Blog #19: However our celebration didn't last long

Description: 

"A spoonful of trust", according to the One Act Play organizers; or, "6. A spoonful of trust" according to us, is partially over! This Wednesday was the day of the performance and, as usual, we have received both positive and negative comments, as well, as feeling either disappointed or pleased with our own work. This entry will be focusing on the critique received after the performance and I'm gonna analyse in what way we could have ameliorated the play. 

A spoonful of Trust <3

Analysis:

The process of creating and building up the One Act Play was no close to being easy as I thought it would be. This process demanded of a bunch of hours of planning, trying out and practicing; with the purpose of reaching a final product that fulfilled our expectations. In my case, this process was not easy at any stage as once I reached a certain of level of satisfaction with one aspect of my performance, other problems began to arise. For example, when we got the idea of using the duel disk as a prop to help raise the energy in my scene; the other half of it was not taken care of; making it have a low energy and becoming rather repetitive and boring. I'm aware of the fact that the play could have been better, at least my scene could have been more flawless; however the presentations are not over, we still have two more presentations on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Form II and Form I respectively. I consider energy to be a key element in order to make the scene entertaining and understandable; my scene, for instance, demanded high energy and concentration at all times as it does not only rely on dialogue but on actions as well. If we look back at the first drafts of my scene in which there were many actions at the beginning of the scene when Spencer Alexis III was supposedly cleaning his wounds; and to the end product in which the actions were reduced and the main focus was melodrama; we can definitely see an improvement. This process helped me to understand the true essence of this theatrical genre, as I managed to get the idea that body expression and face expressions are much more useful than the dialogue itself. The dialogue can be dull, but as long as the actions that accompany them are exaggerated and grotesque, it will work (el asunto funciona). 

Blog #16: It's time to D-D-D-D-D-D-D-Duel!

Description:

Back to school after the already-missed holidays. However, that doesn't mean that there is no work to do; on the contrary, we are somehow delayed with the building-up process of the One Act Play. This week, we started to completely focus on the development of the scenes of the play; and polishing the characterization of our characters. We also decided on the name of our play based on the main conflict that it depicts. This entry will be focusing on the implementation of props and physicality. 

Analysis:

On Tuesday was the first rehearsal of the week and it began by me practicing with Roberto the first few lines of the first scene, since I hadn't finished writing my script. This was a major drawback as it didn't allow for me to develop or have a solid base for the scene. I couldn't work much as the script was incomplete, so Roberto told me to sit down and write down the rest as I had lost the first draft that I wrote before the July holidays. However, this allowed me to look at how Scene 3 was going on; and analyze it from an outer perspective. This scene is the last of the play and it takes place around the toilet seat. Grandpa Alfie constantly suffers from strong diarrhea due to the food prepared by the maid, Berlinda Jones. In this scene, we can see how Spencer Alexis II, the father, is helping grandpa Alfie clean himself; then, Berlinda Jones bursts in and demands that she needs to clean the bathroom. One thing that really helps to create humor in this scene, is the fact that the whole situation is absurd. For example, it is really improbable that you'll have a situation in which the maid tries to impose herself over the owner of the house, and even so, try to make him leave the room, forcing the grandpa to stand up. 

Moreover, the implementation of exaggerated face expressions, noises and movements in this scene is crucial. For example, taking as an example grandpa Alfie, who at first does not take much participation in the discussion, we can see that the noises he makes contribute to create a grotesque and disgusting atmosphere that at the same time creates humor. While, Spencer Alexis II and Berlinda Jones fight about him leaving and start pulling him from side to side, he is there making noises. These noises reassemble grunting, and somehow the pain a constipated man goes through; which create an absurd atmosphere as the audience realizes that everything is going on while a really old man is trying to defecate, something both disgusting and funny. Moreover, the exaggerated face expression and movements done by grandpa Alfie in this scene help to create an idea of his suffering. For example, when Spencer Alexis II is grabbing hold of him by the neck in order to keep him away from Berlinda, Alfie extends both his arms and legs while opening his mouth and making a choking sound. The fact that both Spencer and Berlind don't realize the trouble they are putting grandpa Alfie through, is somehow comedic and fun as the audience perceives as ironic the lack of concern that these two characters have towards Alfie's needs. Furthermore, we could argue that Alfie's vulnerability help to increase humor as the audience feels that he is submissive and therefore is forced to withstand all of what goes on. Another that I found to be interesting in this scene, is how Berlinda manages to impose over Spencer Alexis II who is supposed to be the man of the house, who has to be in control. For instance, in the beginning of this scene, after Berlinda bursts into the bathroom we can see how she manages to diminish Spencer who is trying to give the image of power. This gives the idea of Spencer's weakness and Berlinda's power which somehow is absurd as the audience knows that it is usually the other way; the employer (owner of the house) is the one in control, and thus the one who decides over the decisions. On the contrary the employee (the maid) is usually the one more submissive, however, in this scene we are seeing the opposite. At one point, Berlinda even raises her broom as if it was a sword, showing that she truly believes that she is superior to Spencer and that no one can act against her. This gives the audience a feeling of confusion and humor as our perspective of a functional family is being distorted.

On Thursday and Saturday I worked with Roberto on my scene, trying to define a set of actions that will accompany my monologue as it is pretty static at first. These actions go as follows:

1. Lavar la cara
2. Secar la cara y manos
3. Poner alcohol en las heridas
4. Poner hielo en las heridas
5. Pomada
6. Curitas
7. Maquillaje
8. Peinar
9. Perfume
10. Sacar la chompa manchada
11. Lavar la chompa
12. Sacar el polo
13. Coger el saco de pijama
14. Poner el saco de pijama
15. Abotonar saco de pijama
16. Sacar cartas de Yu Gi Oh
17. Poner gorro de pijama
18. Tomar pastillas
19. Sacar y poner "duel disk"

What these actions intend to do is add dynamism to the first scene of the play, as it is monotonous at first. The audience is able to see how Spencer Alexis III is reflecting upon what has just happened, her sister humiliated him in front of everyone by hitting and getting him hurt in a party. He is confused, and does not know what to think about this whole situation. However, he is really sure about something; he is not guilty of betraying the Prokopowicz DeBille. In this scene, the interaction with the props is necessary in order to avoid repetition and monotony. For example, at first, Spencer is trying to hide and cover the "traces of the crime"...the wounds. He does so by using the legato movements while drying, applying ice and alcohol to these bruises. The pace he uses to do these movements help to give the sense of pain, that pain caused by his sister. After he's done covering and cleaning his wounds with foundation and makeup; another facet of Spencer is revealed to the audience; his excessive eagerness towards self care... metro-sexuality in a way. He starts combing his hair and applying perfume, even do he does not needed... as he has just returned from the party. He then takes off his stained sweater and tries his best to clean it and remove those marks; which intend to represent his will to move on and forget what happened. However, that is not possible... At one point, Spencer lets a tear stream down his face. That tear is meant to represent all of his suffering which in a way has been contained. The audience therefore, perceives Spencer as a kid trapped inside the body of an almost adult man... so big yet so vulnerable.

There is also a twist in the monologue, the moment in which Spencer shows his true self to the audience; that moment in which he somehow gets possessed by the child that lives inside him... that Yu Gi Oh maniac. This happens, as he discusses with himself giving reasons to why he is not guilty of the betrayal. There is a sudden crescendo in the pitch of his voice and slowly the volume goes up to... There is an increase in tension and the audience can foreshadow that something is about to happen; that Spencer is about to burst. He kneels down and takes out of the cupboard, a "duel disk". This action is accompanied with a low pitched voice; which gives the audience the idea that Spencer  is coming out of his shy and weak crust... to the inner and powerful one. He activates the "duel disk" and starts narrating what happened with Algernon Balthzar Clayton; making exaggerated moves with the hands and having a separated feet stance. The audience is able to feel Spencer's passion towards this card game and really believe that it is all that means to him. When he says "you've activated my trap card" his sudden change in voice, making an unclear high pitched voice... gives a sense of creepiness... this guy is crazy! However, that is what melodrama is about... exaggerating little things. 

"Duel Disk" the prop that will be used by Spencer

The use of props, helped me explore another personality of Spencer; the audience will also have clear what he likes and dislikes by using these series of utensils to clean and cure himself; as well as the cards that will show his fanaticism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR-F99N10Pc

Connections:

I can once again connect the work done this week with the one done during the exploration process during the beginning of the school play, "Romper la piel". Why? Well, I specifically remember a rehearsal in which I didn't managed to find the character Roberto expected me to be. Therefore, with the help of Eduardo I tried an exercise in which He remembered me any memory that made me feel angry, and as this happened I had to focus and use my breathing in order to get these contained emotions out. The use of deep and continuous breathing managed to help me get concentrated on what he was saying, making me feel angry and frustrated as well vulnerable. I even managed to cry and it was inevitable. In the One Act Play rehearsals I also had to rely on breathing in order to help the feelings inside of Spencer Alexis III come out. During the rehearsals I try to accompany each set of actions with a specific breathing pattern; this helps me to concentrate on what is going on and the intentions of this character. It also helps me to connect with him and put myself in his shoes; abuse is something frustrating and depressing for him. 

Another connection that can be made with this week's work is related to an actual melodramatic soapopera, "Maria la del Barrio". In this entry I have mentioned how the absurdity of the plot itself is one of the main generatora of humor. In this soapopera, the characters exaggerate and make a big deal out of situations that don't demand it; and the fact that they care so much and believe that everything is important creates humor on the audience. In "6. A spoonfull of trust" the audience will be able to see how the characters exaggerate a lot everything. For example, the fact that Berlinda is so desperate about cleaning grabdpa Alfie's poop barrage. 

Reflections:

I have realized that all of this process serves a purpose. Character exploration is not only useful in order to identify and build your character externally, by getting to know his way of walking, face expression, etc. It also serves to know your character internally and help you to know what are the reasons behind his behaviour. For example, during the character exploration I pictured my character to use as a center of energy his shoulders and forehead and him using a way of walking based on small and fast paced steps. However, after practicing my monologue in which my character is pretty static and reaching the part in which he is supposed to transform completely; I had a different vision for his physicality in comparison to the one previously explored. He was more extroverted, he was inside his comfort zone and therefore his steps where bigger and stronger; he had something else... An attitude generator: the "duel disk". The audience can therefore perceive Spencer's double personality: the one that is more reserves that he shows to the outside world, and the one more extroverted, true and crazy that he only shows to himself.

Can a sudden change in the character's behaviour be truly a humor generator in the scene?

Blog #15: Characterisation... Please not again

Description:

The second week of July passed, which means that the rehearsals for the One Act Play continued. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we focused on characterisation and exercises that could help us to get into the character. We also decided how our characters should look physically and what clothes they should wear. In my case, there was a day in which Roberto helped me to start building the first scene of the play, in which I'm doing a monologue. This entry will be focusing on the things that were difficult for me and on how effective have been the things we've done so far.

Analysis:

On Tuesday was our first rehearsal of the week and we began by revising what we had so far concerning the script as Roberto told us to bring proposals. After reading out loud, part of our script Roberto pointed out some details that we should take into account. In my case, he gave me a structure that will help the monologue to not be too direct and give away so much information all at once. The structure went as follows:

1. Limpieza
2. Fiesta
3. Herido...?
4. Problema/Discusión
5. Golpes
6. Mujer
7. LÁGRIMA
8. Hermana
9. Cómo paso?
10. SUBE EL MELODRAMA
11. Cómo termino?
12. Razón
13. Descargo, Yo no fui

What this structure intended to do is to help give the monologue a sort of crescendo, a progressive increase in tension and dramatism. Since melodrama focuses on exaggerating actions and making little things into really big things; by going little by little and step by step, the melodrama will start to take over the monologue. For example, at the beginning my character could start by cleaning his bruises with alcohol and a piece of cotton; not much melodrama here as he is not speaking and just focusing on the actions, making them as clear as possible. However, when he starts to talk about the party and the unfairness of him getting hurt by a woman, things start to get intense as a tear starts to fall down his cheek. What we are intending to do by exaggerating little things and making them bigger is to create a feeling of absurdity, we want the audience to laugh at the misery of Spencer. Therefore, the characterization is going to be important in this matter; if the actions and the suffering looks fake then the scene will lose its funny essence. I should also take into account the setting, the place in which my character will be reflecting upon this conflict with his sister. We decided that the setting for the whole play is the bathroom, and we divided it into three sections: the section with the sink, the section with the shower and the section with the toilet seat. Spencer will be in the first section, therefore the actions he does should be relating to the sink and a potential mirror. I started to think about what actions could be possible, taking into account that everything should be exaggerated.

On Thursday, we arrived to the second rehearsal of the week with the improved script, the pictures of our character stimuli, and a sketch of our costume. In my case, I chose Nandito from "Maria la del Barrio" as a stimuli for the physical aspect of my character. Why? Because I perceived him as being in a way the typical, weak and delicate male that easily gets abuse by the power of a sister. Moreover, we also had in mind the idea of making this character sort of metro sexual, and the perfectly coiffed haird of Nandito gave this sort of impression of delicacy and extreme care for his own appearance. In the end, we decided to use pastel colors; therefore my costume ended up being light pink skinny jeans, a light blue shirt, a white sweater, white shoes and a blonde wig like Nandito. I believe that these aspects will help to present the personality of the character in a clearer way as these colors are soft and subtle giving this idea of weakness which my character should portray.

Nandito's face of pleasure and enjoyment.

Moreover, this day I also began to rehearse the first scene of the play. This process was somehow tiring and repetitive at first as I didn't seem to find the character very much. Roberto started dictating to me some of the lines that I wrote that he considered to be best. However, before Spencer starts speaking there is a previous moment in which he is cleaning the bruises. If we look back at the structure for the monologue, the cleaning goes first. Therefore, I started exploring, miming as if I had a piece of cotton on one hand and a bottle on the other. I explored using legato movements, making sure that I rubbed the areas where I had my bruises with delicacy and a slow pace. This intended to give the idea that I was suffering as the wek and slow movements gave the idea that I could hardly do it. The face expression that I maintained through out this moments was also important as I had to try and maintain a sort of poker face with the eyes looking apparently lost and the mouth in a straight line. what I wanted to do was to create the effect of confusion and sadness; Spencer is sad and feels bad for the whole discussion and misunderstanding he has gone through. The audience will therefore feel that it was not Spencer's intention for that to happen, and that now he is regretting everything. Likewise, I tried to implement my breathing in order to reinforce the idea of pain. By making the breathing louder and more consistent the idea of feeling pain could be intensified. In the end, exaggerating everything is better for this type of genre.

Connections:

I can connect this creative process to the one I experienced not so long ago in the school play rehearsals. It is always somehow difficult for me to start planning how to do a character but I think that once I get a stimuli an a starting point things get a lot easier. In the case of this year's school play, I wasn't sure about the character at first as I didn't seem to find the powerful and menacing characterization for "el jefe"; in this case at first I didn't seem to find a way in which I wanted to represent the character of Spencer. Now I have a vision for my character, by finding a stimuli the process of building the character has somehow become easier as how I have some guidance and the ideas are clearer. The challenge for me right now is going to be to implement melodrama to my acting, making sure that the majority of my actions are big and exaggerated. I should also be able to use the voice in order to depict pain and suffering, maybe a voice varying from high to low pitched will be useful...giving the impression that it is about to crack and the character is about to cry.

Reflections:

Linking back to one of the first performances we went to see this year, "Confesiones", I have managed to reinforce what Ana Correa meant when referring to theatre and acting. I understood that the character and us are basically the same as both of us share characteristics and emotions. I also realized that it is sometimes difficult to come out of our comfort zones, as I previously mentioned it was difficult for me to start picturing my character.  I would like to continue exploring the physicality of Spencer as I consider that the variation in pace and energy really manages to give ideas of weakness and power. Legato and staccato movements are important and manage to have a powerful effect.

Blog #14: Giving birth to the One Act Play

To what extent does comedy rely on absurdity?

Description:

The first week of July is now gone, which means that... we are getting closer to my birthday! However, it also means that we started with the One Act Play rehearsals/planning. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we started noting down ideas and brainstorming on the starting ideas that will help our play to build up and consolidate. This entry will be used to note down some of the ideas discussed, to analyze how these could be developed a little bit more, and to see to what extent they will be "effective" for our game. 

Analysis:

On Tuesday was our first rehearsal/planning session for the One Act Play Festival and honestly we were kind of short of ideas. We started to ask ourselves about what should the play be and what genre should it show. Should it be a comedy like every year? Should be something more dramatic? Maybe a story of mystery? We weren't sure. I personally like when the audience laughs and enjoys a play, it gives me the impression that they are more engaged and connected to it, which somehow makes me feel satisfied. Since we weren't on track, Roberto asked each one of us, what is it that we like to do. Ideas involving movies, sitcoms, TV series, videos, theatre, photography, etc. began to arise. Therefore, Roberto came up with an idea of the play involving a death, and actions taking place around that death creating a play of mystery and suspense. Afterwards, we tried to come up with ideas of possible settings for the play, trying to be creative and propose fantastic and imaginary settings also. We had ideas of a bathroom, a mouth, an anthill, etc. It was interesting, as settings could represent many things, and we could give them a meaning. A mouth, could depict the idea of sickness, old age, youth, etc. depending on the way it is set. For example, by setting a mouth with few teeth, we could argue that it represents old age as many of the teeth have fallen and thus the play could have dealt with the idea of a man dying to old age, however the other people surrounding him wish to know the "truth" cause of his death. Moreover, if we present a mouth with no teeth and just two baby teeth, it will give the idea of vulnerability and weakness. In this case, the play could treat the idea of an abortion of a miscarriage, however those topics are delicate and harsh. In the end, we decided to research about mysteries and crimes to create a storyboard on the next rehearsal. The rehearsal ended with Roberto telling us to start thinking about possible ideas for a mysterious play for Thursday. It is important to start the process with the right foot and thus come up with an interesting game, concept and play. 

On Thursday, we intended to consolidate and develop even more the previous idea proposed by Roberto, the one about having a death or a mystery to solve. Since we weren't sure if a death would be the most appropriate thing to do, we decided to try something else. Roberto asked each one of us what would be the scariest thing that we could imagine if we arrived to our houses. Ideas such as finding flour all over the place, a death body on the couch, finding your mom and sister motionless, the glass broken, etc. were said. We then tried to get ideas from that, and got to the idea of a man arriving home and finding something out of place, something strange and weird; a photograph of a stranger holding something of personal value for him: his teddy bear...? However, we realized that it didn't allow us to explore further the idea and develop a long play. We just got three characters; and the story ran short, due to the fact that it ran out of actions once the man asks his grandfather about the photograph, however, his grandfather does not remember and does not know anything about it. We finally, decided to play with melodrama, involving a simple story in which the conflict is somehow simple and ridiculous, we the purpose of creating humor and exaggerating basic things. The interesting thing about melodrama is that it allows actors to exaggerate a lot and play with their voices, body and physicality with the purpose of expressing clear feelings and emotional states. A clear example, would be "Maria la del Barrio" the mexican soap opera which is exaggerated and at moments pathetic.

This is the link to the video that Roberto showed us. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajvmOU2AIWI

As we can see on the video of the "Maldita Lisiada", melodrama intends to exaggerate situations more than what is usual, making a great deal about little things. We believe that humor will be created as people will see that it is stupid and dumb to worry about such small situations. Therefore, I believe that the tradition of the One Act Plays will be maintained, as the comedy will still be present, but in the shape of a melodramatic play.

We then started to think about the plot itself and the setting of the play. I gave the idea of a bathroom (I was pretty obsessed with them) and got to the idea that it would be interesting for three different scenes to take place in the same bathroom but in different areas all around. We divided the bathroom to 3 different areas: the area with the sink and mirror, the area with the toilet and the area with the bathtub. It was interesting the idea for the actions to take place one at a time in the different areas on stage, using spotlights or similar to indicate and focus the audience attention on one specific area at a time. The purpose of this would be to give the impression of connection, as well as creating a sense of absurdity as the setting is weird and dissimilar from the conflict itself (the family recipe has been exposed). We organized the play into three scenes as already mentioned, and the structure of it will be of a flashback; meaning that it goes backwards...starting with the present and looking back to what happened before. 

1. Monologue - Brother
2. Conflict 2 - Mother vs. Daughter
3. Conflict 1 - Maid, Father, Grandfather

This structure, of going from the present to the past, and from the past to the past even before that past; will stimulate the audience's imagination. By leaving many actions untold, the audience will start to imagine what happened before and thus be more engaged. For example, through my monologue, the audience will realize that my sister hit me and yelled at men, however this is not explicit as we aren't going to show it. Another example, is the moment in which the maid goes and yells at the mother; once again this moment is not going to be shown, but clearly expressed through the dialogue and actions. 

Summing up, we intend to show the story of a family that is jealous of their neighbors. The neighbors eventually find out the family recipe, and the family is worried and intends to find the guilty of exposing this recipe. The mystery will still be present, and we might even leave the case inconclusive; letting the audience imagine who the guilty was. 

Connections:

I can make connections between this creative process for the One Act Play and the one done last year for the "Independent Project". My group and I started with a stimulus, the Rubik's Cube and used it as an inspiration to create a short and possible play.  In this case, we started with a stimulus and used it to get ideas, however at first we started in the same way; we were kinda lost and started to suggest various ideas until little by little, some ideas were better than others and thus we developed these to reach a final product. Moreover, our final product can also be connected to the potential final product for the One Act Play, as both deal with family problems, and their members arguing about something with the purpose of finding a solution. The purpose of this, is for the play to connect with the audience who will or might identify with the conflicts shown in the play, and due to its simplicity they might find it more absurd and fun.

Moreover, I also find it interesting to connect our potential play to "Proyección Privada" as both of them treat the genre of Melodrama. In this play, the use of melodrama was really effective as it gave more energy, pace and dynamism to the play by creating humor and engaging the audience who pay full attention to the actions being shown. I hope that our play work as effective as this play in terms of melodrama, as this genre gives energy and humor to the play as long as it is backed up with exaggerated body expression and voice characterization. 

Reflections:

"Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."

What this quote is telling us, is that before starting to work on something, we should have clear from the beginning what is it that we want to achieve and accomplish; that is in fact, the key to success. In our case, the answers to these questions are simple and straightforward. Why are we doing this? Because it is obligatory...? Nah, just kidding, besides that, it is because this is something we like and truly enjoy; creating a play is something really difficult and laborious yet really gratifying. What could the results be? We could end up with an amazing play as every year, and let the audience enjoy it; as it is one of the conventions of theatre. We could also, learn more about the task of production that we were assigned for this production, in my case: scenery. Finally, will we be successful? Well, time will answer that, we should keep focused and motivated so the final product is as good and interesting as every year.

Blog # 12: Over analyzing separates the body from the mind.

Description:

The third week of June is now gone which means that the school play performances are over. However, we cannot close this project without stopping for a moment to reflect upon the work we've been doing for the past months, and to judge it by saying if the final product ended as we wanted it to be. There were three different presentations, three different days and thus three different groups of people who attended to see the play. This means that there were also different comments made by the audience. So, in this entry I'll be focusing on some of the comments made by the audience which really caught my attention and made me reflect about our play.

Analysis:

Actors running from place to place, costumes and clothes on the floor, noise and yelling...you could feel the hype. Foundation all over the place, prosthesis being put on our faces, people complaining about prosthesis... the changing rooms were full of many different problems, but in the end all of these had its benefits. I have been complemented many times by people who went to see the play on how much they like and even on how much it made them reflect. Well, we could argue that with just this, we've accomplished one of our goals and fulfilled one of German Expressionism's main purposes, to make the audience reflect and feel identified with the play. The first thing I want to talk about is symbolism and how have some of the people that went to see the play, interpret them. In the first place, we have the symbolism of power which is mostly present with the characters of "el jefe de fabrica", "el padre" and "el jefe de oficina". As I previously mentioned in one of my earlier entries, the levels created by the different risers and platforms on stage gave this idea of power and hierarchy. We have 4 major levels on stage; first we had the platform which elongated in front of the stage which is considered to be the lowest level, then we have the stage with no risers which is considered the second lowest level, we also had the first riser and finally the second riser in which the tower is settled. This idea of power and hierarchy is reinforced by these levels created; as they give a visual image of somehow stairs or a pyramid. They give physical levels in which the ones in the tallest level are the ones with the most power, and the ones in the lowest levels are the ones with less power. This also helped to generate a more intense feeling of oppression in a clear and more visual way; as the levels gave this impression of encapsulating "el hombre" in a repetitive and monotonous world of confusion and uncertainty. Taking as an example the scene of the family, both "la tía" and "la madre" were sitting on really tall chairs which were on the first riser, making them look even taller and menacing. The fact that these chairs were looking towards "el hombre" in 3/4s gave the impression that there is a barrier over him, that he is constantly being looked at and judged which managed to increase the idea of oppression and power. 

El Jefe giving the impression of oppression and power

Moreover, I received some commentaries concerning the mixture of reality and dreams and how they managed to intensify "el hombre's" suffering. When "el hombre" was in a peak of despair and confusio, there was a transition to a dream. Moreover, we can also say that the progression of the dreams was somehow in crescendo. Why? Because we can see how his first dreams start as a general idea of oppression (sueño azul) with these entities that oppress him in the factory, to become something more personal (sueño morado) with "las brumas" who represent his family and how they look at him. Therefore, these dreams managed to represent different levels of emotional distress; giving the impression that "el hombre's" sole reality and existence lies inside his head, as it is his way of representing the hostile world that oppresses him. The use of color also added dynamisn and energy to this scenes making them the most powerful and emotionally charged. The reality was in black and white, giving the idea that reality didn't have a purpose for him, he was tired and sick of his life and he wanted to reinvent himself. So, in a way "el hombre" managed to represent humanity and the people in society, he was every character in a way; as he represented the German society and the lack of identity. In conclusion, the dreams were the symbolic representation of what happened to him to an emotional level, they emphasized the way that this character felt across the whole play.

Finally, one other thing that caught my attention and something that I haven't thought about, was the code name given to "el hombre" during "las pruebas". "El jefe" refers to him as cadidato numero 379; well, I received a comment referring to this number in particular and how the fact that it is an odd number and how each of the numbers that form it 3,7 and 9 are odd manage to create this effect and idea of instability and weakness. I was told that the fact that the 9 is odd and that it is just before the 10 give the impression that you want to reach that 10 but you're still not quiet there. If we connect and compare this to when we raise the volume of the TV, you somehow get the need to get the volume to be in a 10 or in an even number; therefore we can say that odd numbers give the sense of being unstable and weak as they do not manage to be even.

Connections:

Well, I can definitely compare our play with 

Reflections:

This is the moment in which I should reflect upon some of the work done throughout this whole process. There has been many sensations, experiences and learning during these few months and I feel that I have managed to get the feeling of making German Expressionist plays. In class we learnt at the beginning that rather than focusing on the self discovery and relationship between the actor and his character, German Expressionism seeks to represent those emotions and use your body to transmit that idea without restrictions or constrains. Actors in those times did so because they wanted to relate to the German society of those times who suffered from many things such as lack of identity and economic crisis. Since this type of theatre was not intended for entertainment, everything was to be presented in the most crude and real way; therefore it not only tried to show something real, but something twisted about reality.

In the play, we managed to see this and therefore I think that the main idea of German Expressionism was accomplished. The fact that we see the story and life of a man that is not successful at all and who does not have a clear identity (this is why he is always questioned in his dreams) is really crude and sad.

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Blog #11: Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.

Description:

The second week of June just passed and we are exactly 4 days away from the premier of "Romper la Piel". This week, we had our general rehearsal in which we were able to fix any last minute details in order to make the play work in the best way. In my case, I worked and contributed to the process in a practical way, although sometimes I had to be the leader, specially with the 6th graders that worked in the tower with me in order to make the entrances as exits as clean as possible.

Analysis:

This week, as I already mentioned, we had the general rehearsal for the school play and therefore the actors and the musicians had to work hard in order to have the cues clear. As I have mentioned on previous entries, music is a really important factor capable of increasing tension, rhythm and pace  to the scene depending on the amount of dissonance and the pitch of the instruments the musical piece has. Taking as an example the ending of scene 6, Las Pruebas, the inclusion of the staccato bowing by a single violin during "el proceso de inducción" helped to increase tension as it gave the idea of individuality and uncertainty. Why? In my opinion, the fact that there was just one violin playing it gave the idea of individuality, reassembling more or less "el hombre" itself, likewise; the fact that it was doing staccato bowing gave the idea of uncertainty as if "el hombre" wasn't sure about what was going to happen. Furthermore, we could argue that the fact that it was just one violin, made the volume be low showing the impotence of "el hombre" who is incapable of changing his destiny; he simply does not show the strength and power of will it takes to step up and stop being the underdog to become something more. Therefore, I believe that music has a great influence on the dynamism it can add and bring to the scenes. The audience could feel what was going on, I think they were able to get into "el hombre's" shoes for a moment and realize that the lack of stability in his life is something really 

Furthermore, we could say that the effect that Jake implemented to the transition between scene 6, Las Pruebas, and scene 7, Sueño Fucsia, increased the tension and instability of "el hombre" as well. In my opinion, this "wah wah" effect rapidly varied between high and low pitches which gave the effect of oppression, overwhelm and instability. In a way, it gave the audience a glimpse into "el hombre's" soul and mental state; it was as if we could hear his thoughts and the fact that it was an unclear sound gave the impression that he didn't have his ideas well settled. Therefore, we could argue that the music followed the concept of an overwhelming reality, as it contributed to "el hombre's" moral decay. Clear dissonance, variations in the pitch and volume, and a chromatic scale helped to give the audience a clearer idea of how "el hombre" was feeling. This was of great use for the scene changes or transitions because it gave the feeling of blurriness required for the changes between reality and dreams.

Another design element that really helped to improve the scenes and give the sense of blurriness and uncertainty, was lighting. The adjustable light that managed to give a sense of hierarchy was the light propeller at each of the edges of the stage, the LEKO.  These managed to cast a shadow on the tower, which at the same time created two different effects. On one hand, we could say that when "el hombre" is being questioned by "el psicólogo" the shadow created on the wooden plank gave the impression of "el hombre's" inner self which little by little is starting to get bigger and bigger until the final outburst in the last scene of the play. Since the LEKOs were illuminating from the bottom-up, the shadow created was even bigger than Eduardo himself. Therefore, we could say that it gave the idae of "Romper la Piel", of "el hombre" going through these different stages in his life until he changes; until he reaches this different stage in which he first need to change internally to change on the outside as well. Moreover, we could argue that the shadow created on the tower gave the impression that "el hombre" is still being diminished by "el jefe", since in the tower, we had light striking right into "el jefe's" face creating a sense of spookiness and power. Although the shadow on the tower was pretty big, the fact that "el jefe" was on a higher level helped to create with the help of the lighting on his face the idea of him being superior and more powerful than "el hombre". The shadows created on the back of the scenery, in the case of "el jefe"  as I already said, gave the sensation of power and predominance, reinforcing his empowered status.

Furthermore, I could argue that the shadows created on the scenery, such as the tower or the wooden planks at the sides managed to depict one of German Expressionism's main ideas and purposes. Taking into account Germany's status in that time, we could say that these type of plays dramatized the "spiritual awakening" and suffering of their protagonists; in a way they intended to atone the feelings of these people. Germany at that time was going through the stages of World War 1 and suffered its terrible consequences. The country was in a state of depression and people had an undefined identity. Therefore I believe that shadows helped to portray that, the undefined identity of these type of people who aren't sure of what is coming next, who aren't sure about the power they are capable of having, etc.

Connections:

I have managed to reinforce a connection that I found when we were first starting to implement music to the rehearsals. It is a connection with "El Ultimo Ensayo" and all of the scenes of the school play. In "El Ultimo Ensayo" there are no clear changes between the scenes; lights do not fade nor they turn off, therefore the use of of props and music is essential in order to make a clear contrast between scenes. In the school play, we had in mind the idea of scenes being connected with no abrupt scene changes of cuts; the purpose of this was to give the idea of constant oppression in "el hombre" who does not have time to stop for a minute and reflect on the different things that are happening to him. We did this by using music and slight changes in the use of lighting and props. This intends to maintain the energy, pace and attention of the audience at its fullest. As I previously mentioned, the use of music accompanied by a series of actions is really effective in the transitions. The progressive changes in pace is useful to create another level of reality from scene 1 onto scene 2, scene 2 onto scene 3, etc. the grotesque and bizarre movements made by the workers give a sense of dreams and illusion. By changing the pace, rhythm and volume of the music, we can determine when the scenes are changing or when we are getting into a dream or back to reality. The use of lights was clearer in this manner as each dream had a color, and thus by using gels we gave the stage the color of the dream... making it clear for the audience that a dream was taking place.

Reflections:

I have been able to realize that music in fact helps to create a feeling of paranoia, in this case the paranoia felt by "El Hombre" since he will now feel that he is always being judged due to his quality of "inutil". The music therefore makes the listener/audience feel as if they were in a maze without a map; lost and confused. Instruments such as violins and violoncellos were useful to depict changing moods in the scene; the use of staccato bowing generate tension and uncertainty due to the speed and length of the notes they make. I can therefore say that the scenes solidified and became more complete as the implementation of sound designwas useful to make clearer the ideas that want to be transmitted. Music also helps to establish a better connection with the audience as it might help to bring them back memories of their past in which they remember situations that are similar to the ones being presented in the play. I also noticed that lighting is a really important factor in order to create a difference in hierarchy and power due to the shadows and their size. Likewise, these shadows gave the impression of the instability that "el hombre" and many of the other characters in a way feel in their lives. Now the questions is, if these will manage to establish a stronger relationship with the audience as they feel more identified. 

Will design elements be appreciated as much as they deserve by the audience? Will we manage to give a performance that will be valued by many? It all depends on how well the three days work out...

Blog #10: Quality, not Quantity

Description:

First week of June is now gone and we are exactly one week and four days away from the premier of the play as of today. This week we continued with the school play rehearsals and this time we wanted to ameliorate and polish the scenes of the second act rather than just finishing the, specially transitions and scene 7 (El Circo). In my case, I continued to contribute to this process in a practical way, though sometimes I had to help in the part of the direction with the 6th graders that were in the tower with me.

Analysis:

This week I was part of both scenes 6 (a.k.a. Estación 4) and 8 (a.k.a. Estación 5). However, this time we just focused on improving the quality of these scenes and establishing the transitions between one scene and another, I noticed something really interesting that would like to mention on this entry. I have realized that I haven't commented specifically on the scenery of the play up until now and I consider it to be a really important part of the play. For example, in the first scene of the second act, "las pruebas", there are different physical atmospheres being shown and separated by simple yet effective pieces of the scenery. El Jefe, is located around upstage left in 3/4s and the tower is pointing to downstage center more or less, where El Hombre is standing at first. This helps to create and effect of constant oppression as it gives the idea of El Hombre being watched and monitored at all times. Likewise, the fact that the tower is slightly pronounced outwards at the front give El Jefe the possibility to pronounce his body with greater intensity. This also creates the idea of oppression and bewilderment as we get a visual effect of roundedness; as if El Hombre was being covered by a large dome.

Moreover, there is also this idea of simplicity being better than complexity being shown onstage. Around center stage there is small desk in which El Hombre is takes "la prueba de conocimientos". The fact that the desk is really small, almost as big as El Hombre's body, helps to create a feeling of vulnerability as Waldo and Bonzo are standing one to each side of the desk. Since the desk is small, El Hombre does not have how to protect himself and is physically exposed to these two entities. Since Waldo and Bonzo are located to each side of El Hombre, it gives the effect of being attacked from all different directions. There is another atmosphere created to right stage center and it is the one of El Psicólogo. There is a big panel and in front of it, and looking towards it, is seated El Psicólogo who is in charge of questioning El Hombre about his past. I consider this part of the scene really tense as we are digging into El Hombre's soul and try to understand the reason of his suffering. I think it would be really interesting to light from the edge of the stage El Psicólogo in order to create a big and menacing shadow on the panel as it will create more tension and drama. We know that humans are afraid of the unknown, and shadows are clearly that, they might seem like nothing at first but what they are hiding is equally or even more threatening that shadows themselves. Also, the fact that El Hombre is located right in front of the panel looking towards the audience intensifies once again the idea of vulnerability as we are seeing him totally, almost barely naked; he cannot hide anything and is constantly being judged, not only by El Psicólogo, but by the audience as well. Finally, the other atmosphere create is the one of the "sala de operaciones", in which El Hombre is being examined and we get an idea of his physical state. Once again we get this feeling of decay and weakness being at the center whilst the rest is around. El Hombre is seated on a hospital bed whilst the two enfermeros and El Doctor examine him through all different areas of the body. There is another panel located behind the hospital bed, at left stage center, and it helps to create once again the idea of a different room. In this occasion the constant touching being done by the characters surrounding El Hombre give the idea of constant oppression as they are constantly judging him. This gives the audience the idea of the proximity between El Hombre and death in a way; we question ourselves and establish queries such as "how long will he be able to withstand the pain?".

The use of sounds is also something really effective that should be taken into account when watching the Estación 5. This time we presence constantly the noise being done by the workers of the office as they are all complaining about different matters concerning the work itself. There is incongruence generated by all the workers talking at the same time and the noises made by the constant typing of the keys on the typing machines and sounds these make. All of this create the idea of oppression made by El Jefe who is demanding high productivity and in consequence the workers stress out and what we see is chaos. The attitudes of the workers are being contrasted with the passiveness and confusion of El Hombre who finds himself in the middle of all of this chaos, this creates the idea of oppression and how it will eventually take over El Hombre who has been deposited into a word similar yet different to his previous work. It is also interesting how in this scene the workers go from being incongruent and dissimilar when speaking at the beginning to being organized and representing a single entity when talking to El Jefe who makes an abrupt interruption. This shows the docility and fear felt by all the workers who join forces when speaking to El Jefe as they know that as a single they wouldn't be able to confront him. The change of pace and tempo, from normal to slow motion when the workers start blaming El Hombre is really effective. There is a physical image of all the workers surrounding him and forming a sort of layer over his body and finally making him fall over the desk. This makes the scene more dramatic yet more interesting as the audience wonders "what will happen next" to El Hombre.

Connections:

I think that I can connect my character to "Acreedores" as in this play, the characters make special emphasis on their voice rather than focusing on refined physical actions. I think this is because voice often helps to show clearer the intentions and the emotions of the characters. In my case, El Jefe is going to use a microphone when speaking which will give more importance and intensity to his voice and thus the effect of power and oppression will be created. The microphone will also help me to explore lower volume ways of speaking since it will magnify what I'm saying. Therefore, it would be interesting to use a low volume voice like whispering to create more weirdness and creepiness.

In "El Ultimo Ensayo" there are no clear changes between the scenes; lights do not fade nor they turn off, therefore the use of of props and music is essential in order to make a clear contrast between scenes. Likewise, we are trying to implement this idea of connecting scenes with music and slight changes in the use of lighting and props. This intends to maintain the energy, pace and attention of the audience at its fullest. In the Estación 5, the workers themselves are in charge of getting their desks into place as well as the typing machines. They do this in the most serene and calm manner possible, as if they were turned off and didn't have strength at all. Once the lights change, the workers start their job as usual and there is this sudden outburst of energy. I consider them to be like robots who need of light to fuel their engines; this gives the idea of oppression and constrain.

Reflections:

The scenery on these two scenes fulfill their job in a good and efficient way. We can say that the scenery is somehow minimalistic as it does not intend to have its own purpose but to help develop and strengthen then idea of oppression and constrain. Moreover, the contrasts between individuality and masses shown in the Estación 5, give the idea of weakness and vulnerability from the workers who join together when talking to El Jefe. As I mentioned two weeks ago, in scene 6 the questions posed by El Psicólogo to El Hombre really help to encourage his moral decay as they make the audience understand El Hombre's past; we get to know that he was never valued for what he did, we was never congratulated for his accomplishments, he was just diminished by the greatness of his cousins and relatives who were more successful than him. Therefore, we see that El Hombre's life throughout this play up to this point is of constant decay and oppression, as if he was falling permanently in a ground-less pit. Since this type of theatre was not intended for entertainment, everything was to be presented in the most crude and real way; therefore it not only tried to show something real, but something twisted about reality.

Is it effective for actors to rely fully on their voice?
Te quiero Robbie <3

Blog #9: El pan para mayo se agotó...

Description:

The last week of May just passed and the school play rehearsals managed to maintain the same focus as last week's work; however, this time rather than focusing on building the first scenes of the second act, we managed to finish (at least what appears to be a first draft) the second act of the play. In my case, i continued to contribute to the process in a practical way, working on the third scene of the play by ameliorating the character that I previously built. I worked with the "Estación 5" (a.k.a. scene 8) on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, order wise.

Analysis:

In my case, I had to continue working on the characterisation of my character for the "Estación 4" as the audience has to be able to understand what is the role of my character in the play and what effect it causes on "El Hombre". Roberto suggested that I should try implementing a voice in which it appeared that my character had nasal congestion although he didn't. In my opinion this would intensify the creepiness and weirdness of the character since his voice would be contrasted with his body characterisation and thus generate both humor and weirdness in the scene. The powerful and menacing body characterisation would still be mantained; having the chest slightly pronounced outwards, the shoulders now slightly raised, the legs close together when standing up, and separated when playing with levels, the fingers and hands reassembling a spider and my face expression consisting of the wide opened eyes, the mouth remaining neutral and smiling by showing just the teeth when saying something cruel or listening to something, and the sudden thrusts and movements of the head which I consider that reassembles the wriggle of the worms or snakes. All of these manages to make the character of "El Jefe" special as his body, face and voice depict the idea of him being weird and creepy, as if he had been molded to be like that. The sudden contrasts and changes between having the legs close together when standing up and bending them and separating them when playing with levels and when using the border of the tower to talk to "El Hombre" creates a feeling of imprisonment and constrain, as it gives a visual impression of "El Hombre" being covered by "El Jefe's" body which appears to be more prominent due to the fact that it is raised and since many shadows are created in the backdrop on stage. The sudden smiling by "El Jefe" is mostly used after he has said something that makes "El Hombre" feel miserable, for example after he says "Si has llegado hasta acá es solo porque tu curriculum no fue tan malo como el de los demás,¿lo sabes no?". "El Jefe" is trying to highlight the fact that "El Hombre" is useless, and the only reason that he is bestowing him the interview is because there are other candidates out there with even worse qualities. He makes this clear, and then smiles as if he gained pleasure from making other people feel miserable. This makes more clear his wicked mind and the fact that he has full control and domain over what is done in the company. This also works with the eyes that remain at all times wide open and without actually blinking, which gives the idea of monotony as if "El Jefe" was saying and doing everything monotonically without processing what he is saying or doing. It also gives the impression of him having lost his sense of perception and no longer feeling any emotions, he has been robotized and fully molded to the demands of the society in those times. This increases the weirdness of the character and makes it even creepier as the audience feels threatened by both, his stare and unconventionally awkward movements. Moreover, when Waldo and Bonzo, "El Psicólogo" or "El Doctor" are doing the tests to "El Hombre", "El Jefe" is in his tower looking at everything that is going on without saying anything; therefore the use of actions in these moments is really important. Roberto told me that the movements had to depict and show the craziness and madness of the character. Therefore, I consider it interesting for the character to kneel down, and just show to the audience his head and part of his shoulders. He would be grabbing the borders of the tower and wriggling his head from side to side maintaining his face expression; with sudden smiling which made it more creepy and dramatic.

Connections:

The first connection I found was between scene 1 ("Estación 1) and "Proyección Privada". In "Proyección Privada" we are able to see a strong contraste between the woman and the husband, since they both have opposite personalities. As I mentioned in my play review, the woman is identified and represented by the rabbit, an animal which represents comfort and vulnerability whilst the husband is represented by the horse, an animal that represents power and freedom. These two attitudes help to intensify the idea of being totally different but at the same time manage to transmit one idea; the fact that love diminishes over time. Likewise, in scene 1 of the school play; the two contrasting attitudes being presented are the ones from the "Sindicalistas". For example, Jose Alex's character has this sort of aggressive momentum and presence which is clearly depicted by his voice and body characterisation. On the contrary, Patricio's character is more delicate and sagacious; which helps to intensify his mental power. Although both of these characteristics are not the same and somehow different (mental vs. physical) they are complementary at the same time. The fact that both of them are "Sindicalistas" gives the audience the impression that they can tackle problems from different points of view as they can easily relate with the workers in the factory. Therefore, I can say that the use of contrasting characters is really useful when trying to represent a somehow strong and complementary idea.

Moreover, I also find a connection with "El Ultimo Ensayo" and the first two scenes of the school play. In "El Ultimo Ensayo" there are no clear changes between the scenes; lights do not fade nor they turn off, therefore the use of of props and music is essential in order to make a clear contrast between scenes. Likewise, we are trying to implement this idea of connecting scenes with music and slight changes in the use of lighting and props. This intends to maintain the energy, pace and attention of the audience at its fullest. As I previously mentioned, the use of music accompanied by a series of actions is really effective in the transition between scenes 1 and 2. The progressive changes in pace is useful to create another level of reality from scene 1 onto scene 2, the grotesque and bizarre movements made by the workers give a sense of dreams and illusion. Therefore I can say that the use of music and lighting will in fact be helpful in order to help transitions between the scenes of the play. However, this continuity will demand a high level of concentration and energy from the actors who will be on stage most of the time unless they have to leave because they won't appear again.

Reflections:

I have realized that the creative process of making expressionist scenes in the play continues to be developing well. The implementation of dialogue to the scene gave it a completely different mood and pace. For example, in scene 6 the questions posed by El Psicólogo to El Hombre really help to encourage his moral decay as they make the audience understand El Hombre's past; we get to know that he was never valued for what he did, we was never congratulated for his accomplishments, he was just diminished by the greatness of his cousins and relatives who were more successful than him. We also understand that since El Hombre never found love, he has never been truly happy in his life. The audience understand El Hombre, because we know that love is one of the things that make people happier and since he has not experienced that yet, his life has continued to be a constant pit from which he cannot escape. Referring back to German Expressionism conventions, we know that rather than focusing on the self discovery and relationship between the actor and his character, German Expressionism seeks to represent those emotions and use your body to transmit that idea without restrictions or constrains. This is clearly being shown in the scenes of the play; taking as an example scene 6, both Bonzo and Waldo use their bodies clearly to depict the idea of weirdness and craftiness by using the face, especially the ideas which constantly move from side to side. Since this type of theatre was not intended for entertainment, everything was to be presented in the most crude and real way; therefore it not only tried to show something real, but something twisted about reality.

To what extent is character personality determined by voice pitch and pace?

Blog #8: Waaaldo!

Description:

The fouth week of May is gone and this time the school play rehearsals involverd continuing with last week's work; which included building the first scenes of the second act of the play. Throughout this week, the actors were once again in groups with people from the same scenes. In my case, I continued to contribute to the process in a practical way, working on the first scene of the second act by implementing the character I previously built during the creative process on the first few rehearsals. I worked with one scene, the “Estación 4” (a.k.a. scene 6) Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday respectively.

Analysis:

The "Powerpuff Girls" were back, which meant that part of the direction of the rehearsals was alleviated from our shoulders, but many work still had to be done. In my case, I had to continue working on the characterisation of my character for the "Estación 4" as the audience has to be able to understand what is the role of my character in the play and what effect it causes on "El Hombre". Roberto suggested that I should try implementing a voice in which it appeared that my character had nasal congestion although he didn't. In my opinion this would intensify the creepiness and weirdness of the character since his voice would be contrasted with his body characterisation and thus generate both humor and weirdness in the scene. The powerful and menacing body characterisation would still be mantained; having the chest slightly pronounced outwards, the shoulders now slightly raised, the legs close together when standing up, and separated when playing with levels, the fingers and hands reassembling a spider and my face expression consisting of the wide opened eyes, the mouth remaining neutral and smiling by showing just the teeth when saying something cruel or listening to something, and the sudden thrusts and movements of the head which I consider that reassembles the wriggle of the worms or snakes. All of these manages to make the character of "El Jefe" special as his body, face and voice depict the idea of him being weird and creepy, as if he had been molded to be like that. The sudden contrasts and changes between having the legs close together when standing up and bending them and separating them when playing with levels and when using the border of the tower to talk to "El Hombre" creates a feeling of imprisonment and constrain, as it gives a visual impression of "El Hombre" being covered by "El Jefe's" body which appears to be more prominent due to the fact that it is raised and since many shadows are created in the backdrop on stage. 

The sudden smiling by "El Jefe" is mostly used after he has said something that makes "El Hombre" feel miserable, for example after he says "Si has llegado hasta acá es solo porque tu curriculum no fue tan malo como el de los demás,¿lo sabes no?". "El Jefe" is trying to highlight the fact that "El Hombre" is useless, and the only reason that he is bestowing him the interview is because there are other candidates out there with even worse qualities. He makes this clear, and then smiles as if he gained pleasure from making other people feel miserable. This makes more clear his wicked mind and the fact that he has full control and domain over what is done in the company.  This also works with the eyes that remain at all times wide open and without actually blinking, which gives the idea of monotony as if "El Jefe" was saying and doing everything monotonically without processing what he is saying or doing. It also gives the impression of him having lost his sense of perception and no longer feeling any emotions, he has been robotized and fully molded to the demands of the society in those times. This increases the weirdness of the character and makes it even creepier as the audience feels threatened by both, his stare and unconventionally awkward movements. Moreover, when Waldo and Bonzo, "El Psicólogo" or "El Doctor" are doing the tests to "El Hombre", "El Jefe" is in his tower looking at everything that is going on without saying anything; therefore the use of actions in these moments is really important. Roberto told me that the movements had to depict and show the craziness and madness of the character. Therefore, I consider it interesting for the character to kneel down, and just show to the audience his head and part of his shoulders. He would be grabbing the borders of the tower and wriggling his head from side to side maintaining his face expression; with sudden smiling which will show his pleasure towards the suffering of "El Hombre".

Moreover, I can say that this scene also evokes a sense of humor which can be shown by both; the pace and agility of the dialogue. For example, the first part of the tests (Prueba de Conocimientos), Waldo and Bonzo say their dialogue in a fast and rapid way which creates the idea of overwhelm on "El Hombre". The fact that Waldo's and Bonzo's dialogue complement each others', the audience perceives an idea of unison and somehow of a single entity. Can we say then, that Waldo and Bonzo together represent one single character? In my opinion yes, because they both talk one after the other and their dialogue is totally coherent one with the other. Their contrasting body characterisations are so different yet complementary as they show different attitudes and personalities; all of which a person has. Bonzo's upright posture and low pitched voice is complemented by Waldo's high pitched voice and more loose posture. The fact that they both are saying their dialogue without leaving any gaps between, adds tension to the scene as the audience realizes that "El Hombre" is being bombarded by queries that might sound ridiculous yet menacing. The rapidness of these responses help to create humor as their robot-like physicality gives the audience an idea of repetition. The fact that they at parts surround and go around "El Hombre" looks unnatural and funny as "El Hombre's" reaction of confusion and astonishment helps to build up humor since he appears clueless and totally confused. Moreover, the song and incongruent movements done by the "enfermeros" helped to create humor also. Joaquin's and Emilio's characters move like oompa-loompas and the fact that they are both goofy and useless when performing really simple tasks create humor. For example, when they sing the song whilst trying to put on the robe over El Hombre, the clumsiness and bad coordination while doing so make El Hombre look totally lost and without idea of what is happening. The fact that these two characters show pleasure and satisfaction after unsuccessfully putting on the robe give the impression that they believe that they have done the job in the best way possible; which ironically creates humor on the audience. 

Connections:

I believe that the first connection that can be made is between "The Great Gatsby" and "El Hombre" itself. Why? Because both of them suffer in an attempt to mold and become what society expects from them. In the case of Gatsby he is inspired by the love of Daisy; she is his inspiration and what she aspires to have. On the contrary, El Hombre indirectly fights with these different stages in his live in an attempt to survive and be accepted by everyone. If we look back at the context of German Expressionism, we can see that in those times, the German society was struggling to find an identity and personality. In this case, El Hombre struggles to find his defined personality. When he confronts El Psicólogo, the audience is exposed to many background information. We realize that he has never found love, that he has never been praised or value by his family, and that he has been overshadowed by his cousins. This gives the idea that he does not have a strong personality, that he is easily breakable and that his weakness precludes his ability to defend from the outside world. It is not until the end of the play in which we are going to see the outburst of emotions...which at the moment I don't know how it is going to be.

Reflections:

The implementation of dialogue to the scene gave it a completely different mood and pace. As I mentioned last week, in scene 6 the questions posed by El Psicólogo to El Hombre really help to encourage his moral decay as they make the audience understand El Hombre's past; we get to know that he was never valued for what he did, we was never congratulated for his accomplishments, he was just diminished by the greatness of his cousins and relatives who were more successful than him. I have also noticed that the pace of the scene determines the mood of it. If it is faster it will tend to be funnier as we can see with the parts of Waldo & Bonzo and with the two "enfermeros". They both increase the pace of the scene by using the song, their body and the speed at which they say things. On the contrary, a slower pace will create a more tense and weird atmosphere. We can see this in the part of El Psicólogo and El Jefe since we both elongate words and give certain stretches to certain vocals which give the effect of time passing and intensifying El Hombre's pain. Since this type of theatre was not intended for entertainment, everything was to be presented in the most crude and real way; therefore it not only tried to show something real, but something twisted about reality.

How can we merge contrasting personalities to create one single entity? Is it always effective? Does it rely on the pace of the scene?