Gatherings just keep getting better and exciting!

Committed core AP members:
Sharon, Edgar, Lorne, Alex
plus Nonnie and David (not shown)

Wed nights & Thur afternoons are now permanent Gathering dates! We have a small handful of people that love being able to get together and play with text that they are willing to commit on a weekly basis. Now, all we need to do is grow! It's quite the exciting prospect!!

What made me really happy was that despite the shock of a snow storm we had Wednesday, three of us (Sharon, Edgar and myself) still wanted to show up and by doing so, we had a fantastic evening. And on Thursday afternoon, so far it's just Alex and myself but we use the time with gusto, and don't want to let it stop. We all commented how we felt this was benefitting us in a momentum type way. It's like I've been continuously saying, athletes and musicians gather all the time to sharpen their skills, so why shouldn't we?

We take scenes and explore how many different ways we can approach the text until we find something that really takes hold. This is especially valuable when dealing with works like Pinter or Mamet.

Sharon and Edgar played some more with the Betrayal scene and the second time round, Edgar became very unpredictable. At one point, the shift was so sudden and the scene became really compelling to watch.

I played with a monologue and surprised myself with how much it became personalized. If you want to take a peek and have 10 minutes, check it out at youtube.com/watch?v=ud1Z8BGNUsU. It's not perfect but that's not what exploration is all about anyway.

Alex and I continued our exploration of the first scene from American Buffalo and we personalized our text in different ways as we repeated it and moments started to crystalize! There are still some moments to figure out, but that's where all the fun lies!! Also, we had some creative accidents due to me spilling some tea in the middle of the scene. We just kept going and explored where our reactions to the accident took us. It happened twice! What a ride!!

Here's a great way to increase your listening skills. Make copies of the scene you want to play with and with the copy, black out all of the stage directions and the dialogue that is not yours. This way, you have to really listen to what your scene partner says and feel inspired to say what it is you want to say or do next.

Photos of all Gatherings can be viewed by going to actorsplayground.ca and clicking the Photos tab near the top of the page.