The BOSS of improv

Anyways, as the title doesn't suggest that well, this is what we did on wed and thurs, all fit into one blog =). We can all guess who's forgotten.
Kevin Sung
3/4/09

Goal: To present my improv in a comedic way and to allow others to understand what is happening through teamwork.

WHat we did: we watched improvs and did improvs. Sophie and my improv was basically run on the fact that we both heard a scream, and one of us wanted to be the hero and check it out (me), while the other didn't want to risk their lives and didn't want to join the wierd hero in their mighty adventure (Sophie). We also watched real improvs made up on the spot, while mixing in different ideas like Kung-fu, opera, soap opera, Shakespearean, Horror, Western, etc WITH voice.

Why we did it: We did this to, of course, practice improv. The second part, with the different ideas mixed in, was our first taste of real improv with voice and sound. Some people's were endless eye-boring tangents, while others captured comic effects very well.

What I did well: We presented the fact that I wanted to go somewhere through movements to get Sophie's attention while she repeatedly moved away from me. What we didn't do well was conveying the fact that the scream is what prompted the "checking things out" scenario.

3/5/09

Goal: SO TODAY! Wow! I'm listening to some tight music! So anyways the goal for today in drama: play around with improv on the spot posed by scenarios from the crowd (audience). Our main goal is to make sure the improv can be continuous and funny and not get dull.

What we did: We did more improv with different scenarios and stuff like Horror, Western, Mime, etc. We also played a game called I forgot what. Eesh. It was with a late co-worker, co-worker (X2), and a BOSS (hence, the name of the blog). Basically, the two co-workers try and allow the late co-worker to guess why they were late (doesn't that sound somewhat...suspicious or something?). And then the audience claps when the late-coworker gets the idea. I was called first as the boss. It was pretty entertaining to the crowd, with the number of laughs we got.

Why we did it: To become smart about guessing and of course, improvising key ideas that will help someone understand what's going on.

What I did well: I went up, forced by the luck of the pencil/pen. Actually, however much I want to blame it on the luck/misfortune, I realized that the game was really fun, and I felt as if I did well in moving the game along with the position of boss.

Starting to get serious...

Well, it's been busy yesterday and today. So imma fill in two days worth of journaling today.

if that makes any sense.

Kevin Sung
3/2/09

Goal: to work on movements in improv; to work on dramaticness and comedy.

What we did: We played Samurai Warrior, which is a game where you can use only your forearms to "strike" the other person. Any other part of your body is vulnerable and CAN be hurt. Therefore we made our only improv in the time allotted with 5 strikes. I was "paired" with Raz and Jessica. Afterwards we were assigned tommorow's real improv...skit or duo or w/e: basically a situation where there will be 2 (or three) people fighting for opposites of something. And only one can win!

Why we did it: We did Samurai Warrior to work on our movements in improv, and how to make big bold movements that will appear comic or dramatic on stage. Then we started the improv to actually practice the art of improv; but with time to use before. The Samurai Warrior game was basically leading into the improv, which is one without sound, only with movements are muted mouthings.

What I did well: I think I didn't do anything spectacular. I felt our Samurai Warrior improv didn't stand out that much, but it seemed like we got laughs from people. And I also feel that I'm good at contributing ideas to teamwork things.

Now onto...
3/3/09!!!

Goal: Is to work on improv skit and watch and learn from other performances.

What we did: As stated in the goal, we practiced our improv without the sound and watched a few performances (few being half the class). Me and Sophie's improv is based basically on a scream. We rush to the bus stop because its raining, and then we hear a scream. It freaks me out, and I wanna go check if anyone gets hurt, while Sophie begins insert some headphones. I hear it a second time, and tell Sophie to come with me. In the end, after a few useless attempts, I drag Sophie by the arm and run like superman towards the building.

Why we did it: To practice movement improv with practice beforehand.

What I did well: As stated before, I think I helped pose a lot of the ideas onto the table for me and Sophie's improv. I also feel that ours compared to others, although shorter, has more interesting ideas. Not saying others didn't, because some were awesome.

Why we did it: To prepare for the upcoming presentation of me and Sophie's own improv.

Fun Friday

Kevin Sung
2/27/09

Wow Friday was really fun. What's ironic is that we had fun not knowing when we would be accused of murder and thrown into jail, and when we would die ourselves...

Goal: To play around and have fun on a Friday while doing a lil improv.

What we did: We played two games. The first was the game where you had to say a word that immediately pops into your mind that corresponds with what the last person said. The next game was brutal. We played Mafia, where 4 people would be mafia members and kill off the townspeople, and where the townspeople would guess who the Mafia were. whenever a person was killed, a story would be made up for them, which was the only improv i could see apart from the story to defend yourself when you were accused of NOT being mafia.

Why we did it: As the title suggests, it was Friday and I, for one, was pooped. So this was a nice, "relaxing" game which would somehow help us with our improv skills.

What I did well: For one, I got myself landed in jail by proudly stating, "I am the Mafia". Which I wasn't. SO, I was still accused and...it was pretty pathetic. Aside from that, I was able to observe the game really well, and take note of what stupid Mafia members do and such (and what NOT to do myself). I also enjoyed some of the death stories, which was one of the best parts of the game.

Once a time there was a drama class....

who had a day of...story..telling
Kevin Sung
2/26/09

Goal: So today there wasn't much of a goal made for myself as there was one set up by Mrs. Weil. The two things we did, explosion tag and yes, storytelling, had different goals to accomplish. For explosion tag, the whole idea was to explode and be free, or let yourself loose and don't be scared to act wierd. For storytelling, it was mainly trying to tell a story smoothly and...understandable (grammatically and...yeah)

What we did: To explain the goal, I had to explain what we did. So basically in explosion tag, we were all chased by Andre, and as soon as we were tagged, we exploded one by one by letting free our child-power. In storytelling we went around a group of 8-10, creating a story, each person giving a word each time and going in a circle. All our stories were strange, and didn't make a whole lot of sense. Lost characters, lost dogs, lost gravity...oh my.

Why we did it: I think we did this because it was a short day, and Mrs. Weil wanted us to try a game we didnt do yesterday. And of course we also did explosion tag, which I believe (not sure though) is Mrs. Weil's favorite to watch. Otherwise, we practiced explosion tag to not hold back and to let all your silliness and goofiness "explode" out, and we told a story to have the fast speaking reflexes and quick thinking that makes up perhaps a great actor.

What I did well: I certainly think I jumped higher than others in explosion tag, but that was about it. I need to work on screaming, and telling stories in a fun and quick way.

Chaos

Kevin Sung
2/25/09
Wow, today was pretty much chaos with all these games. Bad sub kept on cutting out all our ideas and giving her own.
Goal: My goal in mind was rather general with all these topics. I think today was more on coming up with topics on the spot, so my primary goal was to keep an idea riveting and interesting for the crowd. My other goal was to watch and learn.

What we did: We played a number of games, including Explosion tag (tagging and the person who gets tagged must explode), Attention Seeker Game (whatever, but this is where a person walking down the red carpet has his attention drawn), choir (singing), and of course, improv.

Why we did this: As mentioned before, we were to basically learn how to think up things on the spot and in the end, practicing our improv skills.

What I did well: Although I didn't volunteer to go as much, I was able to observe the "actors". I noticed the more people there are, the harder it gets to keep control on stage. Having people talk over one another is the most annoying thing, and it happened alot. Another aspect is that I felt people did the same things. I feel that if people know this is your personality or the way you act, it gets boring. Even the best get boring. So I think it's better to change it up.

The art of Improvisation (Bullshitting)

Kevin Sung
2/24/09
Goal: As it suggests, my goal is to become learned in the ways of improv (or bsing). So it all started today, new unit for I don't know how long. My personal goal today was, like Mrs. Weil's, to become good at creating things on the spot. Ideas, movements, and drama on the spot that can keep a improv rolling. Just to get a feel for creating a storyline and script on the spot was what my goal was for today. I think, because I am also sort of a leader (for a better word than bossy), I tend to take control of the script. That's another goal I have in mine: to let others take the lead role, and of course to not be worried about looking funny.

What we did: Mrs. Weil had an improv for us to do. The hardest part was to do something when you weren't sure what to do. In da beginning we were laying on our backs and imagining how we would dodge numbers 10-0. Then we walked through 0 like a door, and into a paradise beach. And so we begin touring the beach. I felt this was the hardest part since we didn't have a definite thing to do. Going into the cave next and huddling around each other after it started raining was better; you had more things to do like shivering and applying wood to a fire. The final parts, crawling thru a hole and getting into a fancy ballroom for a food fight was much easier to do, since we had definite concrete ideas to follow.

Why we did this: To practice improv! I think what's harder than even acting things out is to speak things that can help an improv moving. Creating things on the spot for others to follow is difficult enough. I feel that talking is the next challenge for the improv unit, which is probably why we started with this to get a feel for improv.

What I did well: I think I accomplished just as much as everyone else did in learning the ways of improv. I feel that the art of improv really does have to do with not taking control, but letting everyone's ideas flow into the set, which I felt because this improv game was so chaotic and unorganized, was actually key to helping us understand this. I felt I had some good ideas to help others get things to do as well.

Monologue practice

After a few months break from my journaling, I'm back!

So here's a recap of the past month's proceedings.

We began by doing a skit with our sub around the beginning of January with the elements. I was the wind that enraged the fire (Razvan) to burn the tree, while the rain helped the tree regrow. I thought our skit was more of a fanciful representation of the elements.

Anyways after that we were introduced the the unit, monologues. we had to choose a 1.5-3 min long mono to do. Before doing so, we were first made to observe two individuals, and try and distinguish their traits from their look alone. This made me think of who I could portray the best, which should be easier due to my constraint as a beginning actor. At that time, I was leaning towards doing a 25 year or so old thief, but due to the age requirements, I decided in the end to stick with Huck in Huck Finn's Adventures.

This is the uncut version of it

HUCK: It was Tom's idea--to start up a band of robbers. He made us swear an oath that if anybody that belonged to the band told the secrets, he must have his throat cut, and then have his carcass burnt up and the ashes scattered all around, and his name blotted off of the list with blood and never mentioned again by the gang, but have a curse put on it and be forgot forever. Everybody said it was a real beautiful oath, and asked Tom if he got it out of his own head. He said, some of it, but the rest was out of pirate-books and robber-books, and every gang that was high-toned had it. Some thought it would be good to kill the FAMILIES of boys that told the secrets. They talked it over, and they was going to rule me out, because they said every boy must have a family or somebody to kill, or else it wouldn't be fair and square for the others. Well, nobody could think of anything to do--everybody was stumped, and set still. I was most ready to cry; but all at once I thought of a way, and so I offered them Miss Watson--they could kill her. We played robber now and then about a month, and then I resigned. All the boys did. We hadn't robbed nobody, hadn't killed any people, but only just pretended. We used to hop out of the woods and go charging down on hog-drivers and women in carts taking garden stuff to market, but we never hived any of them. Tom Sawyer called the hogs "ingots," and he called the turnips and stuff "julery," and we would go to the cave and powwow over what we had done, and how many people we had killed and marked. But I couldn't see no profit in it. One time Tom sent a boy to run about town with a blazing stick, which he called a slogan (which was the sign for the Gang to get together), and then he said he had got secret news by his spies that next day a whole parcel of Spanish merchants and rich A-rabs was going to camp in Cave Hollow with two hundred elephants, and six hundred camels, and over a thousand "sumter" mules, all loaded down with di'monds, and they didn't have only a guard of four hundred soldiers, and so we would lay in ambuscade, as he called it, and kill the lot and scoop the things. He said we must slick up our swords and guns, and get ready. He never could go after even a turnip-cart but he must have the swords and guns all scoured up for it, though they was only lath and broomsticks, and you might scour at them till you rotted, and then they warn't worth a mouthful of ashes more than what they was before. I didn't believe we could lick such a crowd of Spaniards and A-rabs, but I wanted to see the camels and elephants, so I was on hand next day, Saturday, in the ambuscade; and when we got the word we rushed out of the woods and down the hill. But there warn't no Spaniards and A-rabs, and there warn't no camels nor no elephants. It warn't anything but a Sunday-school picnic, and only a primer-class at that. We busted it up, and chased the children up the hollow; but we never got anything but some doughnuts and jam, though Ben Rogers got a rag doll, and Jo Harper got a hymn-book and a tract; and then the teacher charged in, and made us drop everything and cut. I didn't see no di'monds, and I told Tom Sawyer so. He said there was loads of them there, anyway; and he said there was A-rabs there, too, and elephants and things. I said, why couldn't we see them, then? He said if I warn't so ignorant, but had read a book called Don Quixote, I would know without asking. He said it was all done by enchantment. He said there was hundreds of soldiers there, and elephants and treasure, and so on, but we had enemies which he called magicians; and they had turned the whole thing into an infant Sunday-school, just out of spite. I said, all right; then the thing for us to do was to go for the magicians. Tom Sawyer said I was a numskull. I reckon he believed in the A-rabs and the elephants and all that other stuff, but as for me I think different.

http://www.monologuearchive.com/t/twain_002.html

aside from the above, we also watched three performances from actresses who were both from college and high school drama corp. (or w/e u call it), two from our very own...mlhs! I enjoyed Safeena's the most. I thought it was the best monologue because it fit Safeena very well, and she could act the craziness with brightness. It was so well done, basically, is what I want to say. All the personalities matched what Safeena was trying to capture.

Then we had two improvs, the first dealing with emotion. I tried to choose something others might not choose, and something that challenged me. It was fright. Of course, this challenged me because, heh, real men don't get scared. Nah jk. Well I think all my movements were overdone and too superficial for the point to get across. 4/6 ain't too bad though

The second improv was to pick a scene with a group. This was significantly harder than the other improv. I thought I did well in playing out the player who was hitting on every girl he could find while embarrassing himself with the cocky attitude (yeah, i can relate to the last part), but the hardest part for every group was either that everyone was talking all at once, or just one person was manning the performance. We gotta work on it as a team!

Finally, for my monologue. I've been procrastinating, and hopefully you, Mrs. Weil, won't read this till you watch my monologue. But yeah, I know like half my lines right now. Time to get the other half down! i still got a couple days to polish it all up. Above are all the worksheets we had...I left out some uneeded pages.