ELECTRA-FYING

Class today was the beginning of a long day of acting and teaching, pushing on my voice which has felt sore since this morning. I felt like it was a successful day, however, and I did the responsible thing and didn't go out to the Ho tonight (even though I was very tempted). I should try to get to sleep early tonight... have a math test tomorrow and I want to kick this cold in the butt before it gathers steam. (Gathers steam...what a lovely metaphor. I see a steam engine chugging forward unevenly, greys and blacks against a misty blue and green landscape...)

I'm ready to do scenework. I really want to plumb those depths, get down and dirty! It's refreshing to get to be the actor instead of the leader (where my head has been focused the past few months). Alex mentioned in his last post the way all of our peers take on so many roles and build relationships on different levels - actor/director, actor/stage manager, director/stage manager, actor/actor, etc. I really enjoy this aspect of our department. It's great to be able to direct and (try to) inspire the people I'm also part of an ensemble with. At longform this oftens happens within the same session - leading exercises and teaching games and then performing and playing alongside my fellow improvisers.

I was really touched, Bess, by your work on the monologue today. When we listened to you in the dark I felt a grief welling up inside me, tangled in with sympathy and appreciation of you, the actor, doing such honest work and trying to touch that soft spot inside. (Did that sound dirty? Oh well, we're supposed to get dirty.) I would not have been as happy to get a monologue as to get a scene, but your work today made we want to undertake one. I hope to do similar boundary-busting work on my scene with Alex.

I look forward to Alex and I getting in the same world and really making a connection. I've never acted closely with Alex so it's exciting to work with someone new. Everyone in the class is setting a high bar. The emotional intensity is going to blow the roof off the black box - I can't wait!