Lady-Like

Finally met one of the men in the cast. I'll call him C. I rehearsed with him last night at the library, in a soundproof room. I know it's soundproof because I got there a little early and he was wildly emoting in there with D, and she gestured that I should wait outside. I couldn't hear them at all. From outside, he looked very young. Like, college-young. Plus, he was all kitted out b-boy style, with the baggy shorts and the chains and the tattoos. Finally, D opened the door and told me to go in and meet C while she took a little break. So I did. Here is our first conversation:

Me: Hi.
C: Hi. Are you a southern lady?
Me: No.
C: You're not? I thought you were.
Me: No. Why?
C: So, why are you here?
Me: To rehearse this scene with you.
C: So you are a southern lady.
Me: No. Do you mean, do I play southern in this scene? Then yes.
C: (exploding) Of course that's what I meant! What else would I mean? Like, if I just said "Are you a southern lady?" for no reason? That would be pretty ODD, wouldn't it?
Me: Sure.
C: So why would I do that???
Me: How should I know? Maybe you're odd. I just met you. Lots of people are odd. Actors are odd. I wasn't making any assumptions.
C: So you are southern.
Me: I can do a southern accent.
C: What did you just say about Cinemax?
D: I'm back!
Me: Oh, good!
D: You two getting acquainted?
Me: Sort of. He's been provoking me.

C was making horrible snorfling sounds, and said I shouldn't get too near him because he was sick. "I have no intention of getting near you," I assured him. "But thanks for warning me." He also said that when he got better, he planned to play the part of the judge "Kennedy-like." I wasn't sure what that meant so I just nodded agreeably.

It was pretty fun, rehearsing the scene. D gives really specific direction, which I like. And it was the first time we've rehearsed a spoken scene. I really get to play to the audience in this bit, so I'm loving that.

I had been screwing up the courage to correct D's grammar on a particular line, and finally brought it up. She considered what I said for a moment, then said it sounded wrong. I assured her I'd looked it up. She said we'd discuss it another time and we should keep saying it the old way. I found that...interesting.

There was also a moment when she leaped up and started trying to close the blinds, which wouldn't close. The room was entirely glass. Then she came up next to my ear and murmured, "I need you to pull your pants up." I guess my jeans had been sliding down my behind in all the excitement, and she didn't want me giving the library patrons a show. I found it more adorable than embarrassing, because I kept imagining my last couple of directors ever doing such a thing as commenting on my ass crack, and knew they wouldn't in a million years.

C was excused before I was, and as he was leaving he said he had also taught English, for ten years. I was pretty surprised by this, since I thought he was 22. Guess not. Guess everyone is looking young to me these days, compared to me. Anyway, he better start minding his p's and q's around me, or I'm gonna get cranky.

D asked me to sing one of my songs for her, and to "work the audience" while I did it. I said that was going to be hard, since I don't know the words, and in fact barely remember the song, having only rehearsed it once. She said I should do it anyway. And she made me try it without my script. About 34 times. I was sweating by the time the lights suddenly went out, which made me yelp. D didn't even blink. That's just what they do when the library closes, evidently.