I guess this is a shameless plug but it is a plug for something that I have no financial interest in.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a full week acting retreat in Washington State.  What an intensive week it was - I just need to tell someone about it and you are elected.  The class started at noon on Sunday and ended just before noon the following Sunday.  The class was made up of actors of all experience ranges from community theater hacks like me to (daytime) Emmy winning actors to working professional actors.  The ages ran from early 20's to people in their 70's.  Everyone is stretched in their acting ability.  The first time I attended was in 2004 and I felt very intimidated before I arrived but I found that I fit right in.  It is not about who is a better actor than I am or who I am better than, it is about me doing the best I can and growing as an actor.  

I loved every minute of it.  There were a lot of minutes involved too - each day started with breakfast at 8 am and the day ended at 11 pm after some time rehearsing my assigned scene with my scene partner.  Long and intensive and utterly exhilarating and recharging.

Class sections are small - ranging from four to six students depending on the total enrolled - this year there were 20 students literally from all over the country and Canada.  20 Students and 6 instructors a great ratio and the instructors were great - everyone an expert in their area.  Michael Gellman from Second City in Chicago taught Improvisation, Rob O?Neil a professional dancer and choreographer from New York taught Embodiment.  Think it is about dance?  Wrong!!! it is about physically being your character.  It is about you and your body and how you move and don?t move.  I told Rob that I used to stand by accident now I stand on purpose.  Hard to understand if you were not there.  The other instructors (Voice, Scene Study, Call Backs and Auditions) were just as great.  Molly Lyons who puts on the retreat and teaches the Audition class also shares her love for Shakespeare.  It is contagious.  When I went last year, I wanted nothing to do with Shakespeare.  Now I love it.  I even was in Macbeth last spring.  I love how the words sound and flow.  I love memorizing them and learn them just for fun.  

I learned that auditions are my chance to cast myself in a play that I love, direct myself and perform in front of other people - the auditors.  

There were hundreds of moments that were so special I want to tell you about them but I just can?t fit all of them in.  Even if I could, I couldn?t explain them.  Like the call-back where I did a scene from PROOF and how the young woman and I clicked on such an emotional plain that we were both transported into a special place or the scene I did from The Man Who Came to Dinner with a young woman from Chicago, to a wonderful evening of movement that I can?t even begin to explain or Gellman?s wonderful improvisational trip through our minds.

Something that I never expected and never experienced before in my life was the non-judgmental aspect of the course.  It is not how someone else feels about how I do, it is about how I feel about what I am doing.  I have learned that all I can do is the best that I can do at the time.  If I do that, I have to accept it.  Stop tearing myself apart over every mistake.  Accept that my best is good enough.  But always strive to do the best I can at the time.

The whole week costs $500 (+/- depending on when you register) and the room and board costs another $450 (+/- depending on the type of room).

Next year the class is from January 8th to the 15th in Washington.  For more information contact Molly Lyons at lyons@greenwoodstudio.org.

I can?t imagine not taking this class in the future.  Sorry if I bored you with this but it was such a special week.

Doug