Stating Subtext

After our first actual assignment involving dramatization, we were given another assignment in which we were required to create the subtext for a given script. I wasn't quite sure what subtext was, but understood that it was the motivation and reasons behind the actor's actions or tone of voice. Upon receiving our script, we were stumped as to what our plot would consist of. We started bouncing ideas off one another and started with the idea of the husband having infidelity with another woman but realized the triteness of this idea which was evident as a few groups did create subtext along those same lines. And so we finally decided on creating subtext between a teacher played by myself and the typical miscreant played by Shivani. As we read through the script, it got confusing at the part when I said that I would leave because most people would expect the student rather than the teacher to leave the classroom. We decided to change the plot so that the teacher would eventually leave the class because she is completely irritated by the student to the point when she wants nothing to do with the student.

When our performance was over, we received critique from both our peers and our instructor. Our peers had said that they had hoped to see more action besides our argument. At the end, our instructor had told us that the purpose of the assignment was not to focus on the text but more on creating action for the characters. She had hoped for us to fully develop our plot and characters so that she could easily and distinctly tell which character each actor was to portray. This was clearly demonstrated in one performance between Cindy and Jacqueline. Their plot was that they were partners-in-crime in a robbery scene at a jewelry store, but that they were unorganized. When they ran into each other and started shoving one another, it was evident that they both portrayed unintelligent robbers who had no idea what their plans were. In this case, the props (ie. jewelry) enhanced their performance because it helped to further the setting so the audience could get an even better idea of where they were. In seeing other performances, this helps me to understand the key components that make a performance not only memorable but successful.