So I reeeeeeeeeeeeeally don't feel like writing. But I know if I put it off, it will never get done. Or I'll forget what I have done. And that, my friends, is simply unacceptable. So. Let's see how far I get.
Saturday was not only Guy Fawke's Day/Bonfire (remember remember the 5th of november) but it was also our Globe workshop. That's right. Class on a Saturday. But oh so good. Yolanda (yoli) was our tutor and she has been both actor and director for the Globe for almost ten years. She has this incredible charisma and humor. But also, she is so gifted in making Shakespeare fun. Which, as some of you may not know, it totally is!
So from 10-4pm we did theatre exercises and games for both vocal and physical technique. She explained the limitations we would have being on the Globe stage in January. The fact that it is a theatre with no single focal point. You have an audience on all sides and on all levels. You will always have your back to some of them at all times. So, how do you make them feel included even when they are not looking at your face? How do you make the nosebleed section happy with your performance when they are too far away to see your facial expressions? How do you show it in your body and with the words you speak? You see, many people who read shakespeare think "GOD! Why does he babble on so much about describing what the character is doing all the time? We can SEE him doing it!" But actually, in that space and at that time...you didn't necessarily see the actor do anything. There are large pillars that obstruct the view at times and depending on where you are seated, you may miss out on some important bits and pieces. So we concentrated on that, as well as scansion and the rhythm of the speech. For some people, dissecting and finding the rhythm of the speech is mind numbing. But for me, it totally gets me going. Choosing which words to pop and which to stretch. Milking the sounds and pitching the voice. It's like hot chocolate syrup. Yummmmmmmmmmmy!
After that, the cohort decided to go watch the fireworks and then end up at AK's apartment for drinks. I was going to go to the fireworks but ended up skyping with mi padre instead. It was nice to see his face. And it turns out that I didn't miss the fireworks. I heard them, opened up my bedroom curtains...and got a free show. Perrrrrfect. I did end up going to AK's after. Reassured myself that I'd go for a couple of drinks and that was it. ...four hours later I was at a bar/club. Yeah.
Sunday I was up, after five hours of sleep and a slight hangover, at 730am. The plan for the day was to get the heck out of Glasgow. With two of my cohort MM and RM, we hopped a train to Loch Lomond. (See photos from above). The entire village was swamped in mist and fog for the whole day making it look magical. We hiked around the Loch, saw the castle and gardens, went off the beaten path to the faery glen and picked our way through a stream and fallen leaves. We skipped stones on the Loch and trudged our way through mud and trees. I saw two of the largest swans I've ever seen in my life and everyone we passed had a puppy of some sort with them. Made me wish I had a dog.
We ended up at a B&B for lunch and to sit by the fireplace. And I caved in and had an Apple and pear crumble with vanilla icecream and custard. OH. SO. GOOD. Then jumped back on the train to find our way back to Glasgow. I spent the rest of the evening (about five hours) going through the Cherry Orchard text to do character analysis on my role for class today. It ended up being about 17 pages long.
Today began with a 930am yoga class. The teacher was absolutely lovely. She was the exact kind of peaceful woman you'd want if you had to have someone to tell you to bend yourself into a pretzel that early in the morning. I may even look into taking her classes outside of school.
As for class...well, it was a tad frustrating. Once again we learn a different approach to acting. This one (as well as the approach we used for the ensemble project) is not my cuppa tea. It will be fine. But I find the two tutors talk in circles, argue with each other a lot, and use 1500 words when they could say what they need to say in 10. Patience may be a virtue upon which to build character, but the Lord apparently thought I had enough character and skipped that virtue on me. So I have a hard time ciphering through the BS to get to the point. The good thing is though, that when you get to the point, it's bloody brilliant. But I walk away from 6-8 hours of that, completely mentally exhausted.
The part itself is going to be more challenging than I anticipated. Don't get me wrong, I love a challenge. And I am excited at the prospect of really testing my abilities. But she puzzles me. I don't need to like who I play. I don't need to respect them. But I DO need to understand them. Parts of her make me incredibly uncomfortable because they expose a lot of my insecurities. She's the most insecure woman, she's constantly needing male attention, she's cowardly in that she'd rather be with a lover than have self respect, as opposed to being alone and not be ashamed of herself. This woman has no pride. I am all pride. Much to my detriment at times. I would rather be alone for the rest of my life, then settle for something that makes me feel cheap. She is the opposite.
She also looks to other people to feel valued. Those types of people need love from everyone, and yet none of it will ever be enough because she doesn't love herself.
She is incredibly charming and magnetic. She compels people to take care of her. Even her own daughters. She also is used to male attention and admiration. And needs it desperately. ...we are so different.
Yes, this is why we call it acting. We don't do this in order to play ourselves. Or at least I don't. But I'm not really quite sure how to become this. Or where I'm going to get the balls to show that much weakness. Because the more I DO understand her, the more vulnerable I feel. Oof. Stay tuned.
Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
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