Wednesday
Jan192005
Secrets Revealed...
Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at 10:34PM
I have a confession to make. And an announcement. It’s been nearly six months. I’ve been sneaking out of the house on Monday nights, and while some of you know about my secret weekly assignation with a group of eight men and eight women, it’s time to go public...it will all be over soon.
You might find it hard to believe, but when The Rebel Housewife Rules came out last year, and the media attention began, I was really, really, REALLY nervous. I’m a writer, not a talker! Being a writer is one thing, completely different from standing up in front of people, talking, answering questions, and saying something entertaining and interesting--and actually make sense--without the opportunity to go back and edit!
I knew I was out of my depth. I knew I had a problem, and I needed to do something about it--quickly! The Rebel Housewife was my concept, my baby, and the emerging image, defining The Rebel Housewife, was my responsibility. I had to do something drastic to pull it together, launch The Rebel Housewife Rules, take on the media--and sell lots of books.
I could have taken a speech class, or joined Toastmasters--but that sounded really boring to me. (I apologize to Toastmasters people--I’m sure you’re an exciting crowd, I just didn’t want to go there.) I considered acting classes, for a minute, but that would have been completely unnatural--who wants a classically-trained, dramatic Rebel Housewife? Just not the image I’m going for with this.
But then a suggestion did catch my imagination. I Googled (doesn’t everybody?)—and found something interesting. When I opened up the website to look around, the first thing that leaped out at me was:
Oh yeah, this was just the thing! I checked it out, made some calls, talked to some people. I signed up online, put in my credit card info--and then panic set in. I do believe (at least I’m working on it): It is the things we are most frightened of that we should absolutely do. Nothing is ever as terrifying in reality as it seems at first--like riding a horse or a motorcycle, or taking a chance like this. I needed to do something to handle media interviews and appearances better--to be more at ease, more confident--to launch the media superstardom of The Rebel Housewife--and sell lots of books!
The next day, I wrote to my friend, Hollywood Correspondent and media coach extraordinaire, Gayl Murphy (http://www.interviewtactics.com):
“I’m going to do a six-month Improv training at Whole World Theatre, a comedy club here in Atlanta--I’m not just stepping out of the box, I’m jumping without a net! [It really felt like that, at the time.] So we’ll see--I don’t think I want to be a comedian on-stage (well, who knows?), but I need the practice in front of people and on-camera, and it sounds like fun.”
And with that leap, to do something I had never even considered, I decided to carry on with a new focus, a new mantra, if you will: To be more excited than terrified!
Of course, secretly, I had visions of being the next Roseanne Barr...well, not quite so large, or, um, blue collar...but such an overwhelming, surprisingly talented, stand-out presence, with such obvious improvisational, comedic talent--that someone would rush to the stage one night and offer me my own sitcom, and a billion dollars.
Well, that hasn’t happened. But maybe...(I’ll get to that announcement in a minute.)
I went to my first Improv class at Whole World on a Monday night in August--and it was fun! I really had no idea what to expect, and just walking in, it was kind of scary, but the first week was mostly orientation, meeting the instructor and the rest of my ‘cast’.
I was surprised to find that I was one of the oldest in the group, by a decade--The Mom of Improv. None of the others are even married! I struggle to be cool and hip, ah, but what the hell--we’ve all had fun. My cast mates come from all different backgrounds, and are in this experience for all different reasons. Some are taking the class to graduate and move on to perform at Whole World, but mostly, everyone is there to step outside of themselves and play; to face a new challenge and enjoy a new adventure.
So every week for almost six months now, we’ve come together, to play on the stage and work on our Improv skills: We’ve learned to develop scenes, to capture an emotion and share and build on that feeling with a partner and an audience. We’ve learned to play a whole bunch of Improv games: acting through a range of emotions, dialects, stereotypes, and word games. We’ve gotten to know each other, and trust each other, and have fun. The end is near...
So for the announcement:
In a couple of weeks, on Tuesday, February 15th, we will graduate from our six-month Improv training with a LIVE performance, on-stage, in front of an audience, at Whole World Theatre (http://www.wholeworldtheatre.com) in Atlanta. So if you’re looking for a new sitcom Mom, and you have a billion dollars...just kidding.
I couldn’t even think about the graduation performance when we first started this class. Just getting up on stage and letting loose in front of the 14 members of the class (and our 2 directors) was an accomplishment for me! I still can’t think about being up there in front of a full house--that’s a lot of people! But there you go.
The things that terrify you are the things you absolutely should do. I’m still focusing on being more excited than terrified!
You might find it hard to believe, but when The Rebel Housewife Rules came out last year, and the media attention began, I was really, really, REALLY nervous. I’m a writer, not a talker! Being a writer is one thing, completely different from standing up in front of people, talking, answering questions, and saying something entertaining and interesting--and actually make sense--without the opportunity to go back and edit!
I knew I was out of my depth. I knew I had a problem, and I needed to do something about it--quickly! The Rebel Housewife was my concept, my baby, and the emerging image, defining The Rebel Housewife, was my responsibility. I had to do something drastic to pull it together, launch The Rebel Housewife Rules, take on the media--and sell lots of books.
I could have taken a speech class, or joined Toastmasters--but that sounded really boring to me. (I apologize to Toastmasters people--I’m sure you’re an exciting crowd, I just didn’t want to go there.) I considered acting classes, for a minute, but that would have been completely unnatural--who wants a classically-trained, dramatic Rebel Housewife? Just not the image I’m going for with this.
But then a suggestion did catch my imagination. I Googled (doesn’t everybody?)—and found something interesting. When I opened up the website to look around, the first thing that leaped out at me was:
ARE YOU READY TO PLAY!
Oh yeah, this was just the thing! I checked it out, made some calls, talked to some people. I signed up online, put in my credit card info--and then panic set in. I do believe (at least I’m working on it): It is the things we are most frightened of that we should absolutely do. Nothing is ever as terrifying in reality as it seems at first--like riding a horse or a motorcycle, or taking a chance like this. I needed to do something to handle media interviews and appearances better--to be more at ease, more confident--to launch the media superstardom of The Rebel Housewife--and sell lots of books!
The next day, I wrote to my friend, Hollywood Correspondent and media coach extraordinaire, Gayl Murphy (http://www.interviewtactics.com):
“I’m going to do a six-month Improv training at Whole World Theatre, a comedy club here in Atlanta--I’m not just stepping out of the box, I’m jumping without a net! [It really felt like that, at the time.] So we’ll see--I don’t think I want to be a comedian on-stage (well, who knows?), but I need the practice in front of people and on-camera, and it sounds like fun.”
And with that leap, to do something I had never even considered, I decided to carry on with a new focus, a new mantra, if you will: To be more excited than terrified!
Of course, secretly, I had visions of being the next Roseanne Barr...well, not quite so large, or, um, blue collar...but such an overwhelming, surprisingly talented, stand-out presence, with such obvious improvisational, comedic talent--that someone would rush to the stage one night and offer me my own sitcom, and a billion dollars.
Well, that hasn’t happened. But maybe...(I’ll get to that announcement in a minute.)
I went to my first Improv class at Whole World on a Monday night in August--and it was fun! I really had no idea what to expect, and just walking in, it was kind of scary, but the first week was mostly orientation, meeting the instructor and the rest of my ‘cast’.
I was surprised to find that I was one of the oldest in the group, by a decade--The Mom of Improv. None of the others are even married! I struggle to be cool and hip, ah, but what the hell--we’ve all had fun. My cast mates come from all different backgrounds, and are in this experience for all different reasons. Some are taking the class to graduate and move on to perform at Whole World, but mostly, everyone is there to step outside of themselves and play; to face a new challenge and enjoy a new adventure.
So every week for almost six months now, we’ve come together, to play on the stage and work on our Improv skills: We’ve learned to develop scenes, to capture an emotion and share and build on that feeling with a partner and an audience. We’ve learned to play a whole bunch of Improv games: acting through a range of emotions, dialects, stereotypes, and word games. We’ve gotten to know each other, and trust each other, and have fun. The end is near...
So for the announcement:
In a couple of weeks, on Tuesday, February 15th, we will graduate from our six-month Improv training with a LIVE performance, on-stage, in front of an audience, at Whole World Theatre (http://www.wholeworldtheatre.com) in Atlanta. So if you’re looking for a new sitcom Mom, and you have a billion dollars...just kidding.
I couldn’t even think about the graduation performance when we first started this class. Just getting up on stage and letting loose in front of the 14 members of the class (and our 2 directors) was an accomplishment for me! I still can’t think about being up there in front of a full house--that’s a lot of people! But there you go.
The things that terrify you are the things you absolutely should do. I’m still focusing on being more excited than terrified!