Being Good vs Being Great

Tuesday.

Breathe.

Yes, mid August when many people are away, but for those actors who were in class this was a milestone.

I asked for everyone to give me their very worst. At first, actors murmured about what that meant. I have to be honest, it took a while for everyone to go for it. I saw a few "ideas" of what people think is bad. So once we got past semantics and into experience things really started to flow.

Here is what I can say from observation. We hold on to being good. We hold on to being right. We hold on to doing what is expected of us, but seldom fight to find out if their is something better to be done. What I saw this week was solid auditions turn into moments of brilliance and characters coming alive, popping off the screen. I saw actors and actresses flushed with experience once they finished. Everyone really went somewhere real and oddly enough I saw the writing fulfilled more fully and more human portrayals of the roles we were exploring.

What I didn't see was other actors glued to their blackberrys or I phones waiting for their time in class. I saw everyone at the edge of their seat. I saw questions. I saw curiosity and support.

The room knows when an actor is leaping. They know when a risk is in progress and it stops minutia and forces eyes to the performance.

For me as a teacher it is important to take people beyond "oh, I am doing a scene" and really into the meat of their process. It is important to work out at the height of what we do. Anything less is an excuse.

Allyson...yesterday was by far the best work I have ever seen you do and what was amazing is that is was in completely new material for you. I cannot wait to hear back from you once you watch your dvd.

Joey, what I love about you is every week you are really applying what you work out the week prior and there is such huge growth.

Alex, you really went out on a limb. Fabulous work out!

Katie, working risks and the technical aspect of things and then adding the genuine moment to moment work underneath was a great place for you to stretch.

Congrats to all of you. Be Bad!

x

Jen