Just got back from spending 3 and a half hours of my day off in the windowless GCTC boardroom, helping to stuff some 1625 envelopes for a ‘donation drop’.  I could feel some of the magic of theatre starting to fade a little near the end of the third hour, but I remain strong.  What sucks about it is that, if only we’d dragged our heels a bit, we could have gotten free pizza out of it.    As it stands, my fellow volunteers and I were just too damned efficient, even going so fast we had long pauses waiting for the printer to spew out more forms.  We were like a collective John Henry, smiting the steam engine of modern technology with our volunteer-ish vigor.  Or something.  Now give them all your money so it wasn’t wasted time, okay?  These plays don’t make themselves.  Geez.

But more important even than a morning of dull clerical duties, last nite was the 9th of my ten entry level acting classes at the OSSD!  the end is all too nigh, my friends, and I’m dreading a bleak, classless December.  So let’s enjoy the moments while they last, hey?  The day started off good, what with not one but two new Grant Morrison-penned BATMAN comix on the stands, and a sweet copy of Kino’s SHERLOCK Jr./3 AGES special edition waiting for me at Invisible Cinema.   So I was in good spirits breezing into school, keener early as usual. Chatted briefly with classmate Sabrina and Boss Barry Karp, back from his production run at the NAC’s 4th stage last week.  Class got underway with the usual excercizes…and I’m getting a little concerned at how our numbers are shrinking as we stumble towards the end.  Only 9 left?  Come on Julia, Erik, Rachel, Denise…tell me you’re gonna make it back for the big finish!!  I don’t usually like a crowd, but I like THIS crowd plenty.  so let’s pull it together next week.  Deal?

Now that THAT’S settled, on with the class…we did some more practice on our final enchainement, with Boss Karp providing one-on-one commentary and criticisms, which I find I’m oddly loving.   Seems I really do want to get better at this stuff (incidentally, I was glad to see a good show of hands this class for folks planning to go on to level 2).  And I’m feeling pretty good about the routine I have made up…I mean, it’s no big whoop what we’re doing, but I still think I’ve got it pretty good.  So, there’s that.  Then we did a few on-the-spot mini-scenes, before we split into groups of two (or three in my case, uneven number as we were) to tackle our dialogue we’d been given a few classes previous.  Just simple words (‘hi’ ‘hello’ ‘how are you?’ and so forth), but we kept on switching the setting and characters for them, completely changing the presentation each time.  We did this for a few minutes before settling on ones to present to the class.  Me, Helene and Justin did 2, with Justin in both.  He and I did what I think was a pretty successful ‘Professor and student’ routine.  Everyone was very solid, really, but big hats off to Catherine and Simon for cracking the whole class up with their routine.  Absolutely fucking hilarious…we got some talent in the room, dig?

We broke briefly after that, in which time I got some old-fashioned networking done…more and more folks in the class are now finding out about this blog, which is…interesting.  I’m not sure how comfortable I am, losing the secret identity like that, but then, I could certainly do with considerably less comfort in my life.  So welcome aboard, gang!    Now let’s get back to class, for…

…storytelling!  Hey, remember about 4 classes ago, when we brought in some short stories from our families and told them to fellow class members?  Turns out it’s time to do that again, only, y’know, to everyone.  Which was cool, except mine was actually sorta half made-up, on account of my parents didn’t really HAVE any proper ‘stories’ to give me (ie: things with a beginning, middle, AND end, as opposed to just a beginning…thanks, folks),  but I think I muddled through, as did we all.  And Boss Karp was right, David DOES have a commanding voice up there.

We finished up with a little more last-minute enchainement prep before breaking up, for the second last time.   Sigh.  It sounds like the Boss has a fulll clas planned for our finale, tho…we’ll see how much we manage to squeeze in.  Me, I’m up for going out with a bang (and, following that, a good party at the nearest pub).  And to any of the gang reading this who I haven’t facebooked yet, check out CRUSH IMPROV at the Elmdale Tavern this Monday the 22nd.  Starts at 8, I’d get there at 730 to get a good spot.  Ya know I’ll be there! And the rest of you, show up to, cause it’ll be a good time.  Until then, peace, love and soul to you all,

The Visitor (and Winston)