Thankfully, THE performance, our showcase on Sunday night was awesome. I felt very much at home on the stage, and for some reason, the animal instinct came out in me.
In the first scene with Lauren and "the Other John," I found myself playing a lead footed cat who had lost his Tabby. When I found her, she was stolen away. That is until Tabby fed the nefarious feline a poisoned dish, allowing me to turn the cad into French Kitty Litter.
"The Other John" is an extremely esoteric gentleman who is from France, and always seems intrigued by the differences in society here and there. He says he's giving the Northwest another year and may see what else is out there. I hope he finds a place he feels welcome, but he can always call on "the other Jon" to be a friend.
Lauren is heading to Fordham to begin classes, and hopes to be a star on the stage someday. She has amazing talents, and an ability to take on a character and own it. One of her scenes reminded me of Kristen Wiig, which as readers know, makes her aces in my book.
One person with whom I did not get to play a scene in the showcase, but became one of my favorite people in class was Matt. Mr. Schmidt is a stand up comic, who happens to work behind the scenes in movies. However, now, he has a great new opportunity, joining the staff of 30 Rock in New York. Matt and I share a propencity to speak too much in our scenes, but the difference is when Matt speaks, it comes out as some genius comedy - and I believe it will take him places. Right now, it's taking him to New York, and he will be missed.
If I had to pick someone who caught my eye from the opening moments of class, it would have been Rosie. She teaches theater to younger kids, and there was that young innocence in her performances on stage. Her voices were priceless, and her kindness was worth even more. She is off to Austin, Texas where she will working at a Tiny Tots School, while hopefully chasing some improv dreams with the growing scene in the very cool city. Her midwest accent, taken from her family, will be a constant memory of a really fun person.
Showcase's final scene - forward backward - made me into a horse, which, if I had listened more carefully, a centaur. It was a fun scene with the understated Brett stating his love to ride horses and asking me if I had a cough. When our teacher, Doug, called for the scene to go backwards... off I strode back to the offstage area where I toppled onto the chairs and staging back there, with a huge crash. Might have been the biggest laugh of the night for something that no one saw. Erika's ability to saddle me up created the best on stage laughs. Fun scene.
So tonight, we all said our goodbyes. While I have to say that this class did not have the family feeling that my last class had, and still holds to this day, there are many people that I will very much miss. And to those three who leave the Northwest to chase their dreams... here's hoping they all find theirs' to come true - whether it is on a stage, or just in living a wonderful life. Thanks for making mine just that much better for having known you for this short time.
Good night Matt, Lauren and Rosie! Bon Voyage!
Yours truly,
Johnny Blogger
