BE MASKED

November 23-27 2009 

This has been the most exciting week. We watched a DVD which explains the significance of masks used in Commedia Dell'Arte. There are altogether ten masks and they are used to denote masters and servants. Masters walk with their backs straight and speak in a low tone whereas servants tend to be high pitched and walked about randomly as if without purpose. 

After jotting down notes, we were asked to pick three characters that we would be interested in playing. I have been chosen to play Pulcinella who speaks in a high-pitched tone, and likes to argue for the sake of argument. I chose this personality because I think it would be fun and very comical to play this role, especially when he walks in a slow jerky manner. I found these information on the DVD but I intend to do further research. 

Funny HAHA

November 16-20 2009

This week, Valerie and I have been working hard on our script. As we are only allowed 2-3 minutes for the interview, it would be impossible to include all the facts about Commedia Dell'Arte. We only picked facts which we considered to be both important and relevant. Due to the nature of this type of drama, we tried to make our lines funny. This proved to be most difficult because it was not easy to make facts humorous. We worked on our opening line for a long time but could not come up with anything interesting. In the end, we decided to use the formal way of introducing the guest. We have finished recording and hopefully Mr. Smeed would like it.  

Mixed Week

November 9-13 2009

This has been the most interesting week. I started off with a powerpoint presentation on Commedia Dell'Arte. Mr. Smeed said it was a good one as my group had included all the important elements related to the subject. I think I spoke clearly but I could improve on my presentation skills by speaking a little bit louder. 

Valerie and I are now working on a script for our radio talk show. She plays the role of the hostess while I am the Commedia Dell'Arte expert. We have difficulties coming up with funny lines to make the audience laugh. This is made harder by the fact that the audience will not be able to see our facial expressions and body language, so it boils down to the tone of our voice. However, this does not mean that we did not have any fun. We have to disguise our voice and change our tone so dramatically that it is impossible for us to laugh at ourselves. 

The class is privileged to meet and play games with the Zen Zen Zo physical group from Australia. Through these activities, I come to appreciate the various levels of physical energy; the importance of focused observations and the effect of over exaggeration. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am sure I will be able to use these techniques in my future performances.

Comical Entertainers

November 2-6 2009

This week, our group had to practise on the Commedia Dell'Arte scripts for the forthcoming Reader's Theatre.

From reading the scripts, I can now understand why it is important for the actors and actresses to like people. They can see the funny people and use it on stage to make the audience laugh. It is not expensive to watch them perform, and I am guaranteed to have a good laugh. I can't wait to see their performance.