[nabs-l] Taking acting classes

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Ashley,

I was sighted when I minored in theatre, but I took a couple of
performance-based classes while in my second go-around with university.
I know we have several blind theatre majors here though. I memorized my
lines with JAWS- I have a good retention with my short-term memory. If
you do an entire play, though, I think it would be best to have a
Braille copy of the script.

I did some directing, which I love. I helped direct a few scenes for a
class even though I wasn't registered for it. The instructor also taught
another class that I was enrolled in, and she asked if I would be
willing to help direct in her other class. I mostly referred to my
computer for the script and my notes. I had specific ideas for the set,
costuming and actors. It helped to go in already prepared, not trying to
figure things out as we went along.

You could use your cane on stage, but if you're not suppose to be blind,
it may look a little odd to the audience. Perhaps you could grow very
familiar with the set so you could walk around safely. Stage sets are
suppose to be set up the exact way each time, so if you were accustomed
to it, it would make maneuvering around it a bit more easy, and you
could leave your cane off stage so when done, you had your cane to get
around with.

Facial expression is a vital part of the acting process. You want to
convey the right emotions and characteristics connected with a
character. We would do face exercises along with body exercises to warm
up, and loosen things up. Whether stage acting or acting for film and
television, using appropriate facial expressions, and being expressive
in general, is very important. When acting, you create specific
expressions, movements, inflections, tones, etc. Every little detail is
disected and explored, then the actor constructs the character,
cognitive of each movement, each expression and how each word is said.
When running lines, you may say the same word, or phrase, over and over
in order to capture the proper tone and inflection.

The voice is probably the most important aspect of theatre because tone
can convey and imply a lot. I was in a local theatre's play, The
Outsiders, and we wore face masks so our performance was dependent on
the voice and body movement. We had to convey so much with voice and
body.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 15
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:43:22 -0500
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [nabs-l] taking acting classes
Message-ID: <A29CB5F9B0F141EDB5CCB4FC5C090B09 at OwnerPC>
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Hi all,

What Bridgit said about acting class brought back memories.
She said
?Acting, at least stage acting, pays a lot of attention to
body movement and facial expressions. Voice is also extremely important.
Taking an acting class can assist with more natural body movements, but
be aware that in an acting class, you'll be expected to perform in front
of your peers, being judged. If you can't handle constructive criticism,
or are extremely introverted, an acting class may not be the best
option. Even in a more informal acting class, you will have to perform
monologues and duets and group scenes.?

Bridgit, you have a minor in theatre; I haven?t met a blind person who
did that before. Of course you were sighted, so can draw upon your
experience learning facial expressions and visual expressions. Did you
braille the script for memorizing it? I cannot memorize by listening
except for song lyrics! I?m wondering how a blind actor would move
around the stage safely. I mean you have obstacles up there and won?t
have your cane since you?re another character. I just depended on my
vision. Interesting that Bridgit says acting class pays a lot of
attention to 
body movement and facial expressions. I don?t recall that happening. We
did focus on  voice though; like volume, tone and expression.

I took acting in high school and the teacher was very easy. I did not
learn much from it. We spent too much time watching movies rather than
acting. But I won?t forget our final where we had to do a monologue.
That was hard! I prefered working with a partner because their words
clued me into what I had to say.

In college, I also took acting. We did  a number of things. They ranged
from partner work acting scenes, improvization, something like sherades
where you stand in front of everyone and pretend to do a day activity,
and of course actual acting with small groups or a partner. We did
warmups to  loosen up; the instructor was very accomodating and showed
me these stretches and exercises. I enjoyed it. Our acting exercises
revolved around sensory awareness, and a lot of this was not visual. A
few were visual exercises which we adapted; like mimicking what someone
did with their hands. She stressed to be aware of all your senses and
surroundings. For instance, we did an exercise that you responded to
someone?s tone. Another was where you simply went and touched a
classmate?s hand. She guided us in what to observe. Was it rough or
soft? Rinkled or smooth? Boney? I guessed the guy I touched was athletic
due to his large muscular hands, and If I remember correctly, I was
right.

She did say you had to show expression, but not just facial expressions,
but expressions and movement with your whole body. We were definitely
judged on our performance by peers and the instructor who herself was an
actress. Still, it was fun. She never said anything about me needing to
be visually expressive, so maybe I was expressive enough as my girl
characters, or maybe it didn?t occur to her to say anything. Oh, we did
not watch movies either. So, I got a lot out of the class.

For the acting scenes, I asked the school to braille them. I got an A in
the class.

Ashley