For That Was My Meaning
Our first class of the new term started with a brief run through (literally RUN through) the main elements of 116; open vibration, sending out noises etc. This was more for the new people I think because they may have forgotten 116 or perhaps they did not do this in 116.
We began working on our first scenes tonight. Although, they were content less scenes, or what we Sheldonites used to call them, Nothing Scenes. We got a set of text that was as plain as it could be. There were no stage directions, just lines that could be used in literally any setting.
“Hi”
“Hello”
“How are you?”
“Fine”
Of course there was more too it than that. We weren’t specifically instructed to give any of it meaning, but I think that goes against human nature. We give meaning to everything from catching a leaf on the first day of autumn (apparently that will prevent you from getting a cold all winter) to things like Kraft Diner (maybe it was the last thing you ate with your grandfather before he died). Meaning is everywhere. If humans didn’t give this symbols meaning, you wouldn’t be able to read them. But enough of this philosophising.
At the end of class, we began to ‘perform’ these scenes. Random people would jump up and volunteer to be in a scene that they only knew the lines to. Not the setting or anything. Raymon gave them a setting or a situation and they were to play off that and each other. With the same lines of text we saw a couple fighting, roommates fighting, a mugging and a brother comforting a brother. It’s amazing to me how simple these things can be, but how complex our minds make them out to be.
This class barely scratched the surface of what is yet to come. I am banking for, and hoping for, scenes upon scenes upon scenes. I love scene work because it’s predictable, but on the other hand, I love improv because it’s unpredictable. Oh the hypocrisy that is me!
I’m looking forward to this class. The work (which won’t really be work if you love acting ((which I do)) and meeting new people. Drama kids are some of the best kids and I know (also some of the worst). And I really hope that those of us who have been together before can open our tight knit circle to let a few others in. Everyone has something to offer and cutting people out will only hold the entire group back.
Our first class of the new term started with a brief run through (literally RUN through) the main elements of 116; open vibration, sending out noises etc. This was more for the new people I think because they may have forgotten 116 or perhaps they did not do this in 116.
We began working on our first scenes tonight. Although, they were content less scenes, or what we Sheldonites used to call them, Nothing Scenes. We got a set of text that was as plain as it could be. There were no stage directions, just lines that could be used in literally any setting.
“Hi”
“Hello”
“How are you?”
“Fine”
Of course there was more too it than that. We weren’t specifically instructed to give any of it meaning, but I think that goes against human nature. We give meaning to everything from catching a leaf on the first day of autumn (apparently that will prevent you from getting a cold all winter) to things like Kraft Diner (maybe it was the last thing you ate with your grandfather before he died). Meaning is everywhere. If humans didn’t give this symbols meaning, you wouldn’t be able to read them. But enough of this philosophising.
At the end of class, we began to ‘perform’ these scenes. Random people would jump up and volunteer to be in a scene that they only knew the lines to. Not the setting or anything. Raymon gave them a setting or a situation and they were to play off that and each other. With the same lines of text we saw a couple fighting, roommates fighting, a mugging and a brother comforting a brother. It’s amazing to me how simple these things can be, but how complex our minds make them out to be.
This class barely scratched the surface of what is yet to come. I am banking for, and hoping for, scenes upon scenes upon scenes. I love scene work because it’s predictable, but on the other hand, I love improv because it’s unpredictable. Oh the hypocrisy that is me!
I’m looking forward to this class. The work (which won’t really be work if you love acting ((which I do)) and meeting new people. Drama kids are some of the best kids and I know (also some of the worst). And I really hope that those of us who have been together before can open our tight knit circle to let a few others in. Everyone has something to offer and cutting people out will only hold the entire group back.
posted by Jennifer at 9:33 PM
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