The Bacchaes

My group, the Bacchaes, was a very talented and extraordinary group. We had some difficulty in deciding what to do with a production guy, a musician, animator/editor, and me, an actress. However, as we began talking we went the simple route and decided to film a scene with an actress, add a score, and have an editor. The question now became what scene should we do. Jerome seemingly out of nowhere suggested the play The Bacchae by Euripides. We later learned he is taking a Greek Mythology class and was influenced by the last scene in The Bacchae.

Jerome began our process because he adapted the play into a screenplay. Once he was finished, we were all emailed the script. He held auditions for the other actors in the scene and had them cast quickly. I began my process with portraying Agave. I read the script a year ago for a theatre history class so it was pretty fresh in my mind. However, I still needed to do more research and background info on Agave. I read some articles about the play, but since Agave really only has the ending scene, there was not much about her.

I went back to explore the text. The Greek plays are always so rich in the descriptions of characters, actions, and motivations. The messenger sets up the scene of the killing by using descriptive language and talking directly about Agave. This was my way in. I began paying attention to what the messenger says. Specifically. I imagined everything he described as I would have been doing the actions. I felt a connection with the character through the text.

The day before we were going to film, I got an ear infection. I have now learned that anything and everything will always happen, and to be prepared for it all. I caught it early, went to the doctor, and got ear drops. All I had to do was rest. Rest. The evening before shooting. The evening before I should be exploring Agave some more. I should be finishing to memorize. Instead, I slept from about 7pm to 7am because we were shooting at 8am. I felt horrible, but I knew what I had to do. I knew that I had to push through and persevere.

I have never shot a film with a full crew present. I have just recently shot 3 scenes with one director present. I never would have thought that I would get nervous. I was shaking and blanking out on lines like I have never done in my whole acting career. It was almost unbearable for me because I felt as though I was portraying myself as a typical horrible actress. Come on, Sandy, I have to push through the fear, the hurt of the ear infection, and the tiresome day ahead of me.

I knew what I had to do. Go back to the text. On the next take, I went in my corner and "got into character." That meant LISTENING to the messenger and KNOWING what I just did as Agave. I acted out the possession, eyes rolling, wild dancing, vicious killing, ripping off of the head, and so much more. I felt it. I was not a scared actress anymore. I was Agave. That take was my best take because I was fully present and not worried about what other people would think of me. I was proud of myself for pushing through.

After filming that morning, I have not seen any other part of the process. Adam added a score to the scene and Joe edited. I must say that everyone did a fantastic job with the project. I am so happy that it turned out great. From Jerome's fabulous ideas and directing, Ryan's shooting the scene, Adam's score to Joe's editing, everything was phenomenal. It was so interesting to see the final product after I only shot it and did not see anything beyond that. Our intention behind the piece was clear: to use all of our talents to create an important and emotional scene to reach the audience. I am really proud of my group and I want to thank them for taking such a great journey with me.

Artist's Statement

Acting is a craft that must be learned by experience. People often dismiss acting as a craft or an art stating simply that "anyone can do it." The craft of acting is not about who can do it; it is about the why and how. Why do we go through the emotions, events, and thoughts in our lives? How do we deal with the constant struggle of everything in our lives? Theatre asks the audience to explore the human condition and provide commentary on the human condition. A thoughtful and provoking play or film should have the audience thinking at the end of it about the important aspect of the human condition it explored or the social issue it brought up. Acting is not simply meant to entertain; it is meant to inform, educate, and change.

It may sound cliche that theatre should cause change; however, upon a closer look, it is a valid and extraordinary point. Why is a film or play "good?" It had some sort of effect on the audience (you) who watched it. It is important to go further and ask "why." It probably had to do with the plot, acting, or directing. Why are all those important? To convey the story back to the audience which it obviously did its job. There are those movies that are "good" simply because they entertain, but the ones that entertain and have a strong issue are the ones that are worth watching over and over again. Those are the ones that have an impact on the lives of others and the way that theatre/film is recognized in society.

Acting is not about showing off or being recognized as the star. It is about sharing a story and an aspect of the human condition to an audience and proposing that problem/issue to them. It is their responsibility now as spectators to do what they want with what was presented. It may just bring up an important issue to them. Or it may actually move them to tears or any other type of emotion. Theatre and film are important to everyone because it gives people a perspective on life that they may not have had otherwise. Sometimes it is more helpful and useful when others point stuff out. I know in my life there have been issues in my life that I never really thought of seriously until I saw a play/film about that specific issue. It shows us that we are all human and we are all in the same situation together. No one is alone. I love theatre's power to move people!