Dramatic Monologue Reflection

I was extremely happy that I decided to choose the Fantastic Mr. Fox monologue as my dramatic piece. It was a monoglue that I had always wanted to perform. However, I found that the piece was somewhat hard for me to memorize, and that I was able to develop a character that I thought fit most. However, due to the length, I found it challenging to climax with anger in such a short time, but I think that it taught me that in different monologues, how to change my attitude quickly and dramatically. In addition, I felt that I had less time to prepare this monologue than I did with my comedic monologue due to having a busy schedule outside of class and being pre-occupied with homework. This helped me, however, to realize that I have to plan out my time management for acting class more, and dedicate time to going over my monologue. Devoting more time to my piece in the future will help me memorize and figure out what actions I want do during my piece in a faster and more time efficient process.  

From watching other students perform, I learned that the little things, such as movements, and vocal tonality, really affect a monologue. For example, when I watched Alexis deliver her monologue, it made me think of all the possible actions she could do with her prop, body language, and her voice. Then I began thinking of how even though her monologue is very monotone, that simple gestures such as moving her shoulders or curling her hair with her knife, can keep the audiences attention, while adding effect to her piece. I then took these ideas, and directed them towards my monologue.  For example, to express that my character beings to get more upset and less angry at the end of her monologue, I aimed to make my voice get quieter and shakier. It was hard for me at first to develop what I wanted to do with my character’s body language, but as I continued to practice, I felt as though I became more comfortable and began to know what I wanted to do with my delivery and actions.  

One new process that helped me and that I loved most was answering the character development questions in class. That exercise made me really think about who I wanted to become in my monologue, and taught me a strategic way to get into the mind of my character. Another exercise that really helped me memorize my monologue was speaking the monologue out loud writing it on the white board while at the same time Ms. Guarino corrected me if needed. Being able to write the monologue while speaking it is a tool that helps me tremendously.  

Although I have not delivered my final draft yet, I keep everyone from class's suggestions in my mind when practicing. I think that the helpful criticism that I receive from my fellow students and Ms. Guarino help me shape my monologue into the best that it can be.

https://youtu.be/DcSEq5XVhwU

In Class Writing: Character Development

In Class Writing: Character Development

Motivation:
My character's motivation is her longing for a change in her life. She must achieve this by getting her husband (who she is speaking to) to alter his life choices that he may not be aware are affecting her.

Backstory:
My character's backstory is that she has always struggled with getting and expressing what she wants. She's been in many situations where she's wanted to speak her mind and tell people what she's feeling, but she always discouraged herself. This monologue will be her moment when she finally crosses the line and says what she wants to say without discouraging herself.

Setting:
The setting takes place underground in a tunnel/hole that she and her family had to spontaneously dig in order to save their lives. The majority of the monologue takes place in a mineral deposit.

Blocking:
I want to have subtle blocking for this monologue. I don't want to move around a lot (in terms of walking) or move my hands because it is a dramatic and heartfelt piece. I feel that if I were to move too much it would take away from the monologue and it's meaning. I want most of the movement anybody expression to be in my facial expression.

Mrs. Fox's Monologue

          May I have a word with you privately?

          Just on the other side of this mineral

          deposit. 

          

          Follow me.

          I'm going to lose my temper now.

          Right now.



            Twelve fox-years ago, you made a promise

            to me while we were caged inside that fox-
                            trap that, if we survived, you would never steal 
                            another chicken, goose, turkey, duck, or squab, 
                                           whatever they are. 
                                             I believed you. 
                                        Why did you lie to me?




          You say you are a wild animal.




            but You're also a husband and a father.

          So I don't care about the truth about

          yourself.

          

          This story is too predictable.

                         

          In the end, we all die -- unless you

          change.

Finding Out Who I Am Through A Monologue

https://youtu.be/3kFIW9IgrfI

After watching my “Who am I?” monologue, I was able to pick up details of my delivery that I liked and that I disliked. Firstly, I thought that I did a good job of pronouncing specific words in my monologue. I also thought that I interacted and connected well with the audience with the use of body language, eye contact, and facial expression. I tried to make sure every one could see me from some angle, and that they weren’t excluded. I was extremely pleased that I didn’t mess up the order of my monologue or forget my lines, which is normally something that I struggle with. I think I was also conscious about my projection when delivering my monologue. Above all, I think that I really made sure to incorporate what others advised me on in class and used their comments to better my acting and monologue. 

            However, in addition to my achievements, I found a few negative aspects of my monologue delivery that I hope to improve upon. First, I want to be conscious of my facing. I feel that I should take better pauses in order to add emphasis on certain parts of my monologue. I feel that in moments when I get excited or find a line funny, I tend to rush through it, and the audience may not be able to catch what I said. 

            I really enjoyed working with Lisa on my monologue. We developed a very good system in order to monologue, even though it was simple, I was able to use our process and memorize my lines. Our process was reading aloud our monologues to each other as the other read it, and either fed lines, gave suggestions, or patiently listened. It was extremely helpful, and because of it, I felt   *very prepared and confident in my memorization. I learned from my peers that if you listen to other’s constructive criticism, your monologue, delivery, and acting skills will really improve.

            I really enjoyed writing my first monologue, and I loved that even though it was comedic, I was able to receive great comments on how to improve it. I liked how every one in the class had a say, and, in a way, together we collaborated.  I also learned about each of my peers acting styles. As I continued to work on my monologue, I continuously thought of my classmates, and thought about what they might say and think about what I was writing or how I was acting.  My classmates also helped me learn more about my own personal acting style. A common comment was that I was happy and up beat. This allowed me to fully focus on how to keep up energy in my monologue, how to spread my energy through out the piece and how to climax at major moments. In addition, this comment showed me how to portray more sentimental moments in a sadder manner. It also made me realize that I wanted to pick a contrasting monologue for my next presentation. I look forward to presenting my next monologue so that I show the class a different side of my acting.

Amazing Acting Aspects

I believe there are many important components in acting to remember.  However, I believe that there are three  most important elements to keep in mind in order to have successful performance. First, an actor must be able to improvise in a scene if needed. If for what ever reason a scene goes off-script or a sound/light cue goes askew,  it is crucial for an actor to be able to adapt to random changes and go along with whatever is happening. If an actor fails to do this, the audience will immediately know that there is something wrong in the scene, actors will lose character and energy, and the "moment" of the scene is lost. I also think that this rule of adapting is important to follow not only shows and live performances, but in rehearsal. If this occurs in rehearsal, i think it is equally important for actor can learn how to improvise as well as learning their part in the show.

In addition, I think that is is very important for an actor to have proper annunciation and pronunciation. Without these key elements of acting, an audience and co-actor can get lost and not understand what is happening. If an actor is loud enough for the front row of the performance arena to hear, but the back row cannot, half of the audience will be unsatisfied. It is equally important to learn how to depend on your own projection and not that of a microphone, because what would happen if in the middle of a performance a microphone should stop working? Annunciation is very important as well. Even if an actor is loud enough, if the audience cannot understand the actors exact words, the show can become confusing and they might not fully understand what is taking place. 

Finally, an actor must be aware of timing. If a scene is dragging, an audience might be getting bored. In addition an audience may also not grasp what a scene's message or plot is because it is moving to slow. But if a scene is going by too fast, the may not be fully aware of what is happening because the simply cannot keep up with the actors. An audience may also miss a funny or serious line that is vital to the scene because of a pacing issue. It is so important to have a steady, accurate pace so that the audience can fully understand, appreciate and pay attention to a scene/play. 

My three goals for this acting class are:
I want to work on improving my skills for serious acting.
I would like to also work on my pacing when reading lines.
Finally, I want to improve my memorization skills. 

Monologue: Keds From Target

Monologue: Keds From Target 

My favorite pair of shoes just so happen to be knock-off keds from Target. Their white and they probably cost a good, sensible six dollars. Whenever they get dirty, I can just throw them into the washing machine; they're really practical. I pretty much wear them every day, I mean can you blame me?  Although there was that one morning when Margret Corn- the most popular girl at school- told me they were stupid at breakfast. For the rest of the whole day, I kept looking at my feet and feeling self-conscious. From then on, I ended up switching to wearing plain, brown, ankle boots. Months past and I missed seeing my clean, white keds, but at the same time, I didn't want to be made fun of by a girl named after a vegetable. Though it's not like I was wearing Crocks! I made a plan: the next day I would wear my white keds to school. I was so nervous that people would laugh, that I almost went home to change twice. Yet I made it to lunch period and nobody had said anything to me about my shoes. But then I saw Margret Corn... She started to walk toward my table and a feeling of nervousness raced through me. I jumped up, grabbed my food and headed for the clearing line to avoid her. When I was scraping over cooked pasta off my plate, a voice behind me told me they liked my "little, white shoes". I turned around to see Liam and instantly felt more confident. From then on, I didn't care about what people, or specially Margret Corn, thought about my keds. Now, when I want to, I  wear my sensible, six-dollar, little white shoes from Target.

A Mini Bio About Abby

My name is Abigail Mack Zuckert; I am seventeen years old, a Gemini, and 5’3 and a half feet tall. I have an older brother, Maxfield, and an older sister, Sally Rose, who are both in college (In one of the attached photos, you can see me standing in the middle of both of them). I live in New Canaan Connecticut but my main home is New Castle, New Hampshire. This is my third year at Cheshire Academy and this year I am living in Hurley. I hope that after my high school career I will attend college where I want to double major in Musical Theater and Art History and minor in classical singing. I’m a very creative thinker, and I usually dive into new things that might be outside of my comfort zone. I am a dedicated student and a caring friend who puts endless amounts of energy into relationships. A couple random facts about me are: I love to paint and do throw-pottery, I’m awful at sports (except for volley ball and tennis), I love bowling, my favorite color is yellow, my best friend’s name is Max, and I have six cats and three dogs. In addition, I spend most of my weekends as a baker’s assistant and waitress at my family’s bakery and cafe, Gingerbitz. My specialty and favorite thing to make in the bakery is Key Lime Pie. 

This is a photo of my best friend, Max, and I.

This is one of my favorite photos of me and my siblings.

            When I’m not working I love to listen to soundtracks of some of favorite Broadway shows. These mainly consist of: Man Of La Moncha, Funny Girl, Hairspray, Phantom of the Opera, Avenue Q, Cats, Something Rotten, and Hair. I also love plays; two of my favorites are Harvey, and Hand To God. In addition to listening to Broadway show tunes, my passions are performing in musical theater, song-writing, acting, playing instruments and studying history. I am also classically trained (my opera teacher is 94 years old!) but I do love to perform with live bands. I have been in many theater productions, but a few of my favorite roles include: Rona Lisa Peretti (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Ms. Hannigan (Annie), and Mrs. Potts (Beauty and The Beast). During the past six summers I have attended Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts Camp (also known as PAPA Camp) and for the last two years I have been a counselor for the youngest girls. At PAPA Camp I train in musical theater, improvisation, and singing. Additionally, I completed a course at Interlochen Center for the Arts In Michigan for singing-songwriting program in August. 

            What I hope to gain out of this acting class is to learn how to act in a dramatic role as well as a comedic role. While I have had experience playing comedic roles, I still think that I can improve my acting abilities. I have never acted in a dramatic role, so I hope to learn how to approach that style of acting. I also hope to improve on memorizing lines in a more effective time manner. I really look forward to working with every one in our acting class this coming year!