Final Project Acting

Austin Iovanna
I.

I believe that our director, Magnus Sundberg, worked well in

terms of achieving the goals of the directing assignment. He
was vocal about his opinion but also open to the
experimentation and liberty taking of his actors. I believe this
is what led our group of actors and directors to reach a final
product that is inclusive of each of our creative perspectives
while abiding by the confines of the original assignment.

II.
(1)There are a couple important motivations for my character.
In terms of behavior, the fact that I am portraying a mother
gives me a maternal edge in reaction to the events that ensue
in the scene. However, once our special glasses are put on
and our true identities are confined beneath a standardized
faade, that endge escapes me and my motivations are now
those of the higher powers that have programmed the
minds of both the Mother and Father of the scene. This
becomes clear when the child begins taking the test through
the formulated rituals and events that take place during the
scene.
(2) My character says what she/it says in the beginning of the
scene to inform and make others become aware of the activity
that brought everyone in the class there at that time. Later,
I speak through a biased faade that is brought on by the idea
of a standardized world.
(3) The emotional reasons (and the eventual lack thereof)
behind my movement in scene are based on the ties my
character has to the subject taking the test and my hope for
his success. However this clearly changes into rigid uniformity
and emotions are no longer a motivating factor.
(4) Strategies that my character uses to get what they want
include: deceit through seemingly simple questions,
manipulation, short changing the test taker into only
answering two questions for his fate to be decided, removing
the brain from his head in order to standardize his mind.
Behavior/Speech/Vocalizations

Motivation; Why? (What do I want

to do?)

I enter stage right and cross

center with my husband.
I say Not unlike those who suffer
here
Death!
Two roads diverged in a yellow
wood

I escape everyday life and enter a

realm where my sanity will be
tested.
I remind everyone of what actually
occurs/has occurred in the past in
this setting.
I discover the ultimatum that
could be reached.
I introduce and pose an idea.

Oh yes.

I agree and relax my defenses.

(Laughing with a straight face)

I make a farce of the sincere

attempts of the test subject.

I know!

I find comfort in being correct.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Test Complete
Goodbye son.
*Playtime commences.
Youre acting aggressive, son.
Dont struggle.

I put my foot down and reiterate

the fact that time is about to be
up.
I dismantle the mentality of the
student taking the test.
I release my attachments to mind
son and comply with what he has
done.
I force myself and the others
involved to have a decent last
moment with my family
I rally against my sons
incoherence.

Holding the head high in the air.

I praise the severed head of what

was once my child.

*Parent 1 (me) looks troubled as

he holds the decapitated head.

I am flushed of faux emotion and a

sense of humanity is attacking me
internally.
I come to terms with my
momentous sorrow and am I
pillowed with comfort yet again.
I loose grip of my human nature as
it tickles my mind.

Exchange smiles with others.

*Test makers struggle to create a
second question.
*We play with glasses.

I maneuver the glasses and

position them effectively to
embody a regulated being.

*The glasses fall

*Answer final question &
smile/show emotions
I walk offstage

I am reminded as my past self is

inching its way toward my current
being.
A wave of my past self is crashing
at the shore of my robotic
persona.
I come to terms with my new self
and settle into my new skin.