Today in Company all were asked to share their “Authentic Self” in ANY way – – in ANY format they chose. No constraints were put on the exercise. The class showed remarkable integrity as they ventured some place quite unknown. I loved the variety and the passion they brought forth. They change the dynamics of the space. They moved the audience into various configurations. The played with aesthetic distance.
The two most common holdbacks to being fully authentic that I noticed from day #1 was the lack of physical involvement. I am sure that being new to the free-form work of Company they went right to their intellect to “solve the problem” of the project and had no clue that their bodies may hold the most interesting answers.
I also noticed there was that tell-tale pushing of some moments. It certainly was more free then much of their monologue and scene work but you could still feel its presence. The habit of doing things well and getting things right so prevents the work. It is so easy to DO and so seemingly challenging to just BE.
At the conclusion of one of the student’s work, I asked the actor, what would your story have been if you didn’t use words. She looked me square in the face and said, “I don’t know!” Fair enough. Curious. Ready to learn – – a perfect place to be for exercise #1