Summarize the following:
To play a diverse array of people, you need to know a diverse array of people. When you meet people, do your best to be quiet and listen. Ask them about their lives and stories, note how they talk and any slang they use, and let yourself be a sponge. Reading helps you see these concepts at work. Moreover, reading actually activates the same part of your brain as acting does. You should also do specific research for your part. If it is based on a specific person or time period, find out as much as you can. These little facts will work their way into your performance, even if only unconsciously. When you're watching someone act, let the scene simply wash over you the first time, watching like you would watch any other movie. Then replay the scene, paying specific attention to each actor separately. What do they do when they aren't talking? How do they deliver their lines? What is their body positioning and posture like? What movements do they use to sell their lines?  Would you read the same lines differently? If so, how? Classic plays, like Shakespeare, are a great way to see the artistry of acting. YouTube, for example, 5 different actors delivering the same monologue from Hamlet. How do they all differ? What artistic choices is each actor making to make the character unique? These classes often end in a production or performance, and are a great way to practice acting in a low-pressure environment. Take note not only of the teacher, but the other students. What can you learn from them? How would you improve their line readings, and would you make any different character choices? Make friends with your fellow actors, and talk to them from time to ask them for advice or tips on your performance. You never know when a fellow actor will make it big, and could potentially help you get a role. Be kind and friendly to everyone in class-- it will pay dividends later. Improvisation is the art of acting in the present, letting your character take over the action and react accordingly. Improv skills will help your characters seem natural, like they are reacting to the events on the screen in real time and not reading off a page. There are many improvisation classes in urban and semi-urban areas, and many acting classes feature a small amount of improv training. Improv games, like acting out suggestions from friends, acting with weird props, or acting short scenes with a friend, are great ways to practice acting anywhere. A cold read is when you're handed a script and asked to act it out on the spot. Sometimes you get 1-2 minutes to look it over, and sometimes you need to just launch into it. While this is scary, it is also very easy to practice. Buy a book of monologues, grab passages from a book, or even pick up a dramatic newspaper story and read it out loud. You can also read it once, silently, then take 20-30 seconds to choose a direction for the piece before beginning. This is also a good warm-up exercise, helping you prepare your mind and body for acting.

summary: Research human behavior through conversations and books. Watch and rewatch actors you admire. Go to acting classes. Take improv classes. Practice "cold readings" to ace your auditions.


Summarize the following:
When your gourds have reached their full size, the vine they’re growing on will start to die off on its own. At this point your gourds are ready for harvesting, but you’ll make the job a lot easier on yourself if you leave them to cure on the vine. Give them several weeks to a month for the curing process to occur; as you check in on them, you’ll notice them getting lighter and lighter. Unless you notice animals and bugs eating the gourds, there’s no fear of rotting or going bad.  If you’re harvesting edible gourds, they’ll need to be removed from the vine when they’re still young. If you have to cut the gourds early, wait till the vine at the top of the gourd has turned completely brown and dry. Turn the gourds occasionally and move them around to keep them from touching. The curing time varies from gourd to gourd depending on its size (and therefore water content). Check the gourds on a weekly basis to tell if they’re ready. Feel the skin and check the firmness of the gourds; if they are at all soft or squishy, they are rotten and should be thrown out. When the skin feels hard and slightly waxy to the touch, they are likely ready to be cut. Shake the gourd as the final test to see if they are fully cured; if they are ready, they’ll sound like a rattle with the seeds banging around on the inside. Use a pair of scissors or shears to cut the gourds from the vine. Although it is not required, you can treat the shell of the gourd to change its appearance and to help it last longer. Wash the gourd with a bit of dish detergent and warm water to kill off any bacteria. You can then use a bit of sandpaper or steel wool to shine the outside of the gourd, and add a layer of wax or shellac to finish off the shine. You can decorate gourds by painting the outsides as well. Your gourd will last for many years with the seeds inside, but if you would like to save the seeds for the next year’s planting, you may do so. Cut the gourd open to remove the seeds from the inside. Follow the same process of propagating the seeds (as aforementioned) to help speed up their growth. You can keep the shell of the old gourd, and you’ll have the seeds to create plenty of new gourds as well.
summary: Leave the gourds to cure on the vine. Remove the gourds. Treat the shell of the gourd. Consider saving the seeds.