Coffee Table Declarations
Thursday, July 22, 2004
The other night me and a friend went to an acting class. We both have different anxieties. Mine are more physical - feeling stuck in different places. Hers are more social - speaking in front of others, etc. We were both nervous for our own reasons. There were only four other people in the class - two older ladies, an older guy and a youngish guy, probably younger than us. With the addition of the teacher, we began the class.
First we had to stand in a circle and make faces at each other and then we played a guessing game with different emotional gestures. Easy.
Next came an improv exercise. One person had to go up on the stage and pretend to be doing an activity (sweeping the floor, playing basketball, etc.) Then someone else had to go up on stage and interact with the first person to create a short improvised scene. My friend and I looked at each other in horror. "I can't do this!" she said quietly to me. I wanted to help her so much that I think it took away any nervousness I might have had.
It was down to just the two of us who hadn't been on stage. There was a woman up there pretending to play golf. I boldly got up and climbed the stairs onto the stage. I watched her pretending to keep missing the golf ball and I said, "Why are you having so much trouble, it's just miniture golf." Everyone started to laugh and I felt like a comedic genius.
When it was my turn I knew it would be easier for my friend to jump in there with me than with a stranger. I set up a chair and pretended to be typing (I decided on an activity I'm familiar with.) My friend came on stage and said to me "Are you almost done? Bob really needs that report." She was great!
When her turn came to start a scene, she pretended to be at a club - dancing and swilling an imaginary drink. What was so amazing to me was that she didn't look nervous at all and I knew that she was.
The last thing we had to do was read a scene together that the teacher gave us. It was just some simple dialogue and I found it to be a lot easier than the improv. What surprised me was how at ease I felt up on that stage. I can remember being in my seventh grade drama class and mumbling my lines inaudibly while the teacher kept saying, "Louder!" and my face kept turning redder. What a contrast to my confidence reading lines the other night. I was plenty loud and able to demonstrate different motivations (she had me do the same scene persuasively and aggressively).
Afterwards in the car I told my friend how impressed I was with her and how proud I was of us. We faced something we were afraid to do and we didn't back down. There's nothing so empowering as challenging yourself.
First we had to stand in a circle and make faces at each other and then we played a guessing game with different emotional gestures. Easy.
Next came an improv exercise. One person had to go up on the stage and pretend to be doing an activity (sweeping the floor, playing basketball, etc.) Then someone else had to go up on stage and interact with the first person to create a short improvised scene. My friend and I looked at each other in horror. "I can't do this!" she said quietly to me. I wanted to help her so much that I think it took away any nervousness I might have had.
It was down to just the two of us who hadn't been on stage. There was a woman up there pretending to play golf. I boldly got up and climbed the stairs onto the stage. I watched her pretending to keep missing the golf ball and I said, "Why are you having so much trouble, it's just miniture golf." Everyone started to laugh and I felt like a comedic genius.
When it was my turn I knew it would be easier for my friend to jump in there with me than with a stranger. I set up a chair and pretended to be typing (I decided on an activity I'm familiar with.) My friend came on stage and said to me "Are you almost done? Bob really needs that report." She was great!
When her turn came to start a scene, she pretended to be at a club - dancing and swilling an imaginary drink. What was so amazing to me was that she didn't look nervous at all and I knew that she was.
The last thing we had to do was read a scene together that the teacher gave us. It was just some simple dialogue and I found it to be a lot easier than the improv. What surprised me was how at ease I felt up on that stage. I can remember being in my seventh grade drama class and mumbling my lines inaudibly while the teacher kept saying, "Louder!" and my face kept turning redder. What a contrast to my confidence reading lines the other night. I was plenty loud and able to demonstrate different motivations (she had me do the same scene persuasively and aggressively).
Afterwards in the car I told my friend how impressed I was with her and how proud I was of us. We faced something we were afraid to do and we didn't back down. There's nothing so empowering as challenging yourself.
