Context, Text, Subtext

 

 

I

 

Warm Up

 

II

 

Unit: The Text

Theme: Context, Text, Subtex

 

Introduction

Context, text and subtext are all part of the same meaning making mechanism that allows the actor to justify his/her choices. In the case of Embodied Movement, these three concepts makes the delivery of expression more grounded, authentic and convincing for the actor and those witnessing.

 

III

Main Lesson

CONCEPTS 

Context, Text, and Subtext

 

Context

Often when we think of context, we think of things like the date a work was published, who it was written by, or the climate of the time. But context is very important within your fictive universe as well. 

Context in this sense is all the grounding and guiding information that the audience needs, such as who the characters are, where they are, what time of day it is, etc. Context can also be any other additional information the audience needs to interpret and accurately understand what is happening in the story.

 

Question 1

How can the artist create context at a personal level when working on a character?

 

Text

Text is the easiest one of the three to understand, because it is what we often focus on the most. The text is the written part of the story, what happens and what is stated on the page. It is everything you see that is not implied.

The story-context is within the text, just as subtext is, after all, we need to have text in order to have context or subtext.

 

 Question 2

In which way can the text be a deterrent when doing character work?

 

Subtext

Subtext is any content of a creative work which is not announced explicitly by the characters or author, but is implicit or becomes something understood by the observer of the work. Subtext has been used historically to imply controversial subjects without drawing the attention, or wrath, of censors.

Subtext is what we mean when we talk about “reading between the lines.” The “sub” refers to underlying. It is underneath the text. It is different than context, in that context helps us interpret and understand the story, and subtext happens when the story is bigger than what is on the page.

Once the viewer has some stability, some grounding with context, you can make them a participator in the story through subtext.

Thus, subtext happens through implications. It also uses contradictions of one sort or another ( I verbally say "I love you," when what I am really implying is that "I hate you"). Subtext happens when the audience comes to a conclusion that explains those contradictions.

Question 3

How can the actor imply the opposite of what he/she says textually?

 

IV

A Note to Remember

 

Without the context, the text and the subtext, the actor/dancer will not know what to do, why moving and where to go from there. 

V

Case Study

 

Jorge Morejon & Linda Bair

My Hands / Tus Brazos

Question 4

After watching the video above, what is the story?

Question 5

What is the context?

Question 6

What is the subtext of the story?

VI

Activity

Students will work with their instrument, their score or song by creating a critical response. This means, they will speak for the instrument, score or song.

They  create a text they can memorize using the aesthetic response.

They will create a context for the text.

As they work on the text and the context, they will begin to generate the nuances of the subtext. 

They will choreograph their text and dance it.

VII

Journaling

 

VIII

Glossary

 

IX

Sources

 

X 

Students' Work

Make Up Work

 

1 hour ago

Nicholas Finley

3/28

1. How can the artist create context at a personal level when working on a character?

    - From a performer perspective, I think by devoting thought to this matter outside of rehearsal and practice time, thinking through a character's textual features to derive what is not present in the text, and using that to inform performance choices.

2. In which way can the text be a deterrent when doing character work?

    - It can be tempting to focus on the characterization present in the text to the exclusion of that which exists beyond the text. 

3. How can the actor imply the opposite of what he/she says textually?

    - By using extra-daily techniques - modulating the tone of their speech, indicating it with movement/body language

4. After watching the video above, what is the story?

    - I read it as a turbulent love affair, one of high highs and low lows. Perhaps the characters really do love one another, but due to some complicating factor or dysfunction their love is fated to end in tragedy. 

5. What is the context?

    - There is a man and a woman. The sparse lighting leads me to believe that their feelings for each other blind them to the outside world. 

6. What is the subtext of the story?

    - I think it's about the failure of idealized, passionate love. Passionate love cannot be sustained indefinitely, and basing a relationship on such shaky ground can lead to catastrophe. Passions rise and fall, they come and go. The good moments are ecstatic, but the bad moments can be ruinous.