An Actor's Approach to Woyzeck Thesis

An Actor's Approach to Woyzeck Source: Guilford College Contributed by: Trip, Colin Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.20594442 Rights Notes: Theses may not be reproduced (either in print or online) without prior written permission of the author. Proper citation guidelines should be used when quoting or paraphrasing from a thesis. Thesis work remains the intellectually property of the student author unless specified otherwise and is provided for educational use only. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. This item is being shared by an institution as part of a Community Collection. For terms of use, please refer to our Terms & Conditions at https://about.jstor.org/terms/#whats-in-jstor Guilford College is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Guilford College This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 11/25/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Senior Thesis Home ePortfolios Edit Welcome, Colin Preview Published Academics HELP? Portfolio Tools Colin P. Tripp Home Logout site map Projects Senior Thesis Study Abroad Biography Resume Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Skills Inventory Artistic Philosophy Goals Statement World of the Play LifeObjective, Super Objective Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Final Self Assesment Majority of photos by Jonah Woodstock https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Senior_Thesis1/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 1/3 11/25/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Senior Thesis Directed by David Hammond THEA 470 is the capstone thesis course for Theatre Studies majors and the culmination of the department’s fouryear curriculum and performance/practicum sequence that incorporates Guilford’s collegewide focus on Principled Problem Solving. Successful completion of the thesis is required for graduation as a Theatre Studies major. The course requires students to synthesize their cumulative learning experiences in multiple theatre disciplines and apply them in positions of major responsibility within the practical context https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Senior_Thesis1/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2/3 11/25/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Senior Thesis of producing a play. The work requires students to articulate an artistic philosophy, assess the skills they bring to the work, set goals and objectives for the production, research the “world of the play” and the methodology of the playwright, analyze the text in relation to their specific assignments, maintain ongoing documentation of research and work processes before and during the rehearsals period, and assess their processes and accomplishments following public performances. Show Comments (0) and Tags www.digication.com Terms of Use Privacy Contact Digication Platform provided by Digication, Inc. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Subscribe https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Senior_Thesis1/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 3/3 12/1/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Skills Inventory Home ePortfolios Edit Welcome, Colin Preview Published Logout Portfolio Tools Colin P. Tripp Home Academics HELP? site map Projects Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Skills Inventory Artistic Philosophy Goals Statement World of the Play LifeObjective, Super Objective Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Final Self Assesment Senior Thesis Study Abroad Biography Resume Collabora⫸on/ Communica⫸on In theatre you have to collaborate with people. Most of this is through communica꽭�on. We communicate with the director and the cast & crew. At the end of the day it should be rewarding as an ar꽭�st. I think what is important to remember when collabora꽭�ng with other crea꽭�ve minds is keeping the ego in check and being open‐minded in any given project. Granted, I falter on those virtues myself some꽭�mes. I think due to some interference in life, as well as many other external factors, I was not always collabora꽭�ve with my peers. Unfortunate, but not a regret seeing as I have learned from it. I will work to improve that in the future. Collabora꽭�on through good communica꽭�on can lead to inspira꽭�on. Collabora꽭�ng with directors is what I think is the heartbeat of any produc꽭�on. Whatever that may be I think it shows in the performances. Jack Zerbe knew had to get me there in terms of boos꽭�ng my confidence to ensure that I could take risks in a scene. David Hammond knows of my affinity for older films. He could pull out these obscure movie references to draw upon, having the faith in me to know what he was talking about. Marc Williams and I formed such a rapport during the rehearsals for Boeing Boeing that we would finish each other's sentences. I always try to form good communica꽭�on with directors. Not to fla쿵�er them, but for the sake of humanity and healthy collabora꽭�on. Organiza⫸on This is a skill set I would love to improve. I think it is absolutely necessary if I intend on having a career. One has to take into account that an actor has to find an agent one day, get into a cas꽭�ng office, and find out how to balance a steady job to support this profession. I think it is beneficial in terms of produc꽭�vity. Crea꽭�ve people tend to be messier. But produc꽭�ve people tend to be more organized. Of course I do not think the two should be mutually exclusive. When I am in a messy environment it kind of makes me 꽭�red. The opposite is true with being clean. A declu쿵�er every so o뻢en is welcomed. I like to think of the rehearsal space in founders as a sacred place. Keeping it clean is good for the next ar꽭�st who uses it as a canvas. I am not as clean of a person as I would like to be, but when it comes to keeping my ac꽭�ng notes, I am pre쿵�y organized. I have kept most of my ac꽭�ng notes from the past three years in a big binder. I took it upon myself to acquire some dividers and folders. I now have office depot boxes to put them in. They will receive labels such as “Crea꽭�ng the World” or “Woyzeck”. If I was really efficient I would scan those suckers and keep them all on a thumb‐drive. One day I probably will. I think it is important to keep a clean journal log. Notes and journal logs give me something to fall back on as well as something to look forward to. Being more organized can help with that. Time Management Scheduling is the quan꽭�fica꽭�on of what we do in theatre. Deadlines are abound star꽭�ng from the first rehearsal. So keeping dates, names, and 꽭�mes all together somewhere should be essen꽭�al. Granted, our department is very forthright in making sure that call‐꽭�mes are emailed in advance. https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Goals_Statement/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 1/2 12/1/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Skills Inventory As an actor, it is important to give the role some 꽭�me. Thankfully I acquired this part months in advance. I could give it that extra 꽭�me that otherwise would not have happened. I got to know Woyzeck as well as have some fun with the research, and I made some discoveries that I would have been too crunched into to give enough breath. The part has to be given enough 꽭�me outside the rehearsal too. Although we are in there at least four hours a night, there are over twenty scenes in this play. Woyzeck is in nearly all of them. I know I have to bring something with me in each rehearsal. Having the 꽭�me to do that is cri꽭�cal. I think for the most part I always have Woyzeck with me during the day. I do not mean just the play, but the character himself. He has not le뻢 me since June. He occupies a certain space in my 꽭�me, even when I'm at work. Problem Solving This skill is kind of a mixed bag for me. I know that earlier on during college rehearsals I had some blockage, which ranged from a plethora of problems. They inhibited me from growing a lot of 꽭�mes and from playing the scene in front of me. A뻢er a year off from ac꽭�ng I acquired a different outlook. I was assistant stage‐ managing during the first semester of junior year. I was tasked with doing a lot of work that that helped me grow as a professional. I have always known its best not to make excuses, usually with anything, so when mishaps on my behalf occurred I tried to make them right. With previous prac꽭�cums that was not always the case. There is a difference between knowing the path and walking it. I started walking it be쿵�er a뻢er that. I learned more from a director’s point of view when I took the Direc꽭�ng class. As an actor I was star꽭�ng to see from the director’s point of view what should be accomplished in a scene. In rehearsals for Boeing Boeing, I got a sense of what Marc wanted as well as what I could do to help if the scene was not working. Not “shadow direc꽭�ng”, but cu ng out the middle man and being a bit more keen on what needed to be done. I wish I was a be쿵�er problem solver where I am not as comfortable in the environment. Leadership Pa꽭�ence is something I think can really work on. I remember as an underclassmen a few upperclassmen were very pa꽭�ent with me when I struggled in rehearsal. That made all the difference. Granted not everyone can. That is understandable. We all have our own issues and deadlines outside of theatre. I am no excep꽭�on. I am as guilty as the next person. In the end leadership is all about support to me. I am so fortunate to be in this produc꽭�on in as many scenes that I am in. I am able to witness the wide array of actors that we have. This being said I have to be the most prepared walking into rehearsal every night. Playing Robert helped a lot with this, seeing as he was not only on stage the longest, but he was driving the ac꽭�on for most of the play. Enthusiasm is important with that as well. Even when all seems lost in rehearsal I think it is important to smile. It elevates your mood and is contagious. Show Comments (0) and Tags www.digication.com Terms of Use Privacy Contact Digication Platform provided by Digication, Inc. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Subscribe https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Goals_Statement/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2/2 11/25/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Artistic Philosophy Home ePortfolios Edit Welcome, Colin Preview Published Academics HELP? Portfolio Tools Colin P. Tripp Home Logout site map Projects Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Skills Inventory Artistic Philosophy Goals Statement World of the Play LifeObjective, Super Objective Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Final Self Assesment Senior Thesis Study Abroad Biography Resume Ac ng can be a bit of a contradic on at mes. We go up on stage and pretend we are somebody else. Yet, we say in ac ng class that we are striving for the truth. We have to be dead serious in the moments we are up there, but if we are in a comedy we have to ensure that someone is going to laugh. It is not easy, in fact it is pre y damn hard going up there and exposing yourself like that. Somehow we have to make it look effortless. Being an actor requires many a ributes. One such accoutrement is confidence. I am not saying it requires anyone to be a pompous, preten ous, ego s cal diva. (Although that will be encountered a lot in this field). But an ego is required in the sense that one needs to go up on the stage and prove that their work is worth watching, even if it is not. If that be the case an actor must catch‐22 that with humbleness. I admit at mes this is something I have struggled with immensely. If something goes wrong on stage or in ac ng class one cannot succumb to taking cri cism or praise too personally. I heard it is best to be personal in the work, but professional with others. It should not be viewed as a vicious a ack of malice if it is a cri que. Praise should not be viewed as admira on of your whole being. An actor is pretending. That is not who they really are when performing, at least not always. I think it is best to keep that separa on alive and gauge the ego so that is healthy rather than toxic. In fairness, all that was men oned above is easier said than done. Not everyone has the thickest skin. I am no excep on. I think it is impera ve that actors should not acquire the thickest of skin, we are taught to let things in. That is how we find inspira on. We have to be sensi ve to what is going on around us in our normal everyday lives. We have to feel. However, feelings get hurt. Nothing is more welcome in an ar st’s life than support. We need support emo onally. We have to put ourselves out there in front of a microphone, camera, or stage. Once we release our art into the world, we can only hope that the people will admire it. But we cannot let that consume us either. Actors are people who need an audience in order for their work to be witnessed. We are vulnerable creatures. If we tear each other up behind the scenes there is no way we are going to make great art. In working with and talking to other actors outside of Guilford I have been very fortunate. I have go en good parts in every play I have audi oned for in this department. Granted we are a small department, so that has something to do with it. But for me, now more than ever I think it is important to not take that for granted. I have been in a very suppor ve environment with all of the professors here, so they are the ones to thank. I think that with being in entertainment culture people idolize the actors. Maybe it is because their faces are the ones that are visible. Actors are not the only people that do the work. Sound, lights, paint, box‐office, designers, stage managers, and most importantly the director are the people that carry much of the he . It is important to be suppor ve of the behind the scenes heroes. Though their faces may not be recognized they are the ones who need just as much of the praise as the actors on stage. It has been a great teacher working on the plays at Guilford as well as Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre and Larry Singer’s Ac ng Conservatory. The recurring theme though is community. Theatre is the perfect venue for it. Theatre is collabora ng with other people in the pursuit of pu ng on a show. In theatre, its more than just https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Artistic_Philosophy/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 1/2 11/25/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Artistic Philosophy being entertaining, it has to be an experience. Theatre should be something that reels the audience in, they are directly there on that journey as it happens. We as thespians invite them on the rollercoaster and make sure they leave with something to disscuss. I am thankful to be doing that. Hopefully through keeping my ego in check, being humble,and sensi ve I can be suppor ve to everyone else involved on any given produc on I am working on. Show Comments (0) and Tags www.digication.com Terms of Use Privacy Contact Digication Platform provided by Digication, Inc. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Subscribe https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Artistic_Philosophy/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2/2 11/25/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Goals Statement Home ePortfolios Edit Welcome, Colin Preview Published Academics HELP? Portfolio Tools Colin P. Tripp Home Logout site map Projects Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Skills Inventory Artistic Philosophy Goals Statement World of the Play LifeObjective, Super Objective Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Final Self Assesment Senior Thesis Study Abroad Biography Resume In ac ng the major an dotes I keep running into are being bold, and owning your work. One could argue that they go hand in hand. One must not confuse confidence with capability and or experience. Although, when one can synchronize all of these virtues the world is their oyster. My goal is to strive to be brave during the en re process of this play. The first and foremost thing I have to do during the run is to do my work to the best of my abili es, reaching above and beyond. I have to come into rehearsal knowing the scenes backwards and forewords. Focus is required. Homework must be done over and over again. These are just normal staples for any rehearsal process, but these must be done immensely for my thesis. I am paraphrasing here, but Anthony Hopkins said he reads the script of whatever he is working on over one‐hundred mes. It is through knowing the play so thoroughly that all the organic discoveries can manifest themselves. This past summer Charlie Cox of Daredevil looked me in my face and u ered nearly the exact same sen ment. I cannot promise I will read the play one‐hundred mes, but what I can promise is that I will bring a lot with me into rehearsal and take it home with me aerwards. This level of work is to be expected tenfold in a professional working environment.If you do not have this level of discipline and focus you are more than likely going to face the boot. On that note, this is a perfect opportunity for me to work on shedding old habits while ac ng. Over the past year and a half I have become more conscience of what those habits are. Most of them are physical nervous cks. They range from s f lips, slurring my words, hunching over and many other embarrising maneuvers. Ac ng warm ups are sufficient tools in allevia ng most of these problems. I got my hands on some good ones recently. However they should be put into prac ce every day. Exercising helps with ge㹢�ng in touch with the body. Even the slight change in the diet and sleep can alter what I would be able to take in. With all of that being said, I think when the mind and the body are commi ed to the ac on, many of these problems cease to exist. Granted they do not go away overnight either. Throughout the course of this produc on I want to be able to decrease the size of these habits as well as physicalizing this character more than any other I have played. This leads me into the greatest challenge of this play. In ac ng I have jumped at the opportunity to play a character similar to myself. Woyzeck is a character I understand and can iden fy with. Granted the play is not even on its feet as I am wri ng this. Through hours and hours of research as well as looking in to the recesses of my soul it’s clear that Woyzeck may not be so hard to understand. But he will be hard to bring to life. A few of my own demons will resurface themselves. This work will not come for free. Something I have learned recently is that in ac ng, it is nearly impossible to ignore what is going on your personal life while on stage. In Boeing Boeing, I could not ignore that there were people laughing or even gasping when I was performing. Had I a empted to cancel that out, it would have resulted in frustra on and crippled me. It’s best to just accept what is going on in the outside world as well as in the world of the play. Being brave, right? So in short I have my work cut out for me. I think as an ar st it is important to keep challenging myself in each character journey I embark on. Woyzeck has its own set of challenges for me. I have to be as prepared as https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/World_of_the_Play/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 1/2 11/25/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Goals Statement possible. The weight of this character is not lost on me. Albeit this actor cannot ignore all the systemic issues and trepida ons that are coming with this part. I cannot let it get the best of me. My goal is to be brave and own my work. Show Comments (0) and Tags www.digication.com Terms of Use Privacy Contact Digication Platform provided by Digication, Inc. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Subscribe https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/World_of_the_Play/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2/2 11/28/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: World of the Play Home ePortfolios Edit Welcome, Colin Preview Published Academics HELP? Portfolio Tools Colin P. Tripp Home Logout site map Projects Senior Thesis Study Abroad Biography Resume Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Skills Inventory Artistic Philosophy Goals Statement World of the Play LifeObjective, Super Objective Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Final Self Assesment Georg Buchner Georg Buchner was born October 17, 1813 in Goddelau, HesseDarmstadt Germany into a family of doctors. He was a child who took in many cultural influences and was a gifted student. He would attend private schooling as he grew older. He was described as hardworking, impatient, arrogant, and reserved. He was a student who mostly studied science. However he would be spotted reading and performing Shakespeare in the woods with friends. He attended University to study medicine. It was during his early twenties he would take up ideals as an atheist and revolutionary. He also became engaged to Mianna Jaegle around this time. As a young man he honed his skills as a writer. He wrote a pamphlet called The Hessian Courier after the Paris uprising in 1830. It was noteworthy for his observations on the lower class. His wrote three plays about class disparity. The first of which was Danton’s Death which he wrote in only a matter of weeks. It is about a French Revolutionary leader who grows contrite after seeing the results of how his influence affected the people of France. Leonce and Lena was his second play which was a political satire about a prince and princess caught up in an arranged marriage. He wrote the short story, Lenz, which was about the famous Strum and Drang writer Jakob Lenz who most likely suffers from Schizophrennia. He would visit this theme again later. He was inspired by Johann Woyzeck, who murdered his wife, faced trial and later execution. This inspired Woyzeck.The play would remain unfinished due to Buchner dying of typhus on February 19, 1837. The play is regarded as the first working class drama, first modern drama, first clinically observed case in literature, as well as Buchner’s crowning achievement. It would not be performed until over forty years after his died. He never heard his voice through Woyzeck performed. "Georg Buchner." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed September 24, 2016. https://www.britannica.com/biography/GeorgBuchner. Buchner Georg, and John Reddick. Complete Plays, Lenz and Other Writings. London: Penguin, 1993. Print. Buchner Georg, and Victor Price. Danton’s Death; Leonce and Lena, Woyzeck; Oxford University Press, 1988 Johann Franz Chrisĕan Woyzeck The true Woyzeck, mirrors Buchner's play. He was orphaned at a young age and resorted to many odd jobs such as cobbling, tailoring, and being a barber. He was a genius in the field of hairdressing and bookbinding, with a weakness for drinking. He was a soldier who was captured by the Swedes, and later joined the Swedish Armed Services. He later joined the Mecklenburg Army, then deserted to the Swedes again. A├er the Congress of Vienna Woyzeck was demobilized to his home of Leipzig, Germany. He and his common‐law wife, Frau Wust, raised their child. She had an affinity for other soldiers and refused to be seen with Woyzeck in public. Times grew hard for him and he relied on a lot of charity. He was driven to murder his wife a├er years of tribulaĕon and humiliaĕon. He stabbed her mulitple ĕmes. He was captured and sentenced to death. There were many legal delays due to the quesĕoning of Woyzeck’s mental state. Dr. J.A. Claurus oversaw Woyzeck for three years. He observed that Woyzeck claimed to hear voices, possibly due to loneliness. He o├en talked to himself. He was remorseful for his crime. However, Claus stated that the voices did not pre‐date the murder. Woyzeck was beheaded on August 27, 1824. By. "Johann Chrisĕan Woyzeck." Woyzeck. Accessed September 24, 2016. https://woyzeck.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/2011/03/03/410/. Buchner Georg, and Victor Price. Danton’s Death; Leonce and Lena, Woyzeck; Oxford University Press, 1988 https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Given_Circumstances/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 1/6 11/28/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: World of the Play War Life Due to their not being much information or resources specifically on the life of German Soldiers during the late 1700s and early 1800s, I had to resort to other areas as well as other time periods to get a better since of what a soldier’s life may be. All Quiet on the Western Front A book that was mentioned to me in rehearsal was All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Marque. This is a semi biographical look at his time in the German Army during World War I. Paul is the protagonist/narrator, who acts as his conduit. Paul began as a compassionate sensitive young man, but after he volunteered to join the Army with his classmates, the war dehumanized him. In order to prevent himself from going insane, Paul actively had to shut out thoughts about why he was fighting. As time went on Paul came in contact with the horrors of war. His best friends died all around him. He eventually succumbed to dark thoughts, and guilt wore on his soul. Paul was conscious of what his place was in this world. He theorized that his generation was a lost one. The soldiers in the genration prior had jobs and families to return to. The generation after him would not have to worry about the war. His generation, the young men who went to war straight out of school were lost. War is all that they ever knew. Unfortunately for Paul this became a selffulfilling prophecy. Throughout the novel the characters encountered many internal and external forces that parallel Woyzeck. Throughout the novel Paul is very aware that the system starts wars. Other characters like Kat come along this theory as well. The people in power are the people that make the decision to go to war. Soldiers in a sense must turn off their humanity switch in order to continue fighting. Observations are made that men on the front are transformed into “human animals.” It was due to being filled with patriotic ideals in class that aroused the young men to join the fight for their country. Before they were sent to the front their drill instructor would mercilessly bully them, which in turn helped them develop thick skins if but temporarily. Paul himself was an avid reader of books and poetry before the war, but when he is on leave, he cannot find himself holding a book for more than a moment. Nor can he bring himself to tell his family members of the atrocities he has faced on a day to day basis. There is a scene where the young men are chasing beautiful young ladies. In this scene Paul ponders to himself of how he never lost his virginity outright. He was in a brothel that all of the soldiers went to. His youth was deprived of him in that regard. Even later he wonders if he holds anything sacred at all. A McGuffin that is seen throughout the novel is that of the boots. Paul’s friend dies early in the novel, and leaves his boots to his other friend. When he dies he leaves his boots to Paul. They act as a metaphor for the cheapness of human life. (Spoiler) Paul in turn is relegated to a few short words in the last paragraphs of the novel. He died on a quiet day. A quiet day that happened to be the day when his life was taken. Remarque, Erich M. All Quiet on the Western Front. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Company, 1958. "All Quiet on the Western Front." SparkNotes. Accessed October 09, 2016. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/.html. French Revolution The French Revolution was not a time that directly relates to Woyzeck. It did at least inform Buchner at the time of his writing. The logistics are a bit hard to grasp, and for the purposes of research are hard to narrow down. There were themes to be found during this time that mirror Woyzeck. After the American Revolution, France was in a lot of debt. After they faced harvest ruining weather, prices were raised on food causing many people to go hungry. Much of the country was separated by class structure, with the rich living well, and the lower class going hungry. The French also had poor leadership. Intellectuals of the time started questioning whether their country should take such decline. After rather poor political moves by the clergy, and misdealing’s with Prussia and Austria, King Louis XVI was guillotined. Even later the championed Robespierre (a revolutionary who was featured in Buchner’s Danton’s Death) was guillotined. By the end of the 18th Century Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power. Around this time the Age of Enlightenment had come about. It was a movement characterized by rationally approaching subjects of science, economics, religion, and other social issues. Its message was for people to think for themselves, and not let the government do it for them. All of these themes are found throughout Woyzeck. Napoleonic and War of 1812 Soldiers Around the time of the real Woyzeck’s life was the War of 1812 and the Napoleanic Wars. Soldiers of both time periods had similar lifestyles. Both sets of soldiers were so poor they had no other choice but join the military. Usually they had odd jobs beforehand. In fact many regiments sought after soldiers who had acquired such skills as carpenters, masons, gunsmiths, gardeners, farmers, cobblers, and tailors for practical reasons. British soldiers of the war of 1812 also had morning routines that were supposed to be carried out every morning. There was no daylight savings time, so soldiers woke up at times according to the weather patterns. During colder months it was two hours before sunrise. Instead of alarms soldiers were woken up by drum players. Mornings mostly consisted of cleaning up the tight barracks meticulously for inspections. Then breakfast was served. Men performed duties catered to their particular talents like their odd jobs before the war. Compared https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Given_Circumstances/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2/6 11/28/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: World of the Play catered to their particular talents like their odd jobs before the war. Compared to today’s standards of the military this was somewhat relaxed. Soldiers would air, play games, and drink a little. However alcoholism was seen as a problem. Soldiers were allowed to drink but not to become impaired. Marches were performed daily. Napoleonic soldiers resembled the soldiers of 1812. Many joined the war to escape poverty. Not many rations were available, so soldiers could be seen stealing loot from fallen foes or comrades. Many would be starving before going into battle. Before battle, soldiers releived their urges at brothels. There were no other venues to do so. Drinking was also a heavy staple of the Napoleonic soldier. War of 1812 Arĕcles on Army Life." War of 1812 Arĕcles on Army Life. http://www.warof1812.ca/armylife.htm. Hĥp://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDGpsBiF‐gIJ8CS‐xHDcHHQ. "The Napoleonic Soldier | History Documentary." YouTube. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=T_angx7EfY. Hĥp://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPRCRH3LpEpwuWEZTbDLqQ. "The French Revoluĕon History Channel HD." YouTube. 2015. Accessed October 13, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pXxoyk5wOo. Foods A staple amongst German food is Sauerkraut. It can be served with anything. My German roommate can vouch for that. There are also other classic dishes in the German food pantheon. Goulash is essenĕally beef mixed with vegetables and macaroni. Another dish is Bavarian Pork Roast. Germany is notorious for its alcohol. Weihenstephan is one of the oldest brands in existence. Woyzeck probably ate none of this. A peasant's diet near the ĕme of 1830 was mostly potatoes, oatmeal, vegetables, black bread, and perhaps bacon on Sundays. However, Woyzeck is ordered by the doctor to only eat peas for three months. Howiĥ, William. The Rural and Domes c Life of Germany: With Characteris c Sketches of Its Ci es and Scenery. Collected in a General Tour, and during a Residence in the Country in the Years 1840, 41 and 42. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1842. "German Recipes." Allrecipes. Accessed September 24, 2016. http://allrecipes.com/recipes/722/worldcuisine/european/german/. Pellagra Pellagra is a disease that occurs when one does not absorb enough nutrients such as niacin and tryptophan. Symptoms of Pellagra include diarrhea, mental confusion, nausea, and skin sores. It could be speculated that Woyzeck was also suffering from this, seeing as the doctor was only keeping him on a steady diet of nothing but peas. Also there would be a lack of protein in this diet, which could account for the hair loss that is menĕoned. "Pellagra: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." Pellagra: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Accessed September 24, 2016. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000342.htm. https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Given_Circumstances/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 3/6 11/28/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: World of the Play Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and their Journey through Schizophrenia By Carolyn Spiro and Pamela Spiro Wagner “Nor can I tell them, how the voices, silent for the months on a new medication, have returned with a vengeance, bringing Hell to my night and days. With scathing criticism and a constant scornful commentary on everything I do, they sometimes order me to do things I shouldn’t.” (Shaprio 2) It was speculated that the real Woyzeck may have had a certain type of Schizophrenia. I took the liberty of trying to find firsthand accounts of what living with Schizophrenia may have been like. This was a book I came across very early in my research. This book is a story about identical twin sisters, chronicling their lives through 1950s childhood through 21st century late adulthood. Carolyn and Pam always had a competitive rivalry until her early teens when Pam started coming down with hallucinations and dangerous thoughts. Elevenyearold Pam actually thought she was responsible for the death of President John F. Kennedy due to something she wrote in class. A secret that haunted her throughout her early life. As the years grew Pam began to become erratic and unfortunately started alienating everyone around her. As science became more advanced, the causes of her behavior became more apparent, and she and her sister are still close to this day. Shapiro, Pamela, and Carolyn Shapiro. Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizoprennia. St. Marĕn's Press 2005 A helpful tool, made possible by a generous donation. Tom Waits wrote this album in service of the 2002 production of Woyzeck. It was a ritual for me to listen to this before every rehearsal and performance. https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Given_Circumstances/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 4/6 11/28/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: World of the Play Other helpful readings that mirrored Woyzeck in terms of similar stories, characters, and themes. https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Given_Circumstances/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 5/6 11/28/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: World of the Play Films to draw upon terms of examples of fine acting, similar stories, and mirroring themes. Most were directed by Stanley Kubrick who probably would have found something to admire in Woyzeck. A few of these movies are Labute's as well. Sources for Images A Clockwork Orange.1971, Poster. http://www.collativelearning.com/ACO%20chapter%2014%20.html All Quiet on the Western Front. Illustration. https://darllenclub.wordpress.com/about/ All Quiet on the Western Front. 1930, Poster. http://www.iceposter.com/posters/movies/All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_movie_posters_(1930)/MOV_94f99011_All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_movie_poster_(1930)_Poster.html#.WDyE3NwrLIU Authentic Schweinebraten German Pork Roast Bavarian Style Recipe, Photograph. http://recipeofhealth.com/recipe/authenticschweinebratengermanporkroastbavarian style322868rb Bolland, Brian. The Killing Joke (Cover). Illustration. 1988. The Killing Joke, by Alan more and Brian Bolland. Classic Goulash, Photograph. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/213268/classicgoulash/ Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and their Journey Through Schizophrenia. 2006, Poster http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130609.Divided_Minds Dog Day Afternoon. 1975, Poster. http://www.crankycritic.com/archive/posters/pages/dogdayafternoon.htm Full Metal Jacket. 1987, Poster. https://theiapolis.com/d4/h15O/i1RD2/k4/l1RT1/wRS/fullmetaljacketfilmposter.jpg Hamlet, Poster. https://www.minnpost.com/books/2011/05/top10booksalltime Hoffman, Phillip August Joseph. (Untitled Georg Buchner Portrait). https://www.broadwayplaypub.com/playauthors/georgbuchner/ Kosturko, Bob. Man’s Search for Meaning (Cover). 1946. Man’s Search for Meaning 2006 edition. by Victor Frankl, Isle Lasch, Harold Kushner, and William J. Winslade. Macbeth, Poster. http://krcresearch.stpats.vic.edu.au/macbeth.html Newport Barracks, Illustration. http://datab.us/i/Newport%20Barracks Paths of Glory. 1957, Poster. http://www.shrewsburyfilmsociety.org.uk/Season4.php Pea Green Arrow, Photograph. https://www.urbanseedling.com/product/peagreen arrow/ Pryanishnikov, Illarian. French Retreat in 1812. 1874, Oil on canvas, Tretyakov Gallery. http://www.theathenaeum.org/art/detail.php?ID=222040 Taxi Driver. 1976, Poster. http://www.indiewire.com/2013/03/comparemondoscool posterformartinscorsesestaxidriverwiththeoriginalonesheets100742/ The Shining. 1980, Poster. http://imgur.com/gallery/6dtGD The Vicious Kind. 2009, Poster. https://movielala.com/movies/thevicious kind/photos/theviciouskindadamscottstill (Untitled Image). Waits, Tom and Kathleen Brennan. Blood Money. Tom Waits. Rec. 07 May 2002. CD. Show Comments (0) and Tags www.digication.com Terms of Use Privacy Contact Digication Platform provided by Digication, Inc. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Subscribe https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Given_Circumstances/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 6/6 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: LifeObjective, SuperObjective Home ePortfolios Edit Welcome, Colin Preview Published Academics HELP? Portfolio Tools Colin P. Tripp Home Logout site map Projects Senior Thesis Study Abroad Biography Resume Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Skills Inventory Artistic Philosophy Goals Statement World of the Play LifeObjective, Super Objective Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Final Self Assesment Woyzeck Objectives What is in parentheses is transferances. Who am I? I am Woyzeck. I am a thirty year old born on the feast of the annunciation. I grew up poor. I never knew my father. My mother went mad when I was young. When I was a soldier for Germany I was captured by the Swedes. Then I was sent back to my regiment https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Life_Objective_SuperObjective_Spine/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 1/5 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: LifeObjective, SuperObjective in Germany, which later was disbanded by the French. Presently I am still within Germany not as an active infantry soldier, but I gain many jobs with carpentry, bookbinding and hairdressing. I want to acquire a better knowledge of the world. To be enlightened. The problem is that the people of a higher station scold me for trying. Where am I? I am in the town of Lezpig. What are my relationships? Marie She is everything I have presently. Her and my son. I am glad that we had this child, Christian. I hope he is different than me when he grows older. I know she is beautiful. I worry about that. We are not seen much in public together. I am always fearful that a more strapping soldier may swoop her up and take her from me one day. Andres He is my right hand man. If there is ever a problem I know that I can count on him. However he is much younger than me. If there is ever a chance I can bestow upon him the values I have learned from reading I hope I can do so. It may be too dangerous to presently, seeing as I am poor and should be working Captain This is the man I take orders from. I clean him, as well as chop wood for him with Andres. He spouts his philosophy of the world regularly about people and the world. I never know if he actually knows what he is talking about Doctor A man that snatched me up for a case study to eat nothing but peas for the past three months to monitor my changes in health and behavior What do I want? I want to understand life, while the voices and visions haunt me. I want to build a better life for myself. I want to be a man whose true nature is virtuous. What stands in my way? I am poor. I am expected to work for a living and provide for my family. Also the voices are stopping me. They incite me to do things. Within a violent society how do I manage? What do I do to get what I want? I have to find a way to make sure that the voices will be kept at bay. If I start to read and write, maybe I can do such a thing. I will start a revolution and then be treated as someone who is above his station. Scene: 1 The Operating Theatre Date Started (9/8/16) I have found this abandoned building for which I can work on my studies. Reading and especially writing. That is why I have my book. I will finish eating this bowl of peas first. I have found that violence is the key to it all and that through pain, misery, and death we arrive closer to God. That is what Jesus did. He sacrificed himself on the cross for our sins. The ultimate painful sacrifice. Who are we as people to say we are any better? An uprising must be through violent means. (French Revolution, Dog Day Afternoon, Taxi Driver). What do I want? To find the answers in the book. To have others revolt with me. We can beat this. Scene 2: The Barracks Date Started (9/8/16) After I get done with my writing before the rooster crows. I recognize that it is time to shave the captain. I rush to be early for him. He will probably start to pry into my personal life again, and spout his own views of the world. I need to iterate to him that I am only a poor man. And that it is God’s Will that I am this way. If I were of a higher station. Maybe I would be more virtuous. I also need to thwart him of being suspicious of my reading and writing. (Every prying teacher ever) He knows of previous efforts. What do I want? https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Life_Objective_SuperObjective_Spine/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2/5 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: LifeObjective, SuperObjective I want the captain to see how good of a worker I am and refute any suspicions of my true intentions. To prove that if I had means such as him, I could afford to have my baby baptized. Scene 3: The Woods Date Started (9/8/16) I go forth to chop wood for the captain with Andres. Andres being one of my best friends, if my only friend. The only one that would listen to me speak. A poor man as well. The place we have just found to chop wood is not the safest of places. (Free Masons, Sodom and Gomorrah). I want to make sense of the voices. What do I want? I want to cut the wood as best as possible without running into much interference from the visions and voices. When they come I want to make sense of them. Scene 4: The Room 1 Date Started (9/9/16) After finishing up from chopping the wood from the captain, I run back home out running Andres. I think if followed me home. I am going to make sure Marie still plans to come with me to the fair this evening, I have saved up enough for her and me and our boy to go. She is all I have in this world. Even though we are not traditionally wed and our child is not baptized. I want to inform her that something followed me again. I need her help to make sense of what it is. She has not helped me before with this. But I’m desperate. All the way into town. Hopefully she’ll go to the fair with me. She usually doesn’t. I know she wishes for a better man. What do I want? I want to see if Marie can comfort me, and tell me what all of the visions mean. If she is still coming with me to the fair tonight. Scene 5: The Street (Date Started 9/19/16) As I leave Marie’s realize that I left without using the bathroom. I have to rush to see the Doctors too and piss for him. The problem being I have not pissed all day. It seems best to just relieve myself. It’s in my nature. What do I want? I want to prove to the Doctor that I pissed in the street because that is my true nature. A man is told one thing, but he actually is another. When he loses his nature he loses everything. He is an automaton. Scene 6: The Fair (Date Started 9/16/16) I have picked up Marie and Christian. We are headed to the fair that evening. I want to spend good time with her and Christian. I need to expose her to the atrocities of the world as well, like the poor boy dancing for money. What do I want? I want the three of us to have a good time at the fair and to prove to Marie that I am not crazy. Scene 8: The Room 2 ( Date Started 9/16/16) I searched, and searched in the woods, yet I could not find Marie. I figured it was best not to stay in the woods too long anyway seeing as Christian was in my arms. (Charles, Henry, and Khloe) He should never go in there. She was not to be found however. The boy was fussing a bit too much. I decided just to take him home. We fell asleep in each other’s arms. What do I Want? I want to know where Marie went. I hope either another man did not snatch her up or that hell did not consume her. Scene 9: The Operating Theatre 2 (Doctor Demonstration) Date Started (9/17/16) I went home and slept in the barracks. The captain did not need a shave today, or the wood chopped. I figured it was best. The doctor needed to use me for a demonstration https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Life_Objective_SuperObjective_Spine/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 3/5 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: LifeObjective, SuperObjective today. A bunch of students attend these. He will hike me up on medication first I suspect. This diet is getting to me hungry (Vegan). The visions and voices are getting stronger. What do I want? I want the doctor to help me with my physical ailments. I also want him not to embarrass me. (uhm) Scene 11: The Street 2 (9/16/16) I am trying to make sense of what is happening here. Why must the voices must be so strong and obnoxious? As I walk back from the abandoned building. I am in a hurry to get back to the barracks to try and sleep, seeing as it is my day off. I run into the captain and the doctor. What do I want? I want the truth form the captain. I want to dissuade the doctor and captain that I am still unvirtuous and unassuming. I need to find Marie. Scene 12: The Room 3 (Date Started 9/19/16) I run to Maries with the intent of seeing the marks myself. I ran away from the captain and Doctor. But walk inside to Marie’s room. I do not want to miss any marks. What do I want? I want to find the marks and feel the presence of someone that has been with her. I want it not to be true. She needs to feel lowly about this. Scene 13: The Tavern 1 (Date Started 9/22/16) I run away from Maries. There is nowhere else to go but to the tavern. Where else? Hopefully Andres will be there. The only person I can turn to is him. But he shouldn’t know how troubled I really am. What do I want? I want to regain my honor. I need to put this horror to rest. The only place to go beyond the tavern is back to the woods. There I will find an answer. Scene 14: The Woods 2 (Date Started 9/23/16) I rush away from the tavern to the woods. I need to escape the music, voices, and sounds that all follow me. The woods are dark. Darkness always follows those who are touched by the devil. What do I want? I need an answer from the voices. Scene 15: The Pawnshop (Date Started 9/23/16) I go to the pawns store knowing that Jew sells weapons. I have not much money seeing as I have given most of what I have to Marie. I need to look for guns and knives. What do I want? I need a gun and a knife. The latter to end Marie as the voices commanded. The former to end myself after. Scene 16: The Barracks 2 (Andres Goodbye) (Date Started 9/23/16) Before I set out to kill Marie, I must take into account that I may not make it back. I figure that Christian is not old enough to inherit all of my belongings, and he may not want to anyway once he learns of what I have done. It is best to leave all of my most precious things to my loyal friend Andres. What do I want? I want Andres to know that he was so worthy of a friend, that he can take all I have left that’s precious to me. Scene 17: The Woods 3 (The Killing) Date Started (9/23/16) It is time to fulfill my duties on this earth. I return to Marie’s place. As I am in her place I see little Christian, sleeping soundly. Let the angels watch over him from this time on. I https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Life_Objective_SuperObjective_Spine/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 4/5 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: LifeObjective, SuperObjective awaken Marie, who faces me with resistance at first, but eventually submits to me and ventures to the woods with me. I am having second thoughts about this What do I want? I want to know how Marie feels about me deep to the bottom of her spirit. However the visions tell me I must follow through with what the voices put in motion. Scene 18: The Tavern 2 (Date Started 9/23/16) I end up at the bar after the killing. The voices must have lead me here. What do I Want? To ttate my final peace to the world as well as not draw suspicion. Scene 19: The Woods 4 (Death) (Date Started 9/26/16) I need this all to the end. The horror. The visions. The voices. My guilt. I must find the knife and dispel of it. That is the first step. What do I want? To rid the knife. And wash away the blood. Life Objective: I want to make sense of this world. SuperObjective To find my true nature and start a revolution Show Comments (0) and Tags www.digication.com Terms of Use Privacy Contact Digication Platform provided by Digication, Inc. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Subscribe https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Life_Objective_SuperObjective_Spine/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 5/5 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Home ePortfolios Edit Welcome, Colin Preview Published Logout Portfolio Tools Colin P. Tripp Home Academics HELP? site map Projects Senior Thesis Study Abroad Biography Resume Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Skills Inventory Artistic Philosophy Goals Statement World of the Play LifeObjective, Super Objective Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Final Self Assesment What is in parentheses is personal reflections and transferances. Scene 1: Operating Theatre (Date Started 9/8/16) Inner Objects: The Good Lord’s work https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 1/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Would Marie marry me outright, if I carried out a revolution I have to make more sense of this Would life make sense if I could start a revolution Outer Objects: Bowl and spoon Book Tumpty The Drum Major The women knocking me around The Voices and visions The nose Actions: To incite a revolution Respond to the voices Find solace in the peas and especially the book Find the answers within the book Scene Analysis: Every beginning of an empire started small, even though I am in this abandoned theatre. (My little barren apartment, exactly what I am doing now) If I had a voice I could carry this out. I have had many small jobs catering to people of a higher station. I have been a barber, cobbler, and tailor with no position of authority for myself. I believe my true nature is to become a revolutionary. ( discussions with family about this life) Scene 2: The Barracks 1 (Date Started (9/8/16) Inner Objects: Fear of the captain finding out about my book Making sure this visit goes smoothly God’s will in terms of being poor A man’s got as much as he is worth Working in heaven must be a sight, the thunder that would accompany it Men dressed properly, with accoutrements Outer Objects: The Captain’s beard The bucket with shaving cream The blade The captain’s hat The Captains whip The Captain’s boots The Stool The cloths Actions: Teach the captain that I am a poor manthat virtue cannot be strong in us because we have no use for it, Obey the captains orders enlighten him to my way of thinking, submit to him when need be deflect him to carry out my other duties Scene Analysis: The shaving knife was dull today. The bucket is something I must carry with me home. The captain’s face has so much hair. I need to at the very least show the captain that I have no virtue and appeal to his own vanities by saying he has virtue (mother’s shenanigans). (Charlie) He is right, a man of privilege can get more out of life. I only have what’s natural to me (football and beer) Also I am refuting his suspicions of my reading. I thought it best just to tell him I have to cut wood for him and such. Thankfully I will have Andres to do this with (Timo). https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Scene 3: The Woods 1 (Date Started 9/8/16) Inner Objects: Andres’s safety My safety Going to Maries afterwards What it says in the good book about Sodom and Gomorrah Outer Objects: The logs The wheelbarrow The trembling ground Our striped clothes Andres’s tear Actions: get Andres to find the answer to what is going on find the answer in the sky make sense of the visions warn Andres about the Dangers Protect Andres from the Horror Scene Analysis: I have to get him to my way of thinking. I don’t want to be here. Andres has his wheelbarrow and wood. I carry nothing, for my fear of the cursed place prevents me. These visions keep appearing when I least expect it, (Sodham and Gomorrah, The Wicker Man) in this situation however it should come as no surprise. I’m in the forest. This is where such things occur. This is where the devil comes. Scene 4: The Room 1 (Date Started 9/9/16) Inner Objects The trip from the forest to here. The visions I saw in the forest and their pursuit of us here The fair is later Marie and I have not spent much time together lately Outer Objects Marie’s eyes Her dress My filthy clothes The money in my pocket Actions: looking for comfort in her Pleading for an answer about the voices Inquiring if she still wishes to go to the fair with me. Vying for her attention Show I can provide mutual support with my money Assuring her all will be fine when we go to the fair Scene Analysis: Marie looks loving. I want Marie to console me. (Chelsea, uhm, fallen relationships) She is all that I have in this world. Without her I have no one besides and Andres (Joshy) who does not have my knowledge and understanding of the world. (Jack, Corey, Joshy, W). I cant return the favor with wisdom, for I fear that she won’t understand me. Instead the best action is to show her I can give her money and take her to the fair. Scene 5: The Street (Date Started 9/19/16) Inner Objects Eating peas for the past three months Sodom and Gammorah from the bible Revolutions start due to man’s nature https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 3/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections I might have should have peed when I got home The doctor shouldn’t throw my money about so Outer Objects The groschen The doctor’s cane The rest of the money in my pocket The captains eyes The sky Actions: begging with the doctor not to strike me again. Pleading with that it is in my nature to piss on the wall. Convincing him that a man is not one way, he can be another. Inciting that there is even more than we know Deflecting I know too much Scene Analysis: The doctor always is frightening, especially his face. He uses his cane as a weapon on me sometimes. If I do not piss on the wall I am going against my nature. (Beraded by K and J about the sink)If I do that all is lost. All a man has is his nature. I give my body and mind to the doctor and he gives me money. It is not a fair trade, but it’s the best I can do for Marie and Christian. Scene 6: The Farigrounds ( Date Started 9/16/16) Inner Objects If Marie will ever be happy with me If Marie can help me How the boy mirrors the visions the monkey’s concentration Christian’s stamina Outer Objects The monkey’s sword The barker’s suit Christian in my arms The balloons in Marie’s The sergeant’s hat Actions: Directing Marie to see the poor little boy dancing like a whore. Cajoling Marie into coming in the tent with me. Demanding an answer from the Sergeant. Clamming for Marie to return. Scene Analysis: Marie and I hardly go out in public. I have the suspicion that she sees other men. Also the voices and visions are getting stronger, I have eaten nothing but peas. Christian needs to experience good times such as these. (Henry and Charles) What bothers me the most is the little boy dancing. How could such injustice be done in the world ( Chris Hanson Shows, Pet Adoption place) Then Marie runs off, my biggest deepest darkest fears are coming true (Uhm, practically spelling it out) Scene 8: The Room 2 (Date Started 9/16/16) Inner Objects: Christian’s safety and comfort The loneliness of the room Marie if she’ll return home Marie’s reluctance to tell me where she’s been My love for Marie and Christian Outer Objects: Marie’s eyes Christian’s face and blanket My money https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 4/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections The voices The earrings Actions: Inquire where she went pry her for an answer on the earrings, cajole her into telling me where she was Comfort her from fighting me Pleading to watch over the baby Stop her from thinking any things wrong by giving her the money Scene Analysis: Where could she have gone and found those earrings? Something about it does not make sense.. (Charles and Henry) What a shame that he has to grow up poor. I didn’t want to have to take him in the woods for I know the evil spirits can grab hold of people there. What matters however is the Boy, little Christian The voices start berating me. I have to get going. I leave money for her and the boy. That’s where it all go in the end. Scene 9: The Operating Theatre 2 (Doctor Demonstration) (Date Started 9/17/16) Inner Objects: I am hungry People judging me Whether or not I will get paid today My own health My drive to leave the place Outer Objects: The Stool The faces watching me My name being repeated numerous times Being shirtless The people’s faces and fingers Actions: Disclaim I have the shakes Warn the doctor I am going blind Plead with the doctor not to make me wiggle my ears Submit to the doctor Save myself from more embarrassment Run away from the people Actions: Begging the doctor to help with my condition. Refuting to wiggle my ears. Scene Analysis: The people are just like the voices when they say my name. (J and K Sink) The stool is always so heavy. I know I have signed up with the doctor to have this study done on me. However the voices have gotten stronger since last night. Humiliation is something that follows me too. Perhaps this is the devil’s work seeing as I keep returning to the forest. Scene 11: The Street 2 (9/16/16) Inner objects: My heart’s grown wide with endless longing The comfort of sleeping Marie’s touch Following orders Anything is possible. Why question it? Outer objects: The captain’s coat My book The doctor’s hands on my arm The ground The sky https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 5/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Actions: To discourage them from thinking I read Refuting suspicion Submitting to bow for them To demand the truth from the captain Scorn Marie Scene Analysis: Of course. This is my punishment for trying to reach higher than my station and for visiting the woods as often as I have been. The Captain is much stronger than me. My grabbing him is the last resort for an answer. There is a point in here then the voices take hold, and I know what I have to do. I have to kill Marie (uhm). All this loneliness and isolation has driven me to this and from this moment on that’s all I can do. Scene 12: The Room 3 (Date Started 9/19/16) Inner Objects: The agreement of our marriage shattered The safety of our boy His presence in the home What would others do Angels in heaven watching this My pride Outer Objects: The Shawl Beyond the door The sweat on Marie’s brow Marie’s hands Marie’s eyes Actions: Inquire where the marks are Demand why she had to Scold her for being that way Hex her body Shame her for her sin Scene Analysis: I just want this to not be true. (cuckling bombshell) That’s all. She is all I ever had. Deep down I know it is. The only thing I can do is confide in Andres, I do not know if he would understand. Oh the humiliation (aftermath of the cuckling) I’ll write it down. What about little Christian? (Henry and Charles) I question whether he is even mine. All this loneliness and isolation. The voices are still with me though, I suppose they will be with me from here on out. Scene 13: The Tavern (Date Started 9/22/16) Inner Objects: My only friend The fight with Marie not too long ago Waning to make sense of this If god is still watching over me The filth of taverns The filth of women Outer Objects: Andres’s hand The women dancing The ladder The drink on my face The Drum Major’s coat The stench of his sweat His hands wrapped around my ears Actions: Look for solace in Andres https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 6/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Assure him nothing is wrong Berade the women Ridicule Marie and Drum Major’s Dancing Urge an answer from god Deride the concept of sex Lampoon the Drum Major Provoke the Drum Major Attack the Drum Major Analysis: Of all of the people it was him. The drum Major (Uhm Darren and the obvious). Who else? Of course I go to confront him (the sink debacle). Andres (Joshy) tries to comfort me to no avail. The voices take hold of me in this moment. (Denna) Why must it have been this way? Others get to dance and live a life of laughter (everyone else in college). I guess this is what life means after all. My life’s purpose was not to start a revolution (Napoleon, Robespierre, and Danton). It was to rid the world of evil tyranny. I hope not. The voices and I need a moment alone. Scene 14: The Woods 2 (Date Started 9/23/16) Inner Objects: The fight with the Drum Major My marriage gone My pride gone My solace gone The sins of mine that have caught up to me Outer Objects: My withered clothes My tired beaten body The voices The sounds The ground around me Actions: Fight the voices Seek an answer from the voices Demand more volume from them Submit to them Plead with them not to make me do anything Join them Scene Analysis: I am confronting the voices. I need an answer. If god cannot hear my cries I know they will. (irony) I need this. They confirm what I have been thinking since the news broke this morning. I have to kill Marie. She is all I have, and once she is gone, I will find peace. Scene 15: The Pawnshop (Date Started 9/23/16) Inner Objects: I should get a gun to kill myself after killing Marie I need a gun I need a knife I do not have a lot of money Outer Objects: The knife The Jew’s face The Jew’s voice My groschen The doorbell Actions: Search for a gun Make the Jew feel like she is ripping me off Demand the Jew into giving me an affordable weapon. Revel in the knife. https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 7/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Make play with the Jew. Scene Analysis: The Jew was being difficult with the gun. I would have used it to kill myself after killing Marie. However the knife should be more suiting anyways. After I test it out. (Taxi Driver, Gary Oldman, Friendly Tire) I know it is the right tool to build this with. Scene 16: The Barracks. (Andres Goodbye) (Date Started 9/23/16) Inner Objects: My love for my sister and mother My friendship with Andres My plans to kill Marie afterwards I have nothing left My life is over after this point I never knew my father as Christian will never know his Outer Objects: The Picture The duffle bag The waistcoat The cross and ring The holy picture My Army certificate Actions: Show Andres I was not a bad person Bestow Andres with my sister and mother’s things Impress Andres with the holy picture Make sure Andres knows of my accomplishments, endow Andres with my most personal notebook. Scene Analysis: Andres should have my waistcoat. It has done me fine all of my life. It has fulfilled its duties very well. I am thankful for all of its uses. (Michael Coors Coat). My Sister’s cross. (Connor and Khloe) She was always strong in her faith. More than I ever was (Connor’s crusade to help others). My mother’s picture with the inscribed “Oh lord as your wounds were red with blood so let mine own be”. She was a hard worker in the days I knew her (Denna). My Soldier’s certificate (Emaw Statue). Not that he would have much use for it, but I just need to know that someone else had it. (“I used to have nice things.”) After his remark of my reading (Joshy’s Remarks) I realize he has it in him to inherit what I have constructed. So I give him my notebook, with all of my personal insights on the world. (my own Journals). Scene 17: The Woods (Killing) (Date Started 9/23/16) Inner Objects: I am having second thoughts about this I wish things could have been different Christian’s safety means less to me now Not even God can help me now Outer Objects: Maries coldness, hot lips, and Harlot’s mouth The Knife Marie’s Shawl The sweat on her face Actions: To wean Marie into staying, Comfort her into staying, Scold her on her temperature, Dissuading her from suspicion, commanding her to pray Killing her Scene Analysis: Of course I knew this would be difficult. If Marie had made it easy it wouldn’t have been worth it (Acting in anything ever). I would have given up everything https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 8/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections to kiss her, to hold her in my arms the way I used too.( Chelsea) However the signs show me that it is the right thing to do. If I succumbed to no, I would live a life of misery from here on out. The red moon was the point I knew it. ( the universe in relation to the past six months) Scene 18: The Tavern 2 (Date Started 9/23/16) Inner Objects: The murder I just committed God’s wrath The Devil’s manipulating me No one should know how guilty I really am No one love me at all anymore Outer Objects: The dancers The Girl The voices The blood on my hands Actions: Scare the others away, Command that they look at themselves, Demand an answer Force the girl to dance with me warn her to not turn out cold Scene Analysis: The demons are coming before the authorities do. But maybe I can destroy the evidence before the authorities arrive. ( Fall 2014) Then I can go back to Christian. Scene 19: The Woods 4 (Death) (Date Started 9/23/16) Inner Objects: I will walk a lonely road ‘til death The only woman I had anything with is gone… I killed her She fell in love with another If I rid the knife maybe I can have a chance The young boys in the summer swimming The Jew Outer Objects: The noise Marie’s dead body, blood, and earrings The knife The water Actions: Seek my knife Plead for an answer Scold Marie for doing this to me Caress her for her forgiveness. Scene Analysis: The closest thing to security and family I had was her. Seeing her there reduces me to contrite emptiness. (Elliott). The knife should be destroyed. The tool of my destruction. (my check I lost) My life is over. The voices have gone to bed and so must I. https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 9/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Went through three notebooks full of circumstance work, lines, and notes from rehearsal. Show Comments (0) and Tags www.digication.com Terms of Use Privacy Contact Digication Platform provided by Digication, Inc. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Subscribe https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Scene_Analysis_and_Personal_Reflections/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 10/10 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Final Self Assesment Home ePortfolios Edit Welcome, Colin Preview Published Academics HELP? Portfolio Tools Colin P. Tripp Home Logout site map Projects Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Study Abroad Biography Resume Final SelfAssessment Senior Thesis Skills Inventory Artistic Philosophy Goals Statement World of the Play LifeObjective, Super Objective Scene Analysis and Personal Reflections Final Self Assesment The challenge of acting has been a rewarding experience, especially from doing this play. The past three years of research and practice is a reflection of that. This play, Woyzeck, struck so many particular chords with me. I figured the universe was trying to tell me something. I am keenly aware of how pretentious that sounds, and I am reaching a little here, but there is truth to it. I am grateful for the experience that ensued. I found acting in college to be nothing short of spiritually enlightening. My being a cinefile, I always fantasized about acting growing up. I never even told my family I wanted to pursue acting either. I moved around a lot, but my roots are basically in rural northeastern North Carolina. Unsurprisingly there is not a strong emphasis on the arts in that region. Speaking of surprises, nobody in my family was particularly surprised that I chose to act in college. Of course there was resistance to majoring in it, but not to its practice. https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Final_Self_Assesment/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 1/7 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Final Self Assesment Luckily in college I found myself under the guidance and direction of three gifted acting professors. In Acting: Basic Tools we learned about Uta Hagen and her approach to acting and how there are many techniques that go along with the art. We read and did scene work on plays written by some of America’s finest modern playwrights including Neil LaBute. My final scene in the class was the part of Greg in Reasons to be Pretty. He is an avid reader who faces a quarterlife crisis after his girlfriend leaves him. Sounds similar to another play I know. This play and it’s author hold a special place in my heart. The irony is palpable. A year later was my most enlightening time as an actor. I was in two acting classes taught by a very gifted and respected director within the industry, David Hammond. l also decided to go all in and do a play at night, The Rimers of Eldritch. Essentially all I learned was acting, with the exception of two stressful nontheatre classes The two acting classes; Creating the World and Shakespeare were the best classes I have ever taken on any subject. With the former, I learned about plays by some of the greatest playwrights of all time, as well as methods used by its greatest teachers like Stanislavski. Research on the play and playwright, are the keys to given circumstances. With the Shakespeare class, I was learning about the greatest playwright of all time and how imaging suits the text and viceversa. Within this atmosphere there was a great since of devotion to craft established by said gifted professor. That left an indelible impression on me. Even though I never took another acting class here, this past summer I partook in the Larry Singer Conservatory in New York. I had already been cast as Woyzeck before I left for Larry's. He is also a wellrespected professional within the industry. While in New York I was let in on some insights as to what the craft and its business entail. I gained more insight on vocal warmups which I had previously gotten a little taste of in Voice and Diction. One of my favorite quotes of Larry was “Don’t say anything until you need to.” It depends on being in the moment, which was Larry’s primary focus. One of the plays I worked on up there was Stephen Adly Guirgis’s The Motherfucker with a Hat. Its about a guy who figures out his girlfriend has cheated on him with another guy and snaps to confront the both of them. This play also sounds familiar. Low and behold the last part and play I worked on in Larry’s class was none other than Greg in Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute. Yes, for some reason I was assigned parts that were similar to Woyzeck. This is a testament to Buchner’s work being so influential. Some greater force also knew that I needed to work on these parts. While at the Drama Bookshop off of Times Square I saw a copy of Woyzeck adapted by none other than Neil LaBute. Having been suggested that I read multiple adaptions of Woyzeck I snatched that one as quickly as I could. I was not disappointed seeing as it was the best version I had read. A day later I received the email that it was decided that this would be the version we used. Again, the universe was aligning. The Oxford Edition of Buchner’s play translated by Victor Price was more informational about Buchner and the reallife Woyzeck. Johann Christian Woyzeck was a sad case. He grew up with a sad life. He had no family. The best life he could find was to be a soldier. After that failed he had to take many odd jobs in order to support himself including being a cobbler, tailor, and barber. After stabbing Frau Woost, who was the woman he took up with, he faced a long trial. He claimed voices made him do it. He was put to death. Buchner was a genius that died when he was 23yearsold. He took interest in such matters as Woyzeck (Price 133134). He was keen on the ideas of justice, as seen with his first play; Danton’s Death. He was a doctor and wanted to start his own revolution of sorts as seen with the Hessian Courrier (Price viixxv). It makes me feel small in comparison, seeing as he was only a couple of years older than me when died. This was his unfinished masterpiece. The speeches in the LaBute version are taken from his transcripts. Truly the man was a genius. He was always rooting for the little guy too. In this case the ultimate little guy was Woyzeck. What LaBute understood in his version was that it was important to make sure that Buchner’s voice made it into the play ( Woyzeck LaBute 15). This was an important thing to remember within that first scene. The rewarding research of this play was my reading and watching films that paralleled Woyzeck. Seeing as Woyzeck was a famous case, people speculate that he suffered from Schizophrenia. I found a book about a firsthand account of Schizophrenia; Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia, written Carloyn Spiro and Pamela Spiro Wagner. The book chronicles how they dealt with being twins, and how Pam started hearing voices at a very young https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Final_Self_Assesment/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2/7 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Final Self Assesment age. The book was a moving peace that showed what people with shcizophrennia go through every day, as well as how it effects the people around them. The research on soldiers and historic Germany proved to be challenging. There really is not that much information on soldiers during that particular time. The book that brought many discoveries to light was Eric Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. It was informative of what a German soldier’s life was like during World War I. Even the dialogue is similar: “Give’ em all the same grub and all the same pay and the war would be over and done in a day" (Remarque 40). “ Give us one square meal and the revolution would soon die of apoplexy.”( LaBute, Woyzeck, 65). Woyzeck wants to make sense of life, but knows he cannot share this with others without facing steep consequences. The only time he feels comfortable doing this is with his final moments with Andres. Perhaps the most endearing of the books I read was Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. During the rehearsal process the topic of the holocaust was brought up a lot. This play mirrors the struggles of keeping up ideals. Frankl acheived this in the concentration camp. Woyzeck was always searching for meaning. He is the great unknown. The book served as inspiration during any rough bout that I was facing during this process. The book is humbling. There is always someone out there who has it worse. I have nothing to complain about seeing as I was the lead in a great play at a great school. I have always been a comicbook hero fan. After some analysis of this play it reminded me of the Joker from Batman’s The Killing Joke by Alan Moore. It may seem like I am reaching here, but there were some uncanny similarities between Woyzeck and Batman’s ultimate foe. The comic is about how the Joker slipped into madness after the loss of his wife. “Everything anybody ever valued or struggled for…it’s all just one big monstrous demented gag.”(Moore 39) Funnily enough we decided to do the production with a clown theme. The universe sent a couple of William Shakespeare’s plays back my way. Thankfully I kept my Riverside Shakespeare anthology nearby. Two plays that I worked on in the Shakespeare class were Macbeth and Hamlet. Macbeth was not only the first Shakespeare monologue I worked, but also the first Shakespeare play I ever saw. The ambitious powerhungry general had a certain affinity for daggers through hallucinations. He also suffered an enormous amount of guilt after killing his foes. Woyzeck experienced some similar feelings of Hamlet in his philosophizing of life and his shaming of Ophelia. Obviously Buchner was a fan of Shakespeare. The movies I watched were all superb. I had seen most of them before, meaning they were in my back catalogue for a reason. One thing mentioned to me before rehearsals started was that this play was going to be active. One of the greatest screen performances of an active unselfconscious actor is Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. Who else? The film even mirrors Woyzeck and Andres with the relationship between Pacino and John Cazale’s character Sunny (Dog Day). The Stanley Kubrick films proved to be the most valuable to watch however. The acting is always good in his films, but the themes of dehumanization and military power on soldiers proved to be unforgettable. Kubrick should have done a film version of Woyzeck. The LaBute movies dealt a lot more with a man’s struggles to overcome lost love from a woman. I think nothing is more inspiring as an artist than recognizing other great works can influence my own. During the process of doing the show I decided to take a risk. Woyzeck was eating nothing but peas for three months. Due to economics I did not go vegetarian until halfway through the rehearsal process. This was just a baby step, seeing as the last three weeks I was vegan. Well, I was a “cheagan” seeing as I would reward myself with a cheat meal after tech or the performances. The goal was not to lose any weight, but to concentrate on what it would be like to restrict the diet that was congruent to Woyzeck's. One look at my stomach will show you I love to eat. This part was challenging and rewarding. I did lose about seven pounds though, which was an added bonus. Thanks to a generous donation I also had the privilege of acquiring the Blood Money album by Tom Waits. He wrote the album in service to the play. There are references to the characters throughout the songs. Woyzeck is a weird play which means to shake you. This album does just that, with all of the weird sounds and lyrics. I downloaded it to my phone so I could listen as I did my warmups before rehearsals and the performances. A certain degree of concentration came when listening to it. It got me in the zone where I could focus on the task at hand rather than the https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Final_Self_Assesment/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 3/7 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Final Self Assesment distractions of daily life. I was fortunate to acquire the album, it helped me put my head in the right place. That does not mean I did not face my own set of challenges while actually rehearsing and performing the play. My biggest obstacle I think in this play was overcoming physical habits and mannerisms. As mentioned in my goals statement I struggle a lot with this. However not all of the same ones I struggled with in previous productions manifested themselves. There were also ones I did not know I had. The main one happened in all of the loud voices scenes; the prologue, the second room, and the tavern. I would my clench my chest when speaking loudly and hunch over. Shame on me! I should know better than to do the latter. My focus was more on being bigger and being swept up with the music, rather than connecting to the audience, and playing a stronger action. I personally feel I could never do such a great mind like Buchner justice. Through the guidance of my director and through some investigation of my own part it clicked later on. Another of the physical mannerisms that I kept enacting was walking like Charlie Chaplin. That was easier to keep at bay due to literally concentrating on not doing it long enough so that it became a habit. The opening scene set the tone of what the play was going to be about. Woyzeck was having his fantasy in the beginning about him starting a revolution. Join me, was the strongest action to play there. Initially I thought it was pity me, which is why I slipped into mood, and could at times be incomprehensible. Once Woyzeck is thrust to sitting he is placed back in to reality, which is actually a nightmare. The overall goal for Woyzeck is to make sense of life and man’s true nature. To justify this, he goes off on tangents conjured by his reading and writing. He is trying to justify that man’s true nature is something else than what it appears to be. This is also the spine of the play. Marie is trying to justify she is not a bad person. She never had much, and seeks out other men. That’s the only way she can scratch that itch. The captain tries to justify he is virtuous because he does not succumb to acting on impure thoughts. Arguably Woyzeck is the most virtous character until the murder. The doctor tries to justify his ambition by claiming he is performing these experiments for the good of mankind. They are all justifying that they are different than what they appear to be. Its the world that made them what they are, they are not to blame. It was difficult finding out what Woyzeck wanted in the first half of the play. Of course the opening was the fantasy of him wanting to start a revolution. What he wanted there was clear, but the preceding scenes are basically him searching for the meaning and injustice of life. The shaving scene is him accounting for the way his station prevents him being virtuous. He is dispelling any suspicions that he wants to be more. In the second scene it shows him warning Andres that the world is dangerous, especially in the woods. The third scene is him seeking comfort from Marie. When he realizes he cannot receive that, he offers his own with money and a trip to the fair. The doctor in the street parallels the first scene, except he is articulating it in a more abstract tone. The fair is him reaching for a fun time, but he recognizes the injustice of the little boy not being able to. Then he realizes that he will suffer as well when Marie leaves him. His second time in the room is him reproaching Marie for leaving him and recognizing his own little boy resmbles the boy at the fair. The voices swarm and the only good Woyzeck can put into the world at that moment is giving Marie his money. The demonstration with the doctor is him pleading for sanctity in the midst of humiliation. It became a little clearer with what Woyzeck wanted in the last half of the play, meaning after he received the news from the captain and the doctor. That scene served as the catalyst of what was to come. He reprimands Marie for her sin after receiving the news. He wanted comfort from Andres in the tavern, as well as to scorn the lovers. The preceding scene in the woods was Woyzeck commanding an answer from the voices of why they were terrorizing him. The pawnshop was him demanding a weapon. He was giving his most cherished possessions to Andres afterwards, to show he was a man of good nature. The stabbing scene was him tossing and turning of whether he should follow through with killing Marie. Eventually he submits to it, after noticing the moon is red for a reason. The second Tavern scene is him chastising everyone, and then begging them to leave him be. His final moments are of him letting all his feelings out to Marie, as well as ridding himself of the sin. The last thing he could do was attempt to wash them all away. The very last scene is him and Marie finding peace together. Thanks to the geniuses of Buchner and LaBute the play is written so that the challenges were there for a reason. They were not meant to be spoon fed, but they were not meant to be overly https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Final_Self_Assesment/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 4/7 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Final Self Assesment intellectualized either. I remember at times little intricate moments received special attention. When it was decided that I would climb the ladder in the tavern, there are six beat shifts. The first is Woyzeck’s observing the crowd. He gleefully assures Andres he is fine. He chides the dancers. He discovers the lovers and takes on a fight mentality, then he asserts to Andres he has to fight, then the hotspell knocks him off. Another scene that required a little problemsolving was the pawnshop scene. The Jew asks Woyzeck what he wants. The response is “guns?”(LaBute 68). The question is why would Woyzeck ask for a gun in the first place? The voices were telling him to stab, not to shoot. So after careful deliberation with David it was decided that he would plan to shoot himself after killing Marie. This makes sense in the grand scheme of things. It is rather curious to imagine if Buchner intended to have an ending like that with Andres. We will never know. LaBute solved the ending in grand fashion. There is something special to how we approach acting at Guilford College. Not to denigrate any of the other actors I have encountered during my summers, but there is a level of discipline and commitment we obtain here. This goes beyond the acting as well. The students with a technical theatre focus here always show resilience, especially during long tech rehearsals. My hat goes off to them. Without that disciplined mentality we inherit here, I do not think that my ability as an artist would be able to flourish. The first time we rehearsed the posttavern scenes all the way to after the stabbing was nailed in one rehearsal. Those scenes were pretty straightforward. Of course I mentioned the gun conundrum, but that was not terribly vexing. It was a welcome discovery. On that night a lot of ground was covered. Again, that encompassed four scenes, granted they were small, but still that is a lot to tackle on the first night of working them. Everyone was problem solving that night. The energy was contagious. Everyone was breathing and diving in to what we were doing. I will without doubt call that the best rehearsal I have ever had in my three years at Guilford College or anywhere for that matter. This brings me to another point. This was one of the best casts I have ever been a part of. I am not trying to be hyperbolic or crititcal of others when I say this. I am grateful to have worked with every actor that has walked across the stage with me. This group however knew how to keep an aura of brevity, even in times when things were not working in rehearsal. Rather than gossiping in the midst of stress, they were supportive. Whether I had any bearing on that or not, I do not know. I mentioned that I would like to be be a part of a healthy comradery in my goals statement. I noted that a theatre environment should resemble this. Also during the whole rehearsal process we had no scripts in our hands when we were working a scene. How professional is that? I am pleased to say the cast I worked with in Woyzeck went beyond expectations. I wish them the best in any endeavor they encounter. I will gladly offer my assistance if needed. Anyone who is willing to put up with me in the lead of a play deserves that, and then some. The performances themselves went okay. Most nights I felt very lucky to be performing with such a great cast and crew. Unfortunately there was not a big turnout. Not that that has any bearing over the success of the play, but this is a play that is meant to be seen. It needs visibility, more so than many other popular plays or musicals. The show was so epic I feel that someone like Tyrone Guthrie would have found much to admire in it. The week of the first show, I was losing my voice which did nothing less than scare the shit out of me. Thankfully I had a supportive director who bestowed me with gifts of chloraseptic spray and cough drops. Things I will never go without before the week of a performance ever again. The second night I received a couple of notes. The first was during the tavern scene. I needed to connect the thoughts better, and needed to be more audible. The other note was that I was too controlling during the stabbing scene. Plays are a team sport, when I mess up, it messes up others around me. Especially someone who I look at for over twofifths of the play. I have always been conscience of that, but sometimes a reminder is good. Halfway through the performances I received notes about habits that were seeping back in. I needed to be more audible during the prologue. I needed to play action during the baby/Marie scene, stop hunching over so much, and hit my marks better. Maintenance is key. It is not over when you start performing, it is important to keep making discoveries every show. If the audience responded well to my performance, I do not know. I did not hear anything particularly bad. All the parents of the castmates were very nice and complimentary. It was appreciated, but they should not have been. It was I who needed to be complimentary, seeing as the https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Final_Self_Assesment/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 5/7 11/26/2016 Digication ePortfolio :: Colin P. Tripp :: Final Self Assesment rest of the cast were the ones who deserved all of the praise. I am glad I mentioned that to most of them. My roommate gave me a standing ovation on the last performance and shouted “That’s my roommate!” This melted me a little. However he did say I was better in Boeing Boeing. Everything is objectionable I guess. As I am nearing the twilight of my acting career in college I am tinged with sadness. For my part I feel that there was more I could have done in terms of acting, doing tech, and classes. However I do not regret all that I did or did not do, nor do I think I did a particularly bad job in most of those cases. I think back on past performances in my time at college, and there are only a few that I would do differently. The role of Woyzeck however was truly a gift. The universe was telling me something when I was cast. I have never put more into a character, homeworkwise, nor have I had such an exciting time doing it. The play itself is an interesting read due to its talented authors. It will be one I keep on my bookshelf for years to come. There is still more to be discovered with it. The cast, crew, and director were all unforgettable. The worst part about this play is that I will never have that environment ever again. The universe was not just aligning when I got the part, but also for the memories I gained from the process. For that I am eternally grateful and humbled. Sources Buchner Georg, and Neil Labute. Woyzeck. New York, NY: Overlook, 2015 Buchner Georg, and Victor Price. Danton’s Death; Leonce and Lena, Woyzeck; Oxford University Press, 1988 Frankl, Viktor E. Man's Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon, 2006 Guirgis, Stephen Adly. The Motherfucker with the Hat. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 2011 LaBute, Neil. Reasons to Be Pretty.New York: Faber and Faber, 2008 Moore Alan, and Brian Bolland. The Killing Joke. London: Titan Remarque, Erich M. All Quiet on the Western Front. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Company, 1958. Shakespeare William and G. Blakemore Evans. Hamlet. The Riverside Shakespeare. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974. Print. Shakespeare, William, and G. Blakemore Evans. Macbeth. The Riverside Shakespeare. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974. Print. Shaprio, Pamela, and Carolyn Shapiro. Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizoprennia. St. Martin’s Press 2005 Waits, Tom, and Kathleen Brennan. Blood Money. Tom Waits. Rec. 07 May 2002. CD. Dog Day Afternoon. Dir. Sidney Lumet. Perf. Al Pacino, John Cazale. Warner Bros., 1975. Show Comments (0) and Tags www.digication.com Terms of Use Privacy Contact Digication Platform provided by Digication, Inc. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Subscribe https://guilfordcollege.digication.com/colin_p_tripp/Final_Self_Assesment/published This content downloaded from 176.240.165.164 on Mon, 12 May 2025 23:47:59 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 6/7

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