Creating Chorus

After three days of practicing and perfecting our chorus, we finally had the opportunity to showcase our performance to the class. The actual decision of which chorus section to perform in Oedipus was completely at random because there were so many different sections in the play itself. Despite this, we understood the meaning and context of this specific chorus in that it is when Oedipus realizes that he is in fact the murderer and is unsure of how to act because he has made an announcement to find and punish the murderer of King Laius. The purpose of this activity was to incorporate four elements: sound, masks, voice/speech, and movement.

In regards to sound and movement, our group decided to use these elements to highlight the more intense, suspenseful moments of the chorus. This was accomplished by having the sounds escalate to this one moment with faster drum beatings. Movements tended to be sharper and more sudden during these moments as those who maintained a constant movement in the background (those who walked back and forth) suddenly appeared between the speakers. The purpose of these actions was meant to capture the audience's attention and to help them understand when the climaxes of the chorus occurred.

When we watched the other group perform their chorus, they had fairly good elements throughout their performance. One critique was that a majority of the performers had their backs facing the audience for a good portion of the chorus. Although it did draw attention to the main/specific speaker, perhaps they shouldn't have remained turned around during the entire performance but rather for a short period. Both groups were critiqued on the speed in regards to the speakers. Our instructor thought that both groups needed to maintain a slower, more constant speed and that the other group had done a better job of this. What she did appreciate about our performance was that we included brief moments of silence which captivated the audience, but that we didn't pause for long enough periods in order to use this method effectively.

Through this specific exercise, I discovered a similar problem that I face with speaking in general. As I was practicing and reciting for an English presentation, I realized that I also tend to rush when I speak. I suppose this is because I have a natural tendency to read and speak at a fairly quick pace which accounts for my rushing in speaking for performances. As a result, I've come to understand that I must slow down in order for my audience to understand the message that I am conveying. Rather than rushing through the speech, chorus, or monologue I should take the time to enunciate the words so that my audience can follow what I am saying.