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)

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

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)

"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)

"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

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

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)