This Week in Acting

Last nights class was fantastic. The class has 10 people and Pat divides us out into pairs. He likes to work a scene until he is satisfied with our exploration of the script. Last night Alan Phelps and I finished up our scene and will now move on to other partners. Alan did a great job and even Pat said it was the best work he as seen Alan do. My next scene is Breakfast with Les and Bess with Robin (darn it. I don’t know her last name). And after that is a scene from Lone Star by James McLure with Dan.

On the A Streetcar Named Desire front, the director got a little annoyed with everyone on Tuesday. We were supposed to be off book. I am as guilty as everyone else, except Mike Yow who has been off book for over a week now. What makes it even tougher is when someone cannot deliver their line which gives you the queue for your line. To night should be better though. Only a few more weeks till we open.

What I Did On 2008-09-11

  • Worked hard in acting class tonight. Sometimes after a tough night I think I am not any good and get depressed. #
  • Pat Hurley is a brilliant acting teacher. #
  • Then sometimes I think “Do you have a flag?” Eddie humor always cheers me up. #
  • @wcdarling Intersting. I love my iPod, iPod Touch and I am planning on getting an iPhone next week, but I dislike using iTunes #
  • @wcdarling Yeah I see the lack of need there. I listen to streaming radio when I can, else when driving its podcasts or music. #

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Scene study: Breaking the Code

For acting class, the scene I am working on with a fellow student – Alan – is Act I, Scene 8 from Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore. In this scene SERGEANT ROSS (me) has returned to ALAN TURING’s (Alan) flat to ask some follow up questions based on some inconsistent information TURING gave during their first interview. TURING having reported a burglary to his flat. It’s 1952. It’s Manchester, England.

All of this is from ROSS’s view:

TURING pointed to GEORGE as the burglar. Fingerprints confirmed that but for TURING to get that information from a Door-to-Door brush salesman is a bit fantastical. ROSS thinks TURING is lying and says so. Not in an accusatory way, just factual. ROSS just wants the truth. TURING is not known for his social skills, so I think ROSS believes TURING simply did not tell the truth, but not for ill intent.

TURING admits that, yes he was lying but that a friend told him who it may have been. OK, so now we are getting somewhere. It turns out that this “friend” RON MILLER told GEORGE where TURING lived. It appears that TURING is trying to protect RON, but why? ROSS is thinking that maybe this RON and GEORGE are in this together.

The conflict ROSS is having: TURING is a nice guy. ROSS likes TURING although TURING is socially naive. ROSS is also frustrated in trying to convince TURING that these two guys are in on this together. ROSS wants to see justice done, but needs the commitment from TURING to proceed.

TURING then admits that he is trying to protect RON because he is having an affair with him.

More conflict: TURING has just admitted to the crime of Gross Indecency. This was unexpected. ROSS wants justice to be done, but now has to deal with the second crime, TURING’s admission of Gross Indecency.

When broached, TURING asks if ROSS could just forget TURING’s admission.

Even more conflict: The law must be obeyed. ROSS cannot ignore one crime in pursuit of the other. He cannot ignore evidence even if it is against a National Hero.

Sometimes, enforcing the law, just sucks.

What I Did On 2008-08-25

  • Canasta with parents. 3 people, no partners, playing to 5000. Earlier, I discarded a 5 pt card I could have played. My 3rd round score: 4995 #
  • Had a headache all morning. Wife did/does as well. Mine seems to have gone away with a BK lunch followed by Starbucks. #
  • I should have Tea instead of Coffee. I have some Almondina Biscotti from Teavana, but I had a gift card from Starbucks. Free is always good. #
  • Studying lines at work, not for Streetcar, but acting class. Sshhh. Don’t tell anyone. #

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