Rain, rain, go away

I hate the rain.

And not for the obvious inconvenience, but because it deeply affects my mood. (Not to mention that my trick knee gets achy.)

The only way I can abide the rain is to sleep through it or curl up with a good book and escape from it. Yes, rain for me requires escape or it surely leads down the path of melodramatic introspection and self-loathing.

Yes, I truly do hate the rain.

(Also, I really don't want to spend another night in a bathtub with a candle hiding from a tornado. That's a story for another time.)

xo
Jen

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'To be or not to be?' Nope, that's really not the question.

 Act /ækt/

to do something; exert energy or force; be employed or operative

I've had a breakthrough.

I wish this acting class I'm currently taking was longer, but I've already learned so much. I don't know why this never occurred to me, but my teacher gave us this advice that his first acting coach told him.

ACTING IS NOT ABOUT BEING, IT'S ABOUT DOING.

When I heard this, it was kind of like a light bulb went off. 

Duh. Of course acting is about doing. It is quite literally what the word means. To do something. You can't be anything other than an actor on a stage, but you CAN do things (ACT!) to make the audience believe you are something else (or a specific emotion.)

So, how is it that 'to do' is not the first thing an aspiring actor thinks about? Well, probably because of what we see. So much (bad) acting is done with the intent to play an emotion. When we initially read through a script, we say 'The character is sad,' and then play the scene on that level. Sad.

Well...'sad' is so general, not to mention boring. What this class is teaching me is that you have to play an action. Be active and engaged and not play to a specific emotion. 

Brilliant and not at all groundbreaking. 

For my monologue, I've chosen this brilliant scene from The Color Purple. Take a look...

I found this section of the script, and have been digging in to find what Celie is trying to do. Yes, she's angry, but anger is very broad. Inside this anger she's provoking Mister, defying him, and quite literally cursing him.

I'm so excited to see this come to fruition and more than a little nervous.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

xo

Jen

A Monologue Hunting We Will Go!

This week's Acting Essentials Class assignment is picking out a monologue.

There are a couple that I'm interested in trying, but I'm open to suggestions as well.

The first I'm considering it a great scene from Alice Walker's The Color Purple. The scene is from Steven Spielberg's adaptation. It's the moment when Shug tells Mister (Albert) that she and her husband are taking Celie to Memphis with them.

I think Celie begins with the line, "You a low down dirty dog..." It is a brilliant moment and a turn of events for Celie. I just need to find the script...don't fail me now Google.

The other I'm considering is from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

Portia has a great speech about the quality of mercy in Act 4, Scene 1.

Here's a excerpt:

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
’Tis mightiest in the mightiest, it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.

Shakespeare is remarkable and somewhat ambitious, but I sort of already know this.

What do you think? Suggestions are very welcome.


Xo
Jen

Humiliation

This blog title is deceiving.

My love for Mr. Darcy would certainly make Jane Austen blush

Two Friday's ago I was fortunate enough to see the stage adaptation of Pride & Prejudice at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

(And, yes, I'm just now getting around to blogging about it, having just now overcome an extreme bought of laziness.)

The production was superb. The accents effected were spot on (so properly British) and the actor playing Mr. Darcy (Avery Clark, www.averyclark.com) was appropriately dashing and severe. Sigh.

Seeing P&P (and being an avid fan of Ms. Austen) got me thinking...


What is it about Mr. Darcy that makes us swoon?


Well, my first thought is that Mr. Darcy is an enigma. He is a puzzle that all women want to solve. He appears dissinterested, haughty and proud, but is really in love with Elizabeth the whole time. Isn't that so...mysterious and darkly romantic?

Many of us women love a challenge...or at least we consider ourselves "fixers" because there's nothing wrong with us, just them. (*EYE-ROLL*) Mr. Darcy is a classic case of extensive pride and social awkwardness that cries out for a little T-L-C.

Then I thought, well maybe it's the sexual tension that's so appealing between E & D. Sure, Jane Austen never married and is said to have gone to her grave a virgin, but she was not unaware of the underlying reasons for Elizabeth's contempt and Darcy's silence--unavoidable sexual tension. It's palpable as you read Pride & Prejudice and every screen/stage adaptation I've seen does a wonderful job of capturing this as well. Who doesn't love a little angst?

Then of course, there's the ever noble rich man who doesn't marry the shallow, pretentious schemer (Miss Bingley), but would rather marry the country girl with no money or connections...because he loves her.

Hopeless romantics everywhere--that's utterly swoon worthy.

So, Mr. Darcy thanks for being a measure to which few men will ever live up to, and making hearts every where race a little faster.

Building A Mystery

I find myself in the mood to talk and write.


However, I'm stifled by the design/layout/look/content/slash of this blog.

So, I've got this sappy ass Sarah McLachlan song stuck in my head. I'm building a mystery...er...website.

I need a website for talent agents and literary agents (according to every piece of information I can get my hands on), so I'm slowly but surely building an online presence.

What does this mean for good 'ol FB and Twitter? Well...that remains to be seen.

Rejected

Today I auditioned for a musical.

I was not asked to come back for the call back.

This has been happening quite a lot. It has me feeling completely dejected and utterly hopeless.

Ya know, what rejection typically does to a person.

Truth is, I'm not used to not getting something. Ugh, that sounds so pretentious and blatantly uppity, but it's the truth.

Early on I was conditioned to receive everything I could ever want. Yes, I was completely spoiled--but, I worked very hard to keep what I got. My mother always said, "To whom much is given, much is required."

I got a brand new car when I turned 16, I had to maintain my grades in order to drive it. I've been given opportunity after opportunity with the expectation to deserve it.

I have to be honest with you and myself: these past few auditions I have been utterly unprepared. I haven't taken a voice lesson since 2008. My technique is rusty, my songs are ill rehearsed, and my confidence is extremely low. The only plus I had going into this audition was my new professional headshots.

I've decided to go on the journey of performing. Even if that means not being famous, it would at least for me mean being happy. (I'm extremely unhappy at the present.)

I've decided that my time and money over the course of the next year will be best spent on making myself into the best performer I can be. I'm taking an Acting Essentials course through Mad Cow Theatre here in Orlando and starting voice lessons again next week.

Hopefully, the next time I write about an audition will be good news and even if it's not, I'll know I'd have given it my best instead of what's left.


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