Too much Fun to be Legal
I am taking an Acting class this semester and I am loving it. Initially when I decided to go to University, I wanted to major in Psychology as well as Theatre in hopes that once I received my Masters Degree in Psyc, I could teach Acting in highschools as well as be a counselor. My academic Advisor suggested an English major to accompany my Psyc one considering I am a writer. Well I tried that idea on, and now that I am actually taking Acting, I think I will stick to my original plan.
My first day of class I was so nervous I sat in the girls washroom for at least ten minutes with my head in my hands repeating to myself. "You fool! What were you thinking? You actually have to PERFORM!" I have suffered from performance anxiety for the past few years which is another reason why I did sign up for the class, I wanted to change that. Well its working.
I did my first performance about two weeks ago worth 25% of our grade. We were all assigned to do a silent piece meant to show how well we could convey something without words. Out of the choices we had, I picked a scene of Juliet waiting for news of Romeo. I was definitely nervous the whole day before and right up until my scene started. For me, that's where the nervousness stops. I nailed the scene. I got an A+, the highest mark in the class, and yes I am bragging, because dammit, I am proud of myself. I was so excited when I met with the teacher to go over my marks... the same hot teacher I mentioned on my other blog, so it made my wonderful grade all the better getting it from him, along with all the praise. He told me that he was going to raise the bar, now knowing what I was capable of.
Well now we are working on our next performances. This time in teams of two. Wesley, my teacher, put me with a young guy who got one of the other highest marks in the class. I am really happy for that, because he is a good actor, determined and brave with a great sense of humor, and the ability to turn it off. Oh and he is very nice on the eyes, and as an added bonus, intelligent as well. The teacher said he was going to raise the bar, well he gave us a scene about a doctor and his wife, who have been married 5 years, are very much in love and are on a weekend getaway in a fashion hotel. The one issue is that I, the doctors wife, am addicted to Morphine and my good Doctor man does not want to give it to me any more. So what do we have here... two people very much in love... and an addiction.
To do it right, it can not seem to be acting, it must be compelling and seem real. Well, so does anyone know how people in love act? Really in love? Well they are playful, affectionate and intimate, especially on a getaway. Hmmm... how do I behave when I am in love? Are we allowed to portray that? Hahaha. Well to some extent, we are expected to portray that. Yes I definitely think my teacher did a damned good job of raising the bar because portraying intimacy is not an easy thing to do convincingly. But I tell ya, working on it and pretending to be, has been a helluva lot of fun. I get to be flirty and touchy and seductive with this handsome, intelligent man, who just happens NOT to be my boyfriend. So much fun for a girl like me!! We decided to do a kiss for the part. If its done well, it can seal the deal on portraying us as comfortable and in love. Hmmm but to be done well, it cannot be an awkward first kiss.
I bet you can see where this is going... you are clever readers.
We did a rehearsal performance for the teacher, so he could give us advice and such, and he loved the direction we have gone with it, loves our comfortable intimacy, the kiss (which we did only mediocre to save the real power for the actual performance) and the heavy, sad ending we have created. I am addicted after all, and addictions generally have bad effects on relationships, even if you are madly in love.
My love, the real one, has no problem what so ever with me kissing this guy for our performance, he is just not the jealous type. I had to consult with him though, after this summer I could not help the feeling that I was doing something wrong even pretending with this guy. I am sure he would not necessarily want me to enjoy it as much as I do, but I am totally professional about it, we both are, there is no tongue or making out, so to speak. Only what is necessary for the scene. I will admit here though that I enjoy it almost wickedly, like a rich piece of chocolate with whipped cream. Yum Yum. Its too good not to be bad for you. In this case I get to pretend that I am not as into it as I am portraying myself to be. But no one can police my thoughts and I get to have ALL the fun.
My first day of class I was so nervous I sat in the girls washroom for at least ten minutes with my head in my hands repeating to myself. "You fool! What were you thinking? You actually have to PERFORM!" I have suffered from performance anxiety for the past few years which is another reason why I did sign up for the class, I wanted to change that. Well its working.
I did my first performance about two weeks ago worth 25% of our grade. We were all assigned to do a silent piece meant to show how well we could convey something without words. Out of the choices we had, I picked a scene of Juliet waiting for news of Romeo. I was definitely nervous the whole day before and right up until my scene started. For me, that's where the nervousness stops. I nailed the scene. I got an A+, the highest mark in the class, and yes I am bragging, because dammit, I am proud of myself. I was so excited when I met with the teacher to go over my marks... the same hot teacher I mentioned on my other blog, so it made my wonderful grade all the better getting it from him, along with all the praise. He told me that he was going to raise the bar, now knowing what I was capable of.
Well now we are working on our next performances. This time in teams of two. Wesley, my teacher, put me with a young guy who got one of the other highest marks in the class. I am really happy for that, because he is a good actor, determined and brave with a great sense of humor, and the ability to turn it off. Oh and he is very nice on the eyes, and as an added bonus, intelligent as well. The teacher said he was going to raise the bar, well he gave us a scene about a doctor and his wife, who have been married 5 years, are very much in love and are on a weekend getaway in a fashion hotel. The one issue is that I, the doctors wife, am addicted to Morphine and my good Doctor man does not want to give it to me any more. So what do we have here... two people very much in love... and an addiction.
To do it right, it can not seem to be acting, it must be compelling and seem real. Well, so does anyone know how people in love act? Really in love? Well they are playful, affectionate and intimate, especially on a getaway. Hmmm... how do I behave when I am in love? Are we allowed to portray that? Hahaha. Well to some extent, we are expected to portray that. Yes I definitely think my teacher did a damned good job of raising the bar because portraying intimacy is not an easy thing to do convincingly. But I tell ya, working on it and pretending to be, has been a helluva lot of fun. I get to be flirty and touchy and seductive with this handsome, intelligent man, who just happens NOT to be my boyfriend. So much fun for a girl like me!! We decided to do a kiss for the part. If its done well, it can seal the deal on portraying us as comfortable and in love. Hmmm but to be done well, it cannot be an awkward first kiss.
I bet you can see where this is going... you are clever readers.
We did a rehearsal performance for the teacher, so he could give us advice and such, and he loved the direction we have gone with it, loves our comfortable intimacy, the kiss (which we did only mediocre to save the real power for the actual performance) and the heavy, sad ending we have created. I am addicted after all, and addictions generally have bad effects on relationships, even if you are madly in love.
My love, the real one, has no problem what so ever with me kissing this guy for our performance, he is just not the jealous type. I had to consult with him though, after this summer I could not help the feeling that I was doing something wrong even pretending with this guy. I am sure he would not necessarily want me to enjoy it as much as I do, but I am totally professional about it, we both are, there is no tongue or making out, so to speak. Only what is necessary for the scene. I will admit here though that I enjoy it almost wickedly, like a rich piece of chocolate with whipped cream. Yum Yum. Its too good not to be bad for you. In this case I get to pretend that I am not as into it as I am portraying myself to be. But no one can police my thoughts and I get to have ALL the fun.
posted by clothosfate at 4:07 PM
3 Comments:
I nailed the scene. I got an A+, the highest mark in the class, and yes I am bragging, because dammit, I am proud of myself.
Very cool.
As for the kiss, I remember the cute blonde on MadTV getting interviewed. She was funny. She was talking about how she had no idea that they partly fake the kisses. So she had a scene where she has to make out with some dude, and she was French kissing him for real. She said she was totally embarassed when she found out they didn't have to go that far, just make it look like they're doing it.
By the way, every time I read about your acting classes, I wish I took a few theatre classes in high school. We had some serious cuties in those classes, and so many girls to boys that several girls had to go in drag and play boy roles.
hmmmm... that evokes quite an image, and at the same time, I am sure that most acting students aren't quite as daring as my partner and I, but I get the feeling that you would be the kind of guy who has a natural sense for the daring types.
Clothosfate - I've always liked the "bad" girls with the heart of gold. Nice is boring. Yeah, I've always been able to spot the "daring" type.
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