Performance Log Number Three

Day Seven: Monday, November 7

Today, we had our first memorization quiz. This was scheduled to be on the Friday previous, but the day off allowed for all groups to have extra days to work on the memorization of the scripts. I found that this was very helpful because it allowed me to learn my lines by writing them as well as speaking them aloud. Later in the week, I found that this helped me as I was learning lines, the pauses and emphasis on words were easier to pick up on and add. I found that the combination of writing my lines repetitively and speaking them aloud to be the most effective method for me. As I started to learn my lines, I discovered that the hardest part of this was the little words and the parts of speech that are not found in today’s language. This was reflected in my quiz itself because while I had gotten the main idea of the line, the actual wording of the line was slightly different. This was also an accurate point of reference for me as an actor because it let me know where I was in preparation for the upcoming scene performance. Julia and I were also able to run through our scripts once over quickly as well before class ended.     

Day Eight: Wednesday, November 9

Julia and I had our first full scene run-through today and I think that it went pretty well. We both knew that majority of our lines, and much of the problems were in our blocking. Personally, I was unsure of a few of my lines and the order in which they were said. But once I was given confirmation that I was on the right track, it was easy for me to continue. I found that when I was performing, my first monologue went much quicker than I thought it would, which was very surprising to me. One thing part of the blocking that was not working was that during my first monologue, I was standing throughout. Many people thought that was odd because Juliet is supposed to be in her bedroom. We decided that it would be best if I were on something to imitate my bed or something like a chair. This would make the scene more realistic for the audience. Lastly, my ending lines needed some blocking changes as well. Romeo ended up falling behind Juliet, so it was difficult to say my lines toward the audience. We changed the blocking so Romeo dies in front of Juliet so the audience can see and hear what is going on. Also, some of the other comments from my classmates said to take more time react and not rushing to say the lines. For example, when Juliet first wakes up, there should be more time taken to wake up and react to the dead Romeo in front of her. To hear the various comments from both the teacher and my classmates were very helpful because I could many different points of views and opinions. All of it could be used to improve the scene.   

Day Nine: Thursday, November 10

All of today’s class was put toward watching the other groups’ performances. It was very interesting to see all the different scenes and how they changed the order and blocking of the scenes. For example, another group did the scene where Juliet takes the potion as well. But that actor said the lines very differently, and that changed the overall scene slightly. We also had to give feedback on the other groups. This helped me look at their scenes critically. This, in turn, could help us think about and work through our scene. Also, many of the comments that other groups received could be applied to our scene as well. It helped us think about what we could do, as actors, to make our scene even better.   

Day Ten: Friday, November 11

Today was a very short class for me because of the Open House. There was one more additional group that had to present their scene. I watched theirs and gave them comments. Because of the Open House, Julia was not in class and I only had enough time to run through my lines once before I had to leave to help out. Overall, I think that this week was one of our most productive weeks because we were able to present all our lines (memorized) and then perform them as well. We were also able to get very constructive comments to tell what was good for an audience member, and what needed a little bit of changing.