WEBVTT

1
00:00:06.840 --> 00:00:07.974
Welcome back.

2
00:00:07.974 --> 00:00:10.443 line:0
The focus of today's session is ensemble,

3
00:00:10.443 --> 00:00:12.645 line:0
which is an essential part
of The Lion King.

4
00:00:12.846 --> 00:00:15.648 line:0
Ensemble refers to
the company of actors in the play,

5
00:00:15.749 --> 00:00:18.752 line:0
as well as the camaraderie and teamwork
that they exhibit.

6
00:00:18.818 --> 00:00:20.153 line:0
A good ensemble works

7
00:00:20.153 --> 00:00:24.157 line:0
together and supports one another
in bringing the story to life on stage.

8
00:00:24.324 --> 00:00:27.193 line:0
Today, we will explore how character
movement, character

9
00:00:27.193 --> 00:00:30.196 line:0
backgrounds, and active
listening build ensemble.

10
00:00:33.233 --> 00:00:33.933
An ensemble

11
00:00:33.933 --> 00:00:37.003
can work together in various ways
to bring the play to life.

12
00:00:37.237 --> 00:00:39.439
One of the ways is through movement.

13
00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:43.043
Sometimes a Director
or Choreographer will have an ensemble

14
00:00:43.043 --> 00:00:47.047 line:0
move in unison,
or as one, as in the lioness hunt,

15
00:00:47.047 --> 00:00:50.884
to show how lionesses in the wild
move together in packs.

16
00:00:51.584 --> 00:00:55.288 line:0
And the other times, the ensemble
will perform individual movements

17
00:00:55.288 --> 00:00:58.291 line:0
that complement each other, as in
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight",

18
00:00:58.525 --> 00:01:03.296
where a variety of flora come together
to create a lush jungle environment?

19
00:01:06.966 --> 00:01:08.935
Just as actors with lines need to

20
00:01:08.935 --> 00:01:11.905
fill in the gaps and create
a background for their characters,

21
00:01:12.138 --> 00:01:15.141
it is very important
that ensemble actors create

22
00:01:15.141 --> 00:01:18.511
a specific and believable history
for each of their characters,

23
00:01:18.778 --> 00:01:22.115
because the script doesn't always provide
given circumstances for these characters.

24
00:01:22.382 --> 00:01:27.587
The actor gets to use their imagination
and develop rich backgrounds from scratch.

25
00:01:28.021 --> 00:01:28.955
Before I was Simba,

26
00:01:28.955 --> 00:01:31.357
I was cast in the ensemble of The Lion King and

27
00:01:31.357 --> 00:01:33.693
had to create a history
for each of my characters.

28
00:01:33.960 --> 00:01:38.364
For example, my ensemble hyena's
name was Jerome, a distant relative of Ed.

29
00:01:38.765 --> 00:01:42.802
He was the hype hyena,
and nobody could out-hype Jerome.

30
00:01:43.636 --> 00:01:47.107
Well, I brought this character work
back into the ensemble by

31
00:01:47.107 --> 00:01:50.176
committing to Jerome's excellence
and playing every scene

32
00:01:50.176 --> 00:01:54.380
as if I were next in line to be
Shenzi, Banzai, or Ed.

33
00:01:54.681 --> 00:01:56.883
By being specific with my background,

34
00:01:56.883 --> 00:02:00.720
I always had a good reason
to be on stage and in a scene.

35
00:02:04.023 --> 00:02:05.692
When the ensemble
is on stage

36
00:02:05.692 --> 00:02:07.427
but not the focus of a scene,

37
00:02:07.460 --> 00:02:10.497 line:0
they will often be asked to use
active listening.

38
00:02:10.897 --> 00:02:15.335 line:0
Active listening means being present
in a scene and reacting in character

39
00:02:15.502 --> 00:02:18.004 line:0
as if you were hearing something
for the first time.

40
00:02:18.004 --> 00:02:21.074 line:0
But it's important to do this
without pulling focus

41
00:02:21.074 --> 00:02:23.910 line:0
from the actor who is speaking.

42
00:02:25.311 --> 00:02:28.314
Let's see an example of good active
listening in The Lion King.

43
00:02:28.715 --> 00:02:31.918
In this scene, Scar shares his plan
to be King with the hyenas.

44
00:02:32.318 --> 00:02:35.021
It's the ensemble's job
to react in character

45
00:02:35.021 --> 00:02:37.190
without distracting from Scar.

46
00:02:40.193 --> 00:02:43.196
That out of the ashes of this tragedy,

47
00:02:43.897 --> 00:02:47.333
we shall rise to greet
the dawning of a new era.

48
00:02:48.134 --> 00:02:51.504
And make the lion and hyena come together,

49
00:02:51.871 --> 00:02:56.442
in a great and glorious future.

50
00:02:57.944 --> 00:02:59.145
Today we've looked at

51
00:02:59.145 --> 00:03:01.714
the central role of ensemble
in storytelling.

52
00:03:01.881 --> 00:03:05.251
Now it's your turn to develop ensemble
through character movement,

53
00:03:05.351 --> 00:03:08.221
creating character
backgrounds and active listening.