Memory

A hear a fair amount, "I'd love to act but I couldn't memorize all those lines." I never know what to say in this situation because that is exactly what I would say...and still think about. I think I'll have to be acting a fairly long time before I don't worry about the very real possibility of going blank right after entering the stage. For the longest time I wasn't sure I would be able to handle any sort of line load. Directors are putting some blind faith in you when they cast you as a newbie. Once you've done a play it's proof that you're brain can handle it, but there still is an element of jumping off a cliff and hoping the parachute opens.

What I didn't know until tonight however is that there are different types of memory. Knowledge memory, identity memory, event memory, planning memory, personal memory and autobiographical memory make up various sections in our brain. The kind we all hope to have come opening night is knowledge memory. That's the same type that will recall facts and scores. Hopefully this means if I meet a new person (identity memory) between now and July 17th, I won't discard 3 lines of scene 5. (And if that isn't the case, please NO ONE talk to our lead Jane. Her brain has enough to handle.)

To learn more about the different types of memory, go here: (http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Different-Types-Of-Memory&id=509242)

A different way to break it down (complete with neat chart!) http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_winter/Topics/human-cap/memory.html

Where do I go?

This last week we've been working on blocking. Before I explain what it is, I'll explain how it feels. Like chaos in a chicken pen. Normally competent human beings are face down running into each other speaking lines that may or may not exist. You sort of watch yourself in slow motion be in the wrong place at the wrong time and you're trying to scribble notes as fast as you can but you know you won't be able to read your hand writing later and did the director say come in before Hector says the f-word or AFTER Hector says the f-word. Chaos.

Blocking. Blocking is the completely unintuitive act of figuring out where people are when. Or as wikipedia so aptly defines:

"Blocking is a theatre term which refers to the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. The term derives from the practice of 19th Century theatre directors such as Sir W. S. Gilbert who worked out the staging of a scene on a miniature stage using blocks to represent each of the actors."

That makes it sound so clean..and eventually it should be. But until then, awkward at best. The next time you're at the theater notice how the actors use the stage. Notice how action generally happens in a horizontal line in front of you so that you can see everything. The really odd one though is notice that when two characters are talking to each other very often both characters look out at you and hardly make eye contact with each other. This doesn't seem strange to the audience, but it is a weird habit to get into on stage.

Interesting Idea: adding health care into the cost of dining out.

Albany Shelter receives $4K from Siletz charitable fund... (read article)

Program hopes to help homeless get to family... (read article)

Survey: 1 in 10 boomers borrowing for everyday expenses... (read article)

Serving Wine

In rehearsals last night one of my characters serves wine in a fancy restaurant. My part is incredibly short, but I know it's the one place where my brother will be at full attention. The man knows his wine. I, however, do not. And more importantly for this scene, I have no idea how one serves it. (Apparently grabbing it out of your refrigerator, pulling off the tin-foil pseudo cap and pouring it into coffee mugs is less than savvy. Ahem.)

For those of you dying to know how to pour wine, you may now sleep easy.

Wine?
Why yes please!

In 2007, restaurant workers sued their employer for paying some workers as little as $1.40 an hour. Read story.

When in Rome

For first time actors (as I was last year at Albany Civic Theater) there is a lot of reorientation. Most often we come to the theater as patrons so when we step onto the stage we are still thinking in audience member terms. It's sort of like an American in England. We always look the wrong way at first when crossing the road. Everything seems backwards.

And apparently to me it still does. My original graphic was completely opposite of everything it should have been. Upon seeing it our assistant director wrote in something very helpful:
"These terms originated when stages were raked to create an illusion of depth. So actors at the back of the stage would move "down stage" literally. And when they moved away from the audience they literally walked upstage." (Thanks Nancy!)

Who is Poor...Officially

We hear people talk about the poverty line fairly often, but what does that actually mean? There are variations on definitions, but I think this is generally what policy makers reference when thy say "poverty line."


(source:http://aspe.hhs.gov/POVERTY/07poverty.shtml)

The Cast is Set!

Our cast is now a complete list of names and faces. (Phew!)

• Actress 1/Barbara - Jane Donovan
• Actress 2/Gail, etc.- Karen Emmons
• Actress 3/Carlie, etc.- Jessica Carr
• Actress 4/Joan, etc.- Cindy Baughman-Roche
• Actress 5/Holly, etc. - Kelly Powers
• Actress 6/Hector, etc- Bernadette Feyerherm
• Actress7/Melissa, etc. - Miriam L. Royal
• Actor/George, etc. - Dennis Glidden

Congratulations to everyone!