Stick Exercise 2/18

The stick exercise took a lot of concentration. It was very hard to watch the stick, my partner and my partner’s stick. It was a lot easier when we held the stick horizontally to the ground. I noticed that it was harder with the taller stick, but it was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. It was easier to keep the smaller stick straight, especially when we were walking. Overall the size of the stick didn’t matter very much when we were just holding it, but it definitely made it harder when we were walking around.

Backwards and Forward Notes

A play is an action

An action occurs when something happens that makes something else happen

Knowing the connection of events is important

1^st action= trigger

2^nd action= heap

Heap becomes trigger for next action

A play is a series of dominoes- one event triggers the next

Someone incapable of action does nothing

Going forward allows unpredictable possibility

Going backwards exposes that which is required

The present demands and reveals the past

Lots of things happen, but only one has JUST occurred

Stasis is a motionless balance of forces

Intrusion is a pushing or forcing in

For a play to begin, there must be an intrusion

Stasis comes close to the end of the play

Stasis-intrusion and battle-new stasis

Dramatic stasis-things never change if something didn’t happen

Irrsistable forces don’t wander

Dramatic conflict is a particular kind of interaction

A human talks to get what they want

What a character wants motivates talking

Obstacle is resistance for having what character wants

A play’s adventure lies in not knowing

Things theatrical are all things that elicit strong audience response

Touch

Husband and wife posing for pictures during Thanksgiving

He has his arm around her shoulder, and is holding so tightly that the tips of his fingers turn white, pulling her toward him

She has her arm casually around his back

She looks comfortable, but he doesn’t

They hold the pose for about a minute, it looks forced

Neither one of them want their picture taken

As he reaches out to grab her, and she pulls away slightly

When the picture is over, he keeps his hand gently on the small of her back, keeping her with him

She removes her arm, but lets his hand stay

They walk away and join other couples in the room

Gesture

A girl meeting her friend’s dad for the first time

They shake hands

He clasps his hands behind his back

She has her hands clasped in front

She acts a little too animated, she wrings her hands and rubs them together

When she talks she sometimes points at him

She gestures toward something with a straight palm, and he points

She seems like she is trying too hard to be kind, or she is nervous

She gesticulates often and uses her hands, not her whole arm

She uses mostly behavioral expression

He seems genuinely happy to meet her, and doesn’t move his hands much

Elements of Behavior

Two girls in the dining hall

They are leaning over a book together

One bends over the table and book, her body tense

The other girl is sitting up straight, but leans in once in a while

They look comfortable around each other

The girl sitting straighter is obviously helping the other one

Sometimes she turns her body and sits so she is directly facing the table

When she turns and leans toward the book, her shoulders are tense

They are both concentrating and working hard

Vocal Expression

A teacher is talking and playing with her small children

Her voice is higher than usual

She uses inflection a lot, to keep them interested

She makes her voice very calm and soft when she wants them to relax

She starts talking to her husband, and her tone changes

Her voice becomes more normal pitch

She sounds thoughtful as she speaks

When she gets excited, her voice raises