Over the past few weeks we’ve been focusing on transitions–the space between acting beats–and I have to say, I’m once again amazed how easy they are to overlook (even after 9 years of working in the studio, I’m still discovering deeper and deeper layers of understanding)!  Kari always reminds us that our tendency is to be “action oriented,” and since turning our attention to transitions, it became clearer than ever how true that is!  It’s ironic that transition time is so easily forgotten when you consider how vital it is.  When I allow myself to just take the time I need, there’s absolutely nothing like it!  I had the pleasure of working with a long-term colleague during an improvisational structure in class, and one of the reasons I felt our work was so satisfying for both us and the audience was because we respected and embraced our own and each others’ transitions.  There were moments we worked ourselves into dramatic situations that had come to a rest, and by keeping those moments alive and letting them resonate, we gave ourselves time to size up both where we were and what the audience needed next.  By specifically focusing on this transition time we were able to see options that we would have otherwise overlooked.  It’s moments like these in the studio that hammer in the truth that “theatre lives in the transitions.”
Focusing on transitions has become a really exciting part of my research.  It is always inspiring to sense how long I can keep a moment alive, knowing when I need to move on quickly or when I can take some time and set up something new and surprising.  Moreover, focusing on the quality of transitions gives me the room to discover how I feel about my own actions, and thus be inspired for where to go next.  These alive connections between actions give the audience more information.  And when it comes right down to it, I want to keep my audience with me and deeply connected to my stories.  In exploring transitions, we create theatre that truly creates the need for actions, imbuing them with so much more meaning.  And THIS is the kind of theatre I want to create and partake in.

Theatre is storytelling.  And one of my favorite things about training at the Margolis Method Center is that we get to make theatre every day.  Every exercise we are confronted with challenges us in some aspect of technique to hone our craft as theatre artists.  Our training approaches the craft of acting like a diamond—a whole entity with many facets—and on any given day we explore a single facets as part of the greater whole.  Even when focusing on a singular concept, we never lose focus of the actor’s primary need: to tell a story.

Even in the most scholarly exercises, we seek to find stories, and begin with the smallest of stories, a “packet.”  A packet is basically a series of acting beats that come together with a clear beginning, middle, and end.  A cluster of thoughts or emotions that, if not literally, then viscerally or metaphorically, convey a story.   In terms of literature, a packet could be as simple as a single word, or more liken to a complex sentence.  Connections can be made with packets, to form greater ideas like a paragraph and ultimately even a scene.  It’s the finding and creating of packets that really help craft a strong, larger story.  Sculpting clear packets guides an audience idea by idea, bite by bite.  Moreover, clear packets help lead to clear dramaturgy; a packet full of short, sharp gestures followed by a packet of languid, flowing text sets up a strong contrast. Two scenes later, if we repeat a similar pattern, we’re taking the audience on a ride with us.  “Look, look!” we’re saying, “Remember this set up?”  What happens next in the scene will now give the audience some very interesting information, as the audience can now consider if a character will make the same choice as earlier, or move forward in a new direction.

In the creation of work, packets help us be clear with each other.  When I can clearly sense my fellow artists’ intention, I can respond in a way that can support their idea, while either inspiring a new response from them or bringing this interaction to a close. We start simple and specific, and work every day to be as clear as possible with our packets.  What is a story without shape and dynamic?  Just a long, run-on sentence.  We want our stories to bring the audience along on a journey, to be memorable, digestible!  And so, packets it is.

In future writing, I plan to discuss how packets can be used to for broad play analysis and dramaturgy, history, and narrative.

Greetings Facebookers!  My name is J, Hanson, and I’m pleased to be composing a series of reflections on training here with the Margolis Method Center in beautiful Barryville, NY.  I will be writing about my personal challenges and breakthroughs in the studio as well as those of the group at large, and I would be thrilled if folks would pipe in with their own thoughts on the morsels I bring up.  But first, a brief personal history.

I was a small town boy with a passion for performance.  When I first came to study with Kari Margolis at the University of Minnesota, my concept of theatre consisted of musicals and one-act comedies.  Boy was my mind blown!  Suddenly Kari had lifted a veil, and a whole new world of artistic possibilities were revealed to me!  Metaphor, special relationships, a dynamic dialogue between actors, sculpture, poetic imagery, and so much more!  And the best part?  It is all practicable.  Let me say that again, because it bears repeating.  It.  Is.  All.  Practicable.  Gone are the vague and abstract notions of “vulnerability” or trying to find some elusive psychological state of crisis to feel “in the moment.”  This is a craft!  We are craftspeople!  And because we have a craft, we are empowered on stage.  Empowered with a keen understanding of the actor’s instrument, a grasp of creating interesting stage pictures, a sense of dramaturgy and story.  Empowered, in short, with choices.  And studying the Margolis Method with the brilliant Kari Margolis excels at opening up the actor’s cognizance of the many choices available to best tell whatever story is being told.

This past week, the choices at hand have revolved around the actor’s relationship to objects.  We work in the studio approaching the concept of object manipulation from many angles.  We often start with basic, “scholarly” objects that have easily recognizable forms to relate to, such as long sticks/rods or spheres.  A rod and a sphere have two very different characteristics, and so the actor must work to find dynamic relationships with these objects that respect and embrace their innate qualities: long and straight vs. short and round.  Moreover, in the scholarly exploration of the actor/object relationship, it becomes apparent very quickly when something is off; these objects simply do not lie!  Tendencies and habits are revealed, as well as the all too common mishap of telling one story when the actor thinks they are telling another.

The big “Aha!” moment of the day (with no small thanks to the brilliant eye of Ms. Margolis) related to how we work with abstract objects versus literal objects (wine glasses, suitcases, etc.).  When we create stories with an abstract object like a stick, the actor lives in an innately abstract world.  The actor is a metaphorical energy representing humanity—that is, we see all of humanity in the actor.  By changing the object to something literal, like a suitcase, the actor now is human.  We understand her as a character, and by using physics and hidden energies (rhythm and density, for example), the actor is able to tell us about the bigger picture.  Physics, now, is how we reveal the poetry inside the literal world.  By imbuing the suitcase with density, we see a lonely, weary traveler.  The actor creates a short, taught elastic between herself and the suitcase in her own hand and we see a workaholic.  The actor creates a tension in space as she walks away from a suitcase on the ground and we sense someone leaving their past behind them.  All very different stories, all with specific characters and literal props, and all stories that rely on the specificity of the suitcase.  Replace the suitcase with the stick and the audience learns something entirely different!

It’s a sort of glorious struggle.  Finding metaphor and story, juicing each acting beat for every bit of information, all in an effort to give the richest possible gift to the audience.  And with the Margolis Method, we flex these storytelling muscles daily.

We’re making a few tweaks to the show that I really think will give it even more polish.  Atlanta’s amazing, and I cannot wait to hit up my home crew in Minnesota next!

Media from the ad for In Search of Tonto Blue

PHEW!  Been a wacky year with some personal set backs but I find myself on the road with the amazing Margolis Brown ADAPTORS yet again!  This time with the new show “In Search of Tonto Blue,” a wild ride on stage with the amazing Tony Brown and Gregory G. Schott.  Alas, I was injured and unable to do much to add to the show on stage, so I’m instead working with the sound and video–and there’s a lot of it!  The show is rich with original music, songs, and some dazzling video media.  We’re currently on our last day of rehearsal at 7 Stages in Atlanta, with the world premier happening tomorrow.  The space is great, the people at 7 Stages are so friendly and helpful, and the weather is gorgeous.  What more could you ask for on tour?  After a 4 performance weekend, we truck off to our faithful fans in Minneapolis, MN to perform at the Illusion Theatre, one of my absolute favorite spaces.

One night only!  Rehearsals are going well and we can’t wait to reconnect with our amazing fan base in the Twin Cities!

We hosted a quirky, performative fundraising brunch in the Margolis Method Center‘s home of upstate NY.  Donors were treated to a rich 1950′s environment, archetypal character/servers, and ongoing performances by Margolis Method Center actors.  Catering generously provided by Jill’s Kitchen of Narrowsburg, NY.

Many thanks to our wonderful fans and supporters who make our ongoing artistic efforts possible!