Stanislavski's Acting Techniques: 6,7,8 & 9.

What does the character want?
Frl. Kost wants money. Her motivation most of the time, but particularly in this scene, is money. She is on her way out to earn her living by selling her body for sex. When she bumps into Herr Schultz, she sees him as an opportunity. 

Why does the character want it?
It is her means to an end. Her bread and butter, and the roof over her head.

Why does the character want it now?
If she doesn't get her money tonight, or go out and work, it will be an evening wasted, and money lost. Frl. Kost is an opportunist, and a survivor. She does what she has to do.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/03/12/arts/design/20100312-dix-slideshow_index.html?_r=0 24/11/14

What will happen if the character doesn't get it now?
If she doesn't get money from Herr Schultz now, she will go about her business as usual, and find a new customer. If she doesn't find a customer tonight, the consequences will be worse, as she will have lost a nights pay. 

http://cdn2.all-art.org/art_20th_century/expressionism/dix/67.jpg Viewed 29/11/14

Stanislavski's Acting Techniques: 4 & 5

When is it?
In a previous scene, during one of the altercations between Frl. Kost and Frl. Schneider, Frl. Kost mentions that they are in the month of April. 

In the current scene, Frl. Kost greets Herr Schultz by saying "Good Evening", so we know that it is an evening in April. April in Berlin is spring, so it would be fairly mild, but still quite chilly, especially in the evenings. I imagine Frl. Kost would be wearing as little as she could get away with. 

http://www.taringa.net/posts/arte/15278250/Otto-Dix---pintor-de-la-Nueva-Objetividad-y-el-Expresionismo.html 24/11/14

Where have they just come from? 
Frl. Kost has just emerged from her bedroom, ready to go out. She has most likely been getting ready to go out to do her business, so she will be dressed up and made up.

Stanislavski's Acting Techniques 3: Where is the character?

In this particular scene, they are in the hallway. There is not a lot of description of how it looks, but I imagine it to be quite bleak, like some of the rooms described. 

As described above, Frl. Kost is on her way out to do her business, so she will be well dressed to attract her customers. She will be well made up as well, and have her hair styled. 

http://germslav.byu.edu/perspectives/2003/Hendricks_files/image003.jpg 17/10/2014

http://museumstock.com/items/18831 17/10/14

Stanislavski's Acting Techniques 2: The Scene

The scene I have chosen to set my character in is Act One, Scene Seven. It features Frl. Kost very briefly, but think it says so much about her.

Online Image www.culture24.org.uk Viewed 17/10/14

Frl. Kost is on her way out to do some business, and runs into Herr Schultz in the hallway. Herr Schultz is standing outside Frl. Schneiders room, and is guilty to be caught. He pretends to be looking for some money he's dropped, and Frl. Kost replies saying she's looking for a certain amount of money, flirtatiously suggesting her services for his payment. When Herr Schultz declines, she saunters off down the hallway, unaffected by this rejection, to complete her business as usual.

Stanislavski's Acting Techniques: 1- Who Are They

1

The character I have chosen to create in Fraulein Kost. She is one Fraulein Schneider's tenants, and earns her living by prostituting herself, primarily to sailors. Frl. Kost, immediately comes across as flirtatious, but strong-willed. She is often seen having spats with Frl. Schneider, particularly about the sailors she brings home. Frl. Schneider does not hesitate to threaten to call the police and have her arrested. Frl. Kost, however, is not intimidated in any way, and responds with her own threats to move out of the house and leave Frl. Schneider down on rent. She comes across as quite a feisty character, but also quite real. She does not live in the sort of dream world that Sally Bowles lives in. Instead she faces her realities and makes the most out of her opportunities. However, she is slightly ashamed of the life she has to lead, as we see in Act One- Scene Three, when she first meets Cliff Bradshaw. One of her sailors runs into the room they are in, looking for her, and she hastily introduces him to Cliff as her nephew, despite the fact that everyone is completely aware of what's going on. 
Frl. Kost has been described as "a blond florid girl with large silly blue eyes", and "plump but has a good figure". Frl. Kost is older than Sally, and is estimated to be in her thirties. the "large silly blue eyes", and her flirtatious nature give her image quite a youthful feel however, so it would be quite easy to picture someone much younger, if it weren't for her feisty, sentient view of the world. 
She could also be seen as a metaphor for what was going on in Germany during the 1930's. At the time, the country was facing huge rates of inflation, and there was high levels of unemployment. A lot of people were forced into illegal or immoral ways of making money, whether it was prostitution, or smuggling goods in and out of the country. It became a way of life and people were very real about it and faced up to the fact that that was just how it had to be, much like Frl. Kost.


With the description of Frl. Kost being "plump but has a good figure", I picture her being quite a sensual woman. In the 1930's, curvier women were considered sexier than really thin women, so I imagine her being very sensual, confident and, as described in the script, flirtatious. 
Much like Sally Bowles, Fraulein Kost lives her life through the night, thus leaving little time for sleep, food and proper grooming. I therefore imagine her face to be quite gaunt, but made up to cover it. Her hair is also styled, but turning to frizz from lack of nutrition and care. The life she leads, forces her into a survivor mentality, and I would like this to show up in her makeup. Her application is deliberate and she has a goal in mind.

1 http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/90/7d/26/907d2612cb615cfced7a4f7079701e6d.jpg Viewed 17/10/2014
2 http://www.goldonomic.com/weimar%20fire.gif  Online image [Viewed 17/10/2014]

Technical Post: Portrait Painting with Supra Colour

We had to recreate an Otto Dix portrait on the face using the Supracolour Palette by Kryolan. I created his “Portrait of the journalist Sylvia von Harding”. I absolutely loved this task as it was totally different to anything I’d done before and it was surprisingly easy. I loved the effect and the idea of the face looking like a painting.

Products and tools:

-Supracolour Palette

-Sponges

-Brushes

-Spatula

1.    Starting on a clean face, start adding your colours from your chosen design.

2.    Make absolutely sure that everything is well blended-no harsh lines unless it is part of the painting.

3.    Avoid using your fingers as this will take the product off. Rather use a sponge or brush to blend and a cotton bud if you make a mistake.

4.    You can finish off with a fixing spray, to stop transferring and smudging.

Weimar Berlin

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