If you’re looking for my Wreck this Journal entry just scroll down. I don’t yet know how to post a direct link to it. I’m so glad I decided to take the leap and join Jamie Ridler’s reading group. Everyone has been wonderful and it’s so exciting to explore all the other blogs. I’m overwhelmed by the talent, creativity and generosity. It’s very inspiring!! I will slowly make my way through everyone’s entries. I’m in tech week this week - for those of you who don’t know - that means my every waking minute (and many of my sleeping minutes) are dedicated to the show that’s opening this weekend.
One of my “5 Things” last week was Uta Hagen’s dvd master class. It has led me to re-read her books and the following quote jumped out at me (my time to hear it).
“The most important thing to keep in mind when exploring and testing you relationship to others during rehearsal (or during a performance, for that matter), is to remain wide open and vulnerable to your partners. From the perspective of your character, be receptive to everything they do, to each action sent to you. Be alert even to the flicker of an eye, the furrowing of a brow, the slightest hesitation, the nuance of inflection or a tone of voice, their lightest touch…An analogy can be made between the stage and the tennis court: The strokes that are practiced against a wall may be executed brilliantly but serve little purpose until they are tested in a delivery across the net to an opponent, when the player knows that his next shot is dependent on how it will be sent back, on how he will receive it - during a singles or a doubles match. Our fellow actors must be treated as worthy partners, not as ball boys.”
This passage from Uta Hagen’s A Challenge for the Actor really resonates with me. I frequently find myself in the “good student” mode, focused on “doing “ - and doing it perfectly. Being a woman, I also frequently focus on giving. It is hard for me to receive. It never comes from a lack of confidence in my fellow actors but from a lack of confidence in myself. I always want to be sure that what I am “sending” is good . I still struggle with trusting myself enough to just open to what’s there and responding with my intuition. If I’m busy planning my next move - how can I be open to what is happening NOW? You must RECEIVE before you can SEND. I am going to make tonight’s rehearsal about applying this principle.
This passage from Uta Hagen’s A Challenge for the Actor really resonates with me. I frequently find myself in the “good student” mode, focused on “doing “ - and doing it perfectly. Being a woman, I also frequently focus on giving. It is hard for me to receive. It never comes from a lack of confidence in my fellow actors but from a lack of confidence in myself. I always want to be sure that what I am “sending” is good . I still struggle with trusting myself enough to just open to what’s there and responding with my intuition. If I’m busy planning my next move - how can I be open to what is happening NOW? You must RECEIVE before you can SEND. I am going to make tonight’s rehearsal about applying this principle.
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