Drama Journal #2

1) Why is it important for actors to be able to work in pantomime?

Because while you are acting in a play the audience members in the back row will not be able to see what you are doing when you are making small actions, so by over exaggerating emotions and working in pantomime even the people in the back row will understand everything completely. For instance if the actors in the Midsummer Night’s Dream did no act in pantomime it would not have been as easy to understand what they were going.

2. What are the three most important things an actor must remember when performing panto?

The three most important things an actor must remember during pantomime are to lead with your chest, slow motions and exaggerated your body and face. I believe this to be true because without those 3 rules it would be just like you are walking and not acting out pantomime.

3. Which exercises were the most challenging for you today?

The exercise which was most challenging for me in today’s class was gesture walking because we had to use our entire body in pantomime where as the facial pantomime where we were sitting down in the chairs I found the easiest because we were only using our facial expressions. Currently I am fine when it comes to exaggerating my body and my face separately but when I am asked to do both at the same time I am finding it rather difficult. As the year progresses I hope to get better at this and feel more comfortable.