Friday, 30 July 2004

We're all a little different from what others would expect
Recently, someone asked me why I got involved in the theatre. So I'll try to explain.

I've always believed in being a well-rounded person. Knowing as much as I can, or enough to get by, in a number of various things. I believe that not only does it make you a better-informed person, but also you're able to deal with various situations more effectively if you have even a small grasp on what's happening. At least you're not completely in the dark.

There are some things that I know a great deal about and some that I'm only still learning. But that's the great thing about life. You never stop learning. And I constantly want to challenge myself.

But with all of these interests comes a love of the arts. More specifically, acting.

I have taken up a number of different interests. Most of them have centered on performing. Figure Skating, Martial Arts, Ballroom/Latin Dancing, Canine Training, Home Construction, Finishing Carpentry, Furniture Restoration and Construction, Gardening, Poetry, Sketching, Calligraphy, Rapier, Singing, and so on, and so on.

But, I can remember being a kid and wanting to be an actress, a dancer, and a singer. I loved the idea of it. But, I was incredibly shy and was always labeled a dreamer. For a kid, there's nothing better than being a dreamer. Our dreams and imagination are what drive us. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to myself and put performing not only on the back burner, but took it off the stove entirely.

I was about 20 years old, I guess, when I decided that I wanted to take dancing. So, I enrolled at the Arthur Murray Dance Studios. Once I finally started to let go and relax a little, I knew that being in front of an audience was all I wanted.

Then one day, I saw an ad in the paper calling for instructors at another studio. I quickly applied and began a career as a Ballroom/Latin Dance Instructor. Not only did I get the chance to dance (and get paid for it), but also we did 2 variety shows a year. This meant that I also got to sing and act. After a while, my partner and I got the opportunity to do actual shows. What a blast!

Unfortunately, teaching was barely paying the bills. I didn't have a car for about 2 years because I couldn't afford it. And I was living in a not so nice area of town in a cockroach infested building. There's nothing like seeing the police run by your window at least once or twice a week trying to chase down a bad guy. So, for the time being, I got out of dancing and performing.

It's been a few years now and it's time that I do something for myself. We all seem to have so many other things that take over our lives. Our jobs. Our families. Other financial commitments. I realized that I couldn't keep saying no to all of the things that I enjoy about life. All of the things that I love doing and being involved in. There comes a time when you have to do something for yourself and be happy.

I don't love the job that I do right now. It pays the bills and that's it. But I love being on stage. In front of the audience. There is no greater feeling than to know that someone has enjoyed your performance.

One character that I played was E.K. Hornbeck in Inherit the Wind. The character is traditionally a man, but the director decided to change things up a little for me. It was a great role. Hornbeck is a news reporter from the late 20's. Well educated. Very outspoken. And very opinionated. So opinionated that every word has a note of sarcasm in it, but also a lot of truth. Basically, a no bullshit, get right to the point, no sugar coating kind of character. After each performance, the cast did a meet and greet with the audience. People felt such dislike for my character that they would either walk about 10 feet away and wave at me or would approach me to tell me how much they enjoyed hating my character. I told one of the other actors I felt truly accomplished. If people hated me, then my job was done. I found it hard to play a character that was always snide and confrontational. Especially when I'm not like that myself. But I'm still learning.

I took Drama in high school, and it's been a few years. So, I decided that the best thing for me to do would be to take a few classes. I took some scene study and character development classes. And I'm also reading whatever information I can. I try to keep up with what's going on in the acting world. And watch as many behind the scenes kind of show as I can so that I can get a better understanding of what goes on. I also collect movies. I have about 500 now and my collection is growing. I've collected everything from Dramas to Psychological Thrillers and big budget to independent films. I try to take scenes from different movies and break them down into audio and visual communication. There's so much that you can learn just from a person's face.

All in all, I guess I'm just a kid at heart. Still wanting to play make-believe with my friends.

B

Posted by brookside10 at 9:29 AM MDT | Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink

Share This Post