Tony's stash of textual information

acting

Yesterday was my first time attending a performance of Shakespeare's plays. I have read a number of his texts before (Othello, and The Tempest, just to name a few) but actors bring a new dimension to the performance. As my acting-lessons coach once said, “The text is dead. Actors have creative freedom to choose how they want to emote the words.”

Of course, the behind-the-scenes crew, and not just the cast, are outstanding in their individual and collective genius – time does not suffice to list all their luminary contributions. Included in the crew are Rayann Condy (as Intimacy Director), and Matt Hutchinson (in the department of Puppets, Puppetry Design & Direction). And Lee Yew Jin (sound design), and Peps Goh (fight-choreography).

I would like to highlight the physical space as another actor in its (her?) own right. The venue is Fort Canning Park. As the sun lowered itself behind skyscrapers – which, in the blue light of dusk, glowed softly with a thousand electric lights – a couple of large birds (wildlife, not props) soared above the greenery. “Eagles,” my companion-for-the-evening said. What a strange sound they are making, I thought. I've never heard them vocalise before.

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Part of an actor's work is finding scripts and today I received one.

It uses the gimmick of body-swap – once popularised in the movie, “Face Off”, featuring Nicholas Cage (1997) – but after reading it, I fear that I will be ashamed of the final work.

The lines are unnatural,

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Darren suggested future directions.


HCAC: private acting school with various short courses of styles and methods.

https://methodactingasia.com/

Nine Years Theatre: Actor Training

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Improvised acting.

Games, and exercises, to build up confidence and reflexes.

  • stand in a circle. Next person asks you: “what are you doing?” That next person has to do what you say. For example, you might say: “I am playing soccer on the moon.”
  • enter a space. put in, or take out something. Exit the space. Then, the next person has to evolve the story.

Ways of using your body to convey feelings.

  • disgusted: your body is tensing up
  • overjoyed: you are walking on a bed of roses
  • frustrated: your guts are twisting

#acting

Interactions with the world of theatre in Singapore.

  1. Signed up for a course of study, at National University of Singapore. “GEK1055: The Theatre Experience”. (2014). Conducted by Paul Alexander Rae.
  2. watched a play. “The House of Bernarda Alba.” (Produced by Wild Rice). 2014. Location: Drama Centre, National Library Board Building.
  3. Acted in a short film, with Wong Souk Yee, and Jason Soo. 2014.
  4. Experienced Recess Time, by The Theatre Practice. 2019. Location: 58 Waterloo Street, Singapore.
  5. Watched a recording of an opera. “Faust”. (Produced by Royal Opera House in the United Kingdom). 2019
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the practice script was “Come in, Nielsen.”

the actors were L and H.

Darren observed their performance once, and then told them to perform again, but with a game in mind – an actor's game. L's goal is to get H to look at her for more than three seconds. H's goal is to give L as little eye-contact as possible.

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“It is better to be a glorious failure than a mediocre success.”

Mediocre success hinders you from tasting glorious success. (Editor's note: Darren attributes this quote to the late playwright, Kuo Pao Kun)

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terminology from Darren

“invisible body”: What an actor does off-stage, which helps in his performance on-stage. Eg. Tai-chi, amateur boxing, basketball, soccer, marathon-running, stamina-training.

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Acted with Ariel using a practice-script, titled “Come in, Nielsen”.

As things turned out, our scene became a confrontation between two hostile criminals.

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A new classmate made his entrance today: Joao (pronounced somewhat like Jo-el), a youthful-looking man from Portugal.

He had missed the previous two classes due to a business trip – or so he claims – but he seemed to catch up quite quickly.


Today's exercise: intercostal diaphrammatic breathing.

Lie down and breathe in. Notice how your belly rises.

Now sit up and breathe in. Notice how your shoulders hunch up.

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