On Jeffrey Tambor and his Acting Class

Last Monday, June 8th, I attended Jeffrey Tambor's acting workshop as an auditing student. He told us to prepare a song and called upon me to sing in front of about 50 people, including 13 of my fellow students.
The result was an experience that has affected me more than anything in recent (or even long-term) memory. The thing is, there are very few things in life that I absolutely hate. Being embarrassed is number 2 or 3 on the list. Feet and being late are numbers one and two, respectively. Having never really acted, and certainly never having sang in front of a crowd, I was nervous beyond all reason. To get the performance that he wanted out of me, Mr. Tambor had me play duck duck goose with the audience while I sang, asked me deeply personal questions, and yes, got the song that he wanted. I think it was fun and liberating for about ten minutes. Then class continued. The professional actors and actresses in the class performed various scenes on stage. They are, for the most part, incredibly talented. However, in order to get the performance, Mr. Tambor gives them the same treatment he gave me, only in a more extreme way. While they go into the class knowing what to expect, I still can't understand the ethics of this sort of performance. Some call it therapeutic, but I think airing one's dirty laundry in public has to do more harm than good. He constantly barges into people's family histories and situations, something, I feel, is more deeply personal than any other sort of relationship in the world. Even negative or "barely there" relationships among family members have such deep-seeded roots in a person's existence that using them for something as whorish as an acting gig seems so wrong. Yes, we should put ourselves into our work, but we should also remember that we, as artists, are only artists because of our humanity, and that part of that humanity must always be preserved and treated as precious.
He also speaks so highly of artists, putting them on unwarranted pedestals. At the end of the day, one's choice to be an artist is no difference from one who chooses to be an engineer or a janitor or a police officer. Everything in this world has merit, and every job is designed to benefit other people in this world. Nothing is entirely selfish, just as nothing is entirely self-less. We are all connected, and to say artists are more in tune with the world than others seems a travesty. We merely see the world from a different perspective and we do our parts, our PARTS, not our separate existences, for our own good and the good of the all.
Needless to say, this class, this June 8th, will remain in my memory forever. Mr. Tambor succeeded even in his failure to appreciate the scope of humanity. Way to do your job, Sir!

On Stress

I don't get home before 10 most nights. Tonight I got home at 6:30 and felt blessed.
I don't have any pictures today because they require a lot of thinking and organizing to place on the blog.
Next week, sometime, I hope, I will write on beaches.
I miss this and need a day off.

AHHH!