Doing it With Them

It's been a long time since I acted. I enjoy directing and dramaturgy more than acting and I loathe auditioning with all my heart and soul. So I haven't really acted since my freshman year of college. But with the monologue unit I am teaching, I feel like I need to do this project with my students. They aren't seeing why I'm having them do the activities and exercises that I am. I explain it to them but it's not having the impact that I want.

I had a brain wave. I'm not sure if it will work. But I'm going to do the assignment with them. I'm going to go through the emotional recall assignments, character work, etc. that they have been doing and I will perform when they do and they will grade me. I want them to see that the work I ask them to do and the rehearsal time I give them is necessary for a quality performance.

I'm scared. I stopped acting for a reason and I'm out of practice. But this feels like the right thing to do. As soon as I had the idea it felt like a path I needed to go down. I'm setting myself up as an authority figure but have not shown them that I have earned that position. I have to go with my gut on this.

I've chosen to do a cut-down version of "Clear Glass Marbles" from Talking With... by Jane Martin. I read it in high school and loved it but never got to perform it. So now is my chance. Here goes nothing.