Dolphins were a big part of her life, and ours too. What follows is one of the electronic recordings I made of her impact on us. This class would have taken place in Manhattan. The play performance referenced was one we did, Jen-Scott and I, and probably the last time we were in class together.
The "closure" referenced here is very personal for us. The "agency" referred to is something we willingly and trustingly gave up for the sake of a play.
E.K.'s advice taught me that communicating my thoughts is not an assault on authority, but a way to honor the creative process. I will be forever in her debt for so many things.
From my on-line journal:
June 7, 2007
Closure. Jennifer and I both attended E. Katherine Kerr’s class
last night. It turned out to be a much
more moving and rewarding experience than I’d first imagined. At the outset, I did not want to go. My resistance was palpable. However, I took the opportunity to do my monologue from the play directly to Jennifer, instead of out to the audience as I
had done in performance. The result was
closure for me, I finally got to say this to her and have her respond, have
myself respond in a realistic, human way.
At last, I feel at peace and finished... Jennifer got closure (I hope) as well. We did the opening scene the way she felt it
could have worked. She expressed her
repressed self...for the first time.
E.K. was most passionate in her support that
we never let anyone under any circumstances take our “presence”
away. She was adamant and as clear as I’ve ever
seen her, seated on the very edge of her chair very firmly declaring we must never let someone take our agency. It was a powerful and extraordinary
experience, one I’m so glad to have witnessed.
Katherine also went on to use this instance to highlight the altruism
that we learn much more from difficulty and distress than we do with ease.
EK had the gift, and we were blessed to have received from her the comfort and benefit of her insight.
2 comments:
Would it be possible for you to explain the concepts of presence and agency that she was talking about?
I don't quite understand how someone could take away my presence or agency.
Many acting coaches are now using the concept of "presence" in their training. E. Kathrine Kerr explains her thoughts on the process in her book called "The Four Principles: Applying the Four Keys of Authentic Acting to Life."
No one can take away your agency unless you allow it. Presence can be inhibited or completely disrupted by focusing too much on thoughts rather than being in "your body" and following through on those physical instincts.
In the immortal words of Bob Dylan, "When something's not right, it's wrong."
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