Category: Theater

Another Day Comes 

  
And she began her day like many others 

Clinging onto jacket and bag 

Throwing on outfits to match the 8hrs of stress to come 

Contemplating when the money will equal 

Feeling the need to go forward 

When she just wants to go back 

Remove all the layers 

Jump into quilted arms

Drift off into a land of dreams
And he sits 

Thinking of the time past 

Wishing for a good book 

Looking for a way out 

Not wanting to be apart of the nightmare called life

He wanted to be able to 

Close lids and see the darkness beneath the skins layer as eyes roll back and forth catching a new dream 

Drifting off into a land…

Me and My Momma: Watching “Empire”

  
I am not a fan of Empire so I’m not going to be here taking shots at the show just give an insight to me and my momma Wednesday’s. 

Mom: Allen turn my show is on!
Me: Mom it’s not on yet.
Mom; Yes it is you don’t know. 
Me: what time does it come on? 
Mom: 9.
Me: And what time is it? 
Mom: 8!?
Me: See.

(Hour later)

Me: Mom your show is on.

(Mom rolls into the living room)

Mom: ohhh!! I can’t wait for my Cookie. 

(Show is on mom is glued on show. Cookie makes a comment concerning her being arrested mom begins laughing)

Mom: Ha ha ha!! That girl is a mess!! 

Me: This is stupid writing mom.

Mom: You don’t know what your talking about. Look at this one of the top shows on tv is a black cast show. It’s entertaining and filled with drama be happy for them. 

Me: But the writing sucks mom lame jokes, one line zingers, simple stuff. 

Mom: And its equivalent to Dynasty, a family in chaos among each other. That’s called good tv. So give it props!

Me: Ok mom your right but it still sucks…😜

Memorable night with an icon 

  

Yesterday was a good day as Temple University hosted a sit down with playwright/poet and author Ntzaka Shang and Oz Scott about the creation of For Colored Girls the stage play. It was very inspirational and warming as you hear the story and understood the joy in making it. Producer/ director Lee Richardson was the host and poet/playwright professor Tamikka Williams presented her with a plaque from the mayor to celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the play. 

A Drummers Hymn 

 

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A drummers hymn will always bring life to you 

a drummers hymn will always bring life to you 

Listen to the beat as it resides in you 

Listen to your ancestors as they talk to you

A drummers hymn will always bring life into you 

A drummers hymn will always bring life into you 

Listen to the cry of children coming through 

Listen as your people make a war cries

They are crying 

Little girls are crying 

As they scream in anger still wondering why someone wanted to burn them behind church walls 

Listen as little boys cry out to you 

He wonders why they hung him when he did nothing special all

Listen to the drum 

Their spiritual is dance rides callus tips

Listen to the percussion as it is the little voices asking why 

Listen as its tap are little voices wondering why 

A drummers hymn will always bring life to you 

A drummers hymn will always bring life to you 

Listen to the beat as it resides in you 

Listen to your ancestors as they talk through you

Inspiration 

As ordinary as we are as people we never know how inspirational we can be to others. This young lady here has been an inspiration to me since I’ve known her a writer a philosopher and a fighter a poet a craftsman a parent using the power within to be her strength where in most situations people would fold. She always contains a smile and a word of encouragement even when the day seems as if it will show nothing but gloom. She is strength and continues to go above and beyond in her journey and for these reasons I celebrate your inspiration today. So my artist friends when you think you can’t always remember how she shows us what we can… 

  

Another Week of Work

  

Yesterday was a great day as cast members came in ready for rehearsal. For many of the cast members it’s all about reintroducing themselves too the material. For many that reintroduction to the script involved learning how to focus and become the character once again as well as taking ques from others and being back into consistency concerning the flow of scenes between actors. 

The Step Up

  

Competition [in a scene] is healthy. Competition is life. Yet most actors refuse to acknowledge this. They don’t want to compete. They want to get along. And they are therefore not first-rate actors.
~ Michael Shurtleff

In most cases, an actors job is to make unbelievable believable and although this may be for a scene it is also in the interaction between another actor this becomes important as well. Most of this is in understanding what he or she is bringing to the table within their performance that helps the next to step up when it’s his or her turn on the stage too. With daily rehearsal and communication it becomes helpful to an actor in building chemistry within each pass as well as in the performance its self. 

Beautiful Comedy

  • Humor [in a scene] is not jokes. It is that attitude toward being alive without which you would long ago have jumped off the 59th Street Bridge.
    ~ Michael Shurtleff

    The believability in comedy is being able to take something from daily living and stretch it into a humor that is seen as annoying but funny at the same time. It is in these actions where most actors utilize the understanding and allow it to make its way into a scene to make people think while seeing a reason too laugh as well. As actors it is there job to bring you into those moments and see all the humor abnormality and seriousness of not only the actions but what they may be saying that is made to be a moment called tragic comedy. So now you walk away smile or laugh but here is the big part did you get the message? 

    

Getting over the Moment

That’s what makes acting so attractive. You get to break all your own rules.”Gerardine Clark”

The beauty of acting is allowing yourself to let go and take on roles that you never thought you would do. In many ways this is your inner voice ready to dive into the unexpected and see if things are possible. In the end it is here when one finds them self and realize that it was always the fear of exploring that held them back that will never do so again. 


Believability 

  • The best acting is instinctive. It’s not intellectual, it’s not mechanical, it’s instinctive.
    ~ Craig MacDonald

    He walked ín took his place with an introduction and waited for time. He stood with paper in hand and began speaking words that he had never seen before and made others see him as believable. His became the husband and seeing the picture of his wife made it clear that he wasn’t just being thrown in a moment but a believability of a situation that could be…