Dear Friends,

Opposites attract. What’s up with that?

What’s down with that?

Everything that is true in a scene, the opposite is also true. In Black Comedy, the play I am directing at Chelsea High School for MIFA One Act competition, the stern colonel is blustery, loud, and intimidating. He is also shy, timid and terrified of losing his daughter to a lunatic.

We could play the colonel as a stereotypical despot. Or we could explore his softer side and understand where he’s coming from. What motivates his intimidating manner? He’s scared. Is he a bully? Yes. Is he a pussycat? Yes. We embrace both sides.

How do we make these discoveries in rehearsal? Try doing the exact opposite of the obvious. The actor had been shouting every line. I asked him to whisper every line. We were all dying on the floor laughing. The colonel is both men.

I ask actors to stop thinking, be present, and see what happens. This week we embodied animals as part of character exploration. “Be the animal that is most like you!” We had cats, dogs, birds, fish and a human. Then, “Be the animal that is least like you!” We had snakes, dogs, a flamingo and a peacock.

Here’s the secret I learned doing this exercise as a student myself in a recent Purple Rose class: both animals are you.

What happens when we embrace what we believe is pretty much ourselves, as well as what we think is the direct opposite of who we are? Well, then we have dimension. Then we are capable of anything. Then we are free to explore, accept and know ourselves and each other more deeply.

What happens when we open ourselves to opposites in the creation of a play? It’s the actors’ job to explore and expose our personal and shared strengths and vulnerabilities. Opposites attract us to un-mined depths of ourselves and each other. Opposites lead us to fresh connections. Opposites reveal unexpected discoveries about our own very human nature. What happens when we explore opposites?

The result is a delicious blend of unpredictable, hilarious behavior.

Come and see the Black Comedy  to experience what I’m talking about! Friday, February 1 at 7 p.m. at CHS. One public performance only! $5 at the door, general admission. Be sure to catch this one! You may leave looking at the world and each other and even yourself slightly differently.