Hey everyone, welcome to the Influency Podcast.
I'm very, very excited that you're here, especially today, because today we are going to do something a little different, and that is to act in a scene together.
Yep, you and I, we're going to do a dialogue together, dialogue practice, where both of us read the lines of a character from a scene in a play.
I find that combining acting and English practice is so incredibly fun and helpful.
It helps you work on your pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and stress, and it helps you understand tone of voice and nuances of speech in a much, much better way.
So today what we're going to do is I'm going to read a scene out loud from a play that I like, and then I'm going to explain a few key words and phrases in case you don't know them.
So that's going to be a good vocabulary practice.
And then I'm going to read only one part, leaving you space to read the lines of the other character.
Now, because this is a podcast and you're listening to this, there are a few ways for you to do it.
One is to click on the link in the description to see the script.
So I will be reading the lines of one character, and then you'll see the lines of the other character in front of you, and then you'll be able to read them.
Another option is to actually listen to this episode on YouTube.
Because on YouTube you'll also have the video and the lines are going to be presented on the screen.
So, that's option number two.
Option number three is that you won't be playing the scene with me, especially if you're doing something right now, listening to this as you're driving.
Probably looking at the script is not the best thing for you to do.
So, what you could do is just shadow the lines that I'm saying.
So, you'll be shadowing with me the lines of one character, and then you'll be shadowing with me the lines of another character.
You'll have enough space to repeat the lines.
So, whatever you choose to do, I think it's going to be valuable for you.
And also, you know, I come from a theater background, so I think that every person has an actor hiding inside of them.
And I think this is a good opportunity to unleash the actor within, and we can call it your English practice today.
All right. So let's go ahead and listen to today's episode.
I really hope you enjoy it.
And if you enjoy it, then consider rating and reviewing my podcast.
It's really helpful and it helps the podcast be seen by people who need it the most.
So I'm going to really appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
All right, let's go ahead and act together.
You're listening to the Influency Podcast.
I'm Hadar, your host, a pronunciation expert, fluency coach, and a proud non -native speaker.
With over 16 years of experience teaching, I am here to share with you all my secrets on how to show up in English clearly, with confidence, and freedom.
On this podcast, I'll provide step -by -step strategies, lessons, stories, and practical tips to keep you inspired and motivated on your English journey.
Are you ready? Let's do it.
Have you ever wanted to act in English?
If the answer is yes, then today is your opportunity to do that because you and I are going to act in a scene from a play in English.
As some of you may already know, I have a theater background.
Back in 2003, I moved to New York to study acting.
I'm a non -native speaker of English, and the work that I did in those two years of my studies really contributed to my pronunciation, because that's where I acquired the American accent, my speech overall, prosody, but also confidence and fluency in English.
And this is why I wanted to incorporate that here as well, because I believe that role -playing, but also acting, is a really great way to own your voice, practice sounds, practice English, practice the melody of English, and it's just so much fun.
So this is why I wanted to do that today, so close the door and let's act.
Now here's how it's going to work.
I'm going to first read a scene between two characters, then I'm going to explain some things and give you some context about some of the terms used, and then I'm going to read it again, but this time I'm going to do one part, and you're going to do the other part, and then we're going to switch.
So you get to play both roles today.
The play is called Rabbit Hole.
Rabbit Hole is a Pulitzer Prize -winning play by David Lindsay Baer that was first produced in 2006.
It's a play about grief, loss, and healing, and it tells the story of a couple, Becca and Howie, who are struggling to cope with the death of their young son, Danny, who died in a tragic accident.
Now, the scene we're going to play is from the beginning of the play before everything happens.
The scene is between Becca and Howie right after the first scene that was between Becca and her sister Izzy.
In that scene, in the first scene, Izzy tells Becca about a bar fight that she got into and also that she's pregnant.
So the scene we are going to do happens right after and they discuss what had happened in the previous scene, okay?
So like I said, I'm first going to read it or act it out and then I'm going to explain some terms.
So if something is unclear, I'll probably explain it later and then we're going to do the scene together.
All right, let's get started.
Ridiculous, right? Nine weeks pregnant, in a bar, drinking.
You said she wasn't drinking.
No, she said, but you know Izzy, plus the place was probably clogged with cigarette smoke.
Not anymore, clean indoor air act.
She was in Yonkers.
Do you think they enforced that in Yonkers?
I wouldn't worry about it.
If the babies in France turn out okay, I'm sure this one will be fine too.
You think this is funny, Howie?
Of course not, but you need to relax about it.
Izzy could be right.
About what? The baby.
Getting her on track.
It can wake a person up.
It did us. She was bragging about a bar fight.
It wasn't a bar fight.
They were in a bar, fighting.
Izzy hit someone. She didn't get into a fight.
Blows were never exchanged.
What's your point? It's okay for a pregnant woman to be punching people?
Well, so long as they don't punch her back, it's probably alright.
Why are you defending her?
I'm not. I just think it's silly to get worked up about it.
I'm not worked up. I'm just saying, you're right.
It's a mess. But what can we do?
Maybe it'll be fine.
Izzy's not a moron.
OK, she acts like one sometimes, but a baby can be good for a person.
I know that, Howie.
All right, then. All right, so now let's explain some terms in case it wasn't clear.
At the beginning, Becca says, plus the place was probably clogged with cigarette smoke.
So in this case, clogged means blocked or filled.
And probably that's implying that the air in the bar was very, very thick with cigarette smoke.
And then Howie says, not anymore, Clean Indoor Air Act.
So if this was not clear to you, let me explain.
So the Clear Indoor Air Act refers to a law that prohibits or limits smoking in indoor public places.
So I know it feels hard to think about it, but back in the day, not too many years ago, it was okay for people to smoke everywhere, including hospitals, airplanes, and definitely bars.
I used to work at a bar in New York City in 2001, and people smoked there inside all the time.
I always smelled like an astray.
And then she says she was in Yonkers.
So Yonkers is a place right outside of New York City.
And she says, do you think they enforce that in Yonkers?
She says that because she means that probably outside of the city, they're not enforcing it.
So probably everyone was smoking.
Because he tried to calm her down and to say, okay, they're not allowed to smoke.
But then she said, but they're not enforcing it.
So this is just to give you a little bit of the context about what was happening there in the scene.
Because there's a little bit of tension.
He's trying to, you know, to be in her sister's favor and then she's angry about her sister, as you can see.
So this is just to explain the tension between the two characters.
So we need to understand that so we can put our best acting into that.
Okay, a few more words that I'd like to explain.
Howie says, Izzy hit someone, she didn't get into a fight, blows were never exchanged.
In case that was not clear, so a blow is a punch or a physical strike during a fight.
And when you say blows were never exchanged, means that it wasn't like a back and forth fight.
It meant that Izzy probably just hit someone, but that person did not hit back.
Blows were never exchanged.
It wasn't like a back and forth fight.
And then there is a part where Becca says, why are you defending her?
And Howie says, I'm not, I just think it's silly to get worked up about it.
So first of all, that's a phrasal verb.
Worked up stresses on the second part of the phrase, worked up, on the word up.
And in the context, worked up means to get upset.
So in other words, he could have said, I don't understand why you need to get upset about it.
And she says, I'm not worked up.
I'm not upset. And then Howie says, later, you're right, it's a mess, but what can we do?
Maybe it'll be fine.
Izzy's not a moron.
Now, a moron is not a phrase that I would recommend for you to use, but just for you to understand if you don't know this word.
A moron is a derogatory term used to describe someone as being very foolish or lacking intelligence.
So basically, it's an insult.
and what he says is that she's, she doesn't lack intelligence.
She's not that foolish, okay?
Because he is trying to protect her.
All right, now we're going to play the scene.
And the first time we're going to read it, I'm going to be Becca and you are going to be Howie.
Let's try to do it in the most natural way.
So, as soon as I'm done saying a sentence, you can come in with your sentence, just read what's on the screen out loud.
If you need another practice, go back to the beginning of the video.
watch me read the two parts, practice along, and then come back here.
Ridiculous, right? Nine weeks pregnant, in a bar, drinking.
No, she said, but you know Izzy, plus the place was probably clogged with cigarette smoke.
She was in Yonkers.
You think they enforced that in Yonkers?
You think this is funny, Howie?
About what? She was bragging about a bar fight.
They were in a bar, fighting.
What is your point?
It's okay for a pregnant woman to be punching people?
What are you, why are you defending her?
I'm not worked up. I'm just saying.
I know that, Howie.
Okay, how was it? Good?
If you feel like you couldn't keep up or it was too quick, then you can just go back and play it again, and the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Okay? Now let's do it again.
This time, you are going to be Becca and I'm going to be Howie.
Okay? You start. You said she wasn't drinking.
Not anymore. Clean indoor air act.
I wouldn't worry about it.
If the babies in France turn out okay, I'm sure this one will be fine too.
Of course not. But you need to relax about it.
Izzy could be right.
The baby, getting her on track.
It can wake a person up.
It did us. It wasn't a bar fight.
Izzy hit someone. She didn't get into a fight.
Blows were never exchanged.
Well, so long as they don't punch her back, it's probably alright?
I'm not. I just think it's silly to get worked up about it.
You're right, it's a mess.
But what can we do?
Maybe it'll be fine.
Issy's not a moron.
OK, she acts like one sometimes, but a baby can be good for a person.
All right then. All right, then you did it.
Well done. I hope this was fun for you as much as it was for me.
Now, I know that the first time you're just like trying to get the words right and the intonation and the pronunciation.
So you could use this video to practice again and again, go back to the beginning, listen to me reading both texts, try to shadow me and then go back to the part where we play the scenes, choose your favorite character and then do that a few times.
And each time try to incorporate more emotion, to be more playful with your intonation, to try different things.
Even though I'm not there with you, there's a lot that you can do on your own and I hope this helps.
All right, if you liked it, let me know in the chat.
If you'd like the script, I put the link below so you can get the script.
So go ahead and download it.
And I also link to a couple of other resources where you can find similar scripts and practice along with them.
Now if you'd like more of these videos or podcasts, let me know in the chat or send me a DM.
I'm always at hadar .accentsway on Instagram.
And definitely check out my website hadarshemesh .com for a ton of additional resources and exercises to help you speak English clearly, confidently, and freely.
Thank you so much for doing this with me and don't forget, learning English can be fun!
Have a beautiful, beautiful rest of the day and I will see you next week in the next video.
Bye!
