Tuesday, August 26

To try to put everything from my first day of classes here would be far too long for anyone to want to read (and unless you really WANT me to scan each individual syllabus page by page, I see no reason to do so).

But here's an idea of what's going on...

MOVEMENT
I have Movement class every morning from 9:00am-10:25am. We all showed up in our requisite monochromatic clothing (worn in movement and voice classes so that the professors can better see our bodies). We began by asking for Bravery, Will Power, and Common Sense, all of which are required to be a good actor. Our professor explained that 90% of communication that Americans receive is non-verbal, which proves how important movement study is for actors. We will be studying the differences between "normal" and "normative" physical behaviors. We're going to start the class day with 5 full minutes of jump roping, which is not nearly as easy as it sounds. My professor commented today that our class seems to be pretty in shape, which should make things easier on us. We went through some "first day" sorts of exercises, which I think were so that she could assess our bodies and experience levels. We will be having our first exam on Friday, over the book "The Second Circle" by Patsy Rodenburg. Class ended with us asking for Health, Prosperity, and Harmony.

VOICE
We have Voice class from 10:35am-12:00pm. That classroom has a completely different feel to it. In Movement class, everything is energetic and lively. In Voice class, everything is serene. The lights are all off, and we're laying on yoga mats for long periods of time. We're going to be doing a lot with "destructuring and restructuring" (I'll let you know what that means as soon as I figure it out). Our professor warned us that in gaining a more neutral speech, we might end up removing regionalisms and dialects that could alienate friends and family members (her brother apparently punches her whenever she says the word "Tuesday" with a liquid-u sound, so it's more like "Teeyoosday"). We received some handouts that we will be tested on this Friday. I was so relaxed at the end of class that I wanted to take a nap right there.

ACTING
In acting class, I learned just how intelligent, opinionated, and vocal my class truly is. We spent the entire 3-hour class discussing (and occasionally arguing about) theatre as an art form. Apparently, we're going to be studying mostly Stanislavski and Michael Chekov. I have a grazing familiarity with Michael Chekov already, so I'm excited about that. But I think I'm behind most of my classmates in my knowledge of Stanislavski (I don't think a director has ever used the word "superobjective" in a rehearsal around me before).

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Depending on the time of day you ask him, my professor will give you a different name for this class. So far, I've heard him call it "Textual Analysis", "Dramatic Analysis", and "Advanced Play Analysis". I'm sticking to Textual Analysis for now (which I admit is mostly because I enjoy saying the word "textual"). This is by far my most intimidating class. We have to learn not to project our ideas onto a text. The class is not about interpretation, but rather about reason and calculation. For example, we're not allowed to talk about someone in a Shakespeare play having "unconscious" desires, as to do so would be anachronistic. Freud was the first person to talk about the subconscious, so clearly Shakespeare wouldn't have told us that something was unconscious... I don't know. It's all very complicated, and my head was spinning for most of the class. Luckily, we only have it twice a week (thank goodness, because I think my head might explode if it were a daily event). We have been assigned to read Aristotle's "Poetics" at least once by Thursday (apparently we will be reading everything in this class multiple times, as "there's no such thing as a good first reading").


At the end of the day, I INSISTED upon taking a class photo. The rest of them begrudgingly obliged. Yeah, I know it was annoying... but in three years, they're going to be glad we have it.

Back Row: Wifey, D-Train, Iceman, The Pro, Big Show
Front Row: Two-Shots-Up, O.D., Disco (that's me!), Killer, Thrill, All-The-Way

Monday, August 25

Today was the All Conservatory Student Orientation. I am so, so, so excited for everything to begin, I can't even tell you.

The day started with the head of the program telling us, "You are an incredibly select group of people. Apparently, they watch 1200-1500 auditions each year, and only accept people who jump out at them as being special (my class is 7 males & 5 females, the 2nd year class is 4 males & 6 females, and the 3rd year class is 7 males & 3 females). He said that according to the yearly internal audit done by the university, our MFA acting program has been "shown to be the jewel in the crown" of the theatre program. He looked around the room quite seriously and said, "You guys are the future of the American Theatre -- it's all in this room."

Next came a discussion on safety procedures and "hurricane preparedness" (which actually seems relevant in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay -- the hurricane that was supposed to hit us, but didn't).

I was elected as one of two class representatives for the first year class (by "elected", I mean I was one of two people who volunteered, and the "secret ballot" we were supposed to have actually consisted of my classmates gleefully yelling out in unison to appoint me and my compatriot because they were glad to have dodged a proverbial bullet). The Pro is the other.

I've already gotten fitted by the costume shop for my understudy assignments, even though I won't audition for another few weeks, which was more exciting to me than it probably should have been.

We got a speech about having to pay our dues to the Actors' Equity Association (it's the union for professional actors and stage managers) now, so that we can get into their candidacy program. That way, we'll be eligible to join the union by the time we graduate.

We got all of the "scary" information as well. How, even though we don't have classes during holidays, we might still be required to be here (in case you have to work crew on Thanksgiving or have to go up as an understudy on Christmas Eve or something). We were told that our assistantship money will be cut if we get grades below B-level. Things like that.

Have I mentioned that I'm excited? Because I am. Seriously.

Classes start tomorrow. :)

Friday, August 15

Another email from my movement professor.

Hello, everybody:

I forgot to mention something VERY important for the first day of class: a jump rope. We will be jumping rope for five minutes a day to increase cardio/lung power. Did you know that five minutes of fast jump roping is equivalent to running for 40 minutes?

You will also each need a mini dvd tape. This you can purchase by the third week of school.
We use these to record your Alignment work, from the beginning to the end of your study (two years).

Did you know that there are 57 muscles in the face? 26 bones in the feet?

See you soon!

Wednesday, August 6

I got the following email from my Acting Professor:

Dear First Year Students,

In a few weeks we begin our year-long collaboration. In lieu of an introduction, I would like to share with you a few of my thoughts at the start of the year. The first conservatory year is typically dedicated to truth, to discovering the reality of an actor’s life on stage. Our ability to truthfully live onstage is at the very core of our creative process. But what is this truth of which we constantly talk? Does being truthful onstage mean that we need to appear natural, or does it mean that we actually need to live onstage as we do in everyday life? And if the later is true, then how?

Not many things in our everyday lives are preplanned, and even things preplanned get adjusted on a consistent basis. Life bombards us with “circumstances” and, as they hit us, we react accordingly. This is the truth of our lives. So, why is it that onstage we have to be in full control of all “circumstances”? Do we feel lost otherwise? Is it, perhaps, that onstage we feel the need to be more “expressive”, more “effective”, more “telling” than in real life? Do we feel that otherwise the essence of our character and their intentions might be lost on the audience? This need to be expressive, effective and telling compels us to control our every move onstage—this need compels us to “perform”?

We need to hold on to what we discovered in rehearsals, we need to convey the idea, we need to stay true to our character, to the director’s vision. We need to make sure that we preserve the blockings and won’t throw off our partner… We need to, we need to, we need to… So, where is the space for our creative freedom, for our spontaneity, for unpredictability? And what is our role as actors? Are we creative individuals, or mere copyists of someone else’s intentions? Perhaps, the best we can be is effective, expressive and telling “transmitters” of our own creative discoveries? The creative life, the creative process takes place at home and/or in rehearsal, while in our performances we merely copy those beautiful results. Does this mean that our audiences never actually see us create, but rather just recreate? Does this satisfy them, does this satisfy us?

I intentionally present these questions to you, with no attempt to provide any answers. We have a year to answer them together… What are some of the challenges I foresee on our way? As banal as it might sound, one of the main challenges I foresee is the struggle to balance the studio (classroom) part of our training and rehearsal work with the actor’s homework. For some reason (a lot of it having to do with the constant lack of time) we, contemporary actors, often skip the homework part and rely exclusively on the training/rehearsal period in our work. While every rehearsal is a day in the life of the character and a step forward on our creative path, it cannot entirely substitute for homework research and the imaginative process. Today’s rehearsal only exists for the sake of tomorrow’s rehearsal; it is meant to prepare for the work of tomorrow. Not being able to support and assess it through homework would be a great loss and an obstacle on your creative way. That is why, despite your busy schedules, I urge you, from the first day at the conservatory, to develop a personal schedule that will allow for individual (and group) homework.

I would even suggest that you make a further step in this direction and strive not to separate between your everyday life and your creative life. After all, what you do in everyday life, how you behave, what conversations you have, what creative games you play with your colleagues, and how you behave towards them and other people in your life – all of it can be treated as a exercise that could potentially expand your creative individuality, make you more interesting onstage, make you a better partner and ensemble member, and make your characters more rich and complex. The true creative process does not end with the end of the class. It continues within you subconsciously, and you can support it by consciously creating conditions that stimulate this process.

Your success as an actor and artist also depends enormously on the books you read, the movies you watch, the music you listen to and the visual art you view. Without such creative “inhale”, you will have less to “exhale” in your own creative work. This is why I find the time outside of the classroom during your conservatory journey almost as important as the classroom work. I am calling on you to structure this part of your life from day one and to continue adjusting it along the way.

These are some of the thoughts I wanted to share with you as we prepare for our first meeting on August 26th. During that meeting, we will discuss our year together. We will build artistic plans and outline creative objectives. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer. Here is to a great year!



He also attached a reading list.

1. Stanislavski, C.

AN ACTOR’S WORK
Routledge, London and New York, 2008


2. Stanislavski, C.

CREATING A ROLE
New York: Routledge/Theatre Arts Books, Reprint Editions, 1989


3. ACTORS ON ACTING: The Theories, Techniques, and Practices of the World's Great Actors, Told in Their Own Words

by Toby Cole and Helen Krich Chinoy (Editors)
Three Rivers Press; 4th edition, 1995


4. Michael Chekhov

TO THE ACTOR: On the Technique of Acting
Revised and expanded edition, foreword by Simon Callow
With a previously unpublished Guide to the Psychological Gesture Technique, translation and commentary by Andrei Malaev-Babel, and a biographical overview by Mala Powers. ~ Routledge, 2002

Monday, July 28

I received an email from my movement professor, telling me what to acquire before classes begin.

1-2 sets of monochrome exercise clothing. These should be form fitting, but do not need to be tights. Either exercise material or soft cotton are fine.

1 handball for eye to eye contact work.

Your Yoga Mat and Blanket from Voice Class.

40.00 to cover the cost of your first semester readings and note book. These are your textbooks.

Please see the assignments for the first week of school, below:


By the end of the first week of school everyone should read:

1. Patsy Rodenberg: The Second Circle: How to Use Positive Energy......Amazon and Borders. This book is written for non actors, but gives a very good introduction to the three circles of alignment and use of self that we work on through my alignment technique, and through Alexander work. There will be a short quiz on this book.

2. Lorna McDougal's "The Body Speaks", Amazon, Borders. Though I do not subscribe to all of her ideas it does present the sort of study you are about to embark upon--
which is both creative and skill-based and particular to the training of actors, rather than dancers or athletes.


Luckily, I already had the books (she called them "recommended reading" back in March.

Tuesday, July 15

An email from my Voice professor.

There are a few things you will need for Voice Class and Singing Tutorials:

• Bring a yoga blanket AND a yoga mat. I have a Tapas ® mat AND a cotton “Blanket Mexican” which I purchased at “huggermugger.com”

• Please wear your monochrome movement clothing to voice class, wear little or no jewelry, and be prepared to work in bare feet or sox.

• You will need to have a song with the sheet music. You do not have to have it learned, but you do need to have it selected and you must have the sheet music. This will be the song/sheet music that you will work on in your singing tutorial.

• You need to have the book “One Voice” by Joan Melton and Kenneth Tom. I purchased my copy at “amazon.com”

• You will need to have a Pronouncing Dictionary; it will assist you greatly with your speech and dialect work in both your 1st and 2nd year. I recommend “English Pronouncing Dictionary” by Daniel Jones (with CD ROM or without). I purchased my copy at “amazon.com”

• Bring water to Voice class every day.

• Do not bring food or any drinks other than water to Voice class.

• Bring a 3-ring binder, a notebook or journal, a pencil.

Thursday, July 3

An email from my Textual Analysis professor.


Dear Students:

What follows is some preliminary information about the upcoming class in Textual Analysis. This will give you a sense of the class requirements and what you will need to start thinking about. On the first day of class I’ll be distributing a more comprehensive syllabus with more detailed information about the semester.

We will be spending approximately 3 hours a week (Tuesday and Thursday, 4:10 to 5:30) learning how to read a text, or, perhaps more importantly, discovering how a dramatic text asks to be read. We will be spending a great deal of our time in the first few weeks of class establishing a classical model of analysis based upon a careful and in-depth study of Aristotle’s POETICS. We will be coming up with a common vocabulary to use when approaching a text. After having done so, we will examine texts from the Greek theatre in light of this classical approach. We will then begin to look at the theories of naturalism, for better or worse probably the most pervasive style in 19th, 20th and even 21st century playwriting, and apply these classical theories to our examinations. All texts will be looked at from a literary, historical and theoretical perspective in the hope that we might discover the peculiar method with which each of these texts asks to be read.

This will probably be the most academic class you encounter in your studies here in the conservatory. You will all be expected to bring to the class strong analytical skills, a finely tuned ability to read a text objectively rather than a need to force a text to fit your own preconceived notions, and an ability to express your carefully reasoned opinions both verbally and in print.

I would like to make a point now with you about this class that I will be making over and over again as the year progresses: this is not a subjective class based upon your feelings and your emotional responses to a text. This is a class in which you will be expected to examine a text with a clear and objective eye. What you feel is of far less importance to us than what the text asks you to feel and how the text reveals this to you. This is found from careful and rigorous objective analysis, not simple and intuitive responses. You must expect to read and RE-READ these texts again and again in order to uncover their meaning.

This examination will ultimately lead us to a consideration of how an actor is expected to read a text, what an actor is expected to draw from the text, and how can a careful reading of the text help an actor understand his/her role in a given production.

The first few texts you will want to purchase can all be found, I believe, on Amazon.com. They are


POETICS, Aristotle: trans. S.H. Butcher; intro. Francis Fergusson; Hill and Wang, NY. 1961.

This edition is in paperback and is readily available. We must all work from the same edition here! So get it from Amazon.


OEDIPUS REX, Sophocles: trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald.

The OEDIPUS CYCLE has been translated by these gentlemen and published together. You might consider buying that. Again, it is in paperback.


WOMEN OF TROY, Euripides: trans. Kenneth McLeish. Published by Absolute Press, 1995, in a collection entitled AFTER THE TROJAN WAR.

Try Amazon.com or Theatre Communications Group.


A DOLL’S HOUSE and THE WILD DUCK, Henrik Ibsen: trans. Rolf Fjelde.


THE PLAYS OF ANTON CHECKHOV, trans. Paul Schmidt; Harper Collins: NY 1997.



PLEASE! You must all work from these translations! Do not assume that any translation will do! We will need to all work from the same text and the same publication!


In addition, I will be adding a new text to this year’s curriculum:

Backwards and Forwards by David Ball, Southern Illinois University Press, 1983.



Other plays will be assigned as we move into the semester and see what kind of progress we make.

I will be expecting you all to do some analytical writing as well as some serious thinking in this class. Written work must be typed and cleanly produced, so please make sure you have the equipment necessary to do so (computer, printer, ink cartridges, etc.)

Let me repeat once again what I’ve said often in this letter – you must get the translations and editions that I have listed here. We CANNOT work from different texts!

I’m looking forward to working with you all in this class. I think it will be very exciting for all of us. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call. In the meantime, I’ll look forward to seeing you in August.