Blog 10: Senior Project Update

• What are you currently doing in your independent component?

Well, we're two weeks away from the opening of our play, "The Lady of the House". We are all kind of scrambling to get everything done in time. With costumes, make-up, hair, lighting, sound, OUR LINES, there is a bunch of stuff to do and not a lot of time left to do it. Even with rehearsing six hours a week, it doesn't seem like enough. I've worked closely with Mr. Hogan, our director, Gabriel Barreras, our stage manager, and the other actors. This is the first play from iPoly that has a wide range of actors, the one with the sea of lines (Natalie Najera-lead), to our ensemble cast. We are currently on our tech rehearsals and dress rehearsals that can run up to four hours a day. Regardless whether or not we think we're ready, we'll get it done. Onward to the four hour rehearsals!

Or we'll die trying. 

• What is a recent piece of research (article, interview, or audio-visual) that have you reviewed you would say was significant in helping you understand where to go next in your senior topic? 

It would have to be my mentorship at Chino Community Theatre. My mentor has been a director for decades and runs agent workshops. We had a two hour conversation on how to get into the professional acting business- how to get an agent, how to do my resume, skills you should have. It opened up another possibility I haven't considered researching for my senior topic.  

• Provide evidence from your independent component or the piece of research as something you recently did. 

One of the many rehearsals for Independent Component. 

Act II Scene 1.

Photo curiosity of Teo Cristanto. (Thanks Teo!) 

Science Fair Proposal

• What's your topic?

Theatrical Performance

• What is the driving problem behind your experiment and the quote by an expert to support that problem? 

My driving problem is what is it that community theaters do that gives them good or bad AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) scores, and how can you improve your community theater to reach those scores and consider themselves "successful"? Some say it's budgets, some others say experience. 

"In an effort to deal with its current financial crisis, St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre - one of the country's highest-profile and most honored African American theaters, is suspending programming and will not produce any plays for the rest of the year.

A decision to cut $800,000 from its $2.7 million budget, along with the elimination of six full-time staff positions, including associate artistic director Dominic Taylor, was announced Thursday, Sept. 6. Most of the cuts are coming from the programming portion of the theatre's budget." (Gustafson, Amy C. "Penumbra Theatre Suspends Programming, Cuts Staff." TwinCities.com. Pioneer Press, 06 Sept. 2012. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_21480558/penumbra-theatre-suspends-programming-cuts-staff.)

• What is your hypothesis? 

If community theaters are in the black for production budgets and have been running for at least ten years, then they are more likely to get better AACT scores than those who are not.

• Write a paragraph summary of how you will perform the experiment.  Include the tools you plan on using.

I will go to as many theaters in the Los Angeles area that are a part of AACT and ask how long they have been in business and their budget along with their profits from each production. Then research their AACT scores and connect their scores with their budgets and experience. If their budgets and/or experience reflect on their scores and how to improve that score. 

•  Select one of the following Project Categories for your experiment:

Behavioral/Social Science

Blog 9: Working EQ and Possible Answers

• What was the working EQ you used during your presentation?

What is the most important aspect in becoming a successful performer? 

• Did you decide to revise your working EQ after your presentation?

I am not going to revise my EQ at this time. (Although, I probably will later.)

• What are possible answers to your current working EQ?

I have come up with good foundations for possible answers. 

Audience- Often overlooked especially with the newbies. When you start out, you're often told to ignore the audience, but I think that the best way to give your best performance is to establish a "connection" so to speak with the audience. It becomes easier and more natural when you acknowledge the audience and use them to your advantage.

Setting a goal- It doesn't have to be going to broadway or hollywood or earning tons of money. Learn a new accent once a week, or find different voices in yourself. Small little goals that help you improve in the long run. 

The prospect in loving what you do (even if you totally suck at it) - Totally cheesy I know, but hear me out. A lot of people go into theatre, or dance, or any type of theatrical performance wanting to make it BIG. They want fame, fortune, name in nice lights. One of my mentors said that you aren't going to get it here in theatre. "Once it starts looking like a career and stops being fun, quit. There is no point after." 

   

Blog 8: Rough Draft of Presentation 1

10 Minute Lesson Plan: Rough Draft

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Plan Approval

• Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component. 

I plan on using iPoly's fall play for my independent component or leading improv so we can improve for Fullerton Festival in Spring. If I can, possibly perform in a play outside of school. Although, that's significantly harder to get into due to the fact that the amount of competition increases. I'm scared of the intense-ness of other performers...
All of them are different types of theatrical performance, improv is just without the use of a script. (One less thing to keep track of.) I'm fairly active in both it would be easy and fun for me to do. 

• Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.

iPoly's fall play rehearsal schedule in itself will fulfill my 30 hours. It's basically my senior year. I rehearse 3 days a week, from 3:15-5:15 until the beginning of December. If everything goes according to schedule, 50 hours worth of rehearsal. During the week of December, we extend to dress and tech rehearsal which go from 4pm to 8pm. 58 hours. Then the four two-hour performances themselves, for a total of at least 66 hours. 

Woo rehearsals.

Improv will be a little harder to get hours. I'm one of the co-captains for this year's improv team and it comes in two parts. Part one: Rehearsal every thursday from 3:15-5:15 on average. If I take the due date of February 1st, we'll have approximately 15 rehearsals which lead up to 30 hours. Part 2: I meet with Rachel Wampler, the other co-captain once a week for about an hour to arrange that week's rehearsal. So all that together totals up to around 45 hours. Give or take a few because our meeting times vary. 

Woo more rehearsals.

• How does your independent study component relate to your working EQ?

Well, my working EQ is "What is the most important aspect/factor to becoming a successful performer?" or something along those lines. In a way, I'll have to look at the role of a performer in a different way than I normally do. For the past few years, I just found MY character and did MY lines. This year, I'll have to broaden my vision. It's not just me performing, everyone else that sets foot on stage is in the same position I'm in. I kinda have to figure out how we, as a cohesive unit, consider ourselves successful performers. I'll work my way up from there. 

Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

1. How long has Chino Community Theatre been running?
2. I see CCT has been awarded Best Community Theatre in the Nation in 2009. What are the qualifications for that award and what are CCT's qualities that helped it get that award?
3. Can you tell me the achievements of some of the actors that have worked here?
4. Overall, how are your reviews for CCT's performances and who has given your reviews?
5. How did CCT start and how did the company grow?

Blog 4: Project Reflection and Working EQ

The Pentagon

• Positive Statement: What positive thing happened as a result of what you have completed so far? 

I've gotten a lot of connections to different theaters with different productions and directors. I look forward to working with as many as possible and learning each production's approach to expressing theatre and possibly find one that suits me as a performer. 

• EQ Content: Pick a piece of your research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic? 

I've been jumping through books about theatre but this book called "Improvisation for the Theater: Third Edition" By Viola Spolin. The book is mostly geared towards improv but the introduction is one of the best written pieces on general theatre I've read. I've never been able to describe the feeling I get doing theatre and what makes me so passionate about it, but this book really does explain it really well. I understand that most people have a different feeling and sensation when doing theatre, and the book is able to word it in a way in which all performers, improv based or not, can connect with. 

• What has worked for you so far in your senior topic?

How easily I can get connections. Most theaters take in volunteers all the time because they'd always like the extra help. I've also worked in theatre as a performer for around 5 years now, so I know my way around quite easily. 

• What hasn't worked so far? 

I think it's a bit too early in the year for me to state specifically.  In the year in general, just switching topics. Yet, I feel that I did it early enough so the switch wasn't so much of a hassle. 

• Finding Value

-Some minor questions such as, 

"How to find the balance between talent and hard work."

"What makes you stand out in theatre?"

"How to effectively find out the best theatrical method for you."

-My end goal is to develop my skills as a performer as much as possible and hopefully, while doing this project, I can help others in drama at iPoly develop as well. 

-Well last time I talked to a director in which he stated to talk to actors as well. Preferably who you thought was the worst actor, and who was the best actor. If you've got skills as a performance critic, their answers will reflect their performance. I've never thought of that approach and I'm now curious on their answers actually. 

SF Blog A: Problem Statement

• Topic

Theatrical Performance

• Problem?

- Cutting the budgets of drama programs or cutting it completely.

- Acting Opportunities 

• What will you do when you solve the problem?

- I would probably go to different schools and ask about their budget for their drama program, if any. Then based on those results, try to find the best solution to keep drama programs in schools with the best tactics to save money. 

- Same technique in a way. Survey different actors and their "status" as an actor.  Where and when they got their first acting job and from the data, find the best locations for opportunities. Then tell schools with drama programs to give out the information to their students and hopefully they'll be a bit more confident auditioning. 

Blog 3: Interview Preparation

• Who do I plan to interview? Why? 

I plan on interviewing Ralph Seymour or Greg Cohen for my senior topic. Cohen is a community theater director, particularly for the one in Long Beach. He has partnered with Mr. Hogan in the past and has been in this field for over 2 decades so he's extremely knowledgeable on theatre and stage. Seymour teaches theater at a high school and does plays at his local community theater many times. 

• What additional questions do you plan to ask? 

1. Can you tell me your background history in theatre? 
2. What got you into theatre and what made you stick with it for so long? 
3. What advice would you give to young actors/performers? 

Blog 2: Topic Choice

• Decision

My senior topic of choice right now is Stage Acting/Theatre. I had an inside illness so to speak when I was little. I refused to go outside if I could help it. My mother decided to put me in a summer play in the summer before 8th grade to see if I could find something outside that I'd enjoy. I loved it. The concept of becoming someone else in order to express yourself came natural to me. When I entered high school, I joined the improv team and suddenly all those hours I put into video games and building fantasy worlds was put to use, in the form of entertaining people. Making up stories and playing made up characters in order to make people smile and laugh, gave me the greatest feeling.

• ESLRs

Effective Learner: I plan to take on the challenge of taking this topic to a more research standpoint rather than just doing it. The concepts behind it and what drives a successful end product. 

Effective Communicator: I plan on being able to communicate well with not only the director, but the other performers and the stage crew as well. We all work as a whole to put on the play. If any of the parts don't communicate well within each other, the entire play busts. 

Effective iPoly Citizen: I plan to understand and acknowledge the deadlines and attendance set for rehearsals and plays. Every role is significant. Listen to everyone around me and take criticism about my performance in order to improve my skills to the best of my ability.  

Effective User of Technology: I plan to use technology for more of research sake. Learn new techniques and try to apply it in theatre. In the past, I watched a lot of youtube in order to learn accents, voices, and styles of humor. 

Blog 1: Mentorship Component

L-(Know) 

Contact:  Morgan Beilby: 1-(909)-393-3900

• Mentorship Log

L-(Need to Know)

• What kind of games makes it into their system? 
• Which games attract gamers the most and why? 
• What aspect of the game makes a game worthy of being put on their server?

Interpretive

I think the most important thing I learned from this was seeing the final end product of a video game get reaction from gamers. Sure, this experience didn't teach me how to design in-game art or concept art or how to code language but I think being here was the best place to start. What game developers strive to achieve, and have people enjoy their game. What I should be striving for when I do my senior project. It gave me a sense of what video games mean and what it should do to people. 

Applied

This experience set in stone what I wanted to do for my project. I want to do video games. I am the happiest when I play video games. After all, video games is basically the sum total of every expressive medium wrapped into a nice package. (It's pretty cool when you think about it.) I want to be a part of it, to learn about it. I think video games is only really looked upon as a childish toy that rots away children, but that's only looking on the outside of it. Video gaming opens up worlds you could never reach before to the point where it's almost tangible and lets your imagination soar. Watching all the people that walked in to play, play for the same reason I do. They have fun. I want to create something that not only brings joy to me, but joy to everyone else.