wednesday’s post

today was our third and final day with shawn. we continued with last weeks idea of coming into the space with new eyes. we got to see shawn and elisa work again. and while it’s great to see them work everyday, it just kind of sucks that they end up doing more work than us. i think i would have preferred seeing them for a shorter time,or just watching the students all go. and that way we could all do something.

today i watched scarlett,margie,and abbi do movement. and its interesting to see them like that, scarlett especially,because she’s so different just nin the halls.and its great to see both sides, the public,and the more animalistic/primal side.

it was a great experience with shawn for the past 2 weeks,and although i’m not sure i understood everything, it was great to watch him and elisa work with us.

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today i read about my experience on monday. plus i watched and took some notes on shawn and elisa’s movement time. i also paid attention to scarlett,margie,and abbi’s movement.

tuesday’s post

today we had the 8th graders come to visit!! it was really exciting to think, these kids could be our freshman next year. and i remeber meeting some 8th graders last year, and how i was in 7th grade and came to talk with you with my mom, and i first met javi. then he asked me what grade i was in and counted to his senior year and said “if you came here i’d be your senior.” it’s funny how i ended up coming to the school and really getting to know javi and the seniors and im here today and everything…

anyway. i got to show a 8th grader how to work the light board. i think that was like a land mark for me. because i remember matt teaching me like the first month freshman year and i just couldnt get it. now i’m teaching someone. HOLY JESUS. then i took my 8th grader on a tour and it surprised me how much i knew after this year and 2 months.

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today i showed my 8th grader around,and i showed her how to use the light board.i also said all my accomplishments, including my cake internship,which is so fun to say. plus i offered to try my monologue, but you were primarily working with the juniors. and i participated in all our warm up games.

monday’s post

so today was day two with shawn and elisa. first of all. its great to be with shawn, but sometimes i wish he would tell us exactly whats going on. today one second he was talking about coming into the space,and the next he was walking to the wing,coming back and telling us about some sports team. i really wanted to ask,wait what just happened? and then he told kelsey and fernando to do the same thing. i just didnt understand what he wanted them to do. or what he was doing.

but after that we did some movement. coming into the space and just moving. shawn and elisa both went,and the contrast between the two was almost laughable. elisa was soft,slow,and small. shawn was jumping around and spazing out and sort of sighing but loudly. i thought he was going to start screaming,and i was seriously bracing myself for it. but he didn’t.

after they both went, he let us go. lexii and i got picked. i was really excited and happy to go. lexii’s movement went first. i saw alot of testing of her limits with her body. and just seeing what she could do in the space.

then i got to try. at first i had some inner monologue going on, and i was kind of saying what should i do? and i started just doing things i was comfortable,trying to become aware of my body. and after getting used to it i could feel my head start over thinking. and i wanted to say “STOP OVER THINKING” so my body kind of said it for me. i just shook all my thoughts loose and then just went with it. i started just making noise with the floor, with my hands, seeing what changed if i made noise a different way. and just felt very relaxed and stopped thinking about what i was doing. i just played and had fun up there. one moment i remember the most; i was looking at the lights,and then looking away they burn was still in my eye, anywhere i looked. and i saw it,and wanted to catch it. that was all i wanted. i really just had fun and played during my movement!!

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today i tried my best to understand what shawn wanted us to see. i really focused and tried to understand what he meant about seeing the space with new eyes. i got a chance to do some movement and i felt it was one of the “real-est” times i’ve ever had on the stage. and i think i’m slowly seeing how to stop thinking and relax on stage.

thursday's post

today was our acting time. i went last week, so i didnt get to work today. but i did watch kelsey,scarlett and victoria go today.and i got some notes i can use about seeing your surroundings,and being in the moment. like the false memories i think work a bit for me,but only to see how olivia would act around me if she was interested in me. then i think i can use those false memories to kind of piece it together,and it can help me discover my lines more.

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i came prepared with my blacks and script. i turned on the stage lights. i listened to kelsey,scarlett,and victoria and wrote down notes they got that i think i can use toward my monologue. then i helped clean up the auditorium for the talent show. i walked through the seats collecting trash,and i cleaned up some crap off of the stage.

wednesday's experience.

of course the one day when so much happened, we dont have to journal since we stayed after.

well i am journaling anyway.because i want to remember my experiences with shawn lewis.

first off, hey there shawn! he's the exact kind of crazy you discribed. but i felt just such a passion and true understanding of himself, his body, his craft. and it was a great thing to see in such a reserved person. i appreciated his,getting on our level, and treating us like peers and friends not students. though at first i wasn't sure where any learning was coming in. i thought he was just walking around and chatting.then his wrods kinda came back to me and i went, oh yeah we are just being right now. i wish i had 5 minutes alone. i wanted to experience it. but i felt like there wasn't much wrong that could be done in class.

i explained this afterward,but i'm a thinker. i over think and pre-paln and it sucks! but i just went with shawns free-flow today and let everything go. i did my own thing, i zoned in and out of shawn's 10 minutes, because it was my 10 minutes too. i didnt have to focus on everything,cause it was mine.MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE. all mine. when we had our giant pile, i didnt have to sit there and slep or lay on people, i can play with the candle or watch scarlette draw or see how many shadows the lights were making on my hands (6 infact) or what colors where on the lights,and how that made me think and feel. they were diming and people were breathing,and theyre moving and not moving. and it was all okay!!

then we had our campfire.which i felt was just fun. just a fun thing to do and say. and it was nice to picture and to feel like it did happen. i feel like it was partially knowing everyone made it more real,and you could see how people would act around a campfire.

then we had our i guess movement/speaking to the sike. monster, monster, monster. this point is when i saw shawn do it,but it wasn't right away. i expected for him to speak as soon as he faced the sike. but no,he took his time to get comfortable and to breathe.which was great. then i got to try. i was scared at first but i just let myself relax,and feel comfortable around myself and then i said monster,monster,monster. i did whatever movement just came to my body.and it felt great.

i do have to give myself a bit of a pat on the back,because on top of acting, i was stage managing a bit. i tried to work the lights (my intentions were there) but you kinda took over since i was in class. i got the cord for shawn. and it just felt like cool to be a stage manager.even if i was not doing much, it still feels cool to be called a stage manager and know that i have responsiblities.

which brings me to, open rehearsal fail. i wish it would have pulled through because i was looking forward to seeing lou direct,and see a director work with professional actors.and to see chelsea stage manage with the actors. and i guess you could say i was a bit of a mini-sm. cause i helped chelsea with getting people on stage, and keeping them under control while she did her sm duties.

all and all it was a very good day. and if you read all that babble,you desrve a metal.

tuesday's post

today we continued our denotative analysis. after our very long discussioon on SATS/PSATS. i know its going to sound negitive,but im terrified for SATS. but then who isn't?

i took more notes on the denotative analysis. and i think we even went a little conotative today. and we're definatly working faster with the text.which is a serious plus. and then today i wrote my first rehearsal report, which i copied off of matt's last year for freshie showcase. so i think the format was pretty good. they just take time. i'm trying to persuade my parents about letting me bring my computer to school.but so far no luck. hopefully i can soon,so the reports can just be typed while were rehearsing.

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today i took notes on the denotative analysis,which i've been doing,so i have a referance if an actor forgets something,and its also helping me understand the language alot better. plus i participated in our many discussions about lucianna's living arrangements,PSATS/SATS, etc. and i wrote my very first rehearsal report.

monday's post

today we were scanning again. i finished all my scansion,since i only have my monologue. so now i just have to memorize my scansion. plus we took notes on more royal shakespearian videos. god i hate those people. call me jelous or pissed off, but i hate them. because it proves to you over and over how freaking amazing you have to be to be an actor.and its just alot to bite off,that you might not be able to chew.

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i completely finished my scansion,and it's been aproved by you. now im continueing my search for oprative words. for the most part i understand every word. but when in the monologue i dont understand them, so i dont get the contex of some of the words i guess.so i have more questions! i took notes on the royal shakespearian amaz-a-people. and i'm finishing up my screen play so it makes sense and still tells a similar story as my 20 page script did.