"Free Write."

          As I move forward in this book, Meisner's "Word Repetition Game" continues to develop and acquire added layers and nuances that make the exercise all the more interesting and yet surprisingly difficult. What began as a simple, straightforward repetition of the same sentence over and over again has now been throw into the mix with each actor's point of view, an urgent independent activity, and most recently an emotional circumstance. Not to mention the fact that all actions and dialogue must rely solely on impulses and the actions of the other actor. All of these elements elevate this seemingly juvenile activity to a complex exercise that takes months of practice to become comfortable with. 

          The next step in the process is the introduction of actual scripts. Sandy gives each couple an "old-fashioned" script, old-fashioned only in the sense that it was written before they were born, and tells them to simply memorize the lines without any sort of emotional significance or meaning. All he asks of them is to learn the lines rotely and mechanically in order to avoid any preconceived habits, patterns of speech, or expected readings. This way, the script is a blank canvas, and the actors' reading can come naturally and truthfully based off their instincts.

Quote of the week:

"I'm saying that wishful thinking is a product of the imagination. If I say, 'I'll give you a hundred thousand dollars. What will you do with it?' On the one hand, if someone said, 'I'd pay my rent for the next five years,' I'd say, 'Bulls***. That's too realistic, it's too unimaginative, it's too practical.' On the other hand, what if a girl said, 'I'd like to go to the White House in a dress that's made of solid emeralds. Gorgeous! Solid emeralds! On some kind of cloth which can only be made my one nun in India!' That's extravagant, but it's the essence of wishful thinking."