Method Acting: An opposites attract, found family romance (Center Stage Book 2) Adele Buck (e novels to read .TXT) 📖

a different exercise. I’m going to count you off into pairs and you are going to take five minutes to explain your projects to each other. Then your partner has to explain the gist of your project to the group in one minute.”

A hand went up, and she nodded at the boy, who said, “Some of our stuff is too complicated to explain in five minutes, let alone in one.”

“I’m not talking about all the details. Get the kernel, the substance. You need to learn how to communicate an idea quickly and efficiently. Think of a trailer for a movie. What is it there for?”

Gina raised her hand, and Alicia nodded at her. “It gives you an idea of what the movie is about. It makes you want to see the whole thing.”

“Exactly. You’re not always going to be able to tell everyone everything. You’ve heard of ‘elevator speeches,’ right? Imagine you’ve just met an investor or your scientific hero in an elevator, and take a few minutes to think about how to efficiently get your point across.”

Colin had originally planned to go back to the office once he was sure Alicia had settled in with the kids. But watching her, he couldn’t tear himself away if he tried.

He pulled out his phone and e-mailed Jeanette, telling her not to expect him in the office until tomorrow. No emergency, he typed, just want to make sure the USA Science Fair trip ends well. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed, and he glanced at it. Right, Jeanette had written. Give my regards to Miss Science Fair.

His cheeks heated as he looked up at Alicia again. She was focused on a redheaded girl trying to explain someone else’s experiment. He didn’t know quite why Alicia was doing this, but he had already seen her methods in her own work and trusted that she knew what she was doing and would get results.

Even the blond kid who had shown her so little respect was participating now. He wasn’t as eager as some, still holding himself a little aloof, but his face showed a hint of anxiety, as if he knew that everyone who was participating was getting something out of it he was not. Something real. Something that might give someone else an edge.

Smart. Finally. Colin glanced at the chaperone, sitting a few chairs over. She was also watching, her interest shining through her obvious fatigue. Colin felt a surge of pride in Alicia as he looked back at her. Having had students give elevator speeches for each other, she was now telling them that each student would again take charge of their own message.

“Here’s why I wanted you guys to do this.” She started counting off on her fingers. “First, I wanted each of you to feel what it’s like to try to get interested in something you didn’t do yourself. It’s not always going to be a hundred percent about you. Second, you had to encapsulate your project to hand it off to someone else. That boils everything down to its essence. Third, seeing what your peers selected out of what you taught them shows you, hopefully, what you thought was essential but might be not necessary for this sort of movie trailer treatment. Think about that for a minute, and we’re going to go again. You will each have thirty seconds to pitch your idea.”

Twenty pairs of wide eyes fixed on her, then unfocused as they all began to think.

Chapter 17

“You’re amazing, do you know that?” Colin asked as they waited for a taxi in front of the hotel. He had thought they would be able to leave right after her workshop was done. He was wrong. Just about every kid wanted to tell her something, ask her something, or give her a hug. She had made the time for each one of them.

She looked up at him, eyes shadowed with fatigue. “Thanks. It was…something of a new experience. I’ve given acting workshops before, but to kids who…well, kids who wanted to act.”

“They seemed to really love you. Even that little wanker who started out trying to undermine you ended up respecting you.”

Chuckling, she folded her arms. “Yeah. He was a piece of work. But there’s at least one in every crowd. I was surprised I got to him at all.”

Colin shrugged. “You appealed to his sense of self-interest. He could see that what you were doing with the others was working, which gave them an advantage. He’s competitive. They all are, or they wouldn’t be here.”

Arms still folded, Alicia leaned over, nudging her elbow into his ribs. “You’re no dummy.”

“I’ve met the type all too often. It’s a professional hazard in my field,” he said.

She nodded and unfolded her arms as a taxi pulled up and the doorman opened the door for her. “I suppose so. I hadn’t thought about it that way,” she said as Colin slid in beside her.

“Aren’t actors competitive, though?” Colin asked after giving the driver his address.

“Yes, but usually they tend to be more open to learning just about anything. There’s not as much of that resistance in the first place. Almost any experience can be useful in some role or other. Actors are magpies, and new experiences are shiny objects.”

He thought about this for a few minutes and then turned back to her with a smile. “So. Enough of those pesky kids. They’re all going back home tomorrow, and I won’t have to think about this event until next year. The real question is what do you want for dinner?”

Alicia let her head drop to the seat back. “I honestly don’t care what I eat,” she said. “But I could really, really use a shower.”

Colin took her hand, brought it to his lips. “I can do you one better.”

Curiosity overcoming her fatigue, Alicia glanced sideways at him. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“You’re just going to have to wait and find out.” His hand slid over