Ooo, feedback

[oakenguy]

The first level of my improv class ended last week, so this week I had the one-on-one evaluation with the instructor. Nervous? Me? Pfaugh. At least it would be in English, unlike my Japanese final (which blew up in my face like a bomb, thankyouverymuch). And, even though the evaluation took place in a basement with 5'10" clearance from floor to ceiling (a ceiling moon-cratered with dents where the heads of comics had impacted over the years), it wasn't that bad.

Here's the written copy I got (edited to ward off boredom).

"Skills and Strengths: No doubt about your ability to initiate scenes. You can ground yourself immediately at the start of the scene and declare your opening move confidently. Because of this, it is very fun to play with you onstage, and easy to trust you.

"Areas to Explore" (and isn't this just the kindest phrase you've ever heard?) "Try to find a few characters that you find 'comfortable' and that are very different from you (physically, verbally, vocally, etc.) Force yourself to do something completely different with yourself to find new aspects of your performance. Work on heightening your own Point of View as scenes progress. And explore more emotions!"

My spin/interpretation of this: I start out well and then plateau, and don't really push my characters far from my own limited comfort zone. This comes as no surprise.

Comments

[clayrobeson.livejournal.com]

As an instructor and performer, I can honestly say you're not alone. MOST of us start out that way, and it's only when we begin to get more comfortable that we start pushing our own boundaries.

I found that it didn't happen to me until I stopped being intimidated by my castmates talent and started being inspired by it.