Trinity: Intro to Acting Workshop SCHEDULE + notes

Intro to Drama Workshop in 3 Sessions
TRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTRE
(Sept 16 & 18th 2004)

In this 3 session course, participants will explore and stretch the “muscles” used in acting. These are:

Relaxation
Memory
Observation
Concentration
Imagination and
Reaction

We’ll stretch these muscles through a series of drama games and exercises. You will quickly discover that this kind of “work out” is not only good for actors, but can help you learn to be a more creative person. Drama skills give you more self confidence, help you “think out of the box” for a difficult assignment at work, are an indispensable asset in parenting, and develop a greater appreciation for how God made you, and who He is as Creator God.

Our first session Thursday night will introduce you to the muscles and skills needed for drama. We’ll relax, stretch, play some simple but very interesting and fun games that ease you into stretching these muscles (Don’t worry, we promise never to laugh at anyone if you’re really out of shape!).

Saturday from 2-7 we’ll continue to work out those muscles, adding games and exercises that build on the ones from the previous session.

We’ll not only give participants opportunity to stretch and work out, but along the way, some of the Creative Arts Team will offer samples of a variety of styles in sketches for worship.

Wear comfortable clothes. Bring a water bottle and something to keep notes. And most of all, come with a sporting attitude! We’re going to have a lot of fun, but we’re also going to work! Just like any physical workout, this drama workshop will leave you both exhausted and energized!

THURSDAY
16 September 2004 8PM –10PM

Music as people enter
Registration at door = sign in and make a name tag (Jerry)

8:00 GAMES – people observe the game and join in once they understand. (Kat)

“Hey!” TOSS –
2 lines facing each other. Toss “Hey!” across to other line using different pitches, speeds and actions.
ZIP-ZAP-ZOG –
In a circle, one person at a time tosses a “zip” “zap” or “zog” to another. Must keep the rhythym and order, or you are eliminated.
INTRODUCTIONS –
In a circle, one at a time, introduce your name with a movement using your whole body. The entire group repeats what you’ve said and done, trying to copy you exactly.

8:15 ORIENTATION (k!)

“Hey! I thought I signed up for a drama workshop! Why are we playing silly games instead? What I need is to get on with the real work of acting. That is precisely what theatre games are about.

So what are theatre games? They are non-threatening exercises that help teaching acting principles.

They challenge us to leap over stumbling blocks that hinder us as actors.
Two key stumbling blocks are:

FEAR – Of failure, of looking stupid in front of peers, looking fat etc
COMPLACENCY – We get so comfortable with a role or approach to acting that we no longer stretch beyond these boundaries.

Playing games helps us to leap over these hurdles by allowing us to have fun. When we are enjoying ourselves, we forget about the things that are scary or are a little too difficult. In the midst of play, we learn how to reach our goal.

Look at us, We’ll look at you - exercise. (K!)
Divide group into two teams. Have one group stand and another group sit (Audience). Have them observe each other. They will begin to feel very uncomfortable but keep encouraging them to observe each other. Do not allow audience to laugh. THEN GIVE GROUP ON STAGE AN ACTIVITY TO DO. Swap Groups. COACH: “How did you feel?
How actors look on stage? Describe your physical responses. How did you stomach feel? How did you feel when you were counting the boards? Did your fluttering stomach? Moist hands? Etc”

BECAUSE WE HAD SOMETHING TO DO- It is this “something to do” (focused energy) that we call the actor’s focus. This embarrassment or awkwardness will be replaced by your actions and focus.

8:30 SKETCH “Getting in Shape with Hanz & Franz” sketch reading (read it over and we’ll decide thursday)

8:40 ACTING MUSCLE #1 – RELAXATION

“The Art of the Holy Backrub” (K!)

STRETCH, YAWN, SHAKE (Linda)

8:55 ACTING MUSCLE #2 – OBSERVATION

OUR FATHER & THE ENEMY (Mei Yee)

9:05 ACTING MUSCLE #3 – MEMORY

A DAY IN YOUR LIFE (Jaz)
Talk the group thru acting out 24 hours. Encourage them to let their bodies remember what different things feel like. Make it real to yourself, don’t just anyhow pretend things. Do you really sleep like that? How high is desk? Where exactly is your alarm clock? Do you really hold the phone like that? Or eat like that (so fast?) etc. NO LAUGHING and don’t use sounds or words. Concentrate on the actions.

9:25 ACTING MUSCLE #4 – IMAGINATION

MACHINES (K!)
As realistic as possible. Assign machine to groups of 5-6. One person is chosen to start a part of the machine with sound. Gradually add other players. The other teams must guess.
Ideas:
TYPEWRITER
CD PLAYER
MOTORBIKE
GRANDFATHER CLOCK
STANDING FAN
FRIDGE
WASHING MACHINE
VENDING MACHINE
FOOD MIXER
PHOTOCOPY MACHINE
PIANO
LAWN MOWER
TV

9:35 ACTING MUSCLE #5 – TEAMWORK/REACTION

EMOTIONAL SCULPTURE GARDEN (Linda) Groups of 3-5. Depending on size and time. One group at a time, or ½ the group freezes first while the other ½ strolls through the garden (Don’t make them freeze too long!!). They can’t “plan” the sculpture – encourage quick thinking and teamwork. Give them the emotion, then tell them you’ll give them a count of “5” to make the statue(s). Encourage them not to be afraid to touch each other, and make many different levels to create an interesting picture/sculpture of this emotion. It should not look like a few INDIVIDUALS posing.

9:45 ACTING MUSCLE #6 – CONCENTRATION

STORY GO ROUND (Alfred)
Sitting in a circle, the group gets to tell a story about a person who signed up for this drama workshop, came, survived, and how they felt at the end of the first night.

9:55 CLOSING PRAYER (Linda)

10PM FINISH

Saturday 2-7PM

2:00 Game BOOM TAG (K!)

2:15 RELAXATION WORKOUT

Sponge – Isolations (Linda)
Laying on the ground. Tensing, wriggling, relaxing different parts of body.

2:30 OBSERVATION WORKOUT

Change 3 Things (Jaz)

2:40 MEMORY WORKOUT

Growing Up – Infant to 80’s (K!)

Occupational Entry (K!)
Everyone in the group writes on slips of papers 1. occupation, 2. a character trait, 3. a problem. Each participant takes turns selecting one each. They leave the room and when they come back in they act it out for the rest of the group to guess. Doesn’t have to be a silent exercise – use words.

3:30 CONCENTRATION WORKOUT

Invisible Ball (Linda)
In a circle the leader establishes a ball shape, size and weight. As ball is passed remember to retain shape, size and weight. After one round, change size or weight. See what is handed to you.
What muscles to you use to carry this weight? Keep size and weight consistent.

3:40 SKETCH “Peter’s Mother In-Law” (Mei Yee)

3:45 TEAMWORK WORKOUT

Slide Show (K!) Using “Peter’s Mother-in-Law” again, the teams will make living pictures of the events in the story. Give a costume piece to Peter, mum, and Jesus to pass on to each group to identify the character.

“His mother in law’s place.”
Peter bringing the Guru and all his friends over to his mum’s house after temple.

“Came in to see little old me.”
She’s sick and Jesus comes to see her.

“The fever disappeared!”
healing

“Nasi Lemak”
everyone enjoying her good cooking.

“He touched everyone of them!”
Jesus healing the sick.

“They all knew exactly who he was”
reaction to Jesus.

4:30 BREAK

4:45 SKETCH “Tourists at the Triumphal Entry” (Jaz, Kat)

5:00 IMAGINATION WORKOUT

Join the Environment (Mei Yee)
Give an individual an environment to be in on stage. Individuals in the group join her on stage in that same environment. Not a mime! Be realistic.

OPEN DIALOGUE (kat) NOTE: This dialogue needs to be printed for ea participant.
An open dialogue is a script, usually short, that is quite generic. It is adaptable to many different characters, settings, and situations. Within the limits of a set dialogue, the actors are free to explore character. The exercise demonstrates how meaning is established less by lines and more by how the lines are said.

A: Hi.
B: Hello.
A: How's everything?
B: Fine. I guess.
A: Do you know what time it is?
B: No. Not exactly.
A: Don't you have a watch?
B: Not on me.
A: Well?
B: Well what?
A: What did you do last night?
B: Nothing.
A: Nothing?
B: I said, Nothing!
A: I'm sorry I asked.
B: That's all right.

Actors could, on their own, develop the who (who these characters are), the where (setting for the scene), the what (what is happening, what the issue is). Or a leader could assign different settings/characters. Here are some possibilities for the above dialogue: (I) a casual pickup (2) husband A, wife B meeting after a trial separation (3) father A and daughter B after she's been out far past her curfew the night before. The setting is breakfast. (4) college friends meeting after each suspects the other of dating their boyfriend (5) B about to murder A (6) lovers meeting for only a few moments (7) before a double suicide (8) A about to rob B.

5:45 MEMORY WORKOUT

Action to Emotion (K!)
Rather than simply physicalize a response to a word, the actors are encouraged to come up with an action that will create the appropriate response. Say; for example, the word is "spiteful." An actor could create a scenario like the following: "My roommate has an 'addiction' to new clothes and, once again, has stolen money from my wallet and gone shopping. I've confronted her with this before, but it has happened again. I'm not going to let her get by with it this time, so I get a scissors and go to her closet and cut the sleeves off every one of her blouses. I then take the sleeves and lay them neatly across her bed-to spite her." It is not hard to see how miming this action can produce the emotion of "spite." Rather than pre- tending at "spite" from "out of the blue," specific action is relied on to produce an authentic feeling. Take the word "cautious." Rather than just acting cautious, an actor develops a scenario such as this: "I am a prisoner of war, trying to escape at night. I have to make my way across a large field without blowing up a booby trap. I crawl on my belly, inching along cautiously (probably with a fair amount of fear as well!)." It's important that each actor is given time to think through their story; to enter into it. It is often fun for everyone to be working with the same word. Or assign a different word to each actor. Here are a few more: embarrassed, bashful, frantic, breathless, awkward, jovial, quarrelsome, irritable, scornful, dazed, apprehensive, violent, exhausted.

6:00 SKETCH: “The Separation” (Jerry, Kat)

6:10 TEAMWORK/CONCENTRATION

Mirror Exercise (K!) in pairs

Diamond Ensemble (K!)
In groups of 4. Uses music. Last song is worshipful.

6:50 CLOSING PRAYER (Linda) at the end of the last Diamond Ensemble piece, just begin a closing prayer. And then dismiss the group.

6:55 “And now for your feedback” form

7:00 FINISH!