And so it begins!

WOW!

Day one of school and I am thrilled, nervous, excited, overwhelmed and friggin exhausted! I was thinking all day about how I would tackle this blog...I can't write about every single detail but there are several points that must be remembered. So, I'll do my best! Forgive me if my brain is a bit scattered.

So...I get there at 10:00 a.m. And I find a seat in Steppenwolf's 3rd floor conference room (the audition room). We get folders with rules and regs, our first trimester schedule and other business stuff and our school coordinator reviews it all. Following that, our teachers arrive. We introduce ourselves to them and they all introduce themselves and give a speech about their particular area of expertise...we are all awed. They all seem to have a deep passion for their work and want us to do well just as bad as we do. I wish I had a video camera to show all of you how amazing these people were, but I'll give you some snippets of a few quotes they gave.

Sheldon Pantikin about taking risks "Better to be an asshole then a chicken shit"

K.Todd Freeman with regards to his Meisner Class: Don't be afraid to get ugly, get MESSY

Susanne Thompson on Feldenkrais: "You may not always like me, you may not always like Feldenkrais, but I will always like you"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldenkrais_method

Alexandra Billings about her Viewpoints Class: "Remember, you are enough" "Life is a work in process"

Erica Daniels, Director of the School and Casting Director: Don't worry about being the best.. you ARE the best of the best...you have already won... THIS is the WIN! Enjoy it!

All of the teachers emphasized the importance of the process rather than the result...

I have no words to describe how intense these people are about the work that they do but I am so excited about it.

We met Jeff Perry, founder of Steppenwolf Theatre and the School at Steppenwolf, who was so encouraging and helpful.

Then we met the entire staff! Everyone from Martha Lavey, Artistic Director to the IT people and interns.

Everyone was really nice and welcoming.

My classmates are wonderful...they all come from different backgrounds...range in ages from 19-30 (I think). Some people are working on and have completed Master's Degrees in theatre, others have had 4-5 classes like me, and at least one has not even had an acting class. There are six people of color, 5 black people(4 black women), and 1 latino. (Funny, at the first break, all the "sistas" introduced ourselves to one another like..."Haaay, you know we gotta connect and represent."

After we met our teachers we had an hour lunch break and began our first Viewpoints Class. For those of you unfamiliar, Viewpoints is a technique that provides you with a vocabulary for movement that teaches an actor how to stay in the moment and react to what your partner gives you onstage. Have you ever seen those plays where the actors seem to be so in sync and so responsive that it appears they have been in that world of a play their whole lives. More than likely, they have had some Viewpoints training. Check this link for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viewpoints

Our Viewpoints Teacher, Alexandra Billings, is one of the most intense and thrilling instructors I have ever had. Unfortunately, words are too limiting to describe her, but when I left that class I left sweating, exhausted, and euphoric. And it was only the first day. We spent the afternoon changing our shapes, tempo, spatial relationships, etc as we moved throughout the rehearsal space that I lost control of most of my inhibitions and fell into the moment. And it was AMAZING. I know it may help if I was more descriptive...there may be a few people like "I don't get it" but there is no way to break it down. It was like therapy for the mind and body. We start and end our day with Viewpoints...and I can't wait.

After class they had a reception for us at Goose Island on Clybourn with drinks and appetizers. That was a wonderful way to mix and mingle with everyone and just talk.

Okay...SO how do I FEEL? I don't even know...it's as if I am oustide of my body just watching things happen. One of my due dates for a reading assignment got pushed up to tomorrow so I have to get to it AND get some rest. We start viewpointing at 8:00 tomorrow so I have to be alert and ready.

I'll share more adventures tomorrow...I am happily fin- ta pass out!

R.Marie