I am always amazed at how each show that I am in at STC is different from each of the previous shows. Every show, I learn something new that I have never learned before. This show, we have been focusing a lot about circumstances and how we can apply circumstances to our acting. We have also been focusing on some other very cool things that I am excited to share with all of you!
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has been a fascinating play to work on so far! I can already tell that with all of the work that the actors and actresses are putting in that this is going to be a great show. Compliments aside, this show has also served as a portal for many new members to the Story Theater Company community and it has been such an honor to work with all of the new members! I love watching all of the newcomers act, I learn so much from seeing fresh new faces at Story Theater Company! So many things have been going on during rehearsals and I have learned so many new things through the course of this production.
On our read through day, we continued a read through style that we did for some of our more recent productions. When we were in scene, the actors and actresses would go up on the stage and work together to create a scene that went along with the lines that they were reading. This read through style is better than just reading lines for many reasons. One reason is that it gives actors and actresses a chance to lay out a scene’s framework and get ideas out at the beginning of the rehearsal process rather than waiting until the middle of some random day to finally say “Hey, I’ve been thinking...” It is also a great way to build the start of different relationships with different characters. When we just read from a page, it doesn’t build anything other than some line memorization or some honesty practice. When we go out and perform a scene, it builds more things than just honesty and line memorization. The read through was great and gave us a chance to really utilize this new type of read through that we have created and critiqued over a big window of time.
So far, there have been so many different cool aspects that we have used during the rehearsal process. One of my favorites is the stage combat. Almost every rehearsal we have a specific amount of time allotted for working on our battles during the end of the show. Stage combat hasn’t just taught us how to safely fight onstage honestly, but it has taught us about trust and cues as well. The most important aspect of stage combat is trust. If you don’t trust your partner, you will get nowhere in making a successful stage fight. It’s as simple as that. Trust is the foundation on which stage combat is built upon. Cues are another important part of stage combat. You need to make sure to make your cues big when you are fighting. When they aren’t as big as they should be, the fighting can be unclear and unconstant (and unsafe!). We can apply both of these things into normal acting. It’s surprisingly simple and concise. You have to trust your fellow actors and actresses onstage and offstage and you need to pay attention to cueing and how you cue other people. It’s that simple and that’s why stage combat is a great way to work on trust and cues.
We have worked tremendously on our circumstances for this show. On Wednesday our director told us to discover another circumstance for our character. At first I was a little puzzled. As an ensemble member, I already have so many circumstances for my character, so why do I have to think of more circumstances? Then I remembered somebody saying that day that since Narnia is a fictional world, the circumstances are more extreme due to all of the different things that can take place in a fictional world. Some of my circumstances are that it has been winter for hundreds of years with no Christmas because the witch is in power, the witch’s spies are always watching every move and every decision I make, and the Pevensie children are here to fulfill the prophecy that can save us from the endless reign of the White Witch. Because those circumstances could never be true in the real world, people usually don’t take them as seriously as they need to be. When we acknowledge that these circumstances are more extreme in a fictional world due to absence from the real world, we are able to understand why they are important and apply them better to our story.
Now it’s on to finally discovering a new circumstance. Most people think about the mental circumstances that different characters have, but I feel like some of the overlooked physical circumstances need to be acknowledged as well. As a part of the ensemble, my character has probably been through a lot of battles with the witches spies already. This makes me tired, hungry, thirsty, and physically wounded. I feel that it has been a while since we have been in a battle, but this doesn’t mean that all of our wounds have been treated or all of our needs have been filled.
Something related to physical circumstances are body centers. I remember that my director Kivan really liked to talk about body centers in some past shows that I was in, but lately we haven’t really been talking about them too much. We have talked about them here and there and I’m pretty sure that everyone takes them into consideration, but these relate to our physical circumstances more than most people think. Body centers are points on your body where your character leads in walking and in basic movement. Because Aslan’s army has been through countless battles, our body centers could be towards our head or shoulders to make it seem like we are tired and weary. Because we are proud of our work as soldiers, our body centers could be towards our chest or stomach. We also have to take into consideration our characters physical appearance and mental state while choosing our body centers. Our body centers can also change throughout the story because of our character’s physical and mental state as I mentioned before.
Thinking about all of these things has given me a whole different perspective on how circumstances are handled, how they are applied, and how physical circumstances can be applied to body centers and other aspects. When any theater company takes these aspects of theater into consideration, they can turn their shows from good to great!
Now I should probably stop writing before this blog post takes up another page! If you have read this far you must be very committed. I admire you for reading my long long post.
Ryan Hinderaker
(Battle Boar)
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Discoveries from our First Through
On Wednesday, we completed our first complete run-through of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It helped me to make many discoveries about specific concepts that actors must consider, as well as discoveries that are specific to my character, Mr Beaver.
While I was onstage, I felt that our biggest obstacle was the lack of energy. One of our strengths at Story Theater Company is typically our strong listening, both on and off stage, and I felt that our listening was strong throughout most of the run. Since we are listening to each other so intently, we feed off of each other’s energy. We always build on each other’s ideas. If somebody has low energy as they share their character’s idea, it impacts the energy of every other actor/character in the scene. If we do not come into the scene with strong enough intentions, it hinders everybody’s ability to fully explore all of our options. We must fully commit to one idea before we can decide if there is a better one. Since it is still early in the process, it is understandable that many of us are uncertain about pieces of our acting and blocking. However, we cannot allow these uncertainties to lead to hesitancy. One actress that was very engaging during the run-through was Morgan Reetz, who is one of the actresses playing the White Witch, because she was able to overcome this obstacle. When she entered for the first time, she exerted an incredible power over Edmund. Not only did her commitment terrify and amaze everybody sitting in the audience, we were able to accurately analyze the blocking and acting of the scene. She truly showed what the characters and scene could be, and it will be very beneficial to further exploring that moment, as well as the character of the White Witch. In a later scene where Morgan gave a speech to her followers, I was fascinated by the way her energy was shared with the ensemble members. It proved to me that energy is contagious on stage.
This scene also helped me understand where your character’s energy comes from. I feel that you gain energy with strong adherence to circumstances, or facts about the story. When you boil down your circumstances and make them as specific as possible, you are able to become more personally invested in the story, since you are able to determine exactly what your character wants in each moment, exactly what may be keeping your character from achieving this goal, and exactly why your character needs to achieve this goal. This was proven to me in this scene, because there was a clear split between the actors who had specified their circumstances in this moment and those who had not. Some of the characters didn’t seem like they really cared about what happened, or their only motive seemed to be their desire to please the Witch. This mindset was a strong contrast from those who had specified every fact until they cared about everything that happened. I came to this conclusion after seeing a difference between characters with a lack of energy, characters with unfocused energy, and characters with focused energy. Those with a lack of energy or unfocused energy drew my attention away from the story and were not leaning in as much, while those with focused energy were incredibly invested on a personal level, making audience members care more about the story.
Throughout the process of creating this show, I have learned so much from the acting of new artists at Story Theater Company. Each of the actors has a strong set of strengths, and they have helped me understand many important ideas. One of the most thought-provoking actors is Nate VanDyk. He is always in the moment when he is acting, and every action he commits is related to what had just happened to him. This results in a very honest performance, as he is truthfully considering how his character, Edmund, would react. When you are watching Nate perform, you become incredibly engaged in everything that is occurring in front of you. He is working so hard to achieve his objective, and you are able to feel the importance of every one of his tasks. However, he is able to avoid the trap of becoming unrealistically intense or fighting as hard as possible without a break. He explores various dynamics, making his performance more relatable to the average person, who experiences a wide range of emotions. Nate’s fascinating balance between keeping the stakes high and remaining relaxed has helped me understand more about the potential depth of characters, and he has helped me realize that it is more important to let each obstacle hit you than it is to aggressively pursue your objective all of the time.
We have been given the opportunity to make an endless amount of discoveries about theater, as well as this specific story, and these thoughts are only the beginning of the explorations we have been able to delve into. I am thrilled to continue to work at these issues and the other obstacles that we will face as we continue this process of creating Narnia, and I am extremely excited to specify all of the specific moments in this piece of storytelling.
Ben Siegel
(Mr Beaver)
While I was onstage, I felt that our biggest obstacle was the lack of energy. One of our strengths at Story Theater Company is typically our strong listening, both on and off stage, and I felt that our listening was strong throughout most of the run. Since we are listening to each other so intently, we feed off of each other’s energy. We always build on each other’s ideas. If somebody has low energy as they share their character’s idea, it impacts the energy of every other actor/character in the scene. If we do not come into the scene with strong enough intentions, it hinders everybody’s ability to fully explore all of our options. We must fully commit to one idea before we can decide if there is a better one. Since it is still early in the process, it is understandable that many of us are uncertain about pieces of our acting and blocking. However, we cannot allow these uncertainties to lead to hesitancy. One actress that was very engaging during the run-through was Morgan Reetz, who is one of the actresses playing the White Witch, because she was able to overcome this obstacle. When she entered for the first time, she exerted an incredible power over Edmund. Not only did her commitment terrify and amaze everybody sitting in the audience, we were able to accurately analyze the blocking and acting of the scene. She truly showed what the characters and scene could be, and it will be very beneficial to further exploring that moment, as well as the character of the White Witch. In a later scene where Morgan gave a speech to her followers, I was fascinated by the way her energy was shared with the ensemble members. It proved to me that energy is contagious on stage.
This scene also helped me understand where your character’s energy comes from. I feel that you gain energy with strong adherence to circumstances, or facts about the story. When you boil down your circumstances and make them as specific as possible, you are able to become more personally invested in the story, since you are able to determine exactly what your character wants in each moment, exactly what may be keeping your character from achieving this goal, and exactly why your character needs to achieve this goal. This was proven to me in this scene, because there was a clear split between the actors who had specified their circumstances in this moment and those who had not. Some of the characters didn’t seem like they really cared about what happened, or their only motive seemed to be their desire to please the Witch. This mindset was a strong contrast from those who had specified every fact until they cared about everything that happened. I came to this conclusion after seeing a difference between characters with a lack of energy, characters with unfocused energy, and characters with focused energy. Those with a lack of energy or unfocused energy drew my attention away from the story and were not leaning in as much, while those with focused energy were incredibly invested on a personal level, making audience members care more about the story.
Throughout the process of creating this show, I have learned so much from the acting of new artists at Story Theater Company. Each of the actors has a strong set of strengths, and they have helped me understand many important ideas. One of the most thought-provoking actors is Nate VanDyk. He is always in the moment when he is acting, and every action he commits is related to what had just happened to him. This results in a very honest performance, as he is truthfully considering how his character, Edmund, would react. When you are watching Nate perform, you become incredibly engaged in everything that is occurring in front of you. He is working so hard to achieve his objective, and you are able to feel the importance of every one of his tasks. However, he is able to avoid the trap of becoming unrealistically intense or fighting as hard as possible without a break. He explores various dynamics, making his performance more relatable to the average person, who experiences a wide range of emotions. Nate’s fascinating balance between keeping the stakes high and remaining relaxed has helped me understand more about the potential depth of characters, and he has helped me realize that it is more important to let each obstacle hit you than it is to aggressively pursue your objective all of the time.
We have been given the opportunity to make an endless amount of discoveries about theater, as well as this specific story, and these thoughts are only the beginning of the explorations we have been able to delve into. I am thrilled to continue to work at these issues and the other obstacles that we will face as we continue this process of creating Narnia, and I am extremely excited to specify all of the specific moments in this piece of storytelling.
Ben Siegel
(Mr Beaver)
Risk Taking
Risk: A situation that can involve exposure to danger. A situation that can, not will expose us to danger. Can and will are two very different words, and we often get that mixed up on stage. In theatre you have to take risks. They don’t always go as planned, but if we didn’t take risks, how would we tell the story? How could we build off of each other's ideas? At STC risk taking is one of the key ingredients to a great show. We have to be comfortable with trying something that may not work.
In rehearsal we play this game called the number game. Everyone sits in a circle, with their eyes closed, and we have to count as high as we can without two people saying a number at the same time as someone else, if someone does say a number at the same time as someone else then we have to start back at zero. This game often gets very stressful, but it wouldn’t get anywhere, unless people take a risk.
There are often long pauses of silence and no one wants to say a number, because they think someone else will say that number at the same time as them, and if we didn’t take risks this silence would go on forever. Nobody wants to go see a show where nothing happens. That is exactly why we take risks, to make something happen. This is where we need to remember that we don’t always get exposed to danger, and when someone remembers that they count up another number.
They may have successfully taken that risk, or someone may have said a number at the same time as them. But it’s ok if it doesn’t work, that’s how we fix it. Sometimes all it takes to spark an idea is a small mistake. So don’t be afraid to take a risk, because if it doesn’t go your way, it could create something even more beautiful than what you expected.
In the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe it’s especially important that we take risks. There are so many creatures that aren’t in our world, therefore we don’t know how they act, or what they’re like in general. So we pretty much just have to get up on stage and try it. For instance, my character is Mother Christmas. Santa Clause isn’t a very uncommon character, but it’s a little harder for me because I’m a girl. I have to take everything I know about Santa and alter it to fit me. We also have creatures that some of us have never even heard of. Like Hags, Boggles and Spectres. The only resources we have are the stories that we've heard about them. Our director recently gave us the privilege of a presentation giving us more information about our characters. So now that we know about our characters, we have the challenge of figuring out how to portray them on stage.
Looking back on the previous shows I done with STC I get to see how much I’ve grown, and I can honestly say that STC is one of the most amazing things that has happened in my life. If anyone is thinking about going out for a play, or going to a workshop, please do it, because you will be so happy you did. I’m so excited to be apart of more STC productions and I can’t wait until you can all come see The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Libby Gens
(Mother Christmas)
Friday, September 23, 2016
Libby Grunenwald
This is my first STC production, and it has been challenging! As you may know, one of STC’s values is acting with honesty, which just means that its actors should try to put on the mindset of the character and interact and react from that, instead of acting as if you were that character. I have found it more difficult than I expected to act with complete honesty. Sometimes, I unintentionally slip into the related “show you what it would be like if this were happening to this character ” mode instead of trying to react as if I actually were that character. At other times, I have felt pressured into acting in a dishonest way so that I’ll look like I’m doing the right thing.
Another thing that I need to work on is going “all in”. On Wednesday the Witch’s Army gathered to start staging our scene with Aslan at the Stone Table. The first thing we did was read-through with acting, making it up based on the script. We were all hesitant about making noise or doing any big actions. Kivan tried to get us to “loosen up” and be a noisy, jeering mob. We improved, but it still wasn’t what it could have been. At the end, Kivan told us that we didn’t get as far as he wanted us to, because we spent so much time discussing commitment. I’m sorry now that I didn’t commit fully at rehearsal. Not only is it making the scene more structured and less exciting, since we’re being told what to do a lot instead of creating it ourselves, we now have more work to do later. I know it’s going to be difficult, but with God’s help and application of what I’ve learned on my part, I believe I can become a much better actor by the end of this production. I’m praying that God will help me to “work at it with all. . . [my] heart” (Col. 3:23-24), even if it is humblingly hard..
One of the things we did last Monday at rehearsal was run-through part of Act 1. Since I have a small part, I have not been at all the practices, and have not seen all the work that was being done on stage combat. Wow!! Some of the stage combat between Zander (Fenris Ulf) and Ben T. (Mr. Tumnus) was very convincing! In addition, I could feel the strong tension in the air during James (Peter) and Zander’s fight scene. Other things that impressed me during the run-through was Parker’s performance of the White Stag and Morgan’s of the White Witch. For both of them, it was apparent that they were being their character and not just portraying it, which grasped my attention and made me interested in their character.
I am thankful that I am a part of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and look forward to where we’ll take it between now and opening night.
-Libby Grunenwald
Witch’s Army
Monday, September 19, 2016
Julia through the Wardrobe!
I really love the story The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and I was really excited when STC announced it as their fall play. I didn’t know the story behind it though. I thought it was just a cool story about 4 kids visiting their uncle, then discovering a magic world. But it turns out, their “uncle” wasn’t an uncle at all. He was a professor that lived in the country during the Blitz. The Pevensie didn’t know him at all, and their mother had just sent them off to live with a stranger to get them out of the dangers of London. That shows you how far people will go to protect their children. When we started staging our first scene, a montage, or a collection of short scenes, about the Blitz, it really hit me how hard this was on families. I started to understand more about the reasons behind the story, and I think it really helped us get in the world that the Pevensie children were living. I don’t think a lot of people understand how Narnia was such a place of happiness and peace for the children because home was the exact opposite. Narnia is an amazing place and I really think more people should know that. Even though Narnia isn’t all good, most of it is. There are really cool magical creatures that we wouldn’t get a chance to be anywhere else. In the two armies, everyone has their own creature that fits with their personality. Narnia seems like a really amazing place that everyone would love to visit, and what I think is even more amazing is that we get to. The Blitz wasn’t a happy place in time, but Narnia was. I’m learning a lot about both as the rehearsals go on. I love our first scene and I’m really excited to stage the rest of the play. I think as we go on we’ll keep learning more and more about the show and our characters.
Lion, Witch, & Wardrobe
This is my second production with Story Theater Company. My first production was Honk Jr!,
which was a musical. That makes the Lion Witch and Wardrobe my first play to ever act in, and I am excited for this experience. I’ve helped backstage with plays, and they seem a lot different than in musicals. So I am very excited to see what acting in a play is like. Acting in Story Theater Company is amazing. I’ve learned so much, and the friends I’ve made there are now my family, and the experiences I’ve encountered there, I have learned a lot from. I am so excited and thankful that I am a part of Lion Witch and Wardrobe.
Our very first rehearsal, we had a read through. We all were in a circle, and when it was our characters turn we would step out in the middle, and act/read our lines. This gave us a chance to see all the possibilities our story had for blocking, and we were able to get a good first picture of what Lion Witch and Wardrobe could turn into. With the read through, we can develop the pictures that we think of when we read the script, and then work with the blocking and directions are given to us in the script, and we can make it an honesty story.
The next rehearsal we had, we learned about all of our characters, and their history. By learning about our characters, we are able to better understand them, their circumstances and their objectives, so we can portray them well. With the dramaturgy, I was able to learn more about my character, before that, I never really knew what Wood Nymph’s (evil) did, much less was. With knowing what they are, I am able to put my circumstances, even though I may always be fighting in the witch's army, I still have to consider that I have to protect my tree and it’s surroundings- or else it will die. We also learned some stage combat. We learned how to stage punch and fall, and basic swordplay. It’s always important to know that in any stage combat, the victim is always in control of what is happening, that way nobody gets hurt.
Within the first rehearsals, we have already gotten a lot of work done. I am so proud of all the commitment that my peers have made, and all the progress that we have already done. I can't wait to see what Lion Witch and Wardrobe has ins tore for us. I believe this will truly be a great and honest play.
Anika Slowing
Witches's Army
Fun Challenges
In this play we face several challenges, all of which are a little hard and mostly fun, and some of which I’d like to talk about.
There is the challenge of acting honestly onstage, using our given circumstances to make a character real.
There is the challenge of memorizing and blocking the whole play, not only for the sake of performing but also getting to know the story and making it our own. Specifically to this story, there is the challenge of staging an entire battle as realistically as possible.
These things are not only challenging, but also fun. We tackle each rehearsal with a willingness to learn and discover. One of the things we discover more every time is how to become a character.
To become a character honestly, you have to understand that character. One of the hardest things for me to do is to actually be the character, instead of analyzing every action the character would do, and what exactly would make it most realistic. This challenge is different for each of us, but we all understand the importance and difficulty of it. Every time we are set to work on character discovery, I try and find out more about my character; things like: What are my character’s objectives? How does she walk and talk? Is she confident? Trying to define a character in this way helps you become them; think like them; act like them.
I think Kivan’s dramaturgy really helped most of us with defining our character and understanding how they think, move, and live. Doing research on the kind of animal you are, or what London was like during the Blitz, helps to find out about the environment your character lives in. These new discoveries are very interesting, and I can’t wait to keep learning to live out my character as if I was she.
Another challenge we face is creating the story. By this I don’t just mean memorizing and blocking, but really understanding the story and making it ours. We can use the script for most of this, going over it and thinking about the scenes; but it also depends on how you interpret it. It’s up to us to take the written lines and make them our own, to turn the whole thing into something spectacular. Each new play is a new learning process, whether it is your first, your last, or somewhere in between. With every new script and character, we have fun with experimenting and discovering what the play really is. A good way to do this is the kind of read-through we’ve done for the last few shows, which means we not only read the lines but we also get up and move around, making actions as we come to them, and taking risks with what we do and how we do it. Taking a risk with one of your lines or movements is a really important part of staging. If we all flatly said the lines written down for us, then wait for Kivan to tell us what to do, the play would be very hard to do and very boring, indeed.
We have all done a great job of jumping in and using the script to create a wonderful experience, and a fantastic show. For some of us this is our first show experience, and I hope all of our newcomers feel welcome and excited. You’re not newcomers anymore, you’re one of us now!
A third challenge we face is the stage combat involved in this play. So far we have learned the basic punch and some sword movements, and I’m excited to see what we can do with them and what else we can learn. This is another instance where knowing your character comes into play, because if you have no idea how your character fights, it might be very hard to move forward in staging the battle.
STC has not done much stage combat in shows before, especially not a battle in which almost the entire cast is involved. As this is a new experience for most of us, it’s fun to discover new fighting styles, who works best together, and the like. This battle may be one of the biggest challenges we face, but it can also be one of the most fun. As we move forward, it will be interesting to discover the intricate blocking and the right movements to make the battle awesome.
Even though we are still early in the rehearsal process, we have already grown together as an ensemble, and we’ve been working together fairly well. As we continue to learn and discover, I believe we will work through each of these challenges, not only taking them seriously but also seeing the fun in them. Let’s make this play awesome!
~Bethany VanDyk (Unicorn)
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Beginning
After previously participating in eight productions at Story Theater Company, it is wonderful to be participating in another show. However, I am always amazed that a show is never just “another show” at Story Theater Company. We explore every aspect of every production and every character, and each ensemble creates a new and fascinating new product. The process of discovering this show has already begun, and I am sure that, with a lot of hard work, we will be able to create a truly beautiful piece of theater.
First, we had the read-through, a rehearsal in which we explore the story for the first time, put our initial thoughts into the playing space, and begin to develop a tightly-knit ensemble. Story Theater Company has begun to do read-throughs in a very unique way. Instead of sitting in a circle and reading our lines, we go into the center, the playing space, and act out our scenes. Each time that we have done a read-through this way, I understand more advantages of this system. Last Saturday, I discovered that being in the center forces you to actively explore the story. You care more about what other characters are doing when you are watching them, which is essential to creating the most interesting play. Other characters can influence your character, as well as help you understand where you fit into a greater picture. Our goal is to tell a story, and we can not do that without every piece of the puzzle. Seeing how Aslan acted towards the children, gave me a better understanding of what Mr Beaver, my character, already knows about his king. Watching that scene also helped me see how I contributed to making the prophecy come true. All of the details in every scene can have an impact on your scene. This form of read-through also helps us to create a stronger ensemble since you get to experience your relationship with other characters early on in the process. I know that I have already become closer to Olivia, the actress portraying Mrs Beaver, from the read-through. Our characters were constantly relying on each other for support throughout the show. This is a fantastic opportunity, because you need to understand the importance of everybody else to create the best quality of show.
Another concept we have been exploring in this production has been stage combat. Though this is not the main concept we will be exploring during this production, it is a very useful storytelling device that we will be utilizing. With an emphasis on safety, it has been fascinating to investigate a completely new concept. I have learned how to be specific when throwing a punch and reacting to a kick or punch, as well as battling with swords. It was really interesting to see James VanDyk and Zander Reed demonstrate a battle because they were able to be incredibly specific and keep the stakes high. If we can all be this dedicated, the stage combat will be very effective in this story. I also learned about effective stage combat from watching the Fenris Ulf and Mr Tumnus scene being worked on. Every time that Mr Tumnus was attacked, Ulf had a very important reason to harass him. His objectives were very clear, so the audience was able to be engrossed in the scene. It was also very interesting to see Ben (Mr Tumnus)'s reaction to the stage combat improve throughout the day. When they were done staging the scene, Ben had very committed actions and vocal reactions, which caused a very realistic fight.
As many of you know, honesty is something that is highly valued at Story Theater Company. It is very important to make sure every moment in the show is realistic and well-earned. We are working very hard to make sure this production is extremely honest. To make sure you have an honest performance, you need to carefully consider all of your circumstances, the facts, before you go into a scene. We often talk about "the magic 'if'". If a certain situation occurred, how would you actually respond to it? To know how your character would respond to any given situation, you need to know the facts about them at that moment. Achieving honest performances is something that I am still working on, and I am still struggling to define what honesty really is. The first couple of rehearsals for Narnia have helped me with that, because we all tried to re-discover what honesty meant. In one of the exercises that we did, we were told to perform a piece titled "Sitting on an Acting Block". The cast members who went into the playing area during this exercise felt the need to move. They felt that it would not be entertaining if they did not perform actions. However, we learned to put up the fourth wall and not worry about entertaining people. Even though it may seem that everything you do is subtle, it is important to stay true to reality and not "perform" for the audience.
Finally, we have been doing a lot of dramaturgy, finding true facts that will influence the story, during this production. Kivan did an abundance of research on the mythical creatures of Narnia, and he gave a presentation with important facts he found. However, he encouraged us to dig deeper and find more facts that would influence our characters. As Mr Beaver, I researched beavers and found many facts that helped to explain moments in the play that seemed dishonest. For example, I came across the fact that beavers typically have families with approximately ten children. This helped me understand why we feel the need to take care of the children. We are very loyal to our country and want the prophecy to come true, but we also might feel more significant if we get to care for children, as we never had any of our own. I also found that beavers can stay active during the winter and are not greatly affected by cold weather. In one scene, I say, “It’s this blasted cold weather. I’ll never get used to it.” This fact helped me be more specific in that scene, since I knew that he was not bothered by the cold weather itself, but the spell that made it cold. It also made it more clear that he is taking his anger out on other things because his dam broke. As we continue to research, everybody is able to specify their character more and more, and this work has already showed in rehearsal.
I am so excited to discover every moment of this show, as we continue to refine our acting with specificity, honesty, and all of the other matters that we explore at Story Theater Company.
Ben Siegel
(Mr Beaver)
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Parker McIntosh
I have learned a couple things working on The Lion, The
Witch, and The Wardrobe. The first being
it takes commitment to your role outside of theater as well. In my case, when I was offered the role of
the White Stag, ballet was mentioned.
Having no past ballet experience, I knew it was going to take more than
just working while at the rehearsal space. It takes more than just committing
while you are at the space. Practice
makes perfect, and in a show full of stage combat and fight scenes, practicing could
save someone a few bruises.
The other lesson I’ve learned is you can never know too much
about the play you are in, or the characters involved, even if they aren't
yours. Knowing more about your character
makes things much easier when you are a part of ensemble. Sometimes it’s easy to make an ensemble of
many people all playing the same character, but that leads to things being
rather boring and cliche. In our show,
everyone has their own specific creature to research, and we can all create our
own personal versions of them. We could
have a group of kids all making the same angry, but where is the fun in
that? We have amazing creatures such as
Ogres, Hags, Boggles, and Specters. And
it doesn’t just apply to the Witch’s army.
Aslan’s army has its variety of creatures as well: The Wood Nymphs
(Flower, Oak, Wind, Fresh Water.), a Phoenix, Centaurs, and Minotaur.
Sure, you could always perform a show the way it was
originally made, but I’m not sure I would want to see a show the same way more
than once. It’s the same old thing for the audience, and
it’s too easy for the actors. I think
having a challenge creates a better experience.
It’s easy to stand and be the nasty White Witch who loves no one but
herself, but digging past that, and finding the inside: her objectives, her
circumstances, and finding out if maybe deep down she has some compassion for
her followers.
We are early on in the process, but I can already tell this
is not a show I couldn’t miss seeing.
Parker
McIntosh.
Carly Breen
I’ve been doing STC shows for a long time now, and I’ve never gotten bored
of them. I’ve loved every play I’ve been in and I love all the people I’ve
met through STC. It really feels like a welcoming community of people to
just be themselves and put together a show we are all proud of, and I’ve
grown to look up to everyone I do these plays with. However, Narnia was
different for me. This was the first non-musical I’ve ever been in. I
didn’t know how different it was going to be from every other play I’ve
been in, or whether or not I’d be able to keep up with both the play and
school. Even though I knew I would have a fun time, I was nervous about
doing this play. But I tried out for it anyway. I wanted to give it a try
because even though it might have been very different from a musical, I
wanted to try something new. And I don’t regret. Like I said before, I knew
I was going to have a fun time. Yeah, it may not be a musical. But really,
what would have changed? There are still the same people who always make me
laugh, we still have that shared goal to make something great, nothing has
changed. And even though it may not be a musical, that still doesn’t stop
us from bursting out into song together randomly. So again, I don’t regret
being in Narnia, and I never will. And to anyone reading this blog, whether
or not you decide to give it a chance is up to you. But you are truly
missing out on something if you decide it’s not worth your time.
-Carly Breen
of them. I’ve loved every play I’ve been in and I love all the people I’ve
met through STC. It really feels like a welcoming community of people to
just be themselves and put together a show we are all proud of, and I’ve
grown to look up to everyone I do these plays with. However, Narnia was
different for me. This was the first non-musical I’ve ever been in. I
didn’t know how different it was going to be from every other play I’ve
been in, or whether or not I’d be able to keep up with both the play and
school. Even though I knew I would have a fun time, I was nervous about
doing this play. But I tried out for it anyway. I wanted to give it a try
because even though it might have been very different from a musical, I
wanted to try something new. And I don’t regret. Like I said before, I knew
I was going to have a fun time. Yeah, it may not be a musical. But really,
what would have changed? There are still the same people who always make me
laugh, we still have that shared goal to make something great, nothing has
changed. And even though it may not be a musical, that still doesn’t stop
us from bursting out into song together randomly. So again, I don’t regret
being in Narnia, and I never will. And to anyone reading this blog, whether
or not you decide to give it a chance is up to you. But you are truly
missing out on something if you decide it’s not worth your time.
-Carly Breen
Monday, July 4, 2016
Run - Throughs
I have made many discoveries about our show as we have worked the story through moment-to-moment rehearsals and run-throughs. It is so exciting and inspiring to see everything start to come together, and it has been fascinating to work on the specifics of our acting during the rehearsal process.
One of the biggest challenges that has come with this show has been acting honestly during the musical numbers that can be “show-tuney” or stereotypical. A lot of the time it can seem like being an ensemble member means having a big smile and doing the right dance moves, but it is important to know why you are smiling and dancing. If you are not acting honestly in every moment, you will stand out and it will take away from the entire ensemble’s hard work and energy. We have been working on actively working to achieve a goal, or objective, whenever we are on stage. Warts and All has been an especially challenging number. We get lost in the choreography because there are so many dance moves to be focusing on. Though it can be interesting to watch the show-stopping dance moves, it can become dull very quickly because we are all doing the same thing in unison. We need to make sure we each have an individual motivation for dancing to make it more interesting. The objective of this piece also becomes foggy because we are part of Ugly and the Bullfrog’s dream. We are overly optimistic about ugly being in, and the entire song is somewhat surreal. We have been working to balance our focus every time we are singing. Mastering the choreography is an important goal, but it is also important to be acting and listening while you are dancing.
We have also been working on making discoveries. There are several moments in this show where a character receives information, and that piece of information influences their movements. For example, there is a part of the script where my character, Jay Bird, is doing a TV report on Ugly’s disappearance. I find out that Ida, Ugly’s mom, has gone missing, and I notice that this new piece of information could help me sell my story to the viewers of America’s Most Feathered. In real life, we always have to have a moment where we learn new information, a moment where we decide what to do with it, and a moment where we make the action. We need to clearly demonstrate each of these beats on stage, or it will not seem as realistic. One thing that I have learned throughout this rehearsal process is the difference between making discoveries and being precious with a moment. In life, there are often small moments of realization, and we do not take a long and slow beat of thought. There are many times when it is important to slow down and think when you are on stage, but there are also many situations where you should not stop the momentum. I used to think that the best actors were the people who took the most time to think and slowly discover, but this show has taught me that there are times when plays slow down naturally. With some characters, you can be honest without taking a lot of time on every discovery.
During our most recent run-throughs, it has been amazing to watch actors play off of each other. There have been very clear relationships on stage, and this week we have truly seen these come to life. For example, James and Morgan (as Drake and Ida) have been doing a remarkable job of playing off of each other. Ida is frustrated because Drake is not being a good father or spouse. Their relationship and personalities have been clearly established, and it has been fascinating to watch Morgan and James react to each other so honestly. They are always listening to each other, and it is making their scenes together very engaging for the audience.
Moving forward, I think that we should work on having clear focus points and always being meaningful. There are several moments in the show where it is unclear what a character’s action or line is directed towards because they do not have a clear focus point. Asher has been doing a fantastic job of having a clear focus during Different. You can tell when he is directing his thoughts towards his siblings and all of the other bullies in the duckyard. If everybody has this level of focus, it would make the show more clear and engaging. It is also important to be focusing your energy towards something in every part of the story. There are several opportunities where we are talking in big groups. It can seem like people will not hear your individual conversation or like all you need to do is talk about the correct concept. However, you need to be having real conversations. You need to have the same amount of focus as you would with assigned lines. When I am watching scenes that I am not a part of, the most distracting thing from the story is when people are not directing their energy to a specific person or thing. I will be working to be meaningful and clear with all of my actions, and I am sure that we will be able to make a lot of progress as we continue to work on our focus.
It has been a wonderful experience to work and run this show, and I am thrilled to share this story with the community next weekend.
Ben Siegel
(Jay Bird)
Surround Yourself With This
The sets are put away, the costumes in storage, and the actors back home, resting. It has finally been finished: 7 performances of Honk! Jr. and we are a bit happy, yet most are deeply sad. I have used today and yesterday to reflect on Honk!. I made tons of new friends, enhanced my acting skills, and even learned things that no one would guess from theater. I learned about honesty and how it empowers us, circumstances, which help when understanding the character's viewpoint, and I learned about the power of stepping back as an actor and taking steps in the process of understanding what makes up acting. This is what I plan to talk about: Acting in Steps.
When I first started acting, I believed you just needed to walk up to the stage, put on a face and then recite some lines, but this is a clever trap. In fact, Kivan has made it so that we had to step back and break it into steps. In other words: be aware of your surroundings before going ahead and reciting a line. You might be pondering now, “Well that’s easy!” But it’s not, especially when you have to do it for the first time on stage. So Kivan created an exercise where we look straight at the wall and yet have to keep everyone in your peripheral vision. Then, we started walking in a circle, but no one could lead it. It had to be unison, which was quite difficult (especially since I didn’t truly understand it until the performance day.)
On the last performance day, we were getting ready for Poultry Tale, and I was beyond excited. I had seen some friends and heard they would be coming to watch, so that’s what put me over the edge in my joy. Finally, the big moment came as we walked to the stage to get into our poses. The song was going great, and then we came to the part where we scare off the cat. Normally, we get our “huh” almost exactly on the same time, but people were anticipating, including me, and suddenly the “huhs” started. Now, probably no one in the audience noticed that we had accidentally said the “huhs” at the correct spot; but, I was a bit flustered. This was not a big mistake, in my opinion, and nothing to be worked up about.
So why did I share this story? Well, as actors, sometimes we stop listening and just go with the flow. People miss their cues or go too early before it’s time. What would happen if something went wrong in someone’s line, and you just went ahead with your line? That’s why it is so important to be listening. If no actor ever listened to what was happening on stage, it would be incredibly confusing. And, don’t go believing that it is only listening that is a part of our surroundings. If you just used one sense, you would probably be very confused. We also need to listen with our eyes. That is what Kivan was trying to prove by his exercise, which I earlier described. If you aren’t watching, you might just flop in front of the audience. This proves that, on the mentioned night of Poultry Tale, we didn’t do enough of using both our eyes and our ears. We need to be listening and looking because otherwise our show would have been nothing.
Jacob Peters
(Snowy)
Circumstances
Circumstances. They surround us and are a part of us. They impact your every word, action, or thought. Every foolish word or excited scream is influenced by your Circumstances. So, why do actors so often neglect to apply this to their acting? Is it because they don’t know what Circumstances are? Do they not care? Or are Circumstances just too hard to apply? I don’t pretend to know why actors don’t apply Circumstances, but I personally value Circumstances greatly. And, I believe that STC values Circumstances too. At STC we work so hard to attain honesty, which is why we work so hard to apply Circumstances. After all, Circumstances provide clarity, and clarity prompts honesty.
So what are Circumstances? Circumstances are the given settings your character has to deal with. They could be physical, or they could be mental. “Physical” means it could be location or time of day. “Mental” means that it could be pain or happiness from past experiences or even current experiences. All of these influence how your character would speak, think, or react.
How do you apply this to acting?
Take the Blizzard Scene, for example. At the start of blocking the scene, everyone was just super sad when acting. Sad doesn’t hold the audience’s attention for very long. Sad isn’t intriguing; it’s a simple emotion which can become dishonest. When we took the time to look at the given Circumstances, we discovered several things. First, we are escaping the blizzard while the Cat and Ugly are going into it, which affects how we (including the Cat and Ugly) walk. Second, we might want to help the Cat and Ugly but are hesitant, as they aren’t usually welcomed in our farmyard. Third, our families are in danger of this blizzard, so we must protect them by shielding them and getting them to safety. Finally, once we see that the Cat and Ugly are goners, we realize all attempts to save them are now futile and leave to save our families.
Once we know what the given Circumstances are, we are able to apply them to the scene. We do this in two ways. First, we think of them before going on stage, which is called, “booting up your Circumstances,” and then we try to think of how they affect each line individually. We ask ourselves, “What is my character trying to convey? Or, what prompted them to say this?” These things help us discover anew each performance, which helps us be honest.
Emily Peters
(Mother Swan)
So what are Circumstances? Circumstances are the given settings your character has to deal with. They could be physical, or they could be mental. “Physical” means it could be location or time of day. “Mental” means that it could be pain or happiness from past experiences or even current experiences. All of these influence how your character would speak, think, or react.
How do you apply this to acting?
Take the Blizzard Scene, for example. At the start of blocking the scene, everyone was just super sad when acting. Sad doesn’t hold the audience’s attention for very long. Sad isn’t intriguing; it’s a simple emotion which can become dishonest. When we took the time to look at the given Circumstances, we discovered several things. First, we are escaping the blizzard while the Cat and Ugly are going into it, which affects how we (including the Cat and Ugly) walk. Second, we might want to help the Cat and Ugly but are hesitant, as they aren’t usually welcomed in our farmyard. Third, our families are in danger of this blizzard, so we must protect them by shielding them and getting them to safety. Finally, once we see that the Cat and Ugly are goners, we realize all attempts to save them are now futile and leave to save our families.
Once we know what the given Circumstances are, we are able to apply them to the scene. We do this in two ways. First, we think of them before going on stage, which is called, “booting up your Circumstances,” and then we try to think of how they affect each line individually. We ask ourselves, “What is my character trying to convey? Or, what prompted them to say this?” These things help us discover anew each performance, which helps us be honest.
Emily Peters
(Mother Swan)
A Great Cast
I arrived at STC thinking “This is going to be really cool!”. I didn’t know much about Honk! Jr., except for the fact that it was based off the Ugly Duckling. I knew that I was a duckling named Billy and that my other siblings were named Beaky, Fluff, Downy, and Flappers. But that’s about it. I didn’t know how we were going to make birds fly or swim. I didn’t know how we were going to make Ugly “ugly” or the ducklings “hatch”. But it all worked out in the end and this show has gone really fast. We are ready to perform. But as we progressed and I was so impressed with how fast we were going, I kept thinking “How come this is going so fast?”
I knew, for one thing that at our first read-through, we acted it out, getting a rough idea of what the play could look like. Now, like I said, it was just a rough idea, and was definitely nowhere close to what we are doing today. But it did give everyone some good ideas, to help speed up the blocking process. So that did make doing the scenes go faster, and I thought this was my answer. But as the rehearsals went on, and we all realized that the script was “working against us”, or making it really hard to be honest and make strong connections, which makes it harder for us as actors to really perform it professionally; I realized that it had to be more than just the way we did the read-through.
As we got closer and closer to opening night, I still didn’t have any idea of what made Honk! Jr. so different from the rest. But then, one day when our energy was pretty low, as it was early morning, and we didn’t have a lot of people, I realized that what made this show so cool, was how well our ensemble worked together. We got things done, were mostly pretty focused and all of us fit in. All in all, the cast in Honk! Jr. is a really good one. As we get closer to opening night though, we’ve got to remember everything we’ve learned, and keep in mind that no matter what happens, this has been an amazing process where we have accomplished a lot. Our cast is amazing and I think that Honk! Jr. was a good choice to wrap up the 10th season of STC with. All my fellow cast members, thank you for making this show go so smoothly, and having a great cast, and all in all, making me have such a fun time putting on my first musical.
Julia Divine
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Moving into Tech Week
So far, in my opinion, our production of Honk Jr. is going very well. From the start of rehearsals, I did not like the script one bit, but now that we have made changes and made it the most honest we can, I have different thoughts than I did at the beginning of the process.
During the last run through that we had, I was thinking that there was a lot of improvement from the last time I saw the whole show. The honesty was better, people were leaning in, and the energy was higher than the last time. The lines were mostly down, and I was getting more confident about the show in general. I think that if there are a few things I could do better, it would be still having a lot of energy during certain songs and leaning in.
Moving into tech week, I am feeling nervous but mostly excited. I am only nervous because now we are in a new space and performances are coming up so soon. I am very excited because it’s finally tech week, we can see the show in a bigger space, and we will be having performances soon. I think this week we will accomplish a lot and definitely be ready for the performances. I will keep reminding myself that I need to be listening, leaning in, keep having the stakes up high, having a lot of energy, being honest, and having lots of fun,
I am looking forward to the performances, and I am having lots of fun during this production of Honk Jr.
-Adi Siegel (Beaky)
During the last run through that we had, I was thinking that there was a lot of improvement from the last time I saw the whole show. The honesty was better, people were leaning in, and the energy was higher than the last time. The lines were mostly down, and I was getting more confident about the show in general. I think that if there are a few things I could do better, it would be still having a lot of energy during certain songs and leaning in.
Moving into tech week, I am feeling nervous but mostly excited. I am only nervous because now we are in a new space and performances are coming up so soon. I am very excited because it’s finally tech week, we can see the show in a bigger space, and we will be having performances soon. I think this week we will accomplish a lot and definitely be ready for the performances. I will keep reminding myself that I need to be listening, leaning in, keep having the stakes up high, having a lot of energy, being honest, and having lots of fun,
I am looking forward to the performances, and I am having lots of fun during this production of Honk Jr.
-Adi Siegel (Beaky)
Sunday, June 19, 2016
"The Rare Opportunity"
With our first weekend of performances over, I could not be any prouder of my fellow cast and crew members. Being one of the oldest in the cast, seeing the younger people learn more and more throughout the rehearsal process has been amazing. With such a wide variety of ages, different members of our ensemble have learned different things. I, a 15 year old, discovered completely different things than what an 11 year old discovered. This doesn't mean that our acting skill depends on age - because it truly does not; it's simply that, for certain ages, it's easier to see certain things. For example, when I was 11, acting with honesty really wasn't a well-known concept for me. Now, being four years older, acting with honesty is an extremely important factor of performing. As we continue with theater, this concept of "honesty" is drilled into our heads. Though "honest acting" sounds like an oxymoron, it begins to make perfect sense as you experience and learn more about it. Instead of putting on your "acting face" and *telling* people a story, you must become a part of, and wrap yourself up in, the story you want to *show* the audience. With "Honk!", being based off the well-known story "The Ugly Duckling", it's easy to just tell the story. Since everyone already knows the plot, where's the need to be honest? In a way, because everyone knows the story, it gives us a reason to be honest on stage. It gives us the rare opportunity to *show* an audience a new version of a classic tale.
"Honk!" has definitely had a different rehersal process than what the other musicals at STC has had. This Summer, we have truly been closer as an ensemble throughout the whole process. Rehearsals were almost always with the whole cast there and we very rarely got split into different groups. This definitely made for a closer ensemble. Unlike other productions, we were asked to have our lines completely memorized earlier on in the process. This gave us much more time to block and become more comfortable with our scenes, letting us be more confident in giving our audience honest, thought through performances.
With every performance, we improve and continue to explore our surroundings, making us stronger as an ensemble
Morgan Reetz
(Ida)
"Honk!" has definitely had a different rehersal process than what the other musicals at STC has had. This Summer, we have truly been closer as an ensemble throughout the whole process. Rehearsals were almost always with the whole cast there and we very rarely got split into different groups. This definitely made for a closer ensemble. Unlike other productions, we were asked to have our lines completely memorized earlier on in the process. This gave us much more time to block and become more comfortable with our scenes, letting us be more confident in giving our audience honest, thought through performances.
With every performance, we improve and continue to explore our surroundings, making us stronger as an ensemble
Morgan Reetz
(Ida)
Saturday, June 11, 2016
"Like a mosaic"
There’s only one more week until tech, and all the sections of our show are stringing together very nicely. I am enjoying every part of this process, especially choreography. We’ve been focusing so much on honesty- being able to act and respond keeping in mind the circumstances and objectives of your character. I’ve never paid this much attention to that word until this production, and I feel it's making me a stronger performer.
In the show, I play the Bullfrog; a comedic, ukulele-playing fellow who gives Ugly a boost when he is feeling down about his unfortunate looks. The Bullfrog is the first person to whom the duckling may relate to, because he too knows what it’s like to walk through life looking unsightly. I’ve learned his humorous demeanor is really his way of distancing himself from reality: no one will come up to him and kiss him to reveal a handsome prince. When Ugly comes to know of this through the frog, I feel it’s one of the most open, honest moments of the scene, because the frog lets his guard down for once.
The big number, “Warts and All”, sung by Ugly, The Bullfrog, and the ensemble holds the message: someone’s going to love you in spite of your flaws. It’s not only a way of assuring Ugly, but it’s also a much-needed boost for the Bullfrog- that one day someone will love him for who he is.
Putting this piece together has been a challenge, but it’s coming along great. Like our other songs, Cynthia Marten, the music director for this show first taught us the parts we had to sing. The rhythm of this piece and the long phrases we have to sing are probably the most difficult vocally. Once we got a handle on the singing, we learned choreography. Though I’m not a part of the ensemble’s dance for this song, I’ve watched them learn and practice the choreography numerous times in rehearsals. I was once asked to step in for someone absent. As I went through the dance I remember thinking: “The counts are fast-paced; if I’m not in sync with my partner it’ll pop out. Our ensemble has worked so hard in combining these two aspects, and they really bring the song to life.
In past musicals I have been in at STC, a popular adaptation of that story involuntarily had some impact on character development for me. Because the story of The Ugly Duckling has not been adapted in all aspects of the show, there is a lot more room for originality. For example, when I play The Bullfrog, I feel I don’t have to conform to anything. I can interpret the role freely, and I can see everyone's bringing their own, distinct touches to their roles. A great example of this is the geese squadron in “Wild Goose Chase”. Each actor is unique, and they come together like a mosaic. When I watch run throughs of the show, I always look forward to that part. It’s the specific things they do which make it so humorous, and honest.
This is going to be a really fun, honest, and original show!
Julie-Michelle Manohar
In the show, I play the Bullfrog; a comedic, ukulele-playing fellow who gives Ugly a boost when he is feeling down about his unfortunate looks. The Bullfrog is the first person to whom the duckling may relate to, because he too knows what it’s like to walk through life looking unsightly. I’ve learned his humorous demeanor is really his way of distancing himself from reality: no one will come up to him and kiss him to reveal a handsome prince. When Ugly comes to know of this through the frog, I feel it’s one of the most open, honest moments of the scene, because the frog lets his guard down for once.
The big number, “Warts and All”, sung by Ugly, The Bullfrog, and the ensemble holds the message: someone’s going to love you in spite of your flaws. It’s not only a way of assuring Ugly, but it’s also a much-needed boost for the Bullfrog- that one day someone will love him for who he is.
Putting this piece together has been a challenge, but it’s coming along great. Like our other songs, Cynthia Marten, the music director for this show first taught us the parts we had to sing. The rhythm of this piece and the long phrases we have to sing are probably the most difficult vocally. Once we got a handle on the singing, we learned choreography. Though I’m not a part of the ensemble’s dance for this song, I’ve watched them learn and practice the choreography numerous times in rehearsals. I was once asked to step in for someone absent. As I went through the dance I remember thinking: “The counts are fast-paced; if I’m not in sync with my partner it’ll pop out. Our ensemble has worked so hard in combining these two aspects, and they really bring the song to life.
In past musicals I have been in at STC, a popular adaptation of that story involuntarily had some impact on character development for me. Because the story of The Ugly Duckling has not been adapted in all aspects of the show, there is a lot more room for originality. For example, when I play The Bullfrog, I feel I don’t have to conform to anything. I can interpret the role freely, and I can see everyone's bringing their own, distinct touches to their roles. A great example of this is the geese squadron in “Wild Goose Chase”. Each actor is unique, and they come together like a mosaic. When I watch run throughs of the show, I always look forward to that part. It’s the specific things they do which make it so humorous, and honest.
This is going to be a really fun, honest, and original show!
Julie-Michelle Manohar
Friday, June 10, 2016
Home
Home. It can mean so many different things to so many different people, and yet despite what you or to me or anyone else might visualize when we think of home, I think the feeling that we each feel is probably the same - a sense of belonging...a sense of peace...a sense of safety.
I had a less than stellar childhood. My “home” was never a place I felt like I belonged, and I rarely ever felt a sense of peace or safety. School was not much better. Growing up in rural Iowa as a young man with zero interest in sports or hunting or fishing made me just a little “too different” to fit in and as someone who was a sophomore in high school before he broke 100 pounds, an easy target for bullies.
And then I found the stage. It was the end of my 8th grade year, and I had a music teacher intent on pulling me out of my shell. She got me to sing for the variety show (by threatening to fail me for the quarter). I was terrified...for about a minute. Then it hit me, and it was in that moment I knew I wanted to perform. I was home.
My first experience on stage was transformative. I found a place where I belonged. I found a place where I could be me. It didn’t make the problems at home or the bullying at school go away, but for that brief time onstage, none of it mattered.
Our current production of “Honk Jr” is a musical adaptation of “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Anderson. I don’t think I’m giving away any spoilers when I way that the ugly duckling isn’t really a duck and transforms into a beautiful swan by the end of the story. That’s what stepping out on stage the first time felt like for me, and I think that’s why this production is so special to me. I’m honored to be able to work on it for my first show as Production Manager and to watch the work involved from start to finish.
A play comes together and transform much like the ugly duckling. Discarded clothes and stacks of material become incredible costumes. Piles of wood and cans of paint spring to life as the set designer’s vision becomes a reality. A flawed and well-worn story gets new life breathed into it and becomes something beautiful though the creative vision of the director and the hard work of the actors involved.
That feeling of home - those feelings of belonging, peace and safety? That’s why I’m involved in Story Theater Company. Being able to be a part of an organization that gives that same safe space to the current generation of young actors (my own included) is a blessing and a responsibility I don’t take lightly.
I am so excited to see how far Story Theater Company has come, and I’m even more excited for the future.
Todd
Production Manager
I had a less than stellar childhood. My “home” was never a place I felt like I belonged, and I rarely ever felt a sense of peace or safety. School was not much better. Growing up in rural Iowa as a young man with zero interest in sports or hunting or fishing made me just a little “too different” to fit in and as someone who was a sophomore in high school before he broke 100 pounds, an easy target for bullies.
And then I found the stage. It was the end of my 8th grade year, and I had a music teacher intent on pulling me out of my shell. She got me to sing for the variety show (by threatening to fail me for the quarter). I was terrified...for about a minute. Then it hit me, and it was in that moment I knew I wanted to perform. I was home.
My first experience on stage was transformative. I found a place where I belonged. I found a place where I could be me. It didn’t make the problems at home or the bullying at school go away, but for that brief time onstage, none of it mattered.
Our current production of “Honk Jr” is a musical adaptation of “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Anderson. I don’t think I’m giving away any spoilers when I way that the ugly duckling isn’t really a duck and transforms into a beautiful swan by the end of the story. That’s what stepping out on stage the first time felt like for me, and I think that’s why this production is so special to me. I’m honored to be able to work on it for my first show as Production Manager and to watch the work involved from start to finish.
A play comes together and transform much like the ugly duckling. Discarded clothes and stacks of material become incredible costumes. Piles of wood and cans of paint spring to life as the set designer’s vision becomes a reality. A flawed and well-worn story gets new life breathed into it and becomes something beautiful though the creative vision of the director and the hard work of the actors involved.
That feeling of home - those feelings of belonging, peace and safety? That’s why I’m involved in Story Theater Company. Being able to be a part of an organization that gives that same safe space to the current generation of young actors (my own included) is a blessing and a responsibility I don’t take lightly.
I am so excited to see how far Story Theater Company has come, and I’m even more excited for the future.
Todd
Production Manager
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Stereotypes
When I first
read the script for Honk Jr., I was very skeptical. I could tell that all the
characters were very stereotypical, and I felt that the script was written
simply with the idea in mind that “kids need to be able to understand this”. I
was worried that this show was not going to be good. I was wrong. Instead, this
may be one of the most honest shows I have ever been in.
With the
common story and characters, it is easy to fall into the stereotype of the
character. But with the help of Kivan and fellow cast members we have all been
striving to follow character objectives and to break the stereotypes. A great
example of this is the wild goose chase scene. You can see all the clear
objectives of the Geese and Ugly. This scene was far more emotional for me then
I expected. Even though I knew what happened at the end of the scene, it still
took me by surprise. The sudden change from COURAGEOUS to “We failed…” is
perfect.
We all need
to strive to break stereotypes and think about our character. When we think of
an objective, we need to think of all the little details behind it, for
instance, Drake is a stuck up butt. Why? Because he is scared of being a dad.
Why? He is afraid his reputation will get ruined. Why? Because he thinks he
will mess up really bad and Ida will leave him. Why? All you need to do is keep
asking the question “Why?” and suddenly you have not only broken the
stereotype, but your character now has new objectives and a new reason to be
were he/she is.
-James
VanDyk (Drake)
Thursday, June 2, 2016
My Experience With Honk so Far
When I discovered this show actually existed, I was a bit skeptical at first. A show about singing animals? This could be a disaster. I auditioned anyway because I knew my director would look at the show differently and hopefully not make it into a bunch of kids playing cute little animals.
I was right, my director turned it into something different then I had feared it might have been. The choreography is great, the music is great, the blocking is great, everything that we have worked on so far has been great. I expected some things to not go right the first run through because it’s our first run through. The songs are my favorite part of the show. The script is okay but I really like the songs. We have done a lot of Disney musicals recently and this show is a nice change of pace. I can truly discover my character and this show entirely new because I hadn’t heard of it before. I can tell by the work that we have put into this show this far that the finished product will be fantastic.
My role in this show is the Turkey. I have made many discoveries about my character as the show has progressed. The Turkey is the teacher at the school in the duckyard. He teaches the ducks all sorts of things like quacking and bad manners. He isn’t the greatest role model as he completely leaves the children to fend for themselves while he listens in on a conversation about french bread. He also is deathly afraid of Thanksgiving. Assuming birds don’t really know the human calendar too well, Thanksgiving could happen at any given moment. Since I’m the only Turkey in the duckyard, I’m kind of doomed. I can use these thoughts to my advantage to keep the tension in my character. Something else about my character is that in one of my scenes, I teach the ducklings. I can use this scene as a way to explore my relationships with other characters. I can also use this as a way to explore more things about how my character thinks and acts. Being the Turkey has also given me the opportunity to work with some people that I normally don’t work with often.
I was very excited to start working on this show and I have learned many things about theater and about my fellow castmates. I have even discovered some things that I can do in a theater setting. My improvisational skills aren’t that great and because of this show they are starting to get better. It has been an honor to work on this show and I have had a lot of fun working on it!
Ryan Hinderaker
I was right, my director turned it into something different then I had feared it might have been. The choreography is great, the music is great, the blocking is great, everything that we have worked on so far has been great. I expected some things to not go right the first run through because it’s our first run through. The songs are my favorite part of the show. The script is okay but I really like the songs. We have done a lot of Disney musicals recently and this show is a nice change of pace. I can truly discover my character and this show entirely new because I hadn’t heard of it before. I can tell by the work that we have put into this show this far that the finished product will be fantastic.
My role in this show is the Turkey. I have made many discoveries about my character as the show has progressed. The Turkey is the teacher at the school in the duckyard. He teaches the ducks all sorts of things like quacking and bad manners. He isn’t the greatest role model as he completely leaves the children to fend for themselves while he listens in on a conversation about french bread. He also is deathly afraid of Thanksgiving. Assuming birds don’t really know the human calendar too well, Thanksgiving could happen at any given moment. Since I’m the only Turkey in the duckyard, I’m kind of doomed. I can use these thoughts to my advantage to keep the tension in my character. Something else about my character is that in one of my scenes, I teach the ducklings. I can use this scene as a way to explore my relationships with other characters. I can also use this as a way to explore more things about how my character thinks and acts. Being the Turkey has also given me the opportunity to work with some people that I normally don’t work with often.
I was very excited to start working on this show and I have learned many things about theater and about my fellow castmates. I have even discovered some things that I can do in a theater setting. My improvisational skills aren’t that great and because of this show they are starting to get better. It has been an honor to work on this show and I have had a lot of fun working on it!
(As the Emperor, Mulan 2015)
Ryan Hinderaker
"Words don't make a story, actions make a story ..."
Rehearsals for “Honk! Jr.” have been going on for a few weeks. So far it has been a very different experience than the last two shows I’ve done here at STC. In the past I struggled with being too closed off, and afraid to try new things, and we were all hesitant to say something didn’t work, but in Honk everyone is realizing a problem can’t be fixed if no one adresses it. Beats are something I find we have worked more in this show, just breaking moments down and trying to get the emotions down rather than just doing a set movement.
The readthrough was a good opportunity to get a better feel for the script, as we all moved freely while reading through. This helped a lot when it came time to block, stage, and choreograph because we already had a light feeling of movement and who we were interacting with. For example, Zander Reed and Grace Bernard form a nice relationship as the characters they play; they are always leaning in, listening, and paying attention to objectives and given circumstances. Zander does a good job showing the PTSD that Greylag may experience, and you can tell certain words upset Greylag. I also think, of all the cast members, Grace always has the best input to a scene we are working on. She thinks into it and isn’t afraid to say something that could be improved. I think having actors so honest and willing to jump in helps all the other cast members to be more open.
There is hardly any time when people are just sitting around. If we aren't in the primary scene being worked, we go work on other acting techniques; In one case, we decided to work on the scene between Ugly and Penny, and swapped different people in to play the different characters. This helped us see what we could do, and what we were doing that maybe wasn’t such a great choice for the scene.
We have been able to run through the first act twice now. I can already see it improving, not just the blocking but down to decisions and beats. Asher Suski is doing an amazing job of this, every time he sings or says a line there are clear motives behind it and you can see him always assessing and listening to everything. It is really easy to get lost in a scene when you forget the person you are working with isn’t actually a character.
We tried running as much as we could off book, there were some scenes where lines were rough but for the most part everyone had their lines down. It’s really nice to watch the choreography become less of a panic and more of a beautiful dance. Warts and All has some of the best choreography in my opinion, the kick-line is becoming very clean and pretty to watch.
This musical has been an opportunity for everyone to do something that maybe wasn’t originally what they were cast for. Such as Gwen Stewart as a ducking; she has a very soft, sweet voice that she gets to show in the Blizzard with a solo. Same with Josh Gartin, he plays Barnacles the goose, but he also has a solo in the Blizzard.
“Words don’t make a story, actions make a story and words are a natural product of the emotion.”
I’m really excited to see it all come together. I think this is going to be a show to remember.
Parker McIntosh.
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