I was assigned to the role of Val in the play Punch and Duty by Carrie Luft. When I was reading over the script, I tried to consider how my delivery of the lines should be affected by how my character feels about other characters. A lot of Val’s lines are directed toward the character Liz, a close friend. It seemed to me like Val doesn’t actually value Liz’s friendship very much—she only cares about what the “cool” kids think of her and mostly regards Liz as someone to complain to. Val is dismissive of Liz throughout most of the play (saying things like “don’t be stupid” and “never say that”) and doesn’t understand why Liz doesn’t go along with her when she tries to avoid confronting Robert. She doesn’t see that if she wants Liz to be loyal, she has to be a good friend back. In terms of Val’s attitude toward Dave and Kirsten, while she envies them and wishes that she were like them, she knows that she just isn’t cut out to be “cool” and so she tries to play off her envy as disdain. Val is embarrassed to be associated with Robert, but at the same time she knows what it’s like to be “uncool.” I think that she does sympathize with him, and perhaps some part of her even wanted to say yes to him, but she is so cripplingly insecure that she wouldn’t have been able to get over what other people might think.
After I had figured out how I wanted to deliver my lines, memorizing them was fairly easy. I found that once we had read through the script a few times, I knew most of the lines already. The monologue was the one thing I had trouble with. I had bits and pieces of it memorized from running the script, but I couldn’t string the whole thing together without having long pauses to remember what came next. The night before we performed the play, I just sat down with the script and recited what I could of it over and over again until I had the whole thing.
I think the play itself went pretty well. The performance was the first time I didn’t have a script near me in case I forgot a line, but I didn’t end up having any trouble. The monologue was definitely what I was most apprehensive about, and I think I did stumble once or twice, but I don’t think it was too noticeable to someone who was hearing it for the first time. Overall, the ten-minute plays were a great project and I really enjoyed the whole process!
I portrayed Wendy “Fish” Fisher in the play The Purpose of the Moon written by Carrie Leuft. I really enjoyed rehearsing this play with Zia, who played Veronica. The dialogue in the play was strange at some points and it was very difficult not to laugh. Zia and I don’t really fight like that so it was kind of fun to play a role that’s different from your normal life. I think our favorite part was practicing the slap. We wanted it to look real. That was the hardest part to not burst out laughing. I also really loved that my character was so serious about Putt-Putt golf.
Memorizing my lines was kind of fun. I usually like memorizing my lines for plays. It adds an extra challenge. However, the dialogue in this play was very strange and at times poorly worded. The phrasing of the lines made sense, but were at times strange enough to make it difficult to memorize it word for word.
The night before the performance I was nervous and called Zia, while I was eating ice cream in my kitchen, to go over my lines one last time. I did pretty well and only needed a few prompts. I wasn’t super nervous for the next morning. Sometimes when performing my nerves are at a manageable level where it almost helps me remember my lines and makes me say them slower so that I don’t mess anything up. Other times my nerves just make me forget everything I thought I knew up till that point. The morning I performed my play I became nervous and forgot a lot of my lines or mixed them up. Overall though I think we conveyed the feelings of the characters well.
I had a lot of fun acting in this play and getting to do it with Zia. I think if it were someone I knew less well, it would have been way more awkward. Memorizing my lines was fun, but I don’t think I memorized them enough that I was relaxed about it. I am glad that I chose this for my honors assignment.
I was assigned to the role of Val in the play Punch and Duty by Carrie Luft. When I was reading over the script, I tried to consider how my delivery of the lines should be affected by how my character feels about other characters. A lot of Val’s lines are directed toward the character Liz, a close friend. It seemed to me like Val doesn’t actually value Liz’s friendship very much—she only cares about what the “cool” kids think of her and mostly regards Liz as someone to complain to. Val is dismissive of Liz throughout most of the play (saying things like “don’t be stupid” and “never say that”) and doesn’t understand why Liz doesn’t go along with her when she tries to avoid confronting Robert. She doesn’t see that if she wants Liz to be loyal, she has to be a good friend back. In terms of Val’s attitude toward Dave and Kirsten, while she envies them and wishes that she were like them, she knows that she just isn’t cut out to be “cool” and so she tries to play off her envy as disdain. Val is embarrassed to be associated with Robert, but at the same time she knows what it’s like to be “uncool.” I think that she does sympathize with him, and perhaps some part of her even wanted to say yes to him, but she is so cripplingly insecure that she wouldn’t have been able to get over what other people might think.
ReplyDeleteAfter I had figured out how I wanted to deliver my lines, memorizing them was fairly easy. I found that once we had read through the script a few times, I knew most of the lines already. The monologue was the one thing I had trouble with. I had bits and pieces of it memorized from running the script, but I couldn’t string the whole thing together without having long pauses to remember what came next. The night before we performed the play, I just sat down with the script and recited what I could of it over and over again until I had the whole thing.
I think the play itself went pretty well. The performance was the first time I didn’t have a script near me in case I forgot a line, but I didn’t end up having any trouble. The monologue was definitely what I was most apprehensive about, and I think I did stumble once or twice, but I don’t think it was too noticeable to someone who was hearing it for the first time. Overall, the ten-minute plays were a great project and I really enjoyed the whole process!
I portrayed Wendy “Fish” Fisher in the play The Purpose of the Moon written by Carrie Leuft. I really enjoyed rehearsing this play with Zia, who played Veronica. The dialogue in the play was strange at some points and it was very difficult not to laugh. Zia and I don’t really fight like that so it was kind of fun to play a role that’s different from your normal life. I think our favorite part was practicing the slap. We wanted it to look real. That was the hardest part to not burst out laughing. I also really loved that my character was so serious about Putt-Putt golf.
ReplyDeleteMemorizing my lines was kind of fun. I usually like memorizing my lines for plays. It adds an extra challenge. However, the dialogue in this play was very strange and at times poorly worded. The phrasing of the lines made sense, but were at times strange enough to make it difficult to memorize it word for word.
The night before the performance I was nervous and called Zia, while I was eating ice cream in my kitchen, to go over my lines one last time. I did pretty well and only needed a few prompts. I wasn’t super nervous for the next morning. Sometimes when performing my nerves are at a manageable level where it almost helps me remember my lines and makes me say them slower so that I don’t mess anything up. Other times my nerves just make me forget everything I thought I knew up till that point. The morning I performed my play I became nervous and forgot a lot of my lines or mixed them up. Overall though I think we conveyed the feelings of the characters well.
I had a lot of fun acting in this play and getting to do it with Zia. I think if it were someone I knew less well, it would have been way more awkward. Memorizing my lines was fun, but I don’t think I memorized them enough that I was relaxed about it. I am glad that I chose this for my honors assignment.