Acting is...

     "Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly." Rosalind Russell

     And that is what I believe. I don't believe in hiding behind a mask, behind a character, I believe in exposing your soul through a character.

Fear and Misery of the Third Reich

     A few days ago I saw the other group's production of Fear and Misery of the Third Reich. I thought it was very good to see it as I feel like I learned something about acting from it. Or rather, I was reminded of things I had thought about before and they became much clearer to me.

     The thing was that actingwise some of them really stood out. And I was just thinking...why? Well, not only did they stand out because they meant what they said and had high energy, but also because they lived in the moment, they reacted to what was going on around them and they hade a strong ensemble sense. They had stage presence.

     I had a discussion with a friend about this and my strong desire to be able to just stop thinking so much and just live in the moment. He recommended a Physical Ensemble Theatre Workshop which is supposed to be very liberating and help me with all that. So next week end I'm doing that workshop and hopefully it will help me!

Until then I'm going to work on my characters and decide really clear and strong senses of what they want to achieve.

The American accent

     I have struggled with the American accent, but I feel like I'm getting more and more comfortable talking it. But I'm still very unsure and it's so frustrating, because I feel like I focus so much on the accent that I forget the acting! Not good, not good at all... So tomorrow me and Miriam are going to our voice teacher Steven to get help. It doesn't work just copying the accent from tv-series, you need to be told which sounds you make wrong and how to correct them, as well. I just don't want to sound like a complete idiot when I go on stage, plus the American accent is VERY useful to know as an actor.

Motivation

     The class has been drained from motivation. It so sad, because I used to be so psyched about this and I have during these months developed a passion for fighting for human rights. There are so many small things that have irritated people and there has been quite a lot of negative energy. And I'm not just blaming all the others, I know I have contributed to this negative energy by being whiny as well, so I think all of us need to help each other more, spread more positive energy, hug, give feedback, be honest...just do everything we can to contribute to heighten the motivation. Because we can do so much better than this!

Lucy Thompson biography

     I few days ago I completed quite a thorough biography on Lucy Thompson. It was really interesting and I found quite a lot of information I could use, but it still gave me a lot of liberty to play with the character. Finding psychological reasons why Lucy Thompson was the way she was, why her daughter developed a drinking problem and why Russell Henderson acted the way he did was the most interesting part of it. Psychology has always interested me and as I love to come up with little dramas it was a task that suited me. The picture I've painted might be completely wrong, but at least I know now exactly who I am and what I want when I go up on stage.

I think knowing what you want, why you want it, where you've come from, where you are and who you are are a few of the most important aspects to know whenever you go up on stage.