"Stuck in Words"

Week 3 begins....More rain but this time I have an umbrella so the damage is limited, my jeans are actually dry by the time it's time to go home. The big event of the day is the second run through of the Trofimov-Anya scene. I honestly feel there was an improvement from the other day, as I reigned in my instincts to play to the audience and tried to make a connection with my scene partner. But apparently I didn't make that connection strongly enough, because Sam felt that I was still too much about lines and not enough about action. He worked with us for a good while, and even gave us a ball to play catch with as we played the scene - to emphasize the idea of connection. The important thing is to take what Sam gives us and build the scene with it, and I think we can do that. Sam actually said he wanted to see the scene again before the end of the workshop, so we will have another chance to get it right.

I'd love to do a scene or a monologue in class that wows everybody, but if I don't I want to get as much as I can out of the mistakes so that whatever I do in acting in the future will be stronger. When we were talking in class today, Sam asked me if the technique of playing actions he talks about was new to me (it isn't) and if I understood the philosophy he was trying to get across (I do). He seemed to want to get some emotional reaction out of me (not just my character) and the one thing I wish I'd asked him (and I still might) is what good that would have done. I could have yelled or thrown a chair, but our time together is limited and that really would have accomplished very little and been pretty out of character for me besides. Yes, I need to discern the difference between an "idea and a feeling" (Sam's words) as an actor, but me getting mad at him would just have been self-indulgence.

The most enjoyable part of the day was doing a group dance to a song in Steve's Composition class. I think Steve said the song was Algerian; it went on for about six minutes and we were all just following our impulses and having a good time. If you're reading this and you know me you know I'm not a dancer, but in that class and among the group I'm totally comfortable dancing or doing any of the other exercises. You'd think I'd be more comfortable doing a scene since that's where my experience lies, but no.