Shu-Ling G

1/25/2019

I am a self-conscious teenage girl with social anxiety. I hope to one day be an animated television series producer on the Disney XD channel. In this class I am seeking a way to gain confidence in myself (even though I don't see why I would have any sort of confidence) and stop freezing up and looking away when I talk to people. I also hope to learn screenwriting skills.

11 Comments

Shu-Ling Gerbil

1/25/2019 03:05:25 pm

1. Who is more important... the playwright or the cast and crew?
My Answer: I think that all three are equally important. You cannot create a play without any of the three. However, the crew is often overlooked. This is just personal for me but many members of the crew had to be constantly on alert, listening attentively to make sure it ran smoothly without getting much of a break. Minor actors got much more credit even though they only had a few lines. The magic actors didn't have lines at all but still got to take the final bow and reveal themselves to the audience. However, talented actors can still send a message without any sort of lights or music. And of course, the play would not possibly exist without the playwright. Even though I am biased towards the crew, I cannot take sides and say that one is more important than the others.
2. Also, how did your first performance in class go? What did it feel like before, during, and after?
My Answer: It went alright. I was a bit nervous at first, but I was calmer on stage. I smile when I'm nervous which only made me more anxious because there were scenes where I should have looked upset where I was smiling. But after it was over, I felt relieved.

Shu-Ling Gaby

2/1/2019 02:54:04 pm

Reflect on the process of writing your monologue this week:

1) How did you begin? Did you brainstorm, get struck by a spark of imagination, or begin with by recounting a personal story, etc?
...I begin all my writing through dreams and ideas that come up randomly throughout the day. I made three monologues and stuck with the one that I thought was best. The idea came to me in a dream.

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...
...By thinking about tactics and objectives, I believe the character in my monologue will sound more believable and frantic for help. In my monologue, I used begging and bribery. She begs him to look for her missing children and then says that if he finds her children, he will regain his status as a famous detective, but if he doesn't want to take on her case, he will be missing out on his one chance back to fame.

3) What theatrical genre would you call your monologue at this point and why?
...At this point, I would say that it is modern tragedy because nothing good happens in the characters' lives. The woman is a widow and her two children have been stolen by La Llorona. The public thinks that she murdered her own children. The detective was defamed when he admitted he believed in the supernatural and became homeless.

Shu-Ling Gaby

2/8/2019 02:17:00 pm

Question: 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?
Answer: The story is about a widow named Gemma who has lost her children to La Llorona when she visits her mother in Mexico. She returns to the United States to enlist the help of washup-up, has-been detective. I'm not really doing anything to prepare myself other than rehearsing the lines. I wrote her dialogue in a way that would be easy and natural for me to say and I will try to make my body language be appropriate for the character I am portraying.

Shu-Ling Gaby

2/13/2019 01:07:37 pm

Monologue Reflection:
I panicked the moment I got onstage. It was the first time I actually had to say memorized lines in front of an audience. It was fun preparing for the monologue and writing it. I had it mostly memorized but when I got up there, I got 3 lines in and then had to make up everything else because I didn't want to look at the page. I felt really nervous. I rehearsed saying it with emotion and saying it clearly, but only in front of about six people that I knew. I don't really think I did anything well. Being an audience was easy but I felt empathy towards everyone who was super anxious and awkward going up because I knew what it felt like.

Shu-Ling Gaby

3/18/2019 02:36:29 pm

Question: 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.?
Answer: I wanted to do something pirate related because of the pirate ship park that I used to with my parents when I was little. In my collage, I added a lot of nature and water themes, so I went off of that to create my set. I am trying to create a sort of whimsical, timeless feel to my design. It is an image of someone's childhood fantasies. I wanted the colors to be bold and I wanted the ocean to pop out because as a child, everything was clear and colorful. It is a nonsensical set. There is a clock hanging in the sky and the ocean and seashells are climbing up the walls.

Shu-Ling Gaby

3/25/2019 03:25:18 pm

Question: What is at least one takeaway from the guest speakers?
Answer: That you need to continuously work hard to become big in theatre. Success doesn't happen overnight.

Shu-Ling Gaby

4/26/2019 02:08:15 pm

Question: 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?
Answer: Creating the design was simple enough since I've studied color theory and I love drawing. However, after I had to actually design the clothes, I came into complications where I didn't have the right fabric or I didn't have enough material. When painting the facial features and costuming, I wanted to create a girl who looked passive and constantly worried. I didn't really like my puppet play performance. I think I could have done better if I had chosen a different voice, and I had to jump around my teammates which complicated things since certain characters would switch places when interacting. I enjoyed watching everyone's puppet shows because they were humorous.

Shu-Ling Gaby

5/3/2019 02:24:03 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.
Answer: I believe that the reason his work was so highly acclaimed was because of how many plays he created and how diverse they were. He created both comedies and tragedies and each one was unique. I feel alright about taking on the scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Shu-Ling Gaby

5/10/2019 02:29:28 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.
Answer: I felt alright. The memorization was easy, especially since my lines were not long, but once I got on stage, my brain turned to mush. I remembered all my lines, but I felt shaky and I worried about sounding nervous. Since I was sitting down for my role, I didn't have any stage directions. Overall it was fun because I got to work with so many people.

Shu-Ling

5/24/2019 02:08:37 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.
Answer: I'm creating an illustrated tragedy. It was originally a short story I wrote for fun, but I thought it would be a good piece to illustrate and narrate. I've already finished storyboarding and I am working on the actual illustrations. I've researched all of the topics that my story is about to make sure it is as accurate as possible. I have no influences for my writing or drawing. I just hope that I can finish all of the drawings in time. I don't want to shorten it even by one illustration.

Shu-Ling

6/4/2019 09:46:10 am

Final:
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?

Answer: My performance was okay. I could tell I was reading too fast and I was nervous, but I liked how my drawings came out. I didn't use the space much because mine was reading a monologue with illustrations. I believe the process and text was my strong point in the final.
I think I grew more confident in this class. In 9th grade I didn't speak at all, and now I'm... slightly speaking more? It's still a work in progress. But I'll never forget making the theater spaces. That was one of the most fun projects I've ever had.

Theatre 1: Blog Spring '19

Shu-Ling G

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