Once again, I was blown away by the commitment and talent of our team at this week's meeting. Some performed monologues and were asked to perform them again with a new twist. Julia performed a monologue about a teenage girl who is having issues with her friends that she will perform next weekend in a scene on the big stage. It was hilarious, and we're all looking forward to seeing it with Dalene's tweaks and the added interaction with Steph as the bride of Frankenstein and Mark Cameron as Frank himself.
Shelley performed a great monologue about love at first sight and used her talent to transform from a young energetic girl who was annoyed with a boy into an old women reflecting on when she first met the love of her life. Lisa told a sweet story about a missions trip to a small village and used her recent trip to China as a tool for emotion memory and did it beautifully. Mark Meyer created an unforgettable character named Leon who stumbled into a life-changing encounter with God. His ability to perform it powerfully with two very different personalities was captivating. ( I was so inspired that I've been working on a character in our Christmas Eve narrative based solely on Mark's Leon.)
Anita performed a memorable monologue about a woman struggling with the fact that she can't have children. Her unique stances and movement reminded me of my theatre professor's favorite saying "the best moments are when you surprise the audience with something unexpected but it makes perfect sense." Phil is another great example of this. I never thought Phil could surprise me like he did on Monday. I really don't think words could describe the "versatility" in Phil's performances. He took a simple monologue where a man is telling his son about the first time he met his wife and made it a wild ride of a man slowly transforming his sexual orientation and then brought tears to our eyes when he retold it as if his wife had just died. It was quite an experience!
Two teams of people came prepared with their scenes. David and John gave us some chilling moments as John, usually our resident good guy, played a hit man David was hiring. Steph also tackled a unusual villain role as she and Sherry's reporter character sat down to discuss why she decided to murder the man who raped her sister. These were both challenging scenes and all four actors created incredibly believable characters while prompting a discussion about bringing out the tension in a scene so the audience has more reasons to be uncomfortable and lean in to the story a little more.
For those that were there, what were your favorite moments? What did you learn?
Our next meeting is November 26th. Here's what we have to look forward to !
Monologues: Corey, Julia, Becky, Heather, and Kyle
Scenes: Diana and Janet, Paul and Jon, Shelley and Dalene, Anita and Lisa, Mark and Phil, and Lori and Rebecca
Can't wait!
P.S. Our Christmas party will be Monday Dec 17th from 6:30-8:30pm (location TBD). Families are invited. Anyone up for potluck or would you like to have a catered event? Let me know your preferences. Thanks!
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5 comments:
Kristin- thanks again for your leadership in our new drama format, I think you've created a great environment for us to work at pushing and molding our craft that God has blessed us with- keep up the great work!
Anita- I haven't seen you do much as you're one of the new-bees...but wow... you rock... You're the real deal- Your scene was so authentic... It's great having you part of the team!
John- Where did the bad boy come from... :) I particularly liked the "don't touch me"... you may need to discuss this with Phil on my behalf...
Phil- looking forward to working with you next month.... If we can just work pistacios in some how.....
ALL- It's a honor to serve with y'all- what a privilege and riot!
Kristin, thanks for leading us in the right direction!
John you could have easily been a Soprano character. You were great!
It is so much fun seeing all the talent God has given in action! You were all amazing to me.
Stef, get with John I thing he has an opening for you. PMM
wow...I am learning so much, not only from the great critique and direction given from Kristen & Dalene, but from my fellow actor buddies. You guys are amazing and inspiring!!! I am drawn into your characters and come away from each meeting feeling challenged and anxious to "tackle" the next project. I thought our sharing time of "past experiences" was a neat time to get to know each other a little better. We all have pasts that help shape our performances...our team is a safe place in which to share those pasts. Thanks.
Great job everyone!!!
My favorite moments....
Anita - the emotion and realism you brought to your character was amazing. I felt you actually saw your husband right there in front of us.
Mark - your facial expressions are great. I heard the shaking in your voice and saw, in your eyes, the transformation taking place.
Phil - what can I say? You can make us laugh and then turn around and play a character so serious and deep. You are so talented!
Shelley - I've seen you play such diverse roles so well nothing surprises me about your ability. I don't think there is a role you can't play!
Take care all! I'm looking forward to our next meeting.
It's so much fun to see the range that's developing both impromptu on stage and in the weeks between meetings. One of the things I greatly appreciate is the obvious preparation each of you are spending to come fully prepared - off script and with characterization. To be honest, I thought it would take longer to get in the swing of things but you've surprised me. That's good!
I completely loved each of your characters!! Leon, made me want to take a walk through Harlem & change somebody's life. John & David struck me with coldness and regret. Shelley, the change of 50-60 years was well manipulated...
Many surprises...more to come...
Dalene
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