Woof Woof Woof

The Cabaret exercise from yesterday. A girl on the stage. She speaks a poem.

Prof: “You have a large body. A monster body. Why do you go onstage and act like a cute little girl? You bend your body. You make yourself like a hairdresser’s poodle. The ones who shit on the sidewalk. Little green piles of shit. Get off the stage.”

The Girl screams with fury. She explodes. Tears running down her face.

Prof: “STAND TALLER. SPEAK YOUR POEM AGAIN.”

She begins again. Her voice a register lower. I can’t help but think she really is on her throat right now….Harlan shut up.

Prof: “NO YOU ARE MAKING YOURSELF SMALL AGAIN”

The Girl screams louder, she explodes with rage and tears.

Prof: “Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!”

The Girl is furious and defiant. She speaks her poem.

Prof: “Woof! Woof! Woof!”

She grows larger, more furious, she struggles. The minutes go by. He won’t stop barking at her. Not a big loud bark. A little nagging insistent one.

“woof woof woof woof woof!”

She resists him. His mocking rumbling bark.

“Woof woof woof woof”

Finally….it is over. The girl is exhausted. We all are exhausted.

Prof: “You make yourself small. You pretend that you are a little girl. But you are a beautiful monster. You hide. You hide this and you make yourself like a little poodle who pisses on the floor of the hair salon.”