Artist in Residence

Skills I Learned

I learned that it takes minimal movement to change the mood of the mask. The reaction speed of the character does not have to be fast to be impactful. A simple tilt of the head could change the mood from curious to sad. Furthermore, when using a mask, one is much more vulnerable and aware of his or her surroundings. While acting, I learned that the reactions depended on everything and everyone around me. I no longer had an opinion of an object, but a sense of curiosity.

Personal Experience I had Doing Mask Work

Since I didn’t have very much experience acting to begin with, doing mask work really pulled me out of my comfort zone. In a way, it was comfortable being in a mask because I could feel a connection to it. I literally didn’t know what I was doing, which is what I assumed the mask character would feel like in the beginning of a story. I enjoyed practicing mask, because of how simple it is. In my opinion, the simplicity draws the audience’s attention to focus immediately on the mask. There are no other distractions. One of the things that challenged me was forgetting everything. Sometimes it was hard acting like I didn’t know what to do. It was difficult to try to rewind my mind to back when I was a child.

Ways Mask Work Can be Used

Mask work can be useful in future rehearsals, devising, and performing in many ways. One must release tension and stress. Mask work is raw acting. Imitation is very minimal when working with mask work. It is very obvious to the audience when an actor has thought about his or her reaction to an object. It allows the performer to tell a story through his or her movements. The performer slowly creates his or her persona while acting. Since the actor’s face has been hidden, it takes much longer for a mask to portray his or her emotion. The actor now depends on his or her body and the speed of his or her movements.

3 Questions for Alfie

1. Do you believe there are qualifications for one to be called an actor? And if so, what would they be?
2. How has mask work help you grow as an artist and (overall) a person?
3. What was your first impression of mask work?

Mask Work and Performances 

In preparation of performances, the performer can use mask work to help him or her relax. He or she must forget everything and any memory an object holds. The performer should loosen up his or her body as well. If the mask is standing in a confidence stance; it already portrays a feeling towards the audience. A mask has no memory of an object in the beginning. Instead, the mask explores it. During the actual performance, the a mask performer has no boundaries or limited directions for where he or she must stand. If the audience reacts positively to an action the mask has done, the mask may do it again. The mask performer’s movements may correlate to the audience's response.