Butt-Kicking First Week

First week of class coming to an end, I'll give you a basic breakdown of the classes:

Voice & Speech- A class to teach us proper diction, projection (although that word is a no-no here), and to implement within us the General American "accent"/way of speaking. This is a style of speaking formed by Edith Skinner some time back that supposedly gives no indication whatsoever of where you are from, your age, etc. It's extremely proper and sounds a bit pompous to tell you the truth. The second class had us learning the way to pronounce our 'o' sounds: think of the word 'hot'. The 'o' in 'horrible' should sound the same way it does in 'hot. Say aloud to get the full effect. Also try with 'orange' and 'forest'. It's strange. This class also implemented the 'u-glide', a term you might be more familiar with, but it left me feeling a little doubting of the necessity of such a subject since it seemed to me that speaking in such a manner would alienate any normal person.

          Theatre History- Boring. Plain and simple. Haha. We read a bunch of plays, have many more reported to us by classmates (a task I will have to do at some point later in the year, something I'm NOT looking forward to), and we listen to a man lecture. I suppose reading plays and learning history could be semi-intriguing, but at the moment I'm just not feeling it. I guess this is the way AADA can still call itself a school.

          Vocal Production- SINGING! Heck yeah! Buuuut.... we don't sing until after the mid-term. First half is spent on just speaking properly, then using song to continue teaching that ideal. When we get to singing, though- Imma own it.

          Alexander Technique- The most hippy class you'll ever take. Involves a lot of laying in the floor, breathing deeply (actually that just happens alot around AADA, in practically every class), and finding perfect inner balance. It's a very subtle art, enough so that they split the sections in half so that students can have plenty of one-on-one attention. I will say that after the teacher personally worked with me and got me to Alexander-walk across the room, there was a noticeable difference. A light, wholeness to the body. Most easily described as Zen.

I might take this moment to explain how AADA works. The class of 125 is split into sections of roughly 17. These sections go to every class together everyday. The idea is to get the sections really comfortable with each other so that the acting work can be honest and personal. My section is pretty rockin'. We all like each other quite well and are actually getting together this weekend for dinner and a night out. Go Section 7!

          Movement- Let's call it what it is: Dance. And it is tough. The warm-up alone gets me sweatin' big time. Today we started on the choreography of All That Jazz from Chicago. As much as I thought I was gonna hate this class, I gotta say that it is undeniably fun. Not to mention it's pretty much the only class where we actually do something, especially since Acting hasn't really gotten started yet. I don't if my utter lack of skill will allow me to pass, but I'll enjoy failing with the other boys.

          ACTING- This is what it's all about, isn't it? Already there have been several minor little revelatory moments for me. Acting is all about honesty, truth, doing under imaginary circumstances. It's so easy to think of acting as putting on a show- It is not. It's being as emotionally open as you possibly can, exploring feelings and experiences that other people are scared to really go through in their every day lives. After all, that's why people pay big bucks to see performances- They want to have feel by what they see, feelings they would be too frightened to explore otherwise. Forgive me for waxing philosophical, but it's a beautiful thing. However, that does not mean that I am above admitting when it gets a little silly. There was a moment yesterday in Acting class when are 17 of us were standing in a tight circle, massaging the back of the person in front of us, breathing deeply, and sighing loudly. I couldn't help but laugh as I wondered what someone from Kemp, Texas would think if they had walked in that room.

          Speech Practicum- The final class of the week, essentially a class made for putting into practice those things we've been having thrown at us in Voice & Speech and Vocal Production class. And it also explained to me the great mystery of General American: If we learn to speak in the most proper and simple way we can, then we can take our voice any direction a play or character might require, whether that be by location, age, social status or all of the above. Yet another minor revelatory moment at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and perhaps a little proof that they really know what they're doing.

And it's kicking my butt. I feel exhausted already, and no I haven't been staying up until all hours of the night. As the girl in Company that I chatted with after class explained to me: If the first week is kicking your butt, then the school is doing its job. You're on the right track. Prepare your buttocks for continued kicking as the weeks progress. Good to know, Company Girl. I'll prepare my buttocks accordingly because I'm gonna give this my all.