It may just be me, but I found that Friday's class was not only the most enjoyable class so far this year, but also the most educational. While I know that the fundamentals of acting, which we have been working on the majority of the year so far, such as movement and breathing, are essential to building a strong actor, I felt much more comfortable when we actually got to stand up and act out some scenes. While the scenes I was in did not actually entail any spoken lines, simply body language, I felt very comfortable, as three of the four roles I've been cast in Theatre Fairfield have been mute characters. One of my favorite methods of learning about my own acting is watching someone else perform the same piece as me. Since I went first in the King whose name I can't remember scene, I was able to see how the other members of the class chose to act. For example, when Jayson was playing the King, he chose to be a little more physical, touching wise, than me, where I mostly tried to portray the emotions through my bodily movements and facial expressions.
During the scene where two people walked by each other, thought they recognized the other, then realized it was a mistake, had me contemplating my own actions if I had to try it myself. Each different pair gave me new ideas, in relation to speed of the action and the intensity of emotion. While I never did get to try that scene, the simple fact that I was able to put so much thought into how I would have acted is almost as helpful. The final scene, where there are two people who enter and are having an affair, when they suddenly are caught in the act was immensely enjoyable as well. It included a number of facets which many could interpret differently, such as the entrances, initial reactions, and the attempts to solve the problem. This scene fit the dramatic action figure which was shown at the beginning of class the best. And since there was a basic outline of action, the performances were quite similar, but the subtle variations, of how Tom had his humorous reaction to the situation at the end, or how Sarah grabbed Colleen and brought her back to the middle showed how many options there are in such a simple scene, changing the dynamics of the scene entirely.
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I really want to share something that I recently learned. Although our breathing classes have past, I realize that the knowledge we attained from them hasn't. We are expected to carry the proper breathing technique with us through the rest of our acting classes, and for some, careers. Hence, I was excited when I viewed a short film called "Breathe." The speaker said that experts claim that humans should be able to derive 99 point-something percent of their energy from their breathing. ???!!!! He also stated that we are only supposed to breathe something like 6 times per minute. Again, ???!!!! That's crazy, but I believe it, considering the leeengthy breaths that Vera had us taking. I have been trying to apply this, I find, not so much in acting class as in every day life. When I find myself getting nervous in any situation, I look to God and take deep, proper breaths. Both work! I admit, improv does make me nervous, and I plan on breathing right!
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