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The wind’s changing.
Everything for the past month has been about process and trying to figure things out. These 48 students have sobbed, laughed, fought, and flown farther than I think they ever thought possible.
Working with the master teachers I’ve been fortunate enough to have been around has been a mass of lessons that will take me months to sort out. So I won’t pressure myself into thinking about it now. And the students….ages 19 to over 50. I watch them work and I think:
“Oh. That’s how brave I need to get. Right.”
I’ve cried for them, pleaded them, pushed them, applauded for them, and screamed bloody murder at them when I felt them backing away from their own potential. David Rasowski from Second City in Chicago was here before the brilliant Eric Hunnicut (from Improv Olympic) took over, and I love his favorite quote:
“I’m not yelling at you. I’m yelling WITH you. You just haven’t learned how to yell yet.”
But with all the madness and brilliance that’s changed me, the wind is shifting and it’s time to pack up. Tomorrow is tech for “Balm” and the next evening is the two performances. Then it’s time to pack up and get back to my life. I want to go home so badly I can’t stand it. I walk out onto the balcony here and I look up and I pray tomorrow will come faster.
And then one of the kids walks by.
They’re taller. They’re brighter. They’re literally different than they were a month ago when they sat slumped in their seats on the bleachers in the Arena introducing themselves with ego and aplomb. They’re humbled by each other. In awe. Mystified by what other actors have given them.
On this last morning of our class together I reminded them that it’s not only about accepting the gifts, but more importantly, about passing them on. I mean, what’s a present unless it’s shared? Bring what you’ve learned to the outside world, because if there’s Life in your Art, there’s going to be Art in your Life.
And as much as I want to go home, I am absolutely terrified to leave these guys. I don’t want them out in the real world. They’re unprotected. They’re naked and something could happen to them. What if the Dragons come?
Pesky Dragons.
When I called Chrisanne yesterday she gave me another brilliant quote I’ve now adopted:
“If you choose the road with the least amount of obstacles, it’s probably the road that leads nowhere.”
So…I guess the Dragons will be there and the Great 48 will have to choose that path because they won’t be able to figure it out until they have a few more battle scars. I don’t have to like it, though.
I leave on Saturday morning after the two shows. It’s been a tiny miracle. But the wind is changing, and I’ve got to change with it. And I can’t wait to get home.
Still….I don’t have to like it.
Everything for the past month has been about process and trying to figure things out. These 48 students have sobbed, laughed, fought, and flown farther than I think they ever thought possible.
Working with the master teachers I’ve been fortunate enough to have been around has been a mass of lessons that will take me months to sort out. So I won’t pressure myself into thinking about it now. And the students….ages 19 to over 50. I watch them work and I think:
“Oh. That’s how brave I need to get. Right.”
I’ve cried for them, pleaded them, pushed them, applauded for them, and screamed bloody murder at them when I felt them backing away from their own potential. David Rasowski from Second City in Chicago was here before the brilliant Eric Hunnicut (from Improv Olympic) took over, and I love his favorite quote:
“I’m not yelling at you. I’m yelling WITH you. You just haven’t learned how to yell yet.”
But with all the madness and brilliance that’s changed me, the wind is shifting and it’s time to pack up. Tomorrow is tech for “Balm” and the next evening is the two performances. Then it’s time to pack up and get back to my life. I want to go home so badly I can’t stand it. I walk out onto the balcony here and I look up and I pray tomorrow will come faster.
And then one of the kids walks by.
They’re taller. They’re brighter. They’re literally different than they were a month ago when they sat slumped in their seats on the bleachers in the Arena introducing themselves with ego and aplomb. They’re humbled by each other. In awe. Mystified by what other actors have given them.
On this last morning of our class together I reminded them that it’s not only about accepting the gifts, but more importantly, about passing them on. I mean, what’s a present unless it’s shared? Bring what you’ve learned to the outside world, because if there’s Life in your Art, there’s going to be Art in your Life.
And as much as I want to go home, I am absolutely terrified to leave these guys. I don’t want them out in the real world. They’re unprotected. They’re naked and something could happen to them. What if the Dragons come?
Pesky Dragons.
When I called Chrisanne yesterday she gave me another brilliant quote I’ve now adopted:
“If you choose the road with the least amount of obstacles, it’s probably the road that leads nowhere.”
So…I guess the Dragons will be there and the Great 48 will have to choose that path because they won’t be able to figure it out until they have a few more battle scars. I don’t have to like it, though.
I leave on Saturday morning after the two shows. It’s been a tiny miracle. But the wind is changing, and I’ve got to change with it. And I can’t wait to get home.
Still….I don’t have to like it.
Comments
That's not unprotected...it's emboldened and you helped get them there.
Like boxers, training on the punching bag and jump rope doesn't win you the world title...they have to get in the ring and fight. They're not going to win every fight but they'll keep learning and training and, emboldened, will eventually get the title...