Critical Thinking

The start of a new year holds many promises. I will make a resolution! I will change my life! I will….do something for two weeks and then go back to my old way of doing things. Because there’s so much emotion behind resolutions – both positive and negative – they are excellent prompts: Journal Prompts• Will you make a resolution this year? Why or why not? • How do New Year’s resolutions make you feel? • What’s the last resolution you made? Did it stick? Why or why not? • Why do people make resolutions? • Why do people break them? Improv Prompts• Write the most bizarre resolutions on slips of paper (keeping it school friendly of course) and everyone has to put a slip in their pocket without reading it. The scene is a New Years Eve Party. On a signal from you, one of the participants has to bring out their slip of paper and incorporate their resolution into the conversation. • A conversation between a pro-resolution person and an anti-resolution person. Character Development Prompts• Is your main character for or against resolutions? Why? • What resolution would your main character make? Why? • Would they stick to the resolution they made? Why or why not? Writing Prompts• Write a monologue in which a very straight laced person shares an out of character resolution. • Write a scene between a character and their will power. Will power is waning as January marches on. • Write a scene between a boyfriend and girlfriend who have opposing resolutions. What will to do to the relationship? • Write a scene between someone who is trying to stay strong and something tempting – personify a piece of cake.

A table read is a common first rehearsal activity. The director, actors, and stage manager sit around a large table and read through the script. Oftentimes other department heads are there (set design, costume design, props, etc.). Sometimes the department heads will give a design presentation to the cast. Lots of people do table reads because… well, that’s what one does at the first rehearsal. In this post I’m going to dive in and explain why we do them. And, more importantly, how to have an effective table read to set your production up for success. The reason for a table read depends on your role in the show. DirectorsTable reads are a great way to hear how the voices are going to blend together. It’s usually the director’s first opportunity to have the whole cast together at the same time. They’re also the director’s first chance to hear the show out loud from beginning to end. The director probably heard a few scenes during auditions, but never the whole play. Directors spend so much time poring over the script, silently reading to themselves. And it’s inspiring to actually hear the show out loud. It’s a reminder that plays are living things, not just words on a page. A table read is when the director starts building the community that is going to put on the show. It’s a message to everyone that the director is the leader, but we’re all part of the same team with the same goal. Lastly, the table read is an opportunity to discover tricky spots. Are some actors going to need more help than others? Are there technical issues that you didn’t consider when you were reading the play? ActorsI love starting rehearsals with a table read because I’m a nervous actor. I always come to the first rehearsal anxious about the process to come. Am I good enough for this role? For this company? A table read is a very low pressure reassuring process to calm actors’ nerves and to get them accustomed to the fact that they’re there, the role is theirs, they were chosen for a reason, and they’re going to be putting on a show. The table read is an opportunity to hear the story as a whole and to understand our character’s role in the story. Actors can be pretty self-centered when preparing for a show. They have tunnel vision focus on their role, on their character’s objectives and tactics.That’s perfectly understandable. It’s what the actor is required to do. The table read is a chance for actors to hear from the other characters in the show, to get a sense of what’s happening outside of our own goals and objectives, and to see the show as a whole. Lastly, it’s a wake up call that we are here, we are putting on a show, we are a team and we all have to contribute. It’s time to get to work. Stage ManagersThe stage manager’s job begins well in advance of rehearsals and they should be up and running by the time the first rehearsal rolls around. I don’t know how it works in other countries but in Canada, professional theatres must hire stage managers for at least a week before rehearsals. It’s called “prep week” and it’s the stage managers chance to focus solely on preparing for the show without the distractions of rehearsals. At the high school level I know this is not always possible. Sometimes you get your play sorted out on a Friday and start rehearsals on a Monday! During the table read, stage managers often read the stage directions aloud. This helps the team to visualize the physical action and to get a better understanding of how the show will come together physically. Stage managers also use the table read to get a rough timing of the show. The final running time of the show will change quite a bit from the running time of the table read but an experienced stage manager will be able to come up with a pretty accurate estimate. The table read is an opportunity for the stage manager to clarify the tricky technical aspects of the show. Are there going to be tight costume changes or scenery changes? Is there likely to be a tight set of cues that weren’t apparent before? Making the Table Read Effective – Tips for DirectorsHere are some tips to make the best possible use of the table read. Describe your vision for the show. Some of your actors will be nervous. As a director, step up and go first. Describe your vision for the show. Talk about your influences for the direction of this show, why you chose the script, and why you chose this set of actors. Don’t act. Tell your actors to not “act.” Ask them to just read the script. Focus on clarity. Focus on reading the words on the page. Focus on hearing the story clearly. Coach your cast to slow down if they’re going to fast. Assure your cast that they have already won the roles. They showed you something in the audition that made you choose them. This is not an audition, this isn’t a show, it’s a reading. This is the team on the starting line. There will be lots of time for acting later. Have word definitions / pronunciations ready. If you’re working with student actors, it’s likely that they will have not done much homework. Identify unfamiliar words and look up the correct pronunciations and definitions. The actors should be doing this for themselves, but they probably won’t. If you’re ready with the answers (you should know the definitions and pronunciations anyway) then you’ll avoid wasting everyone else’s time at the first rehearsal. Have fun. But be clear that this is work time. You are building a team. Set a fun relaxed environment for the first meeting. But when it comes to the actual table read, be clear that it’s time to work. Stifle side-chatter during the reading and demand focus on the task at hand.

This is part four of Script Analysis. You can get part one here, part two here, and part three here. The first few Script Analysis articles focused on finding the information that the playwright has left for you in the script. But sometimes there is little to no information about your character. Don’t fret! This when you, as an actor, really get to stretch your creative muscles. The world is your oyster and it’s time to design your pearl. Here are a few tools and techniques to fill in the gaps about your character. Create a Dating ProfileImagine your character is looking for their ideal partner. What qualities would they look for? Dating website profiles are great tools for character development. They ask so many questions about you and your dreams/goals for life. On the PDF version of this blog post (download link below) is an example of a dating profile (based on okcupid’s form) that you can use to build your character. I chose this one because the questions delve far beyond the superficial. I also love the six things question. Six things of what? It’s completely open-ended and you can interpret it any way you like. Bonus tip: You could take two approaches to filling out this form. One would be to complete the profile 100% truthfully, and the other would be to complete it as the character would want the world to see them. (Would Richard III be forthcoming about his physical deformity?) Job ApplicationThe dating profile will help you dig deep into the personal relationships your character desires. Completing a job application can tell you about their professional goals. On the PDF version of this blog post (download link below) is a typical job application form. This form is very fact-based. A lot of the questions are closed-ended (i.e. they call for a yes or no answer). Be sure to elaborate as much as you can. For example, “Have you ever been charged with a felony? No. I’ve committed a lot of felonies, but never been caught. I’m amazingly good at covering my tracks.” Bonus tip: As with the dating profile, you could take two approaches to filling out this form. One would be to complete the profile 100% truthfully. The other would be to stretch the truth a bit, answering the questions to give you the best chance of landing the job. (Would Willy Loman complete the questions about his previous job truthfully?) Make a DiaryImagine that your character keeps a diary. Create some diary entries for them where they share their true thoughts. Assume your character is 100% certain that nobody else will read the diary. Write with nothing to hide. Don’t worry about being “creative” or making the entries entertaining. The diary is not being written for anyone else but the character. Just focus on writing honest entries. Here are some events to consider writing diary entries for: • The day before the play starts. • The day after the play ends. • The day(s) your character met every other character in the play. • If your character refers to any event in the past, write the diary entry for that day. • The day they were happiest. • The day of their fondest memory. • The day they were the saddest. • The day they were angriest. • The day they started their first job. • The day they made the hardest decision in their life. • The day they saw their favourite movie for the first time. Make Some ListsEverybody keeps various lists. Lists can give you insight into your character. If you saw a stranger’s grocery list you’d learn not only about their eating habits, but you’d also learn quite a bit about their lifestyle. Here are some ideas for lists your character might keep. Make them up. • Grocery List (what kinds of food does your character eat?) • List of Best Friends (rank them in order) • Frenemy List (which of your character’s friends really aren’t friends?) • List of superpowers they’d like to have. • Gift List for Self – things they hope to receive. • Gift List for Others – possible birthday or Christmas presents they might get for other characters in the play. • Five things they would save in a fire. • List of chores, things that need to get done around the house. • Book List – Books they want to buy/read. Make an AvatarWhat does your character look like? Well, they look like you because you’re playing them afterall. But what do you visualize them looking like? Here are two great websites that will help you put together a “look” for your character. These sites let you choose hair colour, hair style, facial features, skin tone, clothing, facial hair, etc. • Pickaface • Voki When you’re done, print a copy of the image and tape it in your script. Keep it as a reminder that you’re playing a character, and that the character is somebody different from you. You might even use the avatar to co-ordinate with your show’s design team. Use it as a guide for the “look” of your character. How does your character change if you add glasses or facial hair? What would happen if you curled your hair, etc. Make an Social Media PresenceCreate social media profiles for your character. Facebook is ideal for this because it’s so strongly centered on your life and your interactions with others. But Facebook doesn’t allow fake profiles. Instead use a website like Fakebook. Fakebook looks like Facebook but they let you create profiles for imaginary people. It’s perfect for this type of exercise. • Document the events of the play through status updates. • Does your character add any other characters as friends during the play? • Does your character unfriend any other characters as friends during the play? • What social issue pages does your character follow? • What celebrities/politicians/public figures does your character follow?

This is part three of Script Analysis. You can get part one here and part two here. Here’s an activity that will give you a great amount of detail on your character and their relationship with the other characters in the play. It starts with some pretty simple information gathering. Read the play and while doing so, make three lists: • Everything your character says about every other character. • Everything that other characters say about your character. • Everything your character says about themselves. An ExampleBelow is how I would do this exercise for the character of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo has a huge role so there’s a lot of work involved. I just did it for Act One but someone playing Romeo would do it for the entire play. You’ll see that sometimes I’ve used direct quotes, sometimes I’ve paraphrased, sometimes I just recorded an impression. Record the information in whatever format you will find useful to use as you prepare your role. What Romeo Says About OthersRosaline • “Out of her favour where I am in love” Benvolio • Doesn’t laugh at my pain. Rosaline • Romeo loves her. • She is fair. • She does not love him back. • She is remaining chaste. • “She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair” • “She hath forsworn to love” Benvolio • “thou canst not teach me to forget” Rosaline • “the all-seeing sun ne’er saw her match since first the world begun” Mercutio • “You have dancing shoes with nimble soles” • “Thou talk’st of nothing.” Juliet • “I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” • “Is she a Capulet?” What Others Say About RomeoPrologue • star-cross’d lovers take their life • misadventured piteous • with their death bury their parents’ strife • death-mark’d love Lady Montague (mother, according to Benvolio) • He was not at this fray. Benvolio • walking early in the morning Montague (father) • Often walks early in the morning, crying, sighing • When daylight comes he locks himself in his room and blocks out all light • “Black and portentous” • Does not know the cause of Romeo’s problems. • Romeo is “his own affections’ counsellor” • “So secret and close, so far from sounding and discovery” • Would love to help Romeo, but doesn’t know the problem. Benvolio • They are cousins • Your heart is oppressed • I’ll help you or die trying • Romeo loves Rosaline • You only love Rosaline because you haven’t checked out any other women Mercutio • You are a lover • Queen Mab has been with you Tybalt • Romeo sounds like a Montague • slave • antic face • I am going to kill him • villain Capulet • The whole city brags that he’s “virtuous and well-govern’d” • I wouldn’t disparage Romeo for anything Tybalt • I’ll not endure him Juliet • Pilgrim • “You kiss by the book” Nurse • Bachelor Capulet • “Gentlemen” • “honest gentlemen” Juliet • Doesn’t know who Romeo is • Wants to marry Romeo Nurse • He is a Montague, he is the enemy Juliet • “My only love” • “a loathed enemy” What Romeo Says About Himself• In love with Rosaline • I have heard it all (referring to the fight at the beginning of the play) • “This love feel I, that feel no love in this.” • Griefs lie heavy in my breast • “I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.” • “I do love a woman” • “Shut up in prison, kept without my food, Whipp’d and tormented” • “I can read.” • “I am not for this ambling” – referring to the party • “I have a soul of lead” • I fear that going to this party is going to bring about death. What This Tells YouThere’s a wealth of information here. Imagine you know nothing about the story of Romeo and Juliet. You’ll learn quite a bit about what happens in the play just by reading these small snippets – including how it ends! It’s better to write down too much than too little. Write down things that might not seem immediately important. For example, Romeo’s line “I can read” doesn’t seem significant until you study the time period in which the play takes place. Most people were illiterate so knowing Romeo can read gives you information about his education and the fact that he comes from an upper class family. What if there’s little or nothing there?Good question. What if your role is not a lead and there isn’t much to discover doing this exercise? I’ll cover that in the next article when we look at ways to fill in the details the playwright doesn’t give you. Class ExerciseDo the same exercise, but this time do it for Juliet. For Act One of Romeo and Juliet, create the following three lists: • Everything Juliet says about every other character. • Everything that other characters say about Juliet. • Everything Juliet says about herself. Use the worksheets provided in the PDF (download it below) to record everything.

Adding on to our previous post on annotating a script for analysis, the next task for student actors is to explore their text through action words (“verbs” for you English majors). The idea is to have students find the “action” in their dialogue. This isn’t about setting blocking, it’s about visualizing action into a performance. Depending on the text, this activity can be easy, hard, or fun! It can also be pretty boring. Use it for an important moment in the play rather than having your students do it for every single line of dialogue. That will become tedious. When used from time to time in smaller doses, it’s a great tool for speeches where students aren’t sure what’s going on, or if a speech seems dramatically static. How does it work? Let’s look at this small section of text. ““I remember it well. It was 1950. Pa was walking to the well.”” On the surface, it seems like there isn’t much action. But theatre needs action. That’s the actor’s job, to bring the text to life. Have your students look at these three sentences and for each sentence (or fragment for a larger sentence) choose one action word and jot it down next to the line. For example: I remember it well. I insist. It was 1950. I taunt. Pa was walking to the well. I paint. With the addition of three verbs an actor has something to play with when saying those lines. They may not be perfect the first time around. There are no right or wrong action words for the first pass. The choices will have to work for the character and the context, but it’s a place to start with visualizing the action. Choosing Good Action WordsShare with your students: What makes a good action word? The action word should imply what an actor is doing or trying to do to the listener. Who is listening to the character and how are they impacted by the choice of action word? “I cry” is not a good choice because it’s only about the character. “I pretend to cry” is better because it involves the listener. “I lie” is a stronger choice still because it’s about what the character wants from the listener. Who is the listener? It could be another character, it could be the audience. Make sure your students choose a listener. Text is never delivered in a vacuum. This is an especially effective tool if your students are preparing a monologue for competition. Your character may or may not succeed with their intended action. It’s better if they don’t. Drama needs conflict and if everyone gets what they want every time then the performance will be boring. Emphasize to students that they should use verbs that are either a physical action (I kick, I punch) or that bring up a mental picture (I taunt). For example, when thinking about the phrase “I taunt,” visualize holding out an ice cream cone and then snatching it away.