I've got a key concept I want to review that will really help us work
these scenes. It involves being 'self aware' on stage of who your character is (the attributes you and others give that character) and then expanding upon those attributes.
Some of the things I will be referencing will be from
yesterday's rehearsal. I'm doing this because they are fresh on our minds
and, yes, I know that it is easy to make suggestions now, after the fact, but
this isn't about "you should have done this", this is about what we
can do in the future. I think we had a really good rehearsal yesterday
and can use this information to build on.
Always be asking yourself: If This Is True, What Else Is Also True?
Each time you communicate verbally/physically on stage is an
opportunity for the scene to develop. It is up to you and your fellow
actors to decide what to focus on.
Example: A man and a woman are floating in the sky by
hanging onto balloons. Once the relationship is established (wife/husband) and
your location (the sky, above anywhere) is established, the conflict is already
there for you: Someone bit off more than they could chew (by grabbing so
many helium balloons). Now, where do you go from there?
If you stay focused on the physical plight, the scene will
become very plot based, but it's an A to B to C story. A to B to C
storytelling is when you relate a story that is based on actions (I went to the
store, got some butter, came home and ate dinner). When you rely on A to
B to C plot based storytelling, you have to be really clever (continually) to
make it work for the audience, otherwise, it's a plot with no substance.
However, if you use the idea of "If this is true, what
else is true?" you could easily make this scene about one player's
obsession with overreaching (and create the history of that right then) and/or
you could also make the other player's need to hang onto their partner (they
didn't have to hang onto the balloons and go for the ride) as being a very clingy person (and create the history right then).
By doing this, you open up this scene to so many different
possibilities (especially in Beats 2 & 3 of the Harold) without it relying on clever plot
building. You are simply listening to what is being offered and building
on that.
If player A says, "You grabbed too many balloons and
that's why we're flying away" Player A can continue and say, "Just
like you always do (insert history)" and/or Player B can 'Yes, and' to grabbing
too many balloons and add, "Yes, just like when I blindly grabbed you at
that rave party in Ocala 15 years ago and dared you to marry me on the spot,
and you did" (or any other possible "if this is true, what else is also true?" thingy).
If this is true, what else is also true really works in the
Harold because conflict and/or character flaws create the opportunity for
something to be exposed and used in various ways, thus, creating a 'game'.
Deborah used "If this is true, what else is true?" to create her 'game' by switching her lying about being blind, to lying about not speaking English.
In other words, "If my character lied about having poor eyesight,
what else may be true about my character?" This allowed her
character to have a pattern or a 'game' that the audience recognizes.
Goon River is probably the best place to use the "If this is true, what else is also true?" motto. And there were several opportunities for the player to use it on
themselves as well as using it on other characters.
There's an old lady who needs help with her groceries and house chores and she forgot where she put a huge amount of money. If
this is true, what else can be true can be asked by the player acting as the
old forgetful lady and the players playing the game with her. In other
words, in Goon River, you get to control yourself AND other people and the best way to do
that is to use their offerings.
If Vi's character needs help with her groceries and house,
what else does she need help with? If she forgets where she puts her
money, what else does she forget? That's what makes Goon River fun, you
build a character so others can use them and, along the way, you use the other
characters.
If Deborah's character was desperate enough to be a statue
to get her family's attention, what else would be true about her? (When
she was 10 did she open up a chain of lemonade stands in the neighborhood that
she incorrectly used salt instead of sugar in the mix? Did she send out an
email to everyone claiming that she was a Princess from Nigeria and needs you
to cash a check for her?)
If Charles' character was retiring form being the ferryman
in hell, oh my god, what else could be true about him? (What would he whittle
while he sat on the porch in his rocking chair?)
You've got to explore other people's characters because
there's a world inside each one. You must explore your own character, but
don't be afraid to explore other characters. You can create each other's
futures, pasts, and present just as you can your own.
If Paul's character was the pretty girl in Goon River and
just returned from LA after failing to make it as an actress, what else is true
about her (and Goon River, for that matter)? (Could you remember how she
butchered your favorite Shakespeare play and emptied out the theater? Or
have you secretly wished she would be the Captain of the next Enterprise on
Star Trek because her acting is so under appreciated?).
If Taryn's character was so desperate that she went fishing
for men on main street, what else is true about her? (Did she up her game
to using a bow and arrow at the mall? Or did she catch you by mistake and
throw you back?)
The great thing is we are creating unique characters with
back stories, now we just have to use each other's characters by expanding on
the information already shared.
Always be asking, if this is true, what else is also true?
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