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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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CUTTING Kathleen Germann FRANKIE, 17 |
I was never even scared. Not even the first time. I remember it was a Friday afternoon, right after volleyball, and we had just made play-offs. It was the last day before break and all the girls were talking about where they were going for vacation and the trips they would be taking with their families and all the stuff they would get, like, all the iPads, and boots, and clothes and junk. And I didn’t feel it. I wasn’t excited about break, or the game, or anything. Nothing. I was just thinking how I majorly messed up Ms. Klein’s trig test. And the same thought just kept spinning over, and over, and over in my head. I had screwed up the last problem. And getting that one problem wrong could mean that I don’t make the top one percent or get into an Ivy; and how missing one random test could decide the rest of my life. And when I got home I went straight to my desk to see what I did wrong. That’s when I saw the scissors. When I picked them up I looked down at my own hand and I didn’t recognize it. I knew that it was my hand, but I felt like it didn’t belong to me. It was not part of me. It was like I was living outside of my body for a minute. I don’t know why I started doing it—I just wanted to know what it would feel like. And for the first time I felt like everything was going to be ok. I felt alive. I was tingling and stinging and I didn’t want to die, I just wanted to feel something. And now I do it everyday. |
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ANALYSIS: Cutting Type: Dramatic Synopsis // Character Description This piece was written as a stand-alone monologue, so all of the factual information you need about the character and events can be found within. |
I am a 17 year-old high school student. I’m on the volleyball team and we’ve just made play-offs, which suggest I am fit, sports-minded, and talented. I am suffering from severe depression. My inability to get excited about my success is a major clue. Also, there’s my inability to stop my mind from thinking the same thought over and over again, dwelling on one trigonometry test and how its results could negatively affect my entire future. Making the 1% and getting into an Ivy League school could be a pressure put on me by my parents, by myself, or both. I am a perfectionist and driven to succeed. Germann’s description of the cutting is very specific and vivid, so my imagination of it must be the same. Obviously the cutting allows me the ability to get outside of my body and my mind while simultaneously allowing me to control over something in my life. When you’re a teenager, it sometimes feels as if nothing is in your control. So even though the cutting may be painful, damaging, and permanently scarring, it’s me who gets to control it. It’s important for me to create a list of events/issues that lead me to this place. From my home life to school life. The pressure of school—academics, sports, extracurricular actives—must also be specific. The list of accomplishments should seem never-ending. On top of that, the pressure of fitting in with my friends and attracting potential love interest. What are all the things that lead me to cut? |
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CHUNKS |
I was never even scared. Not even the first time. I remember it was a Friday afternoon, right after volleyball, and we had just made play-offs. It was the last day before break and all the girls were talking about where they were going for vacation and the trips they would be taking with their families and all the stuff they would get, like, all the iPads, and boots, and clothes and junk. And I didn’t feel it. I wasn’t excited about break, or the game, or anything. Nothing. I was just thinking how I majorly messed up Ms. Klein’s trig test. And the same thought just kept spinning over, and over, and over in my head. I had screwed up the last problem. And getting that one problem wrong could mean that I don’t make the top one percent or get into an Ivy; and how missing one random test could decide the rest of my life. And when I got home I went straight to my desk to see what I did wrong. That’s when I saw the scissors. When I picked them up I looked down at my own hand and I didn’t recognize it. I knew that it was my hand, but I felt like it didn’t belong to me. It was not part of me. It was like I was living outside of my body for a minute. I don’t know why I started doing it—I just wanted to know what it would feel like. And for the first time I felt like everything was going to be ok. I felt alive. I was tingling and stinging and I didn’t want to die, I just wanted to feel something. And now I do it everyday. |
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When you start your monologue at an audition... |
1 Introduce yourself. Look at your partner and say... "Hi, I'm Rachel, and I'll be doing a monologue from Kathleen Germann's Cutting. 2 Maintaining your posture and your breathing, simply look at a spot on the floor that is about 5 feet in front of you. Look down only with your eyes—do not drop or hang your head. Slowly count down "3...2...1...GO," At GO, look up over your partner's head to your chosen focus spot. This is when you begin the first moment of your monologue. |
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I was never even scared. Not even the first time. I remember it was a Friday afternoon, right after volleyball, and we had just made play-offs. It was the last day before break and all the girls were talking about where they were going for vacation and the trips they would be taking with their families and all the stuff they would get, like, all the iPads, and boots, and clothes and junk. |
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And I didn’t feel it. I wasn’t excited about break, or the game, or anything. Nothing. I was just thinking how I majorly messed up Ms. Klein’s trig test. And the same thought just kept spinning over, and over, and over in my head. I had screwed up the last problem. And getting that one problem wrong could mean that I don’t make the top one percent or get into an Ivy; and how missing one random test could decide the rest of my life. And when I got home I went straight to my desk to see what I did wrong. That’s when I saw the scissors. |
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When I picked them up I looked down at my own hand and I didn’t recognize it. I knew that it was my hand, but I felt like it didn’t belong to me. It was not part of me. It was like I was living outside of my body for a minute. I don’t know why I started doing it—I just wanted to know what it would feel like. |
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And for the first time I felt like everything was going to be ok. I felt alive. I was tingling and stinging and I didn’t want to die, I just wanted to feel something. |
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And now I do it everyday. |
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GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES |
Who are we? I am talking to a stranger or therapist for the very first time. Where are we? At my therapists office. When does the scene take place? Monday morning 9 am appointment. Why am I here? I finally admit to cutting. |
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QUESTIONS |
How long have I been cutting? Have I ever told anyone else about this? How many cuts do I have? Where are they? How do I hide them? How often do I cut? How often do I think about it? Do I want to stop? How long have I played volleyball? Why do I play? Who are my friends? What is a typical day at school for me? Who do I talk to? How am I as a student? What is my relationship with my parents? Siblings? Only child? What is my socioeconomic status? What is my fashion sense? |
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BEATS IN SCRIPTS & MONOLOGUES BEATS, in the beginning are where the actor pauses and changes during a scene or monologue. However, BEATS are much more than just pauses. BEATS are sections within a scene or monologue. Every time there is a change in dynamic, emotion, or purpose, there is a change in BEAT. Deciding where the BEATS are in your monologue is an important step in deciding how you will perform your monologue. Changes in emotion and purpose are what make acting interesting. If you are having difficulty finding these changes (the BEATS) in a monologue, then it may not be the best monologue for you. |
STEPS IN PREPARING A MONOLOGUE or SCENE FOR PERFORMANCE: 1. Read the script for enjoyment. 2. Read the script a second time to gain understanding of the goal(s), theme(s) and conflict(s) 3. Read the script for a third time to analyze as an actor – mark initial BEATS with a “/”. 4. After marking the initial BEATS, re-read a fourth time to check yourself and add any additional minor BEATS that you find. 5. REMEMBER: Purpose, emotion or dynamic should probably change AT LEAST a little on each sentence. Sometimes they will change in the middle of a sentence as well. Try to find ALL the changes in your selected script. 6. When you have marked all the BEATS you can find – you should SCORE the script. |
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ACTION WORD TO HELP YOU IN SCORING The Character is attempting to... |
Accuse Annihilate Attack Awaken Assure Announce Beg Belittle Berate Bombard Build |
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Challenge Coax Confront Comfort Confess Convince Counsel Crush Dare Dazzle Demand Destroy Dismiss |
Encourage Engage Enlighten Entreat Fret Fascinate Focus |
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Help Hurt Ignite Implore Incite Inspire |
Lambast Lecture Manipulate Mock Nag Order Overwhelm |
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Persuade Preserve Plead Ponder Reassure Relent Resign Ridicule Regroup |
Savor Scorn Seduce Submit Suppress Tease Test Teach Warn |
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1- BLOCKING Blocking is the process of developing the movement AND the actual movement of the actors around the set or performance area. You may choose to do simple blocking – with little movement and simple gestures OR your script may need to have much stronger movement to express the motivations of the character. Blocking should reinforce the motivation, dynamic, emotion and/or purpose of the speaker in order to assist the audience in understanding all of these and the character as a total package. In general, movement used in blocking is either toward or away from the person to whom you are speaking – in a monologue you are addressing and imaginary person or group somewhere in front of you (usually toward the audience). When you move TOWARD your audience – you are in a more aggressive mode. If you move AWAY from your audience – you appear to be more passive. If you stand TALL and move with strength, you appear powerful, happy or excited and aggressive. If you are sitting or standing with your head lowered and/or chest caved in, you appear weaker, sadder or passive. Using these simple ideas, and the BEATS and SCORING you have already completed – add BLOCKING to your planning for the script. Try out several ways of moving while you read or say the lines until you find the one that works for you. When you find what works for you – WRITE IT DOWN in between the lines or beside the lines of the script where you are going to make the planned movement. |
2- REHEARSE – REHEARSE – REHEARSE ! MEMORIZE – MEMORIZE – MEMORIZE! Practice in front of a mirror...in front of your classmates... in front of your relatives – ask them for advice or suggestions. This is a process – not a perfect event the first time you work it. - You can make changes as you practice. - Mark the changes down as you go in order to keep track of your process. (This document will give you something to start with if you work on the same script again.) The more you practice and the more comfortable you are with the words, gestures and movement – the better you will be in the final performance! |
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1 A monologue often is about a transformation of a character. Because of a culmination of events, the character suddenly realizes life will not be the same. Use simple words or phrases to express the basic feelings your character has from the start of your soliloquy until the end. E.g. you might say: I'm lost, I'm scared, I'm angry, I'm insane, I'm jealous, and I want revenge. Then simply put the character's monologue in your own words. Finally do the speech as written. |
2 Take a monologue you are working on and do it 3x's imagining you are in different physical spaces. Then say it 3x's as if you are speaking to 3 different people. Finally, go back to your original choices and see if you have any new spontaneous moments emerge from your work. |
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3 Reflect and analyze 5 BIG situations that changed your life. Try to find different kinds of events that produced diverse outcomes and profound realizations. Maybe you had a tragedy, real romance, betrayal, or triumph. Find monologues where you can use these situations to help you imagine what a character truly feels. |
4 Express the monologue only in body movements. |
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Consider the character's... Social Class Education Upbringing Family Background Race / Ethnicity Current location |
Scene location Time of day Character description |
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BE CREATIVE & DEVISE A BACKSTORY Make choices that will help you fill in the blanks if you don't have a full script. Ex. create important events in your character's life that brought you to this moment: was there an accident or something mystical in the past? Try and get as much info from the style of speech, genre, and overall tone of the scene as possible. |
Then go beneath the words... Does "yes" really mean "no?" Figure out what your character needs most (SUPER OBJECTIVE) and define it with an active verb, it helps you to know what your character is fighting for. It is to plead, to confess, or to praise? Decide what you want most from your imagined scene partner. You'll also have little objectives along the way, or BEATS. |
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The Action |
The Action is HOW you’re going to get the character what she wants. An action doesn't require you to be in a particular emotional state in order to begin performing it. Under the pressure of an audition, it is impossible to control how you feel. Having an Action that doesn’t rely on your feeling a certain way to do it gives you something to do when you DON’T feel like it. NOTE: that all kinds of emotions are engendered in you as you pursue an Action in the moment. These emotions occur naturally because of the difficulty in achieving the Action, not because you are trying to make yourself feel a certain way. Thus, the emotions and moments you experience as you pursue the Action are always truthful. What does the character want the other character(s) to do as a result of hearing this monologue? What do I want the other character(s) to do? Which Actions could get my character what she wants? |
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR WORKING ON A PART What does the scene tell me about who my character is: their age, physical condition, or any other defining details, including socioeconomic class, that is vital for the scene to work? What literally happens to my character in the scene? Why is my character in this particular scene? What would be missing if I weren’t in it? What does my character actually do in the scene? Who is my character with? What is my character’s emotional relationship to each person? What are the other characters’ relationships to my character? (If the scene doesn’t give you a clear clue to the emotional color of the relationship, use your intuition and create an emotional color for it that you can believe in the given circumstances and in the comic or dramatic tone of the scene. In contemporary texts, the tone can be both drama and comedy at the same time, so you’ve got to be smart enough to catch, and play, the particular tone of that writer.) At the beginning of the scene, what’s my character’s POV? Hostile? Loving? Friendly? Competitive? Supportive? Humorous? How and why does it change, if it does? What do I want (what’s my objective)? How high are the stakes? What’s standing between me and what I want (what’s my obstacle)? What does my character do to try to overcome it (what are my intentions)? |
What inner imagery do I have to create? What emotional triggers do I need? What are my specific emotional relationships to all persons, places, objects, and events in the script? How do my relationships change emotionally to the other characters within scenes and from scene to scene? What personalizations or “as ifs” do I need to create for these persons, places, objects, and events? (Remember: sometimes the specifics of the script stir you emotionally every time you work on the material so that you don’t need personalizations and “as ifs.”) What physical choices do I need to make? Does the character have any specific impediments? A specific walk or carriage? A habitual gesture or a gesture at a specific moment? What physical business can I create to illuminate the character and the text? What is my character’s back story? (Remember: be specific and detailed, and if you create a back story, make sure it triggers you emotionally, not just intellectually.) Can I do an animal exercise to help me with my interpretation of the character? What piece of music would you pick to symbolize the character? (Listening to the music can be used as part of your preparation. It can be especially helpful as you explore movement for the character.) How does the location where the scene takes place influence my character’s behavior? What are the sensory realities of the scene and what preparations can I do to bring them to life? What is the moment before each scene? What size should my performance be for the medium that I’m working in? |
