think in overal the presentation was very good. I really enjoyed seeing Vincenzo, Alex, Augusto, and Alessa act. I think they had an advantage because their characters had more funny moments. There were moments in the play were it was extremely amazing and funny, and there were other moments that we had to work on. For example, some things we should work on are the lovers scene were they meet; I think it is too slow. Also, the last scene with Columbina, Pantalone, and Zanny (Nicholas) also needs work because it is too slow and it seems as if the actors don't know what is going on in the scene. However, there were moments that were very funny like the witch scene with Capetano and when people actually tried to interact with the audience and tried different things. For example, there was a part where Vincenzo asked a girl in the audience if she wanted to marry him and she replied no. Something he hadn't done before was respond by saying "Me neither" which was hysterical and people couldn't stop laughing at this.

I think that if we had more time we could have done a better job because the actors could have perfected their personalities and their physicality and with this in mind, they would have interacted more with the audience and really get into the scene and their characters. What happened was the people didn't commit that much, so the final result was not amazing, however I thought the presentation went very well.

A problem we had was that Isabella wasn't there, so we had to explain to Andrea Claux about the witch's characters and the two scenes she appeared on. She was very good. She understood what she had to do, her personality, and she did her best having in mind that she had to learn all this that same day.

Finally, I really enjoyed being in the point of view of the director. Even though I like more acting, because I didn't identify with any of the Comedia characters, I thought it would be a good opportunity to be director. I really enjoyed it because my ideas and my vision was part of the play and you have an amazing feeling when you see something you have created go very well and with the little time we had to prepare and the different problems we had on the way, I think it went very well.

Monday November 28-Last day to practice for Performance:

Today in class we did the "Chismoseando" scene and the "Marriage" scene and then we  focused on perfecting all the scenes. I really think the class was very productive because while doing the two scenes that we had left, the directors, including me, would cheap in with ideas, so the scenes were a mixture of ideas from all the directors. This is actually very good because we are all adding different things to the scene that makes it better and funnier. In this rehearsal, I realized how the different directors work. Mary and I are the type that sits down and looks at the scene and while the scene is going we will come up with new ideas or a different way to do a certain action. We like to see things from a holistic point of view, and analyze the whole stage and all the characters. On the other hand, Fernanda and Antonio like to be close and personal. They like to be inside the scene to be able to analyze the personalities of the characters and the actions. They are more concentrated on the relationships between characters on stage and on perfecting those. I think we make a very good group because we all have something new to bring to the table. Moreover, we had time to go through some of the scenes, however I don't know what happened but nobody was in the mood, nobody knew what they had to do in every scene and we were constantly telling them what to do when supposedly they already had to know the purpose of each of their scenes. I was really mad because we are going to present tomorrow and they should know all of this. We told everyone to meet in the class at lunch time to do this and I'm going to tell the directors to not cheap in with anything and just let the actors do what they know they have to do.

At lunch time, we tried to do the escape scene but I don't know why the actors were all stressed out and didn't understand what they had to do and the directors were repeating  what they had do do a thousands times and changing it, which didn't help, so Ms. Morrison decided that we were going to present the play from the Prologue to when Vincenzo convinced Elena Luisa to run away with him and then the zanies would narrate what happened next, however I don't like this ideas at all; we have to finish the entire play. Today I'm going to talk with everyone via our Facebook group and see what we are going to do about this because the play is tomorrow. Also, something that didn't help us at all was that Alessa was not in school, so she only had a vague idea of what she has to do in some of the scenes. I already send her an inbox asking her if she is going to be tomorrow in school and to look for me so that I can explain to her her purpose in the other scenes she hasn't practice yet. I am really stressed out at this moment because the presentation is tomorrow and the play is a disaster. Everyone, including me, are scared because they don't know if this will be a success or a complete and utter disaster.

Wednesday November 23- Practice Play

So today in class I was in charge of finishing the poster. Everything was already done except for the picture so I very quickly, took a picture of Vincenzo and Elena being very romantic and the picture is so cliché that it is very funny. I mailed it the teacher and she printed them. What I did was give them away to students and teachers to promote the play and for them to know that there was a play.

Later, because we didn't have time to practice in period 1 because we had the debate in the morning, we decided that we had to meet at break time.The fact that it was the last day to practice and we were missing to of our actors didn't help us a lot and all the directors were very stressed. We started directing the actors to do the escape scene. We explained to them the purpose of the scene which is for the zanies to pack their bags while the lovers are staring at each other with love because they are too in love to be able to pack. Pantalone is also in the scene, however he doesn't notice this because he is staring at Columbina's ass. When the witch makes him get out of his trance and he realized what is going on, Vincenzo's dad, takes him away and Pantalone grabs Elena and puts her with Capetano, shouting that this is outrageous and that she WILL marry Capetano. This is the climax, so it really had to be over the top and dramatic, however the actors weren't really in the mood and because they were not sure of what happened in this scene, it did affect their performance, however, I am certain that they will do better in the actual performance because having an audience practically obligates you to do your best and really get into your character. Also, they now know what actions have to happen in the scene, so they will be alright. 

However, we didn't have time to do the last scene of the play were they find out Capetano is lying and the wedding scene, so we are very stressed, however now the presentation is on Tuesday so we do have 1 hour and 30 minutes on Monday to do the scenes we have left and to do a full run through. I really hope to see the actors in their characters on Monday. All the directors, including me, have been pushing them to see videos about their characters and see their physicality, so I hope I can see progress in this on Monday.

Finally, we, the directors, are working much better because now we are mixing our ideas in the scenes instead of doing separate things. This is helpful because we are all contributing to all the scenes and adding different ideas from different people in the same scene, which make the scenes in general better.

This is a copy of the poster we were giving to promote the play to the school:

IB Theatre class invites you to their performance of “Kioskeros”

When: Tuesday November 29 at lunch time

Where: Drama class

Time: 9am

          

Synapses: In the streets of San Isidro, there are two kiosko families" the Arakaki and the Lexo. Both families are rich and the competition between the kioskos has created tension between the families for centuries. But not the only son of Doctore Lexo: Vincenzo and the only daughter of Pantalone Arakaki: Elena Luisa, are "in love". Their relationship grows stronger, using the San Isidro parks as the only place they can meet and the workers of the shop for messaging. Suddenly, the new "verdulero" Pdro arrives to town and with the help of the evil witch he is able to convince Pantalone to marry Elena Luisa with Pedro because of the quality of his fruit business and his supposed virility.          

Comedia Play- Blocking (Thursday November 17)

Today we worked in blocking. Mary and Antonio worked with the lovers scene; the one in the park and the one in front of the kiosks. Fernanda worked with Isabella and Pedro in the scene where the witch convinces Capetano to follow her plan. I worked in the first scene.

Basically the play begins with Doctore and Pantalone coming out of their kiosks to leave the garbage. Since the moment they come out, the tension is palpable. They walk slowly in their characters showing the hate they have for each other and increasing the tension each time more as they come closer, however they don't speak at all. They do a circle looking at each other and go back inside their shops. We blocked this with Augusto and Sebastian and it came out amazing the first time we did it. It's a very simple action they have to imitate so they didn't have any trouble. They had some trouble not laughing, but in this few weeks they will not think it is funny anymore and they will not laugh, so that is not a problem.
Moreover, after they go back into their shops, "chicha" music will start and the servants and zanis will go in. We blocked this entire part. So Alex (zani) goes in acting all peruvian latino like and starts calling Daniela (Brighella). Daniela comes out and they start interacting with each other in a peruvian like way. Alessa (Columbina) comes out with potatoes and starts calling Nicholas (zani) and Nicholas comes out. They start interacting in a peruvian way for a while until Alex comes in front and starts flirting with someone in the audience and goes and sits down beside her. Then they start saying the prologue which is as follows:

Brighella: Two kiosks, both alike in dignity


Zanni 1: (In fair Lima, where we lay our scene),


Columbina: From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,


Zanni 2: The Arkaki and the Lexo families


Columbina: Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.


Zanni 1: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes


Brighella: A pair of star-crossed lovers risk their life,


Columbina: By consuming their love 


Zanni: in the parks of San Isidro


Brighella: Teach their families a precious lesson:


Zanni 2: the meaning of unity


Zanni 1: Ending in a grand chicha fest, 


All the servants: Where pisco, dance and life fill their veins.

Alessa had the idea to imitate the prologue of Romeo and Juliet and we thought it would be funny and interesting because the story is very similar to that of Romeo and Juliet.

Isabella's and Pedro's scene is already done and it is very good, it just needs a little editing on the lines and on the purpose of the scene, but it is very good.

The lovers scene is amazing! Vincenzo and Elenaluisa are perfect for the lovers. They know their characters personalities perfectly and they know how they would react to certain actions. It is actually amazing to watch because it is so funny. They have incorporated all the cliché moments that you would see two lovers doing which makes the scenes so funny! This scenes don't need any editing, they are amazing as they are.

The next class we will keep blocking the scenes we have left and keep working on making better the ones we already have. I will bring all the peruvian props I have. Based on todays class, I am very happy with how the play is turning out. It is extremely funny to watch and I hope this hard work will continue this following weeks.

Comedia dell' Arte Play-Blocking Scenes- Thursday November 17

Monday November 14- Comedia Dell' Arte Outline

So today in class we had time to get talk with all the directors while the actors explored their characters and their personalities. Antonio Pinto had the most amazing idea to base our story in Peru and make everyone like typical peruvians with all their traditions, costumes and over the op personalities. So the lovers were going to be latin lovers and the story was based in San Isidro and this owners of kiosk's hate each other because they are competition. So everything was going to be based in peruvian culture and basically what we are doing is making fun of the peruvian personalities, the way they talk and act, and if the characters are able to portray this side of peruvian society, not only will the play be extremely funny, but many people will feel connected with it because the majority of students in this school have seen this attitudes and personalities in the streets of Lima, so it would be very fun to watch.
Moreover, we also wanted to create what you normally listen and see in the streets, the combi people shouting, the venders in the streets and what they shout, the way people shout from one side to the other, all the traffic and everything, and we also thought of using chicha music which is typical peruvian music and it would be very funny because we are not showing our Peruvian lives, we are showing how the majority of people in Lima are and how they act. We are from the upper class of Lima, however we see this scenes in the streets all the time. We see it not from their perspective but from an outsider perspective, however we understand it and are comfortable with it because we have lived our entire lives here, its part of us in some way, so we thought it would be very interesting to show this side of Lima, which if we really exaggerate it, it could be very funny and I don't think anybody is going to feel offended because we are portraying it as a positive happy aspect not a negative one.
We only have a general idea of what will happen in each scene, however we are going to add more characters to each scene and more action, however we are going to do this while we create the scenes.


Here is the outline given to all the class:


   Elena Luisa: Lover

                   Vincenzo: Lover
                   Alessa: Columbina
                   Pedro: Capetano
                   Nicholas: Zani
                   Alex: Zani
                   Sebastian: Doctore
                   Daniela: Brighella

                   Augusto: Pantalone

                   Isabella: Witch

Story:
In the streets of San Isidro there are the two kiosko families, the Arakaki and the Lexo. Both families are rich and the competition between the kioskos has created tension between the families for centuries. But now the only son of Doctore Lexo, Vincenzo, and the only daughter of Pantalone Arakaki, Elena Luisa, is “in love”. Their relationship grows stronger, using the San Isidro parks as the only place they can meet and the workers of the shop for messaging. Suddenly, the new “verdulero” Pedro arrives in town. The witch hates both families because nobody buys her "chifles" because of the kioskos, so she creates a plan to make Pantalone believe that Pedro is rich and will bring prosperity to him and to her daughter, when the truth is that he is poor and will only bring disturbance to Pantalone. Pantalone is decided to marry Elena Luisa with Pedro because of the quality of his fruit business and his supposed virility and richness. Now the only people who can save the day are the shopkeepers who will have to use the little intelligence they have.


Plot:
                                  

Prologue	The zanies explain very shortly the main plot of the story based on the prologue of Romeo and Juliet. Very Peruvian props in. Zanies appear from the audience and from different parts with chichi music as background music. They present the story and promote their kiosko. They don't fight but the tension is seen and created by the characters.
Scene 1: Lovers fall in love	Lovers come out of their kiosko’s shouting that they are going to the park like typical Peruvian people. Find their selves they flirt but they say it’s too dangerous so they go to the park. So they are twitter painted. Retardedly in love. Dancing at the same time. They are in love with the idea of falling in love.
Scene 2: Capitano and the Witch	Crazy witch that hates families because nobody buys her chifles. Pedro is her “bitch” and the witch uses him for revenge telling the family that he is rich and is very strong and the perfect man for the female lover. Slips because of the witch on top of Pantalone and presents them.
Scene 3: Pantalone and Columbina	Pantalone and Columbina flirt. Tells about marriage of her daughter.
Scene 4: Capitano and Lover	Pantalone presents Elena with new husband. Celebration. Elena talks to the audience and is sad.
Scene 5: Lovers	Talk about misfortune. And try to run away. The witch listens and tells the parents where they are going to meet.
Scene 6: Escape scene	Zanies help. Try to escape, but parents find out. Banned.
Scene 7: Zannies, Brighella and Columbina scene	Chismoseando in the street.
Scene 8: Capitano and lover	Zanni, Brighella and Columbina start bothering Capitano and they find out he is an imposter and tell Pantalone and Doctore.
Scene 9: Wedding scene	Traditional Peruvian wedding.

           

Comedia Dell'Arte Project

So yesterday the teacher presented to us the project we have to do to conclude this topic. We have to present a Comedia Dell'Arte play. There will be four directors and then the rest of the class were going to represent each a character of Comedia.
I decided I wanted to be a director because I have already experienced acting and I am incredibly interested in directing. I really want to see a play for the perspective of the director and portray my vision into the play. I think it's amazing that I will be able to experience a play from the point of view of the director, it is an incredible opportunity that I am not going to waste.
The other directos are Antonio Pinto, Mary Stoddard, and Fernanda Barhumi and each one of them can bring something amazing to this performance.
Fernanda is very creative and she always has unique and different ideas that could give an imaginative sense to the play.
Mary is also amazing at directing and portraying different visions and themes she has in mind and Antonio is a movie addict. He actually wants to study to be a director and he has an amazing eye for performances which will also help.
I have been acting for the past 4 years, so I can connect both perspectives and help the characters with their personalities and their gestures.

Yesterday I sent an inbox to all of the directors so that we can post ideas in there and create the outline for Monday.

These are the characters:
Isabella: witch
Elena Luisa: lover
Vincenzo: lover
Alessa: columbina
Pedro: capitano
Javier: doctore
Nicholas: pantalone
Alex:zany
Sebastian: zany
Daniela:brighella

"Automaticos" directed by Adrian Galarcep

"Automaticos" by Adrian Galarcep was amazing. Everything about it was so unique and different and it tested your mind and your emotions in any way possible. Not only where the actors amazing portraying their characters, but the scenery and actions where so realistic that it seemed effortless.

To begin with, the scenery was very impactful from the beginning. Everything was very confusing and messed up which made you deliberate what place was it and what was going on. All the furniture being disorganized and the feeling that it was a place where people hadn't been there for a long time was very appealing and it rose your curiosity to see what this play was all about. However, where the action always happened was in the sofia, which is a very simple scenery object, so the scenery was not overdone; it was completely realistic and simple which was of a better appeal to the audience.

Moreover, the characters were amazing. Every single one of the actors knew their characters so well. They portrayed their personalities exactly how they had to and the actions and gestured they did were connected with the type of people they were; with their way of being and their attitude. The relationships between them were very clear and lucid, so you really believed that they were friends. Cristina was extremely funny; and this had to do with her personality and her awkwardness and lack of social skills. She was very enjoyable to watch. Fina and Omar's relationship was so clear but at the way so indirect. You could feel the sexual tension between them, which made the play so much better because their relationship seemed real. Moreover, I loved this play because you could identify yourself with all the characters at different levels and in certain ways, and you got to a point that you liked them.

Moreover I liked the lighting a lot because it was so simple. It didn't had to be complex or have certain effects, it wasn't necessary. They used the same light all the time, leaving out the end of the play and they used rain and thunder sound effects with a red light effect to do the red lightning. And they only did this because it was very significant to show the red lightning because that is one of the main themes of the play and it is what caused the robots to began functioning by their selves. The simple light effects supported to the realism of the play and the effortless feeling that made everything so appealing.

Finally, the play itself was amazing. It made you laugh, it impacted you, it made you uncomfortable, it made you nervous, it made you be scared, it made you be confused without knowing that would happen next. I loved it because it probed your mind and it made it expand and close at certain times. There were scenes that one minute made you laugh and the other minute made you so uncomfortable, and then made you laugh again. It was really amazing to see because it changed your emotions so fast because you were so into the play and what was happening. You actually felt part of that group of friends. Adrian has made another amazing play and even though it was so weird watching a play that have been done in school, it was incredible and so different in many ways compared to the one presented in school because being a professional play, it didn't have any boundaries that couldn't be crossed. This is a play worth watching.

FOOLS Review

Because I am in the play, my perspective on it is a lot different than those that saw the play. I was able to see everything that happened behind the curtains and was also part of the creation process. The play in general, I think was very good. I didn't expect that people where going to find it so funny, maybe this is because I have been watching it for the past 3 months, so the jokes weren't funny for me anymore. But people really found it very enjoyable and I felt really good about it. I was Sophia in the play, and I don't know why I really don't really become my character until I am in stage presenting to an audience, and I really did the best that I could. At first, I didn't think that my character was that funny, but when I was in stage, I found out there were different ways I could say some of my lines or different gestures I could do that made Sophia funny, and I didn't realize this until the opening night.

Moreover, something I really didn't like about this play was that the characters weren't realistic at all. Everything was too fake for my taste, the personalities, the moments, I don't know. Some people enjoy this type of plays because they take you to another world, but I really prefer the realistic plays. However, I did realize that our characters represent real people that do exist, the only difference is that we exaggerate  their personalities and gestures to be funny, which I thought was quite intelligent and interesting, however, I don't think this type of plays go with peruvian society.

Peruvians have a different sense of humor, which goes deeper than jokes that are funny a minute, but don't really stay with you. We tend to over analyze everything we see and do, and this does affect what they feel about the play because this types of play don't really go with our society. However, I do feel that the play was enjoyed by everyone in general and they found it funny at moments.

I also think that the clothes helped bring the humor to the play and it was over the top which went well the all the characters over the top personalities.

The stage was also very well done. People were able to understand the different spaces inside the actual stage. Mr. Zubritsky's house, with the town and Slovitch's store. Everything was very colorful which went well with the tone of the play.

Furthermore, something I didn't like about this play is that it wasn't profound at all. It was just a play that was made for people to have fun for an hour and a half, but it wasn't really memorable and profound; it didn't really teach you anything or create a big impact on you. But it was a new experience for me acting in a comedy because I'm not really good at it, but still I did have a lot of fun and I don't regret it. I learned so much about the art of comedy and it is actually very difficult. People think that comedy is the most easy part of drama, however, I do believe that it's much more difficult to make an audience laugh than to make an audience cry.

Finally, I had a lot of fun in this play and I really enjoyed every one the actors that were chosen. We had a lot of fun together and we supported each other in everything that we needed. David asked me for help in one scene and I would help him with Andrea, then I wanted advise on something and they would help me. Everybody was very unselfish and really was there to support you which I liked. It was a great experience.

Journal Monday October 31- Pantalone

Today in class we had to experiment with Pantalone. In Comedia dell' Arte, Pantalone is an old man that is or the father of the lover that doesn't want her daughter to get married, or an old man that wants to get married with the lover. He is a very selfish man and is always bend back and touching his pouch of money. He walks making every step count by putting the leg very up and slowly pressing it down. His feet are looking outwards and he speaks slowly, emphasizing every word that he says.
I don't know why when I think of Pantalone, I imagine him with a british accent, maybe because the british accent sounds very sophisticated and aristocrat and Pantalone is a man that thinks big about himself; he believes he's the master of everyone.
I am really not having a great time in class this past week because I don't really like this topic. I really don't connect with any of the characters of Comedia and I think everything is too cliché and exaggerated and I don't like that part of theatre. I prefer the realistic kind were we are not over the top but simple and believable. And I am not a funny person. I am much better at dramatic plays, I am not good at or enjoy acting in funny plays because it simply doesn't go with who I am; that's why I am having trouble in this topic.
In class I am going to do the best I can to try to portray all of this characters, but it has been very difficult for me.

Comedia Dell'Arte Pamphlet

Reading the pamphlet I have realized what comedia dell' arte really is and all the aspects that go inside of it. I found it very intriguing that they have to actually improvise the whole play. I personally, have a problem doing this. I prefer having a script and developing my character with time. However, comedia dell' arte is exactly the opposite; you start knowing exactly how your character is, but you improvise all the actions that happen. Maybe my choice has to do with the fact that I am scared of messing up. Improvisation can be very dangerous because it can go so bad, or it can go so well, so I am scared of the scene just not working out and not being funny. So now that I know more about this topic, I am actually looking forward to learning about this because it would be a risk for me to take and learn how to do comedia dell' arte successfully.
Moreover, I think that it is amazing how we keep using the same stereotypes of characters now a days and we took it from comedia dell'arte. Now, every time I watch my series or movies, I will have that in mind all the time and see how different actors develop this characters differently and how they react to different situations, and what is the aspect that makes everything FUNNY.

Comedia Dell' Arte:

GIN Presentation Journal

I think the presentation went very well! We had created something last class where we started with a tableau, then Alex and Pinto would say a quote from a famous person. After this we would spread out and different people will go in the middle and say their monologues or just two or three lines from their monologues and then go. We would end in the tableau again and Alex and Pinto would repeat their quotes and we would end. Personally, I didn't like the idea; I didn't thought it was original or impacting and I think that with the theme being human rights, we could really do a presentation where we really shocked the people and left them thinking about our presentation. 

So we came to school on Friday at 2pm and the teacher basically told us that we had to practice or invent something new in the next 30 minutes because we where going to present at 2:30, so of course I panicked. It a very important presentation if you think about it, its 400 students from different countries looking at you and I really wanted people to see how amazing our  theatre program is. 

So when we got to center stage  we decided to take control of the situation and just invent something else that was much more efficient and well-made than what we had done last class. To be completely honest, I liked the challenge the teacher gave us because it was going to help us in our creative skills and not only that but to work quickly and efficiently together. 

So our idea was to basically come out from different parts of the audience (as if we were part of the public) and place ourselves throughout the stage. Alex would start with his J.F Kennedy quote and then each person would say one impactful line from their monologues. So for example, Alessa said: He was pushing and pushing and pushing! Then I would say I just want my son back! and on and on and on. This part of the presentation was going to end when I said my line, we would count to three and we would break to the sides. Then Alessa would start with her entire monologue; after her went Daniela and Nikolas that had integrated their monologue together, after them went Javier who also said his entire monologue, and after Javier I went and I just said the first 3 lines from my monologue because I thought it was going to be more efficient and it highlighted the basic theme of my monologue. So what I said was this:

"My name is Christine Collins. On March 10th 1928, my son, Walter Collins, disappeared. A 5-month investigation lead to a boy being found in Dekalb Illinois. They told me and all of you that this boy was my son. He is not my son. Please, I beg you, I just want my son back".

It told her story and the end was shocking and sad, which helped me portray my emotions and the teacher also liked it and thought it was good because I just said what was important. After me would go Mary with a quote from an important person and then she would look at us and we would start saying our lines from the beginning while we came close to the edge of the stage and we would keep saying our lines until we were all in the line at the edge of the stage. Then, Daniela would scream and we would put our head down and the light would be turned off and we would be over. 

We practiced it two times and we didn't come up with any problems so we were kind of confident about the technical aspect, however we all were kind of scared and afraid that we would mess up our lines, well at least I was, even though I didn't say my entire monologue. However it all turned well and people really seemed to enjoy it, at least that's what my friends told me. In my opinion, I think it went very well because no one forgot their lines, everybody was in character, and we all were trying our best. 

So I was very proud with our final product and how the presentation turned out, however, I do think that with a little more time, we would have done an amazing presentation which could have been more effective, maybe we could enter with candles or we could have costumes on which would have helped to transport the audience into a different time and moment. Still, it went well.

At the end the teacher told us that after this, we could choose if we wanted to present our monologues on Monday or not because she had already seen a lot of them in the GIN presentation and last class when we presented, so I really didn't see the reason on why presenting again because I really did the best I could in the GIN presentation and I wanted to it to stay that way.

Journal Monologue Presentation

So I didn't know my monologue by memory, but the teacher told us that that wouldn't be a problem and that we could present it with our paper, however, we had to make sure that we were OUR characters and we were showing the emotions that we wanted to show. So I went first because I really wanted to get it over with. I think I did quite well, because I took in consideration all the aspects that I had to think about. I did my voice much higher because that is how I saw my character and it turned out well because it supported the fact that this women was suppressed and frightened of what the police could do to her, but the love for her son was much bigger than how afraid she was. My presentation in overall I think was good because I did transmit the emotions I wanted to transmit and I think that I portrayed Christine Collins as I wanted to portray her, however I do think I lacked one of the personality traits I had given her which was courageous. I think I could have showed better how courageous she was. What I did highlight was how suppressed she was and how timid and silent she always was. At the end, the feedback the teacher gave me was that I had to make sure I portrayed her the way I wanted to portray her, so really focus on BEING my character and show her personality not mine. I think that having the paper to read does take away some credibility of your act and takes away some of the theatrical aspects of your presentation, but I think that on Friday in the GIN presentation I am going to be able to redeem myself and really portray Christine Collins like I want to portray her.

Monologue-October 16

So at the end, I edited my monologue. This was because of two reasons. First, there where parts where I became very repetitive and it wasn't really efficient, it just sounded as if I didn't have anything else more to say so I was just saying the things again. Second, because I thought it went better with the character if the monologue was concise and straight to the point because Christine Collins didn't really like creating problems and fights and she wasn't really fond of talking about this in public to the press, so basically it helps me show how she doesn't really want to be there, but she is doing it basically for her son. I also have to show this through my gestures and emotions. I really hope that the other students can help me make my monologue even better and also help me create the personality of my character because I know how she is like I understand it, I just have to work on portraying it.


This is the new monologue:

My name is Christine Collins. On March 10^th 1928, my son, Walter Collins disappeared. A 5-month investigation led to a boy being found in DeKalb Illinois. They told me and all of you that this boy is my son; he is not my son. When I first saw this boy I knew, but the agent insisted that I was in shock and that Walter had changed in the past 5 months because of the trauma. So I convinced myself that that boy was my son at first, but deep inside I knew that was not my Walter. I don’t understand why they weren’t listening to me; that boy was not my son. I have given the L.A P.D every opportunity to admit their mistake and renew the search for my son; since they refuse to do so it forced me to bring my case public. The department has made a terrible mistake and they have to please help me find my son before its too late. They are wasting time when they could be looking for Walter. I beg them to please renew my case and start looking for my son. Please, I beg you, I can still feel him, please, I just want my son back.

Final Monologue- Thursday October 13

I finished my monologue today. It wasn't hard at all because I already had the idea written down and the rough draft done, so the only thing I needed to do is find out in what I wanted to focus and erase everything else that wasn't relevant. Also, I realized while I read the monologue that there were parts that sounded so good and so deep and then suddenly there was a sentence that just cut down that feeling and the deepness so what I did was eliminate those sentences or try saying it different. For example, the part where Christine Collins explains how he measured him and the kid was much shorter than her son, it really didn't sound good the way I said it before so I decided to concise the story by not telling the part where I measured him against the wall of anything, but just say that he was shorter than Walter. I did found that by repeating "I want my son back" it really creates a mood and helps the viewer be able to feel the pain this mother is feeling and the desperation she is feeling as well to get her son back. my job this weekend is to memorize it. This is my monologue:  

My name is Christine Collins. On March 10^th 1928, my son, Walter Collins disappeared. A 5-month investigation led to a boy being found in DeKalb Illinois. They told me and all of you that this boy was my son; he is not my son. When I first saw this boy I knew, but the agent insisted that I was in shock and that my boy had changed in the past 5 months because of the trauma. So I convinced myself that I was in shock. However I then realized he was inches shorter than my son Walter that I measured every month. I went directly to the police, but they weren’t listening to me. They told me that trauma could affect the growth of children and his spine could have shrunk. I didn’t understand why they were lying to me; that boy is not my son. I have given the L.A pd every opportunity to admit their mistake and renew the search for my son; since they refuse to do so it forced me to bring my case public and I hope this will make them open their eyes and bring my son home to me. The department has made a terrible mistake and they have to please help me find my son before its too late. They are wasting time when they could be looking for him. I am here because I want the truth to be known and what this police department has done to me and to my son. But the only thing I care about now is finding him; I beg them to please renew my case and start looking for my son. I can still feel him, please, I beg you, I just want my son back.

I found something in the movie that I thought I HAD to add in my monologue that is when they already won the case against the police department and she already knows about the psychopath that had kidnapped her son which practically meant that Walter was dead. But still, there is a part where the pastor which became a great friend of Christine that helped her a lot to get justice, tells her that she has to let go and she responds by saying: "Not yet; I can still feel him". She could still feel her son, as a mother she felt her son was still alive and she could be right or wrong nobody knows; what we do know is that mothers have a special bond with their kids; they can feel when something is wrong; so I wouldn't be surprised if Walter was still alive. So I decided to end that way: " I can still feel him, please, I beg you, I just want my son back". I felt it was a very deep way to end and the repetition of the sentence: "I just want my son back" through the whole monologue is as well very efficient because it creates an impact to the audience. It helps the audience understand the situation at a greater scale and really feel the sadness this mother was feeling when the police denied to keep looking for her son. Who knows, if they hadn't made a mess and given her another kid and instead had listened to her, maybe Walter could have been saved.

Finally, I decided to eliminate the part where she tells about how she was sent to a psychopathic ward with no evidence because it didn't follow the chronologic order. In the movie, she talks to the press and that is what triggers the police to capture her and get rid of her my taking her to a mental hospital so it didn't make sense and I had to center on one specific idea because having a lot of things made my monologue so disorganized and not impacting at all. So I  decided to make my main idea how the police gave her another kid on purpose and decided to treat her badly and ignore her when she said that kid was not her son.

Something that is going to be very important is how I will perform it which I have already explained in depth in another post. I will have to practice a lot and really understand the character and be able to analyze it in depth to be able to portray her as the weak but strong women Christine Collins really was.

Monologue- Aspects to take in Consideration

This week our task if to work on our monologues. I am not going to be able to work this week in my monologue because I am going on a trip, however I think before going away, I should have a basic idea of all the aspects I have to take in consideration for my performance. I already have a rough draft of my monologue, however I do have to figure out what to do about the sounds, lightning, tableau, status, movement, voice, and physicality. I do have some ideas for this.

To begin with, I have this image of the scene I want to portray that depends basically on the lights. I want the scene to be very gloomy, depressing, and weak; because that's how Christine Collins feels at that moment. I want the scene to have very little light. The small light there is, I want it to be a very dim yellow light that comes kind of from the top and shoots at the back part of myself, so that my head if illuminated and the borders of my body is illuminated. This will also give a little bit of light to my face so that you are able to see my face, however it would be very dark. This very sad and gloomy environment will not only help me to get the audience in the mood, but it will help me portray metaphorically the emotions that are going through Christine Collins at that moment. On top of this, it will help me get inside my character because it will indirectly help me to evoke those feelings in the words. 

In addition, the lights will help me depict the status of Christine Collins, which is also correlated with the main issue I am talking about. The dimmed and weak lights will also help me to portray how people (men) saw women at that time; weak. In the 1920's women where still being oppressed by men. If they got raped, well she was looking for it for dressing that way. They where still being treated as a minority and their opinions didn't really count. Even though the global issue of my monologue is the lack of justice and lack equality by the police at that time, which is still seen now a days; you can see this issue also in the oppression of women because they too where taken away their right of being listened and of being equal citizens. So the status of women (Christine Collins), which is weak basically, can be also seen in the lights. Moreover, I think the status is very significant for my monologue, because Christine Collins is not only representing the oppressed women of that time, but her feeble personality was very shocking for me when I saw the movie. Angelina Jolie portrays her as a very timid, weak, oppressed, and kind of coward human being. However, she wasn't, but at the same time she was; that's what I like about this characters, because some of her personality traits contradict each other. She was a very coward person and you are able to see this when she doesn't stand up or shouts back when the police man is insulting her and saying that she is a liar and that she is avoiding her responsibilities as a mother. But at the same time, she does stand up in some way to the rules of society of that time by fighting for he rights and going out to the public so that the police re opens her case and starts looking for her son again. She doesn't quit and she keeps trying to be listened by doing whatever she can to make the police to listen. So she is a very round realistic but yet not easy to decipher character, and that's what I like about her, and that is what pulls me to act her our, it is quite of a challenge. Her outer personality portrays her as a coward person, however deep inside she keeps fighting for her son. Additionally, it is very important for me to portray her low status for me, so I want to show her as a very timid oppressed  and hurt person that looks easy to manipulate. However, through her words and repetitive statement of  "he is not my son", I want to show her inner strength and her persuasion to find her son which will also show the love she felt for him. 

Moreover, I think the movement is connected with the status. Because I want to show a very low and shy status, I want to use as little movement as possible. I will be standing in one place the whole time, so it is not distracting and I think it will help me to make the scene much more intense in general. I want to show how retrieved Christine Collins was so kind of hunched down with the head looking quite down; as if she was afraid to look the people in the eyes. I am not sure if I want to be holding an umbrella, because having one does help with the idea of hunched down as if you where to exaggerate it completely she will turn out in a fetal position. I don't want her to look like an old lady; but kind of hunched down to show her shyness and how scared she is. The umbrella really helps with this illusion and it also helps with her timidness. The other idea if to just have my hands together in front of my body; however doing some nervous twitching with my hands, which I have practiced before and it also portrays a shy almost traumatic personality which could also work. 

I don't know about the sounds yet. I don't think I am going to use any sound at all because I want all the attention to be on Christine Collins and on her story that she will be telling. However, when it comes to her voice, I want to show her timidness and oppression through her kind of high pitched voice; however a very slow, delicate and low voice. By her voice being low and delicate, it will show how she is actually afraid of speaking her mind because it wasn't something that women did at that time, and after all the things that the police has done to her, it makes sense that she is afraid of what they will do to her.

In this specific monologue, the use of pauses is extremely important. The story in general is extremely shocking and intense, and if you use paused in the right moments, it can help you to make the performance in general much better and much stronger. Not only will the pauses help to make the scene much more intense, but it will build up in the idea that Christine Collins is very shy and is extremely afraid of telling the world what has been happening. One very important pause in the monologue that I remember is the part where Christine says: "They told me and all of you that this boy was my son. He is not my son." The period makes the sentence much more intense and shocking than if I had said: "The boy that they brought is not my son". Not only is it much more strong but it is much more direct and impacting.

Finally, I already have all this aspects organized and in consideration. I still have the ask the teacher about tableau because I don't really understand what it is and how I can use it in my monologue. I do have to work on editing my monologue and on centering it on a main idea because it is too disorganized now and there are too many ideas mixed together, so I have to work on it.

In this picture of Christine Collins you are able to see her very weak and oppressed personality. You are also able to see her sadness. This is what I want to show: