Theater is all-too-amazing

Life is great. Can I just say that? I don't know what it is (ok, so I have a good idea of what it could be), but it's just so much funner lately.

Today Cherisa and I had our little workshop with Street and Captain (the drama teacher and student teacher) and worked on our scene from The Tempest. I really got a good idea of what to do on stage, and any trouble lines now have actions to help me remember them. It's gonna be a great scene. Jest needs effort and work that I'm definitely up to putting into it. We're going to perform it at Shakespeare Competition in Cedar in October. Heck, what a way to take out my last month being 17! As of when this is written, I've got 33 days to live my last as a juvenile.

Once Upon A Mattress is going on next week, starting Wednesday with two more shows on Thursday and Saturday. All are at 7 P.M. Come to one or all! I actually have a speaking part this time, hehe.

After today's Mattress practice, the drama peoples set up for an Improv Show....It was the funnest time I've had in a LONG while. We played one game called Longform, where we all line up at the back and cycle through scenes. The third person in line (or anyone else; an audience member, maybe) 'molds' the first two into positions, and the two create a scene. Eventually, someone (the show's host) will yell, "Freeze!" and the two have to stop whatever they're doing, no matter what. The third person takes the place of one, and creates a new scene from whatever position they ended in. It cycles until they get back to the first two, then they restart their original scene from where it left off. Anyway, enough disposition.....

My scenes tonight, in my opinion, were the best I've ever done in playing this game. I was really surprised at the reaction I got from one particular thing: Becky Hurd and I were in a scene where I was a rescuer saving her from an imminent watery death. We fell in when the cable above us snapped, and I decided to pass the time with some fun. I jokingly pulled her under the water and let her back up. She took revenge and tried the same. At this point, everyone expected me to get back up and cuss her out for nearly killing me, but I just hung there, as if dead and drowned....Hearing everyone laugh at something I just did spur-of-the-moment was amazing--the best feeling I've experienced. At our break in the show I was complimented a lot at how good at improv I was. I'm just doing what's quasi-natural, and rolling with what's there. I don't wanna sound vain, but that was just.....wow. So cool and so fun.
We ended this scene with us both tragically drowning...No happy ending there.

In the other scene, Patrick and I were taking old playgound games to a National competition, but we couldn't decide which to take exactly. We played Hopscotch with invisible chalk, where I was the 'big rock' you throw on the numbers. We played Patty-cake, but that just didn't cut it. We did some jumprope, but that wasn't it, either. I don't wanna get started on Jacks -- I somehow swallowed the pieces and needed the Heimlich Maneuver to keep me alive. During paddle-ball, my eye was replaced with the ball, then Patrick started paddle-ball-ing with my eye....which is when MY eye replaced HIS. That was strange, seeing the world from his point of view....Finally, we beat out everyone at Nationals with Ring-around-the-Rosies and pyrotechnics. I was happy, but mourned the loss of my friend, who was nowhere to be seen....nor was my hair (fire burns, after all).

This was just TOO fun a night. I wonder why I didn't get into drama earlier, but I wonder if I'd be as good as people say I am if I did start earlier. If anything, I'm glad I'm doing it now.

Ah, but with a whole bunch of tripping over logs and drowning all day after school today, I'm beat. I'll sleep REALLY well, but most likely I'll be sore in the morn'. It was well worth it, though; everything I did today from 2:00 to 9:00 was pure Dramatics--FUN drama stuff...Woohoo! Have a good 'un, everyone, and I thank thee for reading. Don't forget to comment!

--Justin