The Pajama Game

*Found in the depths of my TA folder. Added a few details*

The Pajama Game is the game we're in and we're proud to be in the Pajama Game, we love it! 

The past few weeks have been a mixture of things. We've had our ups and inevitably in the painstaking process of putting on a musical, we've had our downs. But through the hardships, we've found a way plow through the stress and BOOM, resulted with a colorful, spectacular musical (in my opinion at least).

The Pajama Game is set in the 1950s, in a time of 'economic upheaval' and 'governmental chaos.' The plot of the musical thickens with mawkish, cheesy love story between the foreman of the factory, Sid, and the president of the grievance committee, Babe. They experience a clash between their work positions; Babe desires a 7 and a half cent raise whilst Sid must keep the factory running smoothly.

I had the pleasure of playing Mr. Hines, the time keeper of the factory. This 'job' or role was quite an interesting one. I found many parallels between him and El Fayoumy - they're both loud. Well I guess that's pretty much it. They're both loud. They both exhibited zaniness in their character and were pretty entertaining to play. I guess I had to face a few obstacles in the characterization of Mr. Hines. He is stern yet fragile. I had trouble finding the correct equilibrium between serious and humorous at times and could not discern between what seemed funny and what seemed serious. It was probably one of the most fun roles I've played thus far in my acting career. 

Overall, the musical was a mammoth success. The stage, the lighting, the acting, the music in the end was an immense product! :D 

RI Japanese Theatre Notes

Tadashi Suzuki:

Movement and method of acting

• Fundamental Theories
• To act, one must have a point of view
• For acting to begin, one must have an audience
• To sustain acting, an awareness of the invisible body is required
• Goals for the actors
• Understand the different ways in which the feet contact the floor
• Breathe through the nose
• Send the energy through the floor onto the ground when stomping
• Keep the upper body free, but strong
• Be constantly focused an aware
• Lose yourself in fiction
• Keep the lower body constantly enraged and powerful underneath the center of gravity to support the breath and vocal instrument
• Ten ways of walking: Stamping Shakuhachi
• Standing Statues
• You move from a standing pose and you freestyle
• Sitting Statues
• Different relationship to the floor
• Activity
• Trying out the ten ways of walking
• The philosophy of Tadashi Suzuki
• The rise of modern Japan
• World War Two
• Effects of the Atom Bomb
• United States Influence
• Capitalism
• Globalization
• Movement into the 21st century
• Resistance to change
• Modern Japanese Theatre
• Globalization and Culture
• Decrease in communication, decrease in Theatrical Appreciation?
• Non-places
• Welcome to the West!
• Culture Extermination
• Rules of Society
• Theatrical Spaces
• The Village of Toga and Theatrical Space
• Form of Silent Protest
• Artistic enlightenment outside of the capital
• Dynamic Locations
• Outdoors vs. Indoors
• Audience and Actor Relationship
• Creating the feeling of "Home"

Japanese Underground Theatre (Angura): 

• Underground Theater
• 1959-1980
• Response to Shingeki Theater
• Anti-American Sentiments
• History
• Old Theater Kabuki
• New Theater Shingeki
• World War II
• Implications
• Conformity to Ideals
• Realism fo Stanislavski
• Humanism
• Proscenium Stage
• Adaptation of Western Plays
• New movement of the ARts
• Against the renewal of the Japanese American treaty in 1960
• Zengarukan student led organization
• Violence
• Rodosha Engeki Hyogikai
• Working People's Theate
• Major Angura Groups
• Kurotento or the Black Tent Company
• Jokyo Geikijo or the situational theater by Kara Juro
• the Tenjo Sajiki of Terayama Shuji
• The Tenkei Gekijo or the theater of transformation
• The Waseda Shogekijo or Waseda Little Theater by Tadashi Suzuki
• Later named as SCOT
• Rituals: Relations
• Kara Juro
• Karawa Kojiki
• Kabuki Theatre
• Rituals: Historical Impact
• The Fight for Independence
• Shingeki
• Selling out
• Western Ideals
• Against our people
• Philosophy
• Counter Cultural
• Search for Meaning, Search for beauty
• Oto Shogo
• Passivity
• Life is journey from Birth to Death
• Distance audience to give them perspective
• Silence, Stillness
• Kara Juro
• Rejected the traditional western stage
• Beauty of the Human  Spirit
• Flexibility in appreciating beauty
• Terayama Shuji
• Day to Day routine is meaningless
• More Intense and Meaningful reality
• Transcendent experience for audience
• Tadashi Suzuki
• Discipline of mind and body - centre
• Choice
• Battle on with the pride of the defeated
• in the battle, you will find meaning

Noh Theatre: 

• Brief history
• During the Nara Period (710-794) 14th century sangaku was imported to Japan from China
• Pantomime, actrobatics and magic, music and dance
• Over the course of 600 years, arts shaped and develeoped
• Nambokucho period
• Noh was created
• Hard to mark official starting date
• Kan'ami
• First to write and practice Noh
• Zeami
• Most well known practitioner of Noh
• Kan'ami's son
• When his father died, he was entrusted witht eh responsibilities and leadership of his father;s za
• Wrote new plays as well as dialogues on the creation, existence, and ideals behind Noh
• Characteristics
• Combines elements of dance, drama, music and poetry
• Written in the fifteenth or early sixteenth century
• Recreates famous scenes from well known works of Japanese literature. Not a dramatic reenactment of an event but its retelling
• Scenes are all actual spots in Japan, usually in the provinces
• Buddhist beliefs influence Noh theatre
• a person could not find spiritual release even after death if he is still possessed by some traumatic experiences of the past
• Zen Buddhism and Noh
• Japan bery much influneced by religion
• Prominent during Zeami's time
• Hana (flower)
• the relationship of the audience to the actors and stage where they perform
• feeling of perfect balance, mystic suspension in time
• "To know the meaning of hana is the most important element in understanding Noh, and its greatest secret"
• actors must train for years with the masters
• symbolizes Divine Presence
• Staging
• Heavens
• Bridge from heaven to earth
• The four pillars are the directions so the actors know where they're going
• Tree in the back
• Japanese Pine tree
• Common tree
• Simple tree
• Buddhist ideas of simplicity
• Movement
• Within each noh there are sections with names like kuse or kiri
• chorus and musicians play together in rhythm while the shite dances
• Basic Kata
• The basic movement patterns of noh
• Shiori
• To express sadness or grief
• Sashi
• Uses the fan
• Vocal Techniques
• Utai
• Vocal
• Performed by the Shita and students
• Keept the story moving
• Ji-utai (chorus) sing to movement/shita's thoughts
• Can sing in 1st person, not characters
• No set pitch
• Sings as one boice, no harmonies
• Based on a 7-5 syllable count sung over an 8 beat measure
• Three different types of matched rhythms
• 2 types of singing style
• Strong singing
• non-pitch oriented singing

Kabuki Theatre: 

• History
• 400 years ago
• Bright vibrant colors
• Origins of the Kabuki Stage
• Dry Riverbeds of Edo
• Izuno No Okuni
• Pre-Kanbun Era
• Crude backdrops
• Bare Noh stages
• Marketplace Culture
• "Scribble-Scrabble" art form
• Kanbun Era
• More complex performances
• Legitimacy of Kabuki develops
• Introduction of Hanamichi and the pull curtain
• Hanamichi = Flower path
• Crude backdrops
• The first Theatres
• Bofuku government's allowance
• Stone and wood materials
• Rapid development
• Different types of design
• Standardization of Hanamichi
• Development of Keren
• Seri
• Trapdoors
• Keren
• The revolving stage
• The first of its kind, invented in Japan
• Was man powered by workers called "Anaban"
• Wasn't electronically powered until 1911, when the Imperial theater was unveiled.
• It's first use was the 1758 during the finale of the play, Sanjuseki Motome Mesume
• It was used as a trick to cahnge scenes by the "divine power" of one of the characters.
• Lights up set change "Akaten"
• Seri (Trap door)
• Developed in the Kansei era
• Allowed actors to make dramatic introductions onto the stage
• It was originally man powered through the use of a rope and pulley system
• Was electrified in the 20th century
• Modified Seri for the Hanamichi was the Suppon
• Chunori (Wire Flying)
• Reserved for characters with magical abilities
• Adds on to the stage magic that a character can possess
• Traditionally, an actor doing chunori, starts out on the junction where the hanamichi meets the stage and then ascends to the audience seats that are on the third floor
• Used to be done with rope
• Makeup
• Simple white makeup
• Black makeup
• Wig, oil, and oshiroi (white paint)
• Used to highlight characters
• Earliest form of spotlight
• Commonly used in Wagoto or soft style Kabuki
• Destroys features
• Rough Style
• Telling action hero stories and for action comedies, folk tales
• Clothes and makeup were very ostentatious and loud
• mie
• Kumodori
• The makeup technique and symbolic meaning to the makeup in the Aragoto style of Kabuki theatre
• Belief in yin and tang, provide symbols to the face.
• Symbols
• The belief in yin versus yang
• Red is yang and is the color of youthful protective anger
• Blue is yin and the color of bottled and resentful anger
• Green = the ethereal and godlike
• Purple = the rich and the noble
• Each streak represents something specific to the character and so the actor may change but the makeup doesn't.
• Oshiguri
• Little ritual where they would put their face on a piece of fabric then they'd have a memento

Japanese Theatre

• A living theatre -- despite how long it has survived. 
• Traditional theatre practices - Bunraku, Noh, Kabuki, Kyogen 
• Inspiration can arise. Traditional to non-traditional and vice versa. 
• Throughout Japanese history, most practices entailed solely one sex (traditional). 
• 14th century, full fledged theatre developed in Japan - time for recognition. Prior to this there was music, dance, literature, poetry that was thriving. 
• General characteristics (More traditional) 
• Text speaks itself. It is not ordinary dialogue. 
• Chorus. It's poetry or metered prose; sung, chanted, patterned intonation. Voicing the text that has been written. Fluid narrative stance. Break the speeches up. It is a non linear story line. 
• Flexibility of time and space. Time in Japanese theatre is malleable. Time can be matched to the story in order to please the aesthetic. Theatrical time is as pliant as theatrical space. 
• Centrality of form. Movement, text, costumes and music are valued for formal beauty as for aesthetic. Movement can interrupt narrative time - just be there for aesthetic purpose. Base can stay the same, but the tone and the mood will be different. Vary speed, timing, intensity, design or color. 
• Mastery of form in training. Students learn by imitation. You would have to go a long way to be able to question interpretation. Form diminishes interest in verisimilitude (elements or aspects of reality that you evoke through writing). Form is truth. 
• Theatricalization of the mechanics of theatre. 
• Intensity of intertextuality. Originality vs. Traditional. Art of allusion. 
• Traditional Japanese theatre is presentational theatre vs. representational theatre. 

Greek Theatre

*Other notes are on information worksheet.*

• Greek theatre is inextricably linked with ritualistic beliefs. Theatre originated from these rituals. 
• How do we figure out our lives? Myths. Understanding Gods and myths will help us deduce reasons to the meaning of life, nature of life etc. 
• Human beings are instinctively imitative (Aristotle, 4th century) 
• 1st definitive information of theatre (in the western world). Everything is very rooted in nature, the life cycle. Dionysus represented many of the world's unnatural events in life - have harmony with the forces to avoid destruction. 
• Dithyrambs - Aristotle wrote that this is where theatre emerged. Dithyrambs was an ancient Greek hymn sung and danced in honor of Dionysus. 
• Only 45 plays survive (32 tragedies, 12 comedies, 1 satyr play)
• Aeschylus first included and put emphasis on the second actor - face to face interaction. He was always concerned with the relationship between the Gods and the mortals. 
• Sophocles - credited with writing over a hundred plays, but only seven survive. He introduced the third actor. He was concerned with human relationships. 
• Euripides wrote 92 plays, only 17 survived. Not necessarily famous during his day. Interest was philosophical and psychological; he was skeptical about myth and religion. 

BTB: The Love of Three Oranges

The Love of Three Oranges is a zany, quirky play that incorporates many diverse elements of Commedia. It's Commedia in the 21st century! It incorporates, in my opinion, the elements and scenes that we find humorous in a day to day setting. There are always holes/comedic elements to different situations and stereotypical characters that exemplify and exaggerate different characteristics about themselves. I guess it is more modern in the sense that it allows for a set/stage, incorporates music and is very text heavy. It's also modernized in the sense that it allows little room for improvisation due to the presence of a text. The actors have to memorize and follow the instructions. It also adds societal differences between the King, the prince etc... The narrator also has such a great impact on the play and he himself had a character of his own, which I found to be interesting. 

YouTube links: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0GFyA_A0uE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyeiR-5pWMk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg4uzD-REUw

BTB: Dream Masks

My mask would be made out of plastic as it is simple, flexible, multifaceted and easy to manipulate. It would utilize different colors, but would avoid flamboyance and exuberance - incorporate shades than color. I really like the idea of neutral masks. I think it allows for one to really delve into self and find their own way to characterize a character trait or personality. Rather than being given a character to depict, we are given the choice to character, physicalization and movement.

TBC

Unmasking the Actor  Through Mask Quotes:

"Putting on a mask paradoxically unmasks the actor. Being alienated from one's own body frees the actor to become 'possessed.'"

"Give a hypocrite a mask to wear, and he will be rendered incapable of living."

Commedia Dell Arte Notes

• A model for improvisatory and movement oriented performance
• The act of putting on a mask and being in a mask equalizes everyone. It doesn't matter if you are a nobleman, a farmer, you are equal. 
• Masks as a way to understand oneself. 
• Commedia roots from the 16th century. Anyone who practiced Commedia was a master of improvisation in physical training. 
• One stock character per actor. They represent archetypes. Archetypes - elements of character that we are all able to resonate with, characters we universally share. 
• The plot is set, but the actors embellish these outlines with physical routines known as LAZZI - comedic interludes, can take place anywhere (Food, social class, sleep, trickery Lazzi. They're about real life, relatable things). 
• Jealous boyfriend
• Angry father
• Lovesick daughter.
• Build around these characters and add on to the story. 
• Virtuoso linguistic digressions (verbal riffs of standup comedians) -> "You know what I love about Pizza" 
• Going back to Actor centered theatre (acrobatics, body training, improvisation, ensemble, staging techniques). Actors have a street awareness and is able to work off audience and off each other - street psychology. 
• Through comedy, we can glimpse tragedy (Charlie Chaplin) - Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Marx brothers, Charlie Chaplin. 
• Driving force is not what to play but how it should be played. 

FOUR PRINCIPLES FOR COMMEDIA ACTORS: 

• Stillness (maintain emotion and intention in a pose) 
• Awareness of your partners on stage (listening) 
• Communication with the audience as individuals 
• Ability to express feelings and thought through body 

QUALITIES NECESSARY FOR COMMEDIA: 

• The willingness to work as a team 
• The gift of being able to seize the moment of opportunity in improvisation. 
• The ability to act with truth and sincerity (Grantham). 

• The mask must not be touched. It separates the actor from the character presented. 
• Scenes TO audience rather than with each other. Attention is directed at the spectators.
• Nose must be eyes of the mask. 

• Pantalone - Chicken - Suspicious of others - MONEY 



Pantalone

• He is a middle aged or elderly, rich man. He is avaricious. Lecherous. Gullible. 
• Overly protective father guarding his young daughter from suitors. 
• Dottore - Pig
• He is an elderly gentleman, sometimes friend or rival of Pantalone. Similar to, but different from Pantalone. 
• Arlecchino/Harlequin - monkey and cat - Mischievous and curious
• Usually clever persuaders and schemers; excellent at ad-libbing and acrobatics. 
• Agile in mind and body. 
• Opposite of Pantalone (too hungry, too tired, not too smart) 
• No consequences to his action. 
• Definitely a Zanni. 
• Zanni - group of birds/penguins/fish 
• Proto clowns, preverbal, like animals, always sleepy or Hungry.
• Food, sleep and sex. 
• Ignorant
• Living in the present
• Often servants of the masters
• Innamorati/Innamoratae - Oratio and Isabella - less creature like
• They do not wear masks. 
• Beautifully dressed young lovers; speak a refined language. Pretentious. 
• Lead with chest -> utilizes breath and points of lightness
• Always happy and infatuated with each other.
• No physical contact - reactions
• Very well read 
• Drama queen, spoiled, no patience
• Capitano - Peacock - bloodhound, mastiff
• A boastful, cowardly Spaniard who brags of battles never fought and remances never experienced.
• Braggart, bullheaded, stupid, loud, bombastic
• Scared of women to a sense
• Pulcinella 
• Humpbacked, doltish, male character.
• He is awkward. 
• Pretends to be stupid, but clever or vice versa
• Like to quarrel
• Pedrolino 
• A simple, OCD, effeminate, tense, excitable character. 
• Example, Devil Wears Prada - Stanley Tucci
• A dreamer
• Tragic > comic
• Faithful but lonely
• Scaramuccia
• A mustached servant; sometimes clever; sometimes cruel 
• Very expressive bodily and facially
• Senora - No mask 
• Bossy, bawdy, offers herself in exchange for anything. 
• High status, vain, proud, goes after men 
• Stuck in the past
• She's a cougar 
• Fontesca/Columbina/Clarice - Fox 
• She's a maid; a clever and high spirited flirt
• Corresponds with Arlecchino
• Ballet-like movement
• Carried a basket and sometimes a tambourine
• Scapino 
• Also a zanni
• Rascally; always running away; clumsy
• Falls in love very easily - for the fun of it. 
• Schemer 
• Forgetful
• Brighella 
• Cunning 
• Corrupt; runs by fear and manipulation
• Kind of like Pulcinella
• Never below
• Another zanni

WORKING WITH THE MASK

• Cheat up - face is up 
• Use the phsyical characteristics of your mask - if you have a big nose, do it like a rooster 
• Mask -> alive
• Don't touch the mask; keep your hands away from the mask
• Don't be subtle. 

LAZZI 

• Moments of humor grabbed between scenes/during scenes
• "Something foolish, witty, or metaphorical in word or action" 
• Stage tricks
• Comic stage business
• Comic routines, planned or unplanned that could be performened in any one of dozens of plays.