Tag Archives: school

Conclusions to the spring

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piano.jpgWell, I took my last final today (I only had two, of course). We did a scene from Terra Nova. It went pretty well.

It’s also the end of the school year. All, well, most of the kids will scatter to parts unknown to chill out for a couple of months or get a job or take more classes at a school closer to home.

I’ve met a lot of great people since August of last year. I’ve been in several shows with them. I traveled to NYC with them. I’ve partied with them. I’ve laughed and talked and laughed.

And I’ll miss them.

I’m doubly sad ’cause there’s a really good chance M will be leaving me too. It would be nice if we had a chance for “us” time this summer since the last semester has been so crazy for both of us that we haven’t had much time together. But she’ll probably be interning somewhere. There’s nothing definite yet, but she’s got a couple of leads. She really needs to intern for her career and I support her in that.

But it’s gonna be lonely at home this summer.

Luckily, there’s the summer musical at SCT. I love my SCT peeps. I’m really looking forward to it. Auditions are in a couple of weeks. My first ever stage audition was for the musical last summer. Read about it in part 1 and part 2.

I still can’t believe how much I have learned since then. I’ve had three acting classes from two great teachers. I’ve been in several different kinds of shows. It has been so great. I still don’t know how I didn’t ever start acting/performing sooner.

I was talking to one of my new friends today after the advanced acting final and she couldn’t believe that Story Theatre last November was the first play that I ever did in my life. We didn’t know each other at the time and so it was very self-esteem-boosting to hear that she remembered my performance and thought I was an old-hand and also considering she’s a very good actress herself.

Who knows what the future holds? It’s exciting and I can’t wait.

Bombs Away!!11!

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Our homework from Thursday’s class was to bring a joke to class today. We were to have the joke up to the funny part written on one side of the paper or index card and the punch line on the opposite side. I can handle homework like this, says I.

So I found a couple of jokes online and printed them out. I left plenty of white space before the punch line and folded the paper over.

When we got to class, we passed all the jokes to one end (we were sitting on the front row in the theater) and the person on the end passed them back out making sure that one didn’t get one’s own joke but someone else’s joke.

Then the instructor called out names at random and you had to go up on stage and read the joke. Pretty simple, right? You just had to read the joke. Whatever was on the paper.

Well anyway, he called my name out and I went up on stage to read the stellar joke that had been handed to me.

I walked purposefully up the stairs, walked to the center of the stage and smartly turned towards the audience. I cleared my throat and read.

How did disco die?

I raised my eyebrow questioningly at the class, flipped the paper over then turned it right side up.

Wait for it…

In the disco Inferno

Woohoo.

I casually walked off stage and mentioned that they had just witnessed Comedy Gold.

Back in my seat, I eagerly awaited when some poor unsuspecting fool would get on stage and read my joke. Oh little did they know how it would kill. I imagined heads tossed back as laughter floated up to the rafters and tears flowed down their happy shining faces, each person trying to catch their breath but they couldn’t because the joke was just too funny.

Here’s the joke:

A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him something. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the footpath, and stopped inches from a shop window.

For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said “Look man, don’t ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!”

The passenger apologized and said he didn’t realize that a little tap could scare him so much.

The driver replied “Sorry, it’s not really your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver – I’ve been driving hearses for the last 25 years.”

See? Funnay. To the max.

Anyway, after several more people went, a guy went up on stage with my joke and when he got to the punch line after speeding through the first part with, albeit some enthusiasm, but too fast to be clearly understood in my opinion, he said this:

The driver replied “Sorry, it’s not really your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver – I’ve been driving horses for the last 25 years

Cricket. Cricket.

Of course, it made no sense and was totally not funnay. I put my hand up to the side of my mouth and prompted Hearses. What? Oh, hearses. People are like What? What was the punch line? Oh, hearses, ha, that is funny.

Not quite the pandemonium of cackles and guffaws I had hoped for.

The guy says I thought it was a typo and was supposed to be horses so I said that instead. What?! Just Read The Joke. That makes absolutely no sense. I don’t think anyway, maybe there’s a joke in there somewhere but not the one I intended to have people Rolling On The Floor Laughing Their Asses Off. He’s like, Oh hearses, I get it. Huh huh.

Can I get a Duh? What about in the balcony, can I get a Duh? Amen, thank you.

Well the exercise was not about how funny or not the jokes were, it was about presentation. Some tried to make the joke funny even if it was not and others knew the joke was bad so they didn’t try.

The point is, when you are on stage, all eyes are on you, so you’ve got to make the audience believe in what you are saying or doing. Otherwise you break the suspension of disbelief.

And then you get beaten backstage with mackerel.

Yeah.

17 minutes with Mr. KaryHead

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And action.

The acting class looks to be totally cool. I’m looking forward to it this semester. We had a good class today, the instructor was fast-paced, entertaining and we even learned some stuff on the first day. I don’t think falling asleep in class will be an issue.

I volunteered to participate in an exercise and I think I sucked. I kept coming up with ways that I could’ve done it better all day. Oh well, there will be future opportunities.

Story.

Billy didn’t like Sally. In fact, he loathed her. So much that he felt slightly nauseous at the sight of her. It was fortunate though because Sally had very similar feelings about Billy. At least they tried to avoid each other. But it wasn’t so easy.

They had lived next door to one another for their entire lives. Their parents were always dropping one of them off at the other’s house for cheap babysitting. Those were terrible times. Sometimes one of the parents would plan activities for them to do together. Absolutely horrid and emotional scarring was a sure thing.

So one day Billy decided he’d had all he could take of Sally.

Wait, I didn’t tell you about why Billy and Sally hated each other. Well, this is a family show and I can’t go into it.

So one day Billy decided he’d had all he could take of Sally. Unbeknownst to Billy, Sally had been having thoughts along the same lines. Sally’s parents needed to run errands for a few hours and dropped her off so Billy’s parents could keep an eye on her. Also they assumed Billy and Sally enjoyed spending time together.

When Sally’s parents dropped her off, Billy had his plan all laid out. After his parents would turn on a video for the kids as they usually did, Billy would spring into action. Unfortunately for Billy, Sally had plans of her own.

Whoops, times up. I had no idea where that was going anyways. I was just writing as it came out.

Actually, it’s a pass along story. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I was planning this all along. So the first person in the comments write the next part of the story. As little or as much as you want and then the second person add on to the first person’s comment and so on and so forth. Or just write your own ending to the story of Billy and Sally and ignore what other people have posted. I don’t really care if you play pass along or not.

Maybe no one will post anything and that’s fine but maybe, just maybe whoever writes the best segment or story (the one that makes me laugh the most. Or maybe some other criteria that I come up with) will win a prize. Possibly a sweet prize. Something that has been featured here on IMKH before.

Yo sound the bells school is in sucker

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can’t touch this. Haha. Best. song. evar.

Eh, not really. But that line is relevant. For I, Kary D. Rogers, am going back to school tomorrow.

For what purpose? you ask. What upper-level degree are you pursuing? you wonder. Pshaw. I ain’t doin’ none o’ that.

After 4 years of undergrad (yes, I finished in exactly 4 years) I decided then and there I wished to take it no further. Nossiree, no master’s degree for me.

The class that I have signed up for is CO 2503 – Acting. And since I am an employee of the university, it’s free. Gratis. Pretty sweet, huh?

I figured since I’m interested in acting slash performing, I might as well take the class. I’ve talked to plenty of people who know and they all agree it’d be a good thing to do since it’s free. I’ve gotten a pretty good feel for the professor after talking to these unnamed knowledgeable people. I have corresponded with said professor via email to let her know that I am interested in taking the class. And that due to the nature of my job, sometimes I would not be able to make it but that doesn’t mean that I’m slacking or not putting forth any effort.

Then, while I was waiting on my enrollment paperwork to go through the admissions office, which took for-freakin’-ever, the class filled up.

Drat. Yes, that was it. That was the word that went through my noggin at that moment. Drat.

But the ol’ prof said she could squeeze me in. I guess I’m special or something.

I checked a few weeks later and someone must’ve dropped the class ’cause there was one seat available. Yippee. Also the instructor had changed. The name next to the class was different. So I IMDB’ed him. I feel pretty sure that’s him. I also found this and this. Don’t know if those are him or not. Time will tell my fair readers.

So I finally got my paperwork all in order and was ready to register for the class. Of course, the registration web page was down.

What?! Nobody informed me and I work with the people responsible for the registration system. What we have here is a failure to communicate or something.

On Monday, I see that the registration page is back up. I go to register and the. class. is. full.

Drat. No, really. DRAT.

Anyway, I checked again last night and there were two spots available. Apparently some suckers decided to drop the class. They probably got my threatening voice mail.

So I’m all signed up and ready for class which begins tomorrow.

I’ll prolly be so excited tonight that I won’t be able to sleep. I’ll get up two hours before the alarm goes off, iron my shirt and pants (actually I’ll wake up M. to do it for me cause me and the iron do not get along), I’ll pack my lunch and then sit on the couch until it’s time to go.

Of course then I’ll revert back to my college ways and fall asleep in class.