We got through my solo in Montage Part 3 today! I feel that I can tap into the psyche of ‘Don’ very easily. I’ve thought a lot about his upbringing and why he chooses to share this moment of his adolescence, admitting that he performed at night clubs and that he fell in love with a stripper who he became ‘friendly’ with. The director, Emily, and I talked a little bit about this before I performed the song, and we also talked about how in this moment Don is living in his past. He does not carry any of the knowledge he has gained from his grown years into this journey into the past; he is simply confident as he was as recalls his first love. I definitely succeeded in living in the moment as Emily asked, and I felt spot on with my rhythms and pitches too. Emily gave me a couple of notes regarding the transitions, which I applied, and then she said that it was great. I feel like that was a big achievement for me. I really felt like I embodied this character, and embodied him truthfully, genuinely, but also theatrically. I observed the space I was in, then used it to convey my thoughts and feelings, and it made my performance dynamic and interesting. I felt interesting. What a feeling.
I also learned that I’m much more similar to Don, or that I can give much more of myself to Don, than I initially thought. Next time, I’m going to make sure not to replicate my performance, but to take inventory of where I am in the given moment and go from there. I noticed that I actually caused myself a little anxiety because I thought that I had set the bar too high for myself. But I realized that there’s always room to improve and that comparing myself to myself is just as bad as comparing myself to other people. I also think I can better prepare by just breathing before I go on and making sure that I don’t stop actively breathing.
This is the start to a great week. I have a strong feeling that we are going to finish the show this week, which will leave us plenty of time to clean and review. Here’s to the second week!
I also learned that I’m much more similar to Don, or that I can give much more of myself to Don, than I initially thought. Next time, I’m going to make sure not to replicate my performance, but to take inventory of where I am in the given moment and go from there. I noticed that I actually caused myself a little anxiety because I thought that I had set the bar too high for myself. But I realized that there’s always room to improve and that comparing myself to myself is just as bad as comparing myself to other people. I also think I can better prepare by just breathing before I go on and making sure that I don’t stop actively breathing.
This is the start to a great week. I have a strong feeling that we are going to finish the show this week, which will leave us plenty of time to clean and review. Here’s to the second week!