Sunday, March 11, 2012

Teaching Tension

Scaffolding is terribly handy when hanging paper chains in a large room.

15 year olds are very smart, very dumb, very emotional, very confused, very devoted, very interesting, very simple, very tender, very flirtatious, very shy, very worried, very thick, very transparent, very energetic, very much alive.

Its really important to know the whole story.

One can stay fairly comfortable with heated seats and the sun roof open.

The difference between 38 degrees and 54 degrees is 16 and the world.

Three weeks is a lifetime away and its right around the corner. Into The Woods will be over and I will get all my time back and lose my identity all at once.

Friends are mostly made of memories.

Its better to wait for an answer than proceed without one.

Saturday was international fanny pack day. So sorry to my English friends. Delightful holiday.

You know you are busy when teeth brushing seems to be the highlight of one's free time. A shower is like a fantasy.

There's nothing that a coat of brown can't make better.

It's amazing when people want to help. It's even more amazing when they actually do.

Spring snow in the morning is fine if there is spring sun in the afternoon.

Have you tried the caramel cheesecake bites at Del Taco? Oh boy.

Rich knows. He just does. Thank heaven.

I have found that in directing Into The Woods with this group of kids, I have spent a lot of time teaching tension. What is it? How do you cope with it? How does the audience feel it? What do they do when they feel it? Why is it imperative to good story telling? What happens when it disappears? Who owns it? Kids spend the majority of their existence avoiding tension. We all do I guess. I'm asking them not only to endure it, but to create it. Some of them are getting really good at it. I hope it is good for them somehow. Its been good for me for sure.