Tentative schedule for 2011-2012 Sherwood Genesis Zero! June 30, 2011

The Sherwood Genesis Zero Stage Class will be separated into two units this year; both units are 9 weeks long. Classes are on Mondays. Sherwood classes take place at the Life House, 15631 SW Oregon St, Sherwood.

The first unit starts on September 12th and ends November 7th, and has three classes available:

Beginners (ages 9-12), 12:00pm-1:00pm

Young beginners (ages 4-8), 1:15pm-2:15pm

and Intermediate (ages 8-18), 2:30pm-4:00pm. Students out of the age range may be allowed in any class at the discretion of the teacher.

The second unit begins November 14th and ends January 23rd, with two classes available, both for ages 10-18 (younger students allowed at teacher’s discretion), which will be appropriate for intermediate to advanced students:

Singing and Dance (Show Choir), 12:30pm-2:00pm

Thespians (Drama, Improv, etc), 2:15pm-3:45pm

Cost is $10 per week, per family. If you have students in multiple classes in the same unit, cost is $15 per week, per family.

If you would like to enroll or have questions, please email me at hundleyfam@hotmail.com

I am also happy to announce that we are now offering a Genesis Zero Stage class in Forest Grove. If this interests you, check out the schedule for the Forest Grove GZ.

Change is in the Wind March 31, 2011

There are going to be some changes in the format of Genesis Zero and Salt of the Earth Productions. Please note, the following are not set in stone; changes will continue to be made as I fine-tune and get permissions and such.

The past few years I’ve been trying to hit on the best format for classes and productions, so things are going to get reshuffled again.

1. Classes will continue to be Mondays in Sherwood. However, there will only be TWO classes; one at 12:30-2:00, and a longer one at 2:30-4:30.

2. Each class will be split into a 9 week (ish) unit. The first nine weeks will be Beginners and Intermediate, the next will be Pre-Beginner (ages 4-9) and Intermediate, and the next will be Advanced and Intermediate.

I have Intermediate in every unit, because any level can comfortably take the class without being too overwhelmed or alternately bored. This format is subject to change.

3. I also hope to teach a class in Gales Creek or Forest Grove. This first year would be similar to the first years of GZ; one class only, open to all levels, ages 8-18. This would likely be held on Fridays, 3:30-5:00 or 4:00-5:30.

4. Classes would finish at the end of January. Production will begin in February, with rehearsals being held 2 nights a week.

5. Productions will take place in Gales Creek or Forest Grove, NOT in Sherwood. We can’t seem to find any place to perform in that area, and it’s difficult to rehearse in Sherwood, then move to Gales Creek to perform.

6. I’m looking to get more people involved in the leadership aspect. I’d like a teacher’s assistant for the Gales Creek class, and we also need production members for the musicals.

Production leadership may include; Directors, Choreographers, Tech crew, Costumers, Pianist, Stage Manager, Promotions Manager, House Manager, etc.

7. I would like to have a dance night, similar to the dance parties at the Tigard Dance Company (but on a smaller scale). I’m thinking Monday nights, 7-9, at the Sparrow Ballroom (pending confirmation) in Forest Grove.

This would include a brief lesson, then open floor until 9:00.

If anyone is interested in helping out with that (i.e., sound, set-up, dance instructors), let me know if you’re interested.

If you have any questions or suggestions, and/or are interested in helping out with anything, comment below or send me an email (please note new SOTE email address: sotepro@yahoo.com). Keep an eye out for a new SOTE Pro. website!

The Chicken Crossed the Road to Read Brandon’s Comedy Essay October 21, 2010

Comedy is a style of acting, talking, writing, dancing, etc. that generally leads to laughter. There are many styles within comedy, such as: slapstick, irony, satire, alternative comedy, sarcasm, banter, gallows humor, parody, and many, many others.

Now, to make comedy work, you have to find subjects that people think are funny. These can range from reflections of life ( Overly eccentric people), to peculiar/bizarre things you’re not likely to see in your life (a gun-totting monkey wearing a top-hat), to a combination of the two (actors), and beyond.

The unfortunate truth is that it is easy to royally mess up. “How can this happen!” you ask? Well, hold onto your knickers, I’m about to tell you. Let’s get the common sense ones out of the way first: bad jokes, overly complex jokes, and outdated jokes are lame (seriously, I don’t want to hear about why the chicken crossed the road ever again… ever).

Next, know your audience. Some jokes work better for certain ages than others. Slapstick works great for kids, but – unless it’s really good – doing a slapstick routine just won’t work for a tea party.

Don’t try to be funny, that just turns out sad – really, really sad

Know your material. Jokes need to flow out of your mouth like a figure skater on fresh ice, not like a grandpa in a wheelchair trying to go down the stairs. (Editor’s note – step away from the similes with your hands up, Brandon!)

And please, keep it clean! Of course this falls on the shoulders of the performer, but I believe the audience is more to blame. The performer controls what they perform, but through what they pay and what they watch, the audience controls the performer.

A comic has to tell jokes about what they think the audience finds funny. If they don’t, then they will be out on the street faster than aforementioned grandpa. The audience needs to demand more from comedians.

Comedy, when done right, is a great way to engage the audience and make them fall in love with you.

May all your jokes receive a hearty laugh in reply,

~Brandon

Timeline of Western Theatre October 15, 2010

Theatre Timeline – Brandon Rude (Editor’s note: In changing the format from an email to a blog, punctuation and spacing mistakes may have been made by the editor. Any spelling mistakes are the author’s.)

534 B.C.

Thespis (known as the first playwright) wins the first theatre tragedy competition in Athens.

508 B.C.

A semi-annual festival/tragedy competition is created in Dionysia.

486 B.C.

Playwrights had to start submitting a comedy to the Dionysia tragedy competition, in addition to the satyr and three tragedies they already had to write. It is also around this time that Aeschylus added a second performer, and Sophocles added a third. Before this, plays involved just a single performer  interacting with the chorus.

323 B.C.

During the Hellenistic period, the primary theatrical form in Greek was “New Comedy”, comedy focusing on everyday life.  This had a large influence on Roman theatre.

Sometime in Roman theatre history, women started being allowed to perform as well, before this all women characters were played by men. This lasted until the Middle Ages.

The Middle Ages begin:

The Protestant Church started trying to stamp out Roman theatre, most specifically in England, in an attempt to undo Roman allegiance. I get the feeling that religious plays still existed, though I read actors were denied a Christian burial (which would’ve been a big deal.)

Moving forward a bit in the Middle Ages:

A renewed interest in Greek and Roman theatre started to emerge among the learned classes, leading to Greek and Roman plays being performed again, and also leading to plays being written that were heavily influenced be these older styles. This eventually lead to the creation of Commedia Dell’arte.

1551 A.D.

Commedia Dell’arte, The Granddaddy of improv. While the first recorded performance of this theatre style was in 1551, it didn’t start to flourish until the 1560’s. Commedia Dell’arte is a style of theatre that focused on spontaneity, using scenarios and not scripts. Also, because performers of this style traveled for a majority of their performances, they used very few props.

There are a few major theatre styles that were shaped by Commedia Dell’arte, Including Punch and Judy, and Pantomime (although Pantomime performances date back to ancient Greece, it still owes it’s modern styling to certain Commedia Dell’arte Characters, namely Harlequin.)

1564 A.D.

William Shakespeare Was Baptized on April 26, 1564, his birth date is unknown. Shakespeare would later write some of the most well known plays in history, including: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth (never say the name while inside a theatre!) While dating all his plays is problematic, many claim that his first play was Richard III. Shakespeare also performed with The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later called, The King’s Men.)

1642 A.D.

The Puritan movement closes all London theatres.

1660-1700 A.D.

London theatres are re-opened. A theatrical renaissance begins, women start performing again, the first theatrical celebrities emerge, and the first woman playwright, Aphra Behn, starts penning plays.

1829 A.D.

The first theatre opens on Broadway.

1866 A.D.

The first Musical, The Black Crook, is performed in New York. It was five-and-a-half hours long and ran for 474 preformances.

1881 A.D.

Vaudeville as we know it is born!!! (Trust me, this deserves exclamation points.) Vaudeville was a clean genre of theatre, and the jumping off point of many well known stars; including: Abbot and Costello, the Andrews sisters, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Etc. (Editor’s note: Vaudeville was “cleaned up” burlesque, started by Tony Pastor.)

1888 A.D.

The first motion picture, Roundhay Garden Scene, is shot. It had a total duration of 2 seconds.

1906 A.D.

Stanislavski (known as the father of theatre technique) started work on his ‘system’. It is also around this time that the first full length film, The story of the Kelly Gang, is released. It was also in this year that the first radio broadcast went out.

1920 A.D.

Most films now have music composed specifically for them. Also, the first talkies (films with a sound track played alongside the movie), are released.

1921 A.D.

The first made-for-radio sketch if aired.

1928 A.D.

The first television show, The Queen’s Messenger, aired. It was also in this year that the first sound cartoon, Mickey Mouse in Plane Crazy, was aired.

1930 A.D.

The Group Theatre in New York City popularizes Method Acting

1932 A.D.

New York City’s Palace Theatre, Vaudeville’s epicenter, shifts to a movie house, thus putting one of the final nails in the coffin of Vaudeville 😦

1935 A.D.

The first full length color film, Rouben Mamoulian’s Becky Sharp, is released.

1940 A.D.

Lee Strasberg begins and continues to Refine Method Acting until his death in 1982.

1951 A.D.

The first color television program was aired.

Sometime in the late 1960’s:

Color films are now the norm.

2001 A.D.

Final Fantasy X (my personal favorite Final Fantasy game) is released, with voice overs! And it was the first it pull it off in a convincing manner. This allowed the characters come to life in ways never seen before in video games, and started a revolution in video gaming, allowing games to rival (and in my opinion beat) movies for compelling narrative and presentation. (Editor’s note: the author barely managed to sneak this in. I decided most mercifully to let him.)

2007 A.D.

The Genesis Zero Stage Class begins. (Editor’s note: Brandon, you’re weird!)

2009 A.D.

Jack Came Back is performed at Boones Ferry Community Church. A great time if had by all. (Editor’s note: See Editor’s note above.)

More Drama History October 11, 2010

The following is from a handout I typed up to hand out to a group I spoke for on Friday. They’re very brief and by no means comprehensive:

Mystery, Miracle, and Morality Plays

In the 15^th and 16^th centuries, the Bible was only available in Latin. Most of the common people of this time could not read English, much less Latin, and therefore had little education in the basics of Christianity. To remedy this, the Catholic church began performing plays as a way to teach the tenets of faith to the masses.

Mystery plays were Bible stories, with 4-5 plays in one presentation. Frequently, each play was performed in a different part of town, sometimes even on a wagon that was pulled through town, much like a modern parade float.

Miracle plays depicted the miracles of saints and their lives.

Morality plays were allegorical, using actors to represent vices and virtues, and showed the importance of repentance and how mankind can overcome temptation.

The “devil on the left shoulder, angel on the right shoulder” plot used in cartoons and comedies has its roots in morality plays.

Commedia dell’arte

Commedia dell’arte was a popular kind of Italian theatre in the mid-16^th century.

This form of comedy had 9-10 main characters, two old men (vecchi), two romantic couples (innamorati), two captains (zanni), and a serving maid or two (servetta). Each character had their own identifying costume and mask. These characters include Harlequin, Columbine, Scaramouche, and Pantalon.

Commedia dell’arte has contributed to Western theater in its use of slapstick (literally, two sticks that clapped together to make a loud slapping sound), and has influenced several playwrights, including William Shakespeare in The Tempest.

The Globe Theater

The Globe Theatre was owned in shares by The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, of which William Shakespeare was part.

It was built in 1599, burned down in 1613, and rebuilt in 1614.

It was an open-air theater; the stage had a false ceiling (not shown in picture) over it to protect the actors from bad weather.

Wealthier audience members could pay more for the drier box seats, but the common laborers had to stand in the open area (the “yard” or “pit”), sometimes for 3 hours at a time.

The best seats were actually behind the stage, which meant poor visibility, but excellent audio. The acoustics of the Globe Theater were poor.

The Globe was closed in 1642 by the Puritans, who insisted that all acting was sinful.

William Shakespeare has contributed much to not only Western Theatre, but to Western culture as a whole. His plays have provided us with new words (he invented words such as “eyeball”, “lonely”, and “bump”), quotes, and cliches used in common speech.

Method Acting

Developed by Konstantin Stanislavski, method acting was a system of techniques in which actors “become” the characters they are playing. Instead of just pretending to be sad, for example, an actor actually uses exercises to causes himself to feel sadness.

Techniques include drawing upon the actor’s experiences and memories to give more realistic performances, concentrating on the actor’s stage partner, and “staying in the moment”.

Method acting has been very instrumental in modern theatre. This technique is frequently taught in high school drama classes and employed during theatre rehearsals.

Famous method actors include: James Dean, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, and many more.

Sources

wikipedia.org; Greek Theatre; Commedia dell’arte; Globe Theater; Method Acting

medievaleurope.mrdonn.org

Ancient Greek Theatre October 7, 2010

Ancient Greek Theatre

Ancient Greek Theatre flourished between c. 550 and c. 220 BC. Its center was Athens, where it was part of a festival honoring the god Dionyus.

There were three main kinds of dramatic performances: Tragedy, Comedy, and the Satyr play. A play might last from morning to evening, and were quite elaborate. Audiences were large; up to 14,000 seats were available.

The size of the outdoor theatres presented several challenges. To solve the problem of visibility, theatres were built on hills, with the stage area at the bottom of the hill. Architects also had to consider acoustics when building a theatre, as an actor’s voice could be lost to the audience sitting furthest from the stage. Another problem of visibility was solved by the wearing of masks. This enabled the audience to determine a characters emotions by exaggerating the expression.

A chorus of 12-50 performers would represent an observer and commentator of the events through song and dance. Because the chorus usually played one character, they often wore identical masks.

The play itself was performed by no more than three actors, who often played multiple characters. Different characters and emotions were represented with different masks. Women were not allowed to act, so men had to play female roles.

Tragedy competitions were held as part of the festival. The first playwright to win this festival was Thespis; from whose name we get the word “Thespian”, meaning a dramatic performer.

Greek Theatre has contributed to modern Western theatre in many ways, including: use of scenery/backdrops, dramatic competitions, use of music and dance as part of theatre, special effects including trapdoors and cranes, the introduction of satire as an art form, and more.

Books available in Washington County October 2, 2010

Some of these might be available in the Yamhill County system; not sure. Just to give you an idea of what’s out there:

150 Years of Popular Musical Theater

– Andrew Lamb

Broadway Costumes on a Budget : Big-time Ideas for Amateur Producers

– Janet Litherland

Cool sets & props : how to stage your very own show

– Karen Latchana Kenny

Practical handbook of stage lighting and sound

– W. Edmund Hood

Theatre backstage from A to Z

– Warren C. Lounsbury

Theatrical design and production : an introduction to scene design and construction, lighting, sound, costume, and makeup

–  J. Michael Gillette

Classical Music for Dummies

– David Pogue

Directing a Play

– Michael McCaffery

Backstage at a play

– Kimberly M. Miller

Practical theater : how to stage your own production

The History of Swing (Sorta) by Brandon September 17, 2010

(If you haven’t written your swing essay yet, you may read this, but you still have to research on your own:)

Swing dance is really a group of dances developed for the style of Jazz music being played at the time (1920s – ‘40s.)

   One of the most well known swing dances, Lindy Hop (possibly named for Charles Lindbergh’s crossing of the Atlantic), came about in the late ‘20s.

   Developed in Harlem, New York, and possibly based off of one of these dances: The Charleston, The Texas Tommy, The Breakaway, and The Hop. Lindy includes influences from: Jazz, Tap, Breakaway, and Charleston.

   The early years of Lindy are commonly associated with “Shorty” George Snowden, Bid Bea, Leroy Stretch Jones, and Little Bea.

   Lindy Entered Mainstream American Culture in the ‘30s through a couple of sources, such as movies. One of these movies was A Day at the Races, staring the Marx Brothers. The Lindy Hop sequence featured:  Frankie Manning, Al Minns, and Norma Miller (some of the most famous Lindy Hoppers at the time.)

   Moving forward in time a little, we come to the 1940s and the East Coast Swing (My style of choice. Well, Single-step Swing that is…)

   East Coast Swing came out of Lindy Hop with the help of The Arthur Murray dance studio, and styled after the swing music of the 1940s. This style first was designed for instructional purposes at the Arthur Murray dance academy, but was later codified to allow for competitive dancing. It’s been said that there is no wrong way of dancing East Coast Swing; that said, certain styles are considered as the “correct form”.

Resources for your TAS September 14, 2010

Here are some links and whatnot to help you research for your TAS. Keep in mind that these links may not be the best source of information, so look around and don’t rely on this. Also, while you’re welcome to glance at the links for other TAS, don’t get so distracted that you neglect the ones you’re working on.

Comedy TAS:

Comedy

Elements of Comedy

How to tell a Joke

Telling Jokes Lots of ads in this one, but look! It’s by Brandon!

Slapstick

Drama/Tragedy TAS:

Elements of Drama

Aristotle

Dramatic Scenes

Confrontation Scenes

How to Cry I just Googled “How to Cry” and this came up! Hahaha!

Pantomime TAS:

Mimed scene ideas

Stage Combat TAS:

Combat videos (I was not able to view these beforehand for content.)

Improvisation TAS:

You’re on your own; this one’s easy to look up. I have a list of improv games if you want to look at it.

History of Drama TAS:

This one is also easy to look up. Here’s one interesting link, though:

Vaudeville

Song Performance:

Vocal Health

Vocal Health for Kids

Basic Music Theory and Next Level Music Theory:

The Basics

History of Music:

Musical Periods

Ballroom Dance/Swing Dance:

I have several videos that teach the basics of ballroom and swing. You can also find lots of videos and DVDs that teach these. I’m fond of the Dance With Len Goodman (head judge on Dancing With the Stars) DVD, available in the Washington County system.

History of Swing

Theatrical Dance

You can also find DVDs of jazz, hip hop, etc at your library or clips on YouTube.

History of Dance

Be careful when looking up “dance fads” online; there are some inappropriate topics in those articles. I have Panatti’s Parade of Fads, Follies, and Manias, a book that covers these dance fads. There is also a video in the Washington County system called Dance Time – The 20th Century, which is pretty good.

Scriptwriting

Comedy Sketch writing

Script formatting

Writing a Dramatic Vignette

Song/Poetry Writing

Just Google “How to write a song” or “how to write a poem”. Lots of stuff will come up.

Choreography

Choreography

Promotions/Advertising

10 Tips

Logo design

Directing

Christian diplomacy

Blocking 1

Blocking 2

Costuming and Costume Design/Assembly

Costume Design

Color Wheel

Body Types

I also have several books on historical and ethnic costumes.

Makeup and Hair

Makeup effects

Stage Makeup videos

Makeup step-by-step

Long Hair Styles

Grey hair

Historical Hair and Costume

Set Design

I have a book on making theatre sets.

Props Design

About Props

Importance of Props

Lights

About Stage Lighting

Audio

About Sound

Stage Crew

Stage Management

Special Effects

Fun Catalogue

Special FX

Stage Safety

Physical environment

Theatre Safety

Teaching Tips – Notes September 8, 2010

The following is my notes from watching the dvd series, “I’m Counting On You” by Tommy Sanders, Ph. D.

It’s mostly notes for my own future reference, so they’re not in any particular order and probably won’t even make sense except to me.

*It is important to establish your authority; be ready immediately when the children walk in.

*Life is imitating art.

*Bring children to look outward (rather than being self-absorbed), and how to make choices and how these choices impact their future, (rather than just teaching content) At the same time, they should learn self-evaluation.

*Create stages of responsibility – their choices should be different with the child’s age/capabilities.

*How can you connect classroom content with learning how to serve others? Apply lessons to helping others.

*Let them know how the content you teach can and will be used later.

*make your class a rewarding environment. Try to include “reward” in each class (does not need to be a physical reward).

*The goal of teaching and using discipline is to lead children from discipline to self-discipline.

*When children challenge you, give them a few acceptable choices. Hold them to their choice until next time. This teaches them that choices matter; they have consequences.

*Consequences make sense to children (and therefore must make sense to the action).

*”No” is a promise. Only use it when you mean it.

*Lower your voice when punishing/disciplining. They will match your volume.

*Evaluate your classroom/space. Change as much as needed. Change seating arrangements as needed.

*When a child is acting inappropriately, ask yourself, “What is the child’s goal?”

*If something messes up your schedule, communicate to the children what is happening.

*When imposing consequences, take notes to remember which consequences you have given.

*When a child has hurt another child, it is not necessary to demand an apology immediately (an apology is not a consequence, but in addition to consequences). With older children, you can tell them to apologize to the other child at some point in the day.

*Don’t ask younger children, “why did you do that?”; they usually don’t know.

*Don’t negotiate on consequences – their choice came earlier.

*When making consequences: Is it related to the behaviour? Is it respectful to the child? Is it reasonable to you and the child? (can you support it/carry it out?) Encourage children to think about the right choices by helping them to see the benefit.

*Don’t just say, “Use your words”; give them words to use. Ignore small annoyances.

Learning Styles

*Repetitive motions often mean a person is trying to self-cue the brain to stay on track.

*Once kids reach about 5th-6th grade, they’re looking at “What do I do well?”

*Set goals with children. Make the goals become the child’s own.

*Employ the use of dynamics and pauses to interest children in the subject you’re talking about.

*Move younger kids often. If the body is involved, their brains can process info better.

*Repetition is key. Repetition is key. Repetition is key.

*Teach across curriculum.

*Every day you need to decide where you’re taking the student. Everything should lead to that point.

*Connect what they’re learning to what they’ve learned in the past. (Even in other classes or elsewhere.)

*Teach children according to how they’re gifted to learn.

*Taylor assignments to the child’s interest.

*A child’s gift can also be their weakness.

*8 learning styles: Connects through Words; Connects through Music; Connects through Logic; Connects Visually; Connects Physically; Self Connection; Social Connections; Connects through Creation.

When making your lesson plan, try to include all 8 learning styles throughout the day.

*Think holistically.

*Do not allow cell phones, ipods, etc, in class.

*Support the parent as an authority.

*Involve parents. Don’t try to do it alone.