Week 2

The project is ramping up as week 2 comes to a close. My observations of the 5th grade students thus far have hinted at the presence of potentially interesting differences in their approach to characterization, even in comparison to a group as close in age as the 7th graders. One behavioral artifact of the divergence is the palpably lower average confidence level in the younger students. Naturally, the confidence level of individual students differed significantly within each class, but, on the whole, the 5th graders seem less sure of themselves in an acting environment. I'm exploring possible explanations for the difference, including the amount of previous acting experience among the students in each class. I should be able to unearth more information in the coming weeks as I start working on characterization with the 5th graders who have larger roles in the summer camp musical. I'm also going to consider how the confidence factor should affect the way I craft the survey which will yield the majority of this project's data.

A second branch of my project-related activities also began this week as I started working as the characterization director for BASIS Peoria's Spring musical, "The Little Mermaid." The musical cast contains actors from nearly every grade level (5th-12th), making it an exciting opportunity to examine age-related disparities in the characterization process. I'll be assisting actors as they develop their respective characters and making observations along the way as always. More on that next week after I meet with the first group of actors to discuss their characters.

 
Lastly, I provided a quote from Michael Chekhov as food for thought earlier today. The visual nature of theatre necessitates the dedication of special attention to an actor's physical movement on stage. According to Chekhov, physicality is one of the most fundamental and effective means of portraying a character. I think it will become equally necessary for me to give it appropriate attention as I observe and work with the actors and build the survey.

Thanks for reading.