Please have a seat and get your Theatre Notebook out for Bell Work! Heyyyy!! Please have a seat and get your Theatre Notebook out for Bell Work!

Bell Work What is a narrator? What’s their job in a story or in a play? Why is it important to see someone’s face when they are speaking?

Warm-Up The Secret Leader

The Fourth Wall Imagine a room onstage. How many walls are there?

The Fourth Wall The invisible fourth wall is important. The actors need to know that the action on stage must be seen by those sitting on the other side of the fourth wall.

Real Life vs. Acting What happens onstage should feel real But, it should also be seen and heard by all An Actor’s body position is very important

Let’s have an everyday conversation just as we would in real life. One volunteer, please Let’s have an everyday conversation just as we would in real life.

Cheating Out Notice how when the actors change their body position, it is easier to hear and understand their dialogue

So… Audience Members… Actors… Was it easier to see their faces and expressions? Could you hear them slightly better? Or maybe more clearly? Could you still communicate with each other effectively?

Why do we call it “cheating out”?

“Cheat Out!!!” Let’s all try it

Motivation Walks Actors don’t simply move around on stage “just because”. Their character has motivation to move.

3 volunteers, please.

Remember your motivation Let your motivation MOVE you. You should travel from one side of the stage to the other

To greet a long lost friend

To pick up money lying on the ground

To catch the bus

To ask for an apology

To go onstage to sing in front of thousands

To make an announcement to the press

To sneak up on someone

To find your way in the dark

To get a close up picture of a wild animal

To sneak back into your house at 3am

Have a seat and get out your Theatre Notebooks for Bell work, please CONGRATS CMS WRESTLING!!!! Hi! Have a seat and get out your Theatre Notebooks for Bell work, please

Bell Work If you want to put attention on an object or a person… what do you do/say to get people to look? What if YOU want attention? What do you do to make yourself stand out?

What are your plans this weekend?? Bell work What are your plans this weekend??

Giants, Knights, Wizards Warm-Up

Stage Pictures What’s that????

Stage Pictures A term used to describe where the actors are positioned in relation to each other The idea is to keep the focus on the most important onstage action It is usually the directors job to create these pictures BUT good actors develop an awareness of how they can contribute at any moment

What’s the purpose? Stage pictures are made to create focus/attention on the most important action happening in the scene

Ways to Create Focus in a Stage Picture…

A character who is isolated One character is alone at one end of the stage while the rest of the actors are relatively grouped together at another area of the stage. OR add levels: one character could be kneeling while the others are standing

A character who is down stage or lifted/lowered Usually, the audience will focus on what is closer to them or on an extreme lower/lifted level

Characters who have more light on them or are in colorful costume Technical elements such as lighting or costuming can heighten the focus on a certain character

A character with a stronger objective If a scene calls for one character to pursue something strongly in a scene, they naturally draw more attention

A character who is facing the audience Standing square-on or facing full front can evoke a feeling of intimacy with the character. This is often used for monologues, asides and soliloquies

A character who is being pointed at

A character who is moving, or moving in a different pattern from the others onstage

A character who upstages This refers to actors who steal attention away from the true focus of the scene. This should be avoided. Upstaging can happen when the actors positions him/herself in such a way that puts the attention on them instead of the main focus. This also happens when they make a movement or vocalization that steals focus.

Find the focus…

Wicked

The Lion King

The Odd Couple

Everyone in the scene has a purpose The scene wouldn’t make as much sense if the other character’s weren’t dedicated to putting focus on the action Everyone in the scene has a purpose

Wicked

The Lion King

The Odd Couple

Let’s Make our own Stage Pictures… Who/what is the main focus of the scene? How can our body positioning and position on the stage put the focus on the main action? What factors should we consider? Levels Body positions Position onstage (cheat out) Emotional response from the character

Let’s see… What is happening? Who/what is the main focus? Can we see everyone’s face/expression? Is any one person drawing attention from the focus? (upstaging) Can we make the stage picture more powerful? How? Let’s see…

Extra challenge! What happens next? Create your same stage picture and then transform it into the next major action that happens to create a whole new stage picture

Hello! Please have a seat and take out your theatre notebooks 

Bell Work 8/22/16 Please put this bell work on a new page (blank on both sides) In at least 3 complete sentences: What are some things you have learned about stage presence, motivation for movement and stage pictures? What does it mean to move down stage? What does it mean to upstage another actor? What are some ways the director puts focus on a particular actor or action onstage? Bell Work 8/22/16

Warm-Up The Wave http://safeshare.tv/x/ss57ba6e0e4959c -arms –heads –claps -spin

http://safeshare.tv/x/pFNHAWIb_jg

Extra challenge! What happens next? Create your same stage picture and then transform it into the next major action that happens to create a whole new stage picture!