Assignment 6 - Kevin LaZur

Overall I think our group could have been more prepared. Acting as Merriman only required me to learn 1 line, so I had it easy. Thomas and Tapan had the hard job,but, that being said ,their mannerisms were good. When they were doing the "when I see a spade"bit, I could tell they had a good feel for how they should act now that the boring part was over. After I leave the scene too, thomas does a great job at projecting anger and being loud. A lot of our comedy came from our use of props, which isn't something to brag about. Furthermore, our actions played a bigger role than our dialogue for the entire performance. Tapan cutting the cake, Thomas throwing the cards on the ground, me extravagently spreading the tablecloth. We didn't have good use of space, but our mannerisms played a big role in developing the characters and the scene. I would have liked to have built more tension before I came into the scene, but the goofy mood was good too. The text gave me the vision of Cecily and Gwendolyne arguing over their men, awkwardly repressing this anger when merriman enters, then bursting out again when he leaves. Our performance helps me to understand the interesting, comical nature of the dialogue and structure of Earnest. Our personal awkwardness in our mannerisms and delivery of the lines almost makes it feel sarcastic. This tone was enhanced by our exaggerated use of props.