Send In The Masks!

So... yes. We needed some masks. And even though Halloween had just passed by, and there were thousands of options around town, I really didn't feel good about just grabbing a bunch of crappy plastic masks out of the sale bins at Wal-Mart. I wanted these masks to be special so that our actors could feel a unique connection to them and begin to care for them like we will need them to with the final versions. And with that in mind, it seemed appropriate to make them fragile. On purpose.

Again, it's important that our actors get used to the idea that these masks (and the finals as well) will need to be handled like fine china. It one breaks, we are in serious trouble. If one breaks during a performance, the entire show crashes down. Stratford Festival consultant and Neutral Mask teacher David Latham spent time with our cast teaching them about the rituals of mask work and the importance of those rituals, so it's time for our actors start to implementing those lessons with their own special mask.

I'd spent a couple of years goofing around with paper modeling and enjoyed it. It's been a while, but I've still got some idea of how to get the job done, so I decided to create simple, bold, paper masks. I started by looking at designs online and printed off a few templates from the paper modeling sites I used to visit. They were not quite what I wanted and most were designed to be printed on multiple sheets of printer paper, which I didn't want. I wanted as few seams as possible. So I made a few, and then mostly cut them apart again, leaving every piece attached in a way that allowed me to flatten the whole template out like it was one big piece. This way I could modify the design and then trace it onto a single piece of black poster board. Poster board because it's a little tougher, of course and black because I just thought it would be 'cool' looking. (It was)

Here's the assembly line. I needed Eight. I ended up making about ten. Two I aborted because they didn't come together right. They are all very similar, but each one is unique and I'm goofing with each template as I go, so I just can't tell what I'm in for until they are almost completely done. John Iglesias (who is performing the Elemental Prato) helped me cut out some of the templates because time is so short for me. Thanks John!	Here's the very first one that I designed. You can see the additional seams because the original template was designed to be printed on three separate sheets of paper. The next one on the right is what I wanted: One big piece.
They are all put together with some simple folding and scotch tape. Them some reinforcement with really good box tape. And finally the elastic string.	All but one had the string stapled on just like the masks I'd wear when I was a kid. The last one I finished in a panic at the rehearsal space where I'd forgotten to bring the stapler, so in the end I figured out an elegant way to do that without.
Here's a shot of Camera Operator and scenic artist Rob Cousins filming John Iglesias at our workshop for the Elementals.	That's Stratford Festival star Sara Topham conducting a workshop in our space on November 4. Our cast of Elementals were exploring mask work and beginning to create a movement piece that will actually be used in our show.
This is new cast member Jesse Nahmabin, who has been recently cast in the role of the Elemental, Rosso.	And again, the lovely and incredibly talented Sara Topham standing in front of her long-time friend and mentor, Bernard Hopkins.
Some ideas to explore from Sara while the masks rest safely behind our cast.	Once the cast had taken possession of their masks (they each had a chance to choose which one they wanted), no-one else should touch them.
Because FARHI HOLDINGS has incredibly provided a rehearsal space that is not simply a room, but a suite of rooms, we've now assigned one room exclusively to the Elementals and the masks will hang here in safety when not in use.	Another shot of what we are calling The Elemental Gallery

Thanks for visiting folks!

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings is a proud sponsor of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

SOME OF THE RULES OF WORKING WITH MASKS:

Always turn away from the centre of the room to put on the mask

If you must set the mask down, always place the mask face up.

Always turn away from the centre of the room to remove the mask

Never put your fingers through the eye or mouth openings

Never hold a mask by it's string or fastener. Cradle the mask carefully.

Never put on a mask until you are ready and the mask tells you it's OK.

Once you have claimed a mask as your own, no one else should touch it.

Here is an exerpt from the book
Mask Improvisation for Actor Training & Performance: the Compelling Image
By Sears A. Eldredge

Rule #1 for mask improvisation:
Have respect for the mask.
The mask is an affective-artifact, a power-filled image. It will affect the wearer according to the respect given it. A participant should not carry it around by sticking her fingers through the nostrils or eye holes. handle it properly - masks can be fragile. When putting the mask down, place it face up, with the back of the mask on the surface.

Rule #4 for mask improvisation:

Avoid touching the mask while wearing it.
Once the participant has the mask in place, and as comfortable on her face as possible, she should not touch it during the exercise unless she is going to take it off. Touching the mask breaks the illusion the participant is creating for herself and others by making direct contact with the material object. If she needs to make a gesture, such as wiping her eyes in crying, she should keep her hands slightly away from the surface of the mask.

JordanMorris	Latest page update: made by JordanMorris , Nov 15 2010, 6:28 PM EST (about this update About This Update Moved from: The Magic of Malfi Home - JordanMorris No content added or deleted. - complete history)
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