District Contest Critiques and Thoughts – April 12

District Contest Critiques and Thoughts – April 12

Music	At the beginning of the show, punch the music. Keep it loud until dialogue starts.
Dancers Rosman Robertson	At the end of your dance, step backwards, laugh going off stage. Robertson and Dr. Rosman – thread your way through the dancers so there is no “down” time between dancers and your first line. This will keep the dancing from being so presentational – All Dancers – we need vocal noises – from all three judges .  Sell it BIGGER.
Robertson	Cut your walking around the “players” in half. We don’t have time to waste. Maybe walk backwards toward the audience looking at everyone. Be speedier in walking to give more energy to that scene.
Rose	Work on your first line before Lee’s song. Lane’s granny is bringing a broom. Use our broom in the first scene when you are poor. Use the old broom in the He Loves – She loves scene.  We need to see a progression of poverty in the Baum house. Watch line about stock market.
Lee	Be BIGGER asking Rose to dance. You are a mini Moe at the beginning. You want to be like your dad – a jokester, loud, the life of the party. Be comfortable with your show. Play the rising action. Where are the stakes in each scene? We need to see your reaction – BIGGER – when Moe asks for money.
Moe	Louder on the phone call & work on dialect. Relish the attention that you get when you open your mouth. Think a Donald Trump in that era. Business-wise – every American listens to him. We have seen that among Republicans – a summons to meet with him is accepted – no questions asked. In the bar scene, let the bartender say your first line so that we can speed that cross to the bar. Say Grandpa Charley
Grandpa	In the bar scene, say the first line so that we can speed that cross to the bar.
Tony	Diction – Randolph Morgan
Quinn	Speak to and look at Miss Graham  - bigger wink at Robertson.
Robertson	All the memories are happening in front of you. Be engaged in them. You are reliving them again. Score each scene. Know why you are telling about each scene. Tell the story. We need a stronger presence in the show.
Rosman, Myrna	We need a stronger presence from you in the beginning.
Baum family, Grandpa, and Margolies (Fanny) family	What is your relationship among each other?
Moe and Lee Lights	In the welfare scene,  Moe, get Lee to move DS, more right  to have your discussion. Sit down before Toland speaks of the cab.
Women’s scene	Rose, begin speaking before you pass the table to save time.  No jewelry.  We need to see Fanny get up and get water for people.
Crew	Let’s tea stain the classifieds. Add grey sparingly to the Baum’s hair and Fanny’s in the end.
Lee and Edie	Too many pauses. We need more energy in this scene.
Baum family	Cuts   Fanny: Well, you know how he loves space.  This apartment is so roomy. To Rose: Make up your mind, Fanny dear, he’s going to love it with you.
Everyone	·         First ten minutes are important.  Make sure that actors use NAMES. ·         Complete the scene work and turn into me on Monday. Work with other cast and crew members, particularly on scenes you are involved in. ·         We have to clean up transitions. Know where you are going and where you have been. We need stronger entrances and exits. End  the scene before you go on to the next. ·         Clean up the dialect.  This is up to each one of you. Practice over the three-day break. ·         Red Circle walk – Make stronger choices, especially Lee. Lee, you need to be big. Move with the beat, but make it slow motion. Rose and Moe make gestures fitting your character; Irene & another character – try to give him pamphlets; Rian – hold out a clipboard for him to try to reach. Others – hold out dollar bills to him. Walk off as characters. ·         There must be a sense of urgency that increases as the journey continues. Each scene with socialism or unions needs to have higher stakes. 3 judges said this. ·         We need to see the “ hard” times in each scene. How can the actors punctuate this? Text or reply on blog. ·         Scenes in the back (Calcutta & Bank closing). Bring lights up slowly, people freeze, then fade lights back out. In each scene, an actor – Lee & Robertson – look back at the scene. At that point, lights go out and people move SLOWLY out of the scene. ·         Dance in Speakeasy – move one pair of dancers left and one right. Dance at angles.  We need more people in the scene downstage, but not as far down as Lee. Freeze when Lee begins speaking. ·         Put Moe in the second pawn scene. He is sitting on the big bench.  Rose is bringing him coffee, kisses him on the forehead or cheek & speaks her next monologue.  Moe is reading the paper. Grandpa comes in with “……you shouldn’t have bought such a small house.” Moe throws the paper down and exits USR – through the house – as if he is in another room. The next lines should signify we are keeping all these problems away from Moe. ·         Overall, Lewis said there was trouble with transitions. They were not clear.  Be sure to complete the form I gave you on Wednesday. I will attach it to your parents’ email, and you can complete it and send it back to me or give it to me on Monday. ·         Know why you are in each scene.  Work on character names, chemistry among everyone and connections.   ·         Crandall said relationships were not specific enough.  Lewis said this as well. Know the history of each of your character’s relationships. Characters need to respond sooner and with urgency to the change in circumstances. ·         “Waiting for the dream to come through” – each character should express this through physicality.
CUT	Kapush: Mobocracy – gimme, gimme, gimme, all they know. Ryan: Patrick Dugan Irene: The time had come to say brother. My husband  leave me with three small children.  No money, no work… I’s about ready to stick my head in the cookin stove.  Then the city marshal come and take my furniture and leave me sittin on an old orange crate. I start yellin and howlin like a real mean woman.  And the people crowd around the marshal truck, and  ‘fore you know it that marshal go on back downtown – empty-handed.  And that’s when I see the solidarity, and I start to preach solidarity
Fanny and Rose	Think about your relationship. Fanny, are you jealous of Rose’s money and affection from her husband?  See how you can show this in the first scene. Be disgruntled when you say that Papa doesn’t want to leave. Let’s see more emotion, Fanny, as you try to convince her to let him stay. Rose – you too. Angry at first that she would even mention this.
Sidney	Let’s see more of Sidney in the beginning – over by Fanny.
Sidney, Fanny, and Doris	STEP ON LINES
Welfare scene	More urgency coming in – speed up setting the scene.