Sign in or 
| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 30 2009, 6:37 AM EDT (current) | SarahBedi | 7 words added |
| Sep 29 2009, 12:59 PM EDT | RhysMeredith | 48 words added |
Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
A
B
Behaviour
1. A clearly demonstrated, carefully controlled emotional state or reaction which is disproportionate to its stimulus.
eg 4-year-old hits brother then starts loud crying so as to ensure Mother’s reaction is pity and acceptance.
eg Actor in performance responds to bad news with muted crying so as to ensure audience’s pity and acceptance.
Also, in performance, a determined physical display of anything that the audience might otherwise miss or perhaps interpret differently from the actor’s intention.
vis: Actor on stage lifting a heavy object, groaning and panting with passion so the audience notices the weight of the object.
Esp. when the weight of the object is unimportant.
Esp. anyway.
2. A collection of stock gestures, derived from but not resembling, gestures which occur in real life - used by the actor to appear “naturalistic”. An external display of naturalism unconnected to any truth apart from the actor’s need to mimic Marlon Brando.
Theatrical prestidigitation. Often confused with Great Acting.
see also: interesting strolling; great acting.
C
D
Drop n. & v tr. - anything that has been done already and by mutual agreement is not to be done again. This applies often to something which has worked well in a show but must not be reheated at a later date.
Devil (The) - The subtle call of convention.
E
F
First Ball – The first ball picked from a barrel of balls. The most obvious response to any given circumstance: ‘It’s so first ball to break something for the shock value’
Origin
(A Term derived from Magyar theatre tradition.)
G
H
I
Imp of the Perverse (The) – The curious impulses that occur to us on the fly and that we all too often deny. Peculiar non-conformist or unconventional behaviour that is almost always censored from the stage by a combination of the actors fear of being a dick and the directors interpretation of what ought to be transmitted to the audience. The imaginative equivalent of having TC’s bespectacled head whispering deviant actions into your ear and then carrying them through.
Not to be confused with the Devil.
Origin
(The Imp of the Perverse the title of a short story be Edgar Allen Poe)
J
K
L
M
Meisner-It v. Generally refers to -some variation of- a game in which you run through a scene (or section of text) with another actor, testing and helping to push each other for truthful and varied responses to the text. You do this in its simplest form by repeating any line you wish back to the speaker but phrasing it as a question and personalising pronoun's. For example-
speaker- you're always here
challenger- I'm always here?
speaker- you're always here
challenger- I'm always here?
This continues until the challenger is happy and the next line is put forward to be challenged/explored.
Meisnered adj.1.usually referring to text that has been through the above process.
2.Can be used to imply rich and explored text.
N
O
P
PLANNING - An adherence to the notion that an artist should strive to Get it Right. An expression of surprise-phobia. Fidelity to the idea that a right way exists and that the artist should prepare and take careful aim for this goal. In Factory performance-practice, plans are hopefully only put in place in order to be publicly abandoned.
Q
R
S
Show Report - unlike a Show Report issued by a Stage Manager at the close of each show in a conventional theatrical setting outlining occurrences which deviate from those rehearsed and planned, audience numbers and any Health and Safety infringements - a Factory Show Report is a performance rendered in prose for the purposes of reflection or debate or perhaps the simple archiving of events and participants. There is no set form for a Factory show report, they are limited only by the writers’ needs and imaginations. They may be written by members of the squad or members of the audience. They may be solicited or unsolicited.
TOSS - A casting methodology peculiar to the Factory.
In Factory productions the casting is decided by three factors: directorial whim; an actor’s availability and finally, the Toss. The Toss is a simple game of chance which is performed publicly, usually by members of the audience minutes before the show begins. The winner of the Toss plays the role being decided by that Toss. Most shows involve several Tosses. When only one actor is available for a role - there is no Toss. Most popular games are “Scissors, Paper, Stone”; the throw of a coin or choosing the fist in which a coin is enclosed. Reactions to the winning or losing of the Toss range from collapsing tantrums to gentlemanly handshakes.
Seasoned Factory actors are familiar with the paradox of the Toss: faced with the sheer terror that is the reality of an imminent Factory performance the actor makes bargains with God to lose the Toss. Upon losing the Toss the actor experiences a strange sensation of desolation on missing out on an opportunity which, only moments before, she would have sold her own children to avoid.In conventional theatre, casting is similarly dictated by random events and valueless criteria, but this is not so openly acknowledged as it is in the Factory where it is turned into both a virtue and a spectator sportU
UNITS (as used in The Seagull project: definition under construction - possibly permanently)
Before the Seagull Project went to air and after a period of open-ended, weekly (or less) sessions in which "approaches" to The Seagull were explored, TC asked the company (who had at that point been cast) to make "a list of units" in preparation for more intensive rehearsals. Units described in one word. When asked what he meant by "a list of units" TC replied:
"Deliberately vague, I'd say. All it means is that you work out exactly what happens in each scene you are in - including what information is conveyed in the dialogue - and, while avoiding where possible the use of exact quotes, you give each event or turn in the conversation a title which will serve as a mnemonic for you when playing. The mnemonic need not mean anything to anyone else, as I want each person's list to be personal to them (don't work on them with your doubles). Hope that helps. xtc"
The exact definition of "units" is still evolving and subjective - and I write this approximately six shows into the project.
It is still important that units are a) particular to the actor and not worked-out in collaboration with other actors playing the same or different parts and b) about "what happens" in the unit that is different to what goes before or after (ie what changes) and c) that they help the actor to focus on the unit-of-the-moment in a performance rather than "helping the story along".
"A unit" may perhaps be compared to "a phrase" in music.
It is also useful to note that many of us have found that when a particular moment of action is regularly problematic it is often because we have not carefully examined the units - what they achieve and what tools Chekov has chosen to use for the character to achieve their goal.
At this point it seems that by concentrating on units we allow the story to tell itself rather than making it our role to guide each other and the audience, God-like, through the "arc of the story". Chekov does that - we let him get on with it.
Best-used, small units of honest action colliding crazily, open up for us and the audience The Toybox of Surprise.
V
W
WWIBL acr. What Would It Be Like to say it and mean it?
X
Y
Z
B
Behaviour
1. A clearly demonstrated, carefully controlled emotional state or reaction which is disproportionate to its stimulus.
eg 4-year-old hits brother then starts loud crying so as to ensure Mother’s reaction is pity and acceptance.
eg Actor in performance responds to bad news with muted crying so as to ensure audience’s pity and acceptance.
Also, in performance, a determined physical display of anything that the audience might otherwise miss or perhaps interpret differently from the actor’s intention.
vis: Actor on stage lifting a heavy object, groaning and panting with passion so the audience notices the weight of the object.
Esp. when the weight of the object is unimportant.
Esp. anyway.
2. A collection of stock gestures, derived from but not resembling, gestures which occur in real life - used by the actor to appear “naturalistic”. An external display of naturalism unconnected to any truth apart from the actor’s need to mimic Marlon Brando.
Theatrical prestidigitation. Often confused with Great Acting.
see also: interesting strolling; great acting.
|
Bus, the – In performance: a comfortable emotional state. Associated with a pleasing sensation of self-admiration. In the Factory getting on the bus must be avoided. If the actor finds herself on the bus she must make every effort to alight immediately - no matter how fast the bus is travelling, how closed are the doors or whether the full fare has been paid e.g. Actor is pleased to discover an unfamiliar emotion provoked by a familiar scene. So pleased he continues to be affected by this same emotion long after the provocation has receded and new imperatives have arisen. Made rather more difficult if the audience has reacted noticeably (noticeable and seductive reactions include laughter and gasps.) Familiar buses are: The Angry Bus, The Threatening Bus and The Droll Bus among many, many others.
|
Drop n. & v tr. - anything that has been done already and by mutual agreement is not to be done again. This applies often to something which has worked well in a show but must not be reheated at a later date.
Devil (The) - The subtle call of convention.
- A repeated choice guaranteed of success.
- Smugness.
- Not speaking before you are ready.
- Pre-judging what a scene ought to be.
- Setting out to impress.
- Choosing an object to illicit a laugh.
- Planning.
E
F
First Ball – The first ball picked from a barrel of balls. The most obvious response to any given circumstance: ‘It’s so first ball to break something for the shock value’
Origin
(A Term derived from Magyar theatre tradition.)
G
H
I
Imp of the Perverse (The) – The curious impulses that occur to us on the fly and that we all too often deny. Peculiar non-conformist or unconventional behaviour that is almost always censored from the stage by a combination of the actors fear of being a dick and the directors interpretation of what ought to be transmitted to the audience. The imaginative equivalent of having TC’s bespectacled head whispering deviant actions into your ear and then carrying them through.
Not to be confused with the Devil.
Origin
(The Imp of the Perverse the title of a short story be Edgar Allen Poe)
J
K
L
M
Meisner-It v. Generally refers to -some variation of- a game in which you run through a scene (or section of text) with another actor, testing and helping to push each other for truthful and varied responses to the text. You do this in its simplest form by repeating any line you wish back to the speaker but phrasing it as a question and personalising pronoun's. For example-
speaker- you're always here
challenger- I'm always here?
speaker- you're always here
challenger- I'm always here?
This continues until the challenger is happy and the next line is put forward to be challenged/explored.
Meisnered adj.1.usually referring to text that has been through the above process.
2.Can be used to imply rich and explored text.
N
O
P
PLANNING - An adherence to the notion that an artist should strive to Get it Right. An expression of surprise-phobia. Fidelity to the idea that a right way exists and that the artist should prepare and take careful aim for this goal. In Factory performance-practice, plans are hopefully only put in place in order to be publicly abandoned.
Planning is most commonly, therefore, a habitual and subconscious process that the actor should be vigilant in monitoring. Plans may arise without the actor becoming aware that a plan has been made. A scene, a moment or character may become entrenched in a particular tone or approach for months before the actors are aware that stagnation has set in. In short, planning prevents the actor having full access to the gift-wrapped offers each moment of performance creates.Additionally, the Factory business-model eschews planning in a similar way. Factory projects’ goals are by definition plastic.
Q
R
S
Show Report - unlike a Show Report issued by a Stage Manager at the close of each show in a conventional theatrical setting outlining occurrences which deviate from those rehearsed and planned, audience numbers and any Health and Safety infringements - a Factory Show Report is a performance rendered in prose for the purposes of reflection or debate or perhaps the simple archiving of events and participants. There is no set form for a Factory show report, they are limited only by the writers’ needs and imaginations. They may be written by members of the squad or members of the audience. They may be solicited or unsolicited.
Interestingly, just as each new factory project has pushed the work of the company into new territory, so the nature of the reports on these shows evolves and changes. Quite organically and without remark.
They are just nice to have and serve most eloquently as loving postcards from the past.
Scylla and Charybdis (Book 12 of the Odyssey) -
On the one hand: here is the kind of scene it is, the kind of scene you
would have guessed from the text, so we'll conform to that (e.g. reads
like an awkward meeting, let's play stereotypical awkwardness).
On the other: Mustn't let you think you know what kind of scene it is.
How to avoid it? I know! By random bizarre inflections and changes of
objective.
Both are essentially self-conscious, and thus require the addition I
made (too late, dammit) last night: if you say Yes to being there, yes
to meaning these words, yes to responding to what you get - yes,
crucially, to making it about the other guy - you can't help but sail
between the two perils.
T Scylla and Charybdis (Book 12 of the Odyssey) -
On the one hand: here is the kind of scene it is, the kind of scene you
would have guessed from the text, so we'll conform to that (e.g. reads
like an awkward meeting, let's play stereotypical awkwardness).
On the other: Mustn't let you think you know what kind of scene it is.
How to avoid it? I know! By random bizarre inflections and changes of
objective.
Both are essentially self-conscious, and thus require the addition I
made (too late, dammit) last night: if you say Yes to being there, yes
to meaning these words, yes to responding to what you get - yes,
crucially, to making it about the other guy - you can't help but sail
between the two perils.
TOSS - A casting methodology peculiar to the Factory.
In Factory productions the casting is decided by three factors: directorial whim; an actor’s availability and finally, the Toss. The Toss is a simple game of chance which is performed publicly, usually by members of the audience minutes before the show begins. The winner of the Toss plays the role being decided by that Toss. Most shows involve several Tosses. When only one actor is available for a role - there is no Toss. Most popular games are “Scissors, Paper, Stone”; the throw of a coin or choosing the fist in which a coin is enclosed. Reactions to the winning or losing of the Toss range from collapsing tantrums to gentlemanly handshakes.
Seasoned Factory actors are familiar with the paradox of the Toss: faced with the sheer terror that is the reality of an imminent Factory performance the actor makes bargains with God to lose the Toss. Upon losing the Toss the actor experiences a strange sensation of desolation on missing out on an opportunity which, only moments before, she would have sold her own children to avoid.In conventional theatre, casting is similarly dictated by random events and valueless criteria, but this is not so openly acknowledged as it is in the Factory where it is turned into both a virtue and a spectator sport
UNITS (as used in The Seagull project: definition under construction - possibly permanently)
Before the Seagull Project went to air and after a period of open-ended, weekly (or less) sessions in which "approaches" to The Seagull were explored, TC asked the company (who had at that point been cast) to make "a list of units" in preparation for more intensive rehearsals. Units described in one word. When asked what he meant by "a list of units" TC replied:
"Deliberately vague, I'd say. All it means is that you work out exactly what happens in each scene you are in - including what information is conveyed in the dialogue - and, while avoiding where possible the use of exact quotes, you give each event or turn in the conversation a title which will serve as a mnemonic for you when playing. The mnemonic need not mean anything to anyone else, as I want each person's list to be personal to them (don't work on them with your doubles). Hope that helps. xtc"
The exact definition of "units" is still evolving and subjective - and I write this approximately six shows into the project.
It is still important that units are a) particular to the actor and not worked-out in collaboration with other actors playing the same or different parts and b) about "what happens" in the unit that is different to what goes before or after (ie what changes) and c) that they help the actor to focus on the unit-of-the-moment in a performance rather than "helping the story along".
"A unit" may perhaps be compared to "a phrase" in music.
It is also useful to note that many of us have found that when a particular moment of action is regularly problematic it is often because we have not carefully examined the units - what they achieve and what tools Chekov has chosen to use for the character to achieve their goal.
At this point it seems that by concentrating on units we allow the story to tell itself rather than making it our role to guide each other and the audience, God-like, through the "arc of the story". Chekov does that - we let him get on with it.
Best-used, small units of honest action colliding crazily, open up for us and the audience The Toybox of Surprise.
V
W
WWIBL acr. What Would It Be Like to say it and mean it?
X
Y
Z
