Dear Carol

 "i just thought I'd share with you a nice moment I had tonight with one of my Closer Than Ever cast members.  I had been trying out the "humina humina humina" gibberish speak excercise with him.  I have always found it gives ME a great new way of approaching the text and thought it might just give us some in roads into What Am I Doin'? (Man 1's showpiece) Well...he started out.  He looked so tense, his breath kept seizing up on him and he took these gasping breaths.  He stopped and said "i feel like a doufus...i'm not breathing right"...I said allow yourself to breathe that way...its so valid...just see where it takes you.  Eventually he gave up trying to make sense of what he was "gibberizing" and started to play.  Then he started to tell me in gibber-laugh about how silly he felt.  He took the most spine-tinglingly honest set of breaths and started telling me about the woman he speaks of in the song...and kept going until he had told me without one word of english the entire story the song tells...in a way we had never imagined it.  He had been so serious about it, almost reverent in his angst.  And then WHAM...he allowed the breath to inform the song with funny.  Just what he was feeling.  It was thrilling!  We tried the song again with music and lyrics and it was so filled with joy.  Suddenly it was this new song.  Later on I showed him the clip of your sessions with the Acting International NY and he said..."this just makes so much sense to me...its so much easier than trying to feel something...when i am aware of my breath and allow myself to be affected by it, i make discoveries I never imagined I would!"  

Its a continuing adventure being inspired by the breath.  Thanks for being such a gift to the world...not just of actors, but of people.  Your humanity is both beautiful and magical.  Your joy is contagious and I am so glad to have caught the bug.+

x Matt Fennell, Melbourne, Australia