January 26, 2014 HPAG Workshop with many surprising moments on stage!
Warm Ups:
We did a TRUST Exercise where people partnered up and one actor would fall into the arms of another actor and then switch. Nothing like blindingly trusting your fellow actor, but don't we have to do that during scenes as well? Great exercise.
Acting Exercises:
"Hippy Circle". Everyone sits crossed legged in a circle and we say random profound things and then we all snap our fingers like they did in the 60s. It was cool.
Random Characters:
I wrote four characters on pieces of paper. I asked who wanted to be a character and who wanted to be a passerby person.
The results were:
David played
"a desperate salesman". He tried very energetically to sell a bottle of water to a man for $20. The Apocalypse had happened and he really needed to sell that last bottle of water. They ended up negotiating.
Thomas played "a crazy man who was afraid that the aliens were coming". Kerry basically negated everything he said and didn't buy that there were any aliens in the sky and finally calls the men in the white suits. Thomas had great conviction. First rule of improv....you must always go with what is said! Still it was really good.
Paul played "cop the beat". He was going to arrest Kareema for spitting on the sidewalk. She didn't understand why that was against the law. Paul was very diligent in his job. They were both really funny. Then Thomas ran up on stage and pretended to spit and Paul ran after him. End of improv! Very funny.
IMPROVISATIONS
David plays a talk show host on the "David Motek" show. His first guest is a new Grammy winner who has a substance abuse problem. Kerry decided to make herself 14 years old, which was an odd choice and very limiting, but that's okay. David was wonderful as the charismatic talk show host!
"THE DAVID MOTEK SHOW" David's next guest was the inventor of an app that allows TIME TRAVEL. Paul plays a total geeky character in this segment. He's more like a Man Child. Shoulders hunched around his shoulders and a funny way of talking. He made a big deal about showering for the show and wanted everyone to smell how clean he was. He admitted that he was a multi millionaire due to his app invention. We he turned to Kerry, he acted like she was a big steak or an ice cream cone. That was a hilarious moment! He explained to David how to use the App for Time Travel and admitted that he once went back to change a grade from an A- to an A+. True Nerd Style! I loved this improv! Great work!
"BIRTH MOTHER" Jennifer and Kareema where wonderful in this intense Improvisation about a young woman who finds her birth mother. She doesn't get the reaction she's hoping for. Jennifer starts the scene sleeping on the sofa and Kareema just lets herself into the house. Jennifer is freaked out at first and demands to know why Kareema is in her house and knows her name. Kareema says she has a birth certificate with Jennifer's name on it. Jennifer is mad because those files were supposed to be closed. Kareema was raised by nuns who named her Lilly. Jennifer softens after some very uncomfortable moments when Kareema tells her that she's leaving the country with her new fiance and isn't coming back. Jennifer asks her to bring her fiance in to meet her. It was truly emotional and beautiful. Jennifer told me at the end of class that she wants to develop that scene and I told her to write out a scene around the improv and bring it in. I love when inspiration strikes!
"RUSSIAN GANGSTER" Thomas expressed that he wanted to do a Russian Accent in a scene, so I gave him an improv where he was playing a Russian Gangster who was found with a bag full of 1 Million Dollars due to selling arms to some local terrorist. Erin played the bad cop at first, but he was too nice. Paul busted in as the bad cop and knocked Paul off his chair. Thomas had been taunting the police with a banana that he'd been eating. That was hilarious...but when Paul entered the picture, that banana went flying! Erin and Paul where just talking amongst themselves about Tom, mostly about how great his hair looked and that the other prisoners are going to love him. Tom said in his Russian Accent "Ask me questions, let's negotiate. I told you we can negotiate." It was a really wonderfully intense and entertaining improv and Thomas' accent was fantastic! Good character for him!
I love this expression on Thomas' face.
"Serpico" with Thomas, Erin, and Kerry. Thomas plays the Al Pacino character in this scene. He's got a bad attitude about the system and says they are all corrupt. His friend comes in to help him. Thomas doesn't want to hear what he has to say. Kerry is upset because she wants to be closer to Serpico. She wants to have his baby. He's very abusive to her about keeping the house clean. He's not a very happy or nice guy. The actors all did a great job with the scene. I did have Erin do the scene again because I wanted him to have a bit more passion and conviction at the top of the scene. He adjusted nicely.
"Housesitter" with Paul and Jennifer. This was a cute scene where Jennifer plays the Goldie Hawn character. She played her very flighty and funny. Paul is just astounded by the gall of Jennifer's character when she decides to move herself into his house, buying furniture on his account and making people believe that they are a couple. It was very cute. They did a good job.
"American Beauty" with David B. and Erin. This was a quick and short scene where David is reading a letter that Erin wrote to management. David tells him that Management wants him out of the office by the end of the day. Erin threatens him with Sexual Harassment and David is taken aback. A deal is struck. Nice work guys! I had them do it again because I wanted them to be more 'dicky' with each other. Just to one up each other. They did good with the adjustment!
"Boiler Room" with Thomas and David. One of my favorite scenes of the entire night. David and Thomas are investment managers and they have basically ruined a client by loosing all of his money for him. The FBI has visited David and David's father and Thomas has to sign off on the deal so that the man can get his money and life back. The FBI are coming in 20 minutes and David did a great job of having a sense of urgency. Thomas was as first confused and then astounded that things had gotten to this point. The scene was so intense and wonderful. I felt like I was watching the real movie! It was perfect!
"Mistresses" with Kerry and Jennifer. Jennifer plays a doctor that is treating Kerry for some wounds around her wrists. She notices that Kerry also has marks on her neck. Kerry tries to tell the doctor that her boyfriend likes rough sex and to do that asphyxiation on each other for pleasure. Jennifer ends up calling in Social Services because she is convinced that Kerry is being abused. Only to find out that Kerry is doing all this to herself. It was a moving scene. The ladies did great.
"Dr. Strangelove" with Paul and Erin. Paul plays the General and Erin is his associate. Erin comes in to the scene carrying a radio and Paul barks that he had given instructions to destroy all radios. Erin did the scene with a British accent making the character very Flamboyant and very funny. The guys did a great job playing these two characters. I loved it. Paul is so larger than life, all he has to do is sit there to be intimidating! Great work.
"Sister Act" with Jennifer and Kareema. Kareema is a convict on the run. She needs to hide out in a convent and Jennifer is the only one who knows her secret. Jennifer tells her what the rules are and makes her put a habit on and gives her a new 'nun' name. Kareema was very funny playing the character that was originated by Whoopi Goldberg. Jennifer was the perfect Mother Superior. These girls have great chemistry together!
"Heartbreaker" with Kerry and David. David plays an unhappy husband who confronts his less than normal wife that things aren't working out and he's leaving them. Kerry doesn't take the news in a good way. She's pretty intense and throws out some real insults about his new woman. The next scene is when David brings some money, but not enough for the bills that are coming in. Kerry is insulted that he seems to like his new love more than his own family and would just as soon have his children starve. Kerry was perfectly off center during this scene and David took some liberties with the dialogue and through some funny lines of his own in there. It was a really good scene.
Kerry loosing it!
"CARLITO'S WAY" with Thomas and Kelly. Thomas and I did this scene totally cold, which is never a good idea. I was excited to work with him. I felt connected. He had most of the dialogue. I just listened and tried to be present. After the scene, he said he felt he dropped the ball. I felt it was a nice scene. Next time we'll run it a few times. Looking forward to working with Tom again!
"Stranger Than Fiction" with Kareema and Kerry. This was the second time these ladies did this scene and I wanted them to particularly hit the jokes. Kerry was more relaxed this time and we were able to hear more of her dialogue and it pulled us in. Kareema had very good timing with the jobs and the audience responded. Nice work ladies!
It was Paul's Birthday!! What a guy to come to acting class, his second one that day on his birthday! Paul Rocks!! :)
The Hollywood Players Actor's Group is one of the best Actor's Workshops in LA. Super fun and inspirational. Please RSVP one of these days and come check us out. You'll love it!
Thank you and HAPPY ACTING!!
Kelly Mullis, artistic director of HPAG!!
