 Students have won the 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012 Fringe Best Solo Show award, all kinds of awards. They've got book deals, movie deals, representation, most often they're actors, right? But there's many writers who are also doing it. So over that time my classes changed. And like I said, I really believe my goal is not to have everybody do the same solo. There isn't like a map over in solo show. But I really do think that there are certain principles I've learned that help you avoid certain pitfalls. And to make your solo show really pop. So the first thing I wanted to talk about is... And you said that everyone would hear an email and they'd note to it. No, no, no. I have... I have to speak for a bit. Oh yeah, don't write any of this down because I can hand out a six page thing that has everything I say written really clearly for you. So you don't have to experience this part. So what we're going to do is I'm going to talk to you just for a little while. And then we're going, you guys, we're going to talk about one of the elements of what makes a great solo show. And then you guys are going to recurse and perform 90 second solo shows. So like I said, the two basic building blocks of solo shows to me are telling your own story, performing as another character. And there are, as I said, there's many different combinations. Eric Bogosian in the course of his show will tell stories kind of from his life. He'll do characters. Some of those characters are aspects of his personality. Some of them are just kind of rants. Yeah, oh. No, you have to come in. You can just come in. Don't worry about it. Just come and sit down. Invade. Yes, invade. And there's many different ways of performing them. But today we're going to focus on the autobiographical story solo show. Yes. You just got a distraction here. Okay. So I would like to ask a couple people what your goals would be for doing a solo show. Just one goal of doing a solo show. Just raise your hands. I would like to get a story that I've had marinating out in some form. That might inspire me to do that. Great. How about somebody else? A goal for doing a solo show. Make the audience laugh. Make the audience laugh. Make the audience identify. Okay, that's fine. I would like to touch people and take a break. That's wonderful. You mean like sexual? Sexual. These are really wonderful noble goals. It's also okay to have professional goals. Over me I think it's okay to be different. Yes. I'm glad that you said it because a lot of people who do solo shows, especially our actors who are not the traditional types, and that's true also for people just telling their own stories. And the great example of Whoopi Goldberg somebody said, John Leguizamo was only getting cast as drug dealers and pimps. So he started creating, he started doing characters that showed that Latino men can do other things. All of a sudden there's movies with leading roles for Latino men. Where were they before? He created that need. Cameron Mannheim did a solo show. She was a heavy actress. You guys remember her from The Office? She did a solo show called Wake Up on Fat. And it was all about her really claiming, you know, being overweight actors. And not only did she get that amazing part in the practice, but that part of the practice became a mouthpiece for the issues she raised in her show. Billy Bob Thornton, I don't know if you guys know this, but Sling Blade was actually started as a solo show. And what happened was he was an actor who wasn't doing very well. His friends were all getting work. He was doing this horrible, like, Twilight Zone knockoff. He was in the dressing room. When he got here he was playing the conductor on a phantom train. So he had this blue shirt up to here, this weird haircut and powder on his face. And he just started making faces at himself in the mirror. And he was like, it was just like, you're terrible and no one wants you. And as he started doing this, his face started going, I lack the way you call me. And then this monologue just came out. And he started by doing that as a solo show. Then it was a short film. Then it became a full-length film and then he won the Oscar for it. Sling Blade. It was a great film. So a lot of times these, Nea Vardellis is the last one. She's Greek. And she was trying to be an actress in LA and they kept saying, you're ethnic, but you're not the right kind of ethnic. And we don't know what to do with you. So she created a solo show called My Big Factory Wedding. And Tom Hanks and his wife came and saw it, auctioned it, became one of the largest, biggest grossing in the event. Don't fall. So for people who say like, oh, your personal story or own story is not really going to do anything for you, it will do amazing things for you. For your career, for getting a message out about a particular ethnic group or a gender's being, it's often the people who do solo shows are the people who feel like they don't fit in. So they're like, instead of trying to fit into the world of other people, they're creating their own world and saying, world, look at me, this is it. They're creating a place for them in the world. And also often it's having your say, like getting that story out. So those are great goals. Now, what are fears people have with solo shows? And you said... My fear is it's not me, because that's going to be like self-mastered. Yes. Right, exactly. You'll be crying on stage, bleeding all over the town. Everyone will be like, when do we get out? Have we all seen solo shows like this? Yes. And they're terrible and they make us want to run from ever seeing another solo show. What are other fears of doing a solo show? I fear that my life is just not interesting. Right, I'm not interesting. Memorizing half an hour, an hour. And similar to that, does anyone have a fear of not finishing it? Like, I'll start it and I'll get overwhelmed or I'll just like, it'll be one more project that I don't get interested in, I'll finish it. Sharing the thing you know you should share that. You're going to just hurt and humiliate your family. And then you won't be loved by anyone anymore. People closest to you will be rejecting forever. Absolutely. Being overwhelmed by the emotions that you're experiencing. I love that I asked for goals and there was like one goal and then I asked for fears and there was like I'm already out. Yeah, hurting those in your life and alienating them. Okay, I'm going to stop there. Let's not let the fear overtake the room. So, I always ask this question at the beginning of class and the number one fear people have is it's going to be boring. I don't have a story to tell. It's just going to be me jerking off on stage. I'm going to be feeling all these feelings and again, we've seen shows like this so we have a very visceral experience of that. And so, I got a couple things to say about that. One is because you are living, your stories have been in your head for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years. You think they're boring because you've just been living with them for so long. But they're actually interesting to other people. And I will give you an example of the madness that we have about this. And one of my first classes, I had a student and she, in my class, the first assignment is to tell your whole life story on the page. The story that she told was she was growing up in New Zealand and she was the only Catholic in an all Protestant school. And there's this Protestant girl gang and they beat her up every day and eventually brought a gun to school and shot her. And then she was befriended by the female shot putter on the team who's like gigantic super strong woman who beat up the entire gang and scared them away and she's never bothered again. So she told us this story and we were like, that would make a pretty good solo show, right? And she said, I don't know, I think people will think it's boring. I'd rather do a show that's funny observations about New York. And that's where you see the madness that we all have. Because we often think that we're not interesting what other people are. So it does take courage to go into this. The other thing about that is do you guys at least buy that that could be true that you have interesting stories in you? Yes. The other thing is and also I'll just say this there's a lot of shaming that goes on in the arts around doing your own story. You know, it's like don't write about what you know. Write about characters you have no idea about. And there's nothing wrong with that, that's fantastic. But it really is okay to write about the things that you do know. And the things that scare you about what you know. I think when people say don't write about what you know what they mean is don't write about things that you already have answers for. Write about the things that you have questions about. But it still comes from you. And a lot of times what we do as artists is the first thing we do is deny who we are and then we try to create something based on what we think other people think is cool. Yeah, you with me so far? So the other thing I want to say about it is fear of being emotionally overwhelmed or of making the audience uncomfortable is that I'm going to be up there and I'm going to start talking about the way my father molested me when I was six and I will start crying so hard that I won't be able to stop and the audience will get really uncomfortable and I'll feel really ashamed afterwards. And that will probably happen. You know, the first thing I'll say about it is it has a lot to do with your intent. Why you're doing the solo show. If you're doing the solo show to get empathy or sympathy or the love that your parents were never able to provide much like mine then we will sense that. We can sense that you're like telling us the story because you want us to heal you. If you're doing that it will put people off. It will be a show like that. But if you come from a place of I have gone through this. Yes, it's a difficult, scary thing that I've dealt with but I'm okay with the emotion. And then I'm going to give you a gift about it. Not necessarily it's sort of like Pollyanna-ish, Pollyanna-ish. Here's the lesson of how you deal with molestation. But something that I got through this and here's something I'm doing this for you. Now there's a process to that and along the way to that process you will start crying so hard you can't stop. And the first time you perform the show you might be overwhelmed by feelings at moments. But one of the principles but first of all you will get better at that and eventually you'll have a different problem. If you keep performing the show that thing about your father touching you the way you shouldn't have will stop. It'll be like a pocket of gas it'll eventually empty out and then you'll talk about it and you'll have no feeling about it. And then you'll have to be like an actor doing a emotional substitution for your own life story. And then you'll be like God if only I was moved to tears by this still. So I was going to say one more thing about that. Yeah so it's a problem and also the principles that we talk about will be this structure that carries you along so you won't get overwhelmed by it. Doing a solo show about your life is kind of like you guys know what a plane is where you're like playing a door. It's a little sled, a little metal sled that has a dial on it with a blade and you dial the depth of the blade with your life. You know if you dial it too deep the wood thing gets stuck in the door if you dial it too light it just sort of skims off the top. It's the same way with your autobiography. You want to go deep enough that you get something real but you don't want to go so deep you get stuck in it and you don't want to go so shallow that you just kind of rebound off and nothing matters. And then this is something else I'm going to say. I love what you say, you know people are talking about what if I bring up something so scary or something so damaging to my family that they won't love me anymore which is really the fear that we all have I think about art in general. And I think this is actually a really great thing to confront in a solo show as an artist because I'll tell you another story. I have a student well first of all let me just say if somebody did bad stuff to you you own that experience. If they wanted to be written about better and my wife was actually another writing teacher was talking and somebody said how do you find when do you know you found your voice and she said what you're writing upset your parents. So also the second thing is don't invite them. Unless your parents are famous no one's going to know who they are and you can change names and stuff like that but the first draft through should be the truth it should be your truth and here's an example. So I have a student named Sheldlick and she she was half Asian her mother was a Vietnamese war bride and her dad was his white red neck Alabama guy who met her when he was in the military. So she grew up Asian half Asian in this rural south and there were no other Asian kids around and so she but because she was half Asian she really could kind of pass or so she thought so she was like I don't know eight years old or whatever and they were doing a production of Annie and she really wanted to be one of the orphans she was like I know I'm not a redhead I won't get any better I want to be one of the orphans so the day came for them to announce all the parts and she said they got to her name and they said Michelle Glick Oriental chauffeur and it was just like she said time just stopped in that moment it was like Oriental and it was when she suddenly realized like she was not massive that everybody saw her that way that story in my first level one class and she said I can't do it and we were all like do a show like that do a show about growing up Asian in the south and she was like I can't do it I can't do it so she did a safer choice she did a solo show about her funny wedding with some funny characters and it was good it was okay and she did it well and she applied to some festivals and she didn't get in and then she came back and took the post again and she said okay I'm ready to tell this story now and it was like every class she came to it was a different it was like it was a whole other person there the power that came out of her funny moving like smart I mean it was just like it was another person she did that show she applied to a festival she was getting like the next day she showed that incredible review she won an award she's taking the show to Berlin now you know it's often there was recently a documentary made about my class and if you email me my email is there I will send you a link to it and it's all about how it's usually the thing that you don't want to do just your show about because that's what you should do your show about okay so everybody with me so far terrified yet here's the other thing it's not the content of your show that makes a solo show autobiographical solo show it is not the content of your solo show that makes it good or bad but I have seen wonderful solo shows about somebody's mother dying I have seen terrible solo shows about somebody's mother dying it's not the mother dying that makes the show good or bad it's these principles that we are now going to talk about these principles that are going to help you create a wonderful solo show for those of you who arrive late I'm going to give you a little packet at the end of this this is everything I say written down so you can just sort of experience it so the three principles of a great solo show autobiographical solo show you should listen to me a really strong story a clear persona and a clearly stated theme okay we're going to talk mostly about story today persona is just because we're not going to be able to talk about this is the persona is the version of you that you perform okay there's something about the way the human brain is wired where we see everybody else's distinct characters like oh he is so he is so he's such a joker and she's such a slut she's so uptight we have these things about other people but when we describe ourselves we say oh well I'm shy except when I'm proud except when I'm strong except when I'm religious except on saturday night when I get a little frisky we see ourselves as endlessly complex so we listen to the audience we'll have no idea who's taking this journey so it's deciding what aspect of myself am I going to accentuate a simplified version of myself and a great but it has to be truthful so a great example of this great place to go to for this are stand up comics Woody Allen actually started as a stand up comic what is his persona right and we all know right immediately Roseanne Barr and she would actually say that her act is a domestic goddess that's her persona the working class outspoken person Larry the cable guy he's the cable guy it's in his name he's the guy who comes and fixes your cable so and I'm going way too far down this road but anyway do you guys know who Jack Benny is any of you I used to go you know Jack Benny is he's like Johnny Carson and now my students go who's Johnny Carson anyway yeah right exactly so Jack Benny the one thing everybody knew about him was cheap yes exactly he was cheap so there was this famous sketch where he was he was like a radio person and film TV personality and he was walking down he was walking down a dark alley and a crook came up behind him and said alright buddy your money in your life and he paused and everybody laughed and he said well he says I'm thinking I'm thinking and I've got a laugh too that second laugh the punchline but the first laugh is the persona laugh because who he is is so clear in our minds all he has to do is this and we know what he's thinking okay so that's persona that's all I'm going to talk about today but we're going to talk about story but before we do that great here I'm going to talk a little bit about my philosophy of creating a solo show and the first thing is your perfect solo show already exists inside of you your perfect solo show already exists it's not about coming up with something smart or political or what people are looking for okay it's what there's something in you that's calling to be born and your job is not to create it but to sit by the burbling book of your creativity so the other thing is we're not really going to do much feedback in this class but we don't give negative feedback in my class we just say well it works and if we have questions we don't rewrite these other shows because it's very scary doing this work and you're really tender sapling you really just seeds beginning at the beginning and it's very easy to get crushed and told that isn't interesting or something like that so it's very important as you're doing this work to find believing mirrors to be with each other people who are taking the risk too and some people miss the criticism you know so if you want you can stay after for $5 all himself here so so here we go so at the beginning of every class we do a little meditation and a little stretching warm up because it is a performance it's a writing for performance class so the meditation is I don't have any particular religious agenda with the meditation but you all will be Scientologists by the way so just close your eyes say whatever way you want your spine is tall the pride of this class and a nice inhale and an exhale and an inhale and an exhale and as you continue to breathe you can just let the natural flow of breathing as you inhale breathe in the knowledge that whatever show story you wind up telling today is the exact right and exhale out fear, worry, self doubt and inhale the knowledge that you are enough and exhale out all those voices that tell us that we're not smart enough we're not smart enough we're gonna do that again following the knees and shaking the sound out inhale feet together this is the most dangerous part feet together and in your knees before you do it because I don't want you to hurt yourself you're gonna rotate around and you're gonna say this in a high pitched silly English voice around and around and around off you go around very good then we're gonna go the other way we're gonna say wait the other way around off you go nice that was the most difficult part get yourself around the rock so now we're gonna have a little conversation about story and let's begin by I'm gonna ask you guys when do we tell stories in our society and for what purpose around the campfire what else get something off your chest there's no wrong answers nothing is stupid that's stupid to get advice yes gossip yes when you're telling a lie fantastic when you're drunk yes when you're teaching when you're teaching exactly when you're alone to yourself when you're alone to yourself yes clearly a solo show to seduce right politicians use it you're saying to lie to brag what are some of those sort of occasions where we tell stories dinner parties wedding in your room dates waiting a line yes waiting a line funerals you're constantly telling and hearing stories all the time you guys have really heard and told thousands of stories in your life so you're all actually experts already in telling a great story constantly no that would be so mean what makes a bad story feeling sorry for yourself when you're telling fantastic having heard it five thousand times before thank you you know my mother complaining looking for compliments yes it's about nothing let's move sort of into more structural things like what makes a poor story no conflict oh I love those words now I know this room there's people here who are very experienced with playwriting some people who are less so if some of this right now for the next few minutes seems a little bit like you heard before just go with it it's going to get interesting again really quickly okay yes conflict yes what else no resolution yes no humor nobody changes you don't take the audience into account you don't take the audience into account no rising action oh you guys know all of this what makes a good story not like this the unknown of how it's going to wrap up suspense yes what creates conflict opposing needs fantastic everybody move over to this side of the space we're now going to see a performance by Katie Atchison my wife okay just watch this no no no it's going to take five seconds go over there okay well first of all so a story we often use words like journey and stuff for a story right so we said opposing forces so I'm going to pause it that a story is about somebody who wants something right what do we call the person who wants something in a story the protagonist or hero and how do we know who they are good looking yes they're the one who has the biggest need right they go on that journey what do we know about the thing they want we all want it it's hard to get there's obstacles yes fantastic well you're way ahead of me but it's something specific that I was looking for so this is so Katie you guys do your performance please let's give her a round of applause everybody there was a hero yes heroine yes did she want something well what did she do she wanted to get across the room yes she wanted to get across the room right did she accomplish her goal yes was it a satisfying story no horrible Katie what did you do go back who's our hero heroine heroine which one was more interesting the second one and because obstacles so the clash between what you want and the obstacles you face is conflict and that's the essence of drama in the story okay now this seems really basic right we all know this then we apply it to our own lives and something weird happens okay because there's something about the way the human brain is wired where we see other people just like we tend to see other people as distinct characters we tend to see other people as active they're doing things all the time right you know that guy at work he's just so pushy he's always like trying to get ahead or this person's that way but when we think of ourselves I'm just a good person trying to make it in a world that keeps doing things to me right so that's how we kind of perceive ourselves passively victims right and that's what often leads to the kind of shows that we were talking about which is a tale of things that happened to me versus this is something I wanted it went out you know it's sort of it even makes sense right so it's what so what we do in my classes we drill this over and over and over again because it takes time to really look at what did I want in that situation because we don't we don't often admit it to ourselves that we want something right I'm just a good person I'm just trying to be nice even if you're trying to be nice what is it that you want to be liked to be respected by somebody or to be liked see that pause there it's hard to admit sometimes that's what we really wanted so a lot of the autobiographical work is really being honest with what it is that we wanted what it is that we were going for and it doesn't have to be a positive thing so a story and also the other thing about it is that one of the big traps that people fall into with autobiographical shows is they go oh I'm sure you've seen this one oh it's a solo show about me about my life here's how it goes I was born in Cleveland and then I got polio and then my parents got divorced and then I met Bruce Willis and then I fell in love for the first time and then I moved to California right and you're just going what is your response as an audience shoot me now right because it's all the things they did in their life I call that the and then what happened is solo show so you know how often by biopics movies about somebody famous usually the performance is really good but the movie itself is not a great movie because it's episodic and they just kind of do all the things in that person's life my favorite biopic is walk the line because it doesn't present his whole life it's about one thing that he wants and going after it and what is that thing he wants her to marry him right and when does the movie end when she does when she says yes it's literally he says I'm not going to play this song until you say yes no no no no no yes they kiss everybody free frame credits roll have you guys seen shows where you felt like it ended and they just kept talking so your want is the contract you make with the audience where you say okay guys we're going to climb to the top of Mount Everest and you're all going to come with me and I'm going to clearly define this if I get to the top of Mount Everest and say and now we're going to purchase a new car together right you're ready you're gone so a story a great story is about somebody who wants something who actively goes after it they don't just I had one student who did a funny thing he said I'm not good with goals because I'm good with goals I'm just not going after them he goes I'm good at naming a goal and I will just sit here on this couch until I achieve it so we were attracted to characters who go after things who want things Richard III terrible human being but he goes after things and we enjoy watching right so it's looking for the times in your life where you went after something experienced obstacles and in the end you either get it or you don't are all stories do all great stories and with somebody getting what they want no no if they don't what makes them satisfied they learn something okay they want something else they change is this a satisfying story I've always wanted to climb out ever and I spent years training and saving up and I got 200 yards from the top and I slipped and I broke my leg curtain is that a satisfying story no it's a terrible story right so what might make that a more interesting story that we realize that he realizes that getting to the top is not the thing that he wanted that the audience realizes that he realizes that what he thought he wanted isn't what he actually wanted so beautiful and the way I like to say this is to paraphrase a certain rock group sometimes you can't get what you want but you can get what you need so it could be something like this I'm an asshole person I'm an asshole I've always been an asshole I'm out for number one and you know what one of the things about being number one is I'm going to climb the biggest mountain in the world so I had this goal and I was going to climb that Mount Everest and I like all the way up I was passing people people were passing out fuck them I'm like on my way to the top I'm 200 yards from the top and this little Chinese girl is stranded on this ledge and this storm is coming and I have a choice to get to the top and take my picture and show the world I'm number fucking one or save this bitch and I save her and I go down is that satisfying right because I thought I wanted I thought I wanted to achieve and what I got what I realized I needed was to change to care about somebody my favorite example of this is the movie by John Cusack called The Sure Thing are you guys aware of this movie? right it's a movie from the 80s I don't even know if this is really the movie it could just be how I remember it but in the movie John Cusack he's a virgin he's like lives in the northeast he meets his girl, sexy hot blonde she's in LA and he knows if he can just get to her she will have sex with him so for some reason he can't fly because it's a movie and somehow get his way across the country so of course he starts traveling with a girl yes well a girl who he hates she's a brunette, she's smart, she's feisty they fight the whole way, she's anal what happens when they get to LA? she's anal they have anal anal realizes that he really loves her so he thought he wanted the sure thing sex and what he realized he needed was anal okay anal anal that's a solo show I'd like to see so this is often the structure of an autobiographical solo show there's many things things that we've gone for in our lives that we didn't get right? those are the times that really test us those are the times where we've that changed us I mean it's great to tell a story about like I really wanted this part and god damn it I got it yay for you right? yeah but that thing of I really wanted this thing I wanted to keep my mother from dying and she died but I learned or I realized or I changed in what way so that is often the structure of an autobiography, makes sense? the last thing I wanted to say about this is how many people do I like were right musicals I know there's a musical theater actress here so in the classic musical structure the first song is kind of always sets the scene and the second song usually is the the I want song it's when the hero comes out or heroine and they sing about what they want and they make it clear and distinct and not only that they really sing about it so in Annie the first song is I think it's it's a hard enough life right? and what is she, what are they communicating in that song? it's a shitty in the orphanage right? and then she comes out and she sings what? maybe and what is she singing maybe far away or maybe real nearby he'll be either pouring her coffee she'll be there straining his tie what is she singing about? what does she want? she wants to find her parents right? how do you feel by the end of that song? you're really really rooting for her right right you want her to have you fall in love with her goal right? you get on board with this train that's leaving the station if she were to come out and say you know I'd really like to meet my parents when it begins would you be as engaged? no you as a solo show person can sing and I want some I don't mean you have to sing it but you paint a picture for us of what this goal you think will give you that's where you really hook us and then that's an agreement that you make and when you get it or you don't get it what happens? it's over it ends right? yes good fantastic what is a conflict and because of time I don't want to get too much into it basically external versus internal conflict external conflict is when we're fighting the elements or other people and internal conflict is when we fight what kind of obstacles do we find in ourselves? soft down pride lust procrastination addiction fear right? and often a solo show is about a story where I had to fight this person and that person and the rain and to get what I wanted and then at the last minute I had to face myself and that's the thing so there is this sort of paradox about many paradoxes about solo show but one of them is we've come to see you we really want to see something personal something that's dangerous for you to talk about at the same time we want you to be okay with it and I promise you if your story has these elements that I'm talking about it will be a story that gives the audience something versus just looking for empathy for the things that were done to you does that make sense? so what we're going to do now is you guys are going to rehearse and perform a 90 second solo show together so pair up and just go all throughout the room just pair up just stand somewhere in the room you can be somebody you know somebody you don't know don't be shy no oh my um okay everybody got a partner? everybody has to participate nobody's sitting out okay there's lots of room over here if you want to doesn't matter doesn't matter if you're not a performer everybody be quiet for a second does everybody have a partner? is there anybody who's odd? there's three of you you guys don't want to do it? so you guys partner? and you're two partners oh two stage fright people together it's fun guys there's some of the best solo shows that I've ever seen that I've ever helped ever written or acted before in their lives if you are a human being on the planet you have a story to tell okay and everybody's doing it in this room except for me so we're all risking together her and her she's taking photographs she's done one of us performed well I'm going to we're not writing it I'm going to take you through a process so decide between you everybody focus on me for a second everybody decide between you who's A and who's B that doesn't require that much talking guys we have a lot to get through so if I'm going to guys we're going to have a lot to get through and I know you're all fascinating people but I want you to put it into your story so that we can get through it all so just stay focused please okay so A's I want you to think about a 90 second story about a time you wanted something and you got it a time you wanted something and you got it it does not have to be a fantastic story it's something you could tell in 90 seconds it could be I really wanted that coffee at Starbucks go with the first thing that comes in your head don't kill yourself over that A's you wanted something and you got it B's I want you to think about a story about a 90 second story about a time you wanted something so I'm going to give you about 30 seconds not to talk with each other just to think oh we're not talking at this point you're not talking you're just coming up with it yourself doesn't have to be a good story I really wanted to punch my sister in the face alright have everybody got something do all the A's at least have something alright fantastic okay here's what we're going to do so A's face B so B put your story on the shelf for now you are going to coach A now and you're going to rehearse this four times four different ways and by the end you're going to have a fantastically polished 90 second solo show and then we're going to reverse and A's are going to coach B and we're going to go through that process again and then at the end you're all going to perform for each other so I'm going to time you so I will say start and stop so 90 seconds now A tell B your story and B's you're the coach so you're listening for I'm going to give you 90 seconds to give feedback about what could help make it a better story so what we're talking about is there a clear I want song are there obstacles do they get what they want in the end is it clear so 90 seconds go 90 seconds and time stop talking 90 seconds of feedback probably many of you didn't get to the end so talk about what yes well now B's are going to give them some feedback how to tighten it up how to give it a clear R what I want obstacles and how it ends and 90 seconds of feedback go time I said stop talking stop talking okay you're going to have more time to work on this okay now B's turn your back on me B's turn your back on me because they deserve it yes so you're now going to tell your story again adjusting broadcast shots tell your story again using great notes that you just got from your expert coach but also because they can't see you you're going to use your voice in as many evocative ways as you can maybe you do character voices or you do sound effects open the door maybe you increase volume quiet to create tension maybe you so there's lots of different things so B's in addition to listening for notes to give them the help keep shaping the story you're also listening for three great vocal things that they do that they can put back into their story okay and 90 seconds go so B's you guys are doing fantastic well B's now give feedback keep shaping the story and three great vocal things they can put back into it performance okay 90 seconds of feedback so B's you guys are doing fantastic well B's now give feedback keep shaping the story performance okay 90 seconds of feedback okay guys thank you okay now now you're going to face each other you really want to have lots of room between you there's really more spaces you're going to be spread out you're going to understand move back move down this way so this time you're going to face each other and A's you're going to tell your story without using any words at all we're going to now employ the long treasured theatrical tradition of mine so you're going to act it out as much as you can and B's you're not just passively watching I don't know you are mirroring everything they do but exaggerating it to encourage them to go even further and while you're doing that you're noting three great physical things that they do that they could put back into their story and I would give you an example of what this might look like so if you were going to tell the story the part of the story where you have to go down using a flashlight into a scary basement and look behind the boiler you act that you'll be A and I'll be B alright you guys got the picture alright great 90 seconds and I promise you you'll finish this one quickly so take your time and go okay and time 90 seconds of feedback three great physical things they can put back in their show go I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 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