So, pursuant to my last post, my friend Colleen wanted to know what kind of "quantum leap" my acting instructor was referring to in his evaluation. He's referring to my ability to find the authentic feelings moment-to-moment in the course of reading a script with a partner. Many people think that acting is "pretending to be someone else," but that is not strictly the case. "Pretending" to be someone will invariably ring false, much like an impersonation or a caricature.
Real acting is about finding the character on the page inside of you. It's about channeling your unique energy, perhaps your own divine connection if you like, and letting that inhabit you as your character reacts moment-to-moment in the course of the scene to what's happening with your character and your partner's character. It's actually a lot more complex than most people think, and I certainly gained an appreciation of acting as an art form.
The scene I did in my second-to-last class that the instructor referenced was from the movie She's the One, the second scene between two ex-lovers, played by Cameron Diaz and Edward Burns. Mickey is in Heather's apartment reclaiming his television set after their breakup due to her infidelity. It's a short scene, but lots of opportunities for channeling feelings of loss, anger, contempt, scorn, lust and loathing. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it as an intelligently written romantic comedy.
But while I feel I have some natural ability (probably honed from my real-life experience) I don't have the desire or passion to pursue it as a hobby or career. It's fun for me, but it's not something I love doing. If I am going to pursue an art form, I want it to be something I feel truly passionate about. If I never find that opportunity then I'll just remain a patron of the arts instead of being an artist.
This weekend was very quiet, and I hardly even left the apartment - mainly because it was record-hot on Saturday. I did get a lot of cleaning done, and watched a lot of movies, including another go-round with the Lord of the Rings extended trilogy. Sunday night Tara and I watched Brazil, the second in our Terry Gilliam trilogy, and we're planning to finish that up this coming weekend.
The big excitement these days is that Tara is recording a new album with her band at a studio in Connecticut, so she's been working long hours these past two days (they wrap it up on Wednesday). It's a project that's had a long gestation, and I'm sure it's enormously satisfying for her that it's finally happening. I'm so proud of her for sticking through all the trials and tribulations to get to this point, and I hope the recording is a smashing success.
Showing posts with label acting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acting. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
Return from hiatus
So, it's been a month since I took off from this space, and I think it's time to start talking again. My time off has had some ups and downs. In some ways I feel better, and other ways I feel worse, but at least I feel like writing again.
Most of April was dominated by fire clean-up and replacing what I lost as best I could. That's not to say that I didn't have any fun, because I did. But I devoted at least half of every weekend to doing stuff related to the fire, like bringing my messed-up cable box in, unpacking the last of my boxes, cleaning files, organizing my closet, shopping for little things like cleaning supplies and bathroom products, etc. etc. I would say last weekend was the end of that as a major activity in my life when I finally bought a receiver and tested my damaged speakers to find that most of them still worked and set up my makeshift home theater, using a DVD player I had previously loaned my family and hence was not destroyed in the fire. I also found a table and chair by my apartment dumpster that now serves as my computer desk. I haven't replaced the brand-new Dell desktop I'd bought just a week before the fire, so I'm just using my old laptop for now, along with a new printer/scanner. But I still don't have cable or Internet at home, simply because I've spent so much money on recovery I have to cut down on my bills wherever I can.
On the fun side, I went to Lincoln Center to see La Traviata by the New York City Opera, and made my first trip to Shea Stadium to see a Mets game (my company has a box there and I managed to score some tickets from a co-worker who couldn't use them). We also took another fun trip out to Connecticut for a band gig. I've also been taking my weekly acting classes, which have been fun and challenging at the same time. Right now I'm doing a scene with another girl playing two women at a gym talking about relationships.
Work has been extremely busy for a number of reasons, and I've been having to stay a little later on some nights to cover things. One of our vice presidents left and I've had to pick up some additional work and responsibilities from her absence, plus one of our entry-level girls left this week, leaving us a bit short-handed until they can hire someone else. Then I have a large pharmaceutical client in New Jersey that is ramping up an internal GLBT program, so I've been involved in helping them with that, which involves taking a car out to New Jersey and back a couple times a week (a real time-sucker). At least it's work that interests me.
Speaking of busy-ness, I'd better get back to work now or I'll be stuck here late on a Friday. If anyone is still reading, I wish you a happy weekend!
Most of April was dominated by fire clean-up and replacing what I lost as best I could. That's not to say that I didn't have any fun, because I did. But I devoted at least half of every weekend to doing stuff related to the fire, like bringing my messed-up cable box in, unpacking the last of my boxes, cleaning files, organizing my closet, shopping for little things like cleaning supplies and bathroom products, etc. etc. I would say last weekend was the end of that as a major activity in my life when I finally bought a receiver and tested my damaged speakers to find that most of them still worked and set up my makeshift home theater, using a DVD player I had previously loaned my family and hence was not destroyed in the fire. I also found a table and chair by my apartment dumpster that now serves as my computer desk. I haven't replaced the brand-new Dell desktop I'd bought just a week before the fire, so I'm just using my old laptop for now, along with a new printer/scanner. But I still don't have cable or Internet at home, simply because I've spent so much money on recovery I have to cut down on my bills wherever I can.
On the fun side, I went to Lincoln Center to see La Traviata by the New York City Opera, and made my first trip to Shea Stadium to see a Mets game (my company has a box there and I managed to score some tickets from a co-worker who couldn't use them). We also took another fun trip out to Connecticut for a band gig. I've also been taking my weekly acting classes, which have been fun and challenging at the same time. Right now I'm doing a scene with another girl playing two women at a gym talking about relationships.
Work has been extremely busy for a number of reasons, and I've been having to stay a little later on some nights to cover things. One of our vice presidents left and I've had to pick up some additional work and responsibilities from her absence, plus one of our entry-level girls left this week, leaving us a bit short-handed until they can hire someone else. Then I have a large pharmaceutical client in New Jersey that is ramping up an internal GLBT program, so I've been involved in helping them with that, which involves taking a car out to New Jersey and back a couple times a week (a real time-sucker). At least it's work that interests me.
Speaking of busy-ness, I'd better get back to work now or I'll be stuck here late on a Friday. If anyone is still reading, I wish you a happy weekend!
