Draft 2

Katelyn Quirk

IB Literature and Performance SL

Ms. Guarino

10/5/16

Juliet and Me

In my performance I used facial expressions, body language and tone of voice to portray Juliet's feelings throughout the scene. Me and my partner chose to perform and study Act 3 Scene 5. In this scene Romeo and Juliet share their second balcony scene, but this time the atmosphere and their body language as well as pitch of voice change. Romeo and Juliet are nervous but hopeful they will marry and be happy together. They feel they can overcome all the odds that are against them. Romeo and Juliet are mostly talking to themselves but continue to face the audience during certain moments or lines in the text. For example in  The only real objects that they use are a bed and the balcony itself. In this scene me and my partner wanted to set up the scene using a couch and a bed as well as an invisible balcony. We tried our best to portray the scene the same way. We wanted the audience to feel how desperate yet young and immature we were about our love for each other and how scared we were. Me and my partner had to agree on certain things that made us both feel comfortable, but we also wanted to make it seem real. We tried setting up the scene to make it more like a home rather than just a bed and a balcony.. It took me quite a while to get the hang of it since I naturally have such a bubbly personality. The first time performing was difficult because I could not stop laughing. My partner and I didn't really display or rather, represent the kind of emotion Romeo and Juliet show to each other. It was hard because I was doing it with a girl I never knew. After a few more weeks it got easier but the emotions and some of the movements were way off. I felt like I needed to portray how Juliet was feeling through my body language and facial expression. I tried to show how juliet was feeling during Scene 5 Act 3

“Yond light is not day-light, I know it, I;

It is some meteor that the sun exhal’d

To be to thee this night a torch-bearer

And light thee on thy way to Montua.

Therefore stay yet, thou need’st not be gone.” (3.5.12-16.)

During this scene I wanted the audience to really feel how desperately Juliet wanted Romeo to stay with her, so I tried focusing on facial expressions and tone of voice. I took advantage of the line,“Yond light is not day-light, I know it, I” and worked on changing my tone of voice. I made  my voice sound more high pitched to emphasize how desperate the situation was at hand. I also  arched my eyebrows downward to show how afraid I was because I knew it was best for Romeo to leave. Doing this was an easy way for the audience to understand how important this interaction was between Romeo and Juliet. I even decided to take a long dramatic pause after the word “I” to let the audience know I was thinking about what to say. I desperately wanted Romeo to stay and therefore I was coming up with reasons for him to remain by my side.

Bushnell Theater Blog Post

The Bushnell Theater was amazing. The play was even better! My favorite part was how the actor played so many different parts at once and never lost character. The story really hit home for me because discrimination and racial profiling still happens today. The amount of criticism and bullying people go through just because of the color of their skin is insane. I do like how she played so many parts and how she could switch her voices and emotions so fast. One thing I can learn from her is to just have fun while performing but also never loose focus. Another thing I learned was that not everyone in the audience will interpret the play the same. Everyone has different opinions on what's going on. Everyone seemed to get the moral of the story but when it came to what's wrong and right, everyone has different opinions on the matter. I could relate this to my experience with Romeo and Juliet because even though I was not there to preform it, I had a hard time staying in character when I first started. Becoming the role can be hard. Naturally I am a bubbly person, and when I had to do a serious scene I had to make some major adjustments to my attitude and personality. I am not sure if anyone else is familiar with the phrase "Two faced." It basically means that you act different around different group of people. That's how I feel while performing Romeo and Julie because naturally I am bubbly but around the audience and cast members I am serious at that exact moment. Another thing I really liked about her and the play she performed was the fact that when she messed up she never apologized for it or took  a long pause. She would either continue in or just start that line over. Although she did not write the book, she filled the shoes very well and each character was proven to be amazing. I have to say, I could feel the emotion she portrayed very well and it made me question whether or not she received any harsh treatment from anyone throughout her life. My sister who happens to be half black has been discriminated against before, it seems like the color of our skin represents who we are. But we didn't chose to look like this. It's crazy the amount of racial profiling that still goes in today.

Performance log 10/9

#1.) Today, I gave a lot of advice to two of the groups today. I thought they all did well but struggled with a few things. For example, actions, movement and pronunciation is a struggle. Me and my partner also struggle with action and  movement so we are trying to work on it. But it was very difficult. Me and my partner really had to find a way to push past all the awkwardness and really focus on who Romeo and Juliet were as characters rather than who we are as people. To me, the hardest part was the fact that she was a girl an we had a very intimate scene. But we both found a way to make it work so I am hoping its good enough.
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#2.) So today was a bit better. We both are learning some of the lines so we don't have to continue to look at our scripts. For me, my main struggle was not laughing. Today we preformed our scenes and it was fun! but also very awkward. I was a but embarrassed by how much I kept laughing. I am naturally a very bubbly person but this scene is suppose to be intimate, passionate and meaningful. I feel as if I have to be "two faced." To me, "two faced" means acting like someone else based on the crowed you're with. Having to play Juliet who, at the time, was a very serious character was something I had to learn to become. I got some awesome feedback today from my peers. For example, really make the audience feel my desperation. This was the last time I may have been able to see Romeo. Another thing, slowing down my lines. I tend to get nervous and rush through things when I want to just get it over with.
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#3.) I finally have my lines down pretty well! But, I am still struggling with pronunciation and slowing down when I speak my lines. For my performance I am planning on wearing a skirt with color because even though it is a very serious scene, Romeo and Juliet continue to show the smallest bit of hope that they will be able to meet again soon and I think that is very important. I think this because everything around them seems to be going wrong yet, they continue to pursue each other. In reality, they ate still immature and sick for love. Romeo will be wearing a button up shirt and a jacket if possible. Just to show that he has matured a but over time, but we want people to see the wrinkles in his jacket. Its to show that he doesn't actually have his life together and is struggling.
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#4.) So, today I preformed my scenes. Sadly I had to do it with my script, but it was so much fun! I was more confident in myself, I talked more slowly with my words and really tried to show the desperation I had for Romeo. Chantell did an amazing job as always. Not going to lie, It was hard for me to not laugh when

ouline Essay

Outline:

• critical analysis; direct quotes  (literary terms)
• How text informed choices made in the scene; talk about lighting acting and staging
• Reflection/critique/Analysis of own performance; Dramatic choices, what I can improve or where I fell short.

Performing Romeo and Juliet was difficult for me as an actor to perform because of vocal range. We chose to perform and study Act 3 Scene 5. In this act Romeo and Juliet share their second balcony scene, but this time the atmosphere and their body language as well as pitch of voice change. Romeo and Juliet are nervous but hopeful they will marry and be happy together. They feel they can overcome all the odds that are against them. In this scene Romeo and Juliet are mostly talking to themselves but continue to face the audience during certain moments or lines in the text. The only real objects that they use is a bed and the balcony itself. In this scene me and my partner wanted to set up the scene using a couch and a bed as well as an invisible balcony. We tried our best to portray the scene the same way. We wanted the audience to feel how desperate yet young and immature we were about our love for each other and how scared we were. It was difficult at first not going to lie. Me and my partner had to agree on certain things that made us both feel comfortable, but we also wanted to make it seem real. We tried setting up the scene to make it more Like a home rather than just a bed and a balcony. The role was difficult. It took me quite a while to get the hang of it since I naturally have such a bubbly personality. The first time performing was difficult because I could not stop laughing. My partner and I didn't really display or rather, represent the kind of emotion Romeo and Juliet show to each other. It was hard because I was doing it with a girl I never knew. After a few more weeks it got easier but the emotions and some of the movements were way off. I felt like I needed to portray how Juliet was feeling through body language and facial expressions.