Rough Draft-Reflection

Part 1: Evaluate your own performance using the language found on the performance rubric and Crit B descriptors. 


-What did you do well? 

I think I interacted with the audience well. Also, I used gromalot effectively, and I tried to have very exaggerated emotions. I had more than 5 mimed interactions, and only used one prop, which was the chair. I was not nice to the First Actress, and so I think my character interaction was clear. I tried to walk in figure of eights, and lead with open hips. 


-What did feedback did you receive? What do you need to improve? 

Nafisa and Shadman said I was fine. I could have tried to exemplify my character a bit more. 


-What specific things will you do to improve before performance?

Before the final performance, I think we need to clear up the end, as Aditi was a bit unsure and I didn't know what to do. 

Part 2: Evaluate another group's rough draft (someone who didn't do as well as you) using the language found on the performance rubric and Crit B descriptors. 


-What did they do well? 

In Farah's group, there were three people, Ayasha, Kheilah and Farah. I think that they did well in showing who their commedia characters were. I am almost certain that Ayasha was Brighella, Kheilah was Columbina and Farah was First Actress. I am pretty sure they had a few mimed interactions, and only used about 2 props. I think it was slightly above two minutes, which is within the time limit, and some gromalot was used.


-What feedback would you give them? 

I would say that they had some audience interactions but could have taken out to the audience a bit more. Also, they could have had a bolder interaction, like bring someone up. The gromalot sounded very similar throughout the scene. Although the com media statuses were clear, I don't think they used any of the body parts. For example, Brighella should have been leading with closed hips, but I felt she stayed normal throughout the entire performance. I think they developed their skills, and some of their ideas were clear. Their acting was of a good standard. 


-What specific things could they do to improve before performance?

To improve, they could use different vocabulary, almost everything said sounded the same. Also, it wasn't clear exactly what happened in the scene, so they could work on that a bit more. They need to become their character, and especially lead with their body part. I think Farah and Ayasha could have exaggerated their emotions a bit more, like when something was stolen, Farah could be more surprised and worried, and Brighella could have tried to act super innocent.

3: Evaluate another group's rough draft (someone who you think performed better than you) using the language found on the performance rubric and Crit B descriptors. 

-What did they do well? 

I think Guglielmo might have been Brighella. They did well in the sense that there was quite a bit of lazzi in their scene. They used gromalot effectively and Gugli's expressions were very exaggerated. The scene was comfortably within the time limit. However, I wasn't able to clearly identify Rohan's character as he died very early in the scene.


-What feedback would you give them? 

I would say that they had some interactions with the audience, however, the interactions could be more thought out. Also, I feel that Rohan's character was killed too soon and Gugli led most of the scene. There was a good use of gromalot. Could have had a few more take-outs. Only pillows were used as a prop, very limited, so that is good. There were also many mimed interactions. To include Rohan more in the scene, they could have a part in the beginning, which makes Gugli angry and then he stabs Rohan. It is just an idea. 


-What specific things could they do to improve before performance?

Specifically, I would focus on keeping Rohan a live because he wasn't very active in the scene. There also could have been more mimed actions. I understood that Rohan was killed by Guglielmo, but what was the purpose? I feel this could be explained a bit more clearly. 

Amo Gulinello-Examplar

Click here to see the video. 

This video is a perfect example for our Commdeia dell'Arte summative performances. In the video, Amo Gulinello is extremely expressive and all of his actions are extremely exaggerated. There are multiple bits of lazzi, and a wide variety of interactions with the environment and the other character. There was a very bold interaction with an audience member, even bringing her on stage, and she seemed comfortable throughout the entire thing.

Although the entire thing was mimed, and he didn't speak a word, from the minute he set up and started his performance, you could tell what was happening. His use of limited props was amazing, throughout the entire scene, he only had to chairs, a rose, himself and the audience member. Although the sound effects helped and made some parts funnier (like when they forgot to add them or the sounds were late) I think it would have been clear either way, with or without the sounds.

When he asked up the audience member, at first she seemed a little unsure of herself, and didn't really know what to do. However, Gulinello showed her exactly what to do when she was unsure. Also, he would express what he needed her to do. For example, when there was jumpy background music, and she was mostly sitting still, he stopped the music and asked her (through mime) what she was doing. He then went to show her what she should do, and finally, when she did it, he continued with the scene. After that, when they were stuck in a traffic jam, even when she was unsure what to do, he taped her shoulder to get her attention, showed her, and then pointed away, as if to tell her "Go do that". Then once she turned back around he would give a nod of approval.

There was a lot of lazzi throughout the entire thing, and I loved it. Without lazzi, the performance would have been quite boring. I think the sound people contributed a big par,t by sometimes missing and/or messing up the cues. This couldn't have been entirely their fault, as a lot was probably improvised because with an audience member, it is not pre-planned, however I think that made it all the more hilarious. One of the more memorable bits for me was when the car horn continued, so Gulinello broke it off. The girl then decided to throw it out of the window, however, she didn't roll it down first, and so she broke the glass. He then asked her what she was doing, and showed her to roll the window down first. She then threw it out again. I also enjoyed it a lot when she slammed the door, and the whole thing fell apart. Even though I didn't see it, it seemed pretty clear, given the sound effects and his reaction. However my favorite part was the end, where he tricked her, when he asked for a kiss on the cheek, then turned his face so that it was on the lips! :D

When you have a large audience, I think it is very important to exaggerate everything you do, so that it is clear what is happening, and so that the audience doesn't get confused.

Process Update

-What 3 initial ideas did you "brainstorm" with your partner? 
Our three initial ideas were: have the two characters have some sort of a fight, one where the witch is trying to kill first actress without her knowing, and a third, happier scene where maybe they are friends but in the end the witch tries to sabotage her. 

-Which idea did you choose and why? 
We didn't choose any of these ideas, but a little bit of a combination of all three with different parts. For our final, we have decided to start with the witch (me) in some sort of a shop, and she closes it. Then she goes to make some spells/potions, when the first actress (Aditi) comes and knocks on the door. Furious, the witch swings open the door, and demands what she wants. They have a mini-fight because  the first actress wants to enter, but the witch said the shop was closed. When first actress threatens the witch, she slams the door in her face. The first actress knocks again, and the witch grudgingly lets her in. The first actress tells the witch to get her some objects, which the witch does. The items are on a shelf, so the witch accidentally on purpose throws them on the first actress. When the first actress collapses, the witch turns, and is very happy. Then checks her heart, but is unsure. She asks an audience member to come up and check for her. However, soon enough the first actress wakes up, and the witch thanks the audience member, who goes back. The first actress says the witch did it on purpose, and blames her for the injuries. They start to get into a fight. The first actress then calls up an audience member to be on her side. After the fight, the witch kicks her out of the shop, and throws her purchases after her. The end of the scene. 

-How does your "story" choice fulfill the required elements (be specific). 
In this story, both of our character will be very exaggerated, and we will show who we are. Our positions will be clear I think especially because of the constant fighting. We will bring audience members on stage, which is very bold, and as of yet, there are no real props being used. and we will constantly be using gromalot and sound effects. There will be multiple bits of lazzi (I hope) and so that will amuse the audience. 

-Using the rubric, what strengths and weaknesses can you already identify within your performance?
By looking at the rubric, I can identify that we will be strong in the way that we will have bold audience interactions, and our characters should always be clear. We will be using a lot of gromalot so that will be a positive in our performance. Also, we will have imaginary interactions with no real props. However, I am worried that this performance might be a bit too short and we will need to find a way to make it go for a bit longer. Also, we might not have enough normal audience interactions, as it is mainly the two bold ones, bringing a member up to the stage. 

Emotion and Language

Emotion:

In drama class, we discussed and learned about the 7 main emotions. These were:
Joy :)
Grief :(
Fear o.o
Anger >:O
Surprise :o
Love <3
Laughter :D

As a quick exercise, we had to choose an emotion. And portray it. However, we had to use a scale, and go up or down on it. The scale was from one to ten. Ten being the most intense portrayal of the emotion and one being that you could hardly tell. I chose to show grief. I went from a ten to a one and I think that was quite obvious. I don't know if it would be considered cheating, but I actually went through this before in real life, when my aunt passed away. I visualized how I felt at that time, and remembered how it faded over time. Then I made that go very fast, and I had portrayed my emotion. I think it is very important to exaggerate the emotions because otherwise the audience won't understand what is happening. Especially in our performances, where there will be no actual language, we will need to be able to show this clearly. When we are different characters we will need to show their relating emotions on a very large scale so this exercise helped improve that skill.

Language:

In commedia, Gromalot was made. Gromalot is basically sounds that seem familiar and when you hear them are like words, however it does not make any sense of mean anything. From my understanding, it is babble that comes together to allow commedia actors to work with the audience and show them the emotions they are trying to get across. Even though it does not mean anything, most people will understand exactly what is going on, because of the actions, gromalot, expressions, etc. in the scene. I think gromalot would be very helpful to have as a tool in the final performance. For a little practice, I was partnered up with Ahnaf. Although it was very short, I was quite sure that everyone understood what had happened. because we were able to use gromalot. Even though there was no meaning to the sounds, the audience understood what was going on. Gromalot can sometimes sound similar to other languages, but it never is.

Brainstorm for Final Performance

Emotion: Joy
Characters: First Actress-Aditi, Witch-Sapphire (me)

---
Very contrasting characters. Maybe have a fight. First actress walk in on Witch planning something.

For fight:
-like small children
-oh, she did that, well she did this
-cat fight

First Actress and Actor are married, so maybe Witch likes First actor, wants to take him away, etc etc.
---
Witch is servant of FA. Wants to get rid of her, etc. Witch pulls up character as accomplice, teaches them how to witch, etc. Asks for ingredients from audience.

FA pulls up a character to be her First Actor. Plays games, maybe he wants to leave, she insists he stays. Asks Witch to make food, witch complies, then poisons food. Guy dies and has to leave. First Actress is sad, witch is super joyous.
---

Happier scene
W and FA are best friends. Kind of columbina acting. Witch secretly hates her. Tells her she looks good in something when she actually looks horrible in it. Pulls up an audience member, begs them to be FA's "date". When they comply, W pulls up her own friend. Laughs about FA behind her back. IF FA turns, pretends to be engrossed in conversation with friend.


Idea for final

Day of the dance. We go to buy dresses, I go somewhere downstairs and make a secret potion to kill her

Being Beatrice (Final)

--What choices did you make for your rough draft performance? 

For my rough draft, I decided to wear glasses, button my shirt up completely, tie my hair back, hunch over, pretend to read a book, get hit by someone, and play chess with my friend.

--How much time did you spend practicing for your performance?
I spent enough time practicing for my final performance. I would say in total, maybe 45 minutes.

--What specific feedback did you get from your Rough Draft performance? 

For my rough draft, I was told that I should exaggerate the contact from the "hit" that makes me drop the book, I should go slower and be more hesitant, the glasses and chess were a good touch, I had good facial expressions and a constant posture.

--What did you choose to change for your Final Performance?
Right before my performance, I asked Farah to walk into me several times, so that it would be more clear that when someone wasn’t there that I had bumped into them, even though the audience could not see a physical form. I chose to walk slower, and tried to be a lot more hesitant while performing.


--How did you feel your Final performance went? 

I feel that my final performance went quite well. I was able to accurately act what I wanted the audience to see and take from my performance. I am proud, because I was successfully able to communicate my character and how she acts to the audience.

--What specific feedback did you get?
The feedback for my final performance was that I could have waved to the friend I brought up before asking her to come up. Other than that, I had better movement and more hesitation that was clear; there was a good hit and good take-outs to the audience. I won the chess game which and had a good use of gestures and I also interacted well with my friend.

--What score would you give your performance out of 10 using Criteria B descriptors? Explain why.
I think I deserve a nine out of ten because I think there was a purposeful and effective articulation of ideas, themes and personal interpretation to a point of realization. What I acted out was clear, especially in moments like the hit, winning the chess game, etc. There was a common theme of being the quiet nerdy girl and I interpreted it in my own way. I think I also showed an excellent ability to develop the skills and apply the techniques and processes involved in creating, performing and/or presenting art at a high level of proficiency. I performed well enough that everyone understood and I also took into account my feedback to improve my performance.

Peer Evaluation: Amara

I choose to evaluate Amara for her final performance. Her character is completely opposite to mine and I think she did very well performing it. I like that she acted very hung over, and that she interacted with Nafisa. If we were in real life, I would want to help her because she seemed very confused and slightly sleepy. To improve the performance I think she could have been a little more clear with Nafisa as to what she wanted her to do. Other than that I think she did quite well, but I preferred her draft performance.