by Justin Avery Smith. @JustAverySmith.
WORCESTER, Ma. - Jennifer Alley, an acting instructor at the local rec center, is taking an unscheduled sabbatical after one of her students referred to an acting exercise, in which the class was supposed to dive into their deepest traumas and secrets to get into the headspace for an upcoming scene, as “fun”.
“I just can’t figure out where I went wrong. I’ve been doing this for over a decade and the only one who ever left my class happier than when they came in before was me,” Alley said in a choked voice through her front door, as she did not want to show her face out of shame. “What kind of cruel world allows such a thing to happen?!”
Chelsea Shepherd, the student who delivered the remark in question, has expressed great confusion regarding the incident.
“I felt like we were all truly starting to bond after a month of learning some acting basics together. I found it very healing actually,” said Shepherd when approached outside a cafe where she was laughing about the incident with a few work friends. “I was just there to try something new now that my divorce is finalized and I’m an empty nester.”
Meanwhile, classmates like Jeremy Michaels find it hard to take sides after dealing with their own fallout from the exercise.
“I thought I’d moved on from when one of my old school friends blocked me on all socials out of nowhere,” Michaels noted, still sitting outside the classroom a full twenty-four hours later. “But this exercise made me realize I might be a horrible person without even meaning to, and maybe I’m supposed to take Alley’s hint and become a recluse too so I don’t have to worry about hurting anyone else! Really helpful exercise.”
All parties involved seem unlikely to resolve these issues anytime soon. Many experts agree, however, that a few minutes of online research will point to various acting methods used by successful professionals so that those interested in learning acting can learn without significant financial and emotional risk.
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