The 'Fianl'

For our final project, we adapted Susan Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It. It's been one of my favorite books since middle school and was very excited about the possibility of performing it. I found it on my bookshelf when trying to come up with some idea to pitch. It became almost entirely different story now that I was looking at it with the intention of adapting it. My experience is this class made me seek out key relationships and made me pay closer attention to their affect on the story and the characters upon rereading it. I got this cool idea of focusing on this shift between how the characters changed due to the events of the books. These characters are facing a world post-apocalypse scenario. The moon fell out of position and the world is dying. The book focuses on one family, specifically the young girl in that family, and now they cope with their new lives, how they live in this new world. The family dynamics have to adjust rapidly. Not only is their environment changing, but so are they, and consequently, so are their relationships with each other. I wanted to highlight these differences, which gave me the idea of staging only parts of the story in terms of BEFORE the moonpocalypse and AFTER.  

We had some problems starting up just because I'm the only one who had read the book, but we worked hard on developing our characters and trying to figure out how they would treat each other. Not everyone needed to know exactly what happened because it was about just making sure how the characters felt in this new situation where they were powerless to what was around them contrasted with the BEFORE scenes. We had a small hiccup when Maddie and I switched roles because there was some awkwardness with the relationship we were trying to portray. Maddie felt she wasn't exactly right for the Mother's role and overall, I think it worked out for the best. 

Our script was kind of abstract because we didn't want to waste time explaining what's happened because it makes the conversation seem kind of contrived and takes away from how the conversation between the characters was changing. Jack's character gave us the opportunity to explain to the audience a very general idea of what the family's situation was. He became a character in Scene 3, so the first two scenes were without this background, which I think allowed the audience to just focus on the relationship dynamic because that's all we presented to them. 

I think the performance went well. We only wanted the very center of the stage in the shot and I hadn't realized how much more of the stage that not only the cameras were seeing but the lights were hitting. If we were to run it again, I'd want to limit the amount of stage that was lit up perhaps by just dimming their brightness. They were a little strong. I would also have had them a little lower just so it didn't appear so bright, especially due to the somber nature of the adaptation. 

The stage layout for the AFTER scenes looks a little odd after seeing it from this perspective. The second bench (the one I use) shouldn't have been angled out so much. It separates me from the other people talking in the scene and looks awkward in some places in which I'm trying to look at someone but I can't quite face them directly. Otherwise, I liked how bare our set was. It was convenient, but also showed how the same things can be viewed so differently because of a changing situation. 

I think we did OK with getting progressively weaker emotionally and physically as the scenes went on, but at some points, the shivering seemed a little too much or someone got a little to animated. Overall, I think everyone worked to keep the tone consistent , but also the shift between BEFORE and AFTER clear. I think the last scene may have been a little too down, especially since we had established a pattern of sharp contrast, but that was in part due to some mixup so with blocking and some fumbling of lines. There was also at times confusion with where and when people should be entering or exiting, which at times, caused pausing or some awkward staging. 

I liked that I got a chance to do something heavier for my final project. I also liked that it was something that we got to adapt for ourselves, and though not having anyone's work to get ideas from was daunting, I think it was a good experience to come up with a creative idea on my own and then try to make it applicable to the stage. I think in some parts there musts have been some confusion for the audience, which is just a flaw in our adaptation. I think additions to the script helped clear things up a bit, but some things were left open to interpretation simply because explicit explanation would have cluttered up the mirroring dialogue between BEFORE and AFTER that we established. I think my group did well, especially for having not read the characters for themselves and then having to step into their roles and portray these key emotional shifts and expressions. I applaud their patience with me when I was trying to work things out and their character development skills that allowed me to just focus on the script changes and not building characters. I'm  happy I got to work with this book and due something I hadn't tried before. It was a good way to end a fantastic year in this class. 

     

Here's one last moon picture for good measure.

This is too show how reflective the spelling of final is of my state of mind this week. 

      

Last Minute Edits and Acting "Heavy"

We are adapting Susan Pfeffer’s Life As We Knew It for our final project. It’s a full length novel, but we’ve chosen to stage only excerpts. The book is set mainly post moonpocalypse, so we’ve written all of the BEFORE scenes ourselves using the character profiles we had developed for our roles. We are doing a BEFORE and AFTER performance, meaning there are constant flashbacks. The AFTER scenes take place in chronological order, but the BEFORE scenes are working backwards i.e. they are moving further and further away from moon- day. It’s a very cool idea(at least I think so) because is their no fluid timeline. It’s a little vague and less about action and more about a change in behavior. The scenes are relatively short, so we have to show the change and rely less on dialogue. I think maybe I took this idea too far because some of our scenes were too vague. The dialogue needs to set the tone and give us insight into these characters’ relationships, but at the same time not be too forced or coming off as a monologue.  I was too worried about the latter to work on the former. I’ve changed the dialogue around and taken some liberties with the book excerpts to make the relationships we’re going for clear.

Our biggest problem was how to say that the moonpocalypse had happened without really saying that the moonpocalypse had happened. The subtext was critical to portraying a  shift in emotions rather than a shift in circumstances. Of course, the two are linked and intertwined tightly, but the changing family dynamics is what makes this piece really powerful- not the fact that the moon nearly fell out of the sky. To fix this, we manipulated Peter’s role to allow the audience to receive some context. I didn’t want to introduce the background too quickly because I just wanted to set the stage that this drastic thing has happened and this family has been altered completely, causing the audience’s focus to move to the emotional shift between Scenes 1 and 2. We get our context with Peter, who comes into play in Scene 3. We manipulated his scene to show that the health of the family was deteriorating(Mom’s ankle breaking) as was the rest of the world(flu epidemic, busy hospital, etc..) We also added context to his existence, so I mention him in Scene 2, and then closure to his departure (mention of his death in Scene 7.) We worked on dialogue and added some context to the situations.

The dialogue is mostly fixed, but we still have some work to do on the acting. We have to make the transitions between BEFORE and AFTER  clear. We have the blankets and the set changes to show a change, but we need to work on making the time shift clear, rather than a setting change. Adding coats and scarves to our AFTER costumes will make a change in situation more clear. We also have to work on coming off as physically changed, partly as result of emotional turmoil but mostly because they are barely eating. We have to work on perfecting the tones we use and when being loud is appropriate and when it isn’t. I have to work on developing my relationship with Peter and the boys. We’ve been kind of awkward, but I need to make sure it doesn’t look weird when I act like their mom or girlfriend. We are just all unfamiliar with the type of devastation we have to portray and we haven't done anything this heavy in class before. For such a serious piece, despite our few issues, I think we are doing pretty well. We ll are trying to make it obvious that we are weakened and that we’ve changed. We’ve done well with line memorization and working on character development. I think we really just have to work on following through with our characters and not feeling awkward or like it's too much if it’s actually called for.

I think the other group is also doing really well. I think many of the comments I have are a result of them not knowing their lines, so I think the scene will improve a lot when they do. I was a little confused when they started mentioning a baby, but they said they are going to use a fake baby bump, so my confusion was just a result of me not seeing the right picture. I was also a little confused when Charlie and Taylor played their part as a drama, but Wiebke and Bryn were clearly characters that are byproducts of comedy. They just need to work on making the beginning match the end. I liked Bryn and Wiebke’s dialogue a lot and I liked how innocent Charlie made herself seem when she was interacting with the cops. I like how they use the whole stage; it feels like a full length show- just in seven minutes. I liked the bit when Bryn and Wiebke were having a conversation at the same time Adler and Wiebke  were. There were two scenes going on at once and I liked the idea of them bouncing back and forth.

Both scenes are working out well, but we both have to work on finalizing scripts and making the changes we’ll talked about in class. I have to work on putting myself into this performance. It’s something very different than anything I’ve ever done before. It's challenging, but I I’m excited for it. I think we have a solid script, a good cast of characters, and motivated actors; I suspect that we’ll be able to do our story- Pfeffer’s story- justice.

Comedy Tonight (Hopefully...)

I read a couple of other reviews before composing my own -mostly because I wanted to read good things about myself- and a couple of people have said Comedy Tonight was three hours long. Three hours?! I know it was late when I got home, but I guess I just didn’t put two and two together. It felt shorter, probably because I was always busy. I always felt like I was doing something or getting ready to do something. The nature of this play was different from anything I’ve done before. Everyone always had something to do. It was all hands in all the time. It didn’t matter whose script it was or who was acting in it, you just helped because that was the only way it was getting done. It was a little chaotic, but I liked the feeling of having contributed to what was going on onstage, to the skit or song or dance that was making everyone in the audience laugh or clap or just smile. It was nice being stage crew and actor and director. It felt significant that not only was I all these things, but so were practically everyone else in the production.

I acted as a sort of MC for the show as well as playing some supporting roles in a couple of the skits. I’ve talked before on my blog about how awful my stage fright is, but I think I pulled it off. That was in part due to Charlotte’s pre-show hand massage, but more significantly to Amalia, who seemed unphasable- in all likelihood, she was probably just too focused on the searing pain in her throat to be nervous- which allowed me to calm down and realize I’ve done this bit a hundred times before and this was going to be no different.  I was still terrified, but adrenaline just made me look manic-y and excited which worked in my favor in the end. Any time I freaked out too much, I would just stare at the lights and forget there were people in front of me. It got easier as the show went on and people started to laugh. Hearing someone laugh was reassurance that I was doing something right.

The skits definitely went better the second night. Everything ran alot smoother and the hiccups in the bits were smaller. I am a little upset about swans just because it has been so frustrating during rehearsals, especially with Abby not there for so long, and I really wanted it to run smoothly. The first night, the lighting cues caused confusion and I forgot that the crew had to put the hot tub down and the second night, well, in the second night, there was Maddy. I was a little frustrated, but Charlie said she didn't even notice that anything went wrong, so maybe I’m getting frustrated over nothing. The beauty pageant and Morning Meeting went well both nights, which I think provided some solid bookends to the evening. I’m very happy with how well recieved Morning Meeting was and I’m going to take partial credit even though the reason it was so funny was how well each actor portrayed their character.

Comedy Tonight went well, and in times when it wasn’t, it was still funny. Though there was some overcompensating for mistakes made (the copious adlibbing was at times obvious), I think everyone had fun, whether they were in the audience or onstage. I’m sad to see it go after only two nights, but at least I won’t have to add any more bruises to me side from that goddamn door (and yes, it was me all those times.)

Props, Characters, and Costuming for Life As We Knew It

Title: Life As We Knew It

Author:Susan Pfeffer

Setting: Sunroom(both before and after)

Character List:

Miranda: Maddeline Lanni

Mom(Laura): Grace Greene

Matt: Michael Davis

Johnny: John Jiang 13 Years old

Peter/ Dad:Jack Shi

Prop List-

- Food chest

- Two benches

- Chocolate chips

- Can food/ bowl

- Coffee table

- Two blankets

- Throw blankets to cover everyone up

- Game

- Black box (furnace)

- Laundry and basket

- Book

- Backpack

Lighting (Sound N/A): 

BEFORE lighting will be standard stage lighting.

AFTER the lighting will be lower with maybe a bluish tint. 

Costuming-

- Miranda- Pants and t-shirt/ jacket AFTER: Winter jacket and warmer clothes

- Johnny- CA sports jacket and shorts, no tie. In AFTER he will be wearing longer pants and winters accessories. 

- Matt- Casual dress (rolled up sleeves, no tie, maybe shorts.) AFTER he will wear a jacket and longer pants (maybe sweatpants)

- Laura- Regular academic dress(pants and ‘“mom” blouse). She’ll wear a hat and gloves and be perpetually covered in a blanket in AFTER. 

- Peter- Button up, dress pants, and tie (business casual). He’ll wears a big black jacket over his outfit during AFTER.(hobo chic) 

Playing Up BEFORE and AFTER

        To be honest, we haven't gotten as far as I would have liked. Part of the problem is that I am the only who has read the book. I really like the story and have grown attached to the characters which is why I was so adamant in my insistence that it was the text we should adapt. But I do concede that maybe the process would have been faster if we had done The Giver. This does not mean I regret my decision because, although we have been slow going, I am really excited about our script. We decided to stick to my pitched idea of showing parts of the story BEFORE and AFTER the moon in their universe falls out of its orbit and nature no longer plays by the rules. The story is pushed by this unbelievable event, but it really focuses on how a family's dynamic is completely altered. In doing this BEFORE and AFTER take, we can really highlight the differences in the relationships in this family after the world starts to end. My goal, which I believe is clear when looking at what we've chosen to do for our script, is to show a clear juxtaposition in the behavior of our characters. I've explained our individual characters the best I can and I think that having my my group mates write their BEFORE scenes helped them to understand their characters. We haven't been able to do a lot of discussing specific scenes or lines or behavior in class, but I do think everyone has a grip on who they are and how they change from that.
        I think going forward, we just have to keep pushing through, hopefully at a quicker pace. We really have to work on applying our scenes to only a small fraction of the stage, but in a way that allows the story to be told effectively despite the cramped quarters. We have to focus on staging and playing up our emotions so the transitions between BEFORE and AFTER are clear. I'm really looking forward to getting onstage and working things out because I think this has the potential to be a more serious, more depressing piece, which is something we haven't done this year. 

Stage Designs for Life As We Knew It Adaptation

Character Choices and Portrayal Justifications

We are adapting Life As We Knew It for our final project and I am very excited. I’ve read the book a couple of times already, so I feel like I’ve gotten to know our characters. I am playing Miranda in our adaptation. I was torn between playing her and the Mom, but Random.org picked for me.

Miranda is the ‘lead’ of the book, meaning that it is her point of view that the story is told from. The book is written as a diary that follows her through the events that result from the moon falling out of its orbit. This book is very heavy, but the beginning is mostly lighthearted. It is looking back on those first few entries that I feel the most burdened by the story. Seeing the good times now after reading through the bad, they appear to be tinged in grey and almost harder to get through, harder to recall than the events post-moon. This mournful feeling that these happy scenes can bring when contrasted with the harsh realities of this family’s new world is what inspired me to adapt the book in the way we have with a post-moon scene being followed by a before moment.

We tried to establish our characters through small snippets, but almost more important that showing who they are, is using the next scene to show that they’re not anything like that anymore. Miranda was a girl who cared a lot about her grades. She was a type-A student who wanted to follow in her brother’s footsteps and get into college. She’s smart, but she was also a teenage girl with boy problems and a strange best friend. She’s normal, but we see this shift in her when she has to step up and contribute because her family’s life depends on it to a person that isn’t a whole person. I need to show a clear contrast to what her priorities were before* and after- to what occupied her thoughts. There needs to be a shift in her entire demeanor from frustrated but happy to struggling and suicidal. One moment when we see this shift to a world this family doesn't recognize and to people who don’t recognize themselves is when Miranda is confronted by an eerily silent mother in scene 1. I think it’s crucial to showing this shift that I am surprised when my mother gets quiet, but that by the end I am just resigned to this reality and show no clear emotions. Miranda also becomes pragmatic after, so much so that she yells at her brother to just shut up and don’t feel guilty for eating two meals when they have only one- so much so that she recognizes that it would be easier if she killed herself.

Miranda is just a normal teenage girl. I don’t think she needs to be played as anything despite that stereotype for the before scenes. I don’t think she needs to have a serious disposition or already have been showing herself to be a leader and a strong woman because she just wasn’t. That’s part of the reason why the story is so powerful; she was normal and then she wasn’t. This contrast and change in her is what I want to highlight most, so I’ll act normally for the before scenes and noticeably withdrawn for after. A transition from a teenage girl’s emotion to having none will show how drastically the moon issue affected their lives. It is this demonstration of change that I think will make our script powerful.

*(I realized I had been referring to before and after without explaining them. They are just shorthand for the point in the story. After refers to the world after the moon crisis and before to life pre-moon.)