respect for acting

Charlie helps me.  He gives me fifteen minutes at the end of the day to talk to the people I work with.  He brings energy to something that has gotten me tired.  He gives me a break from doing it all myself.  And it's all very valuable.  But he is simultaneously everything I hate about acting school.  Actors.  He's the epitome of all-dressed-in-black, with a natty bowtie, and a bicycle helmet.  Leave him alone for fifteen minutes and come back to find him in leopard printed Y-front long johns and bandana, sweaty and red in the face, table drumming and conducting a "movement workshop".

He's all "warm up your lips!" and "make a bold choice!" and lie on the floor and pretend you're a piece of bacon frying in the pan acting school caricature.  All the stuff about acting school that gave me the creeps and put me off meat .  Especially the leopard printed long johns.  It reminds me of Brian, my acting coach, prancing around in his purple MC Hammer pants, leaping like a gazelle, and shouting at us to move with intention!.  

It kind of reminds me of those mad churches where people kiss snakes or throw themselves on the floor and babble in tongues when they are moved by the spirit.  Something about the way people behave when they are groups, losing their ability to recognize ridiculousness as everyone around them becomes increasingly more ridiculous.  Adults lying on the floor pretending to be frying bacon, adults dancing madly while someone drums on a table, adults opening and closing their fingers and rolling their tongues and lips in unison, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!.  And taking it all very seriously, wondering why the rest of the world thinks actors are nuts.  And then putting the black dress slacks on over top of the leopard printed long johns, tucking their black dress slacks into their socks, re-clipping the bowtie, and donning the bicycle helmet for the ride home.



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