I had a great class last night my "Working Professional Actor" class with Van Brooks.

I hadn't been in class for a few weeks because of toy job travel and the flu ('tis the season), so it'd been a month out from direct coaching. Monday served as a somewhat rough reminder that acting, auditioning, getting a callback, and class are all very different activities. If I get out of practice at any of them, I pretty much suck for everyone to see.

I did a scene from Beyond Therapy, the play by Christopher Durang that probably launched Sigourney Weaver's career.

It's a great piece, and I did a cold read, and stayed absolutely stuck the first two rehearsals. I made a very uninteresting choice, and the scene felt flat (and a wee bit pathetic).

Van got us ramped up, and the third take (which we filmed), got us where we needed to be.

And even though I was beating up on myself for doing so poorly through the evening (especially in front of my visiting agent), Van generously encouraged me by saying a did fantastic on the third take, and "there's nothing wrong with being stuck. You just don't want to stay stuck. And you didn't stay stuck."

Wise words, indeed ...