Work Session with Nicolas Coster

I am so excited, y'all.  Nicolas Coster came to school today to work with the undergrads and the graduate students, and I just came from my session with this beautiful fuzzy feeling swarming around my heart like a furry snuggie blanket.

First of all,  he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and for five years with Lee Strasberg.  It's not like he got into the business thanks to nothing but dumb luck.  He comes to UGA quite often, usually to work with students and to help them, and then they go on imdb and stare at his excessively long list of movie/TV credits and wibble a little in their chairs.  So there was that.

I did a piece from The Battle of Bull Run Always Makes Me Cry, and to be totally honest, I've never done it before except in voice class for the New York accent recording.  I just knew I wanted to use it for this year's SETCs and wanted feedback.  My huge issue is speaking with full voice really down deep in my belly, since I thought for years that I was a soprano and speaking lower was lazy...of course, then I ran into actual voice teachers who said that I've got a pretty darn wide range, but my home is down among the lower notes.  Feels better, sounds sexier, and also sounds more powerful and yet more vulnerable, so that's cool.  But from the kickoff my voice was right where I wanted it to be, I took my time, and it came out beautifully.  He actually used the words "when something is that good, all you have to do is make a few brushstrokes to make it perfect" right before he had me do it again with a minor adjustment.  He was so kind, and so complimentary, and punctuated a lot of sentences like "That was really lovely" with "And take that as a compliment."

Oh, my gosh.  I am floating a few inches of the ground in happiness right now.

I love these moments in life.