Christeena Aaron

Mrs. Guarino

Acting Final Reflection

At the beginning of this year, my goal was to become a more well rounded actress. I wanted to be able to play roles that would make me stand out as an actress. As the year progress, Mrs. Guarino taught us the art of acting. I now understand, what I need to do to play a character. You must make up the backstory and create the personality. I now understand what I need to perform a character. I need to write the lines down, over and over again till they stick to me. Once they do, I can actually perform and not worry about what I need to say next. I already know.

I believe that when you act, you're not yourself. You become whatever character you are given. That is your life now, that's who you are in the theater. One of the first projects we did was “My Real Father”. I played a character named Trina. She was an orphan meeting her dad for the first time after 18 years. Sometimes with characters, you can relate to them so creating them is easier and more real for you. Trina and I had different goals, so she was someone I had to think about from scratch.

During the first few weeks, we did a bunch of exercises that were fun. I remember it being hard to keep it together and easy to laugh and break character. You would end a scene or let us keep going, interested in what we did next. I liked how attentive Mrs. Guarino was to the class. From those exercises, I noticed  that it was hard for me to stay in character. I would get distracted from what someone else was doing so I stopped what my original goal was. From there, I wanted to focus on staying in character and doing what I needed to do.

As we came to a close during the first marking period, we did scenes where my voice needed to be louder. In life, I think I’m normally a loud person so it was weird how quiet I was when saying something on stage. At one point, we did a movement project, so I won’t have to talk. Michael and I decided to do a song from Forrest Grump. It was a good preparation for the silent movie.

The silent movie, was definitely the project I enjoyed the most this year. It was fun and entertaining. I came up with the idea to have two people in a room and then one leaves and gets locked out and the person in the room is to distracted to notice. Michael, Linda and John added a lot of depth and substance to the plot which made it comedic. Linda lost her keys and when she leaves I look through her bag to find weird music but then decide to play my own music. I am dancing around the room not aware that Linda was knocking on the door trying come in. I never notice until I turn around and find her and Michael on the floor with a broken door. I can tell they are very mad at me so I run out of the room.

The final project was probably my second favorite project this year. Linda and I sang the song “I Don’t Need Anything But You” from Annie. It was difficult to block and make up the dance routine and remember the lines but at the end of the day we got it down. It was one of the hardest projects but I think we did a great job. This year was fantastic so I want to say thank you to Ms. Guarino for a great first semester class.

blog 13

          Aaron 1

Christeena Alexandria Aaron

Mrs. Guarino

12/4/16

Linda and I have finally memorized our lines and have solid dance routine. We still need to figure out if we want to have dialogue in the begin before we start the actually song. We are planning to have Mr. Warbucks as Linda and Annie as me. I think that this will be a perfect way to end the acting semester on a high note. I am very excited.

The most difficult part of this project was  trying to find the instrumental behind it. We couldn’t find anything online  so we had to make one ourselves on Garage Band. This took a lot of time which I thought we could use in better places. I liked creating the dance routine and choosing the characters the most. Thank you, Mrs. Guarino for letting Linda and I work together.

Everytime we have practiced we end up laughing so we need to make sure we are acting out our characters and not just us. We need to concentrate better and focus so we can succeed with this project. I am confident that we know our lines well enough to be able to play off each other if one was to mess up. However, I hope we don’t have any mishaps. Now that Linda and I know each other better and are friends it is easier to just laugh if we make eye contact.

Thursday, during class we had a lot of trouble maintaining our characters. I think we didn’t feel very confident and every time someone messed up we would laugh but not even stop but continue laugh. That needs to stop. After a while of practicing we finally could contain ourselves. It honestly took the whole class time to do so but we did it.

Work-In-Progress

Christeena Alexandria Aaron

Mrs. Guarino

Acting

Work-In-Progress

For my final project, I have decided to work with Linda. Linda and I have decided to perform the song “I Don’t Need Anything But You” from the movie and musical Annie. We plan on having some dialogue before we start the song. We will dance, sing and act during our performance. I am very excited about this. I think Linda and I will have a lot of fun. Instead of playing Annie and Daddy Warbucks, we might change those characters into long time friends that have been reunited. Linda didn’t know what Annie was until today so we have a lot of work to do. Linda is suppose to be watching the movie tonight so hopefully it will make a lot more sense to her by tomorrow so we can make a plan for next week.

Brainstorming

Aaron 1

Christeena Alexandria Aaron

Mrs. Guarino

Acting Class

Brainstorming for final project

As the semester is coming to a close, I am excited about the final project. One idea I have is to sing a song I wrote. I’m not much of a songwriter but I want to do something original. It would probably take a lot of time and effort but I believe I can do it.  I would make something on garage band for the audio of the song. Another idea is to perform a song by an artist. If I don’t like or can’t come up with my own song I will sing someone else's. Since whatever I do I have to act out, I should do a song from a musical. I think Maybe from Annie would be a great idea. In the School of Rock: The Musical I know I will be singing a lot so this would be a good warm up round. My last idea for the final project is to act out a scene. I know this is something I perform by myself so it would be a monologue. I don’t have a clue has to what I would perform but I know I will have time to find something to do when I return from break. I want to act out a scene to show the progress I have had since the first day of class.

Reflecting on second scene

Christeena Alexandria Aaron

Mrs. Guarino

November 16th, 2016

Acting Class

Blog Reflecting on my Second scene

In Linda and I’s second scene we became a lot more serious than the first scene. The first one was more funny and carefree, while the second scene has a lot more emotional and feeling added to it. There are two girls, who use to be best friends, but one of them betrayed the other to hang with the popular group. That girl is trying to rekindle her friendship with her and it was difficult at first but there was progress made. Linda played the girl that betrayed my character for the popular crowd. I was more sad then angry at Linda’s character and felt the need to push her away a lot. Linda was trying hard to have a conversation with me to apologize and try to fix things. I learned that in most scenes there starts off with a problem that is usually revealed in the end of everything. I think I improved on showing more of a happy strong feeling instead of focusing on the bad. I seem to love tragedy but it's good to have a happy ending. I still need to work on the volume of my voice. I am way too quiet. I need to work on making sure I’m facing the audience during a scene. This scene was very different from my first scene because it had a more serious vibe and more depth to it.

Review of Fall Play

Christeena Aaron

Mrs. Guarino

Acting

Review of the Fall Play

On November 10, 2016 I went to see the Cheshire Academy production of James Joyce “The Dead”. The kids did a great good performing their characters. I enjoyed the play a lot. It was nice seeing John act out what we had been working on in class to his fullest potential. I was seated with Linda and Michael and we all had fun watching the unexpected twists in the story.

I liked the dancing and singing the most I think out of everything. In those scenes, you could tell the performs were having fun and showing off their talents. I liked how fast the intermission was, it felt like barely five minutes had passed before the second act. I wish there was food during the intermission. I couldn’t see every scene and not just because of where I was sitting. I liked the eye contact the actors gave when performing a serious monologue. It gave the scene more emotion and depth. I was shocked to find out that Aunt Julia died. She was a joyful presents on stage. That was heartbreaking to me, I was hugging Linda for a while after that. When John’s wife  was still in love with her dead ex-boyfriend I only felt bad for John for some odd reason. The whole acting class was very proud of John and was hooting and screaming when it was time for his curtain call.

Sometimes during the show it was hard to hear what people were saying so maybe the volume of voices could be louder. So blocking with furniture made it hard to see people's faces. It was shorter than I expected but still jammed packed with action and dialogue. For my first Fall Play at cheshire Academy I was impressed with what the Black Box theatre itself had to offer. I was worried about it being to small but it was the perfect size.

When to the play "The Dead"

Blog 6

Christeena Aaron

Mrs. Guarino

November 4, 2016

Reflection on Scene with Linda

While performing this scene with Linda, I learned to compromise when it came to what role was to be presented. I wanted the same role Linda wanted but since we have two scenes to perform she got to choose what character she wanted with one while I had the other. I learned that it is better to have good energy and more enthusiasm while a person performs. This keeps the audience interested in the performance being displayed. I feel like I did well on memorising my lines and acting out the frustration i Felt while Linda’s character was annoying mine. In the next scene, I need to work on staying in character and becoming more of my character. It was easier to snap out of character when there was something funny that was said so I need to focus on being more serious about my character. Linda and i need to be careful about not harming each other when we want to hit or trip each other. When we were practicing it sometimes became to physical for both of us to handle. We need to be less intense when it comes to physical action.

Draft for Scene

Chrissy

Mrs. Guarino

Acting

First Draft

My scene is about a woman(Chrissy) in a grocery store who wants a specific chips in a certain container. She goes to grab them but another woman(Linda) gets them and they have a fight over the chips. Mean words are said and some physical action is displayed but finally my character gets the chips and walks away. I think Linda and I need to be more focused on how to present our lines and what physically actions we should do. The first draft we were hitting each other but it actually hurt so we need to pretend like we are fighting but not actually cause pain on each other. For the most part we have the lines down but we need to be certain so we can focus more on the scene then what to say next.

http://www.bhplayhouse.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=att_download&link_id=128&cf_id=24


http://hollywoodactingworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Kra_Magaga_-_2_teen_females.pdf

Blog 5

Christeena Aaron

Mrs. Guarino

Acting

Oct. 14, 2016  

Blog 5

The silent movie has probably been my favorite project we have done so far. It was fun and entertaining to create and watch. It was my idea to have the plot be where two people are in a room then one leaves and gets locked out and the person in the room is to distracted to notice. Michael, Linda and John added a lot of depth and substance to the plot which made it comedic. In the silent movie, I enter the room, which is a dorm i share with Linda. Linda is searching for something and when she realizes it's not in the room she asks me to make sure to open the door for her for when she returns. Since the item she lost is her key to the dorm. When she leaves I look through her bag to find weird music but then decide to play my own music. I am dancing around the room not aware that Linda was knocking on the door trying come in. I never notice until I turn around and find her and Michael on the floor with a broken door. I can tell they are very mad at me so I run out of the room. It took a couple of days to develop the story line and figure out what songs we wanted to use. John was our director and filmer, while Linda, Michael and I were in the project.

Blog 4

Christeena Aaron
Oct. 5, 2016
Mrs. Guarino
Acting
Blog 4

The movement project for me was  good. I found it hard to pick moves for a routine and find a song. Once Micheal and I found a song though, it was easy to understand what emotion the song was conveying or what emotion we wanted it too. I liked our idea where, there was a feather that symbolized freedom and content. We had to find the feather and catch it but nothing comes easy so it was a struggle to catch the feather but at the end it was successful. We found our happy ending with the feather so we could move on with our lives. I felt like Michael and I's performance was good but could have been better. We had a purpose and a story but it could have been acted out more clearly for the audience to understand. Maybe more movement or more stage presence for the both of us.
As a group, we both agreed on the message of the song but had difficulty with a routine. The idea was in our heads but putting it out there to present was hard.
The movement project was definitely a helpful start to think about for the silent movie. I know what I want to do better on in this project and in the last project, which is making sure the audience knows what I'm doing.

Blog 3

The monologue project was very interesting. Memorizing the words for the monologue was harder than I thought it was but when the final came I was ready. When I was getting help from my peers it was helpful to improve the scene. This monologue itself challenged me to be more mature and express more emotion. I feel like I made the audience understand my anger and hurt from my biological mother and father. The frustration when my foster mom didn't understand what I meant. I could have made my voice a bit louder so the audience could hear me better. I wish I was better at blocking and maybe covering my face at some points wasn't the best idea. I could have made more eye contact with the audience to really get my point across.
I think my classmates were excellent. Michael did a great job on the momentum of his monologue. It was getting higher and higher till he snapped and the audience was expecting him to. I like the end, when he sat back down and thought about his future. I think it could have been better if he talked slower and some points and took a break now and then. John did and great job with the ending, when he got emotional I got emotional. His feelings in his face and voice made you feel something. I liked how in love he was with his wife in the beginning then you could feel the love drifting as he got closer to the end. I think he could have done better on pronouncing words. Linda was great when it came to diction. I could hear her clearing. I liked the end when she was completing all of a sudden so into the guy she was trying to push away. I think Linda would have done better if she made more facial expressions and not have her voice stay the same.

Next level

To take my monologue to the next level, I need to speak louder so my message can get across to the audience. Maybe try to make eye contact so they can tell what I feel by just looking at me. So then when I speak the message it's much stronger. Make an actually ding-dong sound for the door bell. Imagine my mother is there, so a conversation is being held. Carry a backpack and walk into the scene instead of just sitting in a chair. Make should my feelings about my biological father and biological mother don't have complications.

Video Reflection

In my video, I notice that I need to work on my facial expression and the emotion behind my voice and body language. My change in emotion should affect the sound of my voice. When I talk about my father I should feel more scared then carefree. When I talk about my mom I should be upset. I don't need to stand but I need to use my hands more.

Acting Blog 2

Acting Blog #2 By Christeena Aaron

The first two weeks of class have been great. Already, you have taught me things that I won’t think about, that are helpful to create a character. The exercises we do in class are fun, and most of the time funny. In some scenes, you could tell it was hard for all of us to keep a straight face and you would end the scene. In others you would let us go on for long time truly interested in what we would do next.

It was hard for me to sometimes stay in character. I would get distracted by the other students in the class that were doing different things. And in scenes where I had one job to do I would get distracted by someone or something else that would influence what I do. I want to work on being focused and not getting out of character. It was easy to talk about scenes and describe what I felt was happening in them.

I liked watching scenes more than being in them for some odd reason. It was cool to see what others would decide to do in a scene, compared to what you would do. An improv scene could go a million different ways, it helps to understand a person by what moves they make. I liked the class where we got a card and had to do what was on the card, but then it would escalate each scene we played.  I would like to do more of watching the scenes and more of the escalated card scenes. The one where we wrote done all of the words on the board then circled was fun to do as well. Having a connection to a character was nice. Its easier to know how they feel and would act.

I would like to work on staying focused on the task at hand. I like having discussions with the class as well. I need to work on getting my blogger in on time and writing it the way its suppose to be written. I want to stay in your room instead of going to black box, your room is much more fun in my opinion. I’m not someone who likes writing scripts but I love watching them and seeing someone else's ideas come to life.

“My Real Father” Monologue       Christeena Aaron

Trina: (Pacing the floor) Mom, I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I'm ready to meet this man that I've never known. Gosh, what if he hates me? (Points to herself) I mean what if he thinks I'm ugly? I just know he's not going to like me...Oh no! What if I don't like him? What if he comes through that door, right, and our eyes meet and the feeling's not there? (Beat) Yeah, he's my father, but not like Frank is. Frank is Dad, this guy...I mean Ben, is just a father, right? I mean he and my biological mother decided they couldn't hang with having a kid at such a young age so they gave me up. And I'm cool with that, I think. It's just that I really don't know what to expect from him. I mean the letters he sent where cool and all, but they were just words on paper. (Shakes her head) I don't even know why I bothered looking for him, I'm eighteen now I should be getting ready for college and not sweating the old stuff. I mean my biological mother couldn't deal with it when I found her. She's got her own life now with her own kids, the one's she actually wanted. I'm just a bad memory she's trying to erase. (Beat) What do you mean I don't understand? Mom, she doesn't want to know me, and she sure doesn't want her husband and kids to know that she had a bastard kid when she was sixteen. So, what if, my father feels the same way? Rejects me like she did? I should have never contacted him. I'm setting myself up big time, I just know it (Pause) He's here isn't he? Okay, I'm ready to meet him!

Character: Trina

Trina: Female, 18

First: Trina sitting at dinning table talking to her mom who is in front of her at the kitchen counter.

Second: Trina gets up and points to the front door.

Third: table with letters on it couple feet from the door

Four : pacing

Fifth: goes back to sit at dining table

Sixth: stands up behind mom who is about to open the door

Trina is a happy teen who is living with her foster parents. Her biological parents gave her up when they were 16. Now at the age of 18, Trina is about to meet her biological father for the first time. She is nervous and has anticipation. She has already met her biological mother and she wanted nothing to do with her so she fears rejection with her biological father. She’s mad at him for giving her up but tries to understand the reasons. She wants a connection with her father but doesn’t know how it will happen. Trina has always been a foster kid. Since birth she has been in and out of homes, not staying anywhere for more than a couple months. Finally, at the age of 13, her mom (Carly) and dad (Frank) took her in and didn't let her go. They took care of her and tried as hard as they could to mend the scars Trina has but somethings can never heal. The burden Trina has from her biological parents is still there. Once she was settled with her new foster parents after 2 years she finally admitted to them that she wanted to find her biological mother. Her foster parents agreed that she deserved to know why she was put in the foster care system. After a couple months, she found out her biological mother, Maya, who lived in New York which is only a state over. She is an accountant and is married with two kids. Once Trina found  her email, she explained who she was and Maya emailed back asking to meet her at a park in her city. Carly drove Trina to the location and Trina couldn't be more excited. Carly dropped Trina off and Trina found Maya sitting under a tree. Trina's excitement was wiped off her face once she saw the look on Maya’s face, anger. Maya didn't leave any room for discussion and told Trina that she needed to stay out of her life. That she was a mistake she didn’t want to have any memory of. Maya’s husband came by wanting to surprise his wife not knowing who Trina was. Maya told her husband that Trina was one of her friends daughters that was going away to college soon so they wouldn’t be seeing her again. After that, Trina made an excuse to leave and couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes. This broke her. Carly tried to comfort her the best she could but Trina didn’t want to talk about. She doesn't want the same reaction from her biological father.

Acting Blog

              My name is Christina Alexandria Aaron. I am 14 years old and I live in Wolcott, CT. I have a brother named Christopher and a sister named Shawna. My mother, Heather, works as the executive director of Leeway Inc. in New Haven, CT. My favorite color is purple and hockey is my favorite sport. Although I can’t play, I enjoy watching. The Mortal Instruments Series is the best book series in my opinion. Star Trek films are my favorite movie series. I always watched the new Star Trek movie in theaters with my mom and brother.

               As a child growing up, I was always friendly and theatrical. Before I even went to school, I was in theater camp. At the age of three, I was the youngest one there. My mom had noticed how I always loved to watch movies and pretend to be the characters. It was fascinating to me I guess. How someone's life could be so different from my own. I understood that it was all fictional, we’ll most of it. Disney movies were the things i could watch all day long. My full attention would be on the scene. I think it was just the fact that the characters seemed so cool to me. Nemo with the nerve to touch the boat (butt) or Cinderella’s bravery to stand up to her evil stepmother. How awesome the characters were was captivating.

From a young age, reading was a passion of mine. When I first went to Pre-K I would never sleep during nap time. I can imagine I was tired but I didn’t trust anyone. Instead of sleeping, during nap time I would look at books or color. I was the only child that didn’t sleep. Therefore since a young age reading books has always been a comfort for me. The only time when I didn't like reading was when it is forced upon me. For example, if its a homework assignment, something my mom demands me to read or something that I didn't choose it makes me not enjoy the book. I am someone who likes having a choice. It makes me feel as if I can direct myself the way I want to. I like doing what I want and not what others tell me unless it's a teacher who I need directing me.

Another one my passions is singing. I am no Whitney Houston but I have confidence in my singing voice. Having a solo is fun but I love being a part of a choir. A group that aspires to do the same as you. We all help each other. Whose voice suits this part or what pitch a person is comfortable in. Plus if someone messes up, the group is right there to save the day.

I am taking this course to become a more well rounded actress. I want to be able to play roles that can make me stand out as a performer. When you act, you're not yourself. You become whatever character you are given. That is your life now, that's who you are in the theater. For me, I like leaving it on stage. I’m not the kind of person who wants to be more like my character in real life good or bad. I like being myself and only that.