ENSEMBLE ACTING: Blocking and Character …

1 ENSEMBLE acting : Blocking and Character development STEP 1: SCRIPT SELECTION 1. Select scripts that portray three - dimensional characters - Scenes written to be scenes often have characters that can feel like cardboard - Try editing a scene from a full-length play for well-rounded characterizations - Most importantly, the characters must change and grow throughout the scene 2. Select scenes that have emotional range - Too much tragedy for 15 minutes can feel tedious give the audience a break - The most successful scenes will infuse a combination of comedy and drama - If you can make the audience laugh and cry in the same scene, you are golden - Every good scene is like a roller coaster keep the audience on the roller coaster for 15 minutes 3.

2 Find scenes that match the skill set of your potential actors - Get to know your potential speech team members and find their strengths - It is important to give actors opportunities to show range, but you also want to set them up to be successful - 90% of directing is casting SCRIPT RESOURCES Samuel French Dramatists Play Service Playscripts, Inc. Dramatic Publishing Brooklyn Publishers Pioneer Drama DUBUQUE SENIOR ENSEMBLE acting SELECTIONS (2004-Present) Night Mother* Marsha Norman Full Length Play Dramatists A Midsummer Night s Dream* William Shakespeare Full Length Play Public Domain Battle of Bull Run Always Makes Me Cry* Carole Real Scene David Friedlander Catholic School Girls* Casey Kurtii Full Length Play Samuel French Doubt, A Parable*+ John Patrick Shanley Full Length Play Dramatists Good Business Sense Emmett Loverde Scene Playscripts Greater Tuna Williams/Sears/Howard Full Length Play Samuel French Hollywood Arms*+ Burnett and Hamilton Full Length Play Dramatists Independence* Lee Blessing Full Length Play Dramatists It s Not You Craig Pospisil Scene Playscripts No Shoulder Nina Shengold Scene Playscripts Playwriting 101.

3 The Rooftop Lesson Rich Orloff Scene Playscripts Present Tense* John McNamara One Act Play Dramatists Proof David Auburn Full Length Play Dramatists Role of Della John Wooten Scene Playscripts Roll Over, Beethoven*+ David Ives Scene Playscripts Bride and Gloom* Rich Orloff Scene Playscripts Shakers* Godber and Thornton Full Length Play Dramatists Sure Thing David Ives Scene Dramatists Taming of the Shrew*+ William Shakespeare Full Length Play Public Domain The Guys Anne Nelson One Act Play Dramatists The Unknown Part of the Ocean* Sheri Wilner Scene Playscripts Waving Goodbye* Jamie Pachino Full Length Play Playscripts * All-State Nomination + Critic s Choice Award BEST STEP 2: WORKING WITH THE ACTORS 1.

4 Creating characterizations - Actors are observers: the best way to create a 3- dimensional Character is through observation - Work with actors to establish a clear vocal, physical, and emotional life for the Character o acting Exercise: Freeze Tag - Using tactics (physically, not just vocally) o acting Exercise: One/Two Scene 2. Creating Blocking - Set the scene to allow a variety of acting areas and stage pictures - Utilize all areas of the acting space - Motivate all movements with intentions o acting Exercise: Tableaus 3. Putting it Together - acting Exercise: Open Scene Open Scene Dialogue One: Oh. Two: Yes. One: Why are you doing this? Two: It s the best thing. One: You can t mean it. Two: No. I m serious.

5 One: Two: What? One: What does this mean? Two: Nothing. One: Two: No. One: So different. Two: Not really. One: Oh. Two: You re good. One: Forget it. Two: What? One: Go on. Two: I will.