Saturday, January 30th

Well, well, what have I learnt in this class so far?

The most obvious thing that I’ve learnt is that there are different ways of looking at scripts. Normally while reading a script I am reading to analyse, not an actor or just for the heck of it. I didn’t realise that there was another way to look at it – the point of view of an audience member. I’ve learnt that what you already know about the background of the play can affect your perception of the script or performance as well. Take the play Life Without Instruction, for example. Once I had done some research and reread the script and found out that it was based on true events, I had a whole new appreciation for the story.
I’ve also begun to learn how to work on my own and reflect on what I’ve been reading and seeing. In previous years, when asked to review things, I was asked to write about whether or not the production was good, and whether or not I liked it. That’s not the case in this class. Here I am asked to reflect on the elements of the play, which is a refreshing change and opens the door for more discussion than what I’ve become used to.