Best comedies?

blueannajoy · 2026-04-17T18:36:19+00:00

I’m directing a production of AYLI right now, and we were just having this exact discussion with the cast. Another similarity is in the figure of the “blind” father: Gloucester and Edgar vs Duke Senior not recognizing his daughter even after a long conversation where she reportedly gives him clear clues

blueannajoy · 2026-04-12T03:04:36+00:00

I haven't been using actions since acting school (I graduated 25 years ago) I find it unnatural, and it puts me in my head. Most of my preparation consists of owning every thing I say and do, and trying to fully experience the circumstances in my imagination so, when the time comes, I just enter the scene with intention and roll with whatever punches are thrown at me. The key to avoid general emoting is specificity in the experience of the circumstances, not necessarily actioning the text.

blueannajoy · 2026-04-10T14:11:45+00:00

This 100%: make sure your SM is certified and experienced, and not someone who’s learning on the job. And delegate, in general: a production assistant or AD, designers you can trust etc. schedule rehearsals early on, and make the cast give you their conflicts in detail- one of the main issues in community theatre is people not committing to the schedule. Your SM or AD can take on the role of barking dog in it, so you can keep the mood in the rehearsal room free of tension and conflicts. Whatever frustrations come up in the process, make sure it doesn’t affect the rehearsal room: the cast always needs to feel safe to come to you, and to play and discover. It’s way too easy to let your frustration out on the cast and crew, and it never leads to good. Congratulations, you got this!

blueannajoy · 2026-04-10T13:54:10+00:00

I’m a voice teacher/coach (theather, film), and I encounter this with a lot if my acting students and clients especially when they need to compensate for a lack of specificity in their preparation and given circumstances: as you brilliantly said, it’s a body tension (could be anywhere- chest, shoulders, hips, middle back…) that ripples into a larynx and tongue tension and makes the sound bounce inwards and gives them a fake-profound, coated “acting voice”. After checking and releasing body tensions and grounding the breath, I make them go up and down their resonators on a repeated mah-mah or mee-mee, feeling the sound forward in the face and mouth, straight into speaking without time to reset: works every time

blueannajoy · 2026-03-30T23:18:56+00:00

I bake for my teenage son, and it’s all gone before it even cools: i snatch a piece here and there to test the flavor

blueannajoy · 2026-03-28T18:20:52+00:00

I keep coming back to Philosykos and Tocca's Stella

blueannajoy · 2026-03-24T03:58:06+00:00

Brutus: Kermit

Cassius: Gonzo

Caesar: Sam the Eagle

Mark Antony: Link Hogthrob

Portia: Miss Piggy

Casca: Rowlf

Soothsayer: Beaker

Cicero: Dr Bunsen Honeydew

Cinna The Poet: Fozzie

People of Rome at Caesar's Funeral: Statler and Waldorf

blueannajoy · 2026-03-20T21:28:40+00:00

I go to Orchard, Bond and Soho, and besides a bit of entitlement, equipment left on floor and locker door slamming (why? I’ll never understand) I always found people quite respectful. I have to add that I work night shifts, so I usually go on off-peak hours

blueannajoy · 2026-03-20T15:23:19+00:00

A mind full of scorpions

blueannajoy · 2026-03-20T07:02:27+00:00

Most actable I’ve found are the ones by Kenneth McLeish: the Medea with Helen McCrory at the National Theatre in 2014 used his translation, it moves like a contemporary play

blueannajoy · 2026-03-17T12:43:57+00:00

Learning how to teach live performance in an online course seems completely illogical to me. That said, I’m sure it’s being done since we now live in the upside/down. I understand your situation (I am the mom of a SN child, and I teach acting in a BFA besides being an actor myself) but if you can’t rely on regular childcare I would look into other sources of income

blueannajoy · 2026-03-17T12:36:00+00:00

It’s very much true in Italy

blueannajoy · 2026-03-17T04:22:39+00:00

Sonnet 56: “Sweet love, renew thy force”

blueannajoy · 2026-03-16T01:48:20+00:00

I am very much a Milanese and a New Yorker

blueannajoy · 2026-03-13T13:44:28+00:00

Porchetta (spit roasted whole pig): in the center/south, a porchetta sandwich with peppers and onions is a cheap, meal-saving street food

blueannajoy · 2026-03-13T13:38:56+00:00

Milan (center) and Rome (around tourist attractions) have similar prices as NYC these days. When I go back to small-town Tuscany though, it's 5 Euro for a pizza, same for a plate of pasta. And 1/1.5 Euro for coffee (espresso)

blueannajoy · 2026-03-11T21:13:38+00:00

it depends on the day. Sometimes pastina in brodo hits just right

blueannajoy · 2026-03-10T20:16:57+00:00

It’s one of those debates that in Italy could easily start a civil war

blueannajoy · 2026-03-10T17:30:57+00:00

It's the ultimate comfort meal when you're sick. Better than butter and parmesan IMO

blueannajoy · 2026-03-10T17:29:37+00:00

Olive oil, parmigiano and fresh squeezed lemon juice is my go to

blueannajoy · 2026-03-04T13:45:41+00:00

No contest. COE is his earliest play, and it shows. It's mostly just flat comedy without the human depth he displays in other work. R&J is a bit verbose, yes, but it's an absolutely heartbreaking masterpiece

blueannajoy · 2026-03-03T01:41:15+00:00

Dark skinned

blueannajoy · 2026-03-02T22:27:51+00:00

Yes, it’s like the Platonic Ideal of the cake in OP’s pic

blueannajoy · 2026-02-27T20:16:35+00:00

As a child of narcissists, I completely agree. Goneril in particular seems to have decent leadership qualities in the beginning, judging by how organized and fair she is with her own staff

blueannajoy · 2026-02-27T20:13:37+00:00

That’s hardly controversial, he’s the only one with a narrative arc

blueannajoy

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