How do you feel now that you have finished the final acting scene? I feel relieved because I was nervous the entire week during rehearsals and when I was practicing  lines by myself at home. I also feel a bit sad because finishing the final acting scene also mark the end of this semester long theater course. I will certainly miss this fun class and my ensemble members; I certainly feel more connected to them now compared to the very first day of class.

I used to think/now I think – in regards to preparing for your final acting scene. I used to think preparing the final acting scene would be boring because a lot of memorization is required and we would not get to do as much fun actitives and acting games as we used to. Now I think preparing the final acting scene is interesting because the script is engaging and developing a scene from scratch, watching it grow and take its shape, is such an amazing experience.

What did you do well? Your ensemble? I did well in doing the technical skills such as memorizing all my lines. Moreover, I did well in doing some improv acts during the scene, like the part where I slightly punched Lydia when I was teasing her. I think that came our really natural since I do that to my friends all the time when we are having a conversation. Also, I believe this  indicates that as an ensemble, as we rehearsed and collaborated with each other for some time now, we became closer and the spontaneous actions just flowed seamlessly into our acting. Lastly, my ensemble did an excellent job at encouraging each other and picking up from each other’s mistakes.

What do you feel you could do better on in the future? One thing I noticed immediately is that my black winter jacket blended in with the background curtains, especially when I started the scene  in the corner of the stage, where the lights did not shine so brightly. This is not visually appealing to the audience. For improvement, I will wear colorful clothes like the purple jacket Lydia was wearing, as it is better suited for the stage set up. Another thing I feel that I could do better is controlling my volume. My volume sometimes gets louder not because it is needed in the scene, but because I suddenly remembered that I need to speak up. This would seem a bit awkward and confusing to the audience because at times they might struggle to make out what I am saying, while sometimes I am speaking abnormally loud.

Connect the process of creating a character, developing performance and performance to YOU in the future. I learnt so much in theater class this semester and I will certainly bring the valuable takeaways with me in the future. For me, the best way of creating a character is to first “meet” with them. I will read over the script and picture the scene in my head, I also keep in mind that this is just an initial image, as the final performance could look completely different from now. As I become familiar with the lines and could go off script, this is where I start acting it out, brining the sciprt to life! Developing a performance requires time, focus, and energy; there would be also be constant discussion and feedback happening during the process. Of course, the final performance is the best part of the entire process, and I have learnt that it is not quite the same as the feedback session performances that happen often in class.

Thinking about the ‘rules of improvisation’ – which area do you think you grew during the improvisation exercises? I think I grew in the areas of being an active listener and going with the scene’s flow. Especially in longer improvisation exercises like the “who, what, and where” one we did in groups of four with the cards, a lot could go wrong since we did not have a lot of preparation time. Therefore, in order to construct a scene, listening to each other is key. Someone might say something out of the blue to try and push the scene forward, instead of breaking the flow and bringing it back to my pace, I learnt to follow the offer and act upon what my ensemble members said in a natural manner. I was able to take in my ensemble members’ actions and follow my instinct to produce a smooth scene.

Which exercises or games were the most enjoyable for you and why? The most enjoyable ones were the park bench and the who, what, and where exercises.  I like the park bench one because my ensemble members would come up with really interesting acts and it often surprises me how much things we could all come up with.  This exercise also pushes our thinking because as we did multiple rounds, our ideas get used up, and we have to think of something quickly. The other exercise is the one where we were in groups of four and Mr. Redman picked three cards for us to depict a scene. This is a long improvision exercise and it was fun to see how things would end up. Since we only have a couple of minutes to prepare, there was no way to plan the entire scene out that quickly. When we started acting, there were a lot of surprises. Someone may say something random out of instinct, and the other members have to actively listen and act upon that in order to make the scene flow smoothly.

How have you begun to think differently about the process of acting and improvisation because of the improvisation unit? I think the biggest change for me is that I started viewing improvisation as something fun instead of something terrifying. Before, I was afraid that I would mess up, my mind would go black, and the entire act would turn awkward. However, after this unit, after having loads of practices and learning about the “rules of improvisation,” I am used to acting spontaneously and thinking quickly on the spot. As a result, the process, the uncertainty in improvisation becomes something exciting.

How might YOU use improvisation techniques in the future? I think the techniques could be applicable to various aspects. For instance, in a group project and everyone is brainstorming on a topic, instead of saying no to all the “weird” ideas, I could say “yes, and” so that the idea that may not seem feasible in the beginning might actually turn into a brilliant one that everyone agrees upon. Another example is in social events, instead being scared to speak up and quietly asking questions, I could be an active listener and seek opportunities to make offerings to people.

1. Free up your expectations and your creativity- no wrong answer
2. Make on offer
3. Say “yes”
4. Say “yes, and…”
5. Be an active listener– go with the flow of the scene
6. Make statements– don’t ask questions- (characters, declarations, bold choices)- there are no mistakes, only opportunities
7. Doesn’t always have to be funny

Describe the exercise that you did in class.

Today in class we practiced one of Stanislavski’s methods of acting- using our imagination as actors. We immersed ourselves in our own imaginations by listening to Mr. Redman’s guiding voice and the backtrack of the water splashing, the rain, the jungle, thunder, etc. We should stay in character and try our best to not get distracted by others.

Talk about your engagement with the activity – how much effort did you put into it and how did that work for you?

For the first part of the activity where we lay on the floor, I was engaged and was able to follow Mr. Redman’s directions. I think closing my eyes helped me to concentrate, and I was able to relax and really get into the “zone.” When it was time to explore the jungle, I could not say that I was 100% engaged all the time. Since the timespan of the activity was quite long, I found it difficult to always stay in my own imaginary world. I would repeatedly tell myself to stay in character and to not to think of other things. Also, my mind got a bit tired near the middle of the activity because I had to picture everything and act it out accordingly. Some parts were easier than others, for instance, canoeing in the storm and avoiding the darts were easier to picture than opening an unknown package in the wrecked house.

Tell me the story journey that you went on.

After “waking up” and arriving at the unknown island, I surveyed the surrounding; I was facing the ocean and a jungle is behind me. After further exploration of the beach, I went to the jungle. It started raining softly at first, then it became a big storm. I went and hid under a tree with huge leaves.  I waited until the rain stopped and realized that I was starving. I did not have any hunting tools, so I looked for fruits. While eating, a wind-beaten cottage caught my attention. Inside, I found a neatly wrapped package lying on the table. Out of curiosity, I untied the package and discovered coffee grounds, with tiny pieces of gold nuggets. Suddenly, I heard people shouting. Scared, I put the package back in its original place and hurried out of the cottage. Away from all of that, I followed the sound of the stream and found fresh water to drink. However, I sensed someone staring at me. I slowly turned around and saw a pair of eyes staring down at me from the trees. The owner, a child, shouted something in a language that I did not understand. I also heard others, adult voices, responding to the child. I crept away, then a dart came in my direction, landing right next to my head. I kept on moving and another dart came at me. I need to escape and found my hope when I spotted a canoe about 20 meters away from me. I went on the canoe and started rowing. The group that shooter darts at me chased me and also got on their boats. They kept on throwing darts, I ducked while rowing frantically. The ocean waves became huger and huger, splashing water into my canoe. Lastly, my canoe flipped and I landed in the water. Surprisingly, the water felt warm and familiar- I came back to the reality.

My monologue:

There’s no need to shout at me, Polo! Now you shut up! I don’t need you to tell me what I’ve been doing or what I haven’t been doing. Because I don’t love Johnny. I don’t love him. He hasn’t even so much as held my hands in months. He doesn’t talk, he’s always going, he’s a stranger. I thought he was so full of love… I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t matter anymore because I don’t love him, and I can’t tell him that.