It's been a long Monday. I spent much of my early day working on projects that each found a way to frustrate me. Either one thing wasn't working out like I had hoped, or another just kept thwarting me at every turn. By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, I just wanted to hop my bus, and go to rehearsal. I wanted to play.

Ultimately, that's what rehearsal ended up being. Play. I even had the opportunity to dive into some of the deeper emotional elements that drive my character. Which, now, after the fact, I find great amusement in. After my frustrating Monday, who would have thought my character's emotional breakdown (one of the scenes in the play) could be so invigorating! I've got plenty of work to do yet, I'm nowhere near ready to become Ludie Watts. But, with each day that passes, I learn more about him, I dig deeper, and I become more comfortable in his skin.

That's the great thing about acting. It's all about discovery. As human beings, we live with ourselves every day. Who know who we are. We know what we like. We understand our perspectives. But as an actor, we have that wonderful opportunity to create an entirely new character. New likes, dislikes, perspectives... emotions.

Life might send us a crappy day every once in a while. It might throw things out of whack, cause us to sidestep, or frustrate us unbearably. But when it comes time to play... to rehearse... all of that can be set aside. For a few brief hours, we can become someone else. We can go exploring. We can discover. We can create.

For me, that's a rather enjoyable way to end a crappy day!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:54 PM  I   I  0 comments