All together now

Hey all, having joined the class late this year I've been behind in contributing so I'll discuss it all in one big shot here.

The physical comedy performances were an interesting bit on learning a character and learning to tell a story with that characters interaction with a given circumstance. I believe it helped me to understand more that it is what a character does that defines who they are rather than what they say. Words are too easy, action is deliberate and leads the audience to understand a character's motivation and insight as to who they are. The Mr. Bean bit that I performed also helped me to understand the sequential action, in other words how a character goes from one action to the next as a result of their personalities. It was a fun process to work through, and the research of different pieces helped me to see how vital the characterization was to each piece.

On the next note, the audition process is a beast of its own. Having gone through a handful of different experiences is funny to say i still don't know exactly what to do. The whole process is interesting because it is an interview and a performance combined. You get to do a show in front of some harsh critics, and that's alright. Watching people at the IRT audition was interesting because I saw a wide array of different techniques and what not. The most important lesson I learned from that is to make sure that you pick the right piece. Don't cast yourself as the guy you want to be, but rather the guy everyone else wants you to be. It was great to be able to hear what is going through the minds of the auditors because it let me knwo what they look for. Everything from voice, direction, and movement is critiqued and knowing that can help me prepare.

Being an athlete, the audition is interesting because it has a game day feel to it as much as a performance of a show does. It has this element because you spend time preparing and learnign what to do. It is the moment where you know what to do, it is time to execute. So it was familiar feel of things emotionally and mentally speaking. There was a heightened rush to it, and the feel is fun to me.

The last experience was good because I realized more about becoming the character. I memorized a piece, and made my performance about getting those pieces out there. This was a crucial learning experience because it let me know what I need to present my best attributes. One of the biggest things to accomplishing that is to make decisions about my character. I need to put my creative side to work in cohesion with my performance side. That is one of the steps I have to take in order to make strides in my auditioning and performing. Make choices about my character and invest in that character.