Performance Theory or Theorizing Performance - Essay Example

There are some very obvious reason for the selection of the script from the movie “ Good Will Hunting(1997)”. The script is a collection of all those aspects that add a flavorsome theatrical experience. The script summarizes the character of Will in the entire play; it describes his situation through the intensity of his emotions and actions. Also, the script is quite simple in terms of the setting of the stage, as it requires on a bed and nothing else. So the audiences focus is only on the two characters that are presented in front of them. Since the scene does not involve many component elements of the sets so the focal point of the entire play is resting up on the acting of the two characters who share a very strange tension between each other. The script is short and has an element of captivation for the viewers. It has all kinds of components to it that readily make a connection with the audience as majority of the audience must have faced this stressful situation in their lives as well. Will is extremely obnoxious, and holds a closed personality. The reason for his usual agitated attitude is a reflection of his early days with his father. He sums up his childhood sufferings in one line, when he says “No, you dont want to hear that. You don’t want to hear that I got fuckin cigarettes put out on me when I was a little kid.” In another line he says, “That this isnt surgery-that the mother fucker stabbed me.” The personality of Will is surfaced when he tries to show the scar that he got from his father, he does not believe in others and thinks the same for the world for he tries to show an evidence of his truthful sayings. And I tried my best to bring that out on the stage. I made exemplary efforts to put it all in front of the audience, the closed personality of Will, his negative approach to life, and his low level of openness to experience, all was conveyed to the audience with the use of rigidity in my language, the intensity in my actions and verbal dialogues. For example when Skyler asks Will to go to California with her he rejects the invitation and says, “One, because I got a job here and two, because I live here”. This one line puts out his personality in the entire movie; it gives an indication of his closed nature and his anxiety to try new things. If you watch the whole movie you will find that Will has some psychological issues. He has therapeutic called, Sean who is treating his internal conflicts and problems. But the script of this particular scene summarizes his mental state as well when he is suddenly angered at the question of going to California with Skyler, and when she blames him for his situation and says that he is scared. To that statement Will replies in utter temper, “What am I so scared of!” According to the script Will has visibly no control over his anger and takes out all of it on the objects nearby him. In order to convert it into factual scenario I had to push my female partner who was playing the role of Skyler against the wall and pound the wall next to her head. All in all, the scene is a mixture of all kinds of elements that make a script worthwhile and captivating to audience. The script has the elements of love, hatred, anger, irritation, etc. that make it attention grabbing for the audience and make it interesting and challenging for the role player as well. My female partner who played the role of Skyler in the script did justice to her, and succeeded in bringing the character to life. Skyler, is a girl who is desperate and gives more priority to loving and nurturing relationships unlike Will. She was very supporting throughout the staging of the script. Her expressions were enough to make an impact on the audience and were very true and real. Not for a moment she was disconnected with her audience and grabbed their attention from the beginning till the very end of the script. She learned her lines well and made the whole process very easy for me. Since the scene required the correct chemistry between the couple it was crucial for both of us to create that in the scene and maintain it till the ending of the script. Her dedication was remarkable and without her sincerity the scene would have been incomplete. The use of material objects at the scene was outstanding and made it easy for us as well as the audience to focus on the main plot of the script. For example the starting scene when Will is sleeping on Skyler‘s bed shows a deep intimacy he shares with her and the closeness of their relationship. But at the same time the scene portrays unpredictability to their relationship. The intense reaction of Will on Skyler’s request shows that even though he shares an intimacy with her he is still distant from her. The language of Will shows his aggression which is a reflection of the child abuse he went through in his early days with his father. He is continuously using abusive language which shows that he is not a follower of any culture and lives his life according to his own rules. The use of abusive words adds up to the aggression in Will character. Moreover, the intensity of his anger is indicated with the deliverance of his dialogues. He doesn’t let Skyler complete the whole sentence and cuts her in between. And even if she says something Will doesn’t listen to her and says whatever comes to him. The performance displayed was an implication of the performance theories in theatrical performances. All the blocks of structured performance were connected with the use of right content, speech, objects, language, and actions. Works Cited Good Will Hunting. (Miramax, 1997), Screenplay by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Directed by Gus.VanSant. Read More