I found it surprisingly hard to pick what space I wanted to be in. We had a lot of ideas, and each of them seemed like we could do a scene with them. But none of them seemed like they would be perfect. We eventually picked one that was pretty generic. Once we picked it I found it very easy to put things in there. It was not hard to pick the objects that would go in that particular room. I am a little nervous for what we will do when we actually do the acting part, but it should be fun.

Even though i did not get to perform our scene I still found it hard to come up with what we would do. I thought it was so hard figuring out what our space was going to be. We could pick from any space that we wanted and when we got the chance my mind went blank. I thought the groups that did get to go were very funny. Their scenes were both different and with a different conversation. I thought that everyone would do something similar but I was wrong. I hope that after everyone performs that we get to do more of this kind of acting so that we can begin to get prepared for our final acting scene.

Class was fun yesterday. It was difficult to remember when I picked something up and then to later put it down. I also had trouble figuring out how to make my clothes seem amazing without saying something directly about them. And P.S. Rob, if a girl that you're trying to get with asks you what you think about her underwear....I'd say something that makes you seem interested. lol jk jk

Used Car Lot

Lindsey did a great job today at the used car lot. It was fun to ad lib the whole bit and make up the dialogue. I could have used the invisible props a little better probably. For a second I started opeing the door the opposite direction as I did earlier. I'm excited to see everyone elses scenes.

Tuesday's Class

Class today went into a little bit more depth then we have gone in previous classes. We are dealing with objects in a room, and dealing with eachother through relationships. The two groups did a really good job showing us, the audience, where they were and how they dealt with objects even though they weren't even there. Brian's and Lindsey's was especially funny also, but at the same time they made very few mistakes, they didn't walk through cars or doors or anything of that nature. Therefore making the scene that much more believable.

I thought that so far both the car lot and the laundry place were both very creative scenes. They were very enjoyable to watch! Im excited to see everyone else's as well. Its fun to see how different a scene can be based upon the relationship that the 2 people have and were they are located. Its also enjoyable to watch all the improv that goes on between the two characters! Hopefully thursdays scences will be just as interesting to watch!

I enjoyed class today. Especially getting to see my grade and then knowing I am doing well in the class. I just hope my scene exercise goes as well as the rest did.

Class is getting better and better every class. I am a little worried as to what the final will be like but with what we are learning it should not be that hard.

class was pretty fun, but dealing with the stretchy substance was pretty difficult for me to do. It was hard to figure out how to deal with it in different ways. Pulling something out of the stretchy whatever it was, was pretty cool too...especially with a partner to help.

I really enjoyed defining where we were. Some parts were funny (people walking through objects), but when we actually did the acting, I found it to be very creative. I also realized how hard it is to define a particular place. The comparison between an office and a den was enlightening. I think that defining a place, without that being the task of the actor is one of the most difficult things to do.

Class

Class today was really different for me. I just didn't feel comfortable dealing with the substance. It was really hard when we worked with a partner because each person had to be aggressive in making the object but had to be very observant of your partner so you didn't get confused. I really liked our other activity with putting objects in a place and then figuring out where the place was as the objects accumulated.

Class was fun today. I really enjoyed working with the substance and trying to figure out ways to manipulate it in a way that was believe able with my partner. The exercise where we had to establish a place was really hard to get a firm grasp on for me since everyone had their own ideas on how to establish a place.

The activity that we did in pairs today was very fun to do. Now that we have been working with the idea of "substance" for a while I think it is getting a little bit easier to work with it on stage.
I thought everyone did a great job at working with their partner and actually visualizing the "substance" that they were working with. The activity that we did towards the end of class was very pretty difficult. It was hard to know what people were doing and what space they actually were in. Im sure if we did that exercise again it would go a lot smoother because we now realize that each thing that someone adds must be simple and communicated clearly to the audience.

class is def more fun when we act vs. meditate...but still we have been acting for a couple of weeks now and i still find it difficult...oh well!

So grabbing stuff out of the primordial ooze was good times on tuesday. I found it hard to work with the object right after I pulled it out of space, but overall I felt that the class did a great job. It is very hard to make the action realistic and honest, but I think with more practice it will become easier.

I enjoyed class. Messing with the stretchy substance was hard. I think it might be from going first, and not having any fresh ideas. But oh well I guess. I was proud of my ring in a box deal.

Class

Class on Tuesday was difficult for me. I mean most of the time I don't do a terrible job with most things but for some reason I lost the substance when I was trying to break through it. I did not seem to make the bat I was using real the first couple times. For some reason I just felt like I couldn't do anything right.

Class on Tuesdays good. I enjoyed the exercises that we did. Trying to think of something to pull out of the substance was really hard. Then once I thought of something it was hard to figure out to get it out of the substance and make it look honest.

I thought class on Tuesday was pretty interesting. For some reason I could not think of something I could pull of the substance. Then when I finally thought of something I did not like it. For some reason it was hard for me to flip through the pages of a book. I do it a lot for writing papers and stuff, but I don’t feel like what I did is how I normally deal with a book. Well I hope I will be more satisfied with what I do tomorrow.

Class on Tuesday

Class on tuesday was very interesting, it's definately a lot easier I feel to go up in front of the class with someone opposed to going up by your self. When you had to go up first and act out something with out using something was just as always difficult. There is so much you have to think about to make it believable. I did a fishing pole and the act of casting and I've casted a fishing pole so much in my life but I still had to stop and think about everything. How I move the pole in my hand, flip the bail open, hold the line with my pointer finger, and then the proper wrist action you use when casting.
When we had to go up and take a piece of the "substance" I found this hard, probably because I felt stupid doing it cause Iwas playing with something that wasn't really there, it just felt weird. But none the less I gave it my best and I played with that substance to the best of my ability. And Janice probably was better at handling the substance because I can't remember then last "silly putty" I played with, I think the last time was, "Gak" that stuff from Nickolodeon!

Relaxation and Substance

I would like to respond to Nick's last couple of posts because I figure more than one of you might be wondering where both the relaxation and "substance" exercises lead.

Relaxation: Relaxation is an important aspect of training for individuals in the performing arts. Through relaxation of the body, actors (and dancers for the matter) are more easily able to respond to their surroundings and the people around them (part of given circumstances). It is also easier for you to control your body instead of having your body control you. If you hold tension in your shoulders then all of your character will have tense shoulders, rather than you deciding which do and which don't. It is also integral to the release of emotion. That is why Lauren became emotional. When the tension was released her emotions were free to flow.

That is just the tip of the iceberg of why relaxation is important. See if you can see how tension effects peoples ability to execute the class exercises.

Substance: The substance helps us begin to deal with space and become aware of the way in which our bodies move through it. It is important for actors to be aware of the way in which our entire bodies move through space because our entire bodies can tell stories. You can tell a story with your foot if you want. Therefore you need to be aware of your body in order to be sure that you are telling to story you intend. Giving space (i.e. air) substance helps to make us more aware of our entire bodies.

In conclusion: These are experiential tools, not intellectual tools. Your body sometimes can learn things on it own. Just like an athlete or a dancer who repeats the same movement over and over. I am just giving you a taste of these concepts in this intro class. Part of what you are learning is what actors do and what is important to the craft. These things take years to master and become seamlessly integrated into your work. These exercises have been done by actors for decades. They are a form of training for your mind and body, they are not, in themselves, acting. Chemists learn the periodic chart before they become chemists, actors do these things before they become actors.

Pulling the pair of pants out of the substance today and putting them on was hard to do on Tuesday. I think that was the fastest I've ever "put on" a pair of pants before. Dealing with the substance was pretty difficult. I knew what I wanted to do with it, but wasn't sure if I could pull it off. It was easier to act like I was pulling away from something, but springing back because of its elasticity was pretty difficult. I'm excited to see what we do tomorrow.

I enjoyed class more today. Pulling an item out of the substance and using it was fun, a little awkward, but i enjoyed it. also, messing with the substance was interesting, i wonder what this leads too....the comic factor of class is still highly enjoyable

i really enjoyed class today. i liked that i could actually see what i was pulling out of the substance. i put my mind to it and imagined what i was pulling out and i guess it worked! i hope we get to do more activities like that in class because i really enjoyed trying to see the object that i was using or holding.

I thought todays activity of dealing with a substance was pretty difficult. I was trying to imagine what I would actually do if I was dealing with something like that but I still found it challenging to deal with the weight of the substance. Over all I thought the class did a very good job at this activity.

it was nice to that relaxed Thursday in class but it left me feeling very vulnerable and week when i tried to stand up. it took me a long time to be able to walk right. it did feel nice though when we were doing the exercise.

Expecting Isabel was a really good play. It was really interesting to see how acting is done without props and how a couple people played two different characters. Class was veryt interesting last week, when we relaxed on the floor...it was relaxing, but a little boring but its cool, cause i was really tired! i thought it was relaxing though!

I was definately relaxed in class on Thursday. It was really nice, and I found the whole experience to be very interesting. I remember at the part where we were leaning against the tangible space I found that I was starting to sway, and it was kind of like feeling drunk. Overall though I felt relaxed for the remainder of the day.

I enjoyed class on Thursday. I have done relaxation before but I never really enjoyed it like this. I could actually feel my body relaxing as we did each part. For me the hardest spot to relax was my lower back. It seemed very strained. It took us a long time to get through all the relaxing part, but it was almost like it took very little time to me. I am excited to see what things we do next.

Relaxation

The activity we did on Thursday was great. I really enjoyed it and it helped me let go of all my stress and not worry about anything for a bit. It was something I needed and something that I am glad I know how to do because now I feel like I will be able to handle stress I get a little bit better, and I have a better understanding of where the stress tends to build up in my own body. The activity also allowed me to get in a mind set to where I was reacting and not thinking about how to do something which was really different

The relaxation activity we did was amazing. I've experienced something similar to that before but was unable to let myself relax. In class i was able to though. I loved it. My life has been so stressful lately and that activity really helped for about an hour.... I was able to let myself go and quit worrying about everything around me. it actually felt like my body was under the floor...not trapped, just floating, like i was supposed to be there. When we were supposed to be with the person who means the most to us and discover the answer to whatever we were looking for, i almost lost it. My eyes filled up with water because it's definitely something i'm struggling with right now. When we had to imagine walking through a substance, i thoroughly felt like i was. it kind of blew my mind because i'd never been able to focus in that way before.

Well, what to say about today...sort of a complete course change from where we were. I liked what we were doing up until now, the acting and speaking and having fun. This seems sort of dry and intense at the same time. I have never been one to grasp abstract concepts or to really enjoy the meditative, introspective side of things. What we did today was relaxing no doubt, but i think most of the significance was lost on me. Like Blaine, i was unable to "feel" the substance we were in. Abstract concepts elude me, as do abstract compounds

Class was amazing today. I hope we can do the meditation exercise during every class. I was really relaxed after class that I had to take a nap before my next class started. For me when we started to move around and then pretended that the substance was holding our weight I really could feel like it was holding me up that it had total control of my body.However when I had to have control again I had a hard time stay up and keeping my body straight.

Todays class was awesome! I REALLY enjoyed the meditation exercise. It was cool to actually feel parts of your body sinking into the floor. At one point I even felt like I was floating. When we were imagining being in the place that we love it felt like I was actually there with that special person. I could feel the texture of their hand and everything that was going on around me! When we were dealing with the substance, I actually felt like it was holding me up. It was an amazing feeling. I hope we do more exercises like this in class!

meditation

i thought todays class was very different. I think that if i were not sick it would have been very relaxing and enjoyable. I can see that meditation is a very important factor in people's lives. It helps them calm and relax their minds and their muscles. I would like to do this activity again. I hope next time when we do this activity I am feeling better for it so I can get feel the difference and the effects that it has on my body and mind. I really liked the fact that we did something different in the class also. Once again this class has done somthing different that none of my other classes have done.

I thought the play was enjoyable, which I suppose is a very important element to a play because without it the message the author is attempting to communicate is not heard. The actors knew their characters very well, and they could emphasize the emotions and the ideas of that character well.

I really wish all my other classes would take the structure of this one. It's such a stress free class. Paper here or there, and then activities the rest of the time. You do your blog every week and "tada" you're done. Instead I'm getting up early to cram for yet another test......I can't wait for class today, to relax a little bit before my midterm...Hope its a good day of class!

The Play

The play was really good. I liked talking about it Tuesday in class just to hear some different view points on it. I appreciated this play a lot because I got to see people deal with the same things we deal with in class everyday and see these guys deal with it and do it extremely well was fun to watch.

It was very interesting to hear the thoughts and reactions from those that went to the play. I found it very enjoyable! Many people brought things to my attention that I normally wouldn't have thought about. Over all, I thought the play was fantastic and I am excited to go and watch more productions put on here at Ashland. I also did not realize that talent that we have here at AU! I was very impressed! :)

I really enjoyed the play, so talking about it today in class was good times. I really thought that all of the actors involved did a wonderful job and I had very little to say in the way of criticism. I think this exxperience is going to lead me to check out some other AU productions. I didn't realize that we have so much talent at such a small school

Todays discussion of the play was interesting. All in all i thought it was a great play, some people had some great points though. The acting was excellent for a college theater group i thought

I really enjoyed class today. It was a nice change to just sit and talk about the play we saw and our thoughts on it. I hope we get to have another day like that for the next one.

Last class was enjoyable... it was fun to switch the scene around. Playing a cop wasn't cool though, I felt like a total jerk. Haha... just kidding. But seriously!

Tuesday in class was really enjoyable. I think we are getting better at being a character. I feel like we know basically what that character is like. I think some of our impromptu is funny but it still needs some work. Most of us (maybe less Ashley) are simply talking as the character might and not adopting his mannerisms. But either way it is still really fun.

Today in class was some good times. I found out that acting as a prostitute is not my forte, but that is a good thing to know about myself. I like that after we did that exercise, we had a press conference after and we were still in character. That was very funny.

in class we never deal with a real prop. this helped me to understand the play when i say it this weekend. if i had not known ahead of time that that is one way you can do acting then i would have thought that the director was lazy and did not want to find the props or something.

Thursday

Class thursday was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the group activity we did because we got to be really creative with it and see how the one person handled it. I also really liked the interviews that we did they were hilarious. I have to say Ashley was awesome lol.

the play

I just saw the play and it was completely different than what I had invisioned. I didnt know that they were not going to have any props but instead imagined them. I thought it was really cool to see how they interpreted things differently or similarly as we do in class. I thought the play was very well performed.

So, i can say for certain that that was the first time i've ever taken my shirt off in a class before...kinda awkward i suppose...huh. Anyway, i liked the question and answer session, it was cool to see people have to think on their toes and make stuff up

Class was fun today. I was glad we got to do the exercise where one person is on the stage doing something and then 3 more come in and then the scene gets all crazy(good times). I hope we can do the press conference thing again. It looked like a great deal of fun to be up there.

First off, the picture down below.....HILARIOUS!!!! I think you've been holding back on us Fabio! You ought to show us a thing or two in class on Tuesday. But on a serious note...class was so much fun today. It was really unpredictable and entertaining. It's so nice to get comfortable with everyone in the class and see what fun personalities everyone has.

Class was VERY interesting today! Not only is it fun to participate in the different activities but its also fun to just sit back and watch everyone! I en joyed the activity that we did today that involves one person starting something on stage and then the rest of the group comming on and doing something totally different! You defintley have to be on your toes because you never know what your group will come up with! The press conference was fun to and VERY unpredictable, but isnt that what acting is all about? :)

I thought class on Tuesday was interesting because of the new things we did. I found the eating at the table exercise to be kind of hard because there were so many things to do at a time. We had to watch the other people for the height of the table, eat (and chew food), and talk. I found it really hard to concentrate on all the things at the same time.

Expecting Isabel

How bout that play huh. I cant wait till we start acting out sex scenes.... . Anyway, I thought the play was alright, since they constantly tried to make it funny. Though it seemed really long it was the easiest play I have ever had to sit through. Also, on a complete side note I cant wait to see Fabio's commercial.

I agree, class Tuesday was fun. It's hard to get your mind to focus on what you do when you eat, when you're not really eating. For example, chewing, holding your food, the table height. It's crazy to think about how important all these simple factors are to acting. If you don't do one of those correctly or even at all, then you're not really portraying what you think you are.

class Tuesday

Class tuesday was a lot of fun but definately the toughest for me. The reason was because I was laughing a lot and made it harder for me to focus. I have to remember to focus on the objective and have fun but make an honest effort to do my best.

Class was fun on Tuesday. the table exercise was hard it took a lot to figure out were everyone else was keeping the table and figuring out how to not make it look like had no idea what i was doing. lol

class was fun today... the entanglement exercise was very tuff to perform but it was quite funny to watch the other people as they tried the exercise

It is really hard to keep an imaginary table level. I really had a hard time with this, personally. Also, multitasking as in pretend eating and having a conversation is quite difficult. People being tangled up was hilarious and fun to watch. Especially someone tangled up in sheets. I have no idea what the next class will bring.

The exercises that we do now are much more fun that at the beginning of the year. So many people in the class have such humorous personalities its really hard to not laugh at them. I'm definately enjoying being able to talk and interact with people beyond the mirror exercises.

Class was great today. It feels weird to do something like eating a sub in convo and talking on stage. It just didn't feel as natural without actually being actually in convo and actually eating a sub.

I know we have done absolutely nothing with costumes, but i have to say, i think they make it much easier to let your guard down. Take volleyball for instance. Once my uniform is on I am a completely different person. It's acceptable to yell and scream and hit other girls on the butt. No one thinks twice about it. When in uniform I take on a greater role. I'm not just #2....defensive specialist, but i'm 1 out of 10 girls that contributes to each point, which leads to winning each game, and eventually each match. That uniform gives me the confidence to take on another role and act a way that I may not in everyday life.....it's an amazing feeling.

I found the acting as a certain person in a job was very interesting. It was very difficult because many people act fairly normal in the real world and you can’t tell what job they have. I do not often watch people and think about their job like I do for a lot of the other things we do in class. It was strange to think about someone I do not really know anything about. Perhaps I will pay more attention to how people act and if it is telling about other parts of their lives.

the Weekend

This weekend I went to Pittsburgh with a few friends and had a lot fun. I got to see the city and tailgate before the Steeler game. I also saw the play expecting Isabel and I thought the actors did a very good job. The way they dealt with objects that weren't there was exceptional and the way the actors altered their voices especially to fit the multiple characters some of them were playing was impressive.

My Weekend

This weekend I went to Chicago! It was a great trip and made me think alot about actors. I walked down the Navi Pier and there were Halloween themes set up. In the scenes there were many actors that were dressed in creepy costums. I was very intregued by them because they would change their voices and act differently depending on how old the people were who came to see or talk to them. I thought they had alot of talent. I then thought that they were probably from the acting school in Chicago because they looked young and like students. My weekend was very awesome and it was weird because if I wasnt in this theater class I would have never thought anything about the actors if I wasnt in this class.

Urgent: Blogging

Hello All,

The blogging is beginning to stray. I don't mind if you write about random things, like fishing, the Browns or recruitment, but from now on you have to tie it back to acting, theatre, something related to the subject of class.

Have a great weekend.

It's good to be a PATS fan. How dramatic it is to watch them beat the Browns.

Fabio

Class

I am not going to lie, when we did not have class on Tuesday, it really messed me up. This class wakes me up on my Tuesdays and Thursdays. Today in class I learned that I do not actually know the difference between football and baseball, but such is life. The whole hot tub/car situation was hilarious! Also, last night I ended up seeing "Expecting Isabel" and it was hilarious! I was a play that I would have seen even if it wasn't assigned. Good times.

Class was good today even if most of it was talking about the subway commercial and brady quinn. I wish we could have done more improv like we did last class,but maybe next time.

Class

class on thursday was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the improv a lot. Now we are getting into a little bit of acting that goes on for a play. In terms of we have to be aware of our audience and how we are presenting ourselves to that audience. It is getting to be a bit more difficult which is fun.

Class on Thursday was great. That is more along the lines of what i thought we would be doing in this class. Not that anything we have done so far was not fun. I am a little sad that we have to wait till this Thursday to do it again but i guess good things are worth waiting for.

Class Cancelled! Tuesday, October 2 - PROJECT ASSIGNED

Hello Students, I will be off-campus tomorrow, October 2 in order to work on a last minute project. (I will tell you all about it when I see you onWednesday.)In lieu of class, I am giving you an assignment. It is due thisWednesday, October 4. It should not take you more than an hour to anhour and a half to complete.Assignment: In prepreparationr viewing the Ashland University Theatreproduction of EXPECTING ISABEL, I would like each of you to use the internet to research and write a 1 to 2 page paper on Lisa Loomer (theplaywright) and what characterizes her work. Again you are to hand-in this assignment on Wednesday, October 4 at our regularly scheduled time.

I agree, class was a lot of fun on Thursday. It took my group forever to decide on our relationships to the person on stage. Once we decided we saw other groups and changed it right before we got on stage b/c ours had been done. It was especially fun to get on stage and be able to show a little emotion in what we were doing....I expect big things tomorrow!

I really enjoyed class on Thursday. Most classes have been interesting, but this one was really fun. It was hard for me not to laugh the whole time. Everyone was so into their rolls. It still feels somewhat weird to be someone I am not and add a whole story to what is going on, but I think I am getting more used to it.

Filling In The Blanks

The last activity that we did in class on Thursday gave a hint of the pure freedom that some forms of acting can offer. In the position that I was in I had to attempt to figure out the situation that i was dealing with. It made it very interesting as to wondering (prior to them coming on stage) how the 3 others would relate to me. As I watched Blaine mow the grass he had some down time with the others on the stage while they were just observing something else on the side of the stage. I expected mine would be somewhat similar, where i would see them before i could hear them type of thing. I was not given that luxury of time, the first i knew of anyone being on stage I heard Ashley's angry voice. I have to admit i was pretty surprised and it made it pretty difficult to try to patch together what was happening; it happened so fast. I just had to fill in the blanks with the information that i was able to pick up. Once I got it everything seemed to flow well and the freedom of improv acting took over. I think that it was great that in an attempt to keep it as real as possible that we covered for each other. For instance when I began to laugh Ashley just incorporated it as a part of the act and it was covered up without a pause. I hope that we do more activities just like this one, very fun.