Suzy Q's Love Child

[SuzyGreenEyes]

Okay. So through a series of influences in my life I not only started to attempt impro, but to start a journal here to chart my progression, get what I take out of workshops down in words, and enable myself to look back and me enlightened, humbled, and hopefully humored.

I took my first class about a month ago, and was intrigued by Ryan's sage advice on improv, how to learn it, act it, and view it. One thing led to another, and now I'm pregnant. With twins. I'm justating an improv dream, and a creative mindset, but I guess the same could be said for everyone here.

Since then I started attending class twice a week with two different groups. Salt City Improv has been very fun. I think I'm less intimidated there than Quick Wits, my other class location. One of the girls in the group, Laine, told me I'm full of piss and vinegar and willing to take risks. I think I'm nervous and the adrenaline takes over, but I'm fooling everyone around me, so I guess that's cool. This week SCI went people watching at the library. We mimmicked people we saw, followed gestures in groups, played magic lunch bo, and I'm pretty sure everyone there thought we were special ed mimes, but it's all good. It was fun, and interesting as far as character building goes.

At QW the class is smaller and different as far as the way things are taught. Both classes have their strong points, and none of my instructors are by any means bad, but at QW I'm a lot more reserved. I know a few of the guys there, all of the guys who instruct the workshops, and I'm more worried of looking dumb. It reminds me of High School Debate. I was a kick ass speaker and debater, taking home first place trophies every weekend and even qualifying for national competition, but I HATED speaking for friends, family, and my team mates.... Go figure.

So far Jesse has been a big inspiration and support for me in my attempts at comedic glory. He finds compliments for me, even if it's only that I'm patient and energetc. I appreciate it. It's amazing how much a friend can change the feel of a situation. I hope when or if I'm good at improv I can be as friendly as Jesse has been. Ryan has been really good about that too. Even though he lies in Chicago, he still IMs eery once in a while to check up on me, tell me about something cool he learned or did, and recommend books and even music to me.

All in all I think I'm building a firm foundation in improv, and the community. I had a bad first impression, to read more visit utahimprov.com, see the theory discussion section on the forum, look for the title gimmicks and gossip. I see no reason to dredge up bad feelings here, plus, it's a cool site, and I recommend you check it out anyway.

Just as a last note, I will say that My real name is Jaimee. I'm 20 and enjoy rock climbing, cooking, coffee houses, camping, swing dancing, reading, children, and, of course, improv. I'm a horrible speller and typist, and my keyboard is dying, so certain letters don't work all the time. I try not to edit, so I won't erase anything, going on the assumption that the first thought is the purest and the best when journal writing. My favorite band is U2. I eat organic foods, no red meat or pork. If I was a drink it'd be cranberry juice. As a tree I'd be a horsechestnut. As an article of clothing I'd be a glove or a hat. I'm oh so single, oh so flirtatious, and oh so happy being both.

I hope you've enjoyed the little trip into my ramblings, and maybe I can teach you something some time.

--Jacuzzi

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

Last week was a good week. I attended SCI workshop, and played an interesting game called "what did you say?" It's basically a two person scene and at any point in the scene you can ask your partner, or be asked, as the case may be, to repeat the last line of dialogue. Instead of repeating yourself, though, the line is changed so it sounds the same, but is bigger than the last line, and pretty much totally changes the direction of the scene.

My scene was with Kris, the instructor-- a very talented actor whom I love to play with. We were siamese twins seperated at birth trying to sail back to antarctica. It was really fun and really high energy, and we we seemed to feed off of each other. It was awesome! I did make the mistake, however, of using the word purple, a word nothing rhymes with. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, though, when we all came to the realization that there was nothing to do but make up a word. I blushed for lack of forthought, and moved on.

Friday night was the first ever show of my new friend Brian. He played with QW, and though he seemed a little bit worried, he got up on stage with an air of confidence, and performed beautifully. I was so proud i could have baked him cookies, but I unfortunately had no time, so the cookies will hae to wait. Brian had the two best lines of the show, had a team mate that he seemed to work well with who was consequently on fire that night, and between the two of them hilarity ensued. I'm glad he did so well, and hope that if i ever find my way onstage that i will be as awesome on my first try as he was.

There was no QW workshop Saturday, as it was Bob's aniversary, so I found myself at Laughing Stock's workshop instead. All in all it was a worthwhile class. Brian, Linden, and Jesse were all there, as well as some people I'd never met. We played world's worst, late for work, over actors anonymous, and some game where I somehow became a monk, who couldn't say anything. I found out that over acting isn't my strong suit, and that if I was ever to hold a workshop, to be careful. The instructor's technique really irked me. He seemed very quick to deflate a person, and not so apt to build them up. Maybe it was an off day for him, but there were a lot of high school aged and new people at the class, and i felt bad for them because he kept yelling at them when the were going through the motions of finding their footing. Improv is hard, even a month after starting, so I can't imagine how it must feel to be insulted at your first class.

Later that night at QW, it was insane. All I'm gonna say is that at a point in the middle of the show, Troy jumped off a balcony into the audience, onto a love sac.... It really was just a crazy night, but the audience, made mostly of prom dates, loved every moment of it, and to be honest so did I.

My last paragraph is a sentimental one, so bear with me, and I swear I'll go to bed. I'm beginning to be immersed into "the club." It's har to imagine myself just coming to shows and sitting in the audience. It's so much fun to get to know the guys and gals of improv and learn with them. I'm beginning to see their styles both on and off stage. They know me by name, or at least by nick name, and they seem to be getting to know me as well. I even get invited along to hang out every once in a while, and I'm so shocked every time they ask me to join them.

Ryan has been awesome, though far away. He checks on me every once in a while. He recommnds books and tells me about his shows, his classes, and his troupe. Moreover, he asks about everything I'm up to, andthough we both know he's far better than I ever could dream of being, he still acts like what I'm saying, and what I'm learning is the most important thing he could be listening to.

Jesse has become not only a workshop buddy, but an all out friend of mine. He's quick to praise me in what I do, full of encouragement, and just fun to talk to. He councils me about life, love, and improv. (Usually his advice is pretty much the same:"you need to put out more." It's amazing how often that actually applies.) He was my first supporter in improv, and probably my biggest fan so far, and for that I'm grateful.

Brian is next in line. He's very cool, and always compliments my confidence. He's fun to talk to about shows, workshops, and scenes, as we generally go to the same stuff. He's also humble, which I admire about him.

Linden and Jarky have been helpful as well. they inite me to their workshops, offer advice, and praise. Linden and I went out for smoothies this weekend, and she was insightful and interesting. Jarky, well, he's one of the coolest high schoolers I know, and amazingly talented.

Quick Wits I will lump together as a whole, as it's easier. They were the first troupe that ever entranced me and made me want to try improv. They are a very welcoming, tight knit group. I'm convinced that some of them don't know my real name, but they call me Suzy with endearment, so I don't mind. They invite me out to their extracaricular activities, and are always really nice to me, though I'm not a member of their troupe.

Lastly, the bunch of hellians from SCI.... What can I say? You guys teach me a lot. You build my confidence, and make tuesday nights fun. I learn so much from each and every one of you. And I think God has brought us together under his roof for a reason-- to build each other up. I think we're doing just that.

wow. draining.

--Suzy

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

I'm officially signed up for my first show, and though I don't think I'm ready for the stage, or perhaps the stage isn't ready for me, I'm super excited. I'll be performing with SCI, and I'm so honored. It sounds all lame and cheesey, but when it all boils down to it that's me in a nutshell. Even still, I think it's important to have respect and admiration for your fellow actors. If nothing else, it's my aim to be a team player, a supportive player, and and energetic player. I'm told that if I do those things, I'm destined for success, even if I find myself unable to be funny or clever.

I guess I'm writing this not to pat myself on the back for being asked to perform for an audience, but to remind myself of the excitement, the fear, and the attitude I have. Maybe one day I'll be "one of the greats" (he he) but I hope I never lose the ideals I have to an ego that may develop. I think there's a line from a song that says "I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean...." I guess that's kind of the feeling I want to have toward my future self. No matter how many shows I do, how many workshops I attend, or how many people consider me to be "great," the fact will reemain that there will always be someone better out there, and more to learn from the people around me, not to mention the ocean that will always be in myself that can never be completely discovered. No matter what, remember that you're only as good as your teammates, and the success you have is up to them, too.

There is no I in improv.... Um.... There is no I in M-prov.

--Sue

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

Okay. It's sunday, and another weekend is over. I saw two great shows, wentto half an awesome workshop, a point to be discussed as you read on, and currently find myself talking to my friend, Tilt, whose first name I don't know, but is really awesome in improv and life in general.

First, the shows. Friday was really good. There was a small crowd, but high energy. Joel was there, and i haven't seen him a lot lately, so it was a treat to see him perform. Jen was there, and we chatted a little before the show, which wasgood, and Jon was out of it, which was also enjoyable. At one point, durring Shakespeare in the strip club, Jon told Bob to "gaze upon the beauties within" Bob turned to him in a panic, saying "gays?!" a hilarious play on words that the audience just ate up, but Jon just looked confused. Later in the scene it happened again, and again Jon looked confused. Right after the audience stopped laughing, the light went on and Jon said "thatjoke which thou hast just made, I just got" or smething close to it, which was even funnier.

Saturday's show was lower energy audience, but it was still pretty good. Brian played again, which I think is awesome. Durring the newlywed game, Andrew ended up with an INSANE wife who tried to make it into the jerry springer game. She was hitting, telling people to shut up, taking peoples' notebooks, and just being all hella obnoxious. It was one of those scenes you just want end as soon as possible, but it seems to drag out for hours. Andrew seemed to handle it pretty well, at one point just declaring that he'd gone gay, and walking offstage. Still,though, onemy favorite moments was Jon drooling on himself. It wasn'ta little drool either. It was a major goober string.

Now I'm left to ponder how well I'd react to situations like those mentioned above. When do you make fun of yourself/use the catastrophy onstage versus just moving on? I guess it'd depend on how you could present it, how it effected the scene, how your response either way would effect the scene, etc. That's why it's improv. You never know how you'll react until you're there, in the moment. In any case, the QuickWits did a great job this weekend of doing what was appropriate.

As for class, Brian, Zack and I showed up for the Quick Wits class at 4, and nobody was there yet. That wasn't so abnormal, asbob, andrew, and/or jon are sometimes usually late. We waitied, and I finally called andrew to see where everyone was. It turned out that Bob and Andrew had decided to cancel classes in order to free up time to build the permanent stage, come up with a 6 to 8 week class curriculum and class roster. Well they didn't tell the three of us who come to the class every week, so we waited for 30 minutes for nothing. I was kind of mad, and a little snippity with andrew on the phone, for which I later apologized, but we ended up going to the second half of OBT's workshop instead, which worked out well enough. I did feel bad for Brian and Zack who drove to Holladay for the class from Draper and Ogden, respectively. In the end, there were no hard feelings, learning was done, and we volunteered to help with the moving and building of the stage.

So that was my weekend in a nutshell. I guess I also broke a nail belaying a fat kid at a children's climbing party. And I had oneof themost interesting conversations I've recently and possibly ever had with Jon. It was a good weekend, save the snippityness.

--Suzy

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

i went to SCI this week, and I'm SO nervous about tomorrow's shows that I was not performing well. I'm still really tense. I'm glad it's mostly for kids. I'm really scare that nobody will laugh, or I'll not think of anything to say, or I'll make a dumb mistake or fall on my face or something. I'm excited, but oh so scared. I was hoping to get in a good workshop this weekend, but QW is taking time off for a while and OBT's got cancelled last minute for some geriatric theatre convention thing. I guess I'm just gonna hae to o it, put out as much as I can (that's just for you, jesse), and hope they respond well.

That being said, I'll get back to my Improv experiences. I'm finding that the humerous comments, random "plot twists" and sarcasm of the stage is making it's way into my everyday life. (It's ironic, but I'm all quick and witty when there's no pressure, but put me onstage this week, and I freeze up like a thong in the deep freezer at a Jr. High sleepover.) I try to stop it, but I can't. Callbacks and the whole bit. It's funny in a "di i honestly just say that" kind of way. And I have to be REALLY careful with my bosses. They're kind of conservative. I'm never tasteless, but they get thrown off with sarcasm. (Language thing)

In any case, I should go.

--Suzy

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

Here's the deal.It's been a while since I've written.Iknowit. I'm sure you all missed me,but I just haven't been in it.To be completely honest I'm still not in it.SCI is over and it took everything outof me.Then Kris actuallyl eft.Then QW moved really far away.Then workpicked up and I fell out of touch. Then Brian retired. Then I realized I wasn't improving. I've considered quitting. Not because it's too hard (though it is hard) becausethe challenge is the thing that draws me to it, but because i think maybe i'm not meant to be here. I adore those that can do this, but more and more i feel i'm not one of those people. I believe that everyone has the abilitytoi mprove, I know, and that's not my worry. My worry lies in that I don't have time to work hard. My fearlies in that all of my improv contacts and supports are slowly leaving me. I'm selfish. Jarky and I decided it was true yesterday, and I'm too selfish to stand in the line of fire,at least not all alone.

That being said,I guess I'm generally tired any way.Those of you that know me know that family life is no walk in the park and lately it's all blown up in my face again. Ithought every thing was going well, but I got comfortable and it all stopped being okay again. I hate having to be strong. I hate having to be responsible. I hate having to work so hard to get away when it'll never be possible. I hate trying to be normal.

I hate that people believe in me. It sounds dumb,but as flattering as it is, it's another expectation I can't live up to. I'm not the goldenchild.I'm not as talented as people would like to believe. I'm just trying to make it as mediocre and barely holding on.

I feel ugly. I feel fat. I feel unfashionable. I feel dumb. I feel inadequate.I feel selfish. I feel broken. I feel I need a change, but am unable to handle a change. I feel incapable. I feel expendable.

I feel too much and can't do enough. Feeling takes too much energy from me, but withoutfeeling I'm just going through the motions and people notice that.

I fear lonliness. I fear incapability. I fear failure.

I fear too much. Fear handicaps me. I can't afford to be crippled.

As a libra, I won't decide what to do until logic kicks in and I can evaluate both sides of my dilema thorougly, so to all my fans,don't dispair. I'll stick it out, at least for a while.

Blame it on the hormones,,, pregnancy is hard on everyone.

--Sue

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

Just to clear things up, I'm not really pregnant. For further explaination, refer to my journal title.

That having been cleared up, I'm in much better spirits this week.

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

To all my faithful readers out there, here I am on another lazy sunday trying to find something exciting to do to pass the time. Today is worse than most though. I lost 3 friends this weekend.

I spent my saturday regretting my friday and wishing I could vomit, as though ridding myself of the disgusting toxins still inebrieating my insignificant little body would take it all back.

I think maybe hernitdom is a good idea for me.

I guess it's a good thing I can't drink on my diet....

But out with the old friends in improv, and in with the new. I hate transitions, but some things are necessary, i guess.

Other than that, I saw the delmonic interviews last night with Jesse, Jen, and Scott. We got Icecream, we watched Charlies Angels 2 in preparation for the show. Joe came by at some point. The movie itself was interesting. Del Close was a freaky man, but totally interesting. His students are all kind of funny looking. The heckling from the audience was about as awesome as the movie. I really like Jen- she is a person I'd like to get to know better. She's really nice and really fun. She's creative and interesting, and in general really cool. Scott is also cool. He used to really rub me the wrong way, but he's been really awesome since he started coming to Jesse's workshops, and last night at his house was really fun. Jesse is and will ever be my secret crush. He's a kick ass performer, a great teacher, a fun person, and a good friend. I always love spending time with Jesse.

Sitting outside with those 3 after the show was good times, too. It was worth sitting in a puddle and threat of west nile virus to have the conversation shared at that table. We talked about diffferent peoples theories and teaching styles. We talked about local improvisers and shows. We talked about workshops. We talked about venues. We talked about eachothers' strengths and weaknesses in a very honest non hostile way. I broke through Scotts aparently bad first impression. We all exchanged hugs and parted ways.

I'm ready for workshop tuesday. I'm feeling much better about improv. I think I'm growing if ever so slowly again, and my atitude is one of excitement when I think about workshops. The last 2 classes have been great. I really love that we're getting more people to come. Jesse is really attentive and good at being nit picky and supportive all at the same time. I'll continue to keep it lax, make sure it stays fun, take it week by week, but i think I'm here to stay... at least for a while.

--Suzy

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

Last night's workshop was fantastic! (Damn it feels good to be able to say that again...!) It was really hot in the auditorium and we were constantly interrupted with green party crap that was going on elsewhere in the building. One would assume that such a setting would be no fun, and leave one more than ready to leave at the end. Oh no. It was a great class and as the nine o clock hour rolled around I almost didn't want to end the activities we were sharing.

We started with a game to kind of get us out of our shells and working together. We passed the snap, we did the alphabet backwards without looking at eachother, we led with different parts of our bodies to create character traits, and then we got down to business.

We all got up on stage and played a game jesse called follow the leaver, which basically was a series of two person scenes where the scene would progress until one person would leave at which point the scene would change to include whomever left only in a new situation and with a new scene partner. It sounds easy enough, but to be honest I had no clue what was going on, so volunteering to go first probably wasn't my best move... but Jen volunteered with me and it was a fun scene. We were roommates in a hot apartment, and when asked to turn on the airconditioner I had to confess that I'd broken it... with a hammer... cuz it was making too much noise. Suddenly I turned into a crazy roommate who owns nothing but the clothes on my back and the hammer I stole from my ex boyfriend who liked to fix stuff. Jen however owned all kinds of stuff, which I proceeded to smash as it bothered me. Turns out that whore stole my boyfriend. No wonder she has so much stuff-- she steals it. Jerk. The best part was at some point, neither of us knowing what to do or how to edit, we had to find something new to talk about. Jen, genious that she is said "I'm sorry I slept with Ted" I followed with "You think that wasn't noisy?!" It was good times....

Scenes followed and scott was a fix it man looking for love in all the wrong places. He got broken up with by jen, brushed off by his couples counselor, and told that he needed to find a girl that liked to break stuff to make a fantastic two way, perhaps slightly codependant relationship. Scott then goes to Emerald for a year then decides men just don't do it for him, especially OCD gay men-- too clean and not fixable. Emerald starts to cry, and scott gets him to stop-i.e. fixing him. Emerald then procedes somewhere in his head to decide that that means he's not gay anymore, and Scott is left to rot again.

Jarky edited, and became the leaver. He did a scene with Linden about ice cream and power. Jarky had just gotten dumpped by his gang bang boyfriend and wanted Linden back now. Linden, on a diet, starts craving icecream because she's just found out Jarky's bi: "all the cool stuff o fa gay guy, but likes chicks too" Well Linden goes on a binge and with each bite goes from a whiney skinny girl to a powerful woman with a little more to hold on to... more desirable to jarky. She kicks him to the curb for sam, which was consequently my name in the first scene.

Jarky leaves and finds nicole at a rock. they play a who can make who more uncomfortable game. In the end they opt to make out.

It was a fun little set, full of interesting choices and funny lines. High fives were shared. It was all around a very positive exercise. It wasn't award winning. Half of the time we had no clue what to do- how to edit ourselves, how to edit eachother, remembering names was an issue at some point, but it was fun, and it seemed to bring us all together as a group.

Next we took a break. Oh blessed break.... We walked to 711 across the street and got slurpees. We talked about magazine covers and other random stuff. It was nice while it lasted, then we all filed back into the auditorium with our neon ice drinks to sip as we moved on with the lesson.

We tried a new kind of opener that we saw in the delmonic interviews and that jesse saw done in Pheonix or something. You take the suggestion and as a group you describe it in 4 ways. The first is from third person, and mostly sticks to physical traits. The second is second person and sticks to how it relates to you. The third is turning the suggestion into a diety and describing it as it relates to the world and humanity as a whole. The last is first person and you describe it as though you are it. It's very energetic by the end and everyone is really excited. You cant help but cheer when it's over. It was odd. We did the exercise in two small groups first using the idea of mayor and slurpee as the suggestions. then we got together and did the green party, jesse, and cell phones. It was so much fun. Last Jarky and Nicole tried it on their own. Jarky used his mom as his suggestion. Nicole used her teacher. It was fantastic!

We've made it habit to hang out after class. I convinced everyone to go to coffee break over ice cream as I am still dieting like a champ, though i dream of wonder bread and mashed potatoes.... They supported that, and off we went. Linden and I chatted until everyone got there, then we all chilled on a set of couches and sipped bitter beverages and endulged in cakes and muffins as we exchanged conversation. We stayed a few hours then opted to part ways. We exited the building as though it were on fire, hugged, and left.

It was so good to see Linden again! I've missed having her around. I think we're gonna hang out tonight and go see a play in Layton. I'm beyond excited to go.

I'm glad to be back in the game...

-Suzy

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

After a fun meeting with my doctor I was pleasantly suprised by the ammount of fun I had at the first of a series of fem-prov workshops. The class was small- only 5 girls- but very productive. I really liked that we didn't just so a series of scenes together. We actually sat and talked quite a bit. It wasn't gossip hour or anything (though I'll admit we did our fair share of gossipping along the way) but it was mostly discussion on people and at times more specifically women in improv, utah improv, and comedy as a whole. We explored as a group what we could do to improve the image and change misconceptions about women in improv, what strengths women seem to posess in scenes, how to become more like our male counterparts, and in what ways we didn't want to. The discussion was honest, interesting, and all in all not too much on the bitter or angry chick side. We played scenes on the park bench of honesty, just being ourselves, then moved that information and that relationship into a new situation. We did a few five person scenes, and we went to lunch as comrades.

At the end of it all we decided to make the class a regular thing, probably every other week, and that we want to perform together some time. I'm stoked, and it goes back to making more and closer improv friends.

The play I last wrote about was very cute. Linden and I did go together, and though we got a bit lost in layton we made it on time to see the entire show. Andrew was very cheesey and lovable as Robin Hood. Bob was sporting a curly captain hook-esque wig. Laura had many a make out session with little john, and a cute little american idol moment. Joel saw Linden and me in the audience and asked if he could go sit with the pretty girls in the audience, which was cute. I liked the song and dance numbers a lot. I particularly enjoyed the "thriller" number and implore all involved to teach me some day. There were a ton of puns to roll your eyes to, and maybe laugh at just a little.... It was good to see everyone again, and they really did a great job.

Yesterday I went to Linden's BBQ. It was basically me, a bunch of people from their ward, and jesse, joe, and dale made a short appearance as well. It was kinda odd at first, but when forced to make friends I can pull out a few interesting stories to wow them, be outgoing, fun, and flirty, and then go home with everyone wondering why they hadn't met me before because I'm just that cool. To be honest I hat being forced into social circles in which I don't belong and having to try to blend in with them and all of their insde jokes and memories of stuff I didn't experience. I think the super social is more a defense mechanism than anything, but it gets me through the night. They leave thinking I'm fun and exciting, and I leave being adored, which is all any good libra wants. I made their night and got to flirt. I went home alone and analytical. Throw in a shopping spree and that's my life in a nutshell.

Anyway. Play- $10. Lunch for fem-provisers- $20. Food for BBQ- $30. Making new friends all weekend- definately priceless.

Don't you wish life were as simple as a discovercard commercial?

--Suzy

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

Another productive tuesday night with the gang at SCI....

I'm not even sure where to start. I had a long day at work, having the family I nanny for just get back from vacation I had all of my normal activties to do, plus unpacking, laundry, shopping, putting batteries in the entire suitcase worth of toys brought home from the UK, and taming a jet lagged two year old long enough to trim his hair. I also had to break down and buy a new phone to replace the one lost at a party over the weekend. By the time I was clocking out to meet Jesse for dinner I was in a less than energetic, wacky make em ups kind of mood.

This is why I love dinner with Jesse. He has the uncanny ability to make me feel great about myself, my day, and class, I'm not sure I even got to tell him about the bad perts of my day before I was too busy laughing and chatting away with Jesse, disturbing the families trying to dine in peace.

Class time rolled around, and I was ready to have some fun. I will be the first to admit that I wasn't great tonight. I had no shining moments that I'm overly proud of. I still had a lot of fun.

We did a game that required attention and acceptance where you had to be able to remember patterns and rhythems and communicate all at the same time. It was good times. We upped the energy with a rousing game named after two countries I'm not even gonna try to spell. Then we played.

We did some 4 person scenes. The idea was to share energy and focus, which we did,but the energy was usually relatively low.... The scene I was in was with Jen, Kevin, and Nicol. The suggestion was straw, and of we went. Jen and I were opposite each other downstage, Nicol was in the middle, and Kevin was between Jen and Nicol. Jen pretended to eat some grass and I responded with a character apppauled that she'd do that, cuz it's dirty. Nicol spat spit wads at Jen, which I pointed out was also dirty. Kevin then asked Jen how she could murder the scarecrow and eat his insides, cuz he was sure dorthy and the tin man would be pissed. Then we got into a whole wizard of oz thing. Someone was told to go ask for a soul from the wizard, someone was mocked for their hear tof gold, etc. It then went kind of stagnant, and the little jesse voice in the back of my head said "when it starts to die, take it back to the relationship" The only thinkg could think was that we were all in our same spots, nobody moved, nobody interested on a personal level with these friends they were in the field with. Mostly we seemed to have a level of either animosity or indifference, so I said "I think we've grown apart." From there everyone backed up their deals with excuses like "i was just putting that whore in her place" and the scene ended with Kevin saying "I wish a house would just fall on you all"

It was simple, it was fun, it was quirky. It worked.

Then we broke and Nicole and I had an interesting conversation about people who squat in public restrooms. I'm a squatter. I cover the seat, then squat over it. Sorry if that seems dumb to any of you. I'd just rather not catch your disgusting diseases or critters while taking a piss.

When class resumed we tried some organic stuff. We did an opener called stop and go a few times. Then we took that and turned it into a harold of some sort where the three worlds are specific places on the stage, then they slowly feed into eachother and then theres a group game. Well the suggestion was video,and we all must have sick minds because we automatically turned to porn. Soon enough Lisa and I were a mother daughter stripping duo at the high school talent show. There was some sort of freaky theme about sex and refreshments (i.e. rice krispies, chocolate, Kool Aid, etc) going hand in hand. It was interesting. We all flashed eachother, and it was over.

So though I wasn't as good as I wish I had fun. I took home a few lessons. We got food and coffee, and we went home.

I had my telephone chat with Jesse on the way home about the workshop andmy performance. We agreed that I still break too much onstage. Durring the last activity I was too timid-- needing to just step out with confidence and join a scene, no matter how hectic it may feel, or how fearful I am of stepping on others' toes. I just need to commit and go for it. If everyone is doing their job it will all turn out okay, because I'm a genious and I can add to the scene. So this is what I will tell myslf every day for the next week and see if it works.

Tht's one thing I love about Jen is that she just goes for it. That's awesome.

well enough of this wading through workshop moment. I need to sleep.

--Suzy

 

[SuzyGreenEyes]

I love recieving compliments from people not meaning to have you hear. It's like when you're out shopping or something and you hear one girl tell her friend she wishes she had the legs to pull off the skirt you're wearing. You hear and you feel the immense pride of having recieved a compliment that's so honest. It wasn't a friend telling you how great you look out of obligation or politeness.

Yesterday I got a compliment like that. No, not about how great my legs are. I was at a friend Ben's play (1776 at the hale theatre-- very entertaining) and I was in line for the ladies room at intermission and I overheard a conversation between people at the consessions line to my right. The woman was telling her husband about the girl they'd seen perform at the taste of Kerns festival (to which I thought "I was at the taste of Kerns") then she said that the girl was in the line over there. Then I looked up, realizing she was talking about me. She simply said "It was that improvisational thing. She was so confident and energetic, you know, really having fun. It was like she belonged up there. I wonder... is that her?" then they discussed putting their daughter into improv.

I blushed, and stopped eaves dropping. After I got out of the bathroom they were milling about. I smiled at them, and they actually approached me, asked if it really was me, so I introduced myself.

They were very sweet and complimentary to my face as well, saying that they thought I was bright and funny. The woman said she enjoyed my nice blend of aggression and politeness while I performed. She even complimented my big smile. She said I'm very likeable-- very human. I make the audience mine by being one of them, and they adore me for it. I'm easy to love. (Well I was bright red by then. I said thanks and asked them to stop because I was too easily embarassed.)

They apologised, assuming I was leaving a date waiting. I just laughed, and explained that I was there alone to see a friend who was in the show. Aparently "being likeable onstage doesn't get you many dates." (The father) Again I blushed and smiled. "A lot of men just cant handle the powerful combination of creativity, confidence, and of course beauty." Luckily his wife stepped in and stopped him, because I was looking like a cherry tomato. I explained that if there were some questions I could answer, to feel free, because yes I was there alone.

Then they asked how to get their daughter into improv. It was odd, acting like I knew ANYTHING about improv. I told them I'd been taking workshops since about April, and it's really fun. I told them about utahimprov.com, jesse's scenic classes, and short form workshops starting again, hopefully, in the fall. Their daughter is 17, and I told them to send her to workshop with us at SCI.

I walked away embarassed, proud, and curious to know if she'd ever show up.

It's kind of surreal going back over it. I was noticed. I think the most flattering part was them wanting to start their daughter in improv because they saw my confidence. That is the best kind of compliment.

"Your character may be the most effective mans of persuasion." -Aristotle

--Suzy