Class re-cap

This week marks the end of my third week at the conservatory program. Its been an adjustment on so many levels - new schedule, new personalities coming into my everyday life, and new ways of thinking.

I am working with the same group of 11 people through all of my coursework. It is starting to feel familiar and most importantly - a safe environment to try new things and/or fail. 

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we have a Meisner acting technique class. It's been a bit of a Meisner crash course; trying to fit level one into a six week session. It was a great refresher to go back to the basic tenant of the technique - listening, repetition, and getting in touch with your gut instincts. In our day-to-day life we are so socialized to act a certain way to be polite or fit into social roles. On stage there is no room for politeness; the idea is that by following our impulses onstage we will create truthful human behavior under imaginary circumstances. If someone really makes you angry, you might bite your tongue, swallow your anger, and deflect. What would you do or say if nothing was holding you back? That's the type of behavior we are trying to tap into. 

When you watch a bad movie, you might not know why its bad, but you can tell that something isn't entirely truthful about the performance. Where American theater and film is today is very intimate and honest. We want to watch real human lives play out on the stage or screen so we can empathize with them. Its a form of catharsis. 

Tuesdays and Thursdays are Voice and Body work. Both are aimed towards releasing tension and bad habits in the body so we can be as open and flexible as possible on stage. In the body class we do a lot of exercises rolling on small rubber balls, about the size of tennis balls. This gives our muscles a deep massage and a lot of times it hurts, but the next day you feel looser. I never realized that I walked with such a wide turnout, and as a result, my lower back held a lot of tension. I learned how to isolate my shoulder blades without moving my back or arms. Try it. Its something that you don't usually think about. 

The program is exactly what I wanted. I am so happy with my choice and can already feel myself freer and more connected as an actor. I'm just on the first baby-step; at this moment I'm 1/4th through the first semester. These last three weeks have been exhausting and I'm trying to find a way to pace myself and live a life at the same time (I still need to make my rent each month!). Its overwhelming....but in the best way possible. I feel like I'm at a crossroads of tremendous change, which is both scary and exhilarating.