Ketchup.

Uta Question #4 What is your relationship?

My relationship to this blog is that it's my journal. It's a place I can rely on to record and review what I've learned so far. It's a place where I can be honest with myself.

I really don't feel like elaborating on that any further, considering that this post is going to be a 'catch-up' of the last few days. It's been awhile!

Alright, so on the 6th, Wednesday, we had monologue class with Beth. Monologue class happens every two weeks, so that we have two weeks to prepare a new monologue for her. The objective of the class is to finish the class with a monologue portfolio of at least 5 different types of monologues that you can use in auditions. 1 Shakespeare, 2 Modern Realism, 2 Contemporary.

Our task with this monologue assignment was to use the room. To be honest, I didn't even pick or memorize my monologue til a day before. That is my fault, because I was distracted and stressed out about other assignments. I ended up choosing to do a monologue from "Relative Strangers" by Sheri Wilson. I had done a monologue from that play in high school, but I chose a different monologue this time. The monologue addresses the possibility of breast cancer in my character. She has no mother and she's desperately seeking advice and comfort.  Honestly, I had no idea what I was going to do with the room! I wasn't going to be able to practice before performance time, so it was really all up to creativity and immediacy.

Beth always says, "Don't go with your first choice. Push yourself, go with your third or fourth idea." My first idea was to use the water fountain. My monologue is very conversational and my objective was 'to seek comfort'. I thought I could use the water fountain in getting a drink and then refilling as I got more nervous and worked up in my monologue. Then I realized, what if the person I was talking to wasn't in the room? So I decided to place them outside of 'the room' and used the cabinet as doors. That gave me motivation to move in that area of the room more easily. It gave me a point of direction, which made it easier to find other choices. I also used the mirror as my 'tag'. Beth said I had a great, strong tag. I turned to the mirror in the back of the room and did a breast cancer check and then turned and delivered my last line. Up until the last line, I had not said the word 'cancer'. My last line was, "Does a lump always mean cancer?" I think I'm finally getting the hang of making creative, strong tags for my monologues that make sense. I can't believe I never knew about tagging until now...that would've been useful information to have had earlier in my training.

The next monologue I'm doing is from Kennedy's Children, I believe. I'm still deciding...but that's the frontrunner for right now. It would be my contemporary comedic. Comedy is not something I feel particularly comfortable with. Our assignment is to come in the room (in character) and use whatever prop is in the center of the room during our monologue.

Then, on Friday, the 8th, we presented our Shakespeare scenes. I was genuinely impressed with our class, for the most part. I also felt really great about mine! It's interesting, but I rarely feel nervous about performing Shakespeare. I felt totally comfortable in jumping up and performing. It should always feel like that, but I know it doesn't. I feel similar to that when I'm singing or doing a musical theatre audition. I feel more anxious than I feel nervous. Shakespeare is just comfortable to me. Perhaps that's because I feel like both genres are heightened in performance, in text, in emotion. I don't feel quite as vulnerable as I do when I'm performing a dramatic contemporary scene or monologue. I realize that Shakespeare and Musical Theatre require just as much vulnerability as contemporary text, but there is something different about the energy signature and the way you bring about vulnerability. I don't know....hopefully I'll find out what that difference is. Hopefully I'll be able to feel the same way about contemporary texts as I do about Shakespeare and musical theatre soon enough. Or just someday. Either way, Rob really enjoyed our scene. Specifically, he said that I was solid and that he could tell I understood what I was saying and that I was enjoying what I was saying and playing. He liked my choices as Viola.

So, overall, a successful week!

I mailed my UPTA registration forms...and I'm mailing my Midwest application this week. Things are happening so fast!

-Melissa