My Method- A Final Reflection
Most, if not all theater students are familiar with the methods and studies of Stanislavski, Meisner, Hagen and more. Oftentimes universities will teach along the guidelines of one strict method. At Montclair, the actors are introduced to the ideas presented behind each method and study a number of performance styles. They are given a “toolbox” of various ways to connect with a character. Body, voice, text- it’s all intertwined and offered as a buffet of acting choices.
Working on the Grapes of Wrath has exposed me to a whole range of exercises, routines, structure and ways of looking at theater. I am not a proponent or student of any strict method, but I have developed my own theory on acting, based in dramaturgy (no surprise here).
I believe that at the heart of every theatrical piece lies a purpose. This purpose is not character driven or rooted within the goings on of the show. This is the thing (for lack of a more specific term), the core of the production and what makes it relevant. It’s not just about the Joads’ journey to California, and their struggle to survive. It’s about our journeys and the challenges humankind faces everyday. This is why Grapes is relevant, this is why it’s so important to tell a clear, connected story, and this is what, I am proud to report, we have achieved.
I am a firm believer in social responsibility, and the job we have as theater artists to connect and reflect upon the outside world. The seeds of this theory began during last year’s Theater for Social Change class, led by playwright and Montclair alum Jason Grote. Through texts, both dramatic and political, he stressed the importance of theater with meaning. I had always been a fan of more lighthearted, Broadway type fare (still am; musicals have their purpose, too!), and didn’t quite grasp the need for drama with an understated message. It was reinforced, however, when my senior Dramatic Criticism professor Dr. Jane Peterson asked us to find each play’s “heartbeat”- the guts, the innards. It’s not about specific places, references or people- it’s about you. And me. And us. And this fantastical and complicated world we inhabit.
Through many previous stories and articles I have expressed the importance of a production like Grapes of Wrath at this moment in time. It was my desire and goal as Dramaturg to help the actors clearly communicate the meaning of Grapes, through my research and reflections. I hope every audience member left the theater with a sense of connectedness to both the story and their fellow man.
Grapes isn’t just important to the immediate community or to the world (which seems important enough in itself). It is a vital part of theatrical history. Grapes is a remarkable piece of literature, taken by Frank Galati and the Steppenwolf Theater Company and shaped into a beautiful piece of theater. Our specific production honored the original, and answered the question of how far you can push the boundaries within a proscenium: infinitely. While the cast strove to create realistic portrayals of humanity, the crew labored away on perfectly detailed period sets, practiced and configured extremely complicated technical maneuvers and essentially created a world in no time at all.
This is why a thriving theatrical community continues to remain crucial in the United States. We are a living, breathing art with the ability to change structure within, thus influencing change outside of our world. We have the gift of providing entertainment as well as perspective. We are the Joads of this economy, fighting and struggling to survive. The theatrical community is now facing the grapes of wrath, and in order to promote change we must stand strong in our resolve. Actors, techies, critics- from those who take tickets to the upper echelons of the dramatic world, we are all society’s voice.
One of the first things I learned as a theater major (in Susan Kerner’s class, aptly enough) was all that you needed for basic theater are actors and an audience. We as theater artists will continue to record, reflect, rewrite and exist as the world’s mirror as long as someone is watching.
My Method- A Final Reflection
Most, if not all theater students are familiar with the methods and studies of Stanislavski, Meisner, Hagen and more. Oftentimes universities will teach along the guidelines of one strict method. At Montclair, the actors are introduced to the ideas presented behind each method and study a number of performance styles. They are given a “toolbox” of various ways to connect with a character. Body, voice, text- it’s all intertwined and offered as a buffet of acting choices.
Working on the Grapes of Wrath has exposed me to a whole range of exercises, routines, structure and ways of looking at theater. I am not a proponent or student of any strict method, but I have developed my own theory on acting, based in dramaturgy (no surprise here).
I believe that at the heart of every theatrical piece lies a purpose. This purpose is not character driven or rooted within the goings on of the show. This is the thing (for lack of a more specific term), the core of the production and what makes it relevant. It’s not just about the Joads’ journey to California, and their struggle to survive. It’s about our journeys and the challenges humankind faces everyday. This is why Grapes is relevant, this is why it’s so important to tell a clear, connected story, and this is what, I am proud to report, we have achieved.
I am a firm believer in social responsibility, and the job we have as theater artists to connect and reflect upon the outside world. The seeds of this theory began during last year’s Theater for Social Change class, led by playwright and Montclair alum Jason Grote. Through texts, both dramatic and political, he stressed the importance of theater with meaning. I had always been a fan of more lighthearted, Broadway type fare (still am; musicals have their purpose, too!), and didn’t quite grasp the need for drama with an understated message. It was reinforced, however, when my senior Dramatic Criticism professor Dr. Jane Peterson asked us to find each play’s “heartbeat”- the guts, the innards. It’s not about specific places, references or people- it’s about you. And me. And us. And this fantastical and complicated world we inhabit.
Through many previous stories and articles I have expressed the importance of a production like Grapes of Wrath at this moment in time. It was my desire and goal as Dramaturg to help the actors clearly communicate the meaning of Grapes, through my research and reflections. I hope every audience member left the theater with a sense of connectedness to both the story and their fellow man.
Grapes isn’t just important to the immediate community or to the world (which seems important enough in itself). It is a vital part of theatrical history. Grapes is a remarkable piece of literature, taken by Frank Galati and the Steppenwolf Theater Company and shaped into a beautiful piece of theater. Our specific production honored the original, and answered the question of how far you can push the boundaries within a proscenium: infinitely. While the cast strove to create realistic portrayals of humanity, the crew labored away on perfectly detailed period sets, practiced and configured extremely complicated technical maneuvers and essentially created a world in no time at all.
This is why a thriving theatrical community continues to remain crucial in the United States. We are a living, breathing art with the ability to change structure within, thus influencing change outside of our world. We have the gift of providing entertainment as well as perspective. We are the Joads of this economy, fighting and struggling to survive. The theatrical community is now facing the grapes of wrath, and in order to promote change we must stand strong in our resolve. Actors, techies, critics- from those who take tickets to the upper echelons of the dramatic world, we are all society’s voice.
One of the first things I learned as a theater major (in Susan Kerner’s class, aptly enough) was all that you needed for basic theater are actors and an audience. We as theater artists will continue to record, reflect, rewrite and exist as the world’s mirror as long as someone is watching.
Posted 2 years ago
