Improvisations

As a rehearsal exercise in both our normal lessons and in our Acting Technique lessons we have been doing a number of improvisation exercises as a way of finding out more about our characters and making new discoveries to fill in the blanks missed out in the play.

At first I was confused about how improvisation would help me get to know Sarah better, but I actually found it extremely helpful for getting the whole picture about Sarah's life, which I hadn't done before.

'Sarah meeting Margaret again for the first time since Margaret left'

This was very interesting to explore, as it is not a moment within the play (it is hinted that Sarah and Gideon leave the convent and possibly go and find Margaret but the audience never find out whether she did or not). It enabled me to consider how Sarah may view Margaret differently from when she learns that Margaret abandoned the family and how much Sarah would have changed since her childhood. 

04/01/16

We also did a different kind of improvisation on our first day back after the Christmas holidays, which was an extension of the above. Scenes were pulled out of a hat and there was a style decided on for how the scene would be done.

I acted out Part 2 Scene 7 in the style of the reality TV programme 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians'. I did not think this would be a helpful exercise, but one of the discoveries I made was that I am not as secure on my lines as I should be at this point in the rehearsals. As I was having to concentrate on a particular style instead of acting it the way I usually act it, I stumbled on some of my lines, which was a shock to me considering I thought I knew them well. It was strange being taken out of the usual blocking for the scene and I realised I was dependant on knowing the physical actions of the scene to remember the lines. 

It was very usual to give the scene some new dynamics and to know which lines I need to affirm for the next rehearsal. Not everything from the exercise was useful, as some styles completely contradicted the text but it was a great way to ease everyone back into the world of play and unite the  cast as an ensemble.