Moving On

CLASSES
Audition:
We ran through our audition pieces. We are in three groups for next Sunday, and we went in that order. I'm second up in the first group. I wasn't great. At least I am out of the total suckage realm in audition. That's what happens when you are able to budget time for homework. I'm going to do the same this week. I'm not expecting to blow it away, I am hoping to do a passable job so that I can professionally prepare for auditions in the future, and show a great deal of improvement.

Movement:
We went straight into our story characters, getting through four of them. George worked the character, asking about who they were talking to, obstacles, etc. We didn't know what to expect, so it was a bit of surprise, and I know what to work on for Tuesday when I should go up. It was interesting to see the work, and whether people used the physical character work as a tool, or treated it more as an obstacle. There were surprisingly good and engaging results either way.

George had to leave 45 minutes early for an emergency meeting at Cornish. We spent the rest of the class with waltzes and swing type music George left for us, to have music to go with for the dancing warmups we've done lately. It was fun, and we danced around for about half an hour.


Speech:
Worked on Irish dialect a bit. Jack handed out sound replacement sheets, and we worked on them together in class, drilling the changes for a while. Then we worked in pairs, with David and I working together as we have the character (Malone) in Audition class for our prepared reading from Man and Superman. Then we all read a bit out loud. David and I had the longer bits to read, as we were using the script. Everyone else used one of the drill lines from the handout. I've worked on several Irish plays, but never had to learn an accent. Either dialects are a strength, or the exposure helped. Possibly a bit of both. I was one of the better ones in the exercise. Now, I've heard everyone do accents, so I know we can all do them. I was surprised to find I seemed to pick it up quickly.

Then we quickly reviewed a few replacements, and vocal posture for the Northeastern (somewhat preppie) character. Since there were no handouts for this one we didn't go around the class, just heard from the two working on Hector.


Acting/Verse/Text (Amy):
For warm up we did a couple minutes neck, shoulder, and head massages for our scene partners. Then we sat knee to knee and ran the lines quietly, focusing on connection. This was a really nice way to explore being drawn to Lady M.

We did an Italian run throughs for all the scenes, except for one where someone had to leave early with a vicious headache. An Italian run through is similar to a speed-through. It is run at 'normal' speed, with all pauses eliminated (except for those mandated by blocking). This will tend to speed up the text, which is alright as long as action, intention, connection and such is not lost. This also worked really well in allowing Lady M to draw me in. It helped greatly with the soliloquy as well. I am pretty clear on what the whole thing means, and it served to simplify my intentions, and just lay it out there which seemed to work really well. It also helped me to get rid of pauses which I was starting to build in.


OBSERVATIONS/CLICKS
We are rapidly approaching the end of classes. In a week we'll be strictly into the practical training. Rehearsal and performance of scenes this term, and The Merchant of Venice next term. More intense and controlled than OJT. I believe I've grown one Hell of a lot as an actor and artist. There is so much more I want to learn. That's the beauty and trap of it. The old adage says it, "The more you learn, the less you know." I love learning more, and while I want to continue, it is dead unless you practice it.

So now that I have professional training, I need to exercise it. I'm thinking of becoming an instructor at some point. First thing I need now is experience. All of my instructors have been actors and directors, and don't stop simply because they are teaching. There is a love of both the art, and sharing it. I'm getting ahead of myself -- as I need a couple years on the boards and more intense (MFA?) training.

After ETI I will take a month or two to myself to assimilate and relax, and possibly get a pilot's license. I always say I'll take a break after an intense time, and this time I have a plan for what I'll do during the break I might actually do so. Flying in bouncy airplanes is what I miss the most about being a civilian, so this is something I will really enjoy.