Vote-Cab-You-Larry

If you're questioning the title, here's a little hint...vocabulary, specifically that of the theater. A few days ago the class was prompted to print out some theater information, low and behold it was the infamous vocabulary sheet. Since some classmates and I had already been through the introduction to drama process, we were pretty familiar with the concept. Especially with our class being so limited in numbers of bodies,we all just ended up splitting up the vocabulary list instead.

Upon perusing through my portion of the list, I must say I had quite the variety of words. Some of the words, however, were just in general foreign to me either in concept or practice. One choice that particularly stood out to me though was the word "tableaux". In French, tableaux often refers to the whiteboard but this activity completely changed the definition for me. Even with the theater definition for tableaux (a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models carefully posed and often theatrically lit) in mind, I wouldn't necessarily associate the two together. The phrase and practice supposedly began in medieval liturgical dramas such as the Golden Mass. During these special occasions, a Mass was interposed by short dramatic scenes or tableaus. They were often major feautures of festivites for royal weddings, coronations, and triumphs in general.

More details to come, at least by tomorrow.

The Box, It's Back

In class today we began, and for once was also able to complete, the pantomimes that I was talking about yesterday. In the end, I decided to to portray my lack of photo-taking skills by developing upon a series of embarassing skits that reflected upon my supposed yearbook photos. From sneezing midway through the picture to the eyes half open deal, I covered it all. What really struck me though as I was watching the other students peform their own pantomimes was that we were actually six students all with different theatrical backgrounds jumbled into this sort of melting pot/learning experience. With every performance I felt as though the gradient among the class just became more and more ostensible. Probably the better half of our first IB year will be geared towards getting everyone up to the same speed.

It was not until after the exercise that I realized I had taken for granted many of the simple methods that we use in drama all the time. Techniques as simple as beginning and ending a scene properly or conciously keeping tabs on props were probably the mose deficient among the group. I guess I've just never noticed how much knowledge I've been able to absorb over the years simply by being involved in some prepatory drama classes. Thanks Ms. Karr!

I'm in a Box

Only the second day of school, yet the wheels have already been set in motion. In our small theater class (and when I say small, I really mean six students) I feel as though we are all able to interact on a more personal basis with each other and our mentor of a sort, Ms. Karr. In this intimate setting, many of us feel more comfortable with putting ourselves and our ideas out there without the fear of being personally attacked. Within our overall group of six students, we are each further identified by our backgrounds in theater. Students range from having absolutely no former experience in theater to ones who have already been involved for five years or so. Luckily, I have been able to experience both sides of the spectrum in the sense that I learned theater from a basics standpoint to an actual class geared towards producing a final product.

So now to start off the year, Ms. Karr suggested a pantomime exercise to sort of get a feel for students in the class. In my previous experience, I had practiced pantomime enough to have a solid grasp for the entire concept of formulating a silent scene around a certain character. The twist on the assignment, however, is that the pantomime now we have to reveal some unknown trivia about ourselves. Right away some typical skits started coming to mind. Perhaps "the girl whose a little uncoordinated" or something along the lines of "lost in IB". These ideas are really in the early stages of development though. All I know is that whatever trivia I do decide to portray, I want to make sure its memorable and a bit different from the pantomimes I've done before.

Instead of focusing on the instructional aspect of pantomime, I decided to do some concrete reasearch on the subject. What seemed to be most common among the various sources was that pantomime was often performed around the winter holiday season. It also elucidated the strong links that pantomime shares with another popular form of physical theater known as Commedia dell'arte. This discovery brought me back to my days of beginning drama when we studied this period of Italian theater filled with stock/fixed characters. This knowledge aided in the development of my pantomime in the sense that I exaggerated my character a bit in order to get across the physical comedy and prosaic demise of my character. Although pantomime has often been associated with non-speaking roles, research revealed that British pantomime now incorporates song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick, jokes, audience participation, and mild sexual innuendos in its performances. It turns out that the plots of pantomime are also loosely based upon traditional children's stories such as Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Dick Whittington (a character based on Richard Whittington who gains fortune throught his travels with his cat). I feel as though this whole idea of adaptation combined with the parameters of pantomime has the potential to go somewhere. Possibly a future project?

The First of Many

Although this year begins like many before, there is an ostensible sense of competition this time around. What with the SAT's and AP's and just about every other acronym pulling students every which way, it is inevitable that some will get lost in a crowd of overachievers. Being one of the students who tend to go above and beyond, it feels quite natural for me to transition from the Pre-IB program to the fully endowed International Baccalaureate program. Still, however, I sometimes feel as though I am inadequately prepared for the curriculum compared to some of my peers.

In all my trepidation though, I do realize that one component of the program is not completely foreign to me. Theater, in general, came to me in the form of a musical my last year of junior high. Albeit I portrayed the smaller role of a pirate in "Peter Pan", I was able to immediately relate with the rush of performing other students only spoke of. Ever since then, I have been connected to the drama program at my high school through participation in the beginning and advanced drama classes. Somewhere between the classroom and the stage, I was able to experience everything from pantomiming my way through a test to working the stage lights.

Although I am moving forward towards a more rigorous academic profile, I still want to keep the same spirit and passion alive within me. When I compare myself to just two years ago with the person I have become now, I see a great transformation has already taken place within me. Confidence and a family away from home are only a few of the things I have gained through my experience. The entire journey that theater has brought me along has fueled my decision to continue with theater as one of my high level courses. I look forward to continuing this journey and seeing where it will take me in the realms of theater.

As productions have come and gone, the spirit and passion it takes to put on a show have stayed with me. There is something unexplainable in the entire experience that is able to bring people of various backgrounds together to create something absolutely amazing. Strangers though people may be in the beginning, the cast eventually forms a necessary support group for each and every individual. A home away from home some might say. With the inordinate amount of time that a cast ends up spending together in the endless rehearsal and tech sessions, bonds and friendships form almost instantaneously. What's even more is that as rehearsals progress towards impending performances, the show essentially becomes a part of the cast's life. Pouring their energy and souls into the performances, thespians are able to take away so much more gratitude in the applause that others have often become desensitized to.

Though Theater HL will take me through the rest of my high school career, I hope to continue participating in theater even when I go to college. I realize that acting is not one of my major pursuits in life, but it will always be a part of who I am. Until then, I would like to focus more on the writing and directing aspects of theater since the drama classes ten to be more geared towards performances.