"We must attach behavior to a given circumstance... "

Well, today was an interesting day just for the fact that we had finished callbacks for everyone, and we were awaiting our Casting assignments for the semester. Everyone was kind of anxious, to be honest. People didn't really take showers, either, so there was the smell of BO in the air lingering.

When I got there everyone was just kind of experimenting with juggling around the room, and I grabbed my balls and joined in. Lank came in and told us to sit the hell down. What were we doing?

Juggling, Lank.

He didn't want us practicing outside of class, and that we were. So we fucked up. Haha. He gave us 10 minutes to just kind of work through it by ourselves, (when in reality, he gave us about 5 total). So juggling was done. (thank you to Ben Charles who let me borrow his balls... hehe). I've never been able to juggle anything in my life, I can usually get maybe one thing and that's it. This will be a long haul for me, it really will.

We then paired (tripled) up with someone across the way and threw two balls back and forth. He layered on a conversation about anything on top of that, and it was kind of nerve-wracking trying to concentrate on the converation. Consequently it fell to the wayside sometimes. But we got the Hang of it (Sam and I).

Just so you know, memorizing what people say is a talent of mine, but during an exercise where we were to just talk about anything and eventually have to repeat it back was a bit more difficult than I had previously reckoned. Sam had talked about his brother and sister being twins and them eventually graduating, and I talked about my sister in Seattle. We then had to dictate word for word back to them what they said. Which was difficult. And it made me really frustrated in that I don't automatically do that all the time. I'm usually good about that, but whatever... miniscule exercise.

We then made a straight line and Lank gave us one instruction. To listen, and repeat. Everything. So we did. He tried to get us to repeat things (as in he gave us a command after a little poem) and go back to the beginning, instead of saying, "repeat this.... go back to the beginning." I was quick. Haha.

Sam and I continued our Swaray of partnership and told eachother secrets back and forth. After we did that he had us walk around the room and take notice as to what we felt when we passed the person we told our secrets to. I must say, Sam and I are closer now because of that, and every time I see him I'm affected. It's quite interesting.

Then we formed a "dramatic" theatre circle on the floor and Lank drilled Taylor Shurte and Nick Abeel in the Mary Had a Little Lamb Q & A session, answering questions using only the words in the rhyme. It's surprising that nobody really knew it all except Christina Watkins.

Mary had a little lamb,
Little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow

And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go

It followed her to school one day
School one day, school one day
It followed her to school one day
Which was against the rules.

It made the children laugh and play,
Laugh and play, laugh and play,
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school

And so the teacher turned it out,
Turned it out, turned it out,
And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near

And waited patiently about,
Patiently about, patiently about,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
Love Mary so? Love Mary so?
"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
The eager children cry

"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know."
Loves the lamb, you know, loves the lamb, you know
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know."
The teacher did reply

So that's the entirity of it...

After a quick break, Taylor Shurte was in the chair. And she was told to do whatever. She was then told to keep talking about how she was feeling, and told to look at certain people and react. Then she was asked to tell us about a dream / aspiration of hers.

Sam hit the chair next and same thing happened.

Laura was then pushed by Taylor Bailey into the chair (massaged by him also later on) and asked many of the same questions. Then Lank flipped it. We were to verbally react to her in the chair. THEN! She was told to start her monologue. She did an amazing job for the spontenaity of it. It was quite impressive.

Then, Lank time ensued.

Our generation is all about What's coming next, do you agree? Yes, of course. We're all fucked up, and we can't be afraid of that. He reiterated the initial points of the class again, about bringing focus off of you as an actor and onto the character for an extended period of time. Truly Listening.

We must attach behavior to a given circumstance... He brought up the example of the two brothers. One brother answers the door to see the other brother looking solemn. He knows that his dad had died. And you know, I was thinking about that today a little bit. About if one of my parents died while I wasn't able to get there in time. Just thinking about it right now is getting me rather choked up... Because I know eventually something to that effect will happen.

Alas. something else to think of for another day. Not now.

My computer is freezing up, so I'll publish this before it does.