A Fresh New Feeling

Yesterday was such a good day. As I've read in many of your blogs, everyone is feeling a similar rush of energy and positivity on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. And everyone seems to feel trust and support of their classmates. I'm really expectant of great things to happen among us. I too feel extremely comfortable and loved in that black box. I want to push myself and help push others. I see revelations and breakthroughs in our future.



I really felt that our group is geared up to be engaged and successful. When we all gathered in the black box, I was yearning to get started. I was so happy when we practiced the "1,2s" and Kashi's crazy "zoom-woah-shah-" exercise. Let's do that more! When Kashi got there I was tuned in and ready for anything. I love the joyful energy this class is starting in, and I really want it to continue...no mid-semester slack-off, no phoning it in. Let's help each other push through those tough times and always find the fun.



My body felt great after the warm-ups and vacuum-breathing. I want to do some right now, but I'm in the ticket office. Katherine's on the phone with a patron. Maybe when she's done I'll ask her to vacuum breathe with me...Kashi will walk by and we'll both be hanging over like ragdolls in our chairs.



All the work we're doing to recognize style is so grounded in all the improvisation I've done over the years. So many improv games are based on style - when we told the three little pigs in different styles - that's a game we do all the time, Film, TV, Theatre Styles. Recognizing the rituals of life as "templates" for scenes is also really important to establishing the known world in an improvisation. These templates allow to you layer in the "game of the scene," or the way that template gets consistently manipulated and becomes comic. We found the game when we did the Life exercise - "Adam's" awkward relationship to the world which involved a lack of eye contact. Without guidance to do so, our improv-savvy group imposed this comic element onto the frame of life's milestones. I love you guys.

One thing that struck me when we were doing both the "walking as if" and "playing catch as if" exercises was that I waver between whether I should find the most accurate personal truth or more expressive actions/attitudes. A lot of the suggestions produce very similar walks or throws. Apparently the way I play catch with someone I work for and someone I want to love me are very similar. Do I desire love everywhere? Well - yeah, I do! But I guess what is revealing about this is that I have a pretty consistent idea of the persona that I believe attracts people to me - be they bosses or lovers. Is that weird?