Rub-a-dub-dub

I laugh a lot, but I rarely laugh uncontrollably with a deep, tear-inducing belly laugh. Last night I giggled like that for hours because of one comment so bizarre that an entire acting class shared in one gloriously uncomfortable moment. Let me explain.

At the core of our acting class are the principles of listening and paying attention to behaviors. Intermediate exercises use a basic exchange between two actors that involves repetition, followed by one actor noticing a behavior, and calling it out (i.e. You seem mad, you seem happy, you laughed at that, etc.). The statements are supposed to be very simple, but they stimulate responses between the actors. If this is all lost on you, then focus on the fact that these statements are intended to be simplistic. Last night, much to my delight, one of the newer kids in class was engaging in the aforementioned exercise with another student. The exchange went as follows ("D" is the new kid, "K" is the other student):

D: You seem focused.
K: I seem focused?
D: Yeah, you seem focused.
K: I am focused.
D: You look calm.
K: I look calm?
D: Yeah, you look calm.
K: I am calm.
D: You look like you're going to take a hot bath.
Long, awkward silence

Of course everyone found it equally weird and hilarious. But that didn't mean everyone in class was going to laugh out loud. No, only one student couldn't contain his giggling. And I'm proud to say I felt no shame in laughing and weeping openly. Because I rarely get the urge to howl and cackle with such gusto, I never try to deny it. And it didn't end in acting class. I laughed just as loud walking from class to my car. The volume didn't go down on the Hollywood Freeway as I laughed on my way home. And believe it or not, it's taken me a long time to write this entry because I still can't stop laughing. Maybe you had to be there. Maybe I didn't explain the premise of these exercises correctly. But I couldn't care less because for the rest of my life, that phrase will give me a reason to smile.