Today's entry marks my last class with Todd and the end of a remarkable month. It is no coincidence that the more I was pushed during class, the more I was able to achieve in my career as well. As I gear up for my next class and instructor, I can't help but think about all the progress I have made. More importantly, I am thinking about all the great work that still lies ahead of me.
My final class with Todd would be spent working on the same monologue that I have become quite attached to after roughly four weeks of working on the piece. It has morphed into almost two separate monologues in one, and I have been loving the challenge of switching emotional zones.
Todd has been phenomenal in staying on top of everyone to ensure there is actual growth from class to class, and we started off by discussing the goals we set in place last week for my performance. We knew the emotional depth was still a challenge, and to help, Todd opted to jump in and give direction during my performance as I read. I have to admit that I am still not the greatest at incorporating this type of coaching, as I feel it has a higher chance of taking me out of the moment. However, for this specific case, it did help me reach a new level.
For example, when it did not appear like I was in the right space, Todd would shout out important words in the monologue that meant a lot coming from the character. Reinforcing words like "shame" really helped put me in the right head space for the character and ultimately led to a great performance. I still need to get more comfortable with this type of coaching, but it is incredibly valuable to take in feedback from an instructor and put it to use on the fly.
These virtual classes are fantastic, but the separation of in-person connection and energy can get lost through the screen at times. Moments like these with Todd bring that lively feeling of in-person connection to our virtual sessions. While I will not be going forward with this piece, I am motivated by Todd's coaching to keep working with it and potentially use it as a self-tape for future auditions.
Looking back, I like to think about the greatest lessons I can take away from each instructor. For Todd, it's easy to choose. His constant reminders about living in the silence or the beats between lines are something I plan on taking with me forever. It was amazing to see how much a performance could change simply by slowing down and pausing longer than I felt comfortable. The power dynamics of a scene can easily be shifted by simply waiting for an extra beat, even if it makes you uncomfortable at first.