I enjoyed this story Remy and it brought back memories of similar disorganised and unprofessional workshops. I also really enjoy how you portray your wife and your relationship in this story and your brilliant health spa story.
I've done a bit of acting on stage and film. Very different mediums as you say. But that high, oh that high, of performance and the almost magical connection that happens with your fellow actors and audience. Very addictive. After a few years of largely retreating from the world due to various life circumstances I have just started to tip toe back into social situations. Have gone along to a local open mic night for original "Spoken Word." It's been scary but a lot of fun. Plus it combines my love of writing and the adrenaline of performance. 😊
About three decades ago, a friend went to film school and convinced me to be part of his graduation project. I played a guy who would do "just one drug deal" to make some quick cash. I still have it on a VCR tape somewhere for all the good that will do me.
Very funny and enlightening, and anything that brings one closer to one's beloved is worth it, though you might want to spend the next few weekends bowling just to cleanse your creative palate.
Oh, this resonates . . . I was an actor for most of my early-adult life, and every single thing you say here rings true. How much of my time did I spend in classes or workshops doing completely strange and utterly beside-the-point exercises — what I've come to call "feeling the floor" — instead of actually exploring text, improving in character, learning the F*****G lines, and other things that would have actually helped! And yet, and yet: those magical moments on stage that we somehow stumble into despite it all. I've left it behind, but there really is nothing like it.
i think the 'forgot to live' comment struck home. Money has been tight for years, and we've had some death and illness to deal with. I think getting back to doing writing I love and doing other things too matters.
I am with your wife on this one lifting a hair over my head and screamimg is too much energy to expend without a fire to escape or a person knocked out.
I also wonder if your emotions are fundamentally different than mine?
Mine tell me things like answers to math problems and what others willl do next. The idea I would use them for emoting on demand has always seemed strange to me.
But it just occurred to me that perhaps my parents and younger siblings (we were all were actors when I was young) need a place to deposit their emotions. While I have always used mine.
Fantastic word pictures Remy! Even before the part where you took the stage, the workshop descriptions were rich.
Your post comes on a day when we are experimenting with using an audio clip and artificial intelligence to help tell the book's story. Reading your post takes me to a place where I'm wondering if the magic of literature is best left with the delicious creative pictures we paint in our minds and/or if re-creating the scene in AI takes away from the story. You live in that world and I'd love your thoughts (as well as everyone else's that may read this comment). Is part of the deliciousness of reading a good story the imagination we put with it? Does reducing all or part of the story to the author's interpretation cheapen the text? HELP!!
I have a very little experience as an actor. I think more than the acting thing I loved the community of it ( that too being there most shy one). The building of the play, those sessions ...gosh they give me such a rush
No, I never read "The Merchant of Venice", then I read very few plays by Shakespeare, to be frank, how many, 6, 7 at most maybe? They all await me, to be read. I did read all the sonnets though
I was reminded of "Captain Fracasse"-it's quite a cool book, you might remember it.
I never acted on stage-when I was very little I had the best memory of all, so they'd always make me the one who reads, the author, I hated it so, I wanted to be squirel or a bunny or..I don't know..just somebody normal.
Then it was a chance for me to act in a school play but fate chose differently -I participated in a battle so to say, and they broke my nose. So it was a hospital instead.
Then though I had a chance to be a director-we , me and a friend, were sent to "take care of" much younger class, and we decided we'd put a performance together. We chose a play, and directed it, and all that.
It was so ..strangely unexpected that it indeed happenned, they indeed performed, the costumes were indeed made by parents, all parents indeed arrived, everybody was indeed excited..it turned so real.
Later I had a similar feeling at my own wedding-wow, all these guests indeed arrive? lol
I was told later several times I should act, or could act. Oh well.
Also, a distant relative came to LA from Holland, to study in acting school, we met several times. She told us how it went, very excited-and I thought "omg maybe it's good I never did..." it sounded so.very,hard. Then I did something similar, when I studied-only it wasn't acting but others can see you through a special mirrored wall. And when you fail too much they call you on the phone to make suggestions. I dont know how I did that. Scary as hell.
so...another book I've to read. gotcha. Sorry for the long comment-thank you for the amazing post
Yes. On tour, very young, audience eating out my shaking hands moment. Everyone’s breath attuned. Simultaneously exalting and terrifying. Older and wiser, it turns out I don’t like heights.
I don’t have the acting bug but enjoyed hearing about your wife rising to the occasion and feeling the struggle and the unfolding of something that brought a group to another level. Once again your narrative appeals/applies to so many situations of coming together and creating a new thing-evolution 2-1-3
I enjoyed this story Remy and it brought back memories of similar disorganised and unprofessional workshops. I also really enjoy how you portray your wife and your relationship in this story and your brilliant health spa story.
I've done a bit of acting on stage and film. Very different mediums as you say. But that high, oh that high, of performance and the almost magical connection that happens with your fellow actors and audience. Very addictive. After a few years of largely retreating from the world due to various life circumstances I have just started to tip toe back into social situations. Have gone along to a local open mic night for original "Spoken Word." It's been scary but a lot of fun. Plus it combines my love of writing and the adrenaline of performance. 😊
About three decades ago, a friend went to film school and convinced me to be part of his graduation project. I played a guy who would do "just one drug deal" to make some quick cash. I still have it on a VCR tape somewhere for all the good that will do me.
Very funny and enlightening, and anything that brings one closer to one's beloved is worth it, though you might want to spend the next few weekends bowling just to cleanse your creative palate.
Oh, this resonates . . . I was an actor for most of my early-adult life, and every single thing you say here rings true. How much of my time did I spend in classes or workshops doing completely strange and utterly beside-the-point exercises — what I've come to call "feeling the floor" — instead of actually exploring text, improving in character, learning the F*****G lines, and other things that would have actually helped! And yet, and yet: those magical moments on stage that we somehow stumble into despite it all. I've left it behind, but there really is nothing like it.
i think the 'forgot to live' comment struck home. Money has been tight for years, and we've had some death and illness to deal with. I think getting back to doing writing I love and doing other things too matters.
I am with your wife on this one lifting a hair over my head and screamimg is too much energy to expend without a fire to escape or a person knocked out.
I also wonder if your emotions are fundamentally different than mine?
Mine tell me things like answers to math problems and what others willl do next. The idea I would use them for emoting on demand has always seemed strange to me.
But it just occurred to me that perhaps my parents and younger siblings (we were all were actors when I was young) need a place to deposit their emotions. While I have always used mine.
Fantastic word pictures Remy! Even before the part where you took the stage, the workshop descriptions were rich.
Your post comes on a day when we are experimenting with using an audio clip and artificial intelligence to help tell the book's story. Reading your post takes me to a place where I'm wondering if the magic of literature is best left with the delicious creative pictures we paint in our minds and/or if re-creating the scene in AI takes away from the story. You live in that world and I'd love your thoughts (as well as everyone else's that may read this comment). Is part of the deliciousness of reading a good story the imagination we put with it? Does reducing all or part of the story to the author's interpretation cheapen the text? HELP!!
I have a very little experience as an actor. I think more than the acting thing I loved the community of it ( that too being there most shy one). The building of the play, those sessions ...gosh they give me such a rush
I really loved this post, Remy
No, I never read "The Merchant of Venice", then I read very few plays by Shakespeare, to be frank, how many, 6, 7 at most maybe? They all await me, to be read. I did read all the sonnets though
I was reminded of "Captain Fracasse"-it's quite a cool book, you might remember it.
I never acted on stage-when I was very little I had the best memory of all, so they'd always make me the one who reads, the author, I hated it so, I wanted to be squirel or a bunny or..I don't know..just somebody normal.
Then it was a chance for me to act in a school play but fate chose differently -I participated in a battle so to say, and they broke my nose. So it was a hospital instead.
Then though I had a chance to be a director-we , me and a friend, were sent to "take care of" much younger class, and we decided we'd put a performance together. We chose a play, and directed it, and all that.
It was so ..strangely unexpected that it indeed happenned, they indeed performed, the costumes were indeed made by parents, all parents indeed arrived, everybody was indeed excited..it turned so real.
Later I had a similar feeling at my own wedding-wow, all these guests indeed arrive? lol
I was told later several times I should act, or could act. Oh well.
Also, a distant relative came to LA from Holland, to study in acting school, we met several times. She told us how it went, very excited-and I thought "omg maybe it's good I never did..." it sounded so.very,hard. Then I did something similar, when I studied-only it wasn't acting but others can see you through a special mirrored wall. And when you fail too much they call you on the phone to make suggestions. I dont know how I did that. Scary as hell.
so...another book I've to read. gotcha. Sorry for the long comment-thank you for the amazing post
Yes. On tour, very young, audience eating out my shaking hands moment. Everyone’s breath attuned. Simultaneously exalting and terrifying. Older and wiser, it turns out I don’t like heights.
Ahhh the post-performance come down… good times
I don’t have the acting bug but enjoyed hearing about your wife rising to the occasion and feeling the struggle and the unfolding of something that brought a group to another level. Once again your narrative appeals/applies to so many situations of coming together and creating a new thing-evolution 2-1-3