March 5, 2024
Prompt – What are your goals for the class?
My biggest goal is to immerse myself in a formal course of study again. I had been considering an MFA program, but at this stage in my life kit is very difficult to find one that works with other commitments that I have.
Since taking a longer than expected hiatus from acting, I’ve recently re-discovered what drew me to it in the first place: the need to tell human stories. And even though I feel I have a strong base of training, I know how important is is to continue working on craft. I know that this class will challenge me and provide tools that I will be able to use as I continue my goal to grow as an artist.
March 10, 2024
The repetition exercise is very much like Active Listening training in that the focus is not just on what is being said, but also the context or non-spoken cues that reveal the meaning/intent behind the words. I’m trying to equate the 4 disciplines of repetition to some of the other disciplines that I have studied before. While HB took a behavioral approach that allowed instincts to emerge, Meisner seems to focus on honing instinct first. The goal is similar – finding authentic connection to the people and circumstances presented. The language is different – Meisner seems to be more structured. Initially it feels very foreign to try to identify which of the disciplines I am seeing be successful or not as successful. I know that with practice that this will get easier. I think that this is one thing that age and experience provides – a patience for the process to work. While sometimes I get confused between Leave Yourself Alone and Trust Yourself, I know that with practice and repetition I will begin to see the difference. Big hurdle for me is to be courageous enough to say “I don’t know.”
March 17, 2024
After unsuccessfully trying to journal on paper, I have decided to let this take the form of a blog. With my tremor, writing by hand is difficult and exhausting. I hope this will work.
Prompt – What do I hope to get out of the class?
At first I thought this was the same as last week’s prompt, but I see that they are a bit different.
What I hope to get out of the class is exposure to a somewhat different method of working. I have an approach that has been somewhat successful, but it’s always good to have additional tools in my belt. Selfishly, I’m hoping to form relationships with some of the other participants and staff of The Phoenix. As I begin to approach retirement, I look forward to having more time to devote to getting back to the career that I had left behind so many years ago. I know that as an older person, sometimes the availability of roles is not plentiful, however I am hoping to get back to the theatre as a career in some capacity, be it acting, directing or teaching.