Rational

Today Martha said to me: You have the tendency as an actor to build and then rather than continuing to build, you revert back to the rational. (Or something to that effect).

I was so struck by that off handed comment (it was rather thrown in to our discussion of the pacing of the scene in Shrew we were working....pacing is so often my problem. I have to work hard (especially when straining to remember lines) to not let the air out). It was a bit like being shown a mirror for just a moment. But in that moment the axis of the world tilts and you realize some sort of resounding truth and then per force continue along. I was aghast at how true a statement it was. In life, i think my default is to bring things back to the rational. This is so worth taking note of, since what I admire about some of my coworkers, and actors in general, is the ability to be spontaneous. One of my cast mates perpetually surprises me. A scene can be moving along and then poof! Something absolutely new and off the wall and I (of course) forget my line. While these moments are never really fun (for me) I have to marvel at them and sometimes laugh too.