Blog 18 Meeting answer 3

1.  What is your essential question?
What is most important in creating a successful theatrical performance? 2.  What is your third answer to your essential question (write your third answer in a complete sentence)?
Having a cohesive consensus between director, actors, stage crew and designers between all aspects of the production. 3.  What are three details to support or justify your third answer (details are examples or facts)?

• The Nerd. All of our actors and designers and actors have all been in plays before and had different visions on the play's outcome.
• Talk back with Cal Poly Shakespeare production, "The Tempest" - How they created the round stage set. 
• "Improv a play in one hour" By Micheal Baskis - Communication between all players in improv.

4.  What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?

• Watching the production meeting in Hogan's classroom. We all needed to agree on all 3 set designs and whatnot in order to make things as smooth as possible. 

5.  What do you plan to study next and why? 

• I plan to work with a musical at Chino Community Theater, "The Great American Trailer Park: The Musical". Musicals have more "players" working on this type of production. The musical numbers include choreographers and musical directors. There are more people you must communicate in order to get a cohesive, consistent play throughout.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview Questions

1. What is most important in creating a successful theatrical performance? 
2. What would you consider a successful theatrical performance? 
3. What do those performances have in common? 
4. How do feel about those who go against the director in the vision of the play to their judgement?
5. At what point do you think one develops this skill? 
6. What makes a person in theater valuable? 
7. What skills and traits do they have and why those specifically? 
8. Are some people more valuable in the same field and why? 
9. Do you think acting is a teachable skill or a talent skill? 
10. How do feel of the saying, "Anyone can act"?
11. From highest to lowest, who is most important in a production? 
12. What is your experience with successful performances? 
13. What is your experience with unsuccessful performances?
14. What do you think made them unsuccessful and what would've made them successful? 
15. What is your connection with your fellow cast and crew for productions? After? 
16. Do personalities interfere during a production and how would you fix it? 
17. What would one have to have in order to make a production successful? 
18. What would one GROUP have to have in order to make a production successful? 
19. How much would you need financially to be considered successful? 
20. In your opinion does money really matter in the performance value and why? 

Blog 16: 2-hour Meeting Answer #2

• What is your essential question?

What is most important in creating a successful theatrical performance?

• What is your second answer to your essential question?

"Most actors involved in the production can contribute a valuable skill other than acting."

• What are three details to support or justify your second answer?

"Play to the top of your intelligence. You need more than just meer acting to cut it. Make the character as real as you are. Stupidity doesn't create anything." -Second City Improvisation

This award winning play, [Nunsense] requires you to tap dance, sing, ballet, and learn ventriloquism.

"We require a resume for a reason. You must portray something real so you should be skillful in as many areas as possible. You should have something you're good at that can be shown on stage. Just acting doesn't cut it nowadays. It's alright though. The more plays you're in, the more random ass crap you learn. I learned how to do the splits for a show. I never used that skill again." -Toni Lynd Director and runs a casting workshop

• What source helped you prove your answer is justified for your essential question?

My source that solidly proved this statement was the actors in "The Nerd." Each one can contribute something else to the scene that isn't necessarily needed but makes the scene that much more lovable with these little quirks in it. Chris Dielh sang Happy Birthday beautifully, because he's an amazing musical theatre singer. Bruce Hutching is a professional digital artist and also did the color renderings needed for the play along with the flyer. Stephanie Grimley cooked all the food we used since she's a great cook. They all contributed a valuable skill and it made a big difference. 

• What do you plan to study next with your second answer and why?

I plan to study directing and famous actors and actresses and their other various talents. As of this moment in time I'm adequate in all aspects of the theatre world, except for directing while paying special attention to who brings what else to the table. 

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

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

I'm helping Hogan with coaching the elective play, "New Kids at Vampire High". 

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

The rehearsals only take place in elective and will run until May. Assuming we rehearse EVERY elective period until May (we don't actually have a date set for opening), about 27-ish rehearsals. (I rounded.) With elective being an hour to an hour and a half long, 34 hours. Add the hell week tech and dress rehearsals which are about 4 hours long each, 42 hours. And then the 3 shows which run about an hour and a half, 46.5 hours. 

... Wow, I need a life.  

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

As of right now, I would like to say I'm pretty well trained in performing as well as stage crew. (ie lights, sound, stage manager, stage hand.) The only thing I've never done before is coaching/directing. Not only is it part of theatrical performance, it's probably one of the most important parts. I think it's essential that I get a good hands on experience to make a good decision on my answer for my EQ. 

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

• LITERAL

(a) I, Danielle Mariano, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

(b) "The Lady of the House" By Jim Brochu 

      Joseph Hogan - Director

(c) Click here for digital spreadsheet!

(d) I basically played the role of Evelyn Sosnowski in "The Lady of the House". I had to attend all the rehearsals, memorize all my lines and learn all my cues, blocking, and costuming and props and perform with 24 others on our show week in December. 

• INTERPRETIVE

Defend my work? Unfortunately, I don't have my program anymore.... Hmm. Well, preparing for a play isn't easy nor is it fast. Only professionals can really pull off quality plays in a short time. Rehearsal time easily outweighs the amount of time we perform to people. I have put my highlighted script in my research binder, and it takes a while to memorize lines, cues of others then add it with other's pace and timing to make it seem natural. I tried to watch others while I wasn't onstage to see how others perform. I've never really done that before but it really makes a difference. This easily resulted in more than 30 hours of work. 

Since I forget to take pictures of the play since I'm on stage or preparing for another scene, most of these aren't mine.  

The very beginning when we first added blocking. (We all still had to have scripts in our hand)

Halfway through the play. All the wood to make the set is back there still. (We're total procrastinators. We didn't start the set until like two weeks before.)

Tech rehearsal with lights and sound during Hell Week. I think we finally had a play at that time. 

Sorry for the flattering unflattering picture Natalie but during the play, Elijah actually takes a picture of her during the play with my camera. 

• APPLIED

For the first time, I tried to watch others as they performed onstage. Normally, I didn't really care if it wasn't me. (Actors are selfish.) I even took some mental notes. Dean Nolan for instance is known for his "Batman" voice when things get serious. As I watched him do the phone scene with Natalie Najera, I realized he gets really close to her face to make her really uncomfortable. I never noticed that before and it wasn't something that Mr. Hogan told him to do. He just does it. It added the extra level of seriousness to the play. Little things. Things that aren't written but inferred. Maybe not even inferred. You just, do it. People say even I do things that I don't notice when I'm in a certain character. As Bert last year for "All My Sons" (Great play), I flapped my arms a lot more to resemble a small child. And it adds to the natural feel of the play. It gave the foundation of my First Answer.

Blog 13: Rough Draft of 30 minute presentation

Rough Draft

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

• What is most important in creating a successful theatrical performance? 
• What would you consider a theatrical performance?
• In terms of plays and productions, what would you consider successful? 
• What is in your opinion, the most under appreciated role in the theatre business and why?
• What skills and techniques does one have to learn in order to be considered "talented" enough for theatre? 
• Why do you think it's better to be talented or hardworking in the theatre business? 
• What is the most effective way to learn skills and techniques in theatre? 
• Why did you get into the theatre business and why have you stayed? 
• Can you give me examples of an unsuccessful performance that you were either in or saw at another theatre?
• What is the hardest thing you have to overcome during shows and how do you overcome it? 
• How should one approach theatre? Is it the same as how you approached it at first? 
• Any advice for people wanting or starting out in the theatre business?