Audition day came and went. My nerves were through the roof, but it was the most excited I have been in recent memory. As I sat in the lobby of the agency office, running over my lines one last time, I could not help but smile as I thought about how far I had come. I went from someone who would only daydream about acting, thinking it was something I could never do, to joining this studio and landing a callback at an agency in four months. At the time I am writing this journal entry, I am still waiting to hear back from them.
I know it may seem like I am biased toward the studio, but I need to convey its impact. While I mentioned just getting this callback was an achievement in its own right, you must know my experience with the studio made it possible. Before I joined the studio back in March, I would not have been able to perform a scene in front of a group of people every week. Let alone attend an in-person audition without passing out in the middle from stress. In this short time, I have submitted to several local casting calls and received a call back from a large agency in my city. If that is not serious progress, then I don't know what is.
I'm sure many of you feel the same way, but that first step was and still is the hardest part - choosing to join an acting class and submit to a casting call or agency all start with a moment of courage. These seemingly small gestures can feel impossible without surrounding yourself with like-minded peers and coaches. Whether it's one trial class or several months with multiple instructors, believe in yourself and take the step to join a class. You will not regret it.
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In my final class with Mark, we were still looking at Fargo, but this time it was focused on the "good guys" of the story. Taking a look at how characters respond to the actions of another gives you a great perspective into who they are. I find it fascinating to focus on actions and reactions in order to identify what I can bring to a performance. It was also a very entertaining class, as we would be performing scenes with more comedic elements.
Comedy being a subjective genre in an already extremely subjective industry makes it all that more difficult to pull off. Even more so, if you have seen Fargo, you know that the humor is not laugh-out-loud funny but much more dry with its tone. This means the scene's success depends highly on the dynamic between scene partners. Performing these scenes exposed areas all of us could use work on; timing and breath. When you cut someone off, how long you wait to respond, and the rhythm in which you speak are just a few of the elements that can lead to the success or downfall of a comedic moment.