fandomhigh | Acting 101; Monday, First Period [01/07].

"Hey, you guuuuys!" Sweet Dee greeted her tiny, tiny, tiny little class with a broad smile that was holding back an awful lot of disappointment in the fact that they'd actually shown up for the second week. "Good morning! Welcome back! I hope you're ready to get up here and have a lot of fun today, because what we're working on this week is..." Pause for effect. Dramatic reveal. "Improv!

"Now, improv, in a way, is kind of the opposite of what we did last week with monologues, which was reading from a set scene. With improv, you make everything up as you go along, sometimes with a prompt or a suggestion. It's a really popular method for comedic actors to really test their chops and get out there, too, and you have to think on your feet and really feel the room, your acting partners, the whole vibe. It's really dynamic and an important tool, even in more dramatic acting. Nothing worse than being in a live show and someone flubs their lines, but a good amount of improv training can help you recover the scene so that no one barely even notices. Believe me, I improv all the time, and it goes great."

It went awkwardly and embarrassingly for everyone involved, really.

"In a moment, I'm going to give you guys a few characters and scenarios and a starting line, and I want to see how you think on your feet and work with each other," her fingers did circles in the air as if connecting them, nodding her head with an eager smile to get them on board with this totally harmonious vibe she was building between them, "and improv your way through a scene. But there's one thing that's important to remember, and this is today's lesson for the day, and that thing is: Yes, and...! "Yes, and..." is the most important thing in improv. No matter what the other actor throws at you, you don't want to just say no and totally kill their vibe. You want to 'Yes, and...' "I'm going to the grocery story, do you need anything?' 'Yes, and!...could you pick up more eggs this time?' 'Yes, and I think they're on sale today!' See? Yes, and! keeps the conversation going, keeps it moving, brings more energy to the scene. I want to see all three of you Yes, and!ing all over this stage. Okay?

"Okay! If there aren't any questions, let's just get right to it. I've got three scenarios in mind, and, if we have enough time at the end of class, I want you guys to offer out a few for your fellow actors to pursue as well, really challenge each other, okay? You guys ready?"

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Yes, and...?

Norman Babcock

Astrid Magnussen

If you can look past the almost manic attempts at sounding excited and confident, it's actualy...not that bad? Even a broken clock is right twice a day, though, folks.

"For our first scenario," Sweet Dee informed them, "you're going to be in a castle. Khadgar," oh, man, she hoped she was getting that right, as she checked her notes, "you're going to be the strong, noble king, and Norman, you'll be his favorite court jester, while Astrid will play the evil witchy crone. I'm going to give you an opening line, and anyone can say it to get the scene started, and then just take it from there, okay? So your starting line is, 'Oh, what a long journey it has been.' Got it? Whoever wants to start, go ahead and...go!"

Norman might have grimaced a little bit at the phrase, 'evil witchy crone,' but he kept that one to himself. Life in Blithe Hollow had left him with a little bit of a knee-jerk in that particular area, nothing to see here.

He pulled in a deep breath, and then decided to leap right in, awkwardly miming out his best attempt at juggling.

"Oh," he said, "what a long journey it has been to visit the witch to cure your curse, sire! But I promise, I'll keep your spirits up!"

"Okay, now, we're going to switch it up a little, make this one a little more challenging, and you'll be animals!" Sweet Dee introduced this concept with the kind of excitement that would have been more fitting if they were five, but she didn't seem to notice a difference. "In a barnyard! Khadgar, you'll be the strong, dutiful horse, Norman'll be the keen and faithful hound dog, and Astrid, you'll get to be the fat stupid cow! And your line for this scene will be 'Oh, no, looks like old Farmer Brown's getting the shotgun again!'"

Norman's little squint was a little more obvious, this time. What had Astrid done...

"Oh, no," he... barked, really, "looks like old Farmer Brown's getting the shotgun again." He looked between the other two, putting on a worried front. "Do you suppose he's upset about me letting the fox into the chicken coop the other night?"

Existed. Astrid has merely existed.

"I wouldn't know," she offered, on the one hand seeming weirdly unfazed by it, but, on the other hand, unable to help her next line being, "I'm just a fat stupid cow. Moo."

It would have been a good opportunity for 'yes, and...', really, but, hey, she was given a role, right, she was going to stick to it.

"With your last one from me," Sweet Dee said, "we're going to make it a little more modern and up-to-date. We'll go back to the grocery store like in my example at the beginning of class for your Yes, and!ing, only, Khadgar, you'll be the real jerk-off guy at the register who won't get off his phone, Norman'll be the beleaguered cashier trying to cash him out, and Astrid'll be a mean ugly old woman. And your line? 'These avocados are just so ripe!'"

Yeah, that sounded like a mean ugly old woman line if Astrid ever heard one. She...wasn't entirely sure if she really made that great of a mean ugly old woman, really, but she tried, in a voice that was almost identical to her 'evil witchy crone' voice, as she assumed she was butting in to this supposed transaction going on between the cashier and the customer in front of her. "These avacados are just so ripe! Too ripe! I demand to speak to a manager!"

She gave a little shake of her fist, too. Half-heartedly, but she imagined she was holding a cane or an umbrella or something, the sort of thing she'd used to threaten all these young whipper-snappers with, as Astrid realized that she didn't even really know any old people...

"Alright, anyone else have something they'd like to throw out, challenge your classmates a little? Let's hear what you've got, yeah?"

She's feeling this class went pretty well, which can only be good for her ego, which will just be bad for everyone else.

As much as I hate that it's Monday, I'll still not end the world. I guess. This time.

Acting 101; Monday, First Period [01/07].

Sign In - Acting, 01/07.

Re: Sign In - Acting, 01/07.

Re: Sign In - Acting, 01/07.

Listen to the Lecture - Acting, 01/07.

Scenario One - Acting, 01/07.

Re: Scenario One - Acting, 01/07.

Scenario Two - Acting, 01/07.

Re: Scenario Two - Acting, 01/07.

Re: Scenario Two - Acting, 01/07.

Scenario Three - Acting, 01/07.

Re: Scenario Three - Acting, 01/07.

Make Your Own Scenario - Acting, 01/07.

Talk to Sweet Dee - Acting, 01/07.

OOC - Acting, 01/07.