Sadaf S

1/25/2019

Right now, I am someone who has been recently exposed to theater. However, in that short time, I have developed a liking for it. In the future, I hope to be someone who is able to enrich my daily life with aspects of theater as I continue to reach my goals.

12 Comments

Sadaf Samim

1/25/2019 03:11:19 pm

1. Who is more important... the playwright or the cast and crew? Defend your assertion with your logic and some examples. 2. Also, how did your first performance in class go? What did it feel like before, during, and after?

A: I feel that the cast and crew is more important to a play, because without them there is only a script. The cast and crew make the playwright's work come alive and give it more depth, which can help inspire viewers more and give them more room to interpret the playwright's work. Also, you can have a cast and crew for a play without a set script, but you cannot have a play with just a script. Improvisation is always an option. Therefore, I believe a cast and crew is more important to a play.

I think my first performance was adequate. Before, I was very nervous and was overthinking things a lot. During the performance, I was very distraught, because I wanted everything to go well. After the performance, I was relieved that I was no longer a part of the center of attention, but I also felt sad that everything I had prepared for was over and that it was done. There definitely were many things I would change, such as the duration of the performance, and the big gaps between scenes. However, i think it was a learning experience and that it was good for my first performance in this class.

Sadaf Samim

2/1/2019 02:53:28 pm

1) How did you begin? Did you brainstorm, get struck by a spark of imagination, or begin with by recounting a personal story, etc?
2) Has thinking about objective and tactics aided in your writing of an interesting story? Give an example of a tactic your character is using...
3) What theatrical genre would you call your monologue at this point and why?

A: I began by brainstorming a few of my own ideas and thinking about how to expand on them and bring the associated emotions with them. These ideas did not inspire me particularly, so I turned to the internet to get some ideas. From there, I followed the same process and ended up with my final idea. Thinking about objective and tactics has aided in my writing of an interesting story by giving me ways to turn things into others and giving me smooth transitions. Not only that, but it has also given me a way to give a name to certain things and given me a clear-cut idea on how to use them. An example of a tactic I am using is satire. I would describe my monologue as a tragicomedy because it is supposed to be funny but the thing that my character is making fun of is his circumstances, so it is kind of tragic or sad.

Sadaf Samim

2/8/2019 02:24:27 pm

Consider your monologue... Give a synopsis of your story and the character you're going to portray. What are you doing to prepare yourself for the performance? How might you bring physicality to your character?

My monologue is about a person who is fed up with society and its toxic effects on people. She hates how people change and do anything just to achieve conformity, even throwing away one's individuality. The character I am going to portray is myself. I am going to bring physicality to my character by voicing and changing tones to really show her emotions clearly, and by also talking in a loud tone, because she is really angered and frustrated. I am going to try to bring these aspects to life so that the audience can really connect with my character.

Sadaf Samim

2/13/2019 03:49:00 pm

Reflect on your monologue performance. What it like in preparation and anticipation? What was your experience during the delivery of your monologue? What parts do you feel went really well. What parts so you know you'd want to improve upon? Also, what was it like being an audience for your peer's monologues?

A: I think my monologue performance went relatively well. In preparation and anticipation it was very nerve racking, but I was calm for the most part because I knew that I could do well. During the delivery, I was very nervous and shaky, but I went trough with it and my performance was not bad. There were things I wished I had done better, and I wished I wasn't nervous and had prepared myself more in that aspect, but I think that it was okay overall. I think the parts with strong emotions went well, and parts like the one where I dropped my script were some of the parts I could've done better. Being a part of the audience for my peers performances was a cool experience. I got to see what they were thinking about and got to see their sense of creativity. One thing that was upsetting was seeing people who did really well beat themselves up for minuscule things even though I think they did very good. Overall, I enjoyed this unit.

Sadaf Samim

3/18/2019 02:28:55 pm

Describe the beginning concept for your set design. What elements of your inspiration collage did you draw upon? What is the basic stage scene you're setting in your design? Is there a strong design concept yet it regard to style, form, texture, color, etc.?

The beginning concept of my set design started from my collage. The element I drew upon was the cutout in the middle of it, the one with actors from shows like "Supernatural" and "Arrow". From there, I selected on of the shows the actors had appeared in, which was "Supernatural." I myself had seen the show, and I used what i ad seen in some of the earlier seasons to draw inspiration from and to potentially use as my design. The basic stage I am setting is a very mysterious one. It has a very dark and plain color story and is creating a deserted mood. I tried to go for a very old, abandoned concept and tried to portray that through the colors that I used.

Sadaf Samim

3/22/2019 10:57:30 am

Reflect on the creative process of working from inspiration through to presenting your set design. What were the ah-ha moments of inspiration and the challenges you had to be creative to overcome? What's your overall impression of the growth of your creative muscle through the process of this project?

My set design started with my inspiration collage. Initially, i just cut out what was visually pleasing to me, but after I was done, I noticed that most of my elements were very industrial and abstract. So instead of going something along with that concept, I decided to do the opposite and do something very western and old. I also had the actors from the show "Supernatural" and I myself have seen the show, so I decided to do something that combined those elements. Because of this, I decided to do a western ghost town like setting. The design changed a bit over time, but the main concept stayed the same. Some ah-ha moments were when I placed the balcony on the set and also put the patio there too, because it really put the set together and completed the image. Some challenges were making sure the set looks as accurate as it did in the show. I really think my creative muscle grew a lot and I got a lot of knowledge from this project.

Sadaf Samim

3/25/2019 03:29:38 pm

A takeaway from the teleconference that occurred today was that I was able to see how people went from just having a passion in the arts to taking that and turning it into a profession. Also, I got to see what things to do and how to properly take just a liking of something and really following it. I got to see how they became successful and got to hear about their life experiences, which was very helpful and a learning experience for me.

Sadaf Samim

4/26/2019 02:15:55 pm

Tell about the process of creating your puppet. Give two examples of how the character you were creating influenced design choices such as painting the facial features and costuming. Also, reflect on your puppet play performance. What was challenging and what went well? How do you feel your voice performance went? How did you enjoy watching the other puppet shows?

A: The process of creating my puppet started with a sketch to visualize what I wanted, and once I got that down, I started crafting beginning from the head. The character I wanted to create was a very melancholy and dismal character, so I used mostly dark or black fabrics. When creating a face, I wanted to go for very stark and sharp features, which led to an elongated and sharp nose and a frown for the mouth. My performance, I felt, went well for the most part. There were some gaps between scenes and music, which I would've wished were not there. Also, due to nerves, I felt that I couldn't do to the best of my abilities, and so some aspects, such as puppet movement were lacking. Since my puppets voice was not difficult for me, I think I did well in that area. Most of the other shows were really entertaining and I really enjoyed being a part of that audience. The scripts were well written and the puppet aspects were done well also. Overall, this unit was very entertaining.

Sadaf Samim

5/3/2019 02:40:46 pm

You have likely studied Shakespeare prior to this class, or at the least were introduced to him and his work this week. Reflect on why you believe one person's work could be so highly acclaimed and how you feel taking on one of his famous scenes for your next project.

I believe that one person's work is so highly acclaimed due to the fact that he was one of the first to write so inclusively and be able to produce things that so many people could actually understand and maybe even understand. He included all genders, social classes, and sometimes even different races in his plays.The plots were imaginative and drew in audiences quickly, no matter the genre. People were mesmerized and wanted more. Maybe this is because he knew what people wanted and their core interests so well. In any case, Shakespeare wrote things that moved audiences and caused him to become a famous and successful playwright.

Sadaf Samim

5/10/2019 03:18:14 pm

Reflect on your "A Midsummer's Night Dream" scene performance. Offer insight into what it was like taking direction, memorizing lines, and performing a famous Shakespearean work.

My Midsummer performance went very well for me. I enjoyed my role thoroughly and I felt like I executed it well. My lines weren't very long and elaborate, so memorizing them was fairly easy. My staging was also easy and I felt like it was executed well too. One thing I kind of regret was that I broke character once, and I wish I had prepared myself mentally a bit more for it. Performing a famous Shakespeare work was actually really fun and I felt really happy to have the opportunity to perform in one.

Sadaf Samim

5/24/2019 02:19:51 pm

This reflection should explain what your performance piece is about, how you’re putting it together, and what some of your thoughts and influences are as you’re constructing the performance.

A: Our performance piece is a rendition of the movie and board game, "Clue." We're putting it together by assuming the original roles of the six main characters and trying to give the same nuance as the original, with a few more comedic reliefs. I'm really excited for the performance, because the role that I'm playing is the exact opposite of my character, so it'll be fun to get in her head and think like her. It'll be a new experience for me, and with the fun also comes a lot of stress, pressure, and responsibility due to the duration and character actions I'm assigned. However, I plan on doing my best, and leaving the audience with a good and professional impression.

Sadaf Samim

6/4/2019 09:52:39 am

You will provide a Self-Evaluation Reflection on your blog following your performance basing your comments on the Evaluation Rubric’s criteria: Acting, Use of Space, Text, & Process. Also, take a moment to reflect on the full semester. What's something you gained from this class that you feel you'll take with you?

A: Our final performance wasn't the best performance that I've done in this class, but it still showed all the individual growth that I've had during this term. Our use of space wasn't the best, but i still felt that it was effective, with us using different entrances and exits. I felt that personally, my acting was pretty okay. I didn't break character, and even though things didn't go as planned and there was a lot of improvisation, i was still able to keep up and show my character to the audience. I think that our script was really well done, but it was the carrying out of it that we has problems with. The process was really complex and took a long time, but I wouldn't have wanted to do anything else other than this performance for my final. This full semester was so fun and it taught me so much that I'll use for the rest of my life. Now, my stage presence and just presence in general when presenting a project is so much better. I know how to keep open to the audience and how to project my voice. I also learned how do some acting, and how to not break character and turn into people with complete opposite personalities as me and so many other things that I'll never forget. This was so fun, and I'm so glad that I could experience this. Thanks to all of you.

Theatre 1: Blog Spring '19

Sadaf S

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