Acting Lessons

Today I started my private acting lessons with Harry Blundell, the Theatre Director at the prestigious Arts Center of the Ozarks. It was fantastic! He said I did a really good job at reading, especially for the first day of class, that I have great facial expressions, a beautiful tone of voice, and that he was glad that he was finally teaching someone who really appreciates the text. Haha! I just need to work on projecting my voice and studying my character and what she means to be saying. For this week long class, I am reading two monologues by Portia, from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.



My first two days of class, I will be practicing on the below speech:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown;

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptred sway;

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,

It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God's

When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,

Though justice be thy plea, consider this,

That, in the course of justice, none of us

Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;

And that same prayer doth teach us all to render

The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much

To mitigate the justice of thy plea;

Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice

Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

I must memorize all this tonight. Yikes!