"Go out and do something your book recommends."

          The chapter I am reading now focuses on the importance of the process of preparation. In Meisner's world, preparation is a device which permits you to start a scene or play in a condition of emotional aliveness. The purpose of preparation is to ensure that neither actor enters the scene emotionally empty. However, the actor must resist the temptation to "show off" or project their emotional state of being. One of the most critical points he makes is that preparation only lasts for the first moment of the scene; once that moment has passed, neither actor truly knows how it is going to play out.
          So, after being inspired by Meisner's theory of preparation, I decided to try and utilize it on an actual scene. I am currently taking an advanced scene study class, and each week we are paired up with a different person in order to prepare a scene for the next class. So, after going over to my scene partner's house and choosing a scene to work with, I told her about preparation. Our scene is from Neil Simon's "The Gingerbread Lady"; I play a 47-year-old alcoholic ex-singing star divorcee, and my partner plays my 17-year-old daughter who now wants to live with me. Although this character is going to be challenging for me to play (seeing as I'm 30 years shy of 47 and can't really be described as an alcoholic), I believe that by using preparation I will be able to portray the character of Evy with more emotional fullness, or at least start the scene out with a bang.


Quote of the week:

"That's called 'emotion memory.' I don't use it, and neither did Stanislavsky after thirty years of experimentation. The reason? If you are twenty and work in a delicatessen, the chances are very slim that you can remember that glorious night you had with Sophia Loren."