Chance = Change

...and I do mean "class" , as in "classy", upper class,etc. i understand a new meaning to the concept....last night was the first meeting of the CAP 21 Alum Class I put together for the next few months and though certain people showed up I was not expecting, and certain people i was expecting called to beg out because of colds (starting next Tuesday instead), it was a most hard-working and satisfying room last night, and we all left feeling like we had gotten to know each other better, and looking forward to learning more. There is considerable talent in that class already,because, well, after all they are CAP 21 graduates, their training was therefore good, and they would not have gotten into CAP unless they showed some degree of gift to begin with...combine that with the fact that each of them has lived a few years now, done jobs, know themselves better and have continued studying voice, etc, and the power in the room last night is clearly understandable....that did not make it any less surprising and exciting, however, and I was reminded of the joys of teaching powerfully gifted actors and singers. Suffice it to say: a good time was had by all. The hours between 7 and 10 flew by.

Lauren Shealy, Michael Miller, Jesse Factor, Ashley Eichenbauer, Jenoa Harrison, Jen Blood, Paul Johnson...wonderful! Exciting. More to come next week....and next week begins the Wednesday night class as well...

I felt really glad last night (and that feeling remains this morning) that I had decided to put those classes together. Shaping them the way I see best, keeping them small, and having them at night, enables me to give fuller attention to each and every person working in class, and I can "custom-build" the instruction to meet the specific needs of each...and in so doing, each student contributes uniquely to the general pool of learning that takes place in the room...this is especially true of a group that is already so highly motivated and interesting... they can really learn from each other. And I learn too.

In line with my idea that actors are basically singers of stories and that singers are actors of the highest caliber, each and every class will begin with singing...last night I had planned to have each student sing only one or two songs..but the event that shaped up dictated we do more, and so each got to sing at least 5 songs, interspersed with monologues, and this we all did as a sharing group (I call this the "Round Robin", in honor of Larry Moss, who first introduced that courageous concept to me in his class), and whereas it has the effect of finally relaxing each student as they get to know each other through song, the initial idea of simply, out of the blue, singing to total strangers when you hear your intro being played is nonetheless a real confrontation, no matter how experienced you are.

I remember so clearly the terrors I would feel(years ago) when i heard my song being started...then one day, Betty Buckley showed up in class, an old pal of Larry's, she would drop in whenever she simply felt like singing or working on a new song....she joined the Round Robin onstage with the rest of us, already a sort of showbiz legend, I admired even her courage then, and she simply opened her mouth (the song was You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman..I'll never forget it..)and out poured the purest emotional sound I had ever been close to...raw, pure, she seemed not to care how it sounded, only that it SOUNDED! Only that she perform the necessary ritual of singing because she simply had to express what it is she was feeling....the music was her lit match and she became the fire. Of course the sound was gorgeous, but mostly what I remember is the feeling of freedom....FREDDOM...and absolute necessity: there was no way she could not sing!

It was a genuine lesson to me that day that I have never forgotten...freedom and necessity...the sheer act of gift-giving...so i have tried to do a Round Robin in every class I have ever taught ...there is power in the circle of song, even among strangers....especially among strangers.The room rocked with it last night.

By the way, the orchids Pearl Berman gave us are as strong and fresh as the day they arrived, gorgeous, tall, white and pretty...they seem to like their place by the windows that overlook 104th Street, and i spray them everyday. I will see Pearl tonight at the CAP 21 Board meeting.

Peter had a good audition for Deborah Brown yesterday, ostensibly for the Sir Peter Hlal Earnest which will go on tour with Lynn Redgrave...but it may simply have been a reason for Deb to give Peter a general "look see", which is not bad either...it went well, Peter felt. Deb is a smart woman, and a seasoned Casting Director: she knows a good thing when she sees it...I trust Peter made a good impression. He worked hard and perfected a really strong audition. And, as he pointed out, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST seems to be a play that crosses his path with regularity, so let the karmic games begin!!

Hey...gotta go to the gym!!! It has become a healthy habit lately....so, before I lose the impluse, bye for now...xxev