The past week has been a very busy drama filled week. In lesson time we have continued studying Stans work and have been using it in Ibsen’s ‘A Dolls House’. We have focused on tempo-rhythm, this is our pace, both mental and physical, the pace of everything around us and everything we do. Once you have understood temp-rhythm then the pace of the piece in the bits it has been broken up into becomes clear to you, and so you know how fast or slow your character will move, gesture, talk or how they will hold themselves, or even what tension level they will be stood in. To start with we clapped out the beat of rhythm of the bits of the piece. To begin with I found this difficult, there is the temptation to simply beat out the rhythm of the sentence, I.e. the syllables, but after a while you notice that pace can change during a dialogue and that it is more like the characters heartbeat than anything. Our holiday homework, along with reflection for the blog, is to learn lines. I have found that I already know most of my lines simply from rehearsing with the script in hand. Another interesting point that came up in the weeks lessons is that even though I find we have become a very close ensemble and we all work very well together, we are not yet very truthful to one another. There is something that just stops you from being completely honest with one another, like the cop in the head and our idea of social manners and what’s acceptable, like what you feel you should say and are okay with saying. Richard and Maria asked Spencer and I to watch two variations on a part of their piece and decide on the best of the two. I said that I found it hard to pick and that they were both as good as each other. This wasn’t the whole truth as both of them were quite over the top for the moment, Mr Fearnehough eventually told them that it needed to be toned down a bit. But me and Spencer should have had the courage or whatever to say that. I need to get over the fact that criticism can be constructive and is not just an attack on my personal self. This should help me in accepting improvements for my work and giving constructive criticism to others.
This week we were also treated to watching a rehearsal by a dance troupe for their show, “Botanica”. It was a technical rehearsal more than anything, so while the dancers did not need to give 100 % (which they still did anyway) we got to watch the stage manager finish all the technical aspects and get them all tied together for example lighting and timing. Some of the costumes were unbelievable, and there were some great ideas for movement, props and theme that came from the piece. The piece was about life and creation and it was great tying it all together and seeing everyone reaching their different conclusions. One of the moments that will stick with me is when there were three dancers onstage, wearing black, with the lights dimmed and they used uv light to light up like their arms and legs, and made a dance out of the movement.
On our last lesson of the term we watched a video put on you tube by Guildhall acting school. It was a sort of promotional video for the school and the one thing that I found was very important and will take away from it is their discussion on imagination. As a muscle, how it must be worked and used, and how it is a very useful tool. Sometimes, as I’ve grown older, I’ve thought of imagination as less and less important. But I can understand why, as a drama student, it is a great tool and that I should use my imagination to the best of my ability.
Me and Maria were also invited to be audience members for Graces independent project. We went into Toulouse and went to a closed park, not as in we couldn’t get in as in it was like fenced. Maria went first and I sat on a bench as it was just one on one. When it was my turn Grace walked me to a fountain in the park and began telling me the story of a woman who spent every single day at the park. I was involved in the story as I was to think as if I was the woman in the story. Grace took me to different places in the park and told the story as we walked around. To help me believe in the story and think as the woman Grace had music for me to listen to at different moments, pictures, and even a scarf with perfume on it. This got all of my senses engaged in the piece, which lasted about 15 minutes. You could not help but be engaged in the piece as it was so intimate, you were completely submerged in the story and led to believe you were the woman. I think it worked incredibly well, and it was exciting to see a different kind of theatre, that was very sight specific.
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