Hello all!
Just a quick update to let you know what's going on with me! The past week my boyfriend and I road tripped across the USA to our final stop in LA where we've spent the past two days and we have two more days to hang out here before we head back to Philadelphia. It's been nice to hit the reset button and I have seen and experienced so many new and wonderful things since being on my trip.
I saw the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, went back to Hagafen Winery in Napa, saw my friend Chris in San Francisco, went camping in Arkansas, ate delicious food in Oklahoma City and Nashville, went to a spin and yoga class here in LA...the list goes on and on. I have had an amazing journey. When I get back to Philly, it's back in the saddle and pounding that pavement. But I definitely needed to step back and smell the roses a bit.
We must do what we want to do with our lives. I want to travel. And I mean travel everywhere. I've seen so much but there is still so much more I want to see. And there are places I want to go back to. But you know, this experience has taught me that with patience and planning, anything is possible. If you want to drive across the country, you can figure it out and you can do it. I guess that also applies to everything in life as well.
When I'm back in Philly I'm jumping right into rehearsal for an all woman-cast reading of Julius Caesar and I have an audition among some opening nights and such. I'm also going to start a 30 day green smoothie challenge to again hit that reset button and push myself. I haven't given my career or my life my all yet. I'm ready to do that.
Tomorrow I'm shooting a potential commercial for a weed killer with Ed and his friend Jhon. And then we're gonna see The Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre a bit more closely. And the beach. We cannot forget the beach.
I'll post choice photos of the trip when I get back into town.
Cheers
-Cindy
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Do Not Say "I Know"...
Where do I begin with my 5 day experience with Jean Rene?
Let me start with this: The Primitive Voice.
So The Wilma Theatre asked me to do a 5 day workshop with Jean Rene Toussaint, Blanka Zizka, and Paula Vogel. That's right. All those awesome, inspiring people plus more in one room for five days. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and stripped my schedule of as many conflicts as possible.
Five days. 9-5. Hardcore voice, physical, and emotional work. Bring it.
His workshop has transformed me, as a human and actor. I was given license to immerse my whole being into exercises that opened my imagination and allowed me to "go there" without ever caring about what other people were thinking. Because everyone else in the room "goes there" too. I found that by the end of the workshop many of my inhibitions had simply gone away.
By the end of the workshop, I felt like I could do anything.
I fell face first into people's arms from 5 feet in the air. I explored asymmetry in my body. I know what it means to release and unlock where I hold tension in my body. I gazed deeply into the eyes of a friend and lived out stories. I inhaled my boyfriend's spirit and recognized him as one does with a mirror. I created language and communicated. I dared myself to rely on the hands and support of others.
This blog post is titled what it is because of a truth that Jean Rene said. Many people, Americans especially, have a tendency to say "I know" as soon as someone says something true about them. It is a way of staving off vulnerability and to not actually listen and allow yourself to hear what that person is saying. He also mentioned we say "interesting" a lot as well, even when we don't find it all that interesting.
I know (see what I did there?) that I definitely do that. When he would come up to me and tell me something about the way I move or the way that I'm holding back my voice I would initially feel defensive. But I would take his advice for the next exercise and my work always grew. I GREW in ways that I never thought I could grow. I heard sounds coming out of body that, when he gave me the slightest adjustment, would in an instant change and become deeper. Often I would be touched inside and an unknown emotion would spurt out of me. It was really incredible to experience.
That's the other aspect of the workshop. It was simply about experience. It wasn't about manufacturing sound or movement, it was about allowing it to grow and become organically. It was about being. Nothing felt rushed about any of the exercises because he knew what it took. Did I mention he's been doing this for 30 years? Yeah he knows what he's doing.
Of course it's impossible for me to completely sum up my whole adventure for you and there are a lot of experiences I had that I don't want to share. Because they are mine and they are precious to me, to that room, and to that group of people. But I would say that even if you aren't a theatre artist, if you have an opportunity, take a workshop and open yourself up to possibility within. You are more powerful than you ever could have imagined.
Till next time...
-Cindy
Let me start with this: The Primitive Voice.
So The Wilma Theatre asked me to do a 5 day workshop with Jean Rene Toussaint, Blanka Zizka, and Paula Vogel. That's right. All those awesome, inspiring people plus more in one room for five days. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and stripped my schedule of as many conflicts as possible.
Five days. 9-5. Hardcore voice, physical, and emotional work. Bring it.
His workshop has transformed me, as a human and actor. I was given license to immerse my whole being into exercises that opened my imagination and allowed me to "go there" without ever caring about what other people were thinking. Because everyone else in the room "goes there" too. I found that by the end of the workshop many of my inhibitions had simply gone away.
By the end of the workshop, I felt like I could do anything.
I fell face first into people's arms from 5 feet in the air. I explored asymmetry in my body. I know what it means to release and unlock where I hold tension in my body. I gazed deeply into the eyes of a friend and lived out stories. I inhaled my boyfriend's spirit and recognized him as one does with a mirror. I created language and communicated. I dared myself to rely on the hands and support of others.
This blog post is titled what it is because of a truth that Jean Rene said. Many people, Americans especially, have a tendency to say "I know" as soon as someone says something true about them. It is a way of staving off vulnerability and to not actually listen and allow yourself to hear what that person is saying. He also mentioned we say "interesting" a lot as well, even when we don't find it all that interesting.
I know (see what I did there?) that I definitely do that. When he would come up to me and tell me something about the way I move or the way that I'm holding back my voice I would initially feel defensive. But I would take his advice for the next exercise and my work always grew. I GREW in ways that I never thought I could grow. I heard sounds coming out of body that, when he gave me the slightest adjustment, would in an instant change and become deeper. Often I would be touched inside and an unknown emotion would spurt out of me. It was really incredible to experience.
That's the other aspect of the workshop. It was simply about experience. It wasn't about manufacturing sound or movement, it was about allowing it to grow and become organically. It was about being. Nothing felt rushed about any of the exercises because he knew what it took. Did I mention he's been doing this for 30 years? Yeah he knows what he's doing.
Of course it's impossible for me to completely sum up my whole adventure for you and there are a lot of experiences I had that I don't want to share. Because they are mine and they are precious to me, to that room, and to that group of people. But I would say that even if you aren't a theatre artist, if you have an opportunity, take a workshop and open yourself up to possibility within. You are more powerful than you ever could have imagined.
Till next time...
-Cindy
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