yaniv's blog

18/5- Production Week

yaniv — Fri, 18 May 2007 07:46:50 +0000

The week consisted of countless after schools and early mornings as much needed to be done in the span of a week and we could almost say that there nearly wasnt enough time. This week saw bump in, the set come to life (change, develop and rearrange a lot), lighting and sound, characters continually develop, which gave us both hope and permanant buttelrflies in our stomachs. During the week we as actors got used to the sound and lighting cue’s as well as the lighting and sound managers getting used to us. In Thursday’s rehearsal we teethed and chopped (SCOTTYLEAVE ME A COMMENT WITH ITS CORRECT NAME) meaning we did the entraces and exits for both acts one and two for the stage manager to get practise forhis cue’s which symbolically marked us drawing a close to the rehearsal period. The play was handed over from Scott, our director, to Mond the stage manager who’s hands the play now lies in (no pressure at all). Friday was our last rehearsal. With a few hiccups regarding lines and cue’s act one was timed at 1hr and 5 minutes. There was no time to rehearse act two but i guess our first performance on Sunday at 10am will be our first full run trhough answering any questions or queries we may have about the order of events. It has been a stressful week but one that was inevitable. Tired or not…the show will go on!

14/5-Learn Your Lines

yaniv — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:01:52 +0000

This line learning has only caused trouble. it is such a challenge to remember all the little conversations the characters have, their cues and the timing all at the same time. And just as you think you’ve got them, you make a mistake and realise that you dont. When will they stay? How many times will i have to go through it before it sticks. How many early mornings is it humanly possible to do before we all die of sleep deprivation. When will i be able to answer any of these questions?

14/5-Jerusalem celebrations vs. Ready Steady Act

yaniv — Mon, 14 May 2007 09:58:03 +0000

It was production week. 9 members of a production company were peacefully working. when one announced bad bad news.
This was a challenge that we as a group had to overcome. The United Israel Appeal had organised a concert to be held in the auditorium of the PAC the same night of our last performance. this would involve loud music and many audience members- making noise which would disrupt our production held in the Space (the actors ’space’ backstage) The to events obviously could no coincide as they would be disrupted by eachother. we had 3 choices:
1. Stand by our original time. 6pm as we had booked it and done the right thing.
2. Change our time to 5pm to prevent any cross over
or 3. Ask (politely) for the UIA to change their time to 8pm
We were obviously going to have to fight for our right to perform but how hard was the question. So far Scotty had said that we refused to change our time. 5pm additionally would lose audience members who for the time would be an incovenience. And we prepared ourselves for number 2 because number 3 wasnt very convincing, as they are bigger and larger than we are.
these were the challenges we had to undergo. now we only await a final answer!

3/5-Rehearsal

yaniv — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:46:56 +0000

During this rehearsal i leant alot about Gordon and his gait as a person. Gordon doesnt move his hands around like yaniv does. Nor does he use them as a mean of expression rather he does use them whilst talking but not eccessively. He is quite balanced. And isnt as self concious as i thought he was. He isnt a three year old waiting for his mum to pick him up from school (re: the first scene) He is a man in his thirties waiting for a friend and his friend who doesnt want to attract any unecessary attention.

Also Damaturgy:
I need to see all your ideas/drafts that you have recorded for your stage craft elements to make sure that you are progressing according to our vision.

16/4- Gordon’s Backstory

yaniv — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 10:35:52 +0000

-Gordon enters the bistro as an introvert, a man who has recently been divorced by his wife, who he wanted to have children with and loved. He expects he is at dinner with his male friends to talk. And he intends to do so claiming that he needs to “talk to a fellow man”.
-Gordon’s wife Jane divorced him. This has a major impact on him. The reason why she may have divorced him may be due to social reasons.
-In the 1980’s institutions outside of the family that provided alternative sources of financial security, personal services and satisfaction such as work were the reasons why women began divorcing men. They made family and family stability seem less important. Jane was caught up in her job and became attatched to the new life style at ‘Challenge’. She oftentimes left Gordon at home alone while she went out meeting new people and drinking with her friends. This is a reason why Gordon wished he had children with her, “one or two little ones running around our feet” because “for the sake of children she would have stayed”.
-Communication could also be to blame for she was always out and left Gordon socially behind and alone. It is too not in Gordons character to speak/ verbalise his inner thoughts (but he learns to do so as a result of the divorce) therefore he ignored the problems and may have not even noticed them. She may have not even realised the lack of communication. And divorced him because he was simply ‘not her type’ anymore.
-Lack of common interests, changed values and lifestyle demands and desires differed over time.
-And lastly lack of sexual relations. Gordon did not enjoy having sex with Jane because “sex…well, it doesnt hold all the answers”. This could too be a main reason why Jane divorced him.

28/3-Analysis of ‘All My Sons’

yaniv — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 06:49:56 +0000

Before the play:
Publicity- the poster is of Joe and Kate Keller with an explosion in the background. indicating that something explodes during the play. This can be seen as relationships between the characters exploding or a literal explosion.
Venue- the venue is a little different from what i expected though it does suit the play and the venue which the play was written for. This influences the style of the production as the set and venue are quite proffesional and slightly commercial.
Set- The house of stage left and the tree stage right. A shadow casts on the house- as though Larry was an integral part of the house. Poplars closing in/protecting the secrets of the Keller’s. raked stage.
Lighting- natural lighting- shadow on house
Costume- America int he 1940’s. New Yorken characters wear New york fashion
A forum took place before the play to give VCE students an insight into the play and its history.

During the play:
-The production closely coincides with the context of the original playscript as in honours the original social, cultural and historical contexts
-The production relates to the original naturalistic/ realistic theatrical style of the playscript.
-The application of stage crafts coincide with the original payscript but there are a number of changes which have been changed according to the directors interpretation but do not alter the play; Music has been added at the beggining and end of each act that has a dark feel to it that indicate the darkness of the characters and events of the play, Bird chirps are heard during the more simple scenes where no real conflict occur, which highlights the emptiness during the climatic scenes. The set is slightly different which was obviously altered as a result of their interpreation. The lighting both the the playscript and this play indicate the passing of time, though in the intermission between act one and two sunset occurs which was not in the original playscript.

After the play:
An analysis was written as practise for Outcome 3 Unit 3.

27/3-Reading of the play: All My Sons

yaniv — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 06:37:09 +0000

The play one studies in Outcome 3 Unit 3 is important to be read before one sees the play as the expectation thus the original playscript may be altered in the directors interpretation:
-The action of the play is set in August 1947 in the mid west of the U.S.A
-Arthur Miller wrote the play in 1946
-The setting of the plot takes place in the back yard of the Keller’s home in the outskirts of an American town. Upstage is filled with the back of the house and its open, unroofed porch. At the right, beside the house, the driveway can be seen, in the left corner downstage stands the four-foot high stump of a slender apple tree. Garden chairs and table are scattered about.
-The theatrical style is naturalistic/ realistic both in the playscrpit and in the production
-The historical events of World War Two influence in plot of the play as the play comments of the struggle of Joe Keller to forget his past and create the American dream.

22/3-Diaphragm workshop

yaniv — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:47:12 +0000

You know when you sing and your voice gets really sore, well the same stands for acting. You must be using your neck muscle’s instead of your ‘Diaphragm!’- a large muscle beginning at the bottom of your ribs which goes to your abdomen, a muscle which you can use alternatively in order to have more breathe whilst singing and acting especially during soliloquis. We lay down on the floor in order to relax all muscles and really felt that we were breathing from some other place…the ‘Diaphragm!’. We did an activity where we let all the breathe out of our bodies and relaxed the abdominal muscles them let breathe in. As opposed to breathing from our stomach/abs we used our diaphragm which allowed all the air back into our bodies filling the diaphragm. The point of the workshop was to help us to use our voice on stage so that it will help us utilize how much breathe must be used and at which point.

24/3-Dramaturgical Survey

yaniv — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:28:39 +0000

I realised that this is probably the smartest way to get answers from you all, and see who really reads other blogs and who doesnt! So please do this asap! after all i would do it for you! Simply answer the question in a comment to me…how easy!

1.Has my work as a dramaturge influenced the work of your stagecraft? And how? ie: â€˜Dramaturgical Compostâ€™ pin board, Synopsis of the play, History of the 80â€™s.

Thanks for your help, Yaniv.

24/3-7 weeks to go!

yaniv — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:25:54 +0000

From looking at all your other blogs i realised that mine is a little to formal. But it makes me feel wierd spilling my emotions out to a computer screen. Anyway, i realised that ‘Yes’ this is a way of communication to you guys, to tell you my concerns and to include you in my process.
So my main concern at the moment is that i have not started learning lines and am getting nervous to start. This script is one of the hardest ive seen! so many little lines, little conversations and even two different conversations that occur at the same time.
So this is an opportunity for you to think about how you are going to learn lines and at the same time give me advise on where to start…or end?

Chanov!