Critiques from Newt in Snyder

Critiques – Everyone’s – February 25, 2009
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1. Lizzie, good stopping for society
2. Good showing it is hot, girls. Boys, where were you?
3. Ice cream cone – girls are in a semi circle everytime
4. Clara, wait to put on banner after monologue
5. Boys, umbrellas following Bridget’s speech
6. Cohen’s meeting – loved it.
7. Brandon, remember it is cold
8. More reaction to children of immigrants
9. Judge, good job. Don’t look out
10. Roth, more with sentence
11. Roth, great job with monologue. Don’t walk off until it is done.
12. Bridget, arms with Anya. Loved it.
13. Disheveled look was good in tomb
14. For the first time – Clara say twice
15. Judge, compromise – feet planted – look out
16. Nathan, feet planted – not wobbly
17. Work on 2324. Roger

Newton Critique
1. Cannot understand or hear Brandon.
2. Just children and people like us – talk out with motivation to go or look downstage. Open up
3. Roth, slow down in dialogue – I might just have to let you go.
4. Miss. V – beggin – louder – ask Alli Few days on the picket line must be louder.
5. Clara, losing my job – more gestures
6. Anya, loved monologue and stage picture
7. Union meeting – banner of union symbol. Refigure blocking. Shut out the women
8. Good stage business in Joe/Anya
9. First freeze was good. Second was hard to understand with Clara’s monologue.
10. Clara, address the OAP judge during the monologue – use more gestures – clarity
11. After the fight scene, lost all the dialogue.
12. All of the immigrants will need to use more gestures.
13. Don’t lose dialogue, Anya, in choke scene
14. Lenore, don’t be so casual in fight movement.
15. Roth, drag Margaret downstage
16. Bridget and Anya, switch in fight scene
17. Roth, show change in character “this is your last chance” get Margaret’s necklace or shawl
18. Bloody strike breaker – Kayla, grab shoulder – I missed this. Get Matron a stick.
19. Bridget’s monologue – find opposites
20. 2nd union meeting –Cohen, change your attitude – Remember what Newton said – speak to the men and ignore the women, except when you are insulting them.
21. Bridget needs more contrast – opposites again. He said this in the Cohen scene.
22. That’s what we all want – say it downstage.
23. I second it – watch guttural tone
24. Picket line – society women
25. I don’t’ remember what he said about – get along with ya.
26. Girls are going to trial – use Ruth and Anya and Bridget as the transition.
27. I absolutely swear – to Roth
28. Extenuating circumstances – bring society girls downstage
29. Roth, too fast. Play the victim
30. Work on the dream dance and slow down the anticipation for the kiss.
31. Clara’s death – tops of heads. Need to see Ruth’s.
32. Everyone, find opposites in characters. Not all doom and gloom
33. Zack, vary character voices – slow down dialogue and add gestures
34. Don’t confuse speed with urgency
35. Nathan I second it.
36. Are you slumming – watch semi circle. Stand where he put you.
37. Newspaper selling scene – Someone needs to be reading a newspaper.
38. Court transition. Ruth runs downstage, other girls bring her back.
39. 100% swear (smugly to Roth). Roth struggles in court scene.
40. Bring society women downstage, Judge.
41. For the first time – real hunger.
42. Show us the show, don’t’ tell us.

This was jumbled, but I hope that you remember enough from yesterday’s clinic to fill in the spaces.
Kenzi’s notes from Newton’s clinic
1. Cannot understand/hear Brandon
2. Roger, open up
3. Roth, slow down
4. Violet, be loud
5. Change Union meeting blocking
6. Nathan, address Lannon
7. Clara, look at the OAP judge during the monologue
8. Agnes, more scared of being hit.
9. Roth, rip the necklace or shawl off Margaret
10. Happiness and humor needed in play
11. Zack be different in all characters.
12. Society girls scene – open up – Violet talk to Lenore
13. Transition to hearing scene
14. Ruth, downstage prior to hearing scene
15. Stolle, don’t overplay. Look at Roth and smile.
16. Roth – play the victim
17. Judge downstage with society women
18. Roth, emotion in monologue. The doll is all you have left of Rosie
19. In death scene, remember where he placed you. Lenore and Violet stare after Clara. Comfort each other
20. Nathan and Brandon enunciate. Everyone else needs to too.
21. Gesture and turn when Roth says your name.

Mine
1. In August, men, take off hats, wipe brow, inside of collar. We need to know you are in the same place as the girls.
2. Green, green, gold line at the beginning
3. Men, talk in the back. At the END of Bridget’s monologue, bring out umbrellas, and keep them out until in the meeting. Shake out your clothes, umbrellas, etc.
4. Everyone in society girl scene. IT IS COLD!
5. It is COLD in the TOMBS!
Mine from Newt’s.
1. Roger open up and speak to audience on first line.
2. Louder Lenore
3. Clara, more gestures connected with body parts – all immigrants – “think” point to temple, etc.
4. Lost Anya’s line being choked.
5. Move Margaret downstage following fight scene
6. EVERYONE – more contrasts in dialogue. Find the humor.
7. The play should be a roller coaster with the end not defined at the beginning.
8. Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part (Paperback) by Michael Shurtleff This is the book that Newt spoke of.
9. Zack, but everyone, gestures give the space between words and slows you down.
10. We have been talking about not hating the boys, but it really is the reaction of the girls that makes us hate them. How do you react to each other?
11. Roth, we need to see the struggle within him. We need to isolate you and see the change. See Joe during the hearing scene and think about what he stands for vs. what you stand for.
12. Judge, back to the audience when society girls are insulting you.
13. Ma Told us… them – hit each word of your memory and when talking of the girls – gesture at them.
14. Death of Clara, Bridget turns around Ruth
15. Girls, when Roth says your names, turn the same way. Turn toward your right. LONG REHEARSAL THURSDAY – 6:30-9:30. We will go over cuts, critiques, then speed through and work through the play
16. Joe, speak to Lannon earlier with gestures. Lannon, you might throw your hat. Say the opening together, then Joe presses hand to Lannon’s chest to say the rest. If you have read this, comment, email me -ccouch@shallowaterisd.net, write a note and stick it in my box, call my extension -2239 or my cell 470-9940/
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