Sense Memory 07: Taste And Smell

The Stanislavski Method

TASTE AND SMELL Name: ________________________________ Date: ____________________ Period: ______

Objective • Assess your progress with your relaxation efforts • Assess your progress with your ability to concentrate • Recreate the sensory experience of encountering a particularly foul taste and/or smell. Preparation You will need some privacy to complete this assignment. First begin by relaxing your body and quieting your mind through the relaxation techniques we have learned in class. Take as much time as you need. Recall a experience you have had with a foul taste and/or smell. The foul taste/smell: _______________________________ Recollection Record For this exercise, you (obviously) will not be asked to practice with the real sensation first. This exercise will be enacted purely based on your memory, and therefore requires some very careful, concentrated recall work. Your responses to the prompts below MUST be almost ridiculously specific. Use metaphors and similes to accurately conjure up the sensation. Be specific about how the sensation physically affects you. Explain the sensation as specifically as possible. Is it a smell, a taste, or both? Discuss the “journey” of the sensation (How did it start? What did it taste/smell like at first? How did it change?) ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

The Exercise Now, clear your mind. Spend at least 10 minutes relaxing in a chair—as you have been taught. Recreate the experience of the sharp pain. You are not doing this exercise in order to learn to pantomime. Work on reliving each of the specific sensations you recorded above. Do not move on to the next step until you fully recreate each sensation fully and vividly and specifically. Work on this several times for roughly ten-minute intervals. You will be completing this exercise in class, and will be expected to have worked on this significantly at home. You will be guided through each step, and you will be asked to recreate and describe each sensation. Due Date: ________________________________ Reflection [To Be Completed After Your In-Class Performance] Respond to the following prompts sincerely and with specific detail. Keep in mind that sense memory work is intended to be a continual process. You are not learning your times tables; these are exercises not unlike sit-ups or yoga. You continue to develop your ability with no end zone in sight. To achieve any kind of success you must commit yourself to continually working on it. 1)

How did you feel working on this exercise? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

2)

Which specific sensations gave you the most trouble? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

3)

What specific goals do you have for yourself as you continue to work? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Assessment [for teacher use only] PREPARATION

5

4

3

2

1

RELAXATION

5

4

3

2

1

CONCENTRATION

5

4

3

2

1

DETAIL OF WORK

5

4

3

2

1

ABILITY TO SUSTAIN

5

4

3

2

1

SELF-EVALUATION

5

4

3

2

1

Total ________ out of 30