Watch the following video and make some notes in your Journal about…
Grummalot (define it in your own words)
Why is it a useful ‘tool’ for improvising and exploring a text?
By watching the student actors, what skills do you think they show to successfully take part in a ‘grummalot’ conversation? [How does the listener know what is being said, how to respond, when to respond?]
Why does it simulate the world of Commedia (think accents and languages)
How could ‘grummalot’ be considered subversive during the time of Commedia?
Watch the clip from a workshop presented by Didi Hopkins from Commediaworks (A UK company specialising in Commedia dell’ Arte). THEN read the section ‘Commedia dell’arte and Carlo Goldoni’ in the Commentary section of your play ‘ a Servant to 2 Masters’ (Page: XXXIX – XLII – 3.5 pages)
Once you’ve done your reading/viewing answer the following questions. Type them ready to hand in on your 1st class in September. [Include the question as the opening of your answer BUT don’t write out the question in full!]
Where and when did Commedia start? What was it a mixture of?
How can it claim to be ‘popular’ theatre?
Why was it considered an actors theatre?
How were the troupes organised? (*Use video and book)
What was the role of women?
Why was the relationship with the audience key?
Stories/Scenarios – Were the actors working from fully written scripts and if not how did the actors know what to do and say? (*Use video and book)
What are ‘lazzi’? (*Use video and book)
What has Commedia influenced? (try and find some of your own examples)
Learning lines is a challenge however old you are.
Actors need to try a variety of methods and then find the one that works best for them.
Learning lines really needs to happen AFTER you have fully explored the FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS [who/what/where/when/why] of each scene/speech – otherwise you won’t be connecting the words to a feeling or motivation (and that doesn’t lead to an engaging performance.)
My personal feeling is that having the script in your hand as you try to learn your lines is NOT effective. There’s too much of a temptation to look at the lines and before you know it, you are just reading. Also, you forget that your hands will be empty for the performance and then you will wonder what to do with them.
Some tried and tested methods are:
Working with a partner who has the script – can check you are accurate and can feed you a line at a time if you get stuck.
Record your lines (and that of others) into your phone and play them (last thing before you sleep is a proven good time as your brain/memory is more receptive.)
Know your BLOCKING / MOVES and run the lines as you do the moves. (There’s good evidence that CONNECTING the lines to set moves embeds them quicker into your memory.)
(For a dialogue scene – more than 1 person speaking) Record everyone else’s lines (cues) and leave gaps for your lines. *Requires a bit of practice to get the ‘gaps’ the correct length.
Watch this:
4. Write your lines out (including punctuation) This is good for large speeches or monologues. Punctuation will allow you to see the structure of the speech, pauses, changes in ideas, emotional journey. Do it with extra wide margins and double line spaced so you can annotate the text as you work on it.
