Finally learning to explore (more).

Arg, I think I need to change my glasses again. I've been having frequent headaches again lately.

Earlier this week, I was complaining that I don't have much to work with. Then I took it back. I remember being told last week that whatever offer we were given, we have to accept it, no matter how small it is. I have to admit that it's also my fault because I have this tendency to match the energy of the person I'm with.

I had wanted to sink to the floor each time I was told that our objective was never made clear. My fault again, as I haven't been experimenting much of it.

I got to pick up a few tips during a chat with Joey yesterday morning. She recommended a push/pull exercise and mentioned inflection, or using force with voice. I was planning to do that exercise before our class started, but half the people in class had arrived late.

Funny how Joey had mentioned voice, because we did a simple vocal exercise using the 8 basic efforts. Taking the cue from there, we were tasked to do our scenes with a new challenge. Once the acting area was set up, each group had to pick one spot and stay there without moving as they did the scene. Easy enough, but the catch was that once someone from a previous group had filled a spot, we were not allowed to use that anymore. Holy kamote, when our turn came, Gigi had already picked the last remaining chair that hasn't been sat on (which almost faced upstage, interesting choice), so I settled on a standing position. Thank goodness Gigi and I talked more clearly during the break, and she finally got what I was thinking. I suddenly changed my character's reading without consciously intending it to happen, but I actually liked it, hahaha. Instead of my initial reading, my character came out more pained. Yay, clearer beats.

Sir Dennis managed to stir up the exercise even more. After each group had gotten their turn, he made us do the opposite. For every beat, there has to be physical contact, and this time, the catch is we couldn't repeat what we had done before. Holy kamote, it was pretty hilarious when Gino, Betty and Ellen were up there, specially when they were trying to come up with any physical contact possible. Suddenly my character's reading changed again, being more playful this time. Hahaha, that was fun.

Finally, I had learned to stop limiting myself. Darn these inhibitions.

I still have no idea if we're pretty much doing these characters already assigned to us, or we still have to change by next week. Betty had said that these would already be it, but Sir Dennis had said that it's not definite yet. Hmmm... I still want to try the older characters.

Attended Sir Dennis' Philippine Theater History Lecture Tour today. Reg, Kris, Allein and Louie joined me as well. It was the same tour as last year, but I only got around to really listening to it this time, as I was somehow preoccupied with some things last year as the tour progressed. I managed to pick up a lot more than what I had learned from my other history and theater history classes. It was a pretty small crowd this year, and there were different excerpts by the AC as well. There were excerpts from Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas, Pilipinass Circa 1907, For The Love of Leonor Rivera (ack, I forgot the exact title), Insiang and Himala. Hahaha, as part of the Insiang monologue excerpts, Tad got to re-do his AC audition, which was Dado's monologue.

Oh, screw this headache. Time for some rocky road ice cream.