I find it unbelievable how hard it is to be truly thankful for our health. We all take it for granted. On thanksgiving we say "oh yeah, I'm thankful that I'm healthy..." among other things that we're thankful for, but I'm starting to think that maybe we don't really get it. We really don't know what we've got until it's gone. We all go about our days doing what we have to do and not once does it ever cross our minds that maybe we'll wake up tomorrow and something will have gone wrong on the inside.
I didn't feel well the other day, but I took Tylenol, got some extra sleep, and woke up the next day almost in perfect health. It was pretty simple and easy to fix. But sometimes peoples bodies break down so badly that Tylenol and rest isn't enough. It can happen to anybody and yet we're all so carefree, living our lives like we're untouchable.
Not only do I think we should be more thankful for our health, but also for everything that we can do because we are healthy. To be thankful that we can go out, stay up late at night, even go to school. It's a really hard concept to grasp, but I suddenly feel like it's so important and necessary that we do. To just try and enjoy every single moment of our lives no matter what annoying tests we have to study for. Because it's so much better than being ill. To get every single thing out of being healthy - to almost suck the joy out of it and thrive off of it.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
2 down.. 7 to go
I just had my first two college auditions.. Saturday was Marymount and today was NYU.
It's interesting - going on auditions. I feel like we put "audition" on some type of pedestal. But if you're going to go into this as a profession, you've either got to build an elevator from the ground up to that pedestal or take the pedestal away and put "audition" on the same level as you. My parents keep saying that this is practice for the rest of my life. My Dad says that he knows I'll be fine because I always come home with a huge smile on my face after an audition. I find it fun. I mean, today I got to dance for an hour, then I performed my 2 monologues for a professor who was really nice and supportive, and then we chatted in my "interview" about my experiences and about theatre in a global setting, then I sang a full song and a 32-bar cut of two songs that I really like to sing, and then chatted with another really nice professor about my vocal training and all that jazz. It was fun. If you like theater, doesn't that sound like a day from heaven? Now I know, you don't always run into people who are so nice and supportive, but I feel like.. everyone's human. We're all people, and we all just wanna do what we love and share it with others. When thinking about auditions, there's this expectation that we put on ourselves that we have to be perfect, and we have to act a certain way and say everything grammatically correct, but I actually don't think that we have to do all that. I feel like it's much better to watch a person be a real live person than be someone going on an audition. We all prepare, and prepare, and prepare but sometimes I think that too much preparation gets you stuck. At my Marymount audition they had me do my monologue three times. The first time I just did it, then the second time and third time they gave me different ways to try it and play with it. When I did my monologue today, it felt so much different - in a good way. I had made all these choices right? In my whole preparation, I had done what an actress is supposed to do making choices, bla bla bla, but after trying it a different way, which isn't necessarily the "right" way, it loosened me up. I think I was stuck in my choices, and my Marymount audition got me out of that. It loosened the lid and let pandora's box come out. It's kind of hard to put into words, but that's why we act, right? To say things that we can't necessarily put into words.
It's interesting - going on auditions. I feel like we put "audition" on some type of pedestal. But if you're going to go into this as a profession, you've either got to build an elevator from the ground up to that pedestal or take the pedestal away and put "audition" on the same level as you. My parents keep saying that this is practice for the rest of my life. My Dad says that he knows I'll be fine because I always come home with a huge smile on my face after an audition. I find it fun. I mean, today I got to dance for an hour, then I performed my 2 monologues for a professor who was really nice and supportive, and then we chatted in my "interview" about my experiences and about theatre in a global setting, then I sang a full song and a 32-bar cut of two songs that I really like to sing, and then chatted with another really nice professor about my vocal training and all that jazz. It was fun. If you like theater, doesn't that sound like a day from heaven? Now I know, you don't always run into people who are so nice and supportive, but I feel like.. everyone's human. We're all people, and we all just wanna do what we love and share it with others. When thinking about auditions, there's this expectation that we put on ourselves that we have to be perfect, and we have to act a certain way and say everything grammatically correct, but I actually don't think that we have to do all that. I feel like it's much better to watch a person be a real live person than be someone going on an audition. We all prepare, and prepare, and prepare but sometimes I think that too much preparation gets you stuck. At my Marymount audition they had me do my monologue three times. The first time I just did it, then the second time and third time they gave me different ways to try it and play with it. When I did my monologue today, it felt so much different - in a good way. I had made all these choices right? In my whole preparation, I had done what an actress is supposed to do making choices, bla bla bla, but after trying it a different way, which isn't necessarily the "right" way, it loosened me up. I think I was stuck in my choices, and my Marymount audition got me out of that. It loosened the lid and let pandora's box come out. It's kind of hard to put into words, but that's why we act, right? To say things that we can't necessarily put into words.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Enneagram tests
This was the second time I've taken this test. I remember the last time that I took it my score for a 7 was significantly higher than my scores for the other numbers. This time around, some of my other scores started to creep closer to my score for 7, which was still my highest score. Apparently, I now have some more 2 and 3 in me than I used to.
I don't know how I have more two in me, who is supposed to be the helper. I mean, I guess I do help out other people when I can, and I feel good after doing so, but I don't place others above myself. I used to..now that I think about it. I used to go all out to do a favor for people. I used to care about other's feelings more so than my own, but that all changed once I got into high school. I still try not to be selfish, and I don't consider myself selfish, but I do pay more attention to my own needs than others. Sometimes, that's just what you have to do. If nobody is going to pay attention to you, then who is? That actually kind of ties into my last blog a little bit about me staying home and doing what I need to do instead of what others want me to do. Doing what's best for me.
The reason why I'm a little bit of a three is obvious... "They are frequently hard working, competetive and are highly focused in the pursuit of their goals" This also ties into my last blog post. AGHH!!! So much interconnectedness.
Overall, though, I am still a seven. It says that we consider our lives exciting adventures. It's funny because I feel like I've been having this conversation with my parents a lot lately especially when it comes to this whole college audition process. It's all just one adventure because I don't know where I'm going to end up. But it's an adventure that should be fun. If it isn't fun, then you should step back and ask yourself why you decided to embark on this journey in the first place. I don't believe in doing things if they aren't fun which is why I often try and make things that aren't fun into things that are fun.
I don't know how I have more two in me, who is supposed to be the helper. I mean, I guess I do help out other people when I can, and I feel good after doing so, but I don't place others above myself. I used to..now that I think about it. I used to go all out to do a favor for people. I used to care about other's feelings more so than my own, but that all changed once I got into high school. I still try not to be selfish, and I don't consider myself selfish, but I do pay more attention to my own needs than others. Sometimes, that's just what you have to do. If nobody is going to pay attention to you, then who is? That actually kind of ties into my last blog a little bit about me staying home and doing what I need to do instead of what others want me to do. Doing what's best for me.
The reason why I'm a little bit of a three is obvious... "They are frequently hard working, competetive and are highly focused in the pursuit of their goals" This also ties into my last blog post. AGHH!!! So much interconnectedness.
Overall, though, I am still a seven. It says that we consider our lives exciting adventures. It's funny because I feel like I've been having this conversation with my parents a lot lately especially when it comes to this whole college audition process. It's all just one adventure because I don't know where I'm going to end up. But it's an adventure that should be fun. If it isn't fun, then you should step back and ask yourself why you decided to embark on this journey in the first place. I don't believe in doing things if they aren't fun which is why I often try and make things that aren't fun into things that are fun.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Artist Statement
Three Values:
1. Well being/health - This is extremely important to me. A lot of the choices that I make can relate to what would be best for me or what will prevent me from getting sick. I hate not working at optimal capacity and since my body is my medium, I need it to be in tip top shape.
2. Improvement - I'm always looking for what I can do better. How can I work to fix this problem and improve my work? I rarely worry about perfection. I feel good about myself when I look back and realize than I'm better than I was five minutes ago. That gives me a sense of accomplishment.
3. Happiness - I do everything that I do because I know it'll make me happy. I go to dance class, I sing, I do shows because I know I'm happy while I'm doing it. I'm enthusiastic about new projects because for me, that's another chance at happiness. I don't like being upset and when I am upset I tend to try and push it aside as quickly as I can. I tend not to wallow in my grief. Nothing gets done and it feels crappy. I'd much rather be happy so that I could get something done.
It really bugs me when other people are less passionate about the same things that I'm passionate about, or if they're not as focused and dedicated. The best example of this is a rehearsal for a show. I hate sitting around waiting for the director to get everybody's attention. I don't like when people talk and chit chat. My time is precious. If I'm going to choose to spend my time by coming to rehearsal, then we better be getting shit done. I don't have time to wait for other cast members to decide that they're ready to do the one thing that they showed up to rehearsal for - to rehearse. If you're going to be in a show, then be in the show. Don't come to rehearsal and talk about what happened last night on Jersey Shore. I guess I kind of expect everyone to behave the same way that I do, to have the same focus, dedication, passion, and drive. This is why I love tech week so much. It's the one time that I feel every single person has the same desire to plow through everything that needs to get done. And I enjoy that. It creates harmony for me. The buzz of 20 or so cast members all on the same page, working together, and really, really doing what we all auditioned to do.
I also have a hard time finding balance between having a social life and having a life that involves preparing for a professional lifestyle in the arts. I stay home on Friday and Saturday nights more often than I go out. I have homework to do, I have auditions to practice for, lines to memorize, scripts to read. And this year, I had the whole college application process, which I had a lot of fun with oddly enough. I guess I didn't mind staying home and writing essays about theater, and inspiration and myself and how I see my future. I found out how I can survive and be happy with much less of a social life than I thought I needed. From the time span of Sept 24 to Christmas vacation, I hung out with friends outside of school once - on Halloween. At first it bugged me, but I got used to it, and eventually enjoyed the peace of working in my room or at the piano. Come to think of it, making plans with friends became more stressful than any of the school work or theatre related work that I had to do. I hated getting texts "When are you free this week?" I hated saying no to people, but I loved staying home and singing, or working on a monologue, or reading Shakespeare for AP Lit. That's not to say that I don't love my friends. I do. And when I do hang out with them I have so much fun. And part of me does miss going out every Saturday night. I guess what's really important is that I've found ways to make myself happy and to enjoy my own company. I no longer have to rely on other people to bring happiness to me.
1. Well being/health - This is extremely important to me. A lot of the choices that I make can relate to what would be best for me or what will prevent me from getting sick. I hate not working at optimal capacity and since my body is my medium, I need it to be in tip top shape.
2. Improvement - I'm always looking for what I can do better. How can I work to fix this problem and improve my work? I rarely worry about perfection. I feel good about myself when I look back and realize than I'm better than I was five minutes ago. That gives me a sense of accomplishment.
3. Happiness - I do everything that I do because I know it'll make me happy. I go to dance class, I sing, I do shows because I know I'm happy while I'm doing it. I'm enthusiastic about new projects because for me, that's another chance at happiness. I don't like being upset and when I am upset I tend to try and push it aside as quickly as I can. I tend not to wallow in my grief. Nothing gets done and it feels crappy. I'd much rather be happy so that I could get something done.
It really bugs me when other people are less passionate about the same things that I'm passionate about, or if they're not as focused and dedicated. The best example of this is a rehearsal for a show. I hate sitting around waiting for the director to get everybody's attention. I don't like when people talk and chit chat. My time is precious. If I'm going to choose to spend my time by coming to rehearsal, then we better be getting shit done. I don't have time to wait for other cast members to decide that they're ready to do the one thing that they showed up to rehearsal for - to rehearse. If you're going to be in a show, then be in the show. Don't come to rehearsal and talk about what happened last night on Jersey Shore. I guess I kind of expect everyone to behave the same way that I do, to have the same focus, dedication, passion, and drive. This is why I love tech week so much. It's the one time that I feel every single person has the same desire to plow through everything that needs to get done. And I enjoy that. It creates harmony for me. The buzz of 20 or so cast members all on the same page, working together, and really, really doing what we all auditioned to do.
I also have a hard time finding balance between having a social life and having a life that involves preparing for a professional lifestyle in the arts. I stay home on Friday and Saturday nights more often than I go out. I have homework to do, I have auditions to practice for, lines to memorize, scripts to read. And this year, I had the whole college application process, which I had a lot of fun with oddly enough. I guess I didn't mind staying home and writing essays about theater, and inspiration and myself and how I see my future. I found out how I can survive and be happy with much less of a social life than I thought I needed. From the time span of Sept 24 to Christmas vacation, I hung out with friends outside of school once - on Halloween. At first it bugged me, but I got used to it, and eventually enjoyed the peace of working in my room or at the piano. Come to think of it, making plans with friends became more stressful than any of the school work or theatre related work that I had to do. I hated getting texts "When are you free this week?" I hated saying no to people, but I loved staying home and singing, or working on a monologue, or reading Shakespeare for AP Lit. That's not to say that I don't love my friends. I do. And when I do hang out with them I have so much fun. And part of me does miss going out every Saturday night. I guess what's really important is that I've found ways to make myself happy and to enjoy my own company. I no longer have to rely on other people to bring happiness to me.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
HHS 2010 advocates for more sleep
If you're a senior at Herricks you've probably already heard about this, and if you're a lower classman you might have seen the groups on facebook. A few weeks ago Mr. McManus taught all of his AP Psych students about sleep and enlightened us to see how terrible it is that none of us are getting the right amount of sleep each night. This Thursday is the fireside chat with the Board of Education. A lot of seniors plan on going, but since I don't think I can make it I wrote on the facebook group so that I could still share my opinions and feelings on this topic. It was something that was really easy to write, which tells me how passionate I am about this issue. I thought I'd share what I wrote on here and then add a bit of new stuff at the end
Teenagers are natural night owls. We like to go to bed at midnight and wake up at 9. Thats what our body naturally wants. Add in artificial light and technology and these sleep-wake patterns get screwed up. Add in an early school start time and we still go to sleep late but have to wake up early. There's nothing we can do about this. It's our body telling us what it wants. It's like depriving yourself of food when you're body says I'm hungry. It's not healthy.
We all live in a district that prides itself of doing what's best for it's students. Our taxes are higher because our parents want their kids to get a better education. But how can our district say they want us to be educated and healthy and not give us more time to sleep? There is no scientific evidence that smart boards in every single classroom brings in higher grades and SAT scores. There is factual evidence that 15 more minutes of sleep is the difference between a B and an A and that kids who start school later do better on the SATs
So just go to sleep earlier, right? Wrong! Like I already said, we're natural night owls. Even if we tried to go to sleep at 9 PM, the majority of us wouldn't be able to fall usleep until 11 or 12. When we have to wake up at around 6 or 6:30 AM for school the next morning, this is a problem. There just simply isn't enough time for our bodies to be fully rested and for our brains to develop they way they should be. Did I mention that sleep deprived teens actually have brains that aren't developing correctly? Wait... so we're waking up early to go to school which is supposed to make us smarter, but by doing so we're actually doing damage to the part of our body that's the most involved in our learning. How is this beneficial?
I understand that there are problems with a later start time. It'll cost money. Older kids have to be home to babysit. Sports teams need to get to games. Etc.. But if you think about it there are so many health issues at risk here because we're all sleep deprived.
Unless you are getting 9 hours of sleep every single night, you are sleep deprived. And if we want to do what is best for us then shouldn't sleep be our number one concern right now? Shouldn't we be more open to adjustment if getting more sleep will help our immune systems fight that dreaded seasonal cold, keeping those doctor visits and $20 co-pays away? Shouldn't we be willing to invest in less smart boards and brand new laptops and things of that nature so that we could buy ourselves a new bus and improve all of our grades just by getting more sleep? I for one would love to sleep an extra 15 minute each night and see an improvement in my ability to study, to concentrate, and find that I do my homework more efficiently each night.
It seems to me that money, babysitting, and sports teams just cannot compete with our health.
As a dancer, singer, and actress. Sleep seems even more important for me. My body is my instrument in everything I do. Over the past few years, I've been learning a lot about my instrument, and what I've learned is that it's extremely sensitive. Especially my voice. Any little adjustment to my normal day to day schedule or enviroment throws it off. The weather, the moisture level in the air, my womanly cycle, and most importantly, how much sleep I get. Now as a training theater person, this is stuff that I'm currently learning how to work around since most of it you can't control. People on Broadway have to perform in the winter months when the heating systems in their houses are sucking the moisture out of the air. Therefor, I'm learning how to cope and part of that coping deals with an intricate high maintanance schedule of things... I steam every night, I sleep with a hummidifier, I drink this herbal tea with honey every morning, I have to vocalize every day even if I don't plan on singing, Etc... But it's worth it.
Anyway, back to sleep. On days when I find that my voice is really in it's place and the notes are just floating through the air, those are days in which I got my 9 hours of sleep the night before. It makes a huge difference. I don't have to spend as much time warming up, and I practice more efficiently. On days when I'm tired, it's a drag to get my voice placed well, and everything takes so much more time. If I could sleep and practice, my vocal technique would be through the roof. But practicing without sleep, doesn't get you anywhere quite as fast as you could with sleep.
I notice it with dance too. When you sleep you're body is supposed to re-allign itself. Your spine needs time to stretch out and relax from a whole days worth of carrying around the weight of gravity. When I get nine hours of sleep, I turn better, I jump better, my hip placement is better. Not to mention, my muscles can keep me going for a much longer time. I don't get winded or tired as quickly when I'm dancing.
We all think that getting good at your craft is really hard, and it takes a lot of work. I agree. I know that in order to get good at something in the arts you have to practice constantly. But, if we're all sleep deprived, and we all are, then we're practicing at less than maximum efficiency. So maybe the way to get to Carnegie Hall isn't to practice practice practice. Maybe the way to get to Carnegie Hall is to sleep then practice practice practice.
Teenagers are natural night owls. We like to go to bed at midnight and wake up at 9. Thats what our body naturally wants. Add in artificial light and technology and these sleep-wake patterns get screwed up. Add in an early school start time and we still go to sleep late but have to wake up early. There's nothing we can do about this. It's our body telling us what it wants. It's like depriving yourself of food when you're body says I'm hungry. It's not healthy.
We all live in a district that prides itself of doing what's best for it's students. Our taxes are higher because our parents want their kids to get a better education. But how can our district say they want us to be educated and healthy and not give us more time to sleep? There is no scientific evidence that smart boards in every single classroom brings in higher grades and SAT scores. There is factual evidence that 15 more minutes of sleep is the difference between a B and an A and that kids who start school later do better on the SATs
So just go to sleep earlier, right? Wrong! Like I already said, we're natural night owls. Even if we tried to go to sleep at 9 PM, the majority of us wouldn't be able to fall usleep until 11 or 12. When we have to wake up at around 6 or 6:30 AM for school the next morning, this is a problem. There just simply isn't enough time for our bodies to be fully rested and for our brains to develop they way they should be. Did I mention that sleep deprived teens actually have brains that aren't developing correctly? Wait... so we're waking up early to go to school which is supposed to make us smarter, but by doing so we're actually doing damage to the part of our body that's the most involved in our learning. How is this beneficial?
I understand that there are problems with a later start time. It'll cost money. Older kids have to be home to babysit. Sports teams need to get to games. Etc.. But if you think about it there are so many health issues at risk here because we're all sleep deprived.
Unless you are getting 9 hours of sleep every single night, you are sleep deprived. And if we want to do what is best for us then shouldn't sleep be our number one concern right now? Shouldn't we be more open to adjustment if getting more sleep will help our immune systems fight that dreaded seasonal cold, keeping those doctor visits and $20 co-pays away? Shouldn't we be willing to invest in less smart boards and brand new laptops and things of that nature so that we could buy ourselves a new bus and improve all of our grades just by getting more sleep? I for one would love to sleep an extra 15 minute each night and see an improvement in my ability to study, to concentrate, and find that I do my homework more efficiently each night.
It seems to me that money, babysitting, and sports teams just cannot compete with our health.
As a dancer, singer, and actress. Sleep seems even more important for me. My body is my instrument in everything I do. Over the past few years, I've been learning a lot about my instrument, and what I've learned is that it's extremely sensitive. Especially my voice. Any little adjustment to my normal day to day schedule or enviroment throws it off. The weather, the moisture level in the air, my womanly cycle, and most importantly, how much sleep I get. Now as a training theater person, this is stuff that I'm currently learning how to work around since most of it you can't control. People on Broadway have to perform in the winter months when the heating systems in their houses are sucking the moisture out of the air. Therefor, I'm learning how to cope and part of that coping deals with an intricate high maintanance schedule of things... I steam every night, I sleep with a hummidifier, I drink this herbal tea with honey every morning, I have to vocalize every day even if I don't plan on singing, Etc... But it's worth it.
Anyway, back to sleep. On days when I find that my voice is really in it's place and the notes are just floating through the air, those are days in which I got my 9 hours of sleep the night before. It makes a huge difference. I don't have to spend as much time warming up, and I practice more efficiently. On days when I'm tired, it's a drag to get my voice placed well, and everything takes so much more time. If I could sleep and practice, my vocal technique would be through the roof. But practicing without sleep, doesn't get you anywhere quite as fast as you could with sleep.
I notice it with dance too. When you sleep you're body is supposed to re-allign itself. Your spine needs time to stretch out and relax from a whole days worth of carrying around the weight of gravity. When I get nine hours of sleep, I turn better, I jump better, my hip placement is better. Not to mention, my muscles can keep me going for a much longer time. I don't get winded or tired as quickly when I'm dancing.
We all think that getting good at your craft is really hard, and it takes a lot of work. I agree. I know that in order to get good at something in the arts you have to practice constantly. But, if we're all sleep deprived, and we all are, then we're practicing at less than maximum efficiency. So maybe the way to get to Carnegie Hall isn't to practice practice practice. Maybe the way to get to Carnegie Hall is to sleep then practice practice practice.
Monday, January 11, 2010
A Chorus Line
"Well, it would be nice to be a star, but I'm not. I'm a dancer" -A Chorus Line
This weekend I was in TTG's production of A Chorus Line as a cut dancer. After the first scene all of us cut dancers could change and go out into the audience to watch the rest of the show for free (which was nice). I've seen the movie a countless number of times, I've listened to the cast recording over and over, and I saw the show on Broadway a few years ago. But this time the story struck a different chord in me. I know people who are obsessed with this show, and now I think I know why.
A Chorus Line is relate-able in every single way possible if you're a theater person, especially if you're a dancer. And for me personally, most specifically the end.
Cassie's number The Music and the Mirror is so close to home. "God I'm a dancer. A Dancer dances." And also "what I really don't want to do is teach other people how to do what I should be doing myself!" All I have to do is read these lines and they make me feel something. Because when you're in love with something so much that it's almost evolutionarily in your blood stream, you have no choice. You HAVE to do what you want to do. Without it, it's like you're cutting a limb off of your body, ignoring the bleeding wound, and attempting to continue functioning.
From the moment Paul hurts himself, until the very end of the show, it's the reminder of the reality of the business and the love that people have who are in it. Zach asks the question "What are you going to do when you can't dance anymore?" And it's hard to think about. Because when you love something so much, when you love to dance so much that you're willing to drive 30 minutes out to Dix Hills to be in a 12 minute scene with some of your fellow dance company friends, to share 12 minutes of joy and bliss with those friends, with the rest of the cast who you barely know, and with the audience, when you're willing to do all of that, then what can you do when you can't dance anymore? What will you find that will make you feel this way? Will there be anything else?
This weekend I was in TTG's production of A Chorus Line as a cut dancer. After the first scene all of us cut dancers could change and go out into the audience to watch the rest of the show for free (which was nice). I've seen the movie a countless number of times, I've listened to the cast recording over and over, and I saw the show on Broadway a few years ago. But this time the story struck a different chord in me. I know people who are obsessed with this show, and now I think I know why.
A Chorus Line is relate-able in every single way possible if you're a theater person, especially if you're a dancer. And for me personally, most specifically the end.
Cassie's number The Music and the Mirror is so close to home. "God I'm a dancer. A Dancer dances." And also "what I really don't want to do is teach other people how to do what I should be doing myself!" All I have to do is read these lines and they make me feel something. Because when you're in love with something so much that it's almost evolutionarily in your blood stream, you have no choice. You HAVE to do what you want to do. Without it, it's like you're cutting a limb off of your body, ignoring the bleeding wound, and attempting to continue functioning.
From the moment Paul hurts himself, until the very end of the show, it's the reminder of the reality of the business and the love that people have who are in it. Zach asks the question "What are you going to do when you can't dance anymore?" And it's hard to think about. Because when you love something so much, when you love to dance so much that you're willing to drive 30 minutes out to Dix Hills to be in a 12 minute scene with some of your fellow dance company friends, to share 12 minutes of joy and bliss with those friends, with the rest of the cast who you barely know, and with the audience, when you're willing to do all of that, then what can you do when you can't dance anymore? What will you find that will make you feel this way? Will there be anything else?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
2nd Draft - Joy assignment for website
I edited it a bit:
Think of the kindest, most generous, knowledgeable person you have ever met. That’s Joy Hooper. Joy is a professional actress and acting coach. She recently joined a group of us students in STAC to share her love of acting and to teach us how to work on and perform a monologue of our choice.
Acting. Acting. Acting. Acting doesn’t only involve observable behavior. In fact, there’s a whole universe filled with the other aspects of acting. Subtext is what the character is thinking underneath the spoken lines. We have subtext all the time in our every day lives. Subtext is just as important to an actor, if not more important than the words that come out of his mouth. In the workshop, Joy had us play around with some subtext exercises. We also had the chance to watch each other do the exercise and take note of what was happening: “I noticed a huge difference when she used subtext…The character went through [a journey], rather than just playing the mood of the piece, and it was very honest when she did this.” (One of the students wrote this in her STAC blog.)
Memorizing lines are to an actor what measuring flour is to a baker. It’s the tedious task that has to be completed in order to get to the fun stuff. In acting, the fun stuff is the subtext and what happens to the character when an actor engages in the use of subtext.
On a much simpler level, Joy taught us to breathe. To breathe is to give life to yourself and to the character you are playing. Actors often forget to breathe when they are performing. This only constricts your body and limits how far you can take your performance. Breathing forces you to get the subtext going because you're not saying anything when you’re taking a breath. You're just ‘looking’ at the person you're talking to and you're able to focus on what your little mind is saying behind what the monologue tells you to say. It adds life to the piece. It can also add contrast, but in a simplistic way.
The workshop with Joy required a lot of practice at home, but it was also so much fun. Besides, the extra work that each one of us put into it, made the few weeks that we had with Joy that much more worth while. Let me put it this way, every single one of us that was in Joy’s workshop always looked forward to the end of the day when we would get to play with our characters and our monologues.
Think of the kindest, most generous, knowledgeable person you have ever met. That’s Joy Hooper. Joy is a professional actress and acting coach. She recently joined a group of us students in STAC to share her love of acting and to teach us how to work on and perform a monologue of our choice.
Acting. Acting. Acting. Acting doesn’t only involve observable behavior. In fact, there’s a whole universe filled with the other aspects of acting. Subtext is what the character is thinking underneath the spoken lines. We have subtext all the time in our every day lives. Subtext is just as important to an actor, if not more important than the words that come out of his mouth. In the workshop, Joy had us play around with some subtext exercises. We also had the chance to watch each other do the exercise and take note of what was happening: “I noticed a huge difference when she used subtext…The character went through [a journey], rather than just playing the mood of the piece, and it was very honest when she did this.” (One of the students wrote this in her STAC blog.)
Memorizing lines are to an actor what measuring flour is to a baker. It’s the tedious task that has to be completed in order to get to the fun stuff. In acting, the fun stuff is the subtext and what happens to the character when an actor engages in the use of subtext.
On a much simpler level, Joy taught us to breathe. To breathe is to give life to yourself and to the character you are playing. Actors often forget to breathe when they are performing. This only constricts your body and limits how far you can take your performance. Breathing forces you to get the subtext going because you're not saying anything when you’re taking a breath. You're just ‘looking’ at the person you're talking to and you're able to focus on what your little mind is saying behind what the monologue tells you to say. It adds life to the piece. It can also add contrast, but in a simplistic way.
The workshop with Joy required a lot of practice at home, but it was also so much fun. Besides, the extra work that each one of us put into it, made the few weeks that we had with Joy that much more worth while. Let me put it this way, every single one of us that was in Joy’s workshop always looked forward to the end of the day when we would get to play with our characters and our monologues.
STAC website assignment - rough draft
We had to write about something that STAC did so far this year to be put up on the STAC website. This is my rough draft:
This past November, STAC kids had the opportunity to work with professional actress and coach, Joy *insert last name here*. Think of the kindest, most generous, knowledgeable person you have ever met. That’s Joy. Each student in her workshop was responsible for finding a monologue that he or she would like to spend time working on with Joy’s help and expertise.
One of the lessons that Joy taught us was how to use subtext. Subtext is what the character is thinking underneath the spoken lines. We have subtext all the time in our every day lives. Subtext is just as important to an actor, if not more important than the words that come out of his mouth. One STACie wrote the following about watching a fellow classmate during the subtext exercise, “I noticed a huge difference when she used subtext…The character went through [a journey], rather than just playing the mood of the piece, and it was very honest when she did this.”
Memorizing lines are to an actor what measuring flour is to a baker. It’s the tedious task that has to be completed in order to get to the fun stuff. In acting, the fun stuff is the subtext and what happens to the character when an actor engages in the use of subtext. All of the students in Joy’s workshop were encouraged and required to explore subtext. I think it’s safe to say that each individual was pleased with what they were able to accomplish with this new acting tool.
A simpler, but just as important lesson that Joy taught us was to breathe. To breathe is to give life to yourself and to the character you are playing. Actors often forget to breathe when they are performing. This only constricts your body and limits how far you can take your performance. Breathing forces “you to get the subtext going because you're not saying anything [when you’re taking a breath.] You're just "looking" at the person you're talking to and…you're able to focus on what your little mind is saying behind what the monologue tells you to say.…It adds life to the piece. It can [also] add contrast, but in a simplistic way.”
Everyone in the workshop really enjoyed the time we spent working with Joy. She pushed each of us to our individual limits, so that we could grow as actors and actresses.
This past November, STAC kids had the opportunity to work with professional actress and coach, Joy *insert last name here*. Think of the kindest, most generous, knowledgeable person you have ever met. That’s Joy. Each student in her workshop was responsible for finding a monologue that he or she would like to spend time working on with Joy’s help and expertise.
One of the lessons that Joy taught us was how to use subtext. Subtext is what the character is thinking underneath the spoken lines. We have subtext all the time in our every day lives. Subtext is just as important to an actor, if not more important than the words that come out of his mouth. One STACie wrote the following about watching a fellow classmate during the subtext exercise, “I noticed a huge difference when she used subtext…The character went through [a journey], rather than just playing the mood of the piece, and it was very honest when she did this.”
Memorizing lines are to an actor what measuring flour is to a baker. It’s the tedious task that has to be completed in order to get to the fun stuff. In acting, the fun stuff is the subtext and what happens to the character when an actor engages in the use of subtext. All of the students in Joy’s workshop were encouraged and required to explore subtext. I think it’s safe to say that each individual was pleased with what they were able to accomplish with this new acting tool.
A simpler, but just as important lesson that Joy taught us was to breathe. To breathe is to give life to yourself and to the character you are playing. Actors often forget to breathe when they are performing. This only constricts your body and limits how far you can take your performance. Breathing forces “you to get the subtext going because you're not saying anything [when you’re taking a breath.] You're just "looking" at the person you're talking to and…you're able to focus on what your little mind is saying behind what the monologue tells you to say.…It adds life to the piece. It can [also] add contrast, but in a simplistic way.”
Everyone in the workshop really enjoyed the time we spent working with Joy. She pushed each of us to our individual limits, so that we could grow as actors and actresses.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2010?!
So it's that time of year again. People start making New Year's Resolutions. Would I be correct in saying that weight loss is probably the most common resolution, and also the most unsuccessful one? I haven't made a resolution and I don't know if I will. I used to make them each year. In fact that was the most important part of the New Year to me when I was younger. But I don't know if it's really all that important for me to make one this year. Most people don't keep their resolutions anyway. And then they end up feeling all sad and sorry for themselves because they couldn't keep their promise to themselves. I didn't make a resolution last year, and last year was one of the best years of high school. I learned how to sing the healthy way, and grew as a singer in ways I had never experienced before, I had the opportunity to do Into the Woods and 42nd Street - two shows that taught me an incredible amount of things about singing, dancing, acting, and life as a theater geek. I took classes in the city at Steps on Broadway, in fact I danced so much that I lost inches - becuase I built muscle in my legs and my core (something I was very proud of when I went to the beach haha), I applied to college and received a few academic acceptances. I'm pretty proud of last year, and I didn't have a new year's resolution. Maybe that's the way to go.
I've been doing a lot of abstract, huge thinking. Thinking that's bigger than me. Life goes by so fast. And I know it's cliche, but we shoud live it up as best we can. What's that saying? "Life is short, so...." I forget the rest of it, but that's what I'm getting at. Maybe that cliche saying actually has a true meaning that we should pay more attention to. Maybe instead of stalking people on facebook and twitter, we should spend time doing things that are worth posting on facebook and twitter so that those who are stalking us can see what we're up to and be impressed.
Blogging is fun. The more I do it, the more I like it.
I've been doing a lot of abstract, huge thinking. Thinking that's bigger than me. Life goes by so fast. And I know it's cliche, but we shoud live it up as best we can. What's that saying? "Life is short, so...." I forget the rest of it, but that's what I'm getting at. Maybe that cliche saying actually has a true meaning that we should pay more attention to. Maybe instead of stalking people on facebook and twitter, we should spend time doing things that are worth posting on facebook and twitter so that those who are stalking us can see what we're up to and be impressed.
Blogging is fun. The more I do it, the more I like it.
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