HW 2: Exercise 1: Physical Destination

Here're the sketch of the stage and the practice video I created:



The purpose of this exercise, as I understand it, is to create and practice a basic framework that can be used in small scenes. The exercise consists of three parts:

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ENTRANCE
ACT
EXIT
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ENTRANCE:

Actually, this applies to time immediately before the entrance. While waiting for his turn to come on stage, an actor needs think through the following 6 steps (Hagen technique, paraphrased in my own words):

1. Who am I?
What is my state of being? How am I feeling?
My name, origins.

2. What are my circumstances?
Where am I right now? Where did I come from just now? What time is it?
What am I wearing?

3. What are my relationships?
How do I feel about people around me? (strangers, people that know me, people that I just met and befriended, people that immediately disapprove me, people that don't yet know they play a role in my current condition, but will find out).

4. What is my desire, my immediate goal?
What do I want to do in nearest future?
(What would make me smile, if I heard that I'm about to get it?)

5. What is my problem?
What stands in my way of getting what I want right now? What do I need to overcome?
Whom do I need to convince? What do I need to find out? How soon?

6. What am I doing to overcome the problem?
How do I go about convincing somebody? How do I gather necessary information?

Answering some of these questions can take 30 minutes. Here's what I've experienced while working through them:

While I worked through the questions, I became almost entirely disconnected from the outer world. My complete attention was focused on my own character. I closed my eyes, or focused on a stale object. I did not see people and do not recall conversations that happened around me. This required a lot of concentration, almost physical pain.

At some point, once I found most of the answers, my mind relaxed. Most importantly, my attention suddenly shifted from me to my immediate surroundings. The exercise put me into a very alert state of mind. I could see many things around me at once: the evening sky, the city lights, the reflection of them on the river, walking people and motionless buildings. I could also hear and understand sounds w/out much effort: casual conversations of runners passing by, tapping of computer keyboard, humming of engines from passing cars.

I felt as if I'm strong, confident and able to comprehend a lot, understand the state of mind of other people, easily guess where others are coming from and where they are going right now.

I did not forget that I was being seen by other people. The negative aspect of being watched was gone. I liked it. I felt as if everyone would like or respect me and whatever I was about to do next. I felt that people who wouldn't approve of me, were simply distressed by something outside of my responsibility or control.

The overall feeling was rather magical.


ACT
Once the questions are answered, I simply need to go onstage and complete the tasks dictated by the answers to the 6 steps (questions). I need to perform the tasks to achieve my immediate goal and to overcome the problems/obstacles along the way.

For example, my goal was to leave home in the morning in good mood, so as to enjoy my drive to work:
I put my laptop into my backpack, cash in my pants' pocket, and my wallet in my backpack's front pocket. I stick my feet into my shoes and walk out the door. I check my hip and don't find my cell phone on my belt. I may need it today (new obstacle). I return home and collect the cellphone from the bookshelf (action to overcome obstacle). I walk out the door again. I check my pockets -- no car keys (next obstacle). I return and retrieve them from the hook by the door (action). I am now stressed out by the idea that I may be forgetting something else (another obstacle). I want to leave the house relaxed, or else the way to work will not be pleasant (goal). I pause by the door and think hard through what else I might need: cash, wallet, keys, phone. I'm good to go now - I walk out the door relaxed.

As I saw in class last week, carrying out these actions (getting ready, leaving, returning...etc.) is merely a preparation for acting. It's the background, over which acting will happen. It is necessary for creating the illusion of reality. But, this reality would be not interesting enough, w/ out interaction. So, in class, I will first act out this background alone. Then, the teacher will pair me up with another student, who will try to engage me into a difficult conversation, which is supposed to distract me from carrying out my actions. Both, the background act (going to work) and the main act (engaging conversation) come together to make the scene look real and interesting to the viewer. The "background" (a.k.a. Physical Destination) should help me create continuation of life, as if someone put a hidden camera in my apartment and recorded me actually leaving for work in the morning.

EXIT
Exit from the stage is only natural if I'm thinking about where I'm going next in the on-stage life. So, in my example, I'll be going behind the stage curtain thinking about my way to work, traffic, time that I still have, what road to take, what to listen to on the way, and what to do at work. I need to keep in mind that acting doesn't stop with the last phrase, or gesture on stage. Just as live doesn't stop when I achieve my immediate mini goal -- leaving for work in good mood. A new goal usually emerges right away, so I have to focus on it as I'm leaving the stage.