Punctuating the Thought utilises the commas present in the text to propel learners towards the end of a thought / line, by increasing their emotional intensity every time they encounter a comma.
Begin by reminding learners of the work conducted on thoughts in Tool 6: Logical and Psychological Pauses and the previous tool, Thought Lines. Reiterate that a thought ends at the major punctuation.
Instruct learners that the commas in the First Folio serve a different purpose from the modern comma. In the First Folio, these are not a place to stop and take a breath; rather, they should be treated as a means of propelling them forward towards the conclusion of their thought.
It can be helpful to provide learners with a highlighter pen so that they can highlight the commas present in their text. This will make it easier to identify them when performing the scene.
Ask learners to consider how their character is feeling in the scene. Make clear this is not a return to the Passionating tool and their assigned emotions. Rather, it is about their understanding of how their character is feeling moment to moment in the scene.
Once Learners have considered this, ask them to perform the scene every time they reach a comma, increasing the intensity of the emotion their character is experiencing until that emotion crescendos at the major punctuation.
Once they reach the major punctuation and, therefore, the end of a thought, they begin the process again, increasing the emotional intensity at the commas and arriving at a crescendo of that emotion at the major punctuation.
Tray Two : Living The Text