Kuumba Class Acting Up

What Are You Fighting For? Conflict

CONFLICT is an essential part of a play and in identifying what motivates a characater. Conflict is not just about arguments, rather it is any obstacle that faces the main character and keep them from their objective (goal).



*There are four kinds of conflict:

Man vs. Man (physical): The protagonist struggles with his physical strength against other people (antagonist), forces of nature, or animals.

Man vs. Circumstances: The protagonist struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.

Man vs. Society (social): The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.

Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological): The protagonist struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.

Stage Types & Terms

Not every theater space is the same, and as an actor it is good to know the different types that are out there. The space not only changes the staging of a play it can also effect the actor's performance.

Proscenium stage: Main feature, a "picture frame" around front of playing area of end stage. Frame is the Proscenium, wings are spaces on sides, extending off-stage. Scenery surrounds acting area on all sides except side facing audience, who watch the play through frame opening.

Thrust Stage: is surrounded by audience on three sidees. Fourth side is background. Typical modern arrangement: square or rectangular playing area, usually raised, surrounded by raked seating.

End Stage: Thrust stage extended wall to wall. A thrust stage with audience on one side, the front. Backstage still behind background walll, no real wingspace to sides, although entrances are there. Modern end stage best shown in modern music hall; background surrounds playing space on three sides.

Black box or Flexible Stage is a performance space that is exactly what it sounds like: a black-painted square or rectangle. A true black box - that is, one with no fixed seating - is the ultimate in flexibility, because the theater can change the audience arrangement to match the staging needs of your play, rather than staging your play around the audience.

Profile or Traverse ProfileStage: Often used as "found space" theatre, i.e. converted from other spaces. Audience on risers to either side, litttle or no audience on either end of playing area. Actors staged in profile to the audience. Scenically most like arena stage; some backing possible at ends, which are essentially sides.

In the Round:The actors are in a central playing area, and the audience surrounds them on all sides. Actors may have to enter and exit through the aisles.

Tell A Good Story

Greek philosopher Aristole divided drama into three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Gustav Freytag's Pyramiddivided Greek and Shakespearean theater into five parts or 'acts'.


Exposition: all the background information that is needed to understand the story properly is provided. Such information includes the protagonist, the antagonist, the basic conflict, the setting.

Rising Action:the basic conflict is complicated by the introduction of related secondary conflicts, including various obstacles that frustrate the protagonist's attempt to reach their goal.

Climax (turning point):marks a change, for the better or the worse, for the protagonist's . If the story is a comedy, things will have gone badly for the protagonist up to this point; now, the tide, so to speak, will turn, and things will begin to go well for him or her. If the story is a tragedy, the opposite state of affairs will ensue, with things going from good to bad for the protagonist.

Falling Action: conflict between the protagonist and antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist.

Denoumment (Resolution):comedy ends with a dénouement (a conclusion) in which the protagonist is better off than at the story's outset. The tragedy ends with a catastrophe in which the protagonist is worse off than at the beginning of the narrative.

LaChanze:People to Know 3

NPR Interview - 12.16.05

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LACHANZE's credits include Broadway: The Color Purple (Tony Award), Once on This Island (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), Ragtime, Company, Uptown…It’s Hot! Off-Broadway: Dessa Rose (Obie Award and Drama Desk Award nomination), The Vagina Monologues, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Drama Desk nomination). Other theatre credits: Baby, From the Mississippi Delta, Spunk and the Alliance production of The Color Purple as Celie. Television credits include Lucy (CBS TV movie), Law & Order: SVU, Sex and the City, New York Undercover and The Cosby Show. Film credits include Disney’s Hercules, For Love or Money and Leap of Faith. She can also be heard on many recordings, in concerts and in TV commercials.
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Suzan Lori-Parks: People to Know 2

NPR Interview - 05.30.03

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SUZAN LORI-PARKS is the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for the Broadway hit Topdog/Underdog and is a MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, among her many other honors.

Her numerous plays include Topdog/Underdog (2002 Pulitzer Prize), In the Blood (2000 Pulitzer Prize Finalist), Venus (1996 OBIE Award), The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom (1990 OBIE Award for Best New American Play), and The America Play.
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Audra MacDonald: People to Know 1

AUDRA MCDONALD recently appeared on Broadway in Lincoln Center’s acclaimed Henry IV. A three-time Tony Award winner, for her performances in Ragtime, Master Class and Carousel, she also starred in Marie Christine (Tony nom.). TV includes “Wit” (Emmy nom.) directed by Mike Nichols (HBO), “Having Our Say” (CBS), “Annie” (ABC/Disney), “Law & Order: SVU,” and the honorable but short-lived “Mr. Sterling” (NBC) co-starring Josh Brolin. PBS appearances include “A Richard Rodgers Celebration,” “A Capitol Fourth,” “Broadway Leading Ladies,” “Leonard Bernstein’s New York” and her solo concert, “Divas at the Donmar.” At Carnegie Hall, she made her debut in 1998, singing with the SF Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, played Julie Jordan opposite Hugh Jackman in a concert version of Carousel, and made her solo debut in 2002. Training: Juilliard, B.M. in voice.

See, Hear, Smell Assignment No. 1

The Actor's Instrument

All artists have instruments that they must maintain for them to work properly. For the painter, brushes have to be washed, for the musician, reeds and valves must be cleaned. The actor's instrument is the actor's own body and brain; and making healthy choices are important to keeping your instrument in tiptop shape. Eating healthy foods, & keeping away from things that can jeopardize your physical health such as smoking, drugs and drinking is key.Eating foods that maintain a healthy mind & body will serve as a great source of energy through rehearsals and performances. Your voice, face, arms, legs, hips, every part of the actor's body are important tool that can be used to communicate and illustrate the words of the playwright and make them come alive!

Setting the Stage: What's Ahead for this Year

Congratulations you got the part! You are the Kuumba Project theater class of 2007! This class is an introduction to the world of acting. We will cover voice/breath work, character development, and physical movement. This will be accomplished through exploration of various acting techniques, theater games, improvisation and discussion. You will also be introduced to the fundamentals of the rehearsal process and script analysis.This is going to be an exciting & fun year the only requirements are, the willingness to try new things, and an open mind.

Kuumba Classes Kick Off at CFAC!

The Community Folk Art Center, Inc. (CFAC) is a vibrant cultural and artistic hub committed to the promotion and development of artists of the African Diaspora. The mission of the center is to exalt cultural and artistic pluralism by collecting, exhibiting, teaching and interpreting the visual & expressive arts. Public programming includes exhibitions, film screenings, gallery talks, workshops and courses in the studio arts, including dance and ceramics. A proud unit of the African American Studies Department at Syracuse University, CFAC is a beacon of artistry, creativity and cultural expression engaging the Syracuse community, the region and the world.