The Good and The Bad

I don't know that "bad" necessarily applies, but I didn't feel good after my class last night. In retrospect, I'm not sure why, unless it was a discomfort with the character kind of thing. My partner and I actually did some really good work. The teacher coached us a bit, and then one moment would lead to a new revelation and we'd find ourselves going a whole new direction and that was actually kind of fun. And exactly what the acting/rehearsing process should be. We freed ourselves up a lot and we affected each other and found new things in the script we hadn't found before. I just went home feeling like crap, though. Not sure why. Acting is supposed to be hard work. It's supposed to be exhausting and frustrating when your character is ultimately the loser in the scene. And I'm the loser in this one - I try so hard to control the whole situation, but end up not getting my way in the end. I get put in my place. Maybe that's good for me. I dunno.

On Saturday, my partner and I got an "excellent work" from our teacher. She had comments for us afterward, of course, and good ones, too, but she (and the rest of the class) was really impressed with our scene. That felt good. She made a good point, though - in the beginning of our scene, I'm kind of telling a story and I haven't connected to why I am telling this specific story to this specific person at this specific time. I need to work on that more so we have a connection through the whole scene and not just the second half of it. But that one felt good. I like the character. I like the relationship my scene partner and I have developed. As much as I'll be happy to have my Saturday mornings back, I'll miss this class.

I kind of want to talk to both of my teachers after our classes end to see if they have any parting words of wisdom for me. From the one class, I think I've learned that I need to speak to my point of view and I need to speak to it clearly. From the other one...I'm not sure. I don't know that I'll be taking more classes with these teachers, though, so I kind of want to get my last bit of advice before I don't have easy access to them anymore, you know?

Anyway. I only have one more of each class so I really have to step it up and bring it. I think there is some reality TV show out there about being an actor - I should be on that show. I think I'd do quite well.