Monday 16th March

Last Thursday we were given a fragment of a script to learn.
A dialog between two people.
We had to first dissect the fragment using the white board technique.

So what’s this script analysis about?

One gets hold of a whiteboard (is this mandatory? I wasn’t prepared to challenge the teacher on it.)

Then one divides the surface into four sections…

•    Facts
•    Questions (get three answers to questions)
•    Mysterious lines (lines that pique interest)
•    Images and associations

Now we examine each scene in the script and rigorously apply these four criteria to the text.
This helps the Director (or other production staff such as cinematographer) open their mind to possibilities.

We are presenting the fragment of script to the class on Monday, so I’m spending my weekends committing words to memory again.
As before, I’m typing this stuff out to help ‘seat’ it in my head.
Oh Joy!

Once again, feel free to skip it…

Say Goodnight Gracie

What next?

Steve surprises him

Excuse me, do you know what time it is?

Jerry. Holy shit!

Steve. Wait. Before you say anything. I’ve got something wonderful to tell you!

Jerry. What are you doing in my apartment?! You trying to give me a heart attack or something?!

Steve. Oh it’s ok, Ginny let me in. She went to pick up her dress at the cleaners. How’d the audition go?

Jerry. What are you doing in my apartment, Steve?!

Steve. Your weren’t right for the part, were you?

Jerry. Never mind!

Steve. Jerry, it doesn’t matter! Wait till you hear what

Jerry. Not now! Please

Steve. Oh boy! Just wait till you hear what I’ve got to tell you! Come
on: ask me what it is. I haven’t told anybody yet- Benny’ll be right
back, bobby’ll be here, we’ll be leaving for the reunion- come on!

Jerry. Where’s the Chunky Turkey soup?

Steve. Soup? Soup? Who cares about soup?

Jerry. Where’s the chunky Turkey soup?

Steve. I ate it! It was delicious! I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Jerry. You ate the chunky Turkey soup?

Steve. Yes! I was all alone, I was excited and hungry and I wanted to
celebrate and here was this little can crying out: Take me, open me,
eat me, I’m yours!

Jerry. In my cabinet, Steve, in my kitchen, in my apartment, there are the following items-

Steve. And do you know why I was so excited???

Jerry. 3 canes of chunky beef soup, 3 cans of chunky vegetable soup, 3
cans of chunky split pea and ham soup, and 7 family size cans of
Franco-American spaghettios. Are you listening?

 Steve. What are you doing?. Rehearsing a monologue!

Jerry. Early this morning, as I was about to leave my apartment, I
paused for a moment in my kitchen and looked in my  cabinet, and I made
certain that hidden away behind all those other items, there was still
one remaining can of chunky Turkey soup. Why did I do this?

Steve. 10..9..8..

Jerry. I did this because Chunky Turkey soup as you know, for some
mysterious reason, has become almost impossible to locate in this part
of the city and because I like it very much. In fact, I love it! Why do
I love it? I don’t know. I can’t honestly tell you why I love chunky
turkey soup. All I know is-

Steve. Hey, thanks so much for coming. We would have preferred hearing
something from Shakespeare, but this gives us a damn fine idea of your
talents, and believe me, if a part should turn up…

Jerry. All I know is: I love it! It is dependable. It is there. It is
the last thing I can be certain of in a world filled with uncertainty.
And in any case, I don’t believe that an emotion such as love has to be
explained. Don’t you agree?

Steve. Are you al right?

Jerry. Do you agree?

Steve. My Bad, it was only a can of soup!

Jerry. it was only a can of soup. Was that what you said?

Steve. Yes.

Jerry. Guess what word you left out?

Steve. I have no idea.

Jerry. Guess

Steve. I don’t know!

Jerry. Take a guess!

Steve. But I don’t know!

Jerry. What’s the word?

Steve. Hmmmmn, It wouldn’t be swordfish’ would it?

Jerry. Myz2 the word is ‘my.’ My my my my my! It was only my fucking can of soup!

Steve. You are very angry.

So today we’re all presenting our scenes as an actors rehearsal.
Which means I have to act.
Oh Joy!

This was another long day as not only did everyone perform their piece, but
we got to apply various tones, objectives, and actions to the text.
My turn was pretty much a multi-lane car crash.
I was so reliant on my partner feeding the correct lines for me to reply to, that when they didn’t, my brain froze.

Tried to work my way through it, but the second time through was almost
impossible, what with my partner acting like a crack fiend and feeding
me even less cues from the text.
I had a pot that I had taken in as a prop, and I was left at the end of the ordeal wanting to cave his head in with it.

Can’t blame my partner much though. Hell! we’re both inexperienced with this acting gig.

Doesn’t matter if they learnt the lines or not, cause when stage fright hits,
all the prep in the world an’t worth a ‘bucket o beans.’
Besides, it’s only an exercise. Learn from it and move on is the attitude I’m taking.
Despite any personal discomfort, everything we’ve been doing in this class is damn useful stuff.