Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
not_a_bird) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2018-12-30 11:49 pm
not_a_bird) wrote in fandomhigh2018-12-30 11:49 pm
Entry tags:
Acting 101; Monday, First Period [12/31].
Ugghhh. What kind of school put a new teacher on for the first class on a Monday morning? On New Years Eve? Whoever did the schedules for this weird, dumb school was a total dick-weed.
...as if teaching one class a week was just going to be sooooo incredibly taxing on her.
And at least she wasn’t one of the losers stuck with classes tomorrow morning.
But Sweet Dee was there, clinging to a travel tumbler of something that was definitely not just coffee, and she was going to teach, or at least kind of make an effort to, anyway. When the students came in, they’d find her at the front of the class, pretty much mumbling to the class roster in her hands.
“Up at the unholy buttcrack of dawn to teach...what, three students how to act? This one doesn’t even have a last name.” She looked up at them, snorting faintly. “You going for a whole single name Cher/Madonna/Prince thing?” She looked between thetotally modded boys. “Good luck; I don’t think either of you,” whichever it was, “could pull it off.”
And the girl was just way too pretty, so Sweet Dee already hated her guts and was mostly going to ignore her.
But they at least seemed like they’d be less the little shits her last acting class had been.
She set aside the roster and turned her most convincing teacher smile toward the class. “So, hi, you guys,” she said, her tone now going almost cloyingly sweet, “welcome to acting class. My name is Deandra Reynolds, and, not to brag or anything, but I’m kiiiiiind of an indie darling back in my hometown of Philadelphia.”
This was blatantly false.
“And I’m here to teach about the tips and tricks, tools of the trade of the stage and screen! And...probably stage names, too, because…yikes, you guys, I mean, really. Those are pretty rough. No one’s going to go out of their way to catch the latest blockbuster starring an Astrid Magnussen and a Norman Babcock.”
She didn’t know how to pronounce the other one and she was not even going to try it.
“And here I thought my mom hated me. Anyway,” the bright smile was back after a snort of a laugh, “since this is the first class and we’re all kind of new to each other, I figured a good way to start, to sort of, you know, get a feel for where you are and what needs work is to do...some…” Dramatic Pause. Excited Reveal… “Monoloooogues!
“From the Greek, ‘mono,’ meaning one, and ‘logue’, speaking, a monologue is where one person speaks for a given amount of time, so it’ll be a really good opportunity to really show off those acting chops and impress me!”
If that was the goal, they had a lot of work to do.
“I’ll show you an example, from one of my favorites, the always-classic Ryan Gosling vehicle, The Journal:”
Sweet Dee cleared her throat, centered herself...and began what was probably the most awkward and cringe-inducing version of the female lead’s main monologue ever performed. It was all over the place, and that place was a shithole. No one could claimed that Sweet Dee didn’t put her heart into it, though. And she certainly seemed to think she did a good job, the way she was acting like it had been an Oscar-winning performance by the time she was done.
“Pretty good, right?” she prompted. “Fun fact about that movie,” here, she beamed, her smile slightly smug, “I was actually in line for the female lead for it, but unfortunately had to cancel due to a time conflict.”
This was a complete and total lie.
“Rachel McAdams did an okay job in my stead, though,” she added magnanimously.
“But now it’s your turn! If you already have something prepared, great! You should always have a monologue prepared, because you never know when you might run into someone who could really put you on the map. Remember, kids: A.B.N. Always. Be. Networking. But if you don’t have a go-to yet, that’s fine, too, I’ve brought in some popular ones, you can take a few minutes to look them over, and then show us what you’ve got.
“And maybe,” she said with a tempting voice, figuring this next move would at least earn her a few Cool Teacher points, “if we get through them quickly,” since there were only three of you, “I’ll even let you out early today! Yeah?” She laughed at her own brilliance. “How you like them apples?”
“You’ve got five minutes to prep, and then let’s get this show on the road.”
...as if teaching one class a week was just going to be sooooo incredibly taxing on her.
And at least she wasn’t one of the losers stuck with classes tomorrow morning.
But Sweet Dee was there, clinging to a travel tumbler of something that was definitely not just coffee, and she was going to teach, or at least kind of make an effort to, anyway. When the students came in, they’d find her at the front of the class, pretty much mumbling to the class roster in her hands.
“Up at the unholy buttcrack of dawn to teach...what, three students how to act? This one doesn’t even have a last name.” She looked up at them, snorting faintly. “You going for a whole single name Cher/Madonna/Prince thing?” She looked between the
And the girl was just way too pretty, so Sweet Dee already hated her guts and was mostly going to ignore her.
But they at least seemed like they’d be less the little shits her last acting class had been.
She set aside the roster and turned her most convincing teacher smile toward the class. “So, hi, you guys,” she said, her tone now going almost cloyingly sweet, “welcome to acting class. My name is Deandra Reynolds, and, not to brag or anything, but I’m kiiiiiind of an indie darling back in my hometown of Philadelphia.”
This was blatantly false.
“And I’m here to teach about the tips and tricks, tools of the trade of the stage and screen! And...probably stage names, too, because…yikes, you guys, I mean, really. Those are pretty rough. No one’s going to go out of their way to catch the latest blockbuster starring an Astrid Magnussen and a Norman Babcock.”
She didn’t know how to pronounce the other one and she was not even going to try it.
“And here I thought my mom hated me. Anyway,” the bright smile was back after a snort of a laugh, “since this is the first class and we’re all kind of new to each other, I figured a good way to start, to sort of, you know, get a feel for where you are and what needs work is to do...some…” Dramatic Pause. Excited Reveal… “Monoloooogues!
“From the Greek, ‘mono,’ meaning one, and ‘logue’, speaking, a monologue is where one person speaks for a given amount of time, so it’ll be a really good opportunity to really show off those acting chops and impress me!”
If that was the goal, they had a lot of work to do.
“I’ll show you an example, from one of my favorites, the always-classic Ryan Gosling vehicle, The Journal:”
Sweet Dee cleared her throat, centered herself...and began what was probably the most awkward and cringe-inducing version of the female lead’s main monologue ever performed. It was all over the place, and that place was a shithole. No one could claimed that Sweet Dee didn’t put her heart into it, though. And she certainly seemed to think she did a good job, the way she was acting like it had been an Oscar-winning performance by the time she was done.
“Pretty good, right?” she prompted. “Fun fact about that movie,” here, she beamed, her smile slightly smug, “I was actually in line for the female lead for it, but unfortunately had to cancel due to a time conflict.”
This was a complete and total lie.
“Rachel McAdams did an okay job in my stead, though,” she added magnanimously.
“But now it’s your turn! If you already have something prepared, great! You should always have a monologue prepared, because you never know when you might run into someone who could really put you on the map. Remember, kids: A.B.N. Always. Be. Networking. But if you don’t have a go-to yet, that’s fine, too, I’ve brought in some popular ones, you can take a few minutes to look them over, and then show us what you’ve got.
“And maybe,” she said with a tempting voice, figuring this next move would at least earn her a few Cool Teacher points, “if we get through them quickly,” since there were only three of you, “I’ll even let you out early today! Yeah?” She laughed at her own brilliance. “How you like them apples?”
“You’ve got five minutes to prep, and then let’s get this show on the road.”
Sign In - Acting, 12/30.
Re: Sign In - Acting, 12/30.
Re: Sign In - Acting, 12/30.
Listen to the Lecture/Monologue - Acting, 12/31.
….wrong. So, so very wrong.
Re: Listen to the Lecture/Monologue - Acting, 12/31.
... Oh. Oh boy.
Perform your Monologue - Acting, 12/31.
Re: Perform your Monologue - Acting, 12/31.
Ah well, he had it now, and so he was going to just kind of clear his throat, like maybe he was trying to compose himself. It didn't hurt, really, that he actually sort of was. His last time on stage for a school thing had kind of ended in him screaming about talking trees before pitching himself off it and onto the floor in front of the audience, after all.
"Fellow students," he made a point to nod toward his classmates at that, "faculty," and another nod, toward Dee, "parents and friends. We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of our fellow student, Bettina Knapp." He paused a moment for effect, bowing his head a little. "She used to give us all a wink and a smile as she walked the halls, as if she knew something we didn’t." And yes, as he said that, he gave a wink and a smile as well. If the stage direction was right there in the script, of course he was going to take it, right? "Her years here have come to an end, as if they were, in the words of the Book of Common Prayer, a tale told. The tale she told us was that we should follow our hearts," he placed a hand on his chest, "where they lead us, not where others would have us go. That we need not walk the path that others have walked, but should strike out on our own. She roamed these halls after school, a bit of a fugitive, running from what we didn’t know, but running to those who came to know her. She is gone now, but lives on."
All-told... he wasn't awful. He'd tried, anyway.
It was kind of difficult to give a eulogy the proper sort of gravitas when half the people who ever died around you wound up hanging out bored on street corners a week or two later.
Re: Perform your Monologue - Acting, 12/31.
Because Sweet Dee was the type of person to force herself into a children's pageant because she felt intimidated by a six year old.
She gave an encouraging sort of applause, nodding her head. "Not bad," she offered. "Interesting choice, but not bad. I think we'll have a lot to work with, here."
Re: Perform your Monologue - Acting, 12/31.
after my mun spent two hours reading every teenage male monologue on the website not for the first time," Norman admitted, smiling sheepishly. "But... thanks?"It was weird having an acting instructor who wasn't screaming in his face about gusto and conviction the way Mrs. Henscher used to.
Talk to Sweet Dee - Acting, 12/31.
OOC - Acting, 12/31.
*THUMBS UP*