Friday, 1-28-11

Friday, 1-28-11

Matt was back today. We finished off the rest of our research project presentations, talked about those, and then did our circus tricks.

Matt noted that there were three main ways of inserting facts in our presentations: 1) Listing them off, book report style; 2) Inserting them ironically, like “there wouldn’t normally be a fact here, but there is since this is actually a research project, which is humorous!”; and 3) Working them in naturally to serve the purpose of the performance. He also described the second approach as being “meta” or self-referential, and observed that while none of us did the first, we all at least flirted with the second option and only a few of us actually got to the third place in our projects. This is important because it implies that we made a subconscious distinction between presenting our research projects and an actual performance, when really there should be no distinction. All action is to some extent a performance, particularly any public action. A speech at the Golden Globes will be judged just as publically as the same actor’s performance in the movie they were awarded for. In this business, we can’t afford not to treat every public presentation with every degree of specificity, thoroughness, and commitment that we would a film or stage performance.

For instance, in my case, (though I do think I worked a lot with the third option), I did not have the same level of character specificity that I would normally bring to bear. I was not specific in my where, and had only a general notion of who my character was. How much more interesting would it have been, Matt pointed out, if I had solidified why my character was talking about envying the flamingo? What if he was at an addict’s support group? AA? What’s a scenario that would be appropriate for a character who sits down and talks about flamingos for a few minutes?

The danger with being “meta,” as Matt points out, is that it can become an excuse for sloppiness. Though “meta” performance is very popular in contemporary comedy, when it is successful it has usually been treated with the same specificity and attention to detail as any other script. The thing we need to bear in mind is that ANY and ALL assignments for Acting should have me asking the same basic questions we learned to ask first semester. Where does this take place? Who am I? How do I feel about what am I doing? What are the stakes? What is at stake for my character in particular? I need to keep reminding myself to ask these questions whenever I begin working on a project.

As for the circus tricks, they went quite well. Though none of the tricks were particularly impressive in the traditional sense of circuses, that wasn’t what was important. What was important was to perform a trick as the animal, something the animal would think was impressive, or else something that the animal doesn’t want to do but is forced to do anyway. The trick itself is completely unimportant in comparison to what is revealed about the psychology of our animals in the process of the exercise. As my flamingo, I walked on foppishly to “Whipped Cream” by Herb Alpert and, staring confrontationally at the audience, raised one of my feet off the ground and balanced on one leg. Then I repeated the same action, but this time, on a BLOCK! Not particularly exciting. But my flamingo thought it was pretty hot shit. What I could have explored further was finding the opposites to work with set against the music. Whenever music is added to something, a whole array of opportunities arise to work in cooperation or in conflict with the music, and conflict is something I could have explored further. Maybe I treat my trick with a deferential reverence similar to prayer, entering slowly, with purpose, and lifting my leg as if it was a fragile piece of glass… all still set to the upbeat Herb Alpert. That would be pretty funny.

My costume really came together today. I need to find white stockings over the weekend and I think that should round it out perfectly. Otherwise, Animal Projects is reaching its first climax with Watering Hole next week (Wednesday). I’d write more, but my run crew assignment starts tomorrow morning so I should try and be asleep as soon as is physically possible.