JAVANESE JIVE

Up to now, I have had some time to work with my mask in the mirrors, on my own, learning to balance the weight on my head and learning to use the mechanical aspects of it.
Yesterday, I had my first session learning about the specific style of mask-work and the techniques involved. Scar, Mufasa, Simba and Nala all wear their masks on top of their heads so that the actors faces can be seen. Theses specific characters (as well as the pride of lionesses) are based on traditional Javanese mask which uses a very stylized type of movement.

The early part of our session was spent learning how to find a new centre of gravity so that the mask, which has now added about one-and-a-half feet of height to the body, is included in the movement. Then, we learned a few of the traditional, angular poses that are typical to this kind of mask work. Not that the show is ever that stylized, but your movements as a human/animal on stage flow in and out of this kind of "posing". Scar, specifically, uses these angular poses the most since he is meant to be the antithesis of the elegant, graceful, flowing lion, being instead kind of spiny, serpentine and a bit of a poseur.

We then did a few exercises where the goal was to have a silent conversation, using head movements to keep the mask 'alive' while still conveying a clear kind of meaning/emotion. Scar has the added bonus/burden of carrying a large walking stick which adds another line to any of his angles and can be used for visual punctuation.

It was all sweaty, challenging work and it couldn't have been more fun. There will be more mask work in our session today, but we will actually be staging Scar's first scene with Young Simba. So far, they've been very kind to me, adding small elements to my costume one at a time so as not to overwhelm me. Still, my learning curve is about as steep as it can get. Maybe I'll try adding my tail this afternoon.