This weeks rehearsals

This week during rehearsals i had a major breakthrough in my understanding of the characters. It had to do partly with reading through the play up to my scene, which gave me a better understanding of the characters. I realized that i was going about the scene all wrong. Previously i wanted to convey a certain  amount of annoyance and animosity towards my scene partner, I wanted him to listen to me but i think i was going about it the wrong way. After reading through the play, i found that Goose and Tomtom have a deep affection for one another. This understanding lead me to convey this affection for Goose in my scene, which in my opinion is making for a much better performance. Feeling more connected to Goose on a deeper level, allowed my to be more active in my scene. For example, early on in the scene when Goose is wandering about while im explaining the plan, i now stand and put my hand on his shoulder, slowly pulling him towards the table. It's an action that helps the audience understand our relationship better, as well as a more active choice.  feel more connected

Bonus song!

Lorraine

When i first went over the assigned scene, I really had no idea what it was i was reading. Over the weekend i finally read over act one of Goose and Tomtom. My main purpose in doing this was to better understand this Lorraine character. She seems to be the driving force of Goose and Tomtom's actions in the scene i will be performing, but not understanding who Lorraine was to these characters was something that was limiting my performance.

  Lorraine is an object of desire in the play, both for Goose and Tomtom. While their love for Lorraine can at times cause conflict between them, As in the scene where Goose is looking into Lorraine's eyes. Tomtom becomes furious and the two begin fighting. However, as in my scene, their love for Lorraine can bring them together, to act in the best interest of Lorraine.
 
 Lorraine is a very charming character. She is spunky and has a bit of an attitude. When reading her lines i imagine some like Marisa Tomey playing her. I'm not sure how much she cares for Goose and Tom-tom. I think she perhaps just enjoys the attention she gets from them, and mostly she just likes to toy with them, like when she was sticking pins in her arms. Still the love Goose and Tom-tom have for her is very real and understanding this love better will improve

The Audition

So here's another post looking at a monologue I've performed. I was going through my photos and videos and found an old video i made in 2012, of me practicing my monologue for my first acting class. These videos where made so that i could watch myself perform and see how i looked. It's a monologue called The Audition. It's about a man who's simply full of himself, who doesn't realize what a horrible actor he is. I can't remember exactly why i chose this monologue. I think its because i sort of know people like this. Watching these clips was a bit painful. The shorter one seems like its just me messing up a lot. I'm wondering why i was moving back and forth so much. There where other directions i could have gone in if i really wanted to move around. There's too much waving around of the umbrella for sure. I look a little bit to nervous waving it around the way I do.I should have been a bit more rigid to portray the characters confidence. The homicidal lunatic wasn't great, my energy sort of tapered off. Of course this was just a rehearsal. This was probably as good as it got since this is only a few hours before the performance. Fun fact about the "Resume" i threw down. I actually sat at a computer at thought about what this characters resume would look like. I decided on something like this.

My Resume

Go fuck yourself...

I made it just for my own purposes with no intention of it being seen. But during my monologue someone picked it up and started showing people which caused some distracting laughter i wasn't expecting. But I managed to get through it. Also when i was about to do the King Lear bit the umbrella broke. So i just threw it down and kept going. I decided it would be better to keep the monologue going so rather than start over i threw the unbrella down and continued on. 

THE AUDITION

This comic monologue is printed here in its entirety, though written for a male actor, by changing a few pronouns, the piece could be adapted for use by an actress.

My resume. Oh, first I should mention that I could play any of the parts in this play. Any. I could play an ant, I could play Little Red Riding Hood, I could play Hamlet. I've never heard of this play, as a matter of fact. It doesn't matter. I can do opera, I can do commercials, I can sing soprano, I can do my own stunts- I’m that versatile. Leading man, leading lady, gay, ingenue- you name it, I can do it. That’s how great I am. I see you looking over my resume. Noticing I've never had a part. It’s a real comment on this sick business we’re in, isn't it? An actor this good (he thumps his chest) and he’s blackballed! Why? For refusing to show up at auditions! Auditions are beneath me. I wipe my feet on them. People should be begging me to grace their theaters- producers should be asking me to audition them! But those egomaniacs who should bow and scrape before me - they have forced me to betray my principles and come to this (said with utter contempt) audition. So no, no, don't blame me for demeaning myself in this grotesque position… I've waited ten years for them to come crawling… but suffice it to say they were too wrapped up in their own insane… trivium to get the hint. But enough of them. Let’s get to the situation at hand. You’re sitting there typecasting me as a leading man aren't you? You’re thinking that because of my matinee idol glorious good looks, and rich, sensuous, sexy, seductive, fetching, effervescent, tingly and charming voice, I could only play a male lead. No, I tell you, no! Observe! An ant! (He crawls along the floor in a normal way.) And now, King Lear! (He opens his umbrella and pretends, in an awkward mime, to be blown around the stage.) I needn't mention, of course, that that was the fabulous storm scene, out on the heath. And now, Brutus, impaled on his own sword! (Closes the umbrella, stabs himself with it in the stomach. Dies, rather flatly.)
And here’s a homicidal lunatic: (he gets up, picks up the umbrella, waves it threatening forward, like a sword. This part seems real.) Give me the part or I’ll kill you! I’ll poke out the vile grape jelly of your eyes with the point of my umbrella! I've been waiting ten years for this! (Puts the umbrella down.) OK. All the parts. I should play all the parts in you little production. Capiche? Capiche. Note the mastery of the Spanish dialect. I do it all. Now, with that in mind, here’s my… (Abrupt pause) What do you mean my time’s up? I haven’t done my monologue yet! (Beat) What do you mean, next? Where do you get off saying next?! I memorized this thing! I took the subway here! I elbowed my way ahead of dozens of pushy actors and still had to wait a half hour to get in here! I wanna do my audition!

Remembering Hoffman

 Yesterday it was revealed that Hollywood had lost an amazing character actor in Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He was found dead in his apartment with a hypodermic needle stuck in his arm, a charred metal spoon at his side along with several bags of cocaine with playing card images printed on them. I've often wondered what leads an actor to this self destructive behavior. Depression, drug use, alcohol. What is the cause of this? Is the depression a result of a loss of identity. It may be the fame, the pressure, but I'm sure they're are actors who are not world famous that have these issues. I've often thought that the best actors are the ones who don't act at all. Acting without acting. When an actor like Marlin Brando portrays someone like Paul, in Last Tango In Paris, we are seeing Marlins' true emotions on screen.. This was my initial instinct when i began my first acting class. Somewhat contrary to what we are learning now, i thought that allowing myself to feel the emotions of my character would allow the actions i took to come naturally. But perhaps this burden becomes to much. I can only imagine the darkness Heath Ledger dove into, in order to give his farewell power house performance as the The Joker. But what came first? Was it the act of becoming this twisted individual that broke Ledger, or perhaps Ledgers state of mind is what allowed him to give the powerful performance. I'm sure like any other art form, acting allows the artists to express his or her emotional state as a means of catharsis. Yet for some that may not be enough.

This all got a bit dark and slightly off topic. The point of this post was to take a look at two of my favorite performances by Hoffman. I have yet to see Capote, but i will very soon.

Brandt: The Big Lebowski

 This scene truly captures what made Hoffman such a great actor as well as what made Brandt such a memorable character. Even though he was only featured for a few minutes in the film. The nervous laughter, the condescending tone, are very subtle choices that come together that effectively define Hoffman's character, not by any sort of exposition but by strong acting. After this meeting Brandt begins to show respect for both Lebowski's in his life. Respectfully referring to Jeffery as "The Dude" throughout the film.

Caden Coutard: Synecdoche, New York

If you haven't seen Synecdoche New York then please don't watch this clip. I chose this because Hoffman delivers a beautiful line, which is cut off near the end, that has stuck with me since I watched this film. "There are nearly thirteen million people in the world. None of those people is an extra. They're all the leads of their own stories. They have to be given their due." I can say that this one line truly changed my outlook on life, and humanity in general. It's a line that carries so much weight and Hoffman delivers it well, feeling the meaning of the words in his voice. Cadens' revelation would become the basis of his work. A complete and fully populated recreation of New York City, even having an actor portray himself trying to complete the play.

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"I will be dying and so will you, and so will everyone here. That's what I want to explore. We're all hurtling towards death, yet here we are for the moment, alive. Each of us knowing we're going to die, each of us secretly believing we won't." 
Phillip Seymour Hoffman July 1967-February 2014