Commedia dell’ Arte Essay -- essays research papers fc

The first question is why use "commedia dell' arte" as a training tool for modern actors at all, since drama and the business of acting has hopefully moved on since the Italian Comedians finally left Paris. The fact remains, however, that the dominant form of acting today that both exists as the aspiring young actor's performance role model and as a category of performance in itself is T.V. naturalism. We are lucky in that something both inspirational and technical has survived from those heady times. When contemporary acting technique does not provide all the answers that actors may be looking for, it is not surprising that they look towards the past for inspiration. It is in this grey area between researching historical certainties and reconstructing guessed at acting technique that we must look. These Martinellis and Andreinis were the superstars of their day and the question that most often gets asked is "how did they do it?"(Oliver Crick). The fact that some of these performers were verging on genius is without dispute. This fact alone does not help us at all in training a contemporary performer. What can help us, though, is the wide variety of theories concerning the acting techniques, styles and training of these late entertainers. In a sense it is irrelevant where these theories come from and even how historically correct they are. As an actor (and a trainer of actors) one has a duty to choose what will work for an audience and to ignore the rest. The current historical theory as to how Isabella Andreini performed a particular "lazzi" might come from an impeccable source, but if a contemporary audience is unappreciative, then dump it quick, and on with something will work. There may be a case for re-creating "commedia dell'arte" as it was done, but does this really help the modern actor? Even in the more old-fashioned drama school period movement is meant to help an actor interpret a historical role, and is not mean't as an end in itself (David Claudon). One solution is to approach an actor at the beginning of their training, and see where knowledge of "commedia dell'arte" and its performance can expand a performer's range. The contemporary young actor's most familiar performance role model is that of televisi... ...terisation (Claudon). It may not be the whole answer, but it certainly plugs a few gaps that naturalism leaves open. "Commedia dell'arte" is also beneficial in any study of acting because it utilises a theatrical grammar, as well as a very intimate relationship with the audience (Crick). Now we can only wait until The Globe reopens to experiment with these theories in a purpose-built theatre. Works Cited Claudon, David. A Thumbnail History of Commedia Dell’Arte. 15 Oct. 2003 . Crick, Oliver. â€Å"The Uses of Commedia Dell'Arte in Training the Modern Actor.† Austin Commedia Society. 27 Nov. 2003 . Gordon, Mel. â€Å"Lazzi: the Comic Routines of the Commedia Dell’Arte.† New York; Performing Arts Journal Publications, c1983 (1992 printing). Lea, Kathleen M. â€Å"Italian Popular Comedy; a Study in the Commedia Dell’Arte, 1560- 1620, with special reference to the English stage.† New York: Russell & Russell, 1962. Rudlin, John. â€Å"Commedia Dell’Arte: an Actor’s Handbook.† London; New York: Routledge, 1994.

Budgeting in Cooperatives

BUDGETING IN CO OPERATIVES A budget is a statement about the allocation of money (income and expenditure) according to a set of priorities or a plan over a period of time. The advantages of having a budget and budgeting system are as follows: Â ¦ It ensures the plans and ultimately the objectives of the co-operative are realized; Â ¦ It provides a means to control expenditure and ensure corrective measures are in place if over-expenditure has occurred or is happening; Â ¦ It assists in communicating financial information to all in the co-operative – everyone will know how money coming in will be spent; It assists with plan implementation; Â ¦ It helps to measure performance of the co-operative; Â ¦ It is also a motivational tool because it gives direction. If a co-operative does not budget the following disadvantages will occur: Â ¦ There will be no sense of direction; Â ¦ Overspending will happen and financial control will breakdown; Â ¦ Decisions will be made in an a d hoc or unplanned way; Â ¦ There will be unrealiable financial information. There are two main ways of budgeting: (1) Incremental: incremental budgeting works with last year’s figures.It means adjusting to some degree the budget to fit the current year. This is a very problematic way to budget. It assumes the objectives or priorities for the co-operative are the same every year. It might even repeat some of the problems of last year’s budget. (2) Zero Based: zero-based budgeting is based on analyzing the costs afresh for the year. It allows the budget to be aligned to new objectives for the coming period. All expenditures have to be justified and in line with the objectives of the co-operative.There are many things that should and should not be done when drawing up a budget. The Do’s: Â ¦ Be hard nosed and realistic; Â ¦ Take last year’s budget expenditure and the actual results into account – assess where there were variances; Â ¦ Know what t he fixed and variable costs of the co-operative are; Â ¦ Develop budget headings that fit in with the operations of the co-operative as a whole; Â ¦ Collect information thoroughly; Â ¦ Decide to go for incremental or zero-based budgeting. The Don’ts: Â ¦ Neglect to involve members and other stakeholders; Leave too little time to prepare the budget; Â ¦ Make over-optimistic assumptions about income, in particular. The drawing up of a budget should take at least a full month of research, participatory input and drafting. It should come after the board has had an opportunity to plan for the forthcoming year. How should a budget be drawn up? Step 1: Identify the key plans and objectives/priorities for the co-operative. Step 2: Cost these objectives or priorities using last year’s budget and the actual results.Know what is coming in and out by breaking costs under different headings such as wages, rent, telephone, etc. Think through the fixed and variable costs such as permanent staff costs and the cost of raw material. Ask important questions about the income and outgoings. Are there likely to be any changes? Step 3: Build in budget control parameters such as monthly or weekly tracking income and expenditure against the budget. The C E O should give reports to the board on changes or variances and recommend corrective action.Step 4: A draft budget must be presented to the all worker-owners for input. It must then be tabled at the board and General Body for approval. Step 5: Once AGM’s approval is given, the budget must be communicated to everyone in the co-operative and must be freely available. Step 6: Consistent and ongoing monitoring by the C E O and the finance subcommitteemust occur. Regular reports must be given to the board and where there are variances between income or expenditure and budgets, this must be reported to the board and corrective action put into place.

William Shakespeare s Everyman - 1582 Words

In the late 15th century â€Å"Everyman† was written and is regarded as a morality play. According to the author of the story of Western culture, Michael A. Babcock, â€Å"Morality plays can be explained in the best ways because of allegories figure out efforts made between seven virtues and seven vices contained in heart of man†. This play is a portrayal of how Christians should use their time saving souls and keeping them from being convicted by death (Yaw Adu-Gyamfi P.265). In â€Å"Everyman† the perceptive of death is determined by how people live their lives. The play brings forth the comprehension of how people have an adversity in choosing between worldly things and the final spiritual judgment. The clash between treasures, relationship and the†¦show more content†¦2). Everyman comes to realization that all those who promised to escort him broke the promise (Par 186-187). He decides to try and induce Death, but all is hopeless. Spiritual Economy, Social Critique and Material Economy in Everyman notes, â€Å"proverbially, money does not fix things. It breaks them† (III). The only way Everyman can fix his life is by going before God and asking for forgiveness for his sins. In â€Å"Everyman† the characters all play a very precise role in the play as shown by their names. Each character is named after their represented principles that we always hold when living in this world. First off is Everyman who portrays the main character and who the play is about. Not always did he take his spiritual life seriously but later on he repents of his sins. Next is Death, Death is depicted as God’s courier to send for Everyman. The other characters are as such, Fellowship, Discretion, Strength, Five wits, Kindred, Cousin, Material and Good Deeds. Each of these are wonderful examples of people that we tend to value and who usually end up abandoning us in our time of needs just as they did to Everyman. Another character is Confession; he is the character in which Everyman distinguish his sins to as he