Yes, and...

That's right, it's an improv update...and I have a new goal:
I still want to improve upon BIG facial exspression. It is currently the no.1 thing still holding me back from being a stellar improvisor. However, I've gotten to the point where I am aware of it and I'm taking the steps to improve upon it.
Tonight in class, I had to exspress severe physical pain. In the scene, Julie had gotten up on some blocks (near the lobby door) while I ducked behind some blocks (near the green room door). I don't at this point in time remember what the original suggestion was, but in my mind, we started out as children playing and I said, "you can't get me!" She said something like "alright, I'll just stand here and twril my panties around." (These were improvised panties).

Before I tell anymore, let me just say that, while it takes me a while to mentally adjust to a change in the reality I had set up in my mind at the VERY beginning, I actually really enjoy what can happen when a scene is changed by someone with more expierence than me. It will usually turn out better anyway...

Anyway, I built a fort with 2 blocks. I say something like "I don't want to be hit by your underwear," but I say it in a coxing way like I bet you couldn't hit me if you tried and she came back with "okay, we won't fight I'll just twirl my panties around." My first instinct was to get up and walk around the blocks and be like "Wait, why do you think I built the fort?" this was me trying to act emotionally to the fact that she didn't go for the bluffing voice. But John stopped me and told me to respond to not just what Julie said but also what she was doing...twirlling her improv panties around for play on top of blocks. So, with this new insight to the scene that John gave me, I stepped up on the blocks and said, "okay, well, if you're going to just pull out and play with your underwear, well, I can too." Then I reached down into my pants (improvised) and pulled out my underpants from the front (still improvised) giving me an atomic frontal wedgie. I had to act like I was in a tremendous amount of pain...both with voice and facial exspression.


So, working with facial exspressions is the primary thing that I'm currently working with. But the second thing now that I want to be able to step out of is my logical mind set. The evolution of man (as a gender, not a species) has lead to me wanting to reply logically as opposed to emotionally. This causes me to miss the "between the lines" things that a scene partner says.
In another scene in class tonight, I was in a scene with Nifer in which the suggestion was "DISCO". I came on with a physical diference to my usual normal (after being suggested to) that was assigned by Nifer in the scene as being a hunchback (once again, the scene became better when my original reality got changed...I came on as a chimp in my mind). Nifer at one point, playing a charicter who was a hunchist (like racist only has problem with people with a hunch backed), told me to go ring some bells. Logically, I came back and said "There aren't any bells in this town to ring!" John stopped the scene and told me that, while my reaction did have some emotional undertones to it, it was a very logical response and that I should respond not to what Nifer said about going to find some bells to ring but what she REALLY meant by that. So I came back and said something like "well I tried to ring YOUR bells but you weren't having it!" which, though suggestive, instantly added flavor to the scene.

So, to sum up this blog entry into one statement:
Yes, I still need to work with my emotional responses and facial exspression, AND I also want to work on not just listening to what was the thing that was just said, but the meaning behind what was said...